NCAA Kickoff: Why does the Big 10 stink?

It's been one of the most discussed topics over the past couple years, what's wrong with the Big Ten? While it's growing stale, the question still merits a discussion.

One problem the Big Ten has is Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans. Since 2002, Southern Cal has enjoy quite the renaissance and has feasted on the Big Ten's Rose Bowl participant. Michigan fell 32-18 in 2006, Illinois, who didn't belong and proved it, got obliterated 49-17 and Penn State experienced a similar fate last year falling 38-24 in the granddaddy of all bowls.

For casual football fans the Big Ten Rose Bowl blunders look like incompetence, but the truth of the matter is give Carroll a month to prep and he'll make 116 out of 120 teams look silly. You can't blame the Big Ten on that count.

But there is a BIG bowl problem. The conference went just 1-6 in postseason games in 2008 and hasn't produced a winning bowl record since 2002. And they've gone 3-8 in the Bowl Championship Series the last six years, including big flops from Ohio State. 

Right there is another reason for the Big Ten's perception problem, America's punchline: The Ohio State University.

Where USC has carried the one-team Pac-10 conference, the one-team Big Ten has floundered with the Buckeyes in recent years. Not help, is the team from Columbus has been media purgatory ever since their supposed "best ever" coronation in 2006 and then thrashing at the hands of Florida, 41-14.

Are the Buckeyes really that terrible? Just look at who Ohio State has lost to over the past four years.

--2005: Texas (eventual national champs)

--2006: Florida (national champs)

--2007: Illinois (Rose Bowl participant), LSU (national champs)

--2008: USC (Rose Bowl winner), Penn State (Big 10 champs), Texas (arguably No. 1 or 2 in nation)

Eight Ohio State losses in four years, all to BCS teams. Compare that to USC. The Trojans have lost six games in that span: once in the title game ('05 Texas squad), once in Autzen to Oregon, then unexplainable losses to Oregon State (twice), Stanford and a terrible UCLA team. So who should be more beleaguered by the media?

As a league, the Big Ten just needs to win games, especially showcase ones. Ohio State, Michigan State and Minnesota all have early chances to help repair their conferences tattered reputation. And the Big Ten needs teams like the Gophers, Iowa and Purdue to rediscover their winning ways.

Also, I think the conference should embrace it cold roots and schedule games in December. Snowy football works for the NFL, why not the Big Ten?

Really, what else can be said for the conference that's sent more teams to the BCS than any other league.

NCAA Kickoff: Can you quack U-G-L-Y?

If you want to watch an aesthetically pleasing college football game this year, be wary of the SEC, but whatever you do don't tune in on Sept. 3.

That Thursday, the Boise State Broncos debut their hideous new uniforms on their ugly blue carpet (aka Smurf Turf) as they host the Oregon Ducks.

Oregon, with help from Nike, always push the boundaries of athletic style and sometimes miss. But if you miss this Thursday night showdown, you may be overlooking the start of a special season in Eugene.

After 14 years, there's a new head coach on the Oregon sideline, but don't expect them to miss a beat. Mike Bellotti gave way in a near seamless transition to Chip Kelly. 

As offensive coordinator, Kelly installed a run-base spread that turned erratic QB Dennis Dixon into a Hesiman candidate before he blew out his ACL. Barring a key injury on offense, there's no doubt the 2009 Ducks spread is bound to be better-than-ever.

Expected to be a feature in that offense is running back LeGarrette Blount. Last year, he was overshadow by fellow 1,000-yard rusher Jeremiah Johnson, but lived up to his junior college hype when he got his chances. Blount averaged a ridiculous 7.3 yards per carry and managed eight runs over 30 yards. I think we'll be seeing a lot of highlight reel runs like this from No. 9...

The '09 version of the Ducks has question marks on both the offensive and defensive lines, but they should be able to overcome them.

Like the 2007 Ducks, who rose to No. 2 in the nation, this year's Pac-10 schedule sets up perfectly. Cal, USC and Oregon State, the toughest conference opponents, all must make the trip to Autzen (the loudest stadium in the country).

Oregon was the last team to win an outright Pac-10 title not named USC (2001). This Ducks team has all the makings to do it again.

The Plight of the Pirates

It's been a cumbersome two decades for the Pirate Parrot and the rest of the organization.

Over the past decade, one axiom in MLB has held true: if it's July in Pittsburgh a veteran (or four or five) is being traded.

This year, the latter held true.

With the trade deadline looming, the Pirates turned one last double play with shortstop Jack Wilson and second baseman Freddy Sanchez, sending their two most popular players packing. That put the finishing touches on a complete roster overhaul since general manager Neal Huntington took over. Only four players remain from the original 2007 25-man roster.

Once more those trades seal Pittsburgh's fate, 82 losses are now inevitable and so is the infamy that comes with it. The Pirates will replace the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies for the most consecutive losing seasons in pro sports history (17).

In a sick way, that's an accomplishment. But what's gone wrong?

The simplest answer is years of mismanagement.

First of all the Pirates tried to build their franchise by drafting pitchers, a high-risk strategy. Between 1996 and 2006, Pittsburgh picked eight first-round hurlers and all but one of them (Paul Maholm) suffered major elbow or shoulder injuries. None of those draftees were named Scott Kazmir or Cole Hamels. The payoff for this strategy, Maholm has made it to the majors, but isn't much more than a solid No. 3 starter. 

Also, Pirates coaches messed up pitchers' deliveries that were working. Take Zach Duke for example. He arrived in the bigs in 2005 and went 8-1 with a 1.81 ERA in 14 starts. What happened next year? New manager Jim Tracy and his staff decided to change Duke' delivery despite his numbers from '05, and Duke hasn't fully recovered yet. The story is eerily similar for Oliver Perez.

Next in this horror story, Pittsburgh wasted millions on mediocre veterans like Derek Bell, Sean Casey, Jeromy Burnitz and Matt Morris. Really!?! What's even better is they traded away one of their few productive players in 2006 (Craig Wilson) for Shawn Chacon, who was going to be cut by the NY Yankees. That's brilliant!

Even more brilliant are other numerous mind-numbing trades.

Since 2000, the Pirates have shipped the likes of Aramis Ramirez, Jason Bay,  Jason Schmidt, Mike Gonzalez, Jose Guillen, Kenny Lofton, Jeff Suppan, Xavier Nady, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez.. the list continues.. Brian Giles, Nate McClouth, Adam LaRoche, Jason Kendall, Tony Womack, Oliver Perez and Bronson Arroyo out of the Burgh.

Who have they gotten in return? I can't say for sure.

The most egregious of these trades happened in July 2003. Trailing the division leader by less than 10 games, the Buccos decided to trim their payroll trading away their only homegrown power prospect in decades. Then 25-year-old Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton headed to Chicago's ivy confines, while the Pirates brought in Jose Hernandez, Bobby Hill and Matt Bruback (who?).

Ramirez hasn't hit fewer than 25 home runs in his time in the Windy City. He's also batted better than .300 three times in five years as a Cub and driven in 100-plus RBIs four times. The players Pittsburgh got, well none of them are playing baseball anymore. That sums up the plight of the Pirates.

Pirate fans have been wandering in the wilderness since 1992 when, dare I say it, Sid Bream hobbled around the bases for a Game 7 soul crushing loss in the NLCS.

How great would that be now? Losing a meaningful game in October sounds amazing. I haven't watched the Bucs play a meaningful game beyond June since I was seven.

Once upon a time the Pittsburgh Pirates were a flagship franchise. They won five world series, produced 11 batting champions and 34 Hall of Famers (including Honus, Willie and Roberto). Hard to believe you will soon add longest pro-sports losing streak EVER to that list.

Trading away the team's last popular veterans seems like a fitting close to this decade. While it's been painful, I hope GM "wheel-and-deal" Neal (Huntington) knows what he's doing.

Hey that's saying something... there's a little hope out there.

Three Games, Three Days (revisited)

I haven't been blogging much recently, because I'm still reveling in my latest baseball adventure. For the third-straight summer I managed to plan a vacation around seeing as many MLB games as possible.

I failed to write about last year's trip (to Philadelphia, Baltimore and D.C.), which was a blast, but I did include a couple pictures (see above). But you can read about my original three games in three days experience out in California.

Back to my most recent trip. In four days, I was able to watch the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates all take the field. While the baseball wasn't the greatest (the Pirates got one-hit), all the ballparks offer the complete game day atmosphere.

Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park on the winding banks of the Ohio River, makes for a very scenic view to catch a game. But aside from the Riverboat and its deck camped out beyond center field there's not much that stands out.

That's unlike Detroit's Comerica Park. As you walk toward Comerica your eyes drawn to the massive Tiger sculptures lining the sides and top of the park. Once inside a Ferris wheel, sculptures of past-Tiger greats and the decade-by-decade pedestrian museum all are vying for you attention. The scoreboard has an old school look that's forgettable, but that's because the rest of stadium is unforgettable.

I won't rave for paragraphs about my favorite park to watch a game in, PNC Park. The limestone-lined park has a classic feel and the gorgeous backdrop of the Pittsburgh skyline set next to the Allegheny River. Overall, I think PNC offers the complete fan experience.

It's hard to tell where the next baseball trip will take me, but for now enjoy the pictures from all of my baseball fun in '08 and '09 (including a bonus visit to the Northwest).