SB Nation User Blog: Beergut

Happy Independence Day!!!

Beergut — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:05:52 -0000

We here at I Am The 12th Man want to wish you and yours a very happy 4th of July. As we celebrate our nation's independence, please remember to be safe if you are traveling. If you are celebrating with friends, please be careful about driving.

Today, we celebrate out Independence Day.

We're Getting Another Stud Pitcher

Beergut — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:04:47 -0000

We're Getting Another Stud Pitcher

Sisk should be a fine addition to our team; along with incoming freshman phenom Mel Dumezich, this should give us a solid one-two punch in the circle.

Billy Pickard Let Go In Budget-Cutting Move

Beergut — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:52:55 -0000

A&M director of facilities Billy Pickard has been let go in a budget-cutting move by the athletic department. Pickard is one of 17 staff members cut from the athletic department, in a move that $Bill said was necessary to remove $4.5 million off the budget.

Billy Pickard has been with A&M since the time of Paul "Bear" Bryant, where he served as a student manager for the football team. Pickard is a legendary figure in the athletic department, and I have never found anyone with anything bad to say about him.

If $Bill really wanted to get rid of some unnecessary expenses in the athletic department, why didn't he offer to cut his own salary? If we assume our average athletic budget under his tenure here has been $50 million (I think it is a lot higher than that, but we'll use $50 million for now), that means we have spent $350 million over the past seven years, and the results have been 0 conference championships in football, 0 conference championships in men's basketball, and 1 conference championship in baseball. Seven years, one conference title in a major sport. This is what we're paying $Bill the third-highest salary in the Big 12 for?

I should add that as someone who has only been with the athletic department for seven years, I don't necessarily think it is right that $Bill gets to remove someone who has served the athletic department their whole working life just for some cost-cutting.

Maybe if $Bill hadn't arranged for us to pay Dennis Franchione $4 million to not coach our football team for two years, this move wouldn't be necessary.

You Be The Coach: What Is Your Winning Strategy?

Beergut — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:31:47 -0000

Let's say you've been named the head coach of a football program; the classification or level is unimportant. You quickly realize that you only have a small number of good athletes on your team, the rest are of average athletic ability. As a coach, you have a choice between putting your best athletes on offense, and hoping you can outscore the opposition in track meet football games, or put your best athletes on defense, hope you can stop the opposition from scoring, keep the game close, and maybe you can win some games late off of turnovers and some luck. Which option do you choose? What is your rationale for your strategy?

In this situation, I would argue to put your best athletes on offense, and score as much and as often as you can. My rationale is simple: Offense and scoring is entertaining, and with a squad with average talent, you may not be winning many games, but you can be entertaning and give the fans their money's worth. If you put all your talent on defense, you might have some close games, but if your defense gets tired and gives up some late scores, that 7-0 game heading into the 4th quarter can look like a 21-0 blowout at game end. Fans don't want to watch blowouts, but they do like being entertained. At least an offense that moves the ball and scores points will give fans something to talk about and look forward to, and gives them a reason to come see the next game. While I enjoy watching an outstanding defense play, not all fans are as easily entertained as I am.

Which would you choose?

Poll

Where would you put the best athletes on your team, given a limited amount of talent?

Irrational Exuberance During The 2009 College Football Pre-Season

Beergut — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:16:35 -0000

Every pre-season, we see a team who is hyped incredibly by the media and sportswriters around the nation, predicted to achieve great things once the season begins. This team is called a darkhorse for the national championship, a top 10 contendor, and is almost assuredly going to compete for their conference championship. Then the season begins, reality sets in, and the media realizes they completely ignored the fact that their favorite to make it big lacks a cohesive offensive line, or a balanced offense, or a secondary that can cover your hobbled, arthritic grandmother. The bubble of hype that has been built all pre-season long pops, and blows up in the media's face. Clemson 2008 is a good example. Oklahoma State 2007 is another good one.

So, what media darling is likely to see their hype bubble pop in 2009?

Well, the bottom third of Athlon's Pre-Season Top 25 all appears to be the victims of irrational exuberance. #8 Virginia Tech, #9 Oklahoma State, and #10 Mississippi all look suspect to me.

Mississippi is making hay off of their upset win over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. What sportswriters are ignoring is the loss of LT Michael Oher and DT Peria Jerry, both first round picks in the NFL Draft. Jerry's loss is particularly important, because now that he is gone, opposing teams can focus on double-teaming DE Greg Hardy. Oher's loss will be felt, because he protected Jevan Snead's blindside. I am also weary of Ole Miss because Houston Nutt is their coach; while I think Nutt is a terrific coach, who develops players well, and gets more out of his talent than expected, I don't know if he can handle a team that is top 10 from the get-go. Mississippi does have a favorable schedule, though, with Alabama at home and LSU on the road looking like their only tough games.

#9 Oklahoma State is rolling in the good feelings caused by the return of all of their offensive skill positions, with QB Zac Robinson, RB Kendall Hunter, and WR Dez Bryant all coming back. My problem with Oklahoma State is that I've heard all of this hype before; in 2007, Oklahoma State was supposed to make a big splash behind "the greatest offensive in college football", featuring QB Bobby Reid, RB Dantrell Savage, and WR Adarius Bowman. The claims to greatness in Stillwater ended after they were thrashed by Georgia, 35-14, in a season opener that wasn't as close as the score indicates. The big question for Oklahoma State in 2009, as it has been with State every year Mike Gundy has been the head coach, is their defense. New defensive coordinator Bill Young should help immensely, but until we see the results on the field, ranking OSU in the top 10 just seems like a sick joke to play on the Cowboy fans.

#8 Virginia Tech is the biggest head-scratcher of them all. I realize Virginia Tech is the back-to-back ACC Conference Champion, but with the collection of cream puffs that conference has become, that really isn't saying much. Being ACC Champion in football is akin to being declared the World Champion Pillow Fighter; you don't scare anyone, and people laugh at you instead of taking you seriously. The Hokies are led by QB Tyrod Taylor, who threw for 2 TDs and 7 INTs last season. A 2:7 TD:INT ratio usually earns you a spot on the bench at most programs, but Tech is happy with Taylor. Tech does return leading rusher Darren Evans, who gained 1, 265 yds on the ground last season, good for 11 TDs. The passing game needs to improve, though; Taylor had only 1,036 yds passing last season, and the Hokie offense as a whole averaged a horrific 303.4 yds per game last season, good for 11th in the ACC, and 103rd nationally. With games against Alabama to open the season, and Nebraska in the third week, with Marshall sandwiched inbetween, a 1-2 start and tumbling right out of the top 25 is expected for this Hokie team. More than any other, this Virginia Tech team is a victim of irrational exuberance, and should see their hype bubble pop early in the 2009 season.

Can We Bring Back The 12th Man Kickoff Team?

Beergut — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:32:20 -0000

I want to bring back the 12th Man Kickoff Team. I'm not talking about having a walk-on wear #12, or even a group of walk-ons who try out to be the 12th Man who get to wear the coveted #12 for one game a year each, I am talking about a whole team of walk-ons, at least 10 players on the field being walk-ons (I figure the kicker will be a scholarship player). The benefits to bringing back the original concept of the 12th Man Kickoff Team are numerous.

Special teams makes up one-third of the game, with offense and defense being the other two-thirds. However, special teams account for more injuries per play than either offense or defense. The very nature of special teams play, particularly punt return, punt team, kickoff return, and kickoff team, lends itself to injury. You have people flying down the field at extreme rates of speed, ready to collide with players on the other side of the field, going at varying rates of speed. Having a 12th Man Kickoff Team peopled with walk-ons would lessen the risk of injury to scholarship players.

A player who starts or is second string on offense or defense is going to be somewhat careful on special teams, because special teams isn't his full-time job. Playing on offense or defense is really his job. However, if we have a team of walk-ons, we can make playing ont he kickoff team their full-time job. The second-stringer can now focus on playing his position on offense or defense, without worrying about possibly getting injured on special teams. The walk-ons can fling themselves down the field, with complete disregard for their own personal safety, because they don't have to worry about being ready for the next play after the tackle is made, or injury, for that matter. If a walk-on is injured, we can just plug another one in to take his place.

An all walk-on 12th Man Kickoff Team would also increase our depth on the team, because it would mean we have 30-40 more players available on the squad to play special teams, and only special teams. This means our scholarship players and preferred walk-ons can be used on scout teams to emulate the opposition, and, if needed, we can add players from the 12th Man Team, if we have too many injuries. I would prefer that the 12th Man Kickoff Team players only concentrate on kickoffs.

The 12th Man Kickoff Team could be coached jointly by the special teams coordinator, and a graduate assistant. This would give a graduate assistant invaluable experience working with special teams, which would help further his coaching career after he leaves A&M. The media would also love the idea of focusing on a fellow student coaching undergrad walk-ons to go down the field and tear someone's head off.

Bringing back the true 12th Man Kickoff Team would give the undergraduate population another tie to the football program, and get them even more into the game. If we have 30-40 walk-ons on the team for this purpose, that means 30-40 more people the students will know who are playing football for A&M, and increases the chance that they will be rooting for one of their friends down on the field. The frenzy this will create on the East Side of Kyle every time we kickoff would be fun to watch.

12th Man Kickoff Team tryouts could become an annual tradition, much publicized around campus, something we do to hail the beginning of Spring Football. I think the media would love to cover it, to see who the newest members of the Aggie football team are, especially since they are "no-names" coming from the regular student body.

The 12th Man Kickoff Team would most likely be made up of people who are former high school football players. If we can get 30-40 guys who played football and/or ran track in high school, we can get some speed on the field who can get downfield, make a tackle, and make a difference.

As he is rebuilding the team, bringing back the 12th Man Kickoff Team would also engender a lot of goodwill for head coach Mike Sherman and his staff. By bringing back and embracing the true tradition of the 12th Man Kickoff Team, Sherman would just be showing again that he "gets it" when it comes to A&M. Bringing back the 12th Man Kickoff Team would also make games at Kyle Field more fun, because it would mean once again, the student body has a true representative of themselves down on the field, ready to wreak havoc.

I know we stopped the original 12th Man Kickoff Team after more schools started focusing more on special teams, and started putting better athletes on their special teams units. However, we've given up a return for TD with scholarship players on the kickoff team, so using walk-ons can't make much of a difference.

For all of the reasons listed above, I think it is time for A&M to bring back to the original all walk-on 12th Man Kickoff Team.

Upset Of The Year In The 2009 Big 12 Football Season?

Beergut — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:10:15 -0000

Baylor over Texas Tech on November 28 in Arlington, TX is my early pick for Big 12 Upset of the Year (as noted in the comments, the game will be in Arlington, not in Waco). Consider that Tech will be coming off of back-to-back games against the Oklahoma schools, visiting Oklahoma State on November 14 and Oklahoma traveling to Lubbock on November 21, and you can see fatigue really setting in for this Tech team. I can see Tech losing both of those games, and in ugly fashion, and you have the beginnings for the makings of an upset when Tech heads to Arlington. Baylor will be coming off of games against texas (November 14, Waco) and A&M (November 21, College Station), so they may be on a two-game losing streak of their own, too. However, Baylor will have the mental advantage in this game, because they will be playing for a possible bowl appearance.

November 28 might be the last game of the season for Baylor, if they do not qualify for a bowl. Their team and their fans will be pumped to send their seniors out as winners, and win their final game. If Baylor only has four wins coming into this game, this will be the final game of the season for Baylor, and will be their de facto bowl game. If they have five wins, this will be their bowl qualifier game, which will pump their players up even more.

Add in the fact that Baylor very nearly beat Tech in Lubbock last season on their senior day, and you can see why an upset looks likely. Last season's Tech team looks to be better than the 2009 version, simply because there isn't a difference maker like Michael Crabtree for the opposing defense to have to contend with this year. Crabtree's absence alone makes Tech easier to defend.

Baylor will be returning their offensive triumvirate of Robert Griffin, Jay Finley, and Kendall Wright, so they should have the offensive firepower to keep the pressure on Tech's defense. Tech has no answer for Robert Griffin on defense, but that isn't saying much, because there really isn't an answer for an eletric talent like Griffin. You just hope to contain him, force a bad decision or two, and hope one of his teammates fumbles the ball enough times for your offense to keep the ball out of his hands. Griffin had over 2000 yds passing and 800 yds rushing last season, solidifying his position as the most dangerous dual-threat QB in the nation. Griffin also has a 5-1 TD:INT ratio, something most QBs only dream of. Finley led the Bears in rushing last season, with 149 carries for 895 yds, or 5.8 yards per carry. Wright was their best receiver, leading the team with 50 receptions for 649 yds and 5 TDs. Tech lost their most dangerous pass-rusher when DE McKinner Dixon failed out of school, so Griffin should have more time to operate. If he can spread the ball around between Wright, Finley, and himself, the Baylor offense can outscore Tech.

Baylor's defense gave up a pedestrian 393.2 yds of total offense last season, but were able to hold Tech under that number, giving up only 365 yds total offense, including just 309 yds passing. Baylor's defense was able to hold Tech's running game to a paltry 56 yds total. If they can get a similar defensive effort in Waco this year, I think they upset Tech.

Baylor over Tech is my pick for upset of the year in the Big 12 in 2009. What is yours?

Will Coach For Food

Beergut — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:47:42 -0000

Currently, there are still some 'name' coaches out there looking for "the right opportunity" to jump back into the college game; many of them are working in television as analysts. Some of them have been gone from the game for so long, or did such a poor job at their last job, I don't think any program will be willing to take a chance on them.

A Job Is Waiting For Them

Tommy Tuberville: Career 160-110 record at Auburn (1999-2008) and Ole Miss (1995-98). Led Auburn to 6 9-win seasons, 3 SEC West Division titles, 1 SEC Championship, 1 undefeated season, a 5-3 record in bowl games, and most importantly, a 6-game winning streak over hated rival Alabama, the longest in Auburn history. Tuberville will coach again, it just remains to be seen where he will go. I expect him to take another job following the '09 season, after having a year off to rejuvenate himself.

Glen Mason: 123-121-1 record at Minnesota (1997-2006), Kansas (1988-96), and Kent State (1986-87). Mason was fired after his Minnesota team gave up an NCAA record-comeback to Texas Tech in the 2006 Iinsight Bowl, losing 44-41 in overtime after being ahead 38-7 halfway through the third quarter. The Minnesota administration thought they'd be better off hiring Tim Brewster, who led them to a gaudy 1-11 record in his first season. While Mason is known to be headstrong and stubborn (ask Kansas fans their opinion of him), he is a terrific coach of the running game. Mason's teams are fun to watch because he believes all of his offensive linemen should be under 300 lbs, so they can pull and trap in the running game. Mason is a great candidate for a non-BCS school, a Conference USA or MAC school that is willing to give him the time to build an offensive line, and let him build his program.

A Little Too Much Time On Television

Bob Davie: 35-25 record at Notre Dame (1997-2001). Davie has been working with ESPN as an analyst since leaving the Notre Dame job, which makes you wonder if he is still in touch with what is going on in recruiting and schemes in today's college game. When Davie left Notre Dame, the spread offense was just beginning to take off nationally across the country, so he was coaching a different game. Davie also may suffer fromt he fact that he coached at Notre Dame, the view being: If you can't win at Notre Dame, why should we think you can win anywhere else? Davie will probably need to take a job as an assistant head coach/defensive coordinator with a top program ala Dick Tomey before he will be seriously considered for another head coaching job.

Gerry DiNardo: 60-76-1 record at Indiana (2002-2004), LSU (1995-99), and Vanderbilt (1991-94). DiNardo has been spending his free time working as an analyst for the Big Ten Network since being dismissed from Indiana. I don't think DiNardo has much of a shot of landing another job, mainly because he lasted for such a short time at Indiana, where football is a far second sport to basketball. DiNardo also carries a legacy of impropriety with him, from his time at LSU. His overall losing record doesn't help his cause, either. DiNardo should probably just stay in television.

No Coaching Job For You

Gary Barnett: 85-82 record at Colorado (1999-2005) and Northwestern (1992-98). Barnett led Northwestern to two Big 10 titles in 1995 and 1996, authoring a feel-good turnaround story there. He also fled town before allegations of a gambling scandal among his players hit. He won four North division titles and one Big 12 Championship at Colorado, but was followed by a recruiting scandal there, where allegations of parties where alcohol and drugs were provided to underage recruits, along with a sexual assault scandal. Despite being a winning coach overall, scandal follows Barnett, which means he makes a poor choice to lead another program.

Dennis Franchione: 187-101-2 record at numerous schools, including Texas A&M (2003-2007). I don't think it is possible to overstate the horrible job this man does coaching college football. Franchione has an oversized ego, and an incredible belief in his own infallibility. Franchione's theories on football are stuck in the 1980s, and he has no idea on how to recruit or coach the defensive side of the ball. He is someone who should never be allowed to influence college age football players in a leadership position ever again.

Texas A&M Places 15th In Excellence In Management Cup

Beergut — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:41:21 -0000

The Laboratory for the Study of Intercollegiate Athletics (LSIA) at Texas A&M did a study to see which Division I-A athletic department wins the most championships while being the most fiscally responsible. Basically, LSIA created a weighted formula in which national championships and conference championships are added together more weight is given to national championships), the results are divided by numbers of sports offered, and then that quotient is divided by total athletic operating expenses. The result is multiplied by 1,000,000 to make the total scores manageable. All scores were then ranked, which helped LSIA come up with a winner for the EM Cup.

This year's winner is Utah State, whom A&M will face in football this Fall. Utah State was one of three WAC teams to finish in the top 10, joined by #3 Louisiana Tech and #7 Boise State. #22 Fresno State and #24 Nevada also finished ranked in the top 25 for the WAC. Conference USA (#8 Tulsa, #10 SMU, #12 Rice, #13 Tulane, #21 East Carolina) also had five teams in the top 25, while the Mountain West (#5 BYU, #6 Utah, #16 New Mexico, #25 TCU) had four. Texas A&M was the Big 12's only representative, finishing ranked 15th.

The LSIA used EADA reports for financial information, so the veracity of the financial numbers used is in question. I don't believe any of A&M's recent EADA reports includes the $16 million line of credit the athletic department took out in 2003.

It is interesting to note, though, that when looking at bang for the buck, championships per money spent, so few Big 12 schools appear to be delivering.

Pure Awesomeness

Beergut — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:20:40 -0000

The most decorated Marine aviator ever died on June 20.

CLACKAMAS (AP) — Retired Marine Corps Col. Kenneth L. Reusser, called the most decorated Marine aviator in history and was shot down in three wars, has died at age 89.

Reusser flew 253 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and was shot down in all three, five times in all.

His 59 medals included two Navy Crosses, four Purple Hearts and two Legions of Merit.

In 1945, while based in Okinawa, he stripped down his F4U-4 Corsair fighter and intercepted a Japanese observation plane at a high altidude. When his guns froze, he flew his fighter into the observation plane, hacking off its tail with his propeller.

In 1950 in Korea led an attack on a North Korean tank-repair facility at Inchon, then destroyed an oil tanker almost blowing himself out of the sky.

In Vietnam he flew helicopters and was leading a rescue mission when his Huey was shot down. He needed skin grafts over 35 percent of his badly burned body.

Reusser, who lived in the Portland suburb of Milwaukie, was born Jan. 27, 1920, the son of a minister.

Reusser raced motorcycles to help pay for college and earning a pilots license before WWII.

After retiring from the Marine Corps he worked for Lockheed Aircraft and the Piasecki Helicopter Corp. He remained active in veterans groups.

Reusser died June 20 of natural causes. He is survived by his wife, Trudy; and sons, Richard C. and Kenneth L. Jr. Interment was Friday in Willamette National Cemetery.