The Second Time Around

Tonight my roommate and I were flipping through some of the movie channels on TV when we spotted a film we both recognized, Crash. I have previously blogged about this film (see: http://jetsthoughts.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_jetsthoughts_archive.html. The date was March 6, 2006), and I mentioned then that it was by far the best film I had seen that year. I agree even more after watching this movie again tonight. It might be the best movie I have ever seen. The emotion, the power, the story is just unreal. So amazingly good that it is difficult to describe.

I'll put it this way, I do not think I have ever cried while watching a movie. In my whole life, even if I was young and was scared I don't think I cried. I had to fight back tears tonight in this one particular scene in Crash. It is a scene in which Michael Pena's locksmith character is in a confrontation with a shop owner who had his store robbed and vandalized because a door was not fixed. Pena's character replaced the lock on the door, but it was the door and not the lock that was the problem. Since Pena told that to the shop owner, the insurance company refused to cover the damages. The shop owner decided to track down the locksmith to seek revenge. It appears as though the shop owner will hold the locksmith up for some money with the gun that he is pointing at the locksmith. The shop owner repeatedly yells, "You took everything from me." As he is yelling this, the locksmith's young daughter, whom we are introduced to in an earlier scene and the locksmith gives her an "impervious cloak" in which she can not been hurt. It is to comfort her when she is scared at the time, and we, the audience, feel a warm loving moment at this time that warm feeling vanishes here. She yells to her mom, "He doesn't have it. He doesn't have it!" And immediately my gut dropped (even though I know what will happen). She goes running out of the house saying, "I'll save you daddy!" I nearly cried right there, but the most gut-wrenching was yet to come. She jumps into her father's arms and, out of a reaction, the shop owner pulls the trigger on his gun. We hear music in the background as we see a father and mother screaming, but we do not hear their voices. Adding to the power. I almost could not hold back my tears. But then we hear "I told you I would save you daddy," or something to that extent. It turns out the gun was filled with blanks, but I think that is the most powerful scene I have ever watched in a film.

Crash is fabulous, and if you want to see one of the greatest films ever made, find a way to get your hands on it immediately.

Bogus Championship Series

It's that time of year again. 8th week into the college football season. Get your megaphones out, it's time to start complaining.

The most ridiculous element in sports has returned, the BCS. It is terrible. Has it worked as it is designed in its history? Yes, it has, a few times. But it seems that every year there has been some sort of error.

The stats in the following few paragraphs are from http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/story/8975902.

1998: In the very first BCS title game, Tennessee defeated Florida State. No controversy with who went to the game, the controversy came when Kansas State lost on the final weekend and were dropped from the title game. The Wildcats fell to fourth, but did not get an invite to a BCS-game and wound up playing in the Alamo Bowl. The BCS implemented a rule that the top-4 ranked BCS teams get into one of the games.

1999: Smooth sailing. No problems. Florida State knocks off Virginia Tech.

2000: Oklahoma beat Florida State. A melee of losses throw problems into who should play undefeated Oklahoma. It came down to Oregon, Miami and the Seminoles. Some common opponent games. Miami beat FSU, Washington beat Miami, Oregon beat Washington. So who get in? I don't know. Miami was ranked second in both the human polls, but FSU was the top ranked team in the computer polls. That gave them the edge. The first of many problems with the computer polls in the BCS.

2001: All hell breaks loose and the BCS looks foolish. First the result. Miami beats Nebraska. Now, the problem. Nebraska was rolling along at 11-0 until it got pounded by Colorado in its last regular season game (the score was 62-36). Some more mumbo-jumbo occurs. Oklahoma (1-loss to Nebraska) gets upset by Oklahoma St. This means Texas vs. Colorado for the Big 12 title. Colorado wins. The SEC had a shot to get a team in, but Florida (the highest-ranked SEC team) lost to Tennessee to end the regular season. Tennessee then lost to LSU in the SEC title game, and that knocked all those teams out of the race. The last games are played and Oregon (from the Pac-10) is left at 10-1 and ranked second in both human polls. The computers don't like the Ducks strength of schedule, and they are denied a spot in the title game. The great computer system turns to.....NEBRASKA! The team that got pounded in its last regular season game, and didn't even win it's conference. The only consolation to all this is that Miami was so good that year they would have beat anybody the played. The could have beat a few pro teams that year.

2002: Ohio State beats Miami in double OT. No title game controversy. Some minor bitching between the Rose and Orange Bowls. But who cares. This was one of the greatest games I have ever seen. Even if Miami got hosed on a call in one of the overtimes.

2003: Just a wacky year all around. LSU beats Oklahoma for the BCS national title, while USC wins the AP National title. Wasn't the BCS supposed to do away with split national champions? I thought so. Another flaw exposed in the BCS system. Who was the best that year? Adding to it, Oklahoma still got in the game after losing to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game. A rule should be put in, no matter how good you are, if you lose your final game, you don't get to play for the national title.

2004: Another flaw exposed. USC beat Oklahoma for the national title. Can't argue that these two teams deserved to play each other. They were 1 and 2 the whole season. But, SURPRISE! Auburn went undefeated in the best conference in the land, the SEC. But couldn't get any higher than third in the polls. What does the BCS do when there are three undefeated teams? Crap themselves.

2005: No flaws. Everything goes perfect. Texas beats USC. The obvious top two teams all year. A showdown in the Rose Bowl. We find out that Vincesanity can beat anybody in college football, and that he owns the Rose Bowl.

That brings us to this year. Where problems seem to be emerging. Undefeated teams in major conferences left today:
1) Ohio State
2) Michigan
3) USC
4) West Virginia
5) Louisville
6) Rutgers

The problems that I see with the BCS this year is that it is going to be near impossible for an SEC team to get into the National Championship game. I think that they should deserve a shot at it. The SEC is the best conference in America; it's too bad that it is so good that the teams are going to beat each other. Example: Arkansas beat then No. 2 Auburn. Then Auburn beats No. 2 Florida this past weekend. It's no good. It could be argued that Ohio State and Michigan are the two best teams in the country. But they play each other the final weekend of the season. A nice thing, since it appears that the winner will go to the National Title Game, but they could easily just play each other for the national title. Another problem is that the Big East has two really good teams at the top. West Virginia and Louisville have tremendous offenses. But it appears that even if one of those two are undefeated, they will not be in the title game. One last problem is that the computers LOVE USC right now. In the computer aspect of the BCS the Trojans are ranked first, Michigan second and Ohio State third. The problem here is that computers don't have eyes. They can't see how poorly USC has played and how dominant OSU has been. It's crazy.

The answer to all this mess is simple. Playoffs.

The NCAA points to lengthening the schedule as the reason, but the new BCS format (with a completely separate title game from the other four games) has the season going until January 8! I think a playoff system could be easily worked in that length.

My proposal is the top 16 teams get in. And then have the lesser bowl games pick from their participants from there. Save the big bowl games for the playoff system. The first round could be played at the likes of the Citrus Bowl, the Capital One Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, etc. The second round ("Elite 8") could go to the four major sites (Rose, Orange, Fiesta, Sugar). And then play the final 4 at its own site like in college basketball.

Simply, the BCS needs to go, because it doesn't work. It has failed for more times that it has succeeded. If it were a person, it would have been fired by now.