Following on this earlier post on the most overpaid big-time college football coaches and now that the seemingly unending college football season is mercificully over (and the playoff proponents want to make it longer?), the College Hot Seat posts its final grades (related blog post here) for the big-time college football coaches.
No Texas coaches get an “A.” Texas Tech’s Mike Leach is the highest graded Texas coach at a B+.
Golfweek’s Brad Klein enjoyed that outdoor “Winter Classic” National Hockey League game in Buffalo that drew over 70,000 spectators on New Year’s Day so much that he is proposing the professional golf equivalent — a tournament where all the Tour players would be required to play old-style persimmon woods, forged irons and balata balls:
So if hockey can pull this off, why not golf? What better game for evoking youthful memories and feelings ñ of school-house swings, piecemealed equipment, and of a dreamy, pastoral playing field.
How about the PGA Tour putting together a ìSummer Classicî tournament?
Players use older, wooden-headed drivers and ìwoods,î plus forged, not cast, irons and wound, balata golf balls ñ the kind that anyone who is 30-plus years old today grew up learning the game with. Forget caddies. Players carry their own golf bags. No yardage books or pin sheets. Golfers eyeball everything and improvise their shots. Leave the bunkers rakes in the maintenance shed. Mow the greens so they actually putt at different speeds.
How much fun would that be to watch? And to play?
The NHLís ìWinter Classicî was a success in every possible regard. And no surprise, despite (or was it because of?) the rough conditions, the gameís premier player, the Penguinsí Sid Crosby, not only displayed his amazing puck handling skills but also scored the winning goal. To their credit, the NHLís administration even bent the rules slightly in the name of equity by stopping play midway through the third period and overtime to allow the teams to switch sides, lest either one gain an undue advantage from the elements.
That, to me, showed a lot of imagination. Donít let rules nerds ruin the game in the name of some abstract lawyerly adherence when what counts is the spirit of the sport. With a little imagination and guts, golf, too, can go back to its traditions. It might be the best way of showcasing itself.
Not a bad idea for one of the many PGA Tour events that have fallen into the Tiger Chasm.
On the other hand, Geoff Shackelford already knows who the probable winner would be.
This NY Times article from the other day reports on the increasing numbers of lawyers and doctors who are plagued by self-doubt (who’d have ever thought that?). Mr. Juggles over at Long & Short Capital has no sympathy:
To the lawyers:
In case the Neiman Marcus purchases succeeded in lifting your morale and left you with the impression that what you did counted for something, please let me add some critical information: It doesnít. This is why you are paid, on an hourly-adjusted basis, like a recent (2nd tier) college graduate.
To the doctors:
The fact that I was able to diagnose my own illness after 15 min on WebMD speaks to the value of your knowledge. Perhaps our relationship would be more productive if you would stop making me wait 3 days for an appointment (and 90 minutes once I get to the office) to diagnose a sinus infection that I already know I have. Give me the antibiotics without the self-importance. I will come see you again when I have something you can actually be helpful with. For instance, after I break my arm trying to carry my bonus home, I will come see you and you can set the cast. Until then, please stop whining.
Midwesterner Larry Ribstein — who is currently on leave from the University of Illinois Law School while teaching in New York City — humorously experiences culture shock while shopping in the Big Apple.
This Dr. Susan Okie/New England Journal of Medicine article (H/T Kolahun) provides the most extensive analysis to date of the circumstances surrounding the tragic deaths of the nine New Orleans area hospital patients during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that led to the egregious prosecutorial decision to bring criminal charges against one of the treating physicians, former University of Texas Medical School physician, Dr. Anna Pou (previous posts here). Dr. Okie addresses the key question of why these nine patients died “. . . in light of the eventual evacuation of about 200 patients from [the hospital], including patients from the intensive care unit, premature infants, critically ill patients who required dialysis, patients with DNR orders, and two 400-lb men who could not walk.” It’s an important question to address, but not in the context of a criminal case.
The fog of war analogy is certainly appropriate. Even with as good information as we have about the horrific conditions at the hospital in the aftermath of Katrina, it’s still hard to imagine how difficult it was making even basic decisions in the face of the breakdown of civil society and infrastructure. What we do know is that Dr. Pou, who was not experienced in providing emergency medical services in what amounted to a heavy combat war zone, was no ethicist on mission to make a political statement. Rather, she was simply a physician doing the best she could to make the right decisions under the worst circumstances imaginable. It should not surprise us if, with the benefit of hindsight bias, some of those decisions would not have been the ones that a reasonable physician would have made under better conditions.
James Fallows hits on what I believe is a very important dynamic in Barack Obama’s surge past Hillary Clinton among Democrats — the power of words:
Words and deeds. Talk and action. Poetry and prose. Presidents obviously do best when they can do both.
But only Obama captured what is unique about a president’s role. A President’s actions matter — Lyndon Johnson with his legislation, Richard Nixon with his opening to China — but lots of other people can help shape policies. A President’s words often matter more, and only he — or she — can express them. Grant led the Union Army, but Abraham Lincoln, in addition to selecting Grant, wrote and delivered his inaugural and Gettysburg addresses. Long before Franklin Roosevelt actually did anything about the Great Depression, his first inaugural address (“the only thing we have to fear…”) was important in itself. The same was true of Winston Churchill just after he succeeded Neville Chamberlain. It would be years before the Nazi advance would be contained, but Churchill’s words and bearing were indispensable to Britain’s recovery.
On the other hand, George W. Bush’s difficulty in expressing himself publicly has exacerbated the perception of a rudderless Administration. With that constant reminder over the past seven years, I’m surprised that Clinton’s handlers don’t have her better prepared to express herself well in public debates. Perhaps, as with Bush, she simply lacks the public speaking gift of her husband. But I am continually amazed at how often her extemporaneous public statements are littered with the ubiquitous “you know” crutch as she gathers her thoughts. That habit, as well as her instinct to default to a government solution on virtually every issue, fuels the perception that she lacks substance.
This looks as if it has great potential. The NY Times has the background story on the project.
Clear Thinkers favorite Stephen Colbert is back at it, this time taking dead aim at American Protestantism (Colbert is a Catholic) in his new book, I Am an American (and So Can You!) (Grand Central 2007). Ben Witherington has read the book and passes along Colbert’s view on Religion from chapter 4:
Chapter 4 of the book is devoted to “Religion” and begins auspiciously with a quote from a Doobie Brothers song “Jesus is just alright with me.” To this is added Colbert’s retort– “But are they alright with Jesus? Drop the reefer boys, and pick up a Bible!”
His discussion of denominations begins with the reminder that the Roman Catholic Church is “the church.” He adds “Catholics have many advantages over other Christians. One is marble. For the buck I put into the collection plate, I want some production value. That means a church, not some community center that doubles as basketball court. Also Catholics have saints– more than 10,000 of them. They’re like God’s customer service reps, and each of them has a speciality.” (p. 53).
But then he gets down to brass tacks with Protestanism, here defined as “This is a variant form of Christianity, or ‘heresy’.” He adds “Protestants don’t make me angry as much as disappointed. Unlike the world’s crazy made up religions, they’re so close to getting it right. They’re a single Pope away from reaching their full potential.” (p. 53). He says that now that Protestants have had “their little 490 year protest, it’s time to move on and stop dwelling in the past.” Here’s his blow by blow account of various Protestant denominations:
Episcopal Church: “Why don’t Episcopalians just come out and say it– their Anglicans! A bunch of Tory Loyalist Brito-philes…waiting for the day America let’s her guard down and they can reinstate Henry VIII”
Methodist Church: “What, the Church of England wasn’t heretical enough for you?”
Presbyterian Church: “Presbyterians are identical to Methodists except that one of them says “debt’s” instead of “trespasses” in the Lord’s prayer. Hundreds of years of bitter armed conflict has failed to resolve this difference. How many more lives must be lost?”
Baptist Church: “I’m a pious guy but even I have my limits. I draw the line right around spending eight hours in church every Sunday. Church should be a solemn 45 minutes to sit quietly and feel guilty, with donuts at the end to make you feel better. I don’t go for a full day of singing, dancing, and rejoicing, no matter how nice the hats are. I prefer my Gospel monotonously droned to me from the pulpit, thank you very much.”
Quaker Church: “There folks produced only two things I like–Oatmeal and Richard Nixon.”
(all the above is on pp. 54-55).
I will spare you his comments on Unitarians, Mormons, and Jews. He defines agnostics as “Atheists, without balls.”
He also provides a svelte commentary on the nature of the Bible, for example stressing “After Jesus showed up, the Old Testament basically became a way for Bible publishers to keep their word count up.” (p. 57).
Let’s see now. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has had one of the best seasons from a performance standpoint of any QB in NFL history. He led his team to a 16-0 record, which is the best regular season record in NFL history. And someone still actually voted for Brett Favre over Brady as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player?
I think I know who voted for Favre.
This is one of the best ideas for a birthday party that I’ve seen in quite awhile.
My wife told me not to bother to sign up because she would kill me before I could even attend a practice. ;^)