"When your back's against the wall, you can't go nowhere but forward."

Grammar aside, the words of Randy Ponder are exceptionally true.  At 3-4, Missouri was facing a series of must-win games if it wanted to salvage their season and become bowl eligible.  The task started in College Station against the A&M Aggies, a team so loaded with talent that most Missouri starters wouldn't even be on the two-deep there.

That's what we're supposed to believe, right?

Larger version included after the jump, though that isn't really necessary with a YouTube video!  And make sure you watch it in its High Def goodness!

Continue reading this post »

(I've stolen this idea from a friend on Tigerboard, but I'll at least try to be original in my thoughts)

To the Big XII as a conference:

I never loved you, but I always accepted you.  I was much more of a professional sports fan in my younger days, prior to 1996, so I don't remember the Big 8 as well as many do.  And my memories of the Big 8 are almost strictly basketball, because Mizzou was basically never relevant in the Big 8 for football in my lifetime.  I didn't understand why the Big 8 was taking on 4 schools from Texas, and later I didn't understand why the conference offices were leaving Kansas City and REALLY didn't understand why the conference basketball tournament was ever held anywhere besides Kansas City.  I miss the Big 8 basketball days, not only because of how awesome that conference really was but because it was always so contentious and up-for-grabs.  Every school played each other twice, we knew and hated each other but there was respect beyond the borders; Big 8 schools WOULD support other Big 8 schools when they were facing other conferences.  That died in 1996.

And while Missouri has seen some of its best ever days in football in the Big XII, I do not give your conference credit for that.  In fact, I think we did it in spite of you.  You will not be missed by me, and I think you are doomed to fail completely in the near future.

Continue reading this post »

This is what the BoC and Missouri should send to the Big XII this afternoon...

To the tune of "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson

Remember all the things we wanted?
Now that further growth is stunted…
The time has come for us to say goodbye

Even though we kept on winning
We’re never given equal bidding
We were never meant for do or die

I didn’t want this to fail, but…
I didn’t come here to kowtow to a cow

I want you to know
That it doesn’t matter
What you say, Bevo…
Someone’s gotta go

And I want you to know
I hate the Longhorn Network
But you want it to live on
So I’m already gone.

Beebe was an epic blunder
But I know that you’ll find another
That’s always on your side when there’s a fight

Started in 2007
Even though we’d won 11
You didn’t even try to do what’s right

You know that we have no choice, right?
You left us no option but to go

I want you to know
That it doesn’t matter
What you say, Bevo…
Someone’s gotta go

And I want you to know
I hate the Longhorn Network
But you want it to live on
So I’m already gone.

I’m already gone
Already gone
You can’t be forced to play nice
When the rules are all wrong

I’m already gone
Already gone
There’s no mooing gone
So I’m already gone.

Already gone, already gone, already gone
Already gone, already gone, already gone

Remember all the things we wanted?
Now that further growth is stunted…
The time has come for us to say goodbye

UPDATE: PS3 Rosters now available as well. Click for details.

Christmas in July came last week when this year's iteration of NCAA Football from EA Sports was released.  But, like most of you, I don't consider the game "ready" until I've got named rosters to use.  And even then, I have to spend even more time adjusting Mizzou to get it just right.  Then, and ONLY then, can I start a dynasty and take Mizzou to glory.

In an effort to serve you, the community, better, RPT and I put our heads together and did the 2nd half of the work for those of you who may not have the time or inclination to take on such a project.  And luckily, thanks to the fact that there's lots and lots of people just like us, all we had to do was wait for the named sets of rosters to come out so we could get started.

That day has arrived.

You can download the rosters for the XBOX 360 from my EA Locker through the in-game tool, using the gamertag ZouDave.  You do not have to add me as a friend, just simply go to the Roster Share section of the game, type in ZouDave, and download the roster.  The PS3 version should be ready very soon, hopefully by the end of Monday night.

These rosters have every team, every player, fully named and every roster was edited to more closely match the real players on the team.  The source of the rosters for the 360 are from OperationSports.com, and while they're not going to be perfect they are SO appreciated and SO great to have.

After the jump, you can see in more detail what RPT and I agreed upon for adjustments to the Mizzou roster.

Continue reading this post »

It's actually quite simple, really.

via i712.photobucket.com

to a COMPLETE moron.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?entry_id=85917

Speechless.

I posted this in the live thread but it needs its own post.  This is absolute brilliance that was posted on Tigerboard.

http://www.tigerboard.com/boards/missouri-tigers.php?message=8472962

THE JAYHAWK
(With apologies to Edgar Allen Poe)

Flying high along its journey, when lightning struck it in the tourney
Rolled in stiff upon a gurney, rigor mortis to the core
The dream is gone, now awakened, another season lost, forsaken
Confidence not stirred but shaken, stiff with pain and nothing more
As fate returns for its encore
Quoth the Jayhawk, "No Final Four"

The easy road to being great, another cupcake lays in wait
They just can’t help but take the bait, a cakewalk through an open door
History-making easy seeding, nine or higher, but misleading
No one foresaw Kansas bleeding, they knew not what they had in store

All stars assembled, full of gladness, before their dreams descend to sadness
Drifting into late-March madness, as pressure builds in every pore
Alarms along the road are sounded, the big-head bird is trapped and grounded
Tracked along the road and hounded, worried when it cannot soar

The night before, the mood is manic, with passage booked on the Titanic
Steered once more by Captain Panic, another year is washed ashore
This time with twins, both named Morris, the same old game unfolds before us
As sirens squawk the same old chorus, the same song as the year before

The Rams knew how to steal the scene, with David played by Jamie Skeen,
They took their cue from Charlie Sheen, winning in the final score
Another shocker for the Hawkers, sent packing back to their hurt locker
Out-smarted by a coach named Shaka, with lesser talent on the floor

Hurting, flirting with disaster, fleeting thoughts of distant rapture
Lured this bird into its capture, tumbling through the same trapdoor
Silence mutes the cheers and shouting, all that’s left are tears and pouting
And lots of time for Self-doubting: is Toupee Bill up to the chore?
Or is he cursed forevermore?
Quoth the Jayhawk, "No Final Four"

Part 1:  Here

Part 2:  Here

Part 3:  Here

The tournament's 2nd week is upon us and we're down to the Sweet 16.  The biggest surprises are 12-seed Memphis who has run through Arizona and Oakland, and 11-seed Missouri who has upset Cincinnati and UConn.  Do these Tigers still have fight in them to keep it going?

The 3 KC-area Big XII teams are still alive and kicking.  Is one of them about to make a run?

Continue reading this post »

Part 1:  Here

Part 2:  Here

The craziness of the opening round is over and dust is starting to settle.  While the real fun is about to begin, the sad reality is more than  half of this tournament's games have already been played by the time we tip on Saturday, March 19.

Remaining Seeds:

1. All 4 (obviously)
2. All 4 (though UNC only won by 2)
3. All 4
4. 2 left (Texas lost to Oakland, Kentucky lost to Princeton)
5. 3 left (Arizona lost to Memphis in OT)
6. 1 left (only Georgetown remains on this line)
   
7. 3 left (Texas A&M got mudstomped by FSU)
8. 2 left (Michigan and Butler went down)
9. 2 left (Villanova and Illinois went down)
10. 1 left (FSU mudstomped aTm)
11. 3 left (good year to be 11 seed, glad Mizzou was one)
12. 1 left (the normally dangerous 12 seed only sees Memphis go through, in OT)
13. 2 left (big upsets by Princeton and Oakland have them still alive)
14. 0 left
15. 0 left
16. 0 left

With that, let's take a look at the Round of 32 and reveal the Sweet 16!

Continue reading this post »

Part 1:  WhatIfSports.com (Part 1)

The first day is in the books, and we've had 13-seed Princeton upset 4-seed Kentucky, 11-seed Gonzaga over 6-seed St. John's and 11-seed Missouri over 6-seed Cincinnati.  What does the 2nd day of the Round of 64 have in store?  Spoiler alert:  it starts off with a bang.

Continue reading this post »

Everyone can stop wondering what will happen in the tournament, because thanks to WhatIfSports.com we already know how every game will turn out.

I've run every game and saved every box score, and in some specific cases even saved the play-by-play.  I took the first result, every time, no matter how outlandish it might seem.  All games were run on a neutral floor.

With that, I give you the first part of our feature presentation:  The Worstest Bracket:  The Story of the 2011 NCAA Tournament - Day 1

Continue reading this post »

We need to play our RMN Dynasty game, TCU vs Cal.  Let me know when you'll be available, either on here or drop me an email at ZouDave@kc.rr.com.  Once we play we can advance the week.

...that today is RPT's birthday.  Still waiting for confirmation from Twitter.

Alright, everyone that's in the dynasty or those that want to be...

I've been given commish control of the dynasty because our original commish has way too much actual important stuff in his life to be worrying about something this trivial.  Glad he's able to stick around as a player, though!

I want to get us back on the Wednesday/Sunday advancing schedule so we can move forward with year 2 and into year 3.  As of last night, even though it's been a week since our last advance, we still only have 3 of 6 teams ready to go.  I'm going to give the other 3 teams until Sunday, 1/9/11, to get their games in and then I'll advance it.  Once that advanced happens on Sunday, we're going to go back to the Wednesday/Sunday advance schedule with special consideration being given when there's a human vs human game.

If anybody has any questions/suggestions, bring them on.  If anyone reading this that isn't in our NCAA 11 Online Dynasty on the 360 that wants to be, let me know and we'll get you setup.

Later!

ZD

It certainly would appear so...

Epic. That's the only word I can use to accurately describe the day, the stadium, the crowd, the game, the experience. Fantastically epic.

Mizzou v. Oklahoma 2010

As always, visit the ZouDave Video Hub for more.

Higher-res version after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

As others have done already, and many more will do before it's done, I have to weigh in on why this game is such a big deal.  It is, after all, just October.  Everybody knows the big games are the ones played in November and beyond, right?  That's where seasons are made and lost.  September is the warmup, October is the setup and November is when it matters.  Right?

Hey to a point, that's true.  Remember 2007?  Of course you do.  I, among many others, dubbed it "The November to Remember" before it had even started.  In fact, the first time I used it was at the end of the highlight video against Iowa State when I put the bump on there of "And now for a November to Remember."  As if I'd known it was coming, the very next week against Colorado the FSN announcer Joel Meyers said during the pre-game that until the Tigers stepped up in November, nobody would remember them.

Well they stepped up.  And people remember that 2007 team.

But that was a November game.  Why is this one such a big deal?

Continue reading this post »

I think it needs to be advanced.  It's time to get the ACC Championship Game played so we can move on to bowl week.

That is certainly what I am taking away from this article!

Congrats, Chase!  You've earned it!

SON OF A B***H!!!!  Hurricane, you're smarter than this (I thought).  Use your GD HEAD, SON!  It's FREAKING FOOTBALL SEASON!  You don't do stupid shit like this, ESPECIALLY when you're a major contributor!

Damnit, damnit, damnit.  Very, very disappointed in this kid.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NFL&id=5821&line=178959&spln=1

This is awesome, awesome news.  I wish it had been the Chiefs for purely selfish reasons, but this is great.  Danario has a huge following in Missouri already, he's used to performing well in St. Louis (did QUITE well in 2007 and 2009 in the Dome) and is going to be really out to prove himself.  He can earn early playing time on a weak team, and a rookie QB that needs to build relationships with receivers will get to build with him from Day 1.

Contrats, Danario.  Can't wait to see what you can do.

So...is there an update?  We've gone through 2 of our established advancing deadlines without advancing, and I believe we still have games to play.

I know there's been a problem getting people hooked up online, and I get that, but we need to identify who isn't responding to whom, who isn't taking an active role, and just remove them.  It's nothing personal at all, it's just if you don't want play then don't hold everyone else up.  It's totally fine if you're not into playing the game or whatever, just please let people know so we can remove you (or better yet, you can just remove yourself).

Does anyone know what we're still waiting on for sure?  My last game was against Headicusprime on Saturday.  It's now been a week since we moved forward.  Hoping we can get this thing moved on Sunday regardless of what's left.

If you can make it all the way through this video, your pain tolerance is through the roof.

All The Sooner Fans

Mizzou vs. Furman Highlights

Gabbert, Danario and Perry were simply amazing. It was nice to see Kendial and Moye get some good runs out there, too.

Visit the Video Hub.