Condi Rice and the NCAA

"All she knows about football is what somebody told her," he said on the air. "Or what she read in a book, or what she saw on television. To understand football, you've got to play with your hand in the dirt."   - Pat Dye

If you do not know the back story to the above comment, Condalezza Rice was recently appointed to the inaugural selection committee for the NCAA college football playoffs which begins in 2014.  She with other members will sort through team stats, records and strength of schedules to determine who should be selected to participate in the four team playoff system.
It has been said in certain circles that she is not qualified to be on this board because she has not played the game or coached the game.

To those folks who say that, I would like to remind them that many coaches never played the game.
As well as the  majority of sports commentators, But yet they are on the air every Saturday and Sunday dishing out analysis and acting like they are old pros. Most fans of the game never played but we could go toe toe with marking Xs and O's on the black board.

Or, is it something more ? Does this go back to the old school that she is a woman, and this is a mans game? Or is it even more that she is a black conservative female, which is rubbing some folks the wrong way. Since her appointment, her name has been crucified on social media... 
Where is the National Organization for Women? They should be rushing to defend Ms. Rice.
Where are the voices of all the woman sports commentators, who cried until they were allowed access in to mens locker rooms to do an interview?

Isn't all this about womens rights and equality? It is what the feminist wanted, now they got it, and no one from the movemenet is out there to speak in favor of her appointment. Except, those of us who see what is going on, and see the good ole double standard at play.


-JUGM

I Really Hate It When...

The TV in Seniors "Man Cave" goes on the blink. And he is in the living room commandeering my TV.  Then I can never watch any of my good shows. Because He has sports on.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE football, Baseball ( whoo hoo Atlanta Braves--avoided the sweep! )  and NASCAR (-when they are not going around an oval..I like the road courses.)
And, I am the commissioner of our Fantasy Football League. Women are the fastest growing demographic in fantasy football, this year I am happy to report that we have 5 female owned teams, and 5 boy owned teams..Therefore we named the divisions Estrogen and Testosterone. Whether you like football or not, it is still fun to play and fight for bragging rights. This year I am awarding an actual trophy, so there is more of an incentive.

The boys ( and I use that term loosely)  are all ready running their mouths about who is going to take home this years championship trophy. They assume we girls belong in the kitchen and are going to end up making them a big "Roast Beef Sammich" as it was told to me yesterday.

It is turning out to be a real battle of the sexes. It is incomprehensible to some of them that we girls have taken over half the league. What these boys don't realize is that 4 out of 5 of us , are seasoned Fantasy Football players, and the one who has not played, is a football fanatic in her own right and loves her LSU Tigers. Many a day last season she and I chit chatted about what teams did what on Sundays, she was anxious to join our league.

The one man ( not Senior) but still a retired Senior Chief is the one with the loudest mouth.He is the commissioner of our Fantasy Nascar league--a league that currently Yours Truly , yes ME -JUGM is leading. So, yesterday during our football draft I politely said:  " If you run your football team the way you are running your nascar team, then you will be an easy win for your opponent"  It was met with lots of jeers and LOLs

The "Man Children"  have drawn the line in the sand  and we Ladies have crossed it . We have torn off our aprons and burnt them in effigy, we have thrown down the rolling pins, and have printed out NFL stats, and watch daily on who to play and who to sit. A sleeping giant has been awoken, they opened the door, now we are going through it...

Time to put the men and kids to bed girls and go out for dinner! 

Yea! that is what I am talking about!  

-JUGM

For The Love of The Game

The boys  last week went through two days of baseball camp with a  Double A Minor league team, that calls this area home.
About 100 kids  showed up, to take instruction from future major league players. All the kids were star struck. We go to the teams games quite often, the boys have autographs, and for them to  be able  to stand on that field, and play ball with their hero's was nothing short of being awesome.

I sat in the stands with the other parents, and took the entire two days in. And thought about those over paid, demanding players in the Major league. Those that seem it is a job  more then a game.
Do they remember when they loved playing? Before the million dollar contracts and all the perks that being successful comes with.
 Do they remember when they were little and the neighborhood kids would get together on the street or in someones yard, perhaps a back lot somewhere and just play the game? Laughing and arguing all at the same time about who was "Out" and who wasn't?

 The last day of camp was scrimmage games. The minor leaguers were pitching to the kids. and playing the role of umpires. They were mentoring these kids and helping them learn baseball fundamentals. NW was actually starting to hit the ball. He hit it so well that on one occasion he drilled the Teams Managers son on the cheek. The child went crying to the trainers and his daddy, and NW happily went trotting off to first base.
The kids were having Fun, The coaches were having fun, The minor league players-those stars of tomorrow were having fun. They were there to pass on their knowledge of baseball, because once a long time ago when they were in Little League some one did that for them.

They were there for the Love of the Game.

-JUGM

PS: That last night of camp. The kids were all invited back to enjoy the regular season game of the minor league team. The kids were brought out on to the field and recognized in front of the crowd.