USC is Number One and I’m the King of France

By John Appicello
WSLS10 Sports Anchor
Published: September 4, 2008

  The Drive:  The Olympics are in the books, and we all have to be in sheer awe of Mr. Bolt. I didn’t think anybody did anything that fast in Jamaica. It feels like such a relaxed island country! Anyway, I covered the 96 games in Atlanta and I never thought that Michael Johnson’s 200 record would fall in my lifetime. That guy is a freak, plain and simple. He ran like a giant deer among rabbits. Huge, flowing strides. Did you notice that I didn’t even mention that other star that hangs out in the H2O? Consider this a break from the publicity onslaught.
  The Fairway:  College football got underway with a bang—too bad that bang was a punt being blocked that sent the Hokies to a very painful defeat. I was shocked after this one when Brent Bowden told us he had NEVER had a punt blocked…ever. Not High School, not ever. That’s crazy stuff. Anyway, when Beamer Ball gets turned around you know it’s not Virginia Tech’s day. A couple of days later—another Bang! The redshirt is off of Tyrod.  What I’ve learned about college football is it is about NOW. There is no…We are rebuilding for the future. Good luck with that, and get your real estate license while you are at it…because if you think like that in today’s game…You’ll need another career in a hurry. No offense to real estate folks…although…this is not a great time to be selling houses.
The Green:  Who is voting in the AP poll? Are these the same people who are trying to work for Diddy? Is there an IQ above the dull range out there? Are we really jumping USC over Georgia and Ohio State based on a win…at Virginia? What? Did we factor in that both the Dawgs and Buckeyes played teams that are in-state,both have relationships with those programs and coaches, and there is no way either school is going to “run it up” on their in-state I-AA brethren. That, plus Virginia without Jameel Sewell is like Florida without Tebow. Oh…and some other guy named LONG is now in the NFL too. They had a number of other players leave the program, and there isn’t anybody who follows football in our newsroom who thought Virginia would keep it within 3 touchdowns….in the first half. So please…can we wait a couple weeks before we start jumping teams over teams that have not lost yet? What a farce. This system makes our fantasy draft look like a faculty meeting at MIT.
The Jar:  I realize I’m ranting again. I’ll try to reel it in. It must be the announcement of the NBA’s new Oklahoma City Thunder…I can hear the AC/DC pouring out of the arena speakers right now…...Thunderstruck!  Just a quick note, I’ll be checking in after every Saturday of college football. We can let out the bundle of nerves, excitement and sheer frustration with the greatest sport in America trapped in the single most ludicrous system I have ever been a privy to——and that includes the stableford scoring system, cricket, and Australian Rules football. That’s all of it….