Michigan football made a statement yesterday, going to Evanston and getting a 33-17 win over Northwestern. No longer the "Mildcats" of old, Northwestern has been a credible program for about a decade now and has a number of wins over traditional Big Ten powerhouses like Ohio State and Michigan.

Northwestern plays a very wide open offense and they showed it in the first half as they racked up 321 yards and scored all of their points.

The second half was a different thing, as the Big Maize and Blue Defense held the Wildcats to a mere 94 yards and zero, zilch, nada, el zippo points. Michigan's D also scored a touchdown in the first quarter as Leon Hall forced a fumble, picked the ball up, and was off and running on an 83 yard scoring sprint.

Michigan's number one running back, Michael Hart, sat out with an ankle injury. This could have really hurt the Wolverine cause but others stepped up and got the job done on the ground, in particular Jerome Jackson (105 yards) and Kevin Grady (64 yards and a touchdown). Late in the game, when Michigan needed to run the clock, the running game gave Northwestern a clinic in Good Old Fashioned Three Yards And A Cloud Of Dust Michigan Football. Forget those fancy pants spread offenses, when the game is on the line nothing is quite as nice as being able to just line up and grind it out.

Quarterback Chad Henne can still be frustratingly inconsistent at times, but when he is on his game he can be as good as any QB in college football. Hopefully this is just a bit of the Sophomore Blues and Chad will get his act together in time.

Michigan is now Officially Bowl Eligible with six wins, and if they can win their last two games (both at home, against Indiana and Ohio State) they may have a chance for a share of the Big Ten title. A BCS Bowl game is not looking likely but may not be out of the question.

My other favorite college team, Central Michigan, also got a much needed win at home against Toledo. The Chippewas are now tied for first in the MAC West with the Rockets and hold the tiebreaker. So, if CMU can win their remaining games they should play in the MAC playoff and have a good shot at a Bowl Bid.

Southern Cal Pretty Boys pummeled Washington State. Are they ever going to lose? Are their games Somehow Being Fixed? Enquiring minds want to know!

Texas overcame a large deficit, then ran up a large deficit against Oklahoma State. Apparently this also happened last year, but as I tend to pay more attention to the Big Ten and MAC than other leagues my memory is a bit hazy.

LSU did indeed pound the Not So Mean Green of North Texas, 56-3. If you took LSU and gave the 44 points congrats, you won your bet by nine points.

South Carolina nipped Tennessee 16-15 in a good game that I caught the end of after watching the Michigan game.

Penn State beat reeling Purdue and Wisconsin handled pathetic Illinois, so the Lions and Badgers remain tied for first in the Big Ten. Ohio State stayed a half game back with a win over Minnesota which effectively knocks the Gophers out of any chance at the league title.

Michigan State, already out of the conference race with three league losses, posted a meaningless drubbing of perennially weak Indiana.

That's all for now...maybe more later?

The Scandals and Criminality continue to mount for the George W. "Baby Doc" Bush Regime, with the resignation of vice presidential adviser Lewis "Scooter" Libby. This is in regards to the "outing" of a CIA officer and the charges against "Scooter" include obstruction of justice, perjury, and making false statements. Just another day in the Most Corrupt Administration Since Richard Nixon's...although they all have been pretty corrupt with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter's.

"Scooter?" What the bloody hell is someone with a Stupid Frat Boy Name like that doing in a high government position anyway??? Someone named Scooter should be tapping a keg in some house with Greek Letters on the front, not advising the second ranking official of a nation for crying out loud!

Of course, when the First in command of the government is merely an overgrown Frat Boy himself, I suppose we should expect a Scooter or two in the mix somewhere. Along with, perhaps, a Bluto, an Otter, and a Flounder???

The White House becomes Animal House...what strange and well-nigh shameful times we live in.

More Fun and Games In The Middle East, as Iran's hardline president (read: Extremist Moron) participated in a march calling for the destruction of Israel.

Which will, of course, only lead the Israeli Extremist Morons to further overreaction and yet more death and destruction in a part of the world that has seen far too much of both.

I like to believe that there are at least some sane, level headed people among the various ethnic and religious groups in the Middle East, and I am sure there are plenty such people. As is the case here in the United States and probably just about everywhere else as well.

The challenge then is: how do we (whether in Israel, the United States, Iran, or wherever) who really just want to live our lives in peace and tolerance wrest power away from the Shortsighted, the Greedy, and the War Hungry? It will not be easy but it can and must be done. We owe it to ourselves and the generations who will follow us to finally find a way to end war once and for all, and bring about a world based on understanding, cooperation, and respect for differences such as race, gender, religion (or lack thereof) and sexual orientation.

From Annoying Advertisements, let us move on to Pigskin Picks for tomorrow:

Southern Cal Pretty Boyz are favored by 30 at home against Washington State. While I always hope that U$C will lose, it is probably not likely they will lose this one. Then again, that's why they play the games as Chris Berman likes to say.

Texas will easily beat Oklahoma State, the only question being whether the Horns will cover the 37 point spread.

Georgia v. Florida should be a good one...Vegas has the Gators by four but I will go with Georgia to win.

Alabama will not lose to Utah State, but the Tide may not cover the 34 point line.

Miami of Florida will drill North Carolina. The Tar Heels should really just stick to basketball because they suck at football.

Louisiana State will absolutely hammer North Texas. This one will be at least as ugly as Vegas predicts it to be (LSU by 44).

UCLA will beat Stanford.

I still am pissed at Flawiduh State for 1991, so Maryland will beat the Criminoles. Or maybe I am just out of my cottonpickin' Maize and Blue mind!

Penn State will take care of business against the Purdon't Spoilermakers.

Ohio State v. Minnesota in a matchup of 5-2 Big Ten contenders. Minny has home field but I like the Buckeyes to win this one.

Wisconsin will Mercilessly Drub the Worst Team In The Big Ten Right Now, also known as the Illinois (Used to be) Fighting Illini.

Texas Tech will take care of Baylor.

Auburn will put a Big Hurt on Ole Miss.

TCU over San Diego State.

Michigan will beat Northwestern, and become Officially Bowl Eligible.

Fresno State over Hawai'i.

South Carolina in an upset of Tennessee.

The Mighty Chippewas of Central Michigan will prevail over Toledo and stake their claim to a Bowl Bid.

If anyone really cares, Western Michigan will beat Kent State. Or maybe Kent State will beat Western Michigan. Or maybe no one really cares.

Rutgers (who sucks) will get punked by Navy.

Sorrycuse (who also sucks) will get punked by Cincinnati.

Clemson (who also, you guessed it, SUCKS) will get punked by Georgia Tech.

In the Didn't These Teams Used To Be Good Bowl, we have Nebraska favored by one over Oklahoma. Once upon a time this was a Game of the Century type matchup. Now, just flip a coin to choose between Teams That Are No Longer Relevant.

Wake Forest vs. Duke...Vegas has Wake by 14, but who really is going to be watching this snoozefest let alone betting good money on it?

Have a Fun College Football Saturday!

Temple will suffer yet another in a long string of defeats as Miami of Ohio becomes the second team named Miami to pummel them this season. Miami of Florida already has.

Most television commercials are quite Inane, Insipid, and Jejune...but here are a few that are particularly so for me lately.

It happens every Autumn for the last I-can't-recall-how-many-years in Southeast Michigan where I live. The Radio City Christmas Craptacular comes to Detroit and brings with it an incredibly annoying commercial with a saccahine, cloying jingle that gets stuck in my head and only many hours of listening to Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead will make it go away.

How about those hyper macho Ford Truck ads with the asinine, clownish caricature of a country singer...I think Toby Keith is the name of the asinine clown in question? Watch how he pounds the phallic gear shift lever of his oh so manly Ford Truck...could the Macho Symbolism be any more obvious? Ford Trucks...for insecure little boy-men who have to have a Large Metal Penis Extension to drive around in!

The McCain Processed Potato Products (with the "When you're smiling..." song) ads are an example of Music That I Might Like If It Did Not Get Done To Death by Advertising. See also, Bob Seger's "Like A Rock" that Chevrolet ran into the ground by using it for what seemed like several decades in their truck ads.

Stay tuned for more of this.

About the only thing sadder than the death of civil rights leader Rosa Parks (which I commented on yesterday) is the usual spectacle of current American political mis-leaders lining up to shed their crocodile tears for her. People such as Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Arnold Schwartzenegger and Detroit dictator (oops I mean mayor) Kwame Kilpatrick.

If only these and other Duly Elected Jackasses had even a sliver of the integrity, humanity, and true social consciousness of Rosa Parks, we would all be so much better off.

In other news, WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes has come out of the closet as a lesbian. This is in my opinion a very courageous move on her part and I now have even more respect and admiration for her (she has always been one of my favorite non-Detroit Shock WNBA players). Although I am a major sports fan, I am also more than willing to admit that the sports world has a number of serious problems that need to be dealt with and the treatment of gay athletes is one of them. In recent postings I have reported on Rene Portland's anti-gay stance as coach of the Penn State women's basketball team. Of course, sports does not exist in a vacuum and the homophobia there is in large part merely a reflection of that in society as a whole.

I applaud Sheryl Swoopes for her brave openness, and hope that this serves as a step towards greater acceptance of gay and lesbian athletes. As well as greater acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons in general.

With one simple act of courage, she jump started a movement that led to the end of American Apartheid. And from that moment on she spent the rest of her life working for progressive causes. Rosa Parks passed away last night at her Detroit home, and though she may be gone in the physical sense her spirit will always be with all those who imagine and work for peace, justice, and equality.

Mrs. Parks is best known for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus to a white man, as African Americans were expected to do at the time. This act led to a boycott of the Montgomery bus system organized by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. From these beginnings came the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s that eventually brought down the racist system of segregation known as Jim Crow.

Rest in peace, Mrs. Parks...and rest assured that your life's work will be carried on.

23-20 seems to be the theme of this football season for me. My favorite college team, Michigan, has had three games end with this score so far. Yesterday my NFL favorites from Green Bay had a game end this way as the Packers lost to Minnesota 23-20.

The Packers led 17-0 at halftime but let Minnesota creep back in it throughout the second half. The Vikings took a three point lead, the Packers came back to tie it and it looked like overtime. Not so fast, as Lee Corso likes to say, as the Vikings managed to get just close enough for a 56 yard game winning field goal as time expired.

This game was yet another painfully close loss for the Packers, who have five of those to go along with their one very convincing win over New Orleans. Brett Favre had a very good game against Minnesota, completing 28 of 36 passes for 315 yards, two TDs and no INTs.

Unfortunately, Brett got next to no support from the running game as Green Bay was held to a sickly 45 yards on 23 carries. This has been a problem all season.

The running game will be even further tested now that starting running back Ahman Green is out for the season, joining backup Najeh Davenport on the sidelines. The Packers will be forced to start third stringer Tony Fisher and will have to bring in additional reinforcements in the backfield.

Green Bay's defense looked good in the first half, forcing a turnover and keeping the Vikings off the scoreboard. The second half was a different story, as Minnesota scored on all their possessions and the Packer defense could not even preserve a tie with less than half a minute left.

The offense also became ineffective after the break, as Minnesota figured out that the Packers could not run the ball and concentrated on taking away Favre's passing.

What all this seems to point to is that the Packers just are not a very good TEAM right now. They have a future Hall of Famer at quarterback and he has given them at least a chance to win the five games they have come up short in. But there is only so much that even a player as great as Brett Favre can do, as I have mentioned before here. The running game and offensive line are still not playing well enough. Some of this is due to injuries, and with both Green and Davenport gone for the season things look even grimmer. The receiving corps has also been banged up and this has also been a negative factor.

The defense continues to show that they are not as abjectly horrible as last season, but they remain average at best and yesterday's second half was perfect proof of that. When they needed to shut Minnesota down in the second half they failed miserably.

Offense, defense, special teams...in all three of these areas the Packers are just not doing enough to win games. We will see what we will see as far as the rest of this season, but at this point it looks like a top five draft pick is much more likely than a playoff spot.

Oh well, at least this pretty much ensures that Ol' Number Four will be back for at least one more season...I just can't see him wanting to go out on too sour of a note.

It was another close game in a season of (mostly) close games for Michigan football, and once again the Michigan players managed to overcome the stuck in the mud conservatism and incompetence of their coaches and defeated Iowa in overtime, 23-20. This is the third time a Michigan game has ended with that score this season, with Michigan losing the previous two 23-20 games to Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The end of this one bore a frightening resemblance to the Penn State game just a week ago. Michigan had a three point lead against Penn State and possession of the ball with just a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, and this was also the case today against Iowa. Michigan was forced to punt by Penn State in that situation and the same thing happened against Iowa. Both times, conservative play calling was to blame. In the Penn State game, the Michigan defense proceeded to play a soft zone which allowed Penn State to move downfield to a touchdown while using up most of the clock. Fortunately there was just enough time for Michigan to respond with the thrilling last second winning score.

Again in today's game, the Michigan defense (mis-led by Jim Herrmann, perhaps the worst defensive coordinator ever at any level of football) went to a passive, play not-to-lose scheme that allowed Iowa to pick their way down the field, using up time as they proceeded towards the end zone. Somehow Michigan was able to hold Iowa to a field goal to force overtime, and the Wolverines managed to win in the extra session.

I have said it before and will say it again...Michigan's coaching is shamefully inept and predictable and is to blame for Michigan being 5-3 instead of 8-0. The player talent is there, but Lloyd Carr, Terry Malone, and Jim Herrmann have no clue how to use it effectively and so every game except those against MAC teams goes down to the wire and it is entirely up to the players to try and salvage victory out of their coaches' "play not to lose" philosophy.

Next up is a trip to Evanston to face Northwestern, who strolled into East Lansing today and stomped the Spartans 49-14. We will see what we will see, and hopefully we will see a somewhat less dramatic win for Michigan.

North Carolina 7-Virginia 5 and Alabama 6-Tennessee 3...did any of these teams bother to send their offenses to the games today? I noticed they were doing some sort of silly ritual with a big red "A" flag on the field after the Alabama game...what the hell was that all about, anyway?

The Southern California Assholes won again, so what else is new? That is what I am going to call them, at least until they lose a game or two. Even then I may continue to call them the Assholes, because, well, that is what they are after all!

The State University of New Jersey also known as Rutgers nipped U-Conn by two points. Does anyone care? Didn't think so!

Notre Dame pretty much routed Brigham Young. BYU is basically a Fraud That Got Lucky Once A Couple Of Decades Ago.

Western Michigan beat the hell out of Bowling Green...guess I was wrong about that one! And I guess I can't really call them Worstern Michigan at least for the nonce. Or at least until Central Michigan beats the hell out of them, which they will.

Louisiana Tech ran up the score on the Totally Hapless Not So Mean Green of North Texas, as might have been expected. Not that anyone cares, mind you.

I really hope this is a typo or computer glitch, but Yahoo Sports is telling me that Arkansas State beat Florida Atlantic 3-0 (yes, that's right...THREE TO FREAKIN NOTHING!!!). In overtime, no less! Like I say, maybe it just got entered incorrectly into the computer. I hope so, because that just sounds too horrible and brutal to comprehend. How could two teams (even from the worst of the worst Sun Belt Conference) be this bad?

Penn State just finished off a 63-10 drubbing of Illinois. Which seems to provide even more proof that the Illini are the current dregs of Big Ten Football. They have two wins on the season, if you want to boast about beating Rutgers (just barely) and San Jose State.

Giving Illinois a run for their money for the Big Ten basement is Purdue, who lost to Wisconsin to fall to 0-3 in the league. Purdue may well be every bit as bad as the Illini, with the Boilers only two victories coming against Akron (crappy MAC team) and Arizona (crappy PAC 10 team).

Well that's all I have to say about College Football for now. Stay tuned for more later.

How about some Saturday College Football picks? OK, here we go...

Michigan will finally win back to back games in 2005 with a win at Iowa. Sorry Hawkeyes, you are overrated and that pink visitors' locker room is just plain lame.

Northwestern will upset Michigan Agricultural, oops I mean Michigan State!

Ohio State will have no problem with hapless Indiana.

Pittsburgh will likewise have no problem with hapless Sorrycuse.

Rutgers vs. U-Conn-if this was women's basketball it would be a great matchup of top programs. Unfortunately both these schools have crappy football teams, so no one will care about this game. Flip a coin.

In the Battle of Religious Schools, Notre Dame will hammer Brigham Young. I guess God must like them better or something.

Overrated Clemson will win, but only because they are playing Truly Awful Temple (point spread is a whopping 36).

I like Wisconsin to beat Purdon't at Madison.

Penn State will come back strong from the loss to Michigan, at the expense of Illinois.

Toledo is favored by 30 and a half over Buffalo. Maybe it won't be this much of a blowout, but there is no way Toledo loses to Bad News Buffalo.

Texas should beat Texas Tech, but may get a scare from them. An upset here is not out of the question but I think the Horns will prevail.

Southern Cal Pretty Boys vs. Washington...I so badly want the Evil Empire of U$C to lose this one, but Washington will be lucky to cover the 30 point spread. I'd love for the Huskies to prove me wrong by beating the SCPBs.

Tennessee will pull off the mild upset over Alabama (Tide are favored by three and a half).

Texas A & M vs. Kansas State, Or, Has Been vs. Never Was. Another game where you may as well flip a coin to decide between two equally mediocre teams.

Bowling Green will drill Worstern (oops I mean Western) Michigan.

Miami of Ohio will drill Leastern (oops I mean Eastern) Michigan.

Although I could really care less, Louisiana Tech will pound the Not So Mean Green of North Texas.

Have a Happy College Football Saturday!

Saddam Hussein's trial is underway in Baghdad, with the former Iraqi dictator pleading innocent and getting into a fight with guards.

While Hussein is undoubtedly a Guilty Lowlife, the same could be said for many past and present leaders of the United States Government. People like George W. Bush, John Kerry, Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton, and Henry Kissinger have all been involved in various and sundry acts of violence, injustices, and violations of the rights of humans and other living things. Those named in the previous sentence and others should be on trial along with their one time buddy Saddam. Let us not forget, although the US Gov't would very much like us to, that it was none other than Uncle Sam who helped to create the monster called Saddam Hussein in the first place. Along with many other monsters with names such as Marcos, Pinochet, Somoza, Batista, etc, etc, ad nauseam.

Until the United States public wakes up to this rank hypocracy and double standard, it is hard to get too enthusiastic about the prosecution of someone like Saddam Hussein. Not when I know that my own government is just as guilty, and if not changed will only continue to create more Saddam Husseins in the future.

Michigan football took another turn in their wild, crazy 2005 season with a last second (in the most literal sense of the word!) win over previously undefeated and #8 nationally Penn State. The first half was a defensive battle reminiscent of the Days of Leather Helmets, with neither offense able to muster much. The field goal kicking was also suspect in the opening 30 minutes, as Penn State missed two kicks and Michigan one. Wolverine booter Garrett Rivas did manage to make good on another attempt and so at intermission the score was a 1920s-esque Michigan 3-Penn State nil.

The second half would be much more interesting to those who like scoring. Michigan seized the early momentum as they took the opening kick and drove 70 yards for the game's first touchdown. Mike Hart, the Barry Sanders lookalike in Maize and Blue, punched it in from the two and it was 10-0 Michigan.

But Penn State was not ranked #8 in the USA for nothing, and they tied the game up early in the fourth quarter. Then things got worse in a big way for Michigan, as QB Chad Henne lost the ball and Penn State took it to the end zone for another score. It really got absurd on the point after, as PSU botched the snap from center but their kicker somehow managed to sneak across the goal line for two points and an 18-10 Penn State lead.

Michigan absoultely needed to do something right away to keep this from becoming a blowout, and they quickly went 55 yards in five plays with Henne passing to Mario Manningham for the six pointer. The Wolverines made a gutsy call on the conversion, sending Hart on a running play. The Michigan line got just enough of a surge and Magnificent Mike did the rest. Just like that the score was tied again.

The Big Blue D forced a punt, and the offense got just close enough for Rivas to connect on a 47 yard field goal for a 21-18 Michigan lead. Three minutes and 45 seconds remained in the fourth quarter, and the drama was far from over.

Penn State took over on its own 20, and two plays later Michigan's Leon Hall intercepted a pass that looked to be a possible game clincher. But then a penalty moved the ball back, and Michigan was unable to pick up a first down.

Penn State got the ball back and played it almost perfectly, scoring a go ahead touchdown and milking much of the clock in the process.

Fifty three seconds left...Michigan needs a touchdown as they are behind by four. Steve Breaston almost takes the kickoff all the way, and at least gets Michigan into decent position with a 41 yard return to almost midfield.

Henne to Jason Avant for 17 yards and into Penn State territory. Two short passes bring up third and one, Hart picks up the first down and gets out of bounds. Then an incomplete pass, a pass to the 10 yard line, and another incomplete. Fourth down, one second left on the clock. Henne to pass, Manningham open in the end zone...TOUCHDOWN MICHIGAN! No time is left on the clock and Bob Ufer is going nuts up in Football Heaven! Final score Michigan 27-Penn State 25.

It was certainly a thrilling win by a hard working and gutsy bunch of Michigan players. But once again this game revealed the shortcomings of Michigan's coaching staff. Like in so many of their games this season, the Michigan coaches played not to lose instead of playing to win, and like in the Michigan State game they were lucky to come out on top. Of course they weren't so lucky against Notre Dame, Wisconsin, or Minnesota. All teams that Michigan should have beat but did not thanks to their conservative and stodgy leadership.

Quarterback Chad Henne continues to puzzle me. At times he looks Worse Than Scott Mitchell, then when the game is on the line with one second left he suddenly transforms into Brett Favre. Maybe it is just a sophomore slump or something.

Next up is Iowa on the road. The Hawkeyes are a good team and their house is tough to play in. That being said, Michigan is a better team on paper. We will see if they can prove it on the field. I have a feeling they will, as long as the coaches make good use of the talent they have instead of handcuffing the players with unimaginative strategy.

Central Michigan won, and so the Chippewas remain in the hunt for the MAC title and a possible bowl bid.

Notre Dame came up just short against the (expletive deleted) Hollywood Pretty Boys of Southern Cal.

This is one of my longest posts (I think) so I will let it go at that for now. Have a Nice Day and Punch Any Southern Cal Person You May See.

And without a doubt, the worst conference in Division I-A college football is....

(drumroll)...

the Sun Belt Conference!

This league is Truly Horrible, and as leagues like the Mid American get better the Sun Belt remains the dregs of Big Time College Football.

At the present time they have no (that's NO, Zero, None, Nada, El Zippo) teams with winning overall records. Arkansas State, at three wins and three losses, is currently the best of this very bad bunch.

Next we have the Troy Trojans (not to be confused with a similarly nicknamed team in the Los Angeles area) coming in at 2-3.

Followed by Louisiana-Monroe at 2-4, a trio of 1-3 clubs (North Texas, Florida International, and Middle Tennessee), and a pair checking in at 1-5 (Florida Atlantic and Louisiana-Lafayette).

Some random low-lights of 2005 from these teams:

Louisiana Lafayette has a 60-3 drubbing by Texas on their ledger, as well as a 31-10 setback to a less than spectacular Eastern Michigan crew.

Florida Atlantic took a 61-10 beating at Louisville and also got smacked 46-7 by Minnesota.

Florida International lost to Texas Tech 56-3 and Arkansas State (another Sun Belt team) 66-24.

The North Texas (Not So) Mean Green have mustered a mere 33 points in four games, while allowing 54 points in back to back weeks to Tulsa and Kansas State. They were supposed to play Louisiana State to open the season but the game was postponed due to the hurricane. It will be played on October 29 and I predict a long day for the North Texans. LSU may hang 100 on these bozos.

Arkansas State got pounded by Missouri 44-17.

Mizzou also got an easy win at the expense of Troy, 52-21. The Bad News Trojans also got routed by South Carolina 45-20.

Finally, I present to you Louisiana-Monroe...they of the 38-0 loss to Wyoming, the 44-7 loss to Georgia, and the 44-15 loss to Arkansas.

A more pathetic group of teams one is unlikely to find among the ranks of NCAA accredited Big Time Programs. It seems that the Sun Belt Conference solely exists to provide cannon fodder for the bigger and better teams of Division I-A.

In the Not Exactly Surprising News Department, Bill Romanowski admits to using steroids. Read all about it at:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-romanowski-balco&prov=ap&type=lgns

As I say, this is not exactly shocking news to anyone with a passing interest in the National Football League in recent years. Romanowski, former linebacker for San Francisco, Philadelphia, Denver, and Oakland, was basically a Total Frothing At The Mouth Lunatic for his entire pro career. Among other things, he broke the eye socket of one of his own teammates in 2003.

This in my opinion is evidence enough that steroids are a Serious Problem in sports and need to be Dealt With Now.

Tomorrow's college football:

Ohio State will beat Michigan State, and cover the spread.

Michigan is gonna punk Penn State, oh yeah!!!! And the chant of "O-VER-RA-TED!" will rain down on the heads of JoePa and the Nittany Lions!

The Mighty Chippewas of Central Michigan are going to cover the spread and beat Ohio U.

Northern Illinois by 21 over Eastern Michigan sounds about right.

As does Georgia Tech by 20 1/2 over Duke, and it may be even more of a blowout than that.

Texas should have little problem at home against Colorado.

Wisconsin will edge Minnesota in the Battle of Teams Michigan Should Not Have Lost To.

Syracuse vs. Rutgers...Overrated vs. Just Plain Sucks. The line is Sorrycuse by 2, I'll take the State University of New Jersey to beat them.

I just have a feeling about this one...Indiana will upset Iowa at the Hawkeyes' house. Or I may be out of my mind. Take your pick.

One of these weeks I am finally going to get it right re: the Hollywood Pretty Boys of Southern California. This is the week. Notre Dame will beat them.

Once proud Nebraska is only favored by two and a half against usual also-ran Baylor. Baylor may just beat the Huskers!

Miami of Florida by 41 over (still pitiful, probably always will be pitiful) Temple. It may not get quite this ugly, but the Miamians will not lose this game.

Speaking of pitiful excuses for Division I college teams, how about the U. of Buffalo? Bowling Green will beat them by at least the 24 point spread.

Virginia over Florida State Criminoles in the I am Out of My Maize and Blue Mind and I Never Forgave Florida State for 1991 Special!

I like Auburn to beat Arkansas.

California-Berkeley, the West Coast Vortex of the Revolution (the Midwest one is Ann Arbor, of course) will beat Oregon State.

Ken Kesey's alma mater (the U of Oregon) will beat the once great but now feeble Washington Huskies.

Purdue v. Northwestern...oh boy this is a tough pick. On the one hand I like N'Western in a mild upset, on the other hand I have probably already made my quota of wild and crazy upset picks for this week...so I'll go with the seven and a half point favorite Boilermakers.

Florida International vs. North Texas...does anyone even care about this game? Fla Int'l is favored by one point...just flip a coin or something.

Nevada-Reno vs. Louisiana Tech...see above.

Alabama will beat Ol' Miss...take it to the bank!

That's all for now...have fun watching tomorrow's games!

I have previously made mention of Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland and the allegations that she is anti-gay. More and more solid evidence continues to surface regarding this, and there are many links at http://www.womenshoops.blogspot.com/, which is a good general blog on women's hoops that I just came across today.

I have other reasons for disliking Portland, such as her whiney entitlement complex that has her complaining to the officials even when Penn State has a game well in hand. That sort of thing I can at least deal with as just another manifestation of bad sportsmanship. But outright bigotry is something I as a political progressive cannot tolerate, and Penn State needs to deal with this issue immediately and strongly.

Whether they will of course remains to be seen. All too often in sports, bad behavior is tolerated as long as the team is winning. Perfect case in point being Bobby Knight at Indiana, who got away with way more than he should have because the Hoosiers kept winning.

Penn State's women's team had (last I checked) only nine players and most of them were frosh. Basically what Michigan had to contend with last year and the Wolverines only won five games. So, it could be that Penn State is in for a steep and rapid decline in the record of it's women's b-ball team. Which, along with the negative publicity that Rene and her loyalists can no longer keep under wraps, will lead to fewer recruits wanting to come to PSU.

Rene Portland will end up "hoisted by her own petard" as they say...she will end up being brought down by her own bigotry and will drag down the once-successful Penn State program with her. Just like Bobby Knight, just like Woody Hayes, just like Richard Nixon. All people who thought they were invincible in their high and mighty positions, until their negative actions caught up with them and they were forced to retreat in disgrace.

You really do reap what you sow, even if it sometimes takes a while for the reaping to happen.

The big, and I mean BIG, news here in Flint and Michigan in general is the bankruptcy filing of auto parts supplier Delphi Corporation. For those not familiar, Delphi used to be known as AC Delco and was actually part of long time Flint-area industrial giant General Motors. GM "spun off" AC Delco in 1999 and the resulting independent company was renamed Delphi. As tends to be the case in These Postmodern Times, little evidence remains of Delphi's previous history including on their official corporate website where I struggle to find any mention of the company's pre-1999 history as AC Delco, Division of General Motors. Referents are wiped out and all traces of history are effaced in the Brave New World of Late Capitalism in America.

Much more frightening are the effects and possible effects of the Delphi bankruptcy. Pay and benefits for rank and file blue collar workers will likely be cut and factory closings may occur. There could also be a ripple effect on General Motors and other companies in the automotive and related businesses. This appears to be but another chapter in the decline of Classic Industrial America, as thousands of well paying jobs have disappeared from places like Flint, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and other Rust Belt capitals.

Some may say that this is just in the nature of things, that industries come and go and things evolve, and they may have a point. Others may contend that the unionized blue collar workers at companies like GM and Delphi were paid too much and given too generous benefits...and there may be some truth to that as well. Nevertheless, I can't help but see all this as just more Capitalist Power, Greed and Corruptible Seed as Bob Dylan would put it. Somehow I do not think that the Fat Cats At The Top of companies like Delphi will be suffering nearly as much as the proletarians.

I had an interesting exchange with a colleague at work about all this and we both came to the conclusion (that I myself have long basically known anyway) that all these fiascos are merely symptoms of a more general problem. And the answers require broader social and political change to bring about greater economic equality and justice. We need a national health care plan so that people are not at the mercy of whatever company they may be (for the nonce) employed by. The social safety net in general needs to be re-strengthened, counter to the recent trend of weakening it.

People need to become more involved in politics, starting with getting to the polls on election day. There continues to be an appallingly high percentage of non-voters, whose voices are not heard and who could be helping to elect better candidates to office.

And it can't end with JUST voting...more people are going to have to think outside the two-party box and vote for candidates who are not Democrats or Republicans. These two parties have dominated United States politics for decades now, and they have become extremely corrupted by power and wealth. While there may be some honorable people in both major parties, as institutions the Repubs and Demos no longer represent anyone but the very richest individuals and corporations.

I would personally suggest the Green Party of the United States, the party that I am a member of. The Greens are a grass roots party of the people, devoted to real democracy and to the good of all. The Ten Key Values of the Greens include "community based economics" which means that business MUST be TRULY socially responsible and put human and ecological needs before profits. Also, businesses should be democratically run along the lines of the food cooperatives that one sees in such cities as Ann Arbor, Michigan. The workers should collectively run things instead of being dictated to by an owner and/or executives.

There are other alternative parties to the Big Two, such as the various Socialist and Communist factions. I agree with much of the analysis of these groups but have doubts that anything labeled as "socialist" or "communist" could ever have much chance in a country that for years basically defined itself as the enemy or opposite of those two concepts.

The Libertarians have some attractive positions, such as ending government policing of such personal lifestyle choices as drug use and sex. But I fear that they would take their "freedom above all" philosophy too far in the case of corporate and wealthy people's freedom to rob, exploit, and take advantage of those less fortunate.

I feel that the Greens have the program that best balances personal freedom with social responsibility.

More on Green Politics to come...

Well, that was more like it! After four agonizingly close losses, the Green Bay Packers finally put it all together and in a BIG way, as they unloaded on the New Orleans Saints to the tune of 52-3. This kind of blowout is not seen too often in the National Football League, as the teams tend to be closer to each other in talent level unlike in the collegiate ranks where, for example, there is a great disparity between a Big Ten team like Michigan or Ohio State and a Mid American conference team like Eastern Michigan or Ohio University.

There were some not so pleasant occurences in Sunday's game, including Najeh Davenport's ankle injury which (according to at least some reports) may keep the big running back out for the rest of the season. Davenport did a fine job filling in for regular running back Ahman Green who is expected to return to action after the upcoming bye week for Green Bay. Overall the team has had a lot of injuries this season including a season ending one suffered by starting WR Javon Walker. Despite all the difficulties and the four losses to open the season, the Packers are by no means out of playoff contention mainly due to the relative weakness of the NFC North division. The Pack are only one game behind division leading Detroit in the win column and two games back in the loss column...so 1 and a half games out of first.

The week off comes at a great time, with all the banged up players needing to heal. Then commences a tough stretch starting with road games against Minnesota and Cincinnati, a home game against Pittsburgh, and a road game against Atlanta. All of these games will be challenging but they are all games that the Packers are capable of winning if they play like they played against New Orleans.

The offense really came out of their shell against the Saints and the defense, which has been much improved over last season, really looked good. Granted the Saints are not the greatest team in the league, but they did come to Lambeau Field with two wins which at the time was two more than the Green and Gold could claim.

Speaking of the defense, I once again must give a hearty shout of "Fire Up Chips!" to my fellow Central Michigan University graduate and Packer defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins! He is really turning out to be a fine pro player and proved it again yesterday with five tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Great job, Cullen...and way to make Old Central proud!

So, we will see what we will see, but this is certainly a good sign for the Packers.

Brett Favre's three touchdowns against New Orleans raised his career total to 388, leaving him needing only 33 more to oust (overrated, never won a Super Bowl) Dan Marino from the all time top spot. Another overrated, never won a Super Bowl QB, Peyton Manning, is way behind at 223 TDs. My bet is that Peyton will not only never win a Super Bowl, but also will not come close to having the guts to last as long as the Greatest Quarterback Ever With The Possible Exception of Bart Starr.

Fear and Loathing in Ann Arbor...

Michigan football laid an egg on Homecoming Day, losing to Minnesota 23-20. It was yet another uninspired performance by a directionless team that seems headed back to the malaise and losing of the Bump Elliot era.

The play calling was predictable and atrocious, the defensive schemes equally inept, quarterback Chad Henne has regressed to the level of Totally Pathetic, and kicker Garrett Rivas choked on two field goals that would have made the difference.

Michigan once again played "not to lose" instead of playing to win and once again, they ended up losing. The conservative play calling leads to missed opportunities and lack of points, and in general the team seems to not be able to take control of a game. They have enough talent to stay close, but the unimaginative coaching and strategy keeps opponents in the game and all too often drags Michigan down to defeat.

Next up is resurgent Penn State. Michigan could get totally killed by the Nittany Lions, on the other hand the pattern seems to be one good game then one bad one, so Michigan is apt to end up playing well next Saturday and beating Penn State.

Who knows anymore with this team, so stay tuned and Expect The Unexpected, I suppose.

At least Central Michigan won!

Some random thoughts on this weekend's college football:

Connecticut will beat (overrated, pathetic) Syracuse. This really shouldn't be, but Syracuse has gone way beyond garden variety overrated and now just plain sucks.

Central Michigan vs. Army...my undergraduate alma mater (CMU) vs. my brother's (West Point). The Chippewas are favored by two and they indeed will beat the Cadets, or Black Knights of the Hudson, or Long Grey Line, or whatever Army actually calls its teams.

Michigan will beat Minnesota and once again deny the Gophers the Little Brown Jug.

Toledo vs. Eastern Michigan...I may be totally out of my mind but I see an upset possibility here, or at least Toledo not quite covering the 20 1/2 point spread.

Akron will rebound from their loss to Central Michigan and beat Quite Possibly The Worst Team In Big Time College Football (that would be the U of Buffalo, folks!).

Florida will have no problem with MSU...that's Mississipi State U.

Florida State will similarly have no problem with Wake Forest.

Indiana vs. Illinois, Or, The Battle For The Big Ten Basement. Indiana is favored by six but this could go either way, and either way who cares?

Louisville will beat North Carolina, quite possibly by significantly more than the 12 point line.

Miami of Florida may not cover the 35 point spread but they will definitely NOT lose to Duke. If this was basketball, the opposite would be the case of course.

I would really like to see the Evil Empire of Southern California fall against Arizona, but it is more likely that U$C will cover the 37 point spread than lose to Zona.

Wisconsin will lose to Northwestern, oh yeah!

Purdue will take care of business against (overrated) Iowa at home.

Upset special!!! Oklahoma is gonna beat Texas! Or maybe I am out of my mind...take yer pick!

Penn State will edge Ohio State at Crappy Valley, but then Joe Pa's gang will become the second undefeated team to lose to Michigan when the teams meet the following week at Da Big House in Ann Arbor.

Southern Mississippi (the alma mater of the Greatest Quarterback Ever) will beat Tulsa.

West Virginia will croak Rutgers, well, because Rutgers sucks!

Maryland will hammer hapless Temple, you can take that one to the bank, Jack!

That's all for now...

One of my favorite websites is that of James Howard Kunstler, an insightful critic of late capitalist culture including suburbia. In one of his recent entries he describes the United States as "The reality-oblivious nation of mall hounds, bargain shoppers, happy motorists, NASCAR fans, Red State war hawks, and Born Again Krispy Kremers."

Sounds about right to me, as I look around and see all the Hummer Driving Jackasses with Support the Troops and Bush For President stickers on their overpriced, gas guzzling pieces of crap.

In other news, El Presidente has nominated another right wing corporate puppet to the Supreme Kangaroo Court of Amerikkka.

Today's topic for discussion...Amerikkka is becoming more Sovietized and Disneyfied at the same time...with a touch of Christian Fundamentalism thrown in to boot. Political corruption and bureaucratic rigidity (Sovietization) + Society of the Spectacle (Disneyfication) + Christian Ayatollah Theocracy = where the USA seems to be heading.

Unless we stop it by, among other things, Thinking Outside The Box At Election Time and voting for Green Party candidates instead of Republicrats and Demublicans.

The Green Bay Packers once again did just enough things right to stay in the game but also did just enough things wrong to lose, falling to 0-4 with a 32-29 loss to the USFL-ish Carolina Panthers. I give Carolina credit for being a good team but I could really do without them and all the other Johnny come lately teams with their XFL-esque uniforms and logos. Bring back the Baltimore Colts, Houston Oilers, and Los Angeles Rams!

Brett Favre...I can't say enough good things about the Greatest Quarterback Ever. Without him, the Packers would still be 0-4 but they probably would not have even had a chance to win any of their games. Last night he threw four touchdown passes including two in the fourth quarter and also made good on a pair of two point conversions.

The Packer offensive line, on the other hand, just plain stinks. They are unable to either run block effectively or provide reliable pass protection for Favre. The result is a running game that has been basically non-existent (with the exception of a few plays where Ahman Green or Najeh Davenport just pick up some yards through sheer effort) and also too much pressure on Favre which leads to turnovers.

Green Bay's recieving corps is (like the o-line) both hampered by injuries and just plain not getting the job done. A perfect example of this being a nice pass by Favre that SHOULD have been a completion but instead was an interception because Robert Ferguson let a Carolina defender take the ball away from him. Like many of Brett's recent INT's, it was really not his fault but rather the fault of sloppy or careless play by his receivers.

The Packer defense is not as bad as last year which (as I have probably pointed out in the past) not saying much. They still are not a great defense, merely an average one. They need more help from the offense than they have been getting so far.

Then there are the special teams, which have really not been very special particularly in terms of punts and kickoffs. The Packer return teams never really break a long one, and the kick and punt coverage all too often allows the other team to get good field position.

While it is all too easy to criticize the officiating, I believe that this has also been a factor in the Packers' struggles so far this season. An example being the Packers final possession last night. On 4th and 3, Donald Driver was CLEARLY interfered with but no yellow hanky. Meanwhile the Packers were assessed their usual quota of ticky tack calls including a pass interference in the end zone that did not look any different from the mugging that Driver took on the aforementioned play.

Next up is a home game against the Saints. It goes without saying that this is a MUST WIN for the Packers.

If I have not already mentioned it, Brett Favre has been about the only thing the Packers have had going for them in the first four games. His four TD passes last night bring his career total to 385 for his career. Which leaves him only 36 away from breaking the all time NFL record held by (overrated, never won a Super Bowl) Dan Marino. Favre is also getting closer and closer to Marino's other career records.

Another Packer who is doing well is Cullen Jenkins, a defensive lineman and fellow graduate of Central Michigan University (FIRE UP CHIPS!). Jenkins blocked an extra point, recovered a fumble, and had several tackles against Carolina. He has generally been playing well as has Kabeer Gbaja Biamila. Now, if only enough other Packers can raise their level of play.

Finally, I just have to say that Carolina WR Keary Colbert sucks. I don't have to have a reason for thinking this, I just don't like the cut of his jib. Or maybe it is that he is from the evilest of all evil institutions, the University of Southern California. Yeah, that might be it!

I more or less figured they would, and they did. For the second year in a row, the Backyard Brawl between Michigan and Michigan State went to overtime and once again the Wolverines prevailed. I figured Michigan would win in large part because they had already lost two games in 2005, and once this happens they tend to start playing better. Why this is the case is a mystery to me, but it was certainly nice to get the win over MSU and spoil their dreams of an undefeated season.

The overtime played out much differently than in 2004. In 2004, both teams scored on the first two overtime possessions before Michigan got the TD and stopped MSU in the third round. This time, MSU got the ball first and missed a field goal, allowing Michigan to play it safe and go for a FG themselves. Garrett Rivas, who missed a chance at the end of regulation, was successful in overtime and so Michigan went home a winner.

Michigan really benefitted from having running back Michael Hart in the lineup again after he missed some games due to injury. He helped to take the pressure off embattled quarterback Chad Henne. The defense did what they needed to do, but still seemed a bit lacking especially in terms of getting pressure on the quarterback.

Central Michigan DID IN FACT pull off the upset over Akron, as yours truly predicted!

In fact, all three "directional" Michigan teams from the MAC won as Eastern and Western Michigan also posted wins.

In less happy news from my perspective, the (expletive deleted) Hollywood Pretty Boys of Southern Cal managed to pull another one out of you-know-where as they rallied against Arizona State. My hatred for these pretty boys burns with the brightness of a million suns, and I look forward to seeing them fall. So much so that I will even root for another team I do not exactly like (Notre Dame) to beat U$C when they play later this season.

Speaking of the Irish, they basically routed Purdue at Worst Lafayette, so maybe the ghosts of Rockne and Gipp have really been roused from their slumber or whatever it is they like to say in South Bend.

Turns out that I was in fact out of my mind when I called Illinois over Iowa...Hawkeyes 35-Fighting (not really) Illini 7.

Rutgers beat Pitt...wow, Pitt must really suck!

In other Teams That Suck news, perennially overrated Syracuse did as I thought and got their behinds whipped by the Criminoles of Flawiduh State. Sorrycuse is now 1-3 on the season with their only win over a truly pathetic (0-4, 24 points scored) Buffalo U. team. And, their men's basketball coach Jimmy Boeheim is still a dork, a jackass, and a LOSER!

More ranting to come, so stay tuned!