Sunday, November 25, 2018

A Giant Headache

Giants, that's it. I am done with you (of course I'm not, but it sounds good).

Another blown game, in the wake of Odell Beckham Jr. blowing a lot of hot air and the inability to maintain the intensity needed to protect a 16-point lead. Incredible, what a collapse.

Eli has been putting up good numbers and Saquon Barkley is a revelation, but the Giants need to go in a different direction, one that wins games, something they have not done since winning a Super Bowl eight years ago.

This in a year when the NFL is garbage, when the best team in the league wins a game in which it gives up 51 points.

In regulation.

Speaking of giving up points, did anyone watch the 7-overtime LSU-Texas A&M monstrosity? Because that's what it was.

When you play a game elongated to that length, someone is likely to get hurt. All this at a time when the game says it is dedicated to preventing injuries. I'm sorry, but someone gets hurt in a 7-overtime, 74-72  decision.

There is nothing wrong with a tie. If you play 60 minutes and are all tied up, that is just fine. Shake hands and go home.

The NFL does after an additional period if the teams are still all tied up (hear that, Donovan McNabb?).

And I am sick of the way DBs play pass defense. No one plays the ball anymore. They just follow their man and hope they can anticipate when the ball is coming in so they can stick a hand in and deflect it away. Usually, guys who do that get beat on the play or surrender a pass interference penalty.

It's sickening.

And the worst part is they are being coached to play defense like that. And when they get lucky enough to stick a hand in and luckily poke a ball away, the announcers call it a great play. I call that not-so-great announcing and analysis.

Now, back to my original point. The NY Giants cannot protect their lunches, let alone their leads in a game. Time for a different direction. When you are worse than the Cleveland Browns, you have a problem.

A very big problem.

Did I mention it's sickening?

Saturday, November 17, 2018

What In Heck Is Going On?

Watching college football is so much more fun and exciting than pro football.

They run wide-open offenses, take gambles, have fun. Sorta' like how the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl, right?

Some odd stuff this weekend though.

Alabama was 10-10 at the half with The Citadel. The Citadel - 10-10 - at the half!

Central Florida is showing why it should be a Final Four team in the FBS. But they won't be, because the "committee" knows UCF (nee Central Florida) won't generate television ratings nor attendance like the Alabamas and Clemsons of the world do. Speaking of which, why are they even playing the other games when everyone knows Alabama and Clemson will play for the national title for the third time in four years and meet in the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

Meanwhile, what in heck is going on in the Big Ten? Ohio State should've lost to Maryland and likely would've if Maryland had its regular quarterback healthy. Ohio State gave up 51 points - and won. Their defense couldn't stop my former intramural team.

Michigan totally mismanaged the final moments of the first half against Indiana and trailed 17-15 at intermission before reading the TV script and hearing Jim Harbaugh's halftime scolding and rallying to win.

No matter - the Ohio State-Michigan winner will face Northwestern - yeah, Northwestern - in the Big Ten title game. Amazing. If Northwestern wins, it would become the second consecutive Big Ten champion (Penn State) to not play in the Final Four of the FBS championship playoff.

No love for the Big Ten - if you're name isn't Urban Meyer and you don't coach Ohio State, the FBS selection committee doesn't like you (OK, an aberration, Michigan State, which got embarrassed though when it got the chance).

So here's a vote for Central Florida - uh, UCF - as if changing its name makes a difference to the committee. So what if you beat Auburn in your bowl game last year?  To be in that bowl game, Auburb had to lose its last preceding game - UCF had to win its preceding game.

Game. Set. Match, Case closed. So is the door, on UCF.







Sunday, November 11, 2018

Schloss-Blog Lives On

Hi everyone.

I'm still here. Just not on Facebook for a while, to avoid the nasty, vulgar, insidious remarks I've drawn from Trumpsters who can't stand the fact that someone simply disagrees with them and doesn't see America the same way they do, let alone dare to be critical of their view of America.

As a journalist of 40-plus years and a journalism instructor for 25 concurrent years, I am baffled not only over that but the way Trump makes racially toned remarks. Now, when Trumpsters see this, they will say I am "un-American," which I have been called, and a "donkey," i.e., ass, which I have been called. By them. All I did was ask them to produce impactful legislation that the president has signed off on, beyond the already unpopular tax reform, which flopped so badly the Republicans on the recent campaign trail hardly mentioned it all.

Fine. I'll be back on Facebook soon enough, and I want to thank my dear friend Danielle Dwyer for giving me "shout outs" in her initial Facebook Live blog. I formerly edited her blogs for her years ago, and this was her way of thanking me and I love her for it. She is a star sports reporter for WTOL in Toledo, Ohio. I predict it won't be long before you see her pacing an NFL or NCAA sideline for a major network. The girl is a finisher.

Reading that, as recently as two years ago, more people have been buying guns, especially some who live near the Borderline Bar & Grill in California, so they feel safer when they go out. I don't begrudge their feelings but I do begrudge their actions. More guns in those tightly packed places would only produce more shooting at people by people who think they mean harm to all people in the room. Not the answer, any more than are proposals for gun-toting teachers in our schools.

Crazy times in elections. What the media called a "purple wave" Tuesday night as the first midterm election results trickled in became a True Blue Wave by the time we awakened Wednesday morning. And it's not over yet - races in Florida, Georgia and Arizona could yet tip either way, although it is disingenuous of the Florida governor to be critical of election processes administered by people his Republican predecessors appointed.

Me, today, I won't be scanning Facebook for a while yet, so instead, I'll be looking for a good Sinema to watch.

Finally, what up, Chris Callahan? No, I'm not gonna' answer your question about conjugal lives. A little too illicit and personal, dontcha' think?