BCS mayhem ...

i am back after a very long timeout ... been traveling, been busy ... and then been chilling out on the thanksgiving break ....

but in the meantime, the pitt panthers led by QB tyler palko (who threw the the obscenity on national tv after the notre dame game, not to mention 5 TDs against the irish, more than any other QB in history - since matched by "that heisman wannabe" matt leinart) and coach walt harris have won a share of the Big East title, while being completely below the radar till this week, when they upset the west virginia mountaineers in the backyyard brawl. and now the big east, while making a mockery of the BCS - seems almost certain to send pitt to the big dance, unless a conspiracy thwarts the inevitable.

here is one time where its really good to see how bad the BCS is :) ... go pitt!

update
1. john walters at cnnsi puts forth an explanation of how the BCS really has not failed ... and why auburn is getting their just desserts for wasting their non conference schedule on lowly Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel, and Louisiana Tech.

2. ironically, the losses for pitt so far have been to nebraska (a last second miss to a team who didnt even get enough wins to make to a bowl game), syracuse (who will probably lose out to pitt in the big east championship tie breaker), and the uconn huskies who till last year werent even a big east football team!! but for those silly losses, pitt could have been in the sugar bowl playing auburn (ofcourse, if i have to dream, why settle for anything less than the national championship!!) - but seriously, pitt is quite bad this year, and i have a feeling utah will tear them apart in the fiesta bowl.

the op-eds pour in ....

following the democratic loss in the presidential election, the NY Times' liberal op-ed columnists are bringing it on ... almost venting the frustration and helplessness at this vote ...

accompanying tom friedman yesterday was maureen dowd (thanks to parag for bringing it to my attention.

in today's edition are op-ed and opinion columns with the same sort of mood ...

bob herbert's O.K., Folks: Back to Work:

Here's my advice: You had a couple of days to indulge your depression - now, get over it. The election's been lost but there's still a country to save, and with the current leadership that won't be easy. Crucial matters that have been taken for granted too long - like the Supreme Court and Social Security - are at risk. Caving in to depression and a sense of helplessness should not be an option when the country is speeding toward an abyss.

Roll up your sleeves and do what you can. Talk to your neighbors. Call or write your elected officials. Volunteer to help in political campaigns. Circulate petitions. Attend meetings. Protest. Run for office. Support good candidates who are running for office. Register people to vote. Reach out to the young and the apathetic. Raise money. Stay informed. And vote, vote, vote - every chance you get.

Democracy is a breeze during good times. It's when the storms are raging that citizenship is put to the test. And there's a hell of a wind blowing right now.

paul krugman's No surrender says:

President Bush isn't a conservative. He's a radical - the leader of a coalition that deeply dislikes America as it is. Part of that coalition wants to tear down the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt, eviscerating Social Security and, eventually, Medicare. Another part wants to break down the barriers between church and state. And thanks to a heavy turnout by evangelical Christians, Mr. Bush has four more years to advance that radical agenda. .
....
This election did not prove the Republicans unbeatable. Mr. Bush did not win in a landslide. Without the fading but still potent aura of 9/11, when the nation was ready to rally around any leader, he wouldn't have won at all. And future events will almost surely offer opportunities for a Democratic comeback.

the NY Times certainly seems to be working overtime to get over the crushing defeat ...

as the dust settles ...

gwb got elected again ... as the dust settles, the shattered democrats will try to pick up the pieces and figure out what went wrong ...

tom friedman is back in the op-ed section of the ny times, and he perfectly puts forth what the real situation is - check out his op-ed column in today's edition

the washington redskins and the presidential election ...

while going over the highlights of sunday's football games on espn's sportscenter, hosts stuart scott and scott van pelt could not help but proclaim the following urban legend again and again (guess it was espn's contribution to election politics):

If the Washington Redskins have lost their last home game prior to the election, the incumbent party has lost the White House. When they have won, the incumbent has stayed in power.

this has been true for the past 15 presidential elections. check here to get the entire list. and

On 31 October 2004, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Redskins in Washington, 28-14 (in quite dramatic fashion, with the redskins game tying touchdown called back because of a penalty, and the redskins then threw an interception on the following play, which was returned for a TD, sealing bush's fate ....). If the established pattern holds true — predicts that Democratic challenger John Kerry will unseat incumbent President George W. Bush in the upcoming presidential election.