More questions than answers in sports FAQ

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 20 January 2009 14:37

Before the new year turns into an old year, here are some questions begging for answers.

n Now that former sports and entertainment celebrity O.J. Simpson is behind bars, who will pick up his ongoing quest to find the real killer of his wife, Nicole, and Ron Goldman?

n How long will college football keep making teams wait a month or more from the end of the season until they play a bowl game? Is there anyone who seriously believes it’s logical to wait four or five weeks from the end of the regular season until some bowl games are played?

n Florida was the national champion in football, but are they really No. 1? Based on the current system they are, although Utah is the only team that doesn’t have to explain away a loss.

n You...

Read more: More questions than answers in sports FAQ

Facts defeat BCS in historic matchup

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 06 January 2009 14:17

I don’t want to rush into another year without first bringing a number of critically important matters to my readers’ attention.

n With the government bailing out so many financial institutions, etc., will BCS change its name from Bowl Championship Series to Bailout Championship Series?

n According to one e-mail I received, if BCS logic had prevailed in determining the winner of World War II, Germany would have won and the United States would have finished fourth. Here’s how.

After determining the Big 12 championship game participants, the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.

Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning...

Read more: Facts defeat BCS in historic matchup

Local coaches' contributions matter more

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 23 December 2008 15:02

The following men have a lot in common: Bill Self, Mark Mangino, Bill Snyder, Frank Martin, Darrel Knoll, Nathan Hiebert, Shawn Winter, Leonard Coryea, Mike Gottsch and Micah Ratzlaff. All are head coaches in football or basketball.

There’s also a lot they don’t have in common.

The first four are household names in Kansas. The last six are household names only in Hillsboro.

The first four hold regular press conferences and have TV or radio shows. The Hillsboro six are judged by local fans in the usual small-town way—downtown, in restaurants or anywhere two or three people with an interest in local sports are gathered.

On the surface, there are stark differences between the two groups. But in terms of making a difference in the...

Read more: Local coaches' contributions matter more

The lack of black head football coaches is hard to explain

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 09 December 2008 14:36

When it comes to diversity, America has come a long way, but not far enough.

Whether you liked the presidential election results or not, the election of Barack Obama is Exhibit A demonstrating that things are far different than they were a century, or even 25 years ago. But there are still some gross inequities in our world and the playing field isn’t level, notably in college football.

Following the dismissals of K-State’s Ron Prince and Wash­ington’s Tyrone Willingham, and the resignation of Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State, there are only three African-American head college football coaches out of 119 Football Bowl Subdivision programs, the lowest total since 1993.

According to a recent study by the Institute for...

Read more: The lack of black head football coaches is hard to explain