On Epicycles and the House of Plantagenet

http://www.astronomynotes.com/history/epicycle.htm



Part 1 March Madness is a Folly

There are 344 teams in D1 basketball with 65 + 32 going to post season tournaments or 28% far below the percentage of teams going to college bowl games. The 65 “best” included first round losers: Mount St. Mary at an RPI of #159, #147 Texas Arlington, #108 Winthrop, #98 Georgia, and #90 Portland St. While #94 San Diego and #66 Siena did win in the first round, their roll as mere March filler came in the second round. Source--http://www.kenpom.com/rpi.php

The Big East put seven teams, about 11% of the 65, into the March Folly despite the fact that these teams had already, “decided it on the court”. Worse only one Big East made it to the group of eight with Louisville losing North Carolina. For all the hype the NCCA basketall tournament is a bloated income ditribution vehicle with numerous meaningless games.

If this is the correct way to do things what would a college football playoff look like? Some might say an eight team playoff, others 16, using the same 65 out of 344 of 18.9% we need at least 23 teams or 24 just too even things up. Automatic bids: the six BCS conferences, MAC, WAC, MWC, Sun Belt, C-USA.

The challenge for those that want this is the fill in the brackets in a reasonable manner. You’ll need three play in games and then some gymnastics to avoid repeating games that have already been played.

The answer that will be arrived at will be the equivalent of using epicycle to epicycles to explain planetary retrograde motion in an Earth center solar system. Or paraphrasing Dennis Miller in his brief time on Monday Night Football, “That tournament is more complicated that the House of Plantagenet.” The BCS may not be perfect but the basketball model isn’t either.

All that sizzle is not steak

Funny what sells you on a product. Recently Dell introduced a line of notebook computers that had the great new feature of having colored cases. The new selling point was not the content: RAM, processor, video card, hard drive. Dell was selling the notebook computer on vanity. In a crowded market you seek any little point of difference to get your product noticed and if that difference costs next to nothing but adds value in the mind of the consumer... all the better.

Even beyond the arena of college football colleges sell the superfical. "Sell the sizzle not the steak," is the motto that applies here. A few schools have that reputation of aged prime beef, the Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke have and are selective about the student they admit. Most other schools fall somewhere between the reputation of the hallowed few and the local community college. The sales pitch here comes down to selling their niche.

If you have had the chore (after the third it becomes a chore) of taking you child to tour colleges, you will discover that the sales pitch for most schools is the food, dorm, and facilities. The education thing just seems to be secondary. You will be tritted through a clessroom or two but suprising little of the sales pitch is about the education. Talk to college bound high school seniors and you find that the feel of the campus is often a deciding factor and the the decsion was more one guided by emotion than cold logic.

Examples:
Salisbury University--The Commons Check out the hours and selection http://www.salisbury.edu/dining/commons.htm. The inside is equally impressive


James Madison University--Take the virtual tour starting with the rock climbing wall. http://www.ecampustours.com/VirtualTours/VirtualTourSub.aspx?FafsaCode=003721&ItemID=1

As for the price of the education? There is the list price (in state v. out of state) but then there is the scholarship game. The scholorship has been changed to meet the needs of the competitve college marketplace and now is commonly used as a discount to close the deal for a student that brings grades, SAT's, or another quality that the school finds desireable.

In Recruiters will stop at nothing to land a big-time player we get a glimp into the world of recruiting and the sell job put on to land the big time, 5 star, must have, can't miss player. While the process is different,the decsion is still often difficult and guided by emotion.

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This entry started out as an, Ode to the problem of the big time recruit, but as somtimes happens other thoughts invaded and the entry ends up going in another direction. Given the glaring attention given these youg men it is a miracle that they are not all so full of themselves as to be unbearable. Terrelle Pryor has hopefully kept perspective while grown men do there best at selling him on why ______________ is the best fit. For all players signing the all important letter of intent this week keep in mind that youth is fleeting and that the next level in your life will at some point involve using the college education you are playing for to make your way in the world. Forget the sizzle...buy the steak.

In the old days we had to get ourselves out of bed and get to class

His players also have the academic advisers' screen names for instant messaging and their cell phone numbers. There are "class checkers" who report to the coaches if someone is missing, and Friedgen said he hired tutors at about $12 an hour.

There are two ways to look at this:

1. The University of Maryland (and many other top tier sports programs) are helping student-athletes balance the demands put on them by needing to in the classroom and on the field. It is a win for the program keeping the student eligible and for the student they are pushed to keeping up with their studies.

2. These young people are being given so much “support” that they may not have to struggle, fail, and take stock in how they need to mature and grow to avoid future failure. In short personal responsibility growth skills atrophy because the lack of stress put upon them—much like building any other muscle.

There may be a connection in the poor personal conduct decisions made by players in football at both the college and professional levels with the lack of personal management skills. Think about how many times that the cannot miss blue chip recruit washes out at college. Could it be that he was never challenge enough in a high school game to deal with setbacks? When that player misbehaves and the issue is smoothed over, have key learning opportunities been missed (because he’s a great talent on the field)?

“Pain is weakness leaving the body,” the poster on the weight room wall tells us. The pain that goes with being called to account for personal behavior is another form of weakness that the student athelete needs to exercise.

Confess Your Grudge

Just be honest and straight with us Joe. There are two reasons that you will not allow Pitt on the Penn State football schedule:
1. Pitt for some reason rejected your Eastern All Sports conference and kept PSU out of the fledgling Big East
2. There is nothing to be gained by playing Pitt

The first is a motivation that we can all relate to as we all have the business that was less than honest and forthright with us—the makers of Ken’s salad dressing can rot in the worst part of hell. And the natural reaction is to hold a grudge—the makers of Ken’s salad dressing can rot in the worst part of hell. Joe Pa needs to be the bigger man and move beyond the sins of the past—the makers of Ken’s salad dressing can rot in the worst part of hell.

The second might the real reason Penn State is currently competitive in the recruiting of players from southwestern PA. With nothing to gain from playing Pitt as proves nothing and a loss may lead a recruit to consider Pitt. The recently announced series with UVA has the opposite effect of opening up new territory and does the upcoming games with Syracuse.

Personal aside: While in the food broker business we represented Ken’s salad dressing. On a sales call to my wholesale customer with the district manager from Ken’s he agreed to a introductory deal that included a buy one get one free. I heard it, the buyer heard it, the head buyer heard it but the gentleman from Ken’s denied making any such offer. He is a lying rat bastard and can rot in the worst part of hell.

(Gram) Pa Joe Gets Tough

Even if he looks like a used car salesman you must take your hat off the the punishment Joe Paterno has for his football team after the latest off field incident. That punishment is for all the players too clean up Beaver Stadium after home games. Yes, clean up the stadium and yes that is all the players. Hopefully this will include cleaning the restrooms which can be a humbling experience. The purpose here is to make the team functions as a group with both the rewards that come from being a member but the cost when a part of that team makes a poor choice in behavior. This is akin to that old coach's tactic of making the whole team run lap fro the transgressions of the few.

It will be interesting to see the reactions of the players and down the road the impact on recruiting. How will that blue chipper react to the prospect of team punishment? Will he see the wisdom or go looking for a better deal down the road? Will that "stage parent" be mature enough to recognize the life lesson being taught? Sadly, this action will deter several players. Yet, Joe being a living god has the latitude to thumb his nose at the conventional.

Not As Simple As It Appears

Recently the Baltimore sports news reported that Antonio Logan-El is transferring for Penn State to a local D1AA school Towson University. Mr. Logan-El made a name for himself by having a Signing Day press conference where he left the Maryland Terps jilted at the altar as he declared is intent to attend Penn State. The knee jerk reaction is to quietly chuckle at the downfall of a player that makes his choice of colleges to attend into a circus. However, after reading Mark Viera telling of the whole story one has more compassion for the pressures put upon a young man.

All Those Great Expectations

Pictured here is Tara a dog adopted from the local animal shelter by people that had never owned a dog before and knew next to nothing about caring for one. She's a mutt and as Private Winger teaches us in Stripes, "There's nothing more loyal than a mutt" She is well behaved and loving dog with two major faults 1) she sheds well beyond what would be expected from a 20 pound dog and 2) an intruder would be welcomed as a friend. The adoption was a crapshoot but it turned out well.

Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a similar message in a recent article about the much hyped college football signing day. We have all had the reverse of the above story where the new employee that looks great on paper and is impressive in the interview turns into a mistake you wished would go away or just does not live up to expectations.

Now when entering the world of college recruiting remember that you are looking at the the 17 year old male a being with the capacity for greatness plague with the problem of sometimes acting in totally irrational ways. All that have completed the trial that is human adolescence needs remember the stupid things you did or thought during this period of your life. We also need to consider the impact that the attention given these players can have on their attitude where they start to think they really are that important.

The fault however is not with these young men they are pawns in the big picture. As Mr. Smizik points out it is difficult to fairly and accurately evaluate high school talent and those that consume (read as: pay for) need to review the product they are buying because its demonstrated poor performance and the unintended consequences on the players. Saying that is like piddling in the oceans and will not change the primal desire to be able to claim a rankings in the cold of February.

Life is just a game of chance
I think somebody said so
Sometimes you get a hula hoop
Sometimes you get an Edsel

Sometime you get a really great dog or even a great football player

WWKMRF

Who Would Karl Marx Root For? The left side of the political spectrum has been quiet too long. With the rise of the conservatives in American politics and the defeat the the Soviet Union we have been deprived of the amusing view of their world as only a Commie Pinko can create. Not that the Religious Righty has not has supplied some interesting diversions, but the left always supplies an interesting change of pace.

There is little on nothing new or interesting in College football players exploited by universities which is disappointing. They point out the truck loads of money being brought in by big time college football and the players take on the roll of the exploited workers at the bottom of the system. What the Pinkos here and other that advocate for the payment of players fail to understand is the reward that the players feel for the opportunity to be on the field. Are they being exploited if they would play for nothing? What about the walk on?

The goal for all programs is 100% graduation with all players leaving with an education the pros as "a if it happens..." Football coaching staffs commit considerable resources to academic support in a effort to help him graduate and to protect the investment they have made in a player. For some the golden payday of the NFL comes true and if played correctly the expected value of an education is eclipsed by the signing bonus. Unfortunately, those are few and it is difficult tell a 19 year old that that may not come when people have been pumping him up for the past five years (consider how top recruits are treated).

The left instead of complaining about the lack of pay for players should work to encourage these young men to invest in their own personal intellectual capital. But the left has never been about personal accountability, they want to complain about the outcome not being as expected with little questioning of the individual's actions. As stated before in the blog the bachelors degree is the payoff for anyone in college and for the vast majority of players the REAL pay.