Hypothetical Bias

UofL vs UT: 9:57 tipoff

Tonight I'm following a mini-max strategy. I'm pulling for the team/coach I dislike least (UofL/Pitino). From the Daily Fix:

The matchup between Louisville and Tennessee comes lots of talk about the men on the sidelines: the Cardinals’ Rick Pitino and the Volunteers’ Bruce Pearl.

In the Lexington Herald-Leader, John Clay wants to see Mr. Pearl clad entirely in orange (”like one big Valencia”) and Mr. Pitino in Colonel Sandersesque white head to toe.

“Here’s Pitino, who resurrected Kentucky basketball in the 1990s by employing a pressing, up-tempo style mixed with master marketing and sideline theatrics,” he writes. “Here’s Pearl, who has resurrected Tennessee basketball by employing a pressing, running, up-tempo style, mixed with master marketing and sideline theatrics.”

Over to the Louisville Courier-Journal, where Eric Crawford has the benefit of six years covering Mr. Pearl and seven covering Mr. Pitino, and says in some ways the two are quite different.

“After a win, Pitino is apt to head out to an upscale eatery such as Porcini,” he writes. “I went looking for Pearl after the University of Kentucky game in Knoxville last season, and he already had changed into a cabana shirt and was hanging out with a crowd of boosters. … Here’s where they are similar. Both are willing to adapt their personal styles to give themselves a chance to win. Both are driven by an other-worldly work ethic. Both are big believers in creating momentum and using it to their advantage, and in having their teams apply pressure rather than react to it. And both are marvelous motivators.”

Gotta get those grades turned in

As soon as grades are turned in and I attend a kazillion meetings I'm heading to Chattanooga for the I-AA (sic) championship. Here is my reading list from the College Sporting News:

"2007 NCAA D-I Football Championship Info"

College Sporting News

Complete coverage of the 30th Annual Division I Football Championship. Updated bracket for each round. Links to recaps, stats, TV, online audio, Championship Handbook, Past Championship Records, and Game Results.

READ MORE
..http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=89142

12/12/07:
"CSN West: Chattanooga Has Made FCS Proud"
Kent Schmidt, CSN Columnist

A couple of years ago, I wrote a column stating that I felt Chattanooga was the perfect location for the FCS championship game.  I think it is even truer now.  Chattanooga has improved even more than what I wrote a couple of years ago and have made it a highlight of all the highest division with a playoff system.  The game has become the highlight of the year for all of the FCS.

READ MORE
..http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=89469

12/11/07:
"The CAA Today: Playoffs Week Three � Appalachian State v. The CAA"
Bruce Dowd, CSN columnist

I got the inside scoop this week. Here is how it is going to go down, the secret game plan that can have Delaware upset App State.

READ MORE
..http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=89466

12/10/07:
"CSN So South: Mountaineers Go for Number Three"
Myron Hosea, CSN Columnist

The culmination of one of the most exciting FCS seasons in years happens Friday night in Chattanooga as Appalachian State and Delaware square off in the national title game. The Mountaineers will be playing for their third consecutive national title, which would be the first time that has happened.

READ MORE
..http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=89458

Gameday weather: http://www.booneweather.com/Forecast/ASU

Friday night (I-AA) lights

Parking Arrangements Finalized for Unique Friday Night Game:

Appalachian State University has finalized campus parking arrangements for Friday’s NCAA Division I Football Championship semifinal between Appalachian and Richmond, which kicks off at 8 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Parking for the rare Friday night game is complicated by the fact that ASU begins its final-exam period on Thursday and exams will continue into the early evening on Friday in many academic buildings on campus.

...

Due to final exams taking place across campus, tailgating is not permitted in any lot until 5 p.m.

I suppose I could roll out of my 3 pm final directly into a tailgater ...

Here is a link to the hour by hour game day weather forecast.

I was looking forward to the Peach Bowl

Cats return to Music City Bowl:

Representatives of the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl announced today the University of Kentucky will represent the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the tenth annual Bowl and face off against the Atlantic Coast Conference’s (ACC) Florida State University. Kick-off will be Monday, Dec. 31, 2007 at 3 p.m. CST at LP Field in Nashville. The game will be televised live on ESPN.

...

The Bowl enters its tenth year and matches teams from the SEC and the ACC. The 2006 Bowl between Clemson and Kentucky had the seventh highest attendance out of all 32 bowl games, with only one non-Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game having more fans in attendance. The 2006 Bowl marked the first sellout in the Bowl’s history at LP Field and averaged more than 2.6 million total viewers on ESPN. It also generated a record $20.7 million economic impact on the local economy and over 51,000 out-of-town visitors traveled to Nashville.

And yet, GDP did not budge. In related news, other sectors of the economy reported a $20.7 million negative economic impact.

Update: I have my tickets. Same deal as last year, I think. Great seats for $150 plus a parking pass. See you in Nashville on New Year's Eve!

Get a life

My last four Saturdays have been spent at the football stadium. Here is the latest:

Appalachian football moves to 11-2 on the season and advances to the NCAA semifinals after beating Eastern Washington this afternoon 38-35 in front of the second largest crowd in post-season history, 16,947.

...

Appalachian now awaits the winner of the Wofford-Richmond game. Whether the game will be played on Friday Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. or Saturday Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. is yet to be determined. With this win, the Apps are just the sixth team in I-AA/FCS history to advance to the national semifinals three years in a row.

The lasting impression from this game is the flop by the EWU punter, the roughing the kicker penalty and the fake punt for a touchdown. Then, as the EWU players celebrated, grownup male ASU fans berating the EWU guys. The guy beside me was flipping off the long snapper* (who seemed to enjoy the results of the flop almost as much as the punter)  and shouting "you suck" (I sit right behind the visitor's bench).

*Note: College football players are between 18-23 years old and probably don't deserve this sort of treatment.