Does BU need football?

As readers of this blog may know, my alma mater, Boston University, killed it's D1-AA football program in 1997. BU had about zero football tradition, and games at Nickerson Field were sparsely attended at best. However, I do have fond memories of fall Saturdays, the mighty Terriers taking the field against arch-rivals like UNH and Maine. Good times.

Brian Roach, in today's Freep, attempts to make the point that a dominant hockey program makes up for the absence of a mediocre football program. He reminds us of BU's multiple National Championships, 2009 being the most recent, bitter rivalry with that other school right out the B branch of the Green Line, and Beanpot triumphs. He doesn't mention, but could have, the semi-household names like Eruzione and Craig, Drury and Tkachuk, and, of course, Jack Parker.

Well, I'm not so sure. I have some great Beanpot memories, sure. One of the great sports moments of my life occurred at the Beanpot. I some really good times at Brown Arena (the Rathole On Babcock St). Scott Shaunessy was sorta fun to drink with at Father's Too on Beacon Street. I mean, it was nice being around a superior hockey program, no doubt.

But college hockey is a fringe sport. It's not even on the same map as college football or college basketball. It's lumped in with other third-tier sports like baseball, soccer, swimming, etc. All very worthwhile pursuits, don't get me wrong. But they just aren't the same as the biggies.

I have NOTHING in my experience to rival Game Day in Austin, or the atmosphere of Cameron Indoor or the Dean Dome. I've never been in an arena with the hoisted jerseys of Walton and Kareem, or where there are 100,000 people wearing maize and blue.

Now, of course, that's not to say BU could ever achieve that sort of success in the big sports. BU football was a very average 1-AA program. There was no history or tradition. The most spectacular players to ever roll thru Nickerson, guys like Jim Jensen and Bill Brooks, wound up with very solid, but unspectacular, NFL careers. A guy like Paul Lewis, who set every rushing record the school has, couldn't catch on with the Patriots as a free agent when the Patriots were terrible.

Hockey is all well and good. And it is nice to be able to say "I went to BU, home of the hockey National Champions of 2009". And it's probably better to have a dominant hockey team than it is to have a spare football team.

That was a long rant for not much payoff. I guess the moral of the story is its better to be really good at something sorta spare than it is to be really spare at something sorta good.

It probably also pays to not do too many stream-of-thought blog posts late at night!

Update from Sportsville

Editor's Note: This was written last Sunday, prior to Cowboys-Redskins. I'm not sure that changes anything. Just thought you should know.

I need to apologize to all my fans.

I have let you down. I have let myself down. My blogging has been HORRIBLE this football season. If you were to take a peek into the chaos that is the inside of my melon, you might cut me some slack.

Well, some of you might cut me some slack.

OK, none of you would cut me any slack whatsoever. In fact, you'd likely give me a lot more grief than you have.

I feel guilty for abandoning you during one of the greatest college football seasons ever in the history of ever. I've forced you to turn to the likes of Frank DeFord, Rick Reilly, and other ink-stained wretches for your sports insight. What have any of THOSE guys ever done?

I'm so sorry.

My goodness, what a season it has been in D-1 college football, hasn't it? Any debate left regarding the identity of the premier football conference in the land? I didn't think so. You can have your SEC, which is still a fine conference full of outstanding teams. I will take that Big Twelve Conference, if you don't mind. This has been the first weekend since late Sept when there wasn't a titanic clash of national powers somewhere on the Plains, and the pace picks right back up next Sat night in Norman. The delicious scenario of a three-way tie for the Big 12 South looms likely, as I am betting both my kidneys and all of my lungs (what?) on Oklahoma to beat Tech.

I mean, come on. If you're gambling major organs, who do you trust more? Stoops, or that pirate guy?

The poll, bowl, and Championship scenarios are too many, and too complex, for my simple little pea-brain to grasp. All I know is this could be precedent-setting, historical, and a hell of a lot of fun.

And thank the sweet, sweet Creator of Us All we have D-1 college football to hold our attention. Because the local pro sports scene is the worst it has EVER been.

The Rangers are dead, buried, forgotten, etc for the rest of the year, giving us some measure of relief from that misery. However, the boys of Autumn and Winter are faring no better.

The Mavericks? My God, has a window ever slammed shut with so much force and finality as the Mavericks' championship opportunity? This team SUCKS. Somewhere, Avery Johnson is doing shots of Tabasco sauce, soaking his feet in pots of jambalaya, and laughing his New Orleans ass off. The Kidd trade was a disaster, and we're only now seeing just how big a disaster it was. Cuban has proven to be far too much of a player's owner. Donnie Nelson is hiding under his desk, attempting to avoid the public and thus blame for this mess. Dirk is sitting in a massive leather wing chair in his darkened map room, wearing only BVDs and a helmet with a spike on it, taking the occasional slug from a bottle of schnapps, and wondering how his career turned into such a mess. And Rick Carlyle is trying to remember why this job looked like a good idea 4 months ago.

The Mavericks are done. They will not be good again for at least 5 years. The only question worth pondering right now is what does Dirk have to do to get into the Hall of Fame without a ring.

Sad.

The Stars are no better, although it's harder to figure out what the heck has happened at the StarCenter in Frisco. What, exactly, is different this year? Were the now-departed spares like Matty Norstrom so important?

I have no idea. However, it seems like a coaching change may be enough to spark this bunch. I hate to say that, as Tippett hasn't done anything really badly, and he's a stand-up guy. However, for whatever reason, he seems to have lost his room. A new voice may be what's needed. The talent seems to be here – last year's playoff run would sorta indicate it, I think. I see reasons to hope for the Stars, but something has to be done to shake the thing up before it's too late.

And the Cowboys? The biggest disappointment of them all, and the most unexpected. We should know pretty quick tonight whether there is anything left to look forward to this season. If the Cowboys can come out, slow the Redskins a bit, and get the ball down the field some, things may be OK. If we get a whole bunch of drops and Marion Barber 2 yard dive plays, and a couple of three-and-outs, I think we're done.

How were we fooled so badly? How did this team, which looked so good at times last year and early this year, implode so quickly and so completely? How did the coach respected as a defensive visionary fail to build a competent defense out of so many high draft picks and expensive free agents?

It has been more than 30 years since Dallas was completely shut out of the playoffs in every major sport. I fear that streak is about to end.

Daily YouTube: Welcome to Dallas, Sean Avery

In case you hadn't heard, the newest Dallas Star has a bit of a history...

Stars-Wing: It ain't over yet

Yet another heroic performance by the Stars yields a 2-1 victory over the hated Red Wings, and a 3-2 series tally.

We're going to Game 6. Whoda thunk it after Game 3? Not me.

Another gritty, desperate effort by the Stars, this time in the chamber of horrors called Joe Louis Arena, was led, as usual, by Captain Brendan Morrow. A cross check to the right cheek didn't take the starch out of him. Turco was fantastic, choosing the perfect time to shake the Joe monkey off his back.

The series shifts back to the AAC for Game 6 on Monday night. One game at a time, baby. This thing ain't over!

Stars-Wing: Those guys in red are pretty good...

The fun appears to be about over, as the Stars are down 3 games to none to those boys from Detroit. The Stars threw everything they had at Wing last night in Game 3, only to get beat 5-2.

No one, myself included, had any hopes for the Stars entering this year's playoffs, so to make it to the Western Conf Finals, playing the President's Cup winners and probably Stanley Cup champs, is an unexpected bonus. There remains a chance for the a miracle comeback, but it's not like Detroit is barely beating our boys. This has been a domination from the beginning. Those guys are just better.

Last night was a great effort, and it was good to see some smart play, real scoring chances, and passion from our boys. They aren't going down without a fight.

However, injuries to Barnes, Boucher, Lehtinen, and (probably) Morrow are taking their toll. The inexperience of the kids on the blue line, and some mistakes by Zubov (I'm sorry, but I still think a bit over-rated) led to a couple of scores last night. And Detroit has some truly outstanding players.

Game 4 is tomorrow night, and we sure would like to see the boys avoid the sweep. I think they will. I think this team has too much pride to go out meekly. We'll be by the channel for sure!

Stars-Wing: Oops

Well, THAT certainly didn't go as we had hoped, did it?

The Stars looked somewhat awed by the mighty Red Wings tonight. No one in white had a particularly good game, although they finished better than they started. At least, I think so. It's also possible Detroit let up on the gas with a huge lead.

It's one game, and Wing have been sitting with their feet up for some time, while the Stars were battling for their lives against the Sharks. So, this could be nothing to worry about.

Or it could be a real short series. We'll find out a lot on Saturday night.

Until then, there's lots of hockey sudden-expertism to enjoy over on the DMN Stars blog. Be sure to read the comments. I suspect about one commenter out of ten actually knows something, while the other nine are spewing the same drivel we heard on the telecast or on Bob and Dan's post-game show. Good for a giggle, if nothing else.

Go Stars!

On to the Western Conf Finals!

It took another half a period, but the Stars finally, FINALLY, put the Sharks away last night (rather, this morning). I flaked out at 1:00 or so, after the 3rd OT period. Captain Superman (also known as Brendan Morrow) put the game-winner past Nabokov at about 1:25 a.m., Central Daylight Time.

The way I'm feeling this morning, I made the right decision. Another 30 minutes would have likely killed me.

What a game! It's only the semis, so it won't be remembered with the stature of a Finals marathon, but it ranked right up there with the great ones. The first period and, more so, the first OT were as good as you will ever see. I was exhausted after the non-stop end-to-end play of the first OT; I can only imagine (actually, I can't) how the players felt.

So many heroes for the Stars. Turco was unbelievable. THIS is what the guy got that monster contract for. He's earned the right to thumb his nose at all of us who questioned his heart over the past few years. Ribiero, so snake-bit last night, kept firing at the net, only to clang it off the post or be absolutely robbed by Nabokov. And speaking of robbed, Brad Richards should be filling out a police report on that miraculous, how-did-that-not-get-past-the-line glove save Nabokov put on him. Modano, Zubov (still too shaky; perhaps, dare I say it, a bit overrated?), Robidas, the kids on the blue line, Lehtinen, Toby freakin' Peterson, everyone showed something last night.

But the highest praise has to reserved for Captain Brendan Morrow.

I love this type of player - not the fastest, biggest, or most talented guy out there, he makes stuff happen by willing it. A hard-hitting tough guy with talent and enough physical tools to separate him from the goons, this guy is a winner. Things happen around him nearly every shift because he makes them happen. How fitting that he throws the hit of the series on Michalek (who I hope is not seriously hurt) and scores the goal that wins it. If the Stars can keep going, he has a Conn Smythe trophy coming.

Now its on to Detroit. I don't know anything about the Red Wings this year, but we'll all be finding out. How far does this go? I have no idea. Wherever we're going, it's been fun so far, and should be fun as we continue down the road.

Go Stars!

I can't do it anymore

I'm sorry. My 0530 wakeup is looming. I hate this, having invested five hours of my life in this thing, but I'm going to bed...

Um, this doesn't look good

They had to call that one. Even if the Stars do kill this one off, the Sharks are skating circles around them...

Second OT: 96 shots later

The next shot taken, the first of OT number 3, will be the 97th taken in this marathon.

I don't know what's keeping these guys going. Whatever it is, Morrow still looks like he's ready to skate thru a wall. Ribiero has the energy to check forwards and back. And Modano still has the jets.

The Stars dominated the first OT, the Sharks clearly had more in the second. Who can dig deep enough to win this thing? We'll see...

First OT: Oh. My. Goodness.

What do the Stars have to do to win this?

That was the craziest 20 minutes of hockey I have ever seen. Ralph and Razor agree, and they've seen a lot more than I have.

Ribeiro clearly did not go to church this morning. A good Catholic boy would have cashed in one of those golden opportunities. Turco, on the other hand, has more than earned the two "Turcolicious" comments from Razor.

I have to get up at 5:15 tomorrow morning. I can't take much more of this.

Turco answers!

As good as Nabokov's save on Richards was, Turco just topped it

Greatest save ever

Nabokov's save was the most unbelievable thing I have ever seen. I hate to admit it, but that guy is pretty good.

If the Stars don't stop turning the puck over, they are going to lose...

3rd period: DANG IT!!!

You knew a one goal lead wasn't going to hold up.

Turco - still fantastic. Robidas - giving it up for the team. Morrow - what a hit on Michalek.

I love the Morrow-Ribiero-Lehtinen line. Man, it just seems like stuff happens when those guys are on the ice. Interesting choice by Tippett to have Richards out with Morrow and Lehtinen in the waning moments of period 3. Not sure where that came from.

And here we go with OT, again. Who's the hero? I'd like to see a blast from the stick of Mr. Fistric. Let's see...

Go Stars!

2nd period: Stars leading, but...

Antti Miettinen, the Finnish Flash (that is sarcasm. btw), of all people, scores, and the Stars are up 1-0.

The Sharks really owned the last 5 minutes or so of the period. The Stars are getting another world-class performance from Mr. Turco, but they are going to need to turn up the offensive pressure to win this one.

Safe is death!

Go Stars!

First period: Holy smokes!

We're 20 minutes in to Game 6, and both teams have come out flying. I thought the Stars won the period on the judges scorecard, although neither team lit the lamp.

Some heavy hits, a bunch of good scoring chances for both teams - that last laser to Turco's glove side nearly stopped my heart. Good stuff!

I'm feeling good about the Stars chances in periods 2 and 3. We'll check back in at the 2nd intermission.

Go Stars!

Stars-Sharks: It ends tonight!

There are previews all over the place. Personally, I like the DMN Stars blog for the latest and greatest news.

Speaking of which, it looks like Stu Barnes isn't going to make it tonight. Dude has to have a concussion, and probably a pretty bad one. Barnes is one of those glue guys who's value is difficult to judge until he misses a lot of time. His absence has resulted in some serious line juggling, which is not what Tippett wants this time of year.

Regardless, this has to end tonight. Game 7 in San Jose would be a nuthouse. You don't go up three games to none, then have to go back to the other guy's place for Game 7. The Red Wings have their feet up right now, recharging for their next opponent. The Stars need some downtime as well, if only to get Barnes back. And they need to regain their confidence, which may be a bit shaken after losing two in a row.

It says here Stars, and maybe by a bunch. I think 3-1 or even 4-1 are likely.

Go Stars!

Stars: Oh boy

I'm still on the bandwagon, and I'm still feeling good. Our boys are still up 3 games to 2 following the just-completed 3-2 OT loss in San Jose.

And yes, I wish I had come up with "Stars lose their way in San Jose". It's terribly gay, but I chuckled.

I'm just a little nervous, that's all.

Letting these clowns back into the series is a mistake, obviously. Especially when you're up 2-0 in Game 5. I give the Sharks full credit, they capitalized on some dumb plays and passiveness by the Stars. And Turco finally let in the soft goal.

Dallas sports fans, myself included, are just too gun-shy. We've been burned by all of our teams in the recent past. Any hint of a possible melt-down is met with much gnashing of teeth and a pressing need for more Maalox.

This needs to end on Sunday. We can't handle a Game 7. The entire DFW Metroplex of Love will spontaneously combust.

Go Stars!

Sportsville update: Way up and way down

The news from Sportsville today is more bad than good. However, the good is so good that I think it outweighs the more abundant, but less surprising, bad.

On the bad side of the ledger, we have the little Mavericks and the inconsequential Rangers, both of whom lost last night.


The Rangers, dropping ever further from the realm of the relevant, lost to Kansas City (Kansas City!) 9-5. This puts them at 9-18 for the season thus far, the worst record in baseball. Oh, and they also lost another starter (Jason Jennings) to injury.

Can we just forfeit the rest of the season now?

For my part, I will not venture into the confines of the Ballpark (unless Ed invites us to join his fam in the suite again; I'll make an exception for that) for the duration. I may even swear off games on TV, except I don't know what else I'll do on a random mid-July Tuesday night.

God, they are terrible.


The little Mavs completed their third giant choke in as many years, losing Game 5 to New Orleans 99-94 and dropping the first-round series three games to one. It is clear to everyone that drastic changes are necessary. The really bad news is the Mavs total lack of options, mostly as a result of giving up half the roster and two of the next three first-round draft picks in the (now-obviously failed) J. Kidd trade.

It's always hard to say what Cuban will do, but the vote here is trade anyone and everyone who can bring any sort of future return. Blow the thing up completely, get some expiring contracts (or, better yet, draft picks), suck for a couple of years, and start over. This includes Dirk.

And there is no way Avery is back.

Thinking back to the halcyon days of June 2006, didn't we all think the Mavs were a dynasty in the making? Didn't we all think, "So what if they choked against Miami? They'll be back!"? I sure did.

What a disappointment.

We like to finish on a positive here at CIT, so let's move to the most positive of all, the biggest, most pleasant surprise of all: your Dallas Stars.


A 2-1 OT win over San Jose last night gives the Stars a death-grip on the second-round series with a 3-0 lead. Our boys withstood the expected San Jose everything-but-the-kitchen-sink onslaught in the first two periods and emerged down only 1-0, due primarily to Marty Turco's continued larceny (thanks, Razor) in goal.

Once the third period started, the Stars took over the game. Zubov's seeing-eye liner from the point on a power play tied it, and unlikely hero Matty Norstrom scored on a weird and wonderful mis-directed pass four and a half minutes into OT to win it. Brendan Morrow continued to play like a man possessed, hitting everything in teal, and Mike Ribeiro found more hockey wizardry in his bag - is he the greatest 170 lb player in this generation?

A sweep is now possible, and, while I expect the Sharks to win Game 4, I don't discount the chance of confetti raining down from the rafters of the AAC tonight either.

The bad news is the Stars are all we've got this summer. The good news is they are earning the respect and attention in all the right ways.

Go Stars!

Happy day in Sportsville

The DFW Metroplex of Love awakens this morning, some of us earlier than others, to the best sports news its seen in some time.

Everyone won last night. I have no idea when that last happened. I wouldn't even venture a guess.


The ridiculous Rangers found a little something, coming back from a 5-0 deficit against Minnesota to win 6-5 in 10 innings. Never mind that Hank Blalock hurt himself again (I'm sorry, but how the hell do these guys get hurt so often playing this game? Maybe I'm an idiot, but it sure seems like, if you keep yourself fit and flexible, you should never get hurt playing BASEBALL!). Never mind that the "brain" trust of Ryan, Daniels, and Hicks (stop laughing!) met earlier in the day to discuss this team's complete failure thus far and left the meeting with nothing new. Never mind the total absence of any semblance of hope for this year or the near-term future. Never mind all that. The Rangers frickin' won. 'Nuff said.


The little Mavericks were, for one night at least, not so little. Avery's wife must have hit him with a frying pan to get him to realize what everyone else in town saw about 90 seconds into Game 1 - Jason Terry was in the starting lineup in front of ancient, creaky Jerry Stackhouse, and was actually able to slow down Chris Paul. Other defensive responsibilities were shifted as well, and the Mavs throttled the Hornets 97-87. It was the kind of convincing win that makes you think this may yet be a series.

I just wonder why Josh Howard chose yesterday to make his poorly-timed, but not-especially-surprising, statement about his dope smoking. He's just one of many weed-smokers in the NBA (and on Planet Earth, for that matter), and who really gives a crap or is even slightly surprised? But I don't know why we need to be discussing this in the midst of the playoffs. And it's not like his stellar play gives him all kinds of latitude to be making nutty statements like this. Howard needs to shut up and work on his move to the basket.


And out in San Jose, the Stars won Game 1 of their Western Conference semi-final series with the Sharks 3-2 in OT. The Stars had no business winning this game. San Jose really was the superior team. However, the Stars did enough on offense to make Marty Turco's super-human effort worthwhile. Make no mistake, Turco stole this game for his team. And, boy, does it feel good to write that last sentence! There is a long, long way to go, and I'm trying not to get too wild and crazy here, but the way is open this year for Turco to silence every critic he's ever had.

Fellow sports, let's enjoy this rarest of confluences all day today. I expect to see nothing but smiles and nods today. I expect everyone to hold doors for each other, yield the right of way when they should, and pick up stray trash on the street. Let's make it a great day to be fans in Sportsville!