The Life of Dos Continued.......

It has been a crazy couple weeks of sports my friends. My head is still spinning. Let's recap:

- Notre Dame can't get a hire because no one wants that job

- Bobby Bowden announces retirement from the Florida State University

- Urban Cryer is treated for dehydration at a local Gainesville Hospital following the loss to Alabama

- God's gift to football, Timmy Teabag, cried like a little girl after losing the SEC Championship to Alabama (although I will give him credit for saying that they simply got beat by a better team)

- The Rockets go 3-1 on their recent roadtrip with the one loss coming in controvercial fasion in Portland last night.

- Jimbo Fisher is building a serious staff at Florida State

- ESPN Classic realized that College Football just lost a legend and did the right thing and ran a 24 hour Bobby Bowden Special

- Did I mention that Notre Dame can't hire a coach?

It is unbelievable to me how this whole thing has worked out. For those that don't know, my brother, THE BPE, is a professor at Notre Dame. My brother, THE BPE, USED to be a reliable poster on the Chuck Wagon. My brother, THE BPE, is shit out of luck at this point. My bother, THE BPE, is delusional if he thinks he is going to make a "splash" coaching hire. No coach from a big time program would go to Notre Dame. Any BCS conference job is better than the job that presents itself in South Bend. It really is. A Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer, or Jim Harbough would be simply foolish to go to Notre Dame. It is a lose-lose situation. Let's take Stoops situation for example: you have a job that pays you very handsomly. Yes, your expectations are high and you've stuggled this year, but you have the 2nd youngest team in the Big XII conference and your fanbase at Notre Dame would create unatainable expectations compared to OU's fanbase. You play in a top 5 college football rivalry every year in Dallas. You are God in Norman, Oklahoma. If for some reason you went to Notre Dame and you didn't play in a BCS bowl in 3 years, you wouldn't be employed. You would be searching for a coordinator position at a big school, rather than a head coach position. Yes, you would be very well compensated for your failure, but being compensated isn't worth leaving a perfect situation. Notre Dame needs to readjust their thinking here. It's not a top 10 job in College Football. It really isn't. Yes, there is serious history. Yes, there is the stigma that is Notre Dame. But, in actuality, Notre Dame hasn't been relevent in 15 years. The last piece of relevent Notre Dame History is beating Florida State in 1993 in the "Game of the Century". Florida State returned the favor in 2003 by shutting the Irish out in South Bend 37-0 by the way. Notre Dame has simply lost its luster. And please believe me, I am in the camp that thinks that College Football isn't the same without a powerful Notre Dame Team. I am the guy who believed that College Football wasn't the same when Alabama was down- and thankfully they are now back. We need Notre Dame to be good. We need Notre Dame to be relevent. But, their only option is to hire Brian Kelly. And, if Notre Dame has the audacity to make this "unpopular" hire, it gives them the chance to save their program. You have to hire someone who is hungry. You have to hire someone who feels like they have something to prove. You have to hire a "mikey-mouse" coach if you want to win. You have to take a chance. Who knows, Brian Kelly, as the Notre Dame coach, may fall flat on his face, but he is the only viable option. My brother is a believer that you can't have a coach that hasn't won at a "big" school be sucessful- and I beg to differ. Brian Kelly has won everywhere he has been. Two national titles at Grand Valley State. MAC Championship at Central Michigan. Big East Champion at Cincinnati and a date with the Gators in New Orleans. The problem now is that Notre Dame has probably waited too long. Brian Kelly would have walked to South Bend 3 days ago, but now he has the dominant program in the Big East. He can play for a BCS bowl year in and year out. He would be playing for a National Championship had Nebraska not played for field goals last night. You could get Kelly for half the price that you would potentially be paying Meyer or Stoops. That equates to half as much money that you'd be paying them to get the hell out of dodge in 3 years. If I am Notre Dame's Athletic Director, the choice is easy. I would take a chance. Just give it a try. Notre Dame has lost its luster and I think that someone with Brian Kelly's resume would be the perfect fit. I want Notre Dame to be good, I really do. It is important for College Football. It is important to me because I don't want my brother to be miserable. But, I am affraid to say that I think Notre Dame has waited too long. Brian Kelly was the correct hire and I think they thought that they could unrealistically lure Meyer or Stoops away. And now, I don't know where they turn to. In closing to this thought, Go Irish.

Let's now talk about my Seminoles. I said last week that I regretted how I acted towards Bobby Bowden. I said that:

"The world is a funny place, you know? I wanted Coach Bowden to step down, but I never imagined it would hurt this much. It's hard to be happy about it. The man just has so much pride. You cannot fault someone for believing in himself and his skills to get something done, and I failed miserably here by bashing him. I try to live my life without regrets, and for the most part I have succeeded in this- not this time. I try to look at every mistake I make- and believe me, I have made my share- as a learning experience and not as an experience to regret. But, I wholeheartedly regret the negativity that I shared with regards to Coach Bowden. I think it is fair to say that it is time to move forward, but I just wish it had gone down differently. I want what is best for the football program, but losing Coach Bowden is just a shot to the heart. He is the only coach I know. It's a tough day for the Nole Nation. Thanks for everything Coach. You're the best."

This is the coach that I wrote a birthday letter to 3 years ago and had a package in the mail adressed to me less than a week later. Inside the package was a photo of Bobby Bowden with the words "To Scott: Thanks for being a Seminole! -Bobby Bowden". I am tearing up thinking about it. I have a real hard time believing that any coach at a big time football program would do this. Try sending a letter to Bob Stoops or Urban Meyer, and NOT EVEN ASKING FOR A RESPONSE, and see if you get a personalized autograph within a week. It was simply an amazing experience. The loss of Bobby Bowden is truely an end to an era. A tremendous era. When I think College Football, I think Bobby Bowden. Yes, I am biased in this belief, but he is undoubtably on the Mount Rushmore of College Football alongside Bear Bryant and Joe Paterno. He is the only coach I have known my entire lifetime. I ridiculed him. I talked about how he was being selfish sticking around too long. I asked the Lord to make Bobby hang 'em up. And God Damnit I regret it. Bobby Bowden is my idol. He is my hero. If I ever have children- outlook not looking so good since my love of sport is bigger than my love for any woman- I am going to teach them about Bobby Bowden. I am going to tell them to model their life around Bobby Bowden. Yes there has been controversey around his tenure at FSU. Yes he has given second chances. Yes there have been scandels. But, Bobby Bowden has had a positive impact on the world. The players that have had the pleasure of playing for him talk about how he changed their life. It is only fitting that his final game will be against West Virginia- where he left to come to Florida State. People, he changed College Football. 14 consecutive top 5 finishes in the AP Poll. 14 strait 10 win seasons. In 1981 he took Florida State on a 5 week roadtrip to Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Louisiana State, and Nebraska. And he won 3 of the games. This guy built a football dynasty out of nothing but a team that won 4 games in the three years prior to his arrival. Simply amazing. Simply my hero. Simply my idol. Simply accomplishments that will never occur again. I can only hope and pray that he takes a position with Florida State after his year of traveling that he says is coming up. We are better people because of Bobby Bowden.

Jimbo Fisher. Somehow his presence has helped me feel better about the whole situation that has taken place in Tallahassee in the recent weeks. The man carries himself well. He knows what's going on. He never EVER tried to play his hand and force Bowden out. He loves Bobby Bowden. He loves the Bowden Family. He embraces the challenge that lies ahead. He is putting together a staff that is scary good. He is attempting to build a SEC Powerhouse in the ACC. If he can somehow put together something even close to resembling a SEC Powerhouse the world of College Football is in deep trouble. He is relentless. When Bobby announced his retirement last week guess where Jimbo was- on the road recruiting. He has 4 commitments in his first 4 days as "the guy". He has handled this situation with more class and more pride than I could ever imagine. He wants the challenge to follow the Legend. He isn't scared. People are saying that you can never be successful following a legend- saying that Jimbo is dead in the water following Bobby. I am not drinking the Florida State Koolaide here- and I believe it in my bones that Jimbo is the right guy. He is a Saban deciple. He learned under the best. Saban is the best in the buisiness and you're telling me that my new head coach learned under him? I am feeling just fine. He is going to bring in a staff that is competent and wants to win. His staff is going to recruit relentlessly. His staff is going to put our players in positions to be successful- on and off the field.

Although I really do regret how the whole Bobby situation was handled, I am very excited about the future. I was a mess for a few days. It was tough. But, I am very comfortable where our program is heading and Florida State may get a bigger donation from me come spring time. I am so thankful that I purchased season tickets last year when we were hovering above the abyss. Now I have 30 yard line seats for the remainder of my life and these wouldn't be available now. It has also just been announced that Florida State will be playing West Virginia in the Gator Bowl on New Year's day in Jacksonville. Me and my best Nole Friend, Todd, will be in attendance. So thankful that I will be able to be there when Bowden says goodbye. It is going to be a defining moment in my life. It really is. It is an amazing feeling to love something as much and with all you have like I do to Florida State. I know I am not an alumnus, but I consider myself to be a Nole. I will do anything for this University and I am very excited about the direction that the football program is moving in. My email adress while attending Texas AS&M university was warrick@tamu.edu.- in honor of Warrick Dunn and Peter Warrick. And I will be a supporter, both emotionally and financially, until I get put in the ground. The future looks bright my friends. The Future looks bright. And Heather Dinich still has a dick in her mouth 24/7. How she has a job is beyond me.

Let's do a little Rockets Talk now.

The other team that will forever hold a place in my heart. I will take a 3-1 roadtrip anytime. But, the way we lost in Portland last night makes me upset. We have no "superstar" and we are paying the price with the officials. It's not illegal to call a foul on the opposing team when the Rockets are playing. How Aaron Brooks didn't get the call last night is beyond me. I don't understand.

We play so hard. We play as a team. In simpler terms, we do what we have to do to win. We have a line up that any fan would say "Wow, I can't believe that the Rockets are winning so many games." The wins against the Clippers and the Thunder were wins that we must get. We have to get wins against teams that you are "suposed" to beat. Yes, it hurts that we lost to both Texas teams 2 weeks ago, but I still stand behind my belief that we are the best team in the state. I said recently that "it's pretty easy to see, for anyone who is an NBA fan, that the best team in Texas plays its home games at a place called toyota Center that resides on Bell and LeBranch street in Downtown Houston." I still believe this. We have a certain chemistry with our current squad. We play very well with eachother. It is a complete unknown how we will react to the return of Tracy McGrady. It is simply unknown. We don't know if McGrady has played his last game in the red and white. We don't know if Morey is activly shopping Tracy to the whole league like we've been reading from Yahoo Sports. We don't know for certain if Yao is actually beating his original prognosis and could possibly be ready for the playoff push. Imagine this for a second- the Rockets trade TMac, Battier, and Scola to the Toronto Raptors in a sign and trade for Chris Bosh. It's okay to dream people. It is okay to dream. Think about the possibilities. There is no doubt in my mind that Yao Ming will be a Rocket for life. It is going to happen. He is too valuable to our franchise to let go. He is the BEST center in the NBA. With him and Bosh controlling the middle, the Rockets would be tough to defeat. But, of course, this is a pipe dream. We have to work with what we have.

There was a play a few nights ago against the Clippers where Trevor Ariza took it to the rack with authority and dunked over Chris Kaman. It was a beautiful sight to see. He must keep this aggresivness up. We have to have Trevor taking it to the rack and try to kill anything in his way. Trevor is so long and a good enough free throw shooter that we need him to attack the basket and manufacture points from the free throw line. Chase Budinger continues to be a huge suprise to me this year. Everytime he steps on the floor I am reminded on how I wasn't a believer in him when he dominated the summer league. I never thought in a million years that he would be a solid NBA player. But, I have been proved wrong. I am really happy with his development and he really does have a great set of tools, as Bullard would say. I hate Matt Bullard by the way. Chuck has been his usual self- getting after it on the defensive end and actually adding a little offense to his game. I have been really pleased with David Andersen. If he can continue to develop a defensive game then he will be more than a capable backup once The Great Wall comes back. Scola is Scola. We play Brooks too many minutes but it has been nice to see Lowry step up and take some of these minutes the last few games. I love Aaron Brooks. His game has evolved more than I could have ever wished, and I think he is an elite point guard in this league. But, he has shown his temper lately. I don't get upset when a player gets a random technical but AB has been bitching a lot as of late. I hate players that bitch at the officials. I was one of the worst to be honest with you. I want our team to just play the game. We have to realize that we aren't going to get all of the calls with the absense of a superstar, and we just need to go do what we do. We play hard. We play the right way. And I will take our chances against anyone in the league. I know this is an earfull right now, but I am just expressing my thoughts. Kyle Lowry's shot seems to be coming along, but he is a bit out of control at times. I find myself yelling uncontroulable at the television system 4 times a game when he runs the fast break. I just want him to slow down. I am learning to be more faithful in him at the end of games. As long as his shot continues to improve he will be a viable point guard in this league. Carl Landry is an ANIMAL. I love him. I am very glad that I made the purchase of his authentic jersey 2 years ago during game 22 of our streak. I will never regret that decision. He plays so hard. He is a warrior. He is quickly becoming the model player of our team. He doesn't care that he doesn't start- he just wants to help the team win. And, he does this to perfection. Battier had an incredible game the other night against Oakland. I was starting to wonder about his ability then he went out and had an incredibly efficient first half. His game has defenitly taking a slide for the worst, but he still plays good defense and is a valuable asset to our squad.

I know this has been a lot of blah blah blah and random. I did not have any idea what I was going to write when I started this piece, I just kind of let it go. Typical Sunday in the life of the Dos. I want to wish Tracy McGrady good luck in his rehab and I really do hope to God that he comes back with a new attitude and a want to win. He really could be an incredible asset to this team and help us get over the next hump. These Rockets are blue collar. They play the game the way that Dr. Naismith intended it to be played. I love the Rockets. I love the Noles. I love the direction that both of my teams are moving in. It's a great time to be the Dos. I want to wish everyone a happy Sunday.

Dos

note: this was written while under the influence of many beverages. sorry if it was just rambling.