We Lived to See It

I couldn't let this momentous occasion pass without posting.  It seemed a short time ago that there was little interest among the NCAA football leaders in a playoff.  In what seemed just a short few weeks, something caught fire and before I hardly knew it was a real possibility, we have a playoff!  As I've listened to the chatter and read the summaries, the most exciting benefits to me are:

• The voters should be a better controlled list of people who really know college football and watch the games, certainly an improvement over many of the people voting now
• The liklihood that a team really deserving of a chance at the national championship is shut out will be less - how many #5 teams in memory did we think should get their shot?
• The big games will again be concentrated, now 2 days 12/31 and 1/1.  A huge improvement over the current calendar.
• The Cotton Bowl is back baby!  Another example of why Jerry is a great businessman (if lousy GM).
• The idea of earning your way in - better informed voters plus the requirement to win a semi-final against a great team means the final should be well earned with no fluke champions

Some things I don't love or will miss:

• I'm old enough that I continue to lament the passing of the importance of the "Big 4" bowls
• Could this small panel be a political nightmare?
• The final game is too much becoming like the Super Bowl.
• I'm also more of a supporter of rewarding conference champions as much as possible/logical than most people are

Overall as a college football fan its better and will bring more excitement to that time of year.  After hoping for so long that it would happen, I won't try to pick it apart.  I think they actually did something right.

S

Golf Phenom?

This week I read about a 16-yr old at Highland Park, Scottie Scheffler who is fresh off of winning the 4A state championship by 3 strokes(competing as a sophomore).  Last week on his 16th birthday he shot 61 at Northwood, which once hosted the US Open, breaking the course record held by Hunter Mahan of the PGA tour.  On this day, he took 8 putts on the back nine.  Only 2 days later, playing Dallas Country Club, he shot another 61 matching that course record held by Kelly Kraft of US Amatuer fame.  Remember the name.

S

Finals

I'm not in town, so not watching the first 2-3 games.  I was curious how I would view this match since I'm a fan of both Lebron and Durant, and I hate to think of the Lebron-haters having more fuel for their crusade if he fails to close another close deal.  But, I'm leaning OKC even though I don't care much about any of the supporting casts of these teams.  It's mostly because of my affinity for Durant and also the spectacular way OKC's Presti has built this team through incredible drafting and personnel decisions.  It's a clinic on how to do it.  I mean, they drafted Durant, Westbrook, Hardin, and Ibaka all within 3 years.  Not too shabby.

OKC seems to have the advantage because they have grown up together and play together very well.  Durant doesn't force the issue and everybody except Westbrook knows their role well.  Miami still looks confused at times.  That said, I worry about the refereeing as always and how much they will let Durant get beat up as we go along.  If Durant fires a 5 for 18 on the wrong night, they can get in trouble.  And this year we might just see Lebron try to take over.  It would be amazing to see the team with the younger players pull it out when the other team's stars are still in their prime.  Coaching will start to matter as we get deeper.

S