Up My Flagpole for 10/15

[Walter Cronkite]

In this week's Up My Flagpole Eb discusses the Bills coaching problems and discusses general thoughts that bother him.

For more please follow the link and let us know what you think!

:feedback:

Up My Flagpole (http://www.billszone.com/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?action=YourSite_content&month=10&state=news&nid=7183)

[clumping platelets]

Maybe I'll tag along to watch the curling :idunno:

[Earthquake Enyart]

Anything new, or the same old mish mosh?

[Ebenezer]

Originally posted by clumping platelets
Maybe I'll tag along to watch the curling :idunno:

Of course!!!


Originally posted by Earthquake Enyart
Anything new, or the same old mish mosh?

All new except more Maurice Clarett rant.

[stuckincincy]

Originally posted by clumping platelets
Maybe I'll tag along to watch the curling :idunno:

I like curling. The last time I saw it was a few years ago (Olympics?).

No curling in Cincinnati. We play a game called "Cornhole".

I'm not kidding. It's not what you think altho' who outside of our garden spot would know?

I wonder if the filter will X-out cornhole? we'll see. :D

[HenryRules]

I agree that college athletes should be gone from college ... but are you (or your kids) willing to pay the inflated tuitions that will result, or are the profs that complain about student athletes willing to accept the corresponding decrease in salary?

College sports is a money-making business that goes back into the school.

[HenryRules]

Other than that, nice article!!

[SABURZFAN]

i'm still trying to come up with 3 teams playing worse than the BILLS.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Fleeting thoughts and general ball busting:


To Raider Nation: Your team sucks. They are worse than the Bills. They should be 0-6. San Diego blew a 17 point lead and Cincy has not learned to win, yet. Can you imagine what the state of the Raiders will be after next year’s salary cap purge? Excuse us if we don’t cry.

You must have really really big post it notes.



Coaching watch: When a coach hits step 21 they are doomed to be fired.

I don't get this step thing. GW ought to be on step 62.


Anybody think the Bills can win 4 more games this season?

I do.


I had the privilege to visit Livonia, Michigan last week. A very nice area. One huge amenity that Livonia has?? A brand new $5 million tax payer funded indoor recreation center. Now, you might say that other cities have one, also. Well, this has all the fitness equipment of a private gym, ping pong tables, a three story rock climb, a tree climb for kids and two swimming pools. The first pool is a 25 yard-6 lane pool with an adjacent diving area complete with timers and starters stations. The second is a 4 foot deep “play pool” with a kiddie area, a Jacuzzi/whirlpool and a waterslide. Tell me if anything like that could EVER be built in Erie County…fat chance.

Erie County is damn near bankrupt. Wayne County still has viable industry and a tax base.


As of the writing of this column it is just 70 hours until the start of curling season. If anybody wants to try it just let me know.

:nerd:

[Ebenezer]

Originally posted by HenryRules
I agree that college athletes should be gone from college ... but are you (or your kids) willing to pay the inflated tuitions that will result, or are the profs that complain about student athletes willing to accept the corresponding decrease in salary?

College sports is a money-making business that goes back into the school.

Who says that money would not still be there. Getting rid of the phoney student-athelete of today will open up opportunites for others that wouldn't have the chance or would force others to really care about an education. The games would still go on. Also, schools make tens of millions from tuition and only a few make millions from football (or so the Title IX-ers want us to believe)...if this is true then decimating the programs won't affect tuition will it. To answer your question, yes, I would pay more. Education does not have a cost. Some you can get for free and some you pay for in money, sweat and effort.

[Ebenezer]

Originally posted by Earthquake Enyart
Fleeting thoughts and general ball busting:

You must have really really big post it notes.

I don't get this step thing. GW ought to be on step 62.

I do.

Erie County is damn near bankrupt. Wayne County still has viable industry and a tax base.

:nerd:

post it notes-I can write small
coaching steps-20 was a nice round number
Bills winning 4 more-not if they continue to play ugly
Wayne County-very true but even if Erie County had the money the pols would find a way to make it cost $20 mil and still suck.
Being a Nerd-At least I have veried interests.

[clumping platelets]

varied :shakeno:

[HenryRules]

Eb, about the paying more thing, I would most definitely be willing to pay more and agree with you completely.

However, I don't think the games would go on if we took away the best athletes (and it's not the marginal ones that are getting the scholarships). Look at Canada and its hockey. Most university hockey teams in Canada would destroy American college schools (mostly due to a 3-5 year age gap), but no one turns out to watch them. However, junior hockey gets quite a solid following. I believe the reason is that amateur sports are more exciting when the players you are watching may be in the pros someday.

Normally people don't understand that stopping student athletes would cost the schools/students money, I'm glad to see you are prepared to face this issue (I incorrectly assumed you were one of those, "athletes shouldn't take floater courses or have free rides, but the best of us should still get all the benefits they give us."

I wasn't talking only football, I was considering all sports, but schools definitely do save a lot of money because of sports, aside from what is listed as income from the sports teams. Look at the free advertising that a Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, etc. get from their sport teams - front page coverage in most newspapers country-wide, tv coverage of events world-wide probably, etc.

This sort of advertising does have a benefit on the school and if the schools were to attempt to recoup this through normal means (i.e. buying the advertising slot), they wouldn't stand a chance.

[ArcticWildMan]

Anybody want to bet that Eb wasn't offered a sports scholarship when he attended college? :lol:

[Throne Logic]

Originally posted by HenryRules
Eb, about the paying more thing, I would most definitely be willing to pay more and agree with you completely.

However, I don't think the games would go on if we took away the best athletes (and it's not the marginal ones that are getting the scholarships). Look at Canada and its hockey. Most university hockey teams in Canada would destroy American college schools (mostly due to a 3-5 year age gap), but no one turns out to watch them. However, junior hockey gets quite a solid following. I believe the reason is that amateur sports are more exciting when the players you are watching may be in the pros someday.

Normally people don't understand that stopping student athletes would cost the schools/students money, I'm glad to see you are prepared to face this issue (I incorrectly assumed you were one of those, "athletes shouldn't take floater courses or have free rides, but the best of us should still get all the benefits they give us."

I wasn't talking only football, I was considering all sports, but schools definitely do save a lot of money because of sports, aside from what is listed as income from the sports teams. Look at the free advertising that a Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, etc. get from their sport teams - front page coverage in most newspapers country-wide, tv coverage of events world-wide probably, etc.

This sort of advertising does have a benefit on the school and if the schools were to attempt to recoup this through normal means (i.e. buying the advertising slot), they wouldn't stand a chance.

This is all well and good, however, only about 30 schools ever really get any kind of publicity out of this. That leaves the other 270-ish 1A schools and all the other divisions with only some cash brought in from profit sharing within their conferences.

Duke doesn't need more sports publicity to build the recognition of education the offer. Some colleges benefit, but most don't get much.

Also, I think you would see two things happen should the NCAA start enforcing this ideal. First, people would still watch the games. Too much tradition and history for them to stop. Following this realization, high school athletes would have to start caring just a bit more about their education when they find that they can't get into college without decent grades. Furthermore, I think the NBA should require a bacheloriate as a prerequisite for being elligible to play. This last one will never have a shot, but I can dream.

[Ebenezer]

Originally posted by ArcticWildMan
Anybody want to bet that Eb wasn't offered a sports scholarship when he attended college? :lol:

Guess you don't need one when you have a brain.

[Ebenezer]

Originally posted by Earthquake Enyart
Erie County is damn near bankrupt. Wayne County still has viable industry and a tax base.

I know this much...that if I had to live in Livonia, Michigan, I could not own the home I have right now. My house if far from a mansion but it would go for over $310,000 in Livonia...on a lot no more than 1/2 acre in size.

[ArcticWildMan]

Originally posted by Ebenezer


Guess you don't need one when you have a brain.


So how did you slip throught the cracks then?



:jk: Eb :D