SEASONAL FORECAST

2010 CFB PREVIEW/EXACT PREDICTIONS OF WHAT WILL OCCUR
Bob Loblaw

ACC
Atlantic
1.Florida State-8-4/6-2-Christian Ponder and Jimbo Fisher will begin to revitalize the Seminole program; a home win over Boston College will decide the division.
2.Boston College-9-3/6-2-BC will have another successful season, going to a strong bowl game as Miami and Georgia Tech are off the schedule, the Eagles will battle FSU for the division title.
3.Clemson-7-5/4-4-the loss of CJ Spiller and tough non conference games against Auburn and South Carolina will keep Clemson around 7 or 8 wins at most.
4.North Carolina St-6-6/2-6-Tom O’Brien needs to get to a bowl and the play of QB Russell Wilson will dictate how far the Wolfpack go. A late November game with UNC could determine State’s bowl fate.
5.Wake Forest-5-7/3-5-Most of the NFL level talent from the last few years is gone and Wake will have to break in a new Quarterback.
6.Maryland-4-8/206-This could be Ralph Friedgen’s last season in College park unless major improvements are made after a 2-10 campaign in 2009.
COASTAL
1.Virginia Tech-11-1/7-1-An opening game win over Boise State will push the Hokies up in the polls and if the young defense gels and Tyrod Taylor and the 2 headed monster at Running Back play as well as advertised, Tech will be in the National Title conversation in late November. Back to back trips to UNC and Miami will be major tests.
2.Miami-8-4/6-2- Four major tests in a row early will keep the Canes from being as highly ranked as many in the media predict. Trips to Ohio St, Pitt, Clemson, and then home to Florida St all in a row will be brutal, and going 2-2 in those 4 will be a success. Jacory Harris will need to play well right away after missing spring practice.
3.Georgia Tech-9-3/6-2-Josh Nesbitt will need to control the offense and hope other teams have yet to figure out the option as Iowa did in the Orange Bowl. Road games at Virginia Tech, UNC, and Georgia will tell the tale.
4.North Carolina-5-7/3-5-With loads of NFL talent on the roster many are predicting a big year in Chapel Hill, but with players more concerned about the future then the present and a brutal opening schedule (LSU, Georgia Tech, @Rutgers) UNC could fall behind very quickly and once it starts downhill it will be tough to keep it together. November game vs. NC St could have a bowl bid on the line. BUST ALERT
5.Duke- 4-8/1-7 the Blue Devils have been better the last few years but playing in a brutal division will once again ruin any bowl hopes.
6.Virginia- 3-9/0-8-New coach Mike London will need to pull an upset or 2 to avoid a winless year in conference play as Virginia rebuilds.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME- Virginia Tech beats Florida St.

BOWL TEAMS: Virginia Tech, Boston College, Florida St, Miami, Georgia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina St.
Coach of the Year-Jimbo Fisher, FSU
Player of the Year-Tyrod Taylor VT
Coach on the hot seat-Ralph Friedgen, Maryland.


BIG EAST

1.Pittsburgh-10-2/7-1-An opening win at Utah can spur the Panthers to a great season. If they get consistent play at quarterback, they could factor into the Big East but for sure this defense and RB Dion Lewis, and WR Jonathan Baldwin, 2 top NFL talents, will lead Pitt to the Big East title.
2.West Virginia-9-3/6-2-finding solid quarterback play will be key. Road games at LSU early and Pitt late will be tough for WVU to survive.
3.Rutgers-7-5/4-3-Greg Schiano’s club will once again contend but fall just short in the Big East, but don’t be surprised if they pull an upset or 2 with star in the making, Tom Savage, running the offense again.
4.Connecticut-7-5/4-3- Coming off their big nationally televised win over Notre Dame last year, UConn opens with a similar test at Michigan, win and it could be a special season on Storrs, but either way another bowl game looks promising.
5.Cincinnati- 7-5/4-3- Brian Kelly’s exit and the blowout loss to Florida put a damper on the greatest season in school history, now Butch Jones replaces Kelly and has plenty of pieces to work with including experienced QB Zach Collaros. Non conference battles with Fresno St and Oklahoma could squash early momentum. Mardy Gilyard’s playmaking will be missed.
6.South Florida-6-6/2-5-For the first time the program is without Jim Leavitt, who was forced out after last season. Skip Holtz will be a strong leader to right the ship. Road games at Miami and Florida will be brutal as USF tries to get to a bowl. QB BJ Daniels is a big time athlete.
7.Louisville-4-8/1-6-New coach Charlie Strong brings instant credibility from Florida, an opening game win over rival Kentucky would go a long way to pleasing the faithful and gaining momentum in what could be a better then predicted year.
8.Syracuse-3-9/0-7-A win or 2 in the conference would be huge for the Orange, but they are still a long way from filling the Carrier Dome like the basketball program can.

BOWL TEAMS: PITT (BCS), West Virginia, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Connecticut, USF
Coach of the Year: Dave Wannstedt, PITT,
Player of the Year: Dion Lewis, RB, PITT.
Coach on the Hot Seat: No one really, unless West Virginia underachieves and Bill Stewart starts to feel some heat.


BIG TEN
1.Ohio State- 11-1/7-1-The Buckeyes are loaded yet again and if Terelle Pryor can play like he did in the Rose Bowl, he will contend for the Heisman, and Ohio State will contend for the National Title. An early game against Miami will be a test as will the mid-October trip to Wisconsin (likely at night), and a late season trip to Iowa, which could decide the league title.
2.Wisconsin-10-2/6-2-The Badgers will be tough and John Clay could have a huge year running the ball behind a good offensive line. Games at Michigan St and Iowa will define the season, and Camp Randall will be rocking when Ohio State comes to town in October. A win there could put Wisconsin in BCS position.
3.Iowa- 9-3/6-3-The Hawkeyes will be strong again after their Orange Bowl win last year. Ricky Stanzi is back at QB, and with most of their tough games at home, Iowa will contend for the Big Ten title. As always, the early game with Iowa State will be key to getting the season off on the right foot.
4.Penn State-8-4/5-3-An early game at Alabama will test the Nittany Lions, as they look for a new starting QB to balance the offense. Evan Royster will be the first option running the ball and if they can find a passer, Penn State can move up quickly. Either way it will be another bowl trip for the ageless Coach Paterno.
5.Michigan State-8-4/5-3-Greg Jones will lead the defense and with the QB controversy settled (Keith Nicol moves to WR) Kirk Cousins won’t have to look over his shoulder all year. Avoiding any off field issues is a must.
6.Michigan-8-4/4-4-For all the talk about the spread, the Defense has been the major problem in Ann Arbor since Rich Rodriquez arrived. Improvements must be made there if Rodriquez is to get his first winning season, and likely must to save his job. Denard Robinson, who had an impressive spring will battle Tate Forcier for the QB job. Michigan opens with UConn at home then goes to Notre Dame, and both games are almost must wins. If they start 0-2, then the media circus will heat up about RichRod’s future as the new AD will be watching closely.
7.Purdue-7-5/3-5-Miami transfer Robert Marve will start at QB and the home opener vs. Notre Dame will be a huge game for Purdue to show the faithful what they have. The offense should be good, but it will be the play of the defense that will determine how far this team goes, which should be to a bowl.
8.Northwestern-7-5/3-5-The Wildcats should go to a bowl again and don’t have to play Ohio State.
9.Indiana-4-8/1-7- The Hoosiers should start 3-0, and then will look for revenge at home against Michigan before going to Ohio State. Ben Chappell and the offense will be explosive but the defense will need to help win the close games they lost last year if they are to reach a bowl.
10.Minnesota-4-8/1-7-Adam Weber and Marquis Gray will battle for the QB job, but the defense must be rebuilt and an early visit from USC could hurt the confidence level if it is a blowout.
11.Illinois-2-10/0-8-Ron Zook will need to find some magic as the Juice is gone in Champaign. The opener against Missouri is almost a must win, two disappointing seasons in a row have left Zook on the hot seat, and if things start badly it could be time for a coaching change.

BOWL TEAMS-Ohio State (BCS), Wisconsin (BCS), Penn St, Michigan, Michigan St, Purdue, Iowa, Northwestern.
Player of the Year: Terelle Pryor, QB, OSU
Coach of the Year: Bret Bielema, Wisconsin
Coach on the Hot Seat: Ron Zook, Illinois, Rich Rodriquez, Michigan.

BIG TWELVE

North
1.Nebraska-10-2/6-2-Everyone is picking the Cornhuskers to repeat as division champs for a reason, their dominating defense. Jared Crick will try to replace Suh, but the offense will need to improve for a Big 12 title to be had. Road games at Washington and Texas A+M will be tests but the mid October home game with Texas is the one everyone will be watching, though they could meet again in the conference title game regardless of the outcome.
2.Missouri-8-4/5-3-QB Blaine Gabbert and RB Derrick Washington are back and Missouri and Coach Pinkel will go to another bowl game, but won’t beat Nebraska.
3.Kansas-7-5-New coach Turner Gill will try to overcome the off-field mess left by Mark Mangino and the loss of Todd Reesing and Kerry Meier will hurt. The rivalry game with Missouri will be a battle for bowl position.
4.Colorado-6-6-Dan Hawkins will likely need a winning season to keep his job, 3 of the first 4 games are at Colorado St, at Cal, and home to Georgia, followed by a trip to Missouri. A slow start will lead to calls for a coaching change.
5.Iowa State-4-8-The Cyclones will try to build on their huge bowl win from a year ago but a brutal schedule that includes a 4 game stretch with Texas Tech, Utah, at Oklahoma, and at Texas, will be a back breaker. Game 2 at Iowa will be huge as usual.
6.Kansas St-3-9-Bill Snyder continues to try and rebuild, a home opener with UCLA will be a test.
SOUTH
1.Oklahoma-12-0/8-0-Sam Bradford’s injury hurt the Sooners a year ago, but it will pay dividends this year as QB Landry Jones is now experienced starting and running the offense and has one of the best WR’s in the land in Ryan Broyles to throw to. The offensive line is the key, if they play well, no one can stop this offense. Florida St comes to town early then of course the Texas game in October will make or break the season. Look for Oklahoma to win that one and contend for a National Title.
2.Texas-11-1/7-1-Garret Gilbert’s playing time in the BCS title game will serve him well now that he is the starter. Texas will look to run the ball more and move away from the spread of the last few years. October games against Oklahoma and at Nebraska will determine how high the Longhorns finish.
3.Texas A+M-8-4/5-3-Mike Sherman’s best team so far will have a chance to make some noise in the South. The October 9 game with Arkansas will be a shootout and A+M could have a lofty ranking come November when they face Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas in a 4 week stretch. If they can pull some upsets it could be a really big year, but don’t bet on it yet. Jerrod Johnson should have a huge year at QB.
4.Texas Tech-8-4/4-4-Tommy Tuberville brings his proven winning ways to Lubbock to try and clean up the media mess that Mike Leach created late last year. Leach won but was controversial, something Tuberville never was while winning at Auburn. The home opener with SMU should be a shootout and a chance for the new regime to find a quarterback between Potts and Sheffield.
5.Baylor-4-8/2-6-If Robert Griffith is all the way back from knee surgery this will be a dangerous team that can upset anyone. The offensive line is very good but the division will be too tough for Baylor to reach a bowl, which they would if they were playing in a different league.
6.Oklahoma St-4-8-Kendall Hunter will be the key to the offense that lost several players to the NFL and led the Pokes to the Cotton Bowl. Patience will be the order this year and Mike Gundy will need to “be a man” to oversee the rebuilding.

Championship Game: Oklahoma over Nebraska in a renewal of the old rivalry that used to decide the Big 8.
Bowl Teams: Oklahoma (BCS), Nebraska, Texas (BCS), Texas A+M, Texas Tech, Missouri, Colorado.
Player of the Year: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
Coach of the Year: Bo Pelini, Nebraska
Coach on the Hot Seat: Dan Hawkins, Colorado.

PAC 10

1A. USC-12-1/8-1-The Trojans can’t technically win the league title and go to a bowl due to some Bushes full of Money and some spilled OJ and spoiled Mayo….but they are the most talented team in the Pac-10 and it will be Lane Kiffin’s job to motivate the players even though there is no postseason to play for. Kiffin’s team played well against the top SEC teams last year at UT, and USC will do the same. Look for the Trojans to drop one league game on the road, either to Oregon St. or Stanford, but beat Oregon and hold 1st place in the league. Matt Barkley will become a star behind a stellar offensive line and the Trojans will play with a chip on their shoulder….or at least their fans hope so, at least the ones who have stuck around and stayed loyal.
1B. Oregon-10-2/8-1-Off field issues have quacked at the Ducks since their Rose Bowl loss, none bigger then the loss of QB Jeremiah Masoli. LaMicheal James is a star in the making at RB, if he can stay out of trouble (he is suspended for game 1). An early trip to Rocky Top will help gauge where Oregon stands. Road games at USC and Oregon St, will decide the conference title, and the Ducks should have the talent to get back to the Rose Bowl.
3. Oregon State-7-5/6-3-The Rodgers brothers will help whoever starts at QB to move the ball. A brutal schedule including trips to TCU and Boise St before conference play will test the Beavers right off the bat. The Civil War with Oregon could be for a Rose Bowl bid since USC is ineligible.
4. Arizona-7-5/5-4-An early visit from Iowa will test Arizona, but this once again a bowl team, which could easily upset one of the above teams in conference play. Nick Foles is experienced at QB, but new coordinators on both sides of the ball will be something to watch.
5. Washington-7-5/5-4-Look for Jake Locker to lead Washington back to a bowl game for the first time since 2002. A brutal schedule though will be tough, as Washington opens at BYU, plays Nebraska, at USC, Oregon St, and at Oregon with conference games sandwiched in between. If Locker is to contend for the Heisman as many predict, UW will need to pull some upsets.
6. Stanford-6-6/4-5-With Andrew Luck back at QB, Stanford should have a dangerous offense, but a rebuilt defense and the loss of Toby Gerhart leave questions. Games 4, 5, and 6 are huge, at Notre Dame, at Oregon, and USC, but the Cardinal cannot look past anyone else to these 3. Another variable to watch for is if rumors about the Michigan coaching job start to fly, Jim Harbaugh’s name will surely be on the short list, and will any of that speculation effect the team?
7. UCLA-5-7/4-5-Rick Neuheisel is still waiting to get things going in LA. Maybe the probation of USC will help in the recruiting wars to come, but for now the Bruins are still a fringe bowl team, and early games at Kansas St, home vs. Houston, and at Texas could open up a rocky start to the season. At some point Coach Neuheisel will need to beat USC, and the game this year could determine bowl eligibility for UCLA.
8. Arizona State-5-7/3-6-Michigan transfer Steven Threet will start at QB for Dennis Erickson, whose seat is beginning to get as hot as the summers in Tempe. Road games at Wisconsin, Oregon St, USC, and Arizona will likely lead to another losing season in Tempe, and put Erickson, the former National Champion coach at Miami, on the hot seat.
9. California-4-8/2-7-After several years of high pre-season expectations that led to disappointment, Cal will not have those problems this year. Jahvid Best is gone to NFL, and Kevin Riley will have to fulfill the potential that has been waiting for his at QB the last few years. Game 2 at home with Colorado will be big to try and head into conference play with some much needed confidence.
10. Washington State-2-10/0-9-Since Mike Price left not much has gone right in Pullman. A lack of talent and experience across the board will leave Paul Wulff on the hot seat by season’s end, and the question will be not whether or not its time for a change, but if it is worth it and will it change anything?

League Champion: Oregon (by virtue of USC’s probation)
Bowl Teams: Oregon (BCS) Oregon St, Arizona, Stanford, Washington
Player of the Year: Matt Barkley, USC.
Coach of the Year: Lane Kiffin, USC
Coach on the Hot Seat: Dennis Erickson, Arizona St.

SEC

EAST

1.Florida-11-1/7-1-The Gators will once again win the East, which will play far weaker then in past years. Quarterback John Brantley will be expected to pick up where Tim Tebow left off, as best as anyone can and high profile recruits all over the field who have been waiting their turn will keep Florida in every ball game. Back to back games at Alabama, then home to LSU, will likely keep the Gators from going undefeated, but even with a loss they will be in the familiar position at the end: win the SEC title game = play for the National Championship.
2.Georgia-9-3/6-2-UGA will once again finish behind Florida. A new QB must be found to throw to AJ Green. Game 2 at South Carolina will be huge for momentum and will tell how they will finish in the division. Mark Richt needs to beat Georgia Tech at home after last year.
3.South Carolina-9-3/5-3-This might be Steve Spurrier’s best chance to win a division title, if the Gamecocks don’t have their usual mid season drop off. Stephen Garcia is back at QB with lots of experience around him, the schedule is favorable and everything points to a big year, but it’s still hard to buy all the way in so we shall see…..
4.Tennessee-6-6/3-5-Derek Dooley will begin picking up the pieces left by Lane Kiffin’s brief stay in Knoxville. A treacherous schedule, including consecutive games with LSU, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina, along with Florida and Oregon at home, await a young, but possibly talented Volunteer squad. The Kentucky game late may be a battle for bowl eligibility.
5.Kentucky-6-6/3-5-Joker Phillips takes the reins from Rich Brooks and inherits a solid core of athletes including Randall Cobb and QB Morgan Newton. Kentucky will surprise people and the opener at Louisville will be a huge game for both new coaches. The Cats should be in contention for a bowl at season’s end and could easily upset one of the big boys along the way.
6.Vanderbilt-3-9/1-7-Bobby Johnson’s abrupt resignation will not help Vandy to rebound after going winless in the SEC in 2009. 4 tough opening games in a row could easily lead to an early loss of confidence for a team that badly needs some.

WEST

1. Alabama-11-1/7-1-The defending National Champions return much of their squad and everyone knows Nick Saban will not allow complacency to overtake his program. An early test against Penn State will help build confidence heading into the SEC season, which includes a 3 game stretch at Arkansas, Florida, and at South Carolina, along with a November trip to Baton Rouge where Saban is hated. The Tide will likely lose one conference game along the way, and the Iron Bowl will be for the West title. They will beat Auburn and once again play in the SEC title game with a shot at the National Championship on the line. Your problems are good when you have a second running back taking carries from last year’s Heisman winner.
2. Auburn-10-2/6-2-Auburn fans believe in Coach Chizik after the Tigers nearly upset the Tide a year ago. Former Florida recruit Cameron Newton brings instant impact at QB and the Tigers will leap LSU and battle Alabama for a shot at the SEC title, but with the game being in Tuscaloosa, it will be tough.
3. LSU-9-3/5-3-Les Miles seat may be getting hot in Baton Rouge and early games with UNC and West Virginia are close to being must wins or the boos will start. The Tigers still have questions on offense but the defense is solid and will keep LSU in games. The season finale at Arkansas will be a battle for bowl position.
4. Arkansas-8-4/4-4-All eyes will be on Ryan Mallet, a top Heisman candidate, and the high powered offense as Bobby Petrino has the perfect QB to run his system. Mallet will throw for lots of yards and touchdowns as long as he can stay upright. The question will be if the defense can avoid allowing shootouts every week. Don’t be shocked if Arkansas knocks off one of the top SEC teams and gets to the Cotton Bowl.
5. Mississippi-7-5/3-5-Houston Nutt’s team may start 5-0 before they hit a wall of A’s (Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn) how they respond will dictate the season’s outcome. They will not miss Jevan Snead and all his turnovers and another bowl trip is likely. Many will say Ole Miss underachieved last year but it was more a result of overzealous rankings as 9-4 is not a bad year in Oxford.
6. Mississippi State-4-8/2-6-An egg bowl win energized the faithful as Dan Mullen has brought renewed enthusiasm to Starkville. Now his team must win and reach a bowl, which will be tough in the best conference in America. The Ole Miss game could be for a bowl bid if things fall into place.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Alabama over Florida
BOWL TEAMS: Alabama (BCS TITLE Game), Florida (BCS), Auburn, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky.
Player of the Year: Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas
Coach of the Year: Urban Meyer, Florida
Coach on the Hot seat: Les Miles, LSU

OTHER:
Boise St-The opener against Virginia Tech will decide if Boise can contend for a national title as they are ranked high enough in the preseason to get there. They will lose to Tech, win out, bid adieu to the WAC, and hope for a BCS bid.
Utah-Opening with Pitt at home will be huge for the program, but not as big as a win in November at Notre Dame on national TV will be. Another team that will have BCS at large hopes at the end if they can beat BYU.
TCU-Led by Andy Dalton TCU likely has the best chance of the non-bcs teams to go undefeated as their toughest game out of conference is against Oregon State.
Notre Dame-Brian Kelly begins his tenure with 6 games against teams licking their chops to beat the Irish. Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Boston College, and Pitt will all likely be favored against the Irish and if they lose most of those confidence will wane before the easier games kick in, until of course Utah and USC come calling November. Someone will need to get the ball to Rudolph and Floyd as a rebuilding year may be very tough to swallow for the faithful.

HEISMAN FAVORITES:
Raise your hand if you had Mark Ingram on your short list before last season….. so it’s likely someone will come out of the woodwork and win but heading into the season the favorites are…..
1. Ryan Mallet-Arkansas
2. Terelle Pryor-Ohio State
3. Mark Ingram-Alabama
4. Landry Jones-Oklahoma
5. Dion Lewis-Pittsburgh
6. Jacory Harris-Miami
7. Kellen Moore-Boise State
8. Andy Dalton-TCU
The winner will be the one whose team wins enough big games because of him and stays in the national spotlight all the way to the end.

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The National Championship matchup will be between Oklahoma and Alabama. Alabama, even with a regular season loss somewhere, will beat Florida for the SEC title and with the respect the SEC has gained winning the last 4 National Titles, the Tide will get the nod ahead of other 1 loss teams, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, and Texas due to their schedule strength and the advantage of playing a huge end of season game on national tv. For any of the others to make it they will need their laste season rivals to be ranked high and Virginia Tech will need to have a strong opponent in the ACC title game, which is not likely. Alabama will then beat Oklahoma 31-19 to win their second straight National Championship and Nick Saban will get a “Bear” hug from the faithful.

BCS GAMES:
ROSE BOWL: Ohio State vs. Oregon
ORANGE BOWL: Pittsburgh vs. Virginia Tech
SUGAR BOWL: Florida vs. Wisconsin
FIESTA BOWL: Texas vs. Boise State
BCS TITLE GAME: Alabama vs. Oklahoma

FUTURE BCS MEMO REVEALED!!

TOP SECRET MEMO TO ALL BCS PRESIDENTS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BCS 2014
What started as the Cornhusker defection in 2010, not to be confused with the Cornhusker Kickback of the ill fated Health Care bill, the BCS conferences have realigned into what we now know to be the future of major college football in America. The 4 regions of our land have each been divided into a major conference of football schools (basketball is another story) each playing their own conference tournament with the champions of the 4 leagues reaching what will become known as the Final Four. We now have setup the conferences after major reshuffling across the land:

THE EASTERN CONFERENCE:
West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Duke, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Connecticut, Syracuse, Maryland, Rutgers, East Carolina, South Carolina, Clemson, Penn State, and Pittsburgh. Television contract with ESPN.

THE MIDWEST CONFERENCE:
Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Louisville, Cincinnati, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Iowa State.
Television contract with ABC game replays showed on the former Big Ten Network.

THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE:

LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Florida State, Kansas, South Florida, Mississippi, Mississippi St, and Kansas State. Television contract with CBS.




THE WESTERN CONFERENCE:

UCLA, USC, Colorado, Washington, Washington State, Stanford, Cal, Arizona, Arizona State, Texas, Texas A+M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Oregon, and Oregon State. Television contract with FOX.

(Each television contract will be paid out in excess of 4 billion dollars a year divided equally among the schools and the money cannot be used for anything other then sports budgets. At no time can any of this money be used for any type of educational materials or to further any liberal professor’s arcane view of the world, or the school will risk losing membership into their BCS conference with Notre Dame and Boise State waiting to jump into the next available slot.)

Each team in the 4 leagues will play 10 regular season games, 8 of which must be played in conference. Then starting the 3rd week of November, all 4 leagues will begin their 4 ROUND CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS, with seeding to be determined by the regular season records. These games will be played at the higher seeded team's home stadium each weekend for 4 weeks, all games will be televised nationally, and games can be played on Thursday nights or on the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, until all 4 leagues reach their Championship games on the same Saturday in December. These 4 games will be played at staggered starting times beginning at noon on that Saturday each televised on one of the 4 major networks listed above. Then the 4 champions of the conferences will then be given 2 weeks off and on New Year’s Day, the 2 FINAL FOUR games will be played at the pre determined bowl sites, with the National Championship game to be played the following weekend in primetime, rotating each year among the 4 networks. Teams that lose prior to their conference’s championship game can be selected for bowl games that will begin the week after Christmas and Kwanzaa have commenced so that celebrations are not disturbed. This new format will create 5 weeks of drama and excitement far greater then the NCAA basketball tournament and will allow all 64 teams in the BCS conferences a chance to play for the National Championship, rendering the polls, computers, and voting insignificant and useless. For those schools not listed above they can play in the secondary bowl games if they qualify, or a secondary invitational tournament may be set up if the funds can be raised. Naming rights for this tournament will be open to advertisers, but it will start out being called the NIT. There will also be a provision voted on in the future that if a BCS school goes winless, a special tournament among the top 4 non-BCS schools will be played during bowl season to replace that team in the BCS the following year so as to be democratic.

Please do not leak this memo to the media until 2014.

Tattoos in the workplace

I like tattoos.  I have a few myself and I can appreciate the artistry and effort that goes into a good piece of ink-work.  I also work in an office building where most people are required to dress in at least semi-casual attire.  So my own personal tats are usually covered up to a great degree.  And even if they were on display, they're of good quality, they mean something, and they're not offensive.  Now, when I refer to a tattoo as being offensive, I'm not talking abou tthe kind of stuff you expect to see from members of the Aryan Nation or anything.  I'm more offended by poor quality than I am way you choose to display your personal beliefs on your body.  And that's why the rash of bad ink I've been seeing at work is really starting to piss me off.  I don't know if we've been hiring from the work-release program of the women's prison or if it's just a coincidence that some of the new faces I've seen around tend to be sporting horrendous tattoos.  Of course there's the requisite stuff on the ankles and arms: flowers, names, blah, blah, blah.  But I also just saw a woman with a tiger climbing his way up her ample bosom.  And she also had a rose gracing her right forearm.  The work looked blurred, so it may have been there for a while.  But it just wasn't good, even when it was fresh.  But those two looked great compared to another one I just saw.  Now I can't say exactly what it was because I didn't take the time to examine the details.  But what I did see conjured up images of a drunk teenager with some cheap ink and cheaper machine practicing on an even more drunk teenager who thought it'd be a good idea to let a friend practice on them.  I think what I saw was an image of Sonic the Headgehog dribbing a basketball.  The color was poor, the lines weren't sharp, and the likeness to everyone's favorite SEGA superstar was vague.  But I guess the placement of it could have helped things; I mean, you can get a bad tat on your ass cheek and no one will ever see it.  But this one: no such luck.  It was right on the outside of her left arm, on the bicep.  Seriously?  I almost said something to her, I was so offended.  Instead, I struggled to contain a smile and laugh.  Most of us just live our mistakes over in our minds, but hers was on display for everyone to see anytime she didn't wear long sleeves.  As much as I am for personal expression, I would stand firmly behind management if they forced the girl to wear sleeves every day.  It's only right, really.

ESPN Might Refute This Later

Just some observations in the past few months I have seen on ESPN that they like to report rumors, then talk about them, then refute them a few days later as a way to have something to talk about on the slow news days. I think we can all agree that other then during major events like Super Bowl week, NCAA Tourney time, weekends with football and golf and baseball all going on, there are plenty of days when not much happens in sports other then regular games for whatever time of the year it is. Maybe they don't need 2 full time channels going all day every day to talk about the minutiae of sports, and no, some random free agent signing with some random team is not news. Show the scores and the highlights and then show some old games or something, we don't need well dressed ex basketball players sitting around a table breaking down the Football draft or the Hockey playoffs. Some of the recent headlines that caught my eye that ESPN reported on their ticker as "NEWS"
-ESPN reports that Ben Roethlisberger will not be traded by Pittsburgh as previously reported by ESPN affiliate in Pittsburgh.
ESPN reports that Duke's Coach K has no interest in coaching the Cavaliers refuting a rumor previously reported on ESPN that he might.
ESPN reports that an earlier report that someone from the Bulls has contacted Phil Jackson about possibly coaching in Chicago next year, was untrue according to sources close to Jackson.
-Rumors that the NCAA would expand the Basketball tournament to 96 teams and open up the contract bidding to include, (you guessed it) ESPN, turned out to be false, after 3 weeks of debate and argument about whether expanding to the tournament to 96 teams would be good or not, most of the time talking about was spent on ESPN.
-Big Ten Presidents and the Commissioner denied reports that the Big Ten is going to expand anytime soon, despite ESPN rumors for a week that Texas, Notre Dame, Austria-Hungary, the USSR, Florida, the Lakers, Missouri, Nebraska, and the Raiders were all going to join the Big Ten soon and then spent the requisite hours and days breaking down and discussing what it would mean and how it would effect every one's lives if any or all of them joined, and then it didn't happen and won't for a while.
Shocking. I guess it is easier to waste time opining and guessing then actually breaking down what happened in the real games. They should create a separate channel called Pre-ESPN to do nothing but predict and guess so they can totally avoid talking about what really happens. Maybe next year someone should track their predictions on games and trades and coaching changes and see what percent actually happen.....hmmmm, sounds like a job for a skilled journalist, we'll see if we have any around here in time for football season...

Cold as hell

So the NFL announced today that the new stadium in NY/NJ is going to host the 2014 Super Bowl.  HUGE SURPRISE!  Wait, no it's not.  The whole league got a collective erection just thinking of the prospect of holding the country's biggest TV spectacle in the country's biggest media market.  But you know what pisses me off, what really chaps my rosy red ass?  It bothers the ever-loving piss out of me to hear everyone talking about how this is the first Super Bowl outdoors in cold weather.  Here's why the talk of this mess bugs me:

1) the media is acting as though the temperature at game time makes a difference.  The 70,000 or so people at the game mean dick; it's the 100 million television viewers and advertising revenue generated by companies trying to reach those people who matter. 

1a) aside from the few lucky fans of the teams in the game, most of the SB attendeesare either rich a-holes or corporate a-holes.  Most of them are there for the event and not the game.  They don't care about the result, so I am personally pleased that they will be uncomfortable in the freezing-ass cold.

1b) when you look through the list of great NFL games, most of them involve grueling conditions.  The possibility of snow and/or other bad weather increases the chances of having a great game.

2) I'm sick and tired of idiots talking about how Detroit and Indy have hosted as cold-weather cities.  THEY'RE INDOORS!  The weather can only affect the droves of people walking around outside, not the game itself.

3) the game is almost 4 years away.  By that time, our near-Communist government may well have bankrupted the country and it'll probably have decided that the elitism involved in professional sports is not fair to the rest of us who aren't superior athletes. 

4) I'm pretty much just bothered by any news that involves speculation.  The NFL offseason is a quagmire of what-ifs, when, maybe, perhaps, and Brett Favre.  Speaking of, eff Brett Favre.

All signs point to...douchebag

I was driving around 465 today and noticed a pickup in the lane to my left.  It was a Dodge Ram, pretty decent-looking truck, with a big Harley Davidson decal in the rear window.  I also noticed that it was equipped with those extended rearview mirrors, the kind that allow you to keep a clear line of sight when you're hauling a trailer.  As I continued to check out the truck, I saw that it also had a Scream mask in the back window.  Furthermore, it had a vanity plate, the text of which I couldn't make out at first.  After a couple of miles, we both took the same exit and the decreased speed allowed me to get close enough to make out additional details.  My initial instinct was that the owner of the truck was very possibly pretty BA; I mean, he's got a Harley and is used to hauling around a big trailer, has a vanity plate.  But the details our proximity revealed in rapid succession quickly turned my opinion of the owner.  First, I saw that the plate read "UNDRTKR," which I took to mean that the cat was either a death-head, a fan of the WWE, or was maybe actually versed in the funerial arts.  I think I can say with some degree of certainty that he's neither the former nor the latter.  I next saw a rubber hand and a foot protruding from either lower side of the tailgate.  And upon getting a brief look at the driver as I pulled alongside, I got a strong visual whiff of hilljack.  Jerk alert!  Seriously, bro, you have rubber appendages protruding from your effing tailgate.  Clay Aiken and Ricky Martin have just tweeted that they think that is gay.

Under normal circumstances, I might fear that a man who cares so little about his vehicular adornments would also care little about throwing the beatdown my way.  But since only one other person will probably ever read this, and because ol' boy might not even be able to read (it's also unlikely that he's got access to modern technology like the internet), I'm not rull scurred.

Addison's REAL first game at Wrigley

Okay, so I wrote a story a couple years ago or so about a fictional excursion to Wrigley Field with my daughter.  And since I'm trying to brainwash her into being a Cubs fan, and I'm also a glutton for punishment, I decided that this was the year to make that fiction a reality.  When Cubs tickets went on sale this year, I took the day off work as I have each of the past several years.  After carefully selecting the games I wanted and opening up in excess of 30 browser windows, I was randomly selected from among the thousands of annually-disappointed fans to purchase.  The high volume of traffic meant that my transaction for two bleacher box tickets at $55 a pop didn't process the first few times I tried.  I told myself that if it didn't go after one more attempt, I would opt instead for the bullpen box seats.  Yeah, those seats, the $160 seats.  And so, after about 10 more minutes, I had dropped well over 3 bills on 2 tickets to watch a group of underachievers play baseball.  But there was some good news: 1) I would be there with my little girl, and 2) the fact that the game was against the Pirates meant it was just a Silver-level game, so the tickets were actually $90 less than they would have been against, say, the Cards.
In any case, the day of the game eventually rolled around and I got out of bed feeling supremely anxious after getting very little sleep the night before.  My semi-insomnia came from a mixture of excitement and also little feet kicking me at random intervals (Addison shared the bed with me at my parents' house).  Oh yeah, reality differed from fiction in that we didn't depart from our own house.  We left early, around 8am Eastern, and got into the city with relative ease.  The pertually-under-construction snarl of I-94 slowed us down right before that distinctive bridge right by the landfill around, what is it, 130th St?  Anyway, we eventually made it through that and I neglected to re-route on the return trip (more on that later).  We parked in an alley for $25, but the easy-out capability was a must with a not-quite 4-year-old in tow.  My bag was packed with our gloves, a couple of baseballs, and a giant sign declaring that this was Addison's first game.  We arrived about 3 hours before game time, so we headed to Wrigleyvilled Sports in order to do our part to aid the local economy.  As we walked out, Addison was sporting a new pink Cubs hat, a Cubs purse, and a Cubs #1 Sister keychain; the bag I carried also had an incredibly dope-ass throwback T for me and a tank for my wife.  The disappointment of the trip was the fact that Addison did not get the Wrigley snowglobe she had coveted so desperately. 
Before long, we were in line to head in.  We had our tickets scanned, then Addison grabbed her free giveaway: a Cubs Build-A-Bear, who held several names through the course of the day.  After being dubbed Sally, Marlon Byrd, Alfonso Soriano, and Starlin Marlon, she finally settled on Ernie.  She then got a small silver bat and we grabbed a t-shirt and socks for Ryne.  Cheeseburger, pizza, pretzel, Diet Pepsi, cotton candy, maybe more food in there somewhere.  The seats were amazing, her attitude was decent, and we actually made it through the whole game.  Of course, she did sit or stand on me for a great deal of it.  And she eventually squirmed into a fetal position and fell asleep during the 8th and 9th.  Of course, that was after we rose to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," which was her favorite part of the day.
True to the story, the Cubs were losing and mounted a comeback in the 9th that fell sadly short.  The difference came when Addison slept through most of it and was awakened by the explosion of 41,000 fans rising to celebrate a Fukudome triple into the corner.  I held my screaming daughter for the next several minutes, standing in anguish as my team squandered oppotunities to score.  I then carried Addison and our impressive collection of merchandise through the throngs of fans in various stages of inebriation.  I wanted to head back to WS to pick up a polo shirt I that had caught my eye earlier and was finally able to placate the blubbering blob in my arms with the promise of the aforementioned snow globe.  Of course, a Mardi Gras necklace also managed to find its way onto the ticket.
We were able to navigate back to the car with relative ease and Addison actually used her own feet for a good deal of the trip, now sufficiently recoverd from her tantrum.  Narrow one-way streets and nefarious traffic directors conspired to keep us in the neighborhood for a few extra minutes, but I eventually ended up back on Lakeshore.  Getting out of the city was a breeze until I encountered the south-bound lanes of the earlier stretch of under-construction freeway.  Of course it was at this time that my daughter decided to announce her need to potty.  My growing fear of a urine-soaked backseat was finally quelled when I was able to exit at Sibley for a quick trip to White Castle.  We then hit the road again and stopped in Merrilville for a meal at Red Robin.  Addison didn't sleep a wink in the car and watched 10 episodes of He-Man.  Yeah, that's right: He-Man, the orginial iteration.  She was psyched to show mommy her haul for the day and talked about singing, lamenting the fact that we were not able to sing "Go Cubs Go."
All in all, I must say it was one of more rewarding experiences I've had at a baseball game.  The Cubs lost, I spent a buttload of money, had to deal with countless a-holes on the Illinois roads, and had to make a couple of trips to the Wrigley men's bathrooms, but I wouldn't change any of it.  I got to share Wrigley and the Cubs with my daughter and was so proud of her for lasting (sort of) through the whole game.  Now I can't wait to take her back again and again and to take my son in a couple years.  And then I'll be able to take both of them, maybe even with my dad in order to really complete the circle.  Good times.

BronObsession

Now that ESPN (every sports pros nightmare) has laid down the news gauntlet by reporting this weekend on their ticker (I'm not kidding) "former player Charles Oakley, who lives near LeBron James says he thinks James will sign with the Heat or the Bulls," as news to the world, we here at ScrubSports feel it is our duty to inform the world of where James might end up in free agency knowing what we know that the public does not. Since the NBA games are over, oh wait they have 2 more rounds to go I thought it ended when his team lost? We will now inform you of everything we have heard and where it seems to point that gives us clues as to where James will be playing next year, the question that is keeping the world awake at night...... Follow the clues and form your own conclusions about what city he MIGHT end up in....
-James was once seen eating a cheese steak sandwich-PHILADELPHIA
-James likes to drive his car at a fast "pace"-INDIANA
-He usually gets his hair cut-LA CLIPPERS
-He has been known to wear gold chains and jewelry-DENVER NUGGETS
-He likes to listen to music-UTAH JAZZ
-He enjoys warm weather-MIAMI HEAT
-He's friends with NETS owner JAY-Z
-He once jumped in a lake as a kid-LAKERS
-He is often referred to as KING JAMES-Sacramento KINGS
-He wears number 23 like Michael Jordan who owns the BOBCATS but used to play for the BULLS....
-He likes the Yankees who are in the same city as the KNICKS.
After deciphering all those clues Bob feels that LeBron will probably end up in New York, not because of the fame or the fortune, or the fact that he watched Seinfeld as a kid, but for 2 reasons.
One, he can star in Spike Lee's movie "LeBron and The Losers" that will come out after the team goes 30-52 despite James playing like an MVP. Secondly, and more importantly, Isiah Thomas signed Jerome JAMES to a 5 year/$25 million contract with the Knicks and Jerome never averaged more than 3 points and 2 rebounds per game while making all that money. LeBron will want to go back to NY and restore glory to his last name.
Or he might stay in Cleveland, where he is the most popular athlete since Rik Vaughn led the Indians to a pennant in the late 80s before being run out of town, and having to change his name to Charlie Harper and write jingles for a living in Malibu. Or maybe LeBron will go play minor league baseball. I guess we could wait until July 1 when the signing period begins and see where he actually goes and then analyze it, but what would ESPN do until then cover real games and actual events? No Way.
-

Legend of the Fall

It's not even the middle of May and the Cubs are already pretty much out of it.  If they continue to imitate a dumpster fire, I can't imagine why in the blue hell Sweet Lou would be back next year.  Whether he just gets fed up with it or whether Tom Ricketts decides it's time for a change, chances are good that we'll see someone new patrolling the dugout at Wrigley.  Do they go after another big-name manager with a good deal of major league experience, as they have the past couple go-rounds with Dusty and Lou?  Or do they go with a totally random choice?  The most popular choice at this point is Ryne Sandberg, the HOF-er who's been cutting his managerial teeth in the Cubs farm system for the past several years. 
Most guys with Ryno's pedigree would never even consider heading back to A ball to babysit prospects and shuttle between small midwest towns on a bus.  They'd sit back in the Arizona sun or take a job calling games for the 4-letter network and wait for some team to come calling.  Or, in the case of Alan Trammell, they'd be welcomed back to their old team as a savior before promptly leading said team to pretty much the worst record ever.  And where is ye old Tiger hero now?  That's right, he's the bench coach for the Cubs.  Ironic in a way, ain't it?
So Sandberg spent a year in A ball managing the Peoria Chiefs, then 2 years in Tennessee and now he's running the show for the AAA I-Cubs.  Now I'm all for paying your dues and I'm also all for repaying a man's commitment to his team.  Ryno is a Cub, through and through, and I'm of the opinion that the Cubs job should be his for the taking when Lou is done.  Sure, you've got to conduct interviews with due diligence, but who are you gonna find out there better suited to the job?  Unlike the Tigers, the Cubs don't need to lean on a legend to try to sell tickets or to revive some long-lost sense of pride.  But they also don't need to make s hire based simply on the merits of a guy's name.
Sandberg has proven that he can manage at the minor league level and he's also shown sides of himself that were never really on display during his playing days.  As a Cub, Ryno was reserved and workmanlike, he just went out and did his job and kept his mouth shut.  As a manager, he's shown fire and passion unlike anything we saw from him in the past.  He's been more open with the media too.  And who could be better at teaching young ballplayers about the fundamentals of the game?  The guy was incredibly consistent, a trait that has been noticeably missing from the Cubs team in recent seasons.  At this point, the question is not whether he should be the Cubs manager, but when.  I say the sooner the better.
Now, am I biased?  I sure as hell am.  Ryne Sandberg was my idol as a kid growing up in Northwest IN, so much so that I named my son Ryne.  So I'd say I qualify as a truly biased judge.  But even so, I can't see any way that the man doesn't become the next skipper on the North Side.  I'd welcome other opinions on the subject, though I'm reasonably sure only 1 or 2 people will read this.

Back At It!

Well for all of you who have been wondering where Bob has been, he's back! After accurately predicting the 2008 College Football National Championship game 5 months before it happened, I have been on a hiatus of sports viewing as the top of the proverbial mountain really does not go any higher. Now that the NBA playoffs are in full swing and America is locked into viewing these doubleheaders games EVERY NIGHT I guess it is time to get back to commenting on the sports that we all love so dearly. Some quick thoughts before I have to go and see if ESPN might show Tiger hit a practice shot today:

-Why is the guy who got tasered at the baseball game the "victim?" You did something you weren't supposed to do and the police did their job. The other 30,000 fans that stayed in their seats didn't pay to watch you run around. But nowadays you should be able to do whatever you want and not get punished for it. The "tasee" will probably have a reality show soon on VH1 or Fox, which won't surprise anyone, what will be surprising is how many people watch it.

-We are down to the best 8 teams in the NBA, not sure how the Hawks figure in the title chase after losing to the Magic by 43 last night. How come there aren't NBA Playoff brackets all over our offices? The real question is how much more is being bet on what teams the big free agents will jump to, then the outcomes of the games?

-Someone needs to change the dirt in the Wrigley Field bullpen as it is apparently cursed. It seems that you could put Gossage, Fingers, Rivera, or Eck in there and they would blow every other game, been happening for years to whomever they trot out in the 8th and 9th inning. Maybe they should have the closer warm up by playing catch with some fans over on Waveland Avenue, then run in and the announcer can say "some guy from off the street coming in to pitch for the Cubs" can't get any worse.

-If Reggie Bush settled with the agent who loaned him all the money while he was in school, is that not enough for the NCAA to punish USC? If he didn't do anything why would he have settled the case? It seems to be taking a loooonnnngggg time for them to get this "investigation" finished. The only thing that will make it look worse is if they take 6 years and come back and don't find anything, or could it all be a "trojan horse?"

-I'll let everyone know as soon as I figure out who is going to win the National Title in College Football, gotta hunch it won't be Florida State or Notre Dame...

My daughter's first Cubs game

I've waited for May 15th for far longer than just a few months.  My decision back in February to buy 2 tickets to a Cubs game for myself and my daughter was really the culmination of the last 30 years of my futile fan-dom.  I'll be posting more about the game once it's happened, but I first wanted to throw in the story I wrote a couple years back titled "Addison's Day at Wrigley," my would-be children's book.  Still looking for an author, hint hint.  In any case, here it is:

Addison’s Day at Wrigley

(1)
The little girl’s daddy came tucked her into bed and kissed her on the forehead, saying “Good night, Addison Grace. I love you.”

“I love you too, Daddy,”

“Now you get some sleep, because tomorrow is a big day.”

“Okay,” said Addi.

(2)
Her daddy left the room and Addi snuggled into her sheet with her blankie in her hands, but she couldn’t fall asleep. She and her daddy were making a trip tomorrow, just the two of them, and Addi was very excited. Addison had wanted to take the trip for a long time, but her mommy had said that she was too young. Now that she was 5, she was old enough. Tomorrow was the last day of the baseball season and she was going to Wrigley Field to see her first Cubs game.

(3)
Ever since she could remember, which was not very far back, Addison’s daddy had told her about the Chicago Cubs. He had told her about players and games he remembered from when he was a little boy. He even told her about players from when her Grandpops was a little boy, which was a long, long time ago.

(4)
During baseball season, Addison would sit in her daddy’s lap and they would watch the Cubbies on WGN. She even had a picture from the day after she was born: her daddy was holding her in the hospital and they were watching the game. Well, her daddy was watching the game anyway. Addison was asleep in the picture, but her daddy told her that she was still cheering.

(5)
After what Addison thought must have been a very long time (it was really only a few minutes), she fell asleep. When she woke up, the sun was just beginning to peek into her bedroom window. She smelled her daddy’s coffee and heard him singing as he came up the stairs.

(6)
“You ready to go, Addison Grace?” her daddy asked.

“No, Daddy, I just got up!”

“Well, let’s get you changed and get some breakfast in you, alright All-Star?”

“Okay!”

Addison had already laid out her favorite blue jeans, along with her pink Cubs jersey and her pink Cubs Princess hat. She liked the hat because it had a hole in the back for her to put her ponytail through. Also, it had pink ribbons that danced and twirled behind her when she ran.

(7)
After Addi was in her booster seat and all buckled in, they left for the game. It took a while to get to Chicago, but Addison and her dad had plenty to talk about. Almost before she knew it, she saw the road get very busy and then saw big buildings outside the car windows. As they came around a bend, Addison saw a big glass bubble of a building and said: “What’s that, daddy?”

“That’s Soldier Field, Kiddo. That’s where the Bears play. And look, up ahead is Lake Michigan.”

(8)
Addison was sure that she had never seen anything so big in all her life. The lake looked like it went on forever, and it kept going right along with them as they drove. She saw people at the beach and people riding bikes and walking dogs. They looked like they were having a good time, but she knew she was going to have a better time.

(9)
“We’re getting close now, kiddo” said her daddy from the front seat.

Addison saw that the buildings were a little smaller, and very close together. She saw train tracks above the street and also a cemetery as they drove down narrow streets. Soon, they turned into a lot and a man waved them into a parking spot. Addison’s daddy gave the man a lot of money and then took her hand and began to walk. She could see now that other people were all walking in the same direction and that all of them were wearing Cubs shirts.

(10)
“How many people other people are going to the game, Daddy?” Addison asked.

“Right around forty thousand”

“Wow!”

Forty thousand was a very big number to such a little girl. She didn’t think she could count to it even if she tried. How could so many people all fit into one place? Addison didn’t even realize there were that many other people who like the Cubs.

(11)
After walking for a short time, they came to a street corner and then they could see it:

“Is that it, Daddy? Is that Wrigley?”

“Yes, baby girl, it is. Wrigley Field.”

They crossed the street at the crosswalk and Addison could see the green street sign that read “Waveland.”

“This is where they hit the home runs, right?”

“That’s right. And pretty soon, we’re going to see an even better sign.”

(12)
Addison and her dad walked to the front of the stadium, where a giant red sign said: “Welcome to Wrigley Field, Home of Chicago Cubs.” That was not the sign her dad was talking about though; he was talking about the sign with her name on it. Addison had heard about it before, she had even seen it in a couple of pictures, but she saw it in person for the first time when her daddy picked her up and said:

“Look up there, just to the right.”

The sign read: “ADDISON.”

(13)
Addison the girl looked up at ADDISON the sign for a few moments and a great big smile brightened her face. When her daddy lowered her back down to the sidewalk, she saw that he was smiling too.

“Hey, kiddo, what do you say we take a look at Wrigleyville Sports and grab a few t-shirts? You know your mom’s going to want one.”

“Okay, then I want to eat ‘cause I’m getting hungry.”

“Sure thing, munchkin.”

(14)
They sat down in their seats along the third base line just in time to catch the end of batting practice. Addison got to see a couple Cubs players hit and she loved the sound it made when the bat hit the ball just the right way. She also loved the grass; it was so green and bright, just like the ivy on the outfield wall.

“I like it here, Daddy.”

“So do I, Addison, so do I.”

(15)
The game went by pretty slowly, but the Cubs had a couple of hits and even scored a run in the second inning. Addison got to eat peanuts, cotton candy, and even a chocolate malt cup (her dad warned her not to tell her mother that she had eaten so many sweets). They walked around the park and visited the gift shops. Addison used some of her own money to buy a small pink Cubs bat. Her daddy talked about buying himself a jersey but then said that her mom would probably not appreciate that very much.

(16)
As the game went along, Addison began to get tired and she laid her head on her dad’s shoulder to take a nap in the fifth inning. When Addison woke up, she saw that the Cubs were losing 5-1 in the sixth inning. She was sad because she wanted her team to win and because the other team had scored while she was asleep. She told herself that she would stay awake for the rest of the game, since the Cubs had been ahead when she was awake. Her plan almost worked in the seventh, when the Cubs put two men on base with only one out. After a strikeout and a pop fly though, they ended the inning still behind.

(17)
The Cubs did not give up any hits in the top of the eighth inning and then came up in the bottom of the eighth with all of their best hitters coming to the plate. The first batter stepped to the plate and hit a single into right field and then the next batter walked. The third hitter of the inning walked to the batter’s box, took a swing, and he hit a ball up so high that the centerfielder couldn’t see it. The sun was in his eyes and he dropped the ball. After that, the Cubs’ fourth hitter was up with the bases loaded. He hit the ball very hard, but the third baseman dove and made a great catch. With the bases still loaded, the next hitter struck out. Two outs.

(18)
Now Addison was worried; she remembered seeing her daddy sitting on the couch and rocking back and forth when he saw things like this happen to the Cubs on TV. Addison had her hands on her knees and she was rocking back and forth and saying:

“Come on, Cubs. Come on, Cubs. Get a hit here. Just a little hit.”

She looked over at her daddy and he was doing the same thing. He was just staring out at the field and rocking in his seat.

(19)
Walking up to take his swings was the sixth batter in the inning. Addison liked the way he held the bat. She looked from the batter to her dad and then turned back to the game and that’s when it happened: the batter swung and Addison heard that same “crrrack” that she had heard during batting practice.

(22)
The ball sailed out, out, out and smashed against the wall in left-center field, sending leaves of ivy floating to the ground. She thought the ball was lost, but then she saw it fall from the ivy. The centerfielder picked it up, but the Cubs players were already rounding the bases. All around the park, the crowd was standing and starting to cheer and yell. Addison had to struggle to see between the people in front of her, but she somehow managed to get a good view of the field.

(21)
“Yessssss! Go, go, go!” Addison screamed.

By the time the fielder threw the ball back in, the batter was on second base and three runs had scored! Addison turned to her daddy and saw that he was looking over at her with little tears in the corners of his eyes.

“What’s wrong, Daddy?”

“Nothing at all, kiddo. I don’t think it could get much more right.”

(22)
The big hit had made the score closer but the Cubs were still down 5-4 with a man on second base. Another base hit would have tied the game, but the next batter struck out swinging and the Cubs had to take the field again. Sadly, the Cubs were not able to score in the ninth inning. Addison cried when the game ended.

“What’s wrong, Addison?”

“The Cubs lost, Daddy,” Addison managed to say between sniffles.

“Welcome to the club, kiddo,” said her daddy with a little smile.

(23)
After the game had ended, Addison and her dad left the ballpark and headed back to the car. Addison had to be carried most of the way back and she was asleep almost before she was buckled into her booster seat. She only woke up when they stopped for gas and again when they got home. When her mom asked her how her day went, all she could say was:

“The Cubs lost and we got you a shirt.”

“Oh, it’s too bad they lost,” said Addison’s mom.

“It’s okay, momma, there’s always next year.”

(24)
And then Addison Grace got into bed and she fell asleep and dreamed about the next time she could visit the Cubs at Wrigley Field.