At Least We Get The Ball Back?

Some positives from yesterday's GOP bloodbath...

• Mike Pence will probably be the next House minority leader. He's a small government, Reagen conservative - qualities Bush (and many GOP leaders) have abandoned. I'd love to see him run for President in '08. He'd get my vote. Oh, and he doesn't look like Dennis Hastert.
  
• Since WWII, the party of the incumbent President has typically lost more than 30 seats in the House of Representatives and six seats in the Senate during the second midterm. So, this is somewhat expected due to the Six Year Itch Theory.
• Statutes that kept marriages marriages won approval in 3 states.
• Ultra-liberal "Republican" Lincoln Chafee got the boot.
• I figured out a way to watch Fox News on my computer.
  

Yeah, that's kinda it folks. Hopefully, yesterday will show Republicans the need to a) put true conservatives back into leadership positions, and b) get back to basics: small government, low taxes, free markets, strong national defense, judicial restraint.

You Know What I Don't Get? Newspaper Endorsements.

In this era when phrases like "liberal bias" and "right-wing conspiracy" are continually hurled across the political landscape, one would think any media outlet would be extra careful about it's coverage by at least pretending to be balanced. One would think they'd, in the least, mount their high horse and declare themselves orators of objectivity.*

But no. Many newspapers just out-and-out say "Hey, we like this politician," which is in essence the same as saying "Hey, we think this way politically." We hear it year after year. The New York Times endorses Kerry, the New York Post endorses Bush, and it's just accepted as a fact of life.

Am I the only one confounded by a seeming contradiction? Are the Internets not filled with disgruntled bloggers bemoaning how CNN is liberal, Fox News is conservative, and MSNBC is just retarded? Would they not have a field day if James Earl Jones's disembodied voiced declared: "This is CNN. We endorse Claire McCaskill." Would CNN not then be declared an absolute joke of a network? Well how come newspapers get a free pass on this?

Furthermore, would it then be totally hypocritical if Locke & Load endorsed Michael Steele, just cause his political positions frighteningly mirror my own? Yes? Darn.

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*my Legal Methods prof said to get rid of "flowery language" in my memos. You think this is what she had in mind? :-P

Wake Forest / Boston College Running Blog

Good showing at Groves. The stands look filled, and the new artificial grass looks great as always. I've got my old Desmond Clark (now Nate Morton) #83 jersey on and ready to go.
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We're running all over them so far. The secret must be sending out Riley Skinner as a lead blocker - he never even blocks anyone, they just run away from him and Wake gets 15 yards. Case in point: TD Wake!
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Coming back from a commercial, they showed some display cases of WF athletic history - Len Chappell, Tim Duncan, etc. I passed by those displays when I worked for the Deacon Club - they're right outside their offices.
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Gattis lets an easy interception tumble out of his hands - but Wake gets the same field possession from the following punt. Matt Ryan seems to be a little off so far.
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So much for Ryan being off, he's starting to pick us apart. Yep, a too-easy TD pass from Ryan. Dude was wide open. At least we can still stop the run.
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I talked to Brian earlier today, he said he and Bear spoke to my parents and brother at Black & Gold scrimmage. I didn't even know they were going. Am I a bad son?
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Skinner is cruising like always. And I'm glad to see Lobo finally open up the offense for him. I wanna see what this kid can do. Ugh, which is apparently miss an open Moore that could have gone for 6. C'mon Riley.
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I looked up our sideline reporter Dr. Jerry Punch on Wiki to see what he's a doctor of. As it turns out, he's a full fledged MD. Not only that, he got it from Wake Med. Apparently he worked as a emergency room physician before he became a NASCAR pit reporter. Go figure.
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WIDE OPEN Nate Morton and a PERFECT throw from Skinner for 6! Oh here's to Wake Forest...
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WAKE!
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FOREST!
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WAKE!
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FOREST!
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Heavens... has Ryan thrown an incomplete pass since the first drive? They're throwing at will.
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3rd and 13... stop them Deacs! YES! INT GATTIS! Take that Ryan! And your pansy ankle too!
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According to ESPN2's graphic, we're playing Duke again next week. Awesome.
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Halftime! *slams head* [/Ace Ventura]
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"Wake Forest University: Small. Big. Tall." That's the best slogan we could come up with?
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And... we're back. And Ryan's back to picking our D apart.
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I'm grilling some chicken on my new electric skillet (thanks Mom!). I feel like I'm tailgating, only during the game.... and 500 miles away.
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BC 4th and tennnn..... YES! Stopped'em just shy. Wow. OK Riley let's blow this thing wide open.
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How bad of an actress is Jessica Simpson? She's from Texas, but her southern accent still sounds fake in those Direct TV commercials.
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KEVIN FREAKING MARION!!!! EIGHTY YARD TD REVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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You gotta give it up for Kenny Moore. He was our best wide-out coming into the game, switched to half-back because of injury, and has just done a stellar job running the ball. He even had the final block on Kevin Marion's behemoth of a reverse.
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And now Nate Morton's tearing up the joint. Perfect form, just catching everything in sight. And did you know he was a quarterback in high school? I've never heard that before!
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They showed a graphic of what happened in 1944 (the last time Wake was 8-1). They left off my dad being three and my mom being an embryo.
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Aw, jeez, here comes that Ryan kid again. 1st and goal BC... not liking this.
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HUGE stop on 3rd and goal. If you're BC, do you go for it? Well, they are, annnnnnd they got it. Argh.
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Start of the 4th quarter... hold up your five fingers for Luke Abbate.
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I still don't understand the Best Buy commercial where the wife promises her husband to watch football *only* on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Thursday; aka the only days football is even on. It's completely nonsensical on so many levels. Will there ever be an explanation for this?
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Oh no... Wake fumble. Now BC has the ball close to the end-zone. I'm starting to feel ill. Under review. Please overturn... please overturn... PLEASE OVERTURN!!!
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YES!!! Overturned. There's a tornado warning flashing across the screen because all of Winston-Salem just exhaled.
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C'mon Wake. We just got a huge, possibly erroneous, gift. We need to stop them on this drive! A sack helps. Thank you, Mr. Tucker.
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And AGAIN Ryan is shredding us. Not just with his arm, but he's scrambling too! The guys got a bum ankle! WHAT ARE WE DOING? Oh no, Abbate's down. Repeat: Abbate's down! Send in the Marines! We need help! Panic!
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Big third down stop, annnnnnd... field goal missed! Yes!
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Riley Skinner came in with one interception, now he has two just in this game. Guess it comes with the territory of more open play-calling. Now we have to deal with the Ryan kid again. Not good. Is Abbate back yet?
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BC has completely given up on running the ball. Not that I blame them. OHHH! As I wrote that, they actually did run the ball, fumbled, AND NOW IT'S WAKE BALL!!! I LOVE IRONY!!!
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Great, we killed maybe 20 seconds off the clock with that possession. Ball back to BC at their 26, 3:42 left, 21-14 Wake Forest. I am officially nervous. Hold me.
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Naturally, Ryan goes right back to shredding our D apart. This is painful to watch. I'm starting to see a pattern: we either pressure Ryan and get a sack / Ryan throws it away, or we don't pressure Ryan and he completes it 15 yards down the field.
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One minute left.... Ryan goes long.... PATRICK GHEE INTERCEPTION IN THE END ZONE I LOVE YOU PLEASE HAVE MY BABIES OK I TAKE THAT BACK IT DIDN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE ANYWAY BUT YOU'RE STILL THE MAN PATRICK GHEE!!!!!!!!!
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Ok, listen Wake. Hold on to that football. Run the clock. We got this.
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YES!!! WAKE WINS!!!!!
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Aww, the kids are storming the field. Can I call students "kids" now that I've graduated? What am I talking about, I called them kids when I was a student.
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OK, now that I've stopped crawling up the walls... that was huge. We're 8-1 for the first time since 1944, we control our own destiny towards the ACC championship game, and now we head down to Florida State whom we've NEVER beaten. Just an amazing win. Maybe the biggest regular season win in the history of Wake football. I'm in awe. I wish I could have been there (stupid law school). I just... I don't even know what to say. Go Deacs. GO FRIGGIN DEACS.
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Mom called from the parking lot at Groves. I guess you could say she was laughing hysterically. Can you blame the woman?

So... This Game Is Pretty Huge

The last time a top 25 Wake Forest team hosted another top 25 team was in 1979, when #18 Wake beat #13 Auburn 42-38.

That was also the last time Wake Forest beat another ranked team.

If we win today, it'll be the first time Wake was 8-1 since 1944.

The winner of today's game will be first in the ACC Atlantic and control it's own destiny toward the ACC Championship game.

Needless to say, this is could be the biggest regular season game in Wake Forest history, and I've never regretted being 500 miles away from home more than today. You have no idea how much I wanted to drive down to Groves this weekend. But it would have been law school suicide. Ugh. Stupid education getting in the way of football.

So, 7pm. ESPN2 or, preferably, Groves Stadium. BE THERE, WAKE FANS. BE THERE.

GO DEACS!!!!


O here's to Wake Forest
A glass of the finest Red ruddy,
Rhenish filled up to the brim.
Her sons they are many
Unrivaled by any
With hearts o'erflowing, we will sing a hymn.

Rah! Rah! Wake Forest Rah!
Old Alma Mater's sons are we.
We'll herald the story
And die for her glory,
Old Gold and Black is ever waving high.

As frosh we adore her
As sophs we explore her
And carve our names upon her ancient walls.
As juniors patrol her
As seniors extol her
And weep to leave fore'er her sacred halls.

I Wrote Most of This During My Torts Class.

This is months behind in relevancy, but I'm going to explain (or try to) why USA basketball has been struggling in international games. This is completely devoid of humor or anything interesting if you don't like the NBA. Oops.

We heard after the disappointing bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics that USA basketball was going to "get serious" about winning and stop just throwing together a team of random All-Stars. We heard guys like Bruce Bowen would be the focus. So what'd we do different for this summer's world championships? Bowen, the supposed signature player of our new attitude, was cut from the team and we just threw together a bunch of random All-Stars like always.

With that in mind I'm going to put together a roster that truly is designed for the international game. But first, here's a few points about the international game and why its so difficult for Americans to thrive in.

Why Our Wing Players Struggle. The prevailing international style of defense is to play a zone. This means that the slashing and cutting toward the basket that the American game thrives on - think Dwayne Wade and LeBron James - is much less effective. You simply can't consistently beat your man off the dribble and drive to the basket uncontested. Not against the typical Euro Zone.

Instead, you have to be able to shoot over the zone. This does NOT mean only lobbying up 3's; it means taking high-percentage, mid-range jump shots. That's why Americans - despite having the most talent - have fallen short in international tournaments. American ball no longer revolves around the mid-range jumper - everything is either a 3-pointer or a lay-up. Remember Michael Jordan? He made his career on the mid-range pull-up jump shot. Look at all his game-winners - what Jordan went to went he really needed it. Mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper. Same thing with Bird.

But, ironically, that's not what made Jordan popular. His unprecedented popularity ultimately came from his flash: the dunking, the fancy lay-ups, the crossovers. After all, this isn't a silhouette of a jump shot. So the kids watching Jordan - who are now this generation of NBA players - built their games toward being looking like Mike, or at least the flashy side of him. Therefore, the American game now revolves around either cutting to the basket or shooting from behind the 3-point line. The mid-range jump shot - the one thing that can tear any zone defense apart - is now a rare talent for American players.

Why Our Big Men Struggle. This is much simpler and to the point. The wider paint of international rules doesn't allow guys like Shaq or Amare Stoudemire to post up close to the basket. For these guys - and most American centers and power forwards - the farther you're away from the basket, the less effective you become. Duncan is actually extremely effective outside the paint, but he struggles internationally because the team basically ignores him (they're too busy failing to get a lay-up).

So how do we overcome this? Obviously, we need wing players who can break down a zone and big men who are effective away from the paint.

PG - Chris Paul. Point guards are essential to breaking down a zone because they have to set up the mid-range jumper. Steve Nash is actually the ideal international guard - an incredible passer who happens to also be the best mid-range shooter in the league. But he's Canadian. So instead we'll go with Paul, who's going to soon pass Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups as the best American point guard, if he hasn't already. Also, Paul's already proven he can play internationally - in the 2006 world championships he averaged (in limited minutes) 5 assists, 2 steals and just 1 turnover.

SG - Richard Hamilton. The best (American) mid-range shooter in the game. Also the best (among anyone) at moving without the ball, rolling off screens and the quick catch-and-shoot. He is perfect to break a zone. So, naturally, he wasn't even invited to the USA training camp.

SF - Bruce Bowen. The best perimeter defender in the league, ideal for shutting down the other team's hot shooter. Just ask Kobe. Of course, as I mentioned before, he didn't make the final roster for the championships. Unreal.

PF - Lamar Odom and C - Brad Miller. Probably the two best passers in the NBA who are at least 6'10. Both of them averaged around 5 assists per game last season. They can also step back and drain 3's, so the wider paint won't affect them. Great passing + good shooting range = the perfect international front court.

Bench players - Shane Battier, Kirk Heinrich, Antwan Jamison, Michael Redd, Luke Ridnour and any two centers that don't completely suck.

Well, there you have it. Thanks for sticking with me. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting next time.