The Mission Top 10, er 5,

Here it is folks. I know we started this as a Top Ten, but right now all that matters is the Big Five. This is what is important as we finish up the regular season. USC will play Ohio St. in the BCS Championshipship, unless cross town rival UCLA finds a way to win Saturday at the Coliseum. If Florida loses to Arkansas in the SEC Finale, we should see LSU get an automatic BCS bid. Your crappy game alert should be set for the following potential matchup: Michigan against Notre Dame in a rematch at the Rose Bowl. Finally, as you get ready for this last weekend of Division 1 regular games, many of us in So Cal are on our annual death watch, assuming Pete Carroll, head coach at USC will finally answer the siren call of the NFL and head to Arizona to coach his old quarterback, Matt Leinert. Let’s hope it is just a false rumor. 1. Ohio St. (12-0) – The Buckeyes are just waiting for who their opponent will be and for Troy Smith’s Heisman Trophy. Next game: BCS National Championship Game vs TBA. 2. USC (10-1) – Beat Notre Dame 44-24. USC just toyed with Notre Dame for most of that game. They played a bad second quarter and still killed the Irish. After watching that there is one question that needs to be asked… just how bad is Notre Dame? This week: at UCLA (6-5). 3. Michigan (11-1) – Michigan is likely doomed in the national title race, and there is talk that the Wolverines are going to get stuck with a rematch against Notre Dame. If that happens, the Michigan will lose because they won’t care. Next Game: Bowl Game TBA. 4. Florida (11-1) – Beat Florida St. 21-14. As usual, the Florida offense was bad. As usual, the opponent’s offense was worse. That will end this week when Arkansas starts scoring. This week: SEC Championship Game vs Arkansas (10-2). 5. Louisville (10-1) – Beat Pittsburgh 48-24. 11-1 and ranked number 5 in the nation may not get Louisville in the BCS. What a joke, but that’s what we all have come to expect from this system. This week: Connecticut (4-7). On the cusp: LSU, Wisconsin, Arkansas technorati tags: USC, Ohio State, UCLA, BCS Championship, SEC Championship, Rose Bowl, Pete Carroll (hey, you know the rules, take all you want but gives us, and shadow sports, our top ten provider, credit...blessings)

A Good Cup o' Joe

Sometimes you want it straight. No cream, no sugar, just black. You know what I'm talkin' about. A great cup of coffee. The way they used to make it in diners all over America. No, you don't want a latte, mocha, frappe, zappe, half caf, skinny, fatty, or any of the other 500 concoctions you can hear daily in your local (are they everywhere?) Starbuck's. When you get in that mood, you want that cup o' joe to be dark, hot, smooth, and not bitter. I was in Atlanta recently and while I am there, I stay in the Norcross area. Interestingly enough, there is an outlet for a coffee chain from Minnesota, Caribou Coffee near where I stay. I say interesting because I don't equate moose, caribou, and lodge decor with Atlanta, but that is another story. One of the coffees they sell is "Obsidian Dark." It is fantastic. A very dark roast, smooth as can be, and worthy of enjoyment in it's purest form... black. It is truly one of the best coffees I have tasted. So if you are a real coffee lover, get on with it. Order yourself a pound, and when you get it, grind some fresh, make it in your french press and enjoy one of the best cups of coffee you'll ever have. technorati tags: coffee, Caribou Coffee, Obsidian Dark (i do not work for, nor have I ever worked for caribou coffee, i just like good coffee. after usc beats notre dame, we'll be back with the mission top ten next week.)

Mission Potpourri

I am getting the opportunity to preach this Sunday, so you are getting just a little weekend potpourri to chew on. First up is Shadow Sports’ weekly Top Ten. This week it is only the Top Five, and really nothing much matters beyond the top two, Michigan and Ohio State. This is it. The biggest game of the year to determine one of the participants in the national title game in January. If you miss this game, you are not a real sports fan. The game starts at 12:30 PST. I am going with Michigan in an upset. Oh yeah, I think Cal will beat USC in the Rose Bowl showdown. Ohio St. (11-0) – Beat Northwestern 54-10. The Buckeyes looked impressive in their final tune-up before the big showdown this week. They will have to be at least that good to survive this week. They won’t be. Hopefully Ohio St. enjoys the Rose Bowl after an upset loss this week. This week: Michigan (11-0). Michigan (11-0) – Beat Indiana 34-3. Before the season started, I picked Michigan to be in the title game while continuing to rank them below Ohio St. That is because Ohio St. had earned that ranking. Michigan gets their chance to earn the number one spot this week. The defensive line will allow them to do that and the offense will score enough to get the job done on the road. This week: at Ohio St. (11-0). USC (8-1) – Beat Oregon 35-10. A big jump this week, but they showed themselves worthy. Everybody around them lost and the Trojans blew Oregon out. Funny moment in the game: was anybody aware a coach could challenge a replay review and get it reviewed again to overturn it as Oregon coach Mike Belotti did to the Trojans in the 4th quarter. This week: Cal (8-2). Arkansas (9-1) – Beat Tennessee 31-14. Arkansas proved worthy of their ranking last week, but they stay ranked in the same spot because USC proved they are a high level team again and while I might pick Arkansas if there was a rematch, USC already won that game. This week: at Mississippi St. (2-8). Rutgers (9-0) – Beat Louisville 28-25. The Scarlet Knights made a great comeback against Louisville. If they beat West Virginia, they might find themselves ranked number 2. This week: at Cincinnati (5-5). I was talking to someone the other day and asked why I am always talking about sports. So here is a little non sports stuff. Are you all aware hunger has been eliminated? That’s right. There is no more hunger in the United States of America. I am not sure if that is true elsewhere, but here we now call it “low food security.” Can you believe it? If I forget to eat breakfast and my stomach starts to growl in the middle of the day, I guess it is just “low food security” pangs. Maybe we should change the saying to “Give us your poor, your people with low food security…” Who thinks up this stuff? In this case, the Department of Agriculture. Your government in action. Someone else asked me when I was going to have some more political thoughts on my blog. Are you never satisfied? Well this week has been great. Both parties have acted as if they live in vacuums. Didn’t Speaker-Elect Pelosi know her candidate for Majority Leader, Jack Murtha, was a losing choice? How does that happen? Just like a lawyer never asks a question to which he doesn’t already know the answer, as a Speaker you do not risk public rejection by your own party! As if that is not enough, she seems dead set on naming Alcee Hastings to chair the House Intelligence Committee. Hastings was a Federal Judge impeached by the Senate for bribery and removed from office in the 1980’s. Is this who we want handling our nations intelligence reports? Remember she promised the most ethical congress ever. Lest the Republicans think they are pure as the driven snow, wassup with Trent Lott? For those of you who do not know who he is, Lott is a Senator from Mississippi who was majority Leader of the Senate a few years back. That was until he remarked that the country would have been better off if we had elected Strom Thurmond president in the 1950’s. Thurmond at the time was running as a Dixiecrat, and one of central planks of the party was continued segregation. Anyways, Trent Lott is now slated to be the Minority Whip in the Senate. Which he apparently has been all along. (Thanks to Rosa Brooks of the LA Times for that one) So there you have it. A little bit of this, and a little bit of that for your weekend. I’ll be in Mexico early next week. Pray for me and I’ll have more when I return. Oh yeah, I just thought you might get a laugh out of this picture. technorati tags: Michigan, Ohio St, Low Food Security, Nancy Pelosi, Dixiecrat

Adventures in Travel

I was on the road a lot in October. There used to be this term for people that traveled frequently. We were called “Jet Setters.” The term itself evoked a certain type of wonderment, style, and adventure. Well, no more. Today’s traveler is more likely to feel as if he has to do battle when he or she heads to the airport. And if you have had to fly anytime recently, it is even more so. That battle starts before you even leave the house. Let me explain. In August the TSA changed all of the rules for carry on luggage. That means all of us who either do not want to wait for 2 hours to get our baggage at the carousel, or who are too paranoid to check said baggage have had to make a few changes in how we do things. The first thing you must do is go to the TSA website and read up on their policies, which they will change arbitrarily depending on the time of day, airport you are at, or the general mood of the screener. Having done that, you must head out to the store and purchase your mini toiletries, all of which must fit into one small plastic bag. For a guy, this is horrible. Most of us don’t like shopping and life is good if our wives just bring us back whatever works and it is something they like. Besides, there are far too many choices on that aisle to make this a quick trip for the uninitiated. Since Chelle was out of town, I had to make one of those trips recently. I was able to get most of what I needed, except deodorant, which seems to be made only in 3.5 ounce or larger sizes and thus cannot go in your carryon luggage. And then I went to the toothpaste aisle. I was amazed. 12 feet of toothpaste stacked on shelves four feet high. I think there was enough toothpaste for half of America. There were tubes, bottles, and pumps. Stripes, crystals, and colors. With mouthwash, without. Tartar control or not. Gel or paste, or even powder. For sensitive teeth, or maybe for non feeling teeth. And then the flavors! Mint. Bubblegum. Fresh Breeze. T-Bone Steak. And my favorite, Fresh Citrus Splash. I guess you can also use it as cologne when you go out on that special date. But I just wanted paste. TOOTH PASTE. No special flavors, no colors, no speckles, no gel. Just paste. Regular old-fashioned Crest Toothpaste in a tube, 3 ounces or less. It did not exist. Here amongst this warehouse of toothpaste, they not only did not have regular, they did not have any toothpaste in the approved 3oz. size. It was incredible. So I bought the Fresh Citrus, 7 ounces. Let me tell you something. It is great behind the ears, but horrible in your mouth. Who thinks of this stuff? I am trying to imagine a group of people sitting around the table in suits and ties and one of them says, "Hey, how about a citrusy flavor? Yeah, and we can add Scope mouthwash to it." It must be the same kind of guys who sit around thinking of names for paint colors, but that is another story. So now I am stuck using it. And since I had to get the larger size, I also am checking my luggage more. Which is always best, especially if you happen to have a random tube of Chapstick in your pocket, or if you forgot you had a large butcher knife in your computer bag. And you have been through airports in Oregon, California, Georgia, or even Hawai'i. But that too is another story that'll have to wait for another time.

Shadow Sports

"Kansas St. has been playing better than it has since 2003 the last few weeks. Texas has been making a case for a spot in the National Title Game. All that said, Texas is the better team, but they have been average on the road this season. The clunker is coming. Kansas St. somehow, someway is going to win this game." If you follow college football, you know that in fact, Kansas State did beat Texas in a huge upset. I believe in giving credit when credit is due. The words above come from my son Joseph's sports blog, Shadow Sports. When most of the regular sports folk (the MSM for all you political folks) put this game in the win column for Texas, Shadow Sports was all alone in correctly predicting a Kansas State win. The final score was Kansas St. 45 - 42 over Texas. He also picked Rutgers over Louisville. The kid is good and he knows his stuff! If you want some insightful sports commentary, especially on college football, check him out. technorati tags: Texas, Kansas St, Shadow Sports, College Football

The Mission Top 10, Wk XI

Here it is, our first post election Top 10. All eyes seem to be pointing towards the looming Big Ten showdown. Like most, I am really looking forward to that game. And the bands. There is just something magical about a crisp fall day, a great game, the Ohio State Script and the Michigan Band's Block "M" all coming together. My old high school band director, (yeah, I was a band geek!) John Barnhart was a Sousaphone player from Ohio State. He always told us one of the highlights of his life was dotting the i at one of those games. That kind of stuff is what makes college football great. Anyways, Thursday night we have Rutgers vs. Louisville. Should be a good game. For me, this Saturday I'll be in Vegas cringing, because I think Oregon is going to beat the rebuilding Trojans of USC. Enjoy. Ohio St. (10-0) – Beat Illinois 17-10. The Buckeyes looked great at the beginning of the Illinois game. They just seemed to get bored and disinterested in the second half. This week: at Northwestern (3-7). Michigan (10-0) – Beat Ball St. 34-26. The Wolverines did one better and slept through their entire game against Ball St. It makes no difference though. Ohio St. and Michigan are so far in front of everyone else that only the loser drops at this point. This week: at Indiana (5-5). Louisville (8-0) – Beat West Virginia 44-34. Why is everyone complaining about the lack of defense in the Louisville-West Virginia game. I seem to recall that USC and Texas scored a ton of points and played very little defense against each other in last season’s title game. This week: at Rutgers (8-0). Arkansas (8-1) – Beat South Carolina 26-20. When looking at the top ten, why not Arkansas as the highest one-loss team? The teams ranked behind them have not been very impressive. USC might could make a case if Arkansas is this high and if the Trojans win out (possible, but not probable), that will be adjusted. This week: Tennessee (8-2). Auburn (9-1) – Beat Arkansas St. 27-0. Another sleepwalking win over an inferior opponent killed the Tigers in the computers even more. Two teams ranked above Auburn in the BCS have lost, yet Auburn has dropped two spots since the initial BCS rankings. This week: Georgia (6-4). Cal (8-1) – Beat UCLA 38-24. The Bears were never really challenged on the scoreboard against UCLA, but the amount of yards given up (over 500) is troubling with road trips to Arizona and USC coming in the next two weeks. This week: at Arizona (4-5). Florida (8-1) – Beat Vanderbilt 25-19. Another uneven offensive performance from Florida. There have been quite a few of those lately. There will be another this week and two more after that before the SEC Title game. This team seemingly peaked too early. This week: South Carolina (5-4). Texas (9-1) – Beat Oklahoma St. 36-10. Why is there all of this outcry that Texas deserves to go to the national championship game. The only two things they have going for them are that their loss was early and it was against the number one team. Everyone seems to forget that they were one fumble by a Nebraska receiver from losing that game, gave up over 500 yards to Texas Tech, and then over 30 points to Baylor. This week: at Kansas St. (6-4). USC (7-1) – Beat Stanford 42-0. Before anyone claims USC is back after the strong offensive performance, it needs to be noted that almost everyone has killed Stanford this season. The Cardinal only came close against San Jose St. Even Navy and Arizona St. destroyed them. This week: Oregon (7-2). LSU (7-2) – Beat Tennessee 28-24. This team showed that they are one of, if not the most talented team in the country in the win over Tennessee. They also showed why they have two losses. They tried everything they could to give the game away to a backup quarterback seeing his first significant college action. This week: Alabama (6-4). On the cusp: Tennessee (8-2), Rutgers (8-0), West Virginia (7-1), Notre Dame (8-1), Wisconsin (9-1).

The Mission Top 10, Week X

Just a little different format this week. My son, who supplies "the mission" with the Weekly Top 10, had to get a thesis rough draft in, and those of you with kids in college understand where parents want their kids to put their focus. As for the games last week, we all knew USC was due for a loss. I just can't believe it was to Oregon State. Congratulations Sammy, Tyler, Coop, and all of my other Oregon State fans! 1. Ohio St. (9-0) 2. Michigan (9-0) 3. West Virginia (7-0) 4. Louisville (7-0) 5. Tennessee (8-1) 6. Arkansas (7-1) 7. Auburn (8-1) 8. Florida (7-1) 9. Texas (8-1) 10. Cal (7-1) On the cusp: USC (6-1), Wisconsin (8-1), Notre Dame (7-1), Rutgers (8-0), Boston College (7-1) BCS Bowl Projections National Title Game – Michigan vs Florida Rose Bowl – Ohio St. vs Cal Sugar Bowl – Auburn vs Notre Dame Orange Bowl – Georgia Tech vs West Virginia Fiesta Bowl – Texas vs Boise St.