The Problem With You (and Maybe Me)

So, I’m still shaking out the cobwebs from college football’s triumphant return and I would normally use this time to talk about the upcoming week but…

You’re crazy. You are completely insane. I’m not pointing my finger at “you,” my blessed reader. It’s more of a collective “you.” I fall into that group as well, from time to time.

Let me explain why YOU are nuts though. It’s because you have fallen into the trap. The trap created by technology, by the media and, frankly, by ourselves. That trap is called INSTANT GRATIFICATION. And you need it in EVERY aspect of your life. You, my friend, have Veruca Salt Syndrome.

When you have a question, you don’t find a book on the topic, conduct research and come to a conclusion, do you? Are you kidding me?! No, you go to your good friend Google. When you hear a song on the radio that is half-way decent, you rush to your computer to download it on iTunes so that you can put it on your iPod (which you keep in your pocket at all times) so that you can listen to the aforementioned song at any particular time that the need beckons. Even worse than all that, however – when it comes to sports, you want to win and you want to win now. Not later, now! And you don’t give a damn about what happened last year, or even last week for that matter. That coach/player just better figure it out for you NOW!

I sat in a room watching the Georgia-Oklahoma State football game this past weekend and was amazed by how quickly everyone’s tune changed just before the first half came to an end. I wish that I had hired a videographer for that event to prove it to people. It was simply astonishing.

Before the game, people were in good spirits (probably because the “spirits” weren’t flowing to heavily yet). The Bulldog Nation was riding high as a kite after the opening drives as well.

“Joe Cox looked very good on that drive – a polished senior.”
“The running game looked fantastic. Richard Samuel was really pounding the ball out there.”
“The defense looks sharp. They are really hitting hard and making good tackles.”

But, wow – how things change! By the middle of the third quarter I found myself sitting in a room where people were, literally (and this is not an exaggeration), questioning whether Joe Cox could actually throw a football 20 yards. I heard more than one person condescendingly mention that Coach Bobo had “never won an SEC title as the offensive coordinator.” Worst of all, and I still can’t believe that someone would actually say this – I actually heard someone mention that if Coach Richt can’t get things squared away soon that he might be looking for a new job.

You can’t possibly be serious, folks! Did ANYONE actually watch the game that just took place?!

First off, anyone who questions whether Mark Richt is the right coach for the job is a moron…that’s right, and you probably shouldn’t be allowed to speak either because the incoherent drivel that comes spewing from your mouth will make everyone in the room dumber!

Second off, can Joe throw a football more than 20 yards…I’m not going to dignify that with a response. Does he have the same type of arm as Matthew Stafford? No, he doesn’t. But we can’t just throw the guy under the bus for that.

I understand why we think this way though. It’s the whole idea that I need deserve the biggest and the best and I deserve it now! I shouldn’t have to work for things or, God forbid, wait for things! I should graduate college, fall ass-backwards into a cushy $90k per year job, have a big house and two BMW’s and maybe a Mercedes for the weekends. This topic goes way past the way that we think about sports. It’s about how we live our lives. It’s about maturity. Maturity is the ability to delay pleasure now in order to ensure a better tomorrow.

Off the soapbox and onto The Betting Man:
Last week (1-3); Season (1-3)
-Well, I didn’t know that Oklahoma was going to lose their Heisman Trophy-winning QB and I didn’t know that LSU was going to be jet-lagged before they even got to Washington. Otherwise, those numbers might have been flipped. Either way, we move on to Week 2.

Clemson @ #15 Georgia Tech (-5.5)
-The patented ACC Thursday nighter. And an ACC opener for the Tigers and Jackets. A-Backs, B-Backs, whatever. I think that Georgia Tech handles Clemson at home and readies itself to make a statement in the conference.

#3 Southern Cal (-6.5) @ #8 Ohio State
-Huge game for Ohio State. If the Buckeyes can’t keep this close and make a game of it then a lot of people are going to lose a lot of respect for not only “The” Ohio State but also “The” Big Ten. Side note: the over/under for this game is 46.5 points…if I were a betting man, I might take the over on this.

#18 Notre Dame (-3) @ Michigan
-If people would just leave Rich Rodriguez alone he could have himself a contender in a year or two. But since I like the Irish this year, I’ll give Michigan the three points and ride the Charlie Weis Gravy Train! Hoo hoo!

Vanderbilt @ #11 Louisiana State (-14.5)
-Why is it that every time I write out “Louisiana State” I get confused as to which school I am talking about? Regardless, it’s hard to recover from a flight across the country and then prepare for a pesky opponent. Vandy looks good here.

UCLA @ Tennessee (-8.5)
-I gotta to hand it to Lane and Monte. Those guys are bat @#$% crazy! I think you’re going to hear some serious singing on ol’ Rocky Top this weekend.