The Last Jedi is about character growth, like it or not

[Spoilers, of course]

The interesting thing to me, with regard to the newest movie of the Star Wars anthology, is how many of the criticisms of the film exist because viewers don't like the fact that director Rian Johnson actually made a film rather than another episode of Star Wars.

After seeing The Force Awakens, most viewers said "that was good, I can't wait to see what happens next" whereas after The Last Jedi, anticipation for the 9th movie in the series has been blunted, because there was so much to digest from this movie. While this movie indeed carried on the overarching story, it was also an excellent thematic lesson in and of itself. The themes that the movie bore, most notably of failure and the ability to grow from those failures, allowed characters to develop beyond the archetypes we had already been accustomed to.

Let's take a look at two criticisms in particular, and I'll try to put your mind at ease. First, and most damning, is perhaps the one that came from Mark Hamill himself, who said he disagreed with how Luke Skywalker was portrayed in The Last Jedi, because the Luke he knew would never give up in the face of adversity like the fall of Ben Solo. Never mind the fact that most Star Wars fans remember his origins as a whiny farm boy, but his earlier failures are central to the plot of this particular movie.

If you need any help with this concept, Yoda is there to help spell it out explicitly for you (Aside - the criticism that Yoda seemed to have been shoehorned in to this movie also remain unfounded, because he is so integral to the moral to this story). In order to teach, one must pass along strengths, but also weaknesses and failure. Too late, Luke learned the dangers of hubris, which the Jedi's failures a generation ago should have passed on to him. Now, understanding these lessons, he can and did share those with Rey, and used Kylo Ren's own arrogance and anger against him, in order to stall for time for the Resistance.

A broader question, aside from the implications of the Force and the Jedi, is what the heck did the Finn/Rose story have to do with anything? Many people have said that they would have been ok with their story line had they been successful, but frankly, they had to fail. The point of their mission was to fail.

There were three important characters that needed to be a part of this story line. The first is Poe Dameron, who slowly saw the light as the movie progressed. He achieved an early success, destroying a dreadnaught in the opening scenes of the movie, but was reprimanded for the high cost of the attack. Shortly thereafter, an attack on the bridge killed most of the top leadership, including Admiral Ackbar, and severely wounded Leia (in a scene that I am growing more comfortable with) putting Admiral Holdo in charge, as a character that Poe did not know or trust.

Holdo had the best intentions in mind, but Poe remained unconvinced, and dispatched Finn and Rose on their mission to Canto Bight. Ultimately, he learned that patience would have been rewarded, and his brashness led to a further decimation of the resistance as transports were destroyed after the betrayal of the coder. By the end of the movie, on Canto Bight, Poe made two decisions that showed he now understood the value of assessing potential costs with gains, and patiently waiting for all information to come available.

The second character is more obviously Finn. Upon awaking from a medical stasis, he immediately wants to know the status of Rey. To him, the galaxy is mostly about him, and the woman who first ever treated him like a human being. His goal upon encountering Rose was to take the tracking beacon away from the Resistance fleet.

Being sent to Canto Bight with Rose opened his eyes to the plight in the galaxy. Yes, he could not fight those that he did not hate, but now, he learned that the Resistance wasn't fighting because they hated the First Order, necessarily, but because people like the stable hands needed the support of those stronger than them. By the end of the movie, the cause for Finn was no longer vengeance or self preservation, but doing right for those that needed help. Rose put it best when she told him that the war would be won by protecting who they love, not killing who they hated.

And that brings us to Rose, who was introduced to us in this movie, and might just be the most underappreciated character in The Last Jedi. Really, she is at the heart of where I think the franchise is headed. She is the every-woman, brought up from the lowest rungs of society to a mechanic's role in the Resistance. She comes from nowhere, like Rey, but without the sensitivity to the Force. In a movie that lays bare the failures of the doctrinal Force teachings, her heart and determination are the characteristics that drive any success in this movie.

That, I believe, is where this franchise is heading with episode 9. The only Skywalkers left are Leia and Kylo Ren. This franchise, then, is no longer about the Skywalkers, but rather about the Galaxy. The Force is guided by the Light and the Dark, but the Galaxy, like humanity, has Good and Evil at his poles. Unlike the Force, which requires balance, inherent Good doesn't require Evil to rise to its equal. This movie sets up the possibility of so many stories outside the characters we know, and sets up a climax in which the Galaxy, not necessarily a particular character or bloodline, prevails.

College football is still broken

Do you know how I know that college football is broken? The college football playoff remains an absurd, arbitrary  waste of time. There was, as I'm sure most everyone has heard, a vociferous debate as to whether or not the Alabama Crimson Tide should claim the final spot, or the Ohio State Buckeyes.
I think for most people who watch the games and have followed the season, and those that just want the best teams in the playoffs, it was an easy choice. Alabama is a more talented team than Ohio State, and deserved a spot in the playoffs over the Buckeyes.
Of course, if you think that what a team accomplished during the season is what should qualify a team for the playoffs, then Ohio State should be in the playoffs, as they were in the Big Ten Championship. But then, if winning during the season is important, what disqualified UCF, who was undefeated? And why was Wisconsin viewed so begrudgingly?
And if winning a conference was so damn important, why wasn't Auburn even considered? Alabama didn't even win their own division, falling behind their cross state rivals. Georgia, who won the SEC, did indeed make it to the playoff, but then they skipped over the runner up to get to the next best team, because people just said they were better.
That's why UCF wasn't considered, by the way. There was no way they could have made playoff, no matter how well they played, because they were in the wrong conference. If the ultimate goal was a national championship, then UCF wasted their time. So much for "proving it on the field".
Sure, there is still a four team playoff, but getting there is still fairly arbitrary. This year proved that college football still needs to be mended. If the third place team in a conference gets into the playoff when conference champs are dismissed out of hand, or a team has no means to get to the finale through their own virtue.
If fans or the NCAA want to crown a champion, they need to ensure that every team has a legitimate chance at that championship. The only way to do this, and I've said it thousands of times, is to automatically include every conference champion in a playoff at a bare minimum, before adding wild cards or at larges.
That's 10 conferences. Add a pair of wild cards (so Wisconsin and Alabama this year) to round it out at 12, and THEN let it be played out on the field. Otherwise, the national championship is still just a beauty pageant, and the most enjoyable tactic for fans of particular teams is to keep interest provinicial and follow the home town team or alma mater. UCF won American Conference. Wisconsin won the Big Ten West. Auburn won the Iron Bowl. That should matter, and it's more fun when it does.

Stability and success

One thing that has been a real problem for the Blackburn Rovers ever since Venky's took ownership of the team is the absolute turmoil atop the team. They took control of the team in 2010, and have averaged a new manager every season, although that number is skewed heavily by the whirlwind of 2012-13 when Henning Berg and Michael Appleton combined to manage for 124 days after the team had been relegated under Steve Kean's leadership.
Then, the Rovers simply swapped out their manager every year after that, it seemed. Paul Lambert left of his own accord, not wanting anything to do with he mess in Blackburn, but all others were let go by the team. Last year, Owen Coyle was fired and Tony Mowbray was hired, but not before the damage was done, and the Rovers were again relegated.
Then, Venky's did something crazy: nothing. Mowbray, a fairly popular manager, was allowed to keep his job, and perhaps because of the stability, there weren't nearly as many significant departures as one might expect during the summer transfer window, though there were a few midfielders and backliners that found work elsewhere.
More impressive was the investment in the attackers. They signed all three of their leading scorers, Dominic Samuel, Bradley Dack and Joe Nuttall just in the last few months, including an impressive outlay for Dack. This is a completely different change from the disinterest Venky's showed for years.
And how is it working? You'll have to forgive them if it isn't perfect, but they are only one point out of the playoffs with two games in hand. Sure, they now play on the third tier, but this "patience" and "trying" thing seems to be working.

Ranking the teams in the Steve Miller Baseball League

I've had this dumb idea since Friday. Here is the dumb idea:

Idea: A baseball league in which all teams are named after things Steve Miller calls himself in "The Joker"

— Ryan Henning (@RhinoandCompass) October 19, 2017

If you don't know "The Joker" by Steve Miller, well, you probably do.

There has been some positive response to this idea, so I will do you all the service of ranking all the nicknames of the Steve Miller Baseball League from best to worst.
1. Space Cowboys
2. Midnight Tokers
3. Gangsters of Love
4. The Sinners
5. The Smokers
6. Maurice
7. The Pickers
8. The Jokers
9. The Lovers
10. The Grinners.

Maybe we can get one of those short season leagues with college players going in the Plains. Valentine, Nebraska is calling out for a team called "The Lovers"

Lafayette redevelops with a foot in the past and in the future

The city of Lafayette, Indiana, opposite the Wabash River from the college town of West Lafayette, is an old, history laden town, reflective of the nearby Rust Belt more so than its contemporary suburb to the west. Lafayette, being the larger town, has always tried to establish itself as an important regional center, independent of its neighbor, despite sharing its name.

West Lafayette is a constant state of rejuvenation because of its transient and youthful population. Cash comes into the town, through the state university and the tuition that comes from Chicago,Indianapolis and further afield. Lafayette sees a little bit of an economic boost, as the city hosts some student housing, and downtown is right across the river from some of Purdue's Greek residences, but for the most part, Lafayette is on its own.

Because of the stability of Lafayette's population, as opposed to the transience in West Lafayette, there is a greater stake in any redevelopment, with an overwhelming demand for long term utility, as opposed to cashing in on the latest craze. Despite a lower amount of cash flow for residents of Lafayette, the economy is reliable, and residents are able to be patient and considerate when looking forward.

Lafayette's 5 points intersection

Lafayette is home to some important manufacturers, with Subaru, Caterpillar and Alcoa, among others, all maintaining operations there. The town's history as a railroad and river town make it a historic hub for unrefined raw materials as well, with everything from grain to chemicals all passing through the region.

While the downtown area frequently sees new vendors move in, thanks to the easy accessibility from Purdue's campus, the rest of the city has remained in something of a stasis, aside from the burgeoning population at the outer reaches of the city and the fleet of chain restaurants along I-65. The growth at the outer reaches of the city, unlike the updates that West Lafayette sees, has more to do with the similar expansion of its corporate operators, rather than the success of Purdue University. 

With that in mind, the city of Lafayette is attempting to update some of the older portions of town, so as to accommodate a growing population, and to maintain the city's livability for residents who haven't spent their entire life in this little corner of Indiana. Lafayette, most importantly, is trying to stay Lafayette, rather than having its image being covered up by West Lafayette.

The most ambitious part of their redevelopment is the Five Points intersection just at the top of the hill coming out of the immediate Wabash Valley, and nearly approaching the suburban/interstate sprawl of I-65. It is essentially the outermost reaches of the original Lafayette.

Another factor in the desire to renovate this particular part of town, at the multi-faceted intersection of Main, South and 18th Street is that it is the nexus of many routes passing through town, connecting many different neighborhoods, including downtown, the Interstate sprawl, the neighborhoods to the north and retail to the south. It's a high traffic tract of land.

The 5 Points intersection of days past

With the renovations of Columbian Park nearby, the Five Points segment of the city can be a showpiece for the city of Lafayette. Most to the point, with the visibility, coupled with its central location and distance from Lafayette's younger, hipper neighbor, this is a development that can be Lafayette.

Right now, the city of Lafayette is rightly looking at the existing structures In the area in an attempt to renovate, rather than replace those buildings. There are a few notable historic buildings in the neighborhood, including a former firehouse that now serves as a municipal museum. One relic of the past that the city will likely try to amend is the nightmare inducing intersection itself.

West of the intersection, highway 26 splits to become the two primary, one way arteries through downtown Lafayette. 26, or South Street, then intersects with 18th Street a few hundred feet later, while 18th, continuing South from 26, intersects with Main Street, which continues northwest to encounter South Street where it splits. Confused? Why wouldn't you be?

I'm no city planner, but this junction, this confused mess, would be well served by being reorganized into a square or plaza, to account for all of the intersecting roads, and to get cars to slow down for local businesses. Never mind the central location, and the connectedness of the roadways, the platting of this area commands attention all its own.

Five Points represents what could be an important inflection point in the city. It depends on how deeply Lafayette commits to the changes for the region. Will they spruce up the historic structures that occupy the intersection now? Or will it be completely gutted, turning the intersection into a modern focal point for the Greater Lafayette area, complete with reworked traffic patterns and all new commercial structures?

Right now, it appears that the city will move towards the former option, which makes sense. Lafayette is latching on to its past and moving forward as its own pace. Lafayette will be Lafayette, and nothing more. 

Halloween is the worst movie time

I like a lot of movies. I like good movies. I like bad movies. I like sci fi, espionage, mystery, comedy and even the occasional romantic-type movie. I don't care for horror, though. I'm not going to see It, even though it's getting phenomenal reviews, and I'm not going to go on a binge catching up with classic horror movies of yore.
I don't mind going to movies that scare me, or startle me, so long as there is a reasonable explanation to whatever spooked me. There was a killer on the loose or something like that. Demons aren't real. Ghosts aren't real.
 Like I lead with in my categorical run down of movies I like, I like sci fi. Generally speaking, the contents of those movies are pretty fictitious. Star Wars is great, and that series is based on an entire fictional galaxy. But Star Wars isn't out to scare me.
So I don't mind being scared, and I don't mind movies with a little bit of imagination in their premise, but I don't like it when the two are paired. If I am totally honest, I guess, the truth is I don't like being afraid of things that aren't real. I don't want to lay awake thinking about ghosts or devil clowns, because they don't exist.
But damn, if they exist in my mind when I'm trying to sleep. Halloween movies are the worst.

Crowning a 2016 champion - The Rhino and Compass college football simulation

Back in the headier, more earnest days of my blogging career, back when I was still working with Steve Pallotto on a more regular basis, we sought out to change college football. There was one major flaw, as we saw it, with how the game crowned a champion. 1) Preseason polls and opinion had way too much to do with who was ultimately granted a chance to compete for the national title. So how do you eradicate opinion and rely solely on performance? Ensure that only conference champions make a post season tournament, and seed those teams based on record and the strength of their conference. 

So we made 12 conference, later upped to 16, thanks to a change in NCAA membership, with conferences based on geography, and set non conference schedules (to determine those conference strength metrics) based on a team's record the prior year, not unlike the NFL. Conference champions were measured only on their in-conference schedule.

I couldn't find recaps from last year, so that's probably good news for you, but as we get going into the 2017 session, I do have a look at who won the 2016 Rhino and Compass football simulation. Rather than boiling down the conferences, team by team, (you can ask for details if you want them later, you weirdos) why don't I instead just run through the champions and the post season tournament? Oh, all right, here are two teams I will mention: Minnesota finished 6-6 (4-3 in conference) in the Midwest, and finished 5th, while Purdue went 5-7 (1-6) in the Great Lakes. OK, here are the champs, with their post season ranking.
1. Oklahoma
2. LSU

3. Miami (FL)

4. Western Michigan

5. Utah

6. USC

7. North Carolina

8. Western Kentucky

9. Pittsburgh

10. Georgia

11. Mississippi

12. Ohio State.

13. Oregon

14. Wisconsin

15. Colorado State

16. Temple

First off, there were some obvious surprises out of this list, particularly when compared to the actual results of the season. Alabama was bumped by Mississippi, Florida State couldn't overtake Miami, Penn State was beaten by Pitt, Clemson was unable to challenge Georgia, Oregon topped Washington and Colorado State succeeded over Colorado. 

Within our closed system, though, things went mostly according to seed in the first round of the playoffs. There was one upset, #15 Colorado State eliminating LSU in the first round, but otherwise, all the lower seeds won. 

The same could be said for the quarterfinals. Western Michigan took three OTs to top Utah in the best game of the set, while Oklahoma only narrowly defeated Western Kentucky. North Carolina and Miami (FL) had easier times with their opponents.

Western Michigan made it to the Cotton Bowl in real life last year, losing in a better game than had been expected to the Wisconsin Badgers. Miami went to the Russell Athletic Bowl, defeating West Virginia when they got there. In our simulation, they both made it to the National Championship game, Western by defeating Oklahoma rather handily, and Miami requiring double OT to dispatch North Carolina.

In the end, it was the Miami Hurricanes who took down Western Michigan for the national title (Rhino and Compass style, at any rate), collecting a 44-20 victory. For the record, Miami also defeated Wisconsin in the playoffs, way back in the first round of our tournament. Can they repeat in 2017? Find out in a few months. 

A Super Bowl Prediction

The NFL season is coming around tomorrow night when the Patriots welcome the Chiefs to town. I'm more of a baseball blogger these days, but I am still a football fan and have opinions. I feel like, since I just had my 4th fantasy football draft tonight, I have just as much insight into the league as anyone.
Since the Super Bowl is in Minnesota this year, but mostly because I know, at this point, nobody cares about who I think will finish third in the AFC West (Chargers, by the way) I'll cut right to the chase. The Seattle Seahawks are going to win the Super Bowl this year.

I think Seattle getting to the Super Bowl is the easiest choice I have this year. They don't have much competition in the NFC West, and should have home field against whichever other team emerges out of the NFC (I suspect the Packers will be good, as will the entirety of the NFC South) It gets tougher in the AFC.
The Patriots will always be the popular pick in the AFC, but I remember what happened the last time they opened the season with the Chiefs. Do you? Here is a hint. Matt Cassel had an NFL career because of it. Even if Tom Brady doesn't get hurt 8 minutes into the season, he is 40 years old, and the history of quarterback success at age 40 is very limited. The rest of the team is really good, and the AFC East is pretty bad, so they will definitely be a playoff team, but not one with a good shot at the Super Bowl.
But then what else is there in the AFC? The Raiders are a hot choice, but I don't like their running back situation, or Derek Carr coming back from a serious injury. The AFC South is a mess, but I think people will be surprised by the ease at which the Titans win the division. That leaves the AFC North. Ugh, I guess I'll pick the Steelers to win the AFC, but lose to the Seahawks.
Oh, and Bon Jovi will play half time.

Managing Fleckspectations

It took PJ Fleck three years to turn Western Michigan from a laughingstock, even in the MAC, to a BCS team. This is a timeline that Minnesota fans need to remember as the his first season in charge of the Gophers gets underway on Thursday night against the Buffalo Bulls.
Further, Fleck turned things around at Western Michigan against such respectable foes as Akron, Northern Illinois and Ball State. If Fleck would like to make his mark at Minnesota, it will be against Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Minnesota could make massive strides, but in their conference, it may not make as much a mark because of who they are being measured against.
A part of the turnaround Fleck had was because he was able to get players that he wanted for his system to come play for him. He didn't just magically learn how to coach over the course of his three years. The players he had at his disposal just got better because he was able to recruit effectively. Understand that his level of success this year will be limited by Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys' ability to recruit. Perhaps Fleck can extract more from this team than Claeys could, but it's important to recognize that most of the roster came to play for Kill or Claeys and not for Fleck.
If there is a new system, and the team plays a different style on Thursday, that could be an exciting view of things to come. If they look a little flat, that's not necessarily a bad omen. PJ Fleck might be the coach that turns the Gophers' program around, but one game, and perhaps even one season won't be the best indicator of his future success.

Gary Clark Jr. must be amazing live

I am not someone who thinks he enjoys live music. I don't like large crowds packed into dark spaces. I don't like going to NFL games for a lot of the same reasons. But then, every once in a while, you go to a concert or at the right bar, and it's awesome. The energy is great, and the music supersedes the throngs.
I'm not sure if there is a type of music that does this better than any other, but I suspect someone who can play a really great guitar has that kind of allure. I think the best active guitarist might be blues-rocker Gary Clark Jr. A quick look at the Google News feed regarding Clark confirms my suspicions.

He was just in St. Paul this week, so I just missed him, but maybe I will keep my ear to the ground for the next time he comes around.

Different teams, different crossroads

The trade deadline, fast approaching in Major League Baseball, is often about patching up holes as teams make runs at the playoffs, while lesser teams try to get lucky with a prospect or draft pick, rather than letting their better players go. In the summer, the teams are interested in retooling for the long haul.

This is where the biggest trades tend to happen, when franchise cornerstones are moved. There haven't been too many big moves this off-season, given how so many teams are using the Vegas Golden Knights to alleviate salary cap issues, but I suspect that will change in the next few weeks.

The Wild have a stated goal of getting at least one more NHL quality pivot after they flamed out, unable to score nearly as much as they needed against the St. Louis Blues and Brian Elliott. The Wild are very nearly at the talent crest of their core, and after extending Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund, would do well to ensure that whatever piece they do lock up will be one that will help them win in the near term.

The Wild have already attempted to free up some space under the cap, and have added physical wingers in Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno, but they would do well to explore trades with teams that are still up and coming. With a deep, young defensive unit, dealing a defensemen in order to add a center would seem like a good investment.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of those up and coming teams, and they have the talented James van Riemsdyk entering the final year of a contract on a team with a young core that is still a couple of years away. This is a team that could use a more stable presence on the blue line in support of all the firepower at the forward positions. Van Riemsdyk spends his offseasons in Minnesota, and would undoubtedly appreciate a move to the Wild, if one came about, and the Leafs, lkely to lose him anyway, would appreciate some sort of return, especially the type that the Wild could offer.

These are two teams, the Wild and Maple Leafs, that are reaching a critical juncture. The Wild need to get over the top, while the Maple Leafs need to tool up to continue their momentum as the team develops and gets better. Both may pair up at some point in the off-season, though even if a move for 30 goal scorer van Riemsdyk doesn't happen, you can be sure both teams are working hard to achieve the goals that such a move would achieve.

Floyd Mayweather isn't afraid

Floyd Mayweather might be one of the most detestable people in the sports world. He is transparently greedy, passively bigoted and worst of all, physically abusive. That last trait is more reprehensible because of what he is so good at. He may be the best pound for pound boxer ever, and he has never been afraid to prove it.

For the last half decade or so, Mayweather has been heavily criticized for his acceptance of fights like the one next month against UFC star Conor McGregor, or the delay before fighting Philippine superstar Manny Pacquiao, as they seem more like cash grabs and less like real tests of Mayweather's ability. No doubt that they were.

The early part of Floyd Mayweather's boxing career was tainted by controversy not of his own doing. Mayweather entered the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta as a Featherweight, fighting through American competition to qualify. He beat a pair of opponents from the former Soviet Union, and struggled against Cuban Lorenzo Aragon. I

The fact that Mayweather was the first American to beat a Cuban boxer in 20 years was lost by the fact that he could only claim bronze after falling to Bulgarian Serafim Todorov, in a fight that was marked by corruption and judicial inadequacy. The decision was, and still is heavily disputed.

Naturally disenfranchised with the amateur boxing landscape, Mayweather went professional, and was nearly unstoppable in a longer match setting. His defensive ability allowed him to wear down opponents and keep progressing towards championship belts. When he would win a belt, he would subsequently make a move up in weight class, fighting bigger opponents, often undersized.

Floyd Mayweather's progression up the weight classes continued until he decided to retire for the first time in 2007, more than a decade after his trip to the Olympics, without a professional loss to his name. His move up through the weight classes, without a loss, earned him the title of the greatest pound for pound boxer of all time. At his size, there was nothing left for him to prove.

After a short time out of boxing, he came back. This would begin a long period of Mayweather's career, which was marked by a handful of retirements and comebacks. Moe often than not, his return would be against a well known name in boxing, or a belt holder at some class or a well known name among boxing fans. Perhaps the retirements were a gambit to earn more money, because he started getting 10s of millions of dollars to come back and fight. He earned more than 30 million to come back to fight Canelo Alvarez, who was the light middleweight champion at that point.

In the last few years, Mayweather has been criticized for the matchups he has taken with Pacquiao and McGregor, as if the intimation is that Mayweather is scared of real competition, or is only in it for the money. Mayweather proved to the world that he was the best when he was in his prime. There really isn't anything left to prove. Floyd Mayweather has a great variety of character flaws and has done a many terrible things, but one criticism he does not deserve is that he is intimidated by other fighters, or didn't maximize his potential. He's a world class asshole, but he isn't a chicken. 

You need players in the MLS

One thing that you'll notice from the top of the MLS aggregate table is that the top three clubs all have one important thing in common: An international superstar that headlines everything. In first, Bastian Schweinsteiger leads the way for Chicago. Toronto has Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore while NYCFC leans on David Silva, among others.
While soccer is, in general, a fluid team game, it is apparent that having a premier talent, really at any level of the pitch, is intrinsic to the success of any club. The salary structure of the MLS almost necessitates such a move.
Most domestic players must fall within a low salary cap figure, however rosters are also populated with designated players, which don't need to be confined by those same strict rules, and allows American clubs to compete with big money international organizations. There is some level of roster building that allows for clubs to build from within, but the best players will always be compelled to follow the money, which is often found abroad. The differentiator, then, is the designated players.
As a result, the teams that are willing to spend the most on a handful of the best players are going to be the squads that have the best chance of success. Having one or two elite positions is going to elevate any squad to the top of the league, as has been the case in Chicago, Toronto and New York this year, but has been in the past with Los Angeles and Seattle. The right thing for any struggling thing to do is keep their ears to the ground to find a player that is ready to move to America after a long career in Europe, like Schweinsteiger, or to snap up a young player from South America ready to make their move on the international scene. Francisco Calvo might just be the best player for Minnesota United, and the Costa Rican is playing for the first time outside of Central America.
There will continue to be nuance in filling out the roster for most franchises, even those that have star players. Following the Compass team NYCFC has Silva, but has been graced by the addition of Alexander Ring this year, and will need to find a suitable replacement for injured Ronald Matarrita during this month's transfer window. Undoubtedly, the supporting cast is an important reason why they are near the top of MLS this season, but it is Silva that puts them over the top.

Maybe it hasn't been so bad, Purdue!

In a recent article about the audacious ambitions of the University of Kansas's football team. Players there believe that they have what it takes to be Bowl eligible by the end of the year. You can laugh and say that sounds preposterous, and , well, more than you know. Take a peek at this line:

College football’s defending national champion, Clemson, won as many games last year (14) as the Jayhawks have in the post-Mangino era.

Holy buckets. To make things worse, Mangino, after starting the 2007 season 5-0, they lost the final 7 games of the year. So that's 14 wins in 7 1/2 seasons. Just when you think that your team is the worst ever, something like this comes along.

Purdue, in the abysmal Danny Hope/Darrell Hazell years from 2010-2016, won 26 games. Nice! 12 more for Purdue than Kansas! Even in the 9 win Hazell regime was more successful than Kansas during that time period.

And, yes, this is still sour grapes after Kansas throttled Purdue in the NCAA Tournament back in March.

How much does Blackburn need to gut themselves?

This season wasn't the most painful in Blackburn Rovers history, primarily because most Rovers fans have been resigned to the fate that has befallen the squad since Indian poultry company Venky's purchased the team in 2010, driving the organization to depths they haven't seen in generations.
No, this was not the saddest season, because it was expected, but this was likely the worst team that the Rovers have had in decades. They were relegated to the third level of English soccer for the first time since 1980, and are the first team that has won the Premier League to drop two full tiers... ever.
The money is simply not the same in League One, even as compared to the Championship. The transfer window is now open, and the Rovers are going to have to shave payroll.They are sitting at a payroll of 14.9 million pounds, which is the highest valuation in the league, and more than twice as much as all but 3 squads. It's three times more than 18 other squads in their division. TV revenues are nonexistent and the ticket sales will be vastly different than they were in the Championship. Unless Venky's are willing to take a bath this season as they try to get back into the Championship, expect some serious cuts. Just to adhere to Fair Play rules, they will have to cut a few million dollars.
Getting back to the Championship will not be as easy as saying that the team will be better than the competition this year, because they were a level above last year. There was Championship caliber talent on the squad in 2016-17, but that talent will likely remain in the Championship, but with different teams. There will be a complete reimagination of the chemistry of the 2017-18 team, depending on who they are left with at Ewood Park.
As July 1st dons on us in the United States, the free agency period begins for the NBA and NHL, transfer season begins for soccer across the world. The difference is that for the NBA and NHL, especially in Minnesota, fans will monitor all the players coming in. Blackburn fans like myself will see just how fast players head out the door.

Butler: The gateway job

Everyone I know was fairly startled to hear that Thad Matta was being replaced as the head coach at Ohio State. He's been very successful, and there were no rumors of his impending departure, while the timing, early June, was also quite unusual. It was no surprise, however, to see the Buckeyes go to Indianapolis and Butler University to find their next coach, Chris Holtmann.
Since 1989, when Joe Sexson retired, the only coach not to leave Butler for a better hob (where "better job" means a larger conference or the NBA) was Brandon Miller, who departed with a medical condition, and did not return after one season on the job. Let's run through the list.
First, it was Barry Collier, who, after leading Butler to their first NCAA tournaments in 35 years, left the Bulldogs to take over at Nebraska. Thad Matta (small world) then took over for a year before headed off to Xavier, where his tenure was also brief before getting the job at Ohio State. Next was Todd Lickliter, who took a job with Iowa after reaching the Sweet 16 with the Bulldogs for the second time. Brad Stevens outdid Lickliter's accomplishments by bringing Butler to the NCAA Championship game, losing both times, but securing a job with the Boston Celttics. After Brandon Miller was unable to continue, we had Chris Holtmann, who is now with the Buckeyes.
How did this happen? How did Butler become such a breeding ground of excellent coaches? Some of it must certainly be the location, in the heart of where basketball in nearly a religion. Heck, Hinkle Fieldhouse, home of the Bulldogs, is where Hoosiers was filmed. Naturally, an Indiana school should be able to develop great basketball talent. Not only has this happened at the 3 major conference schools, but also at Indiana State, Valparaiso and Evansville, but never with the sustained success that Butler has.
Valparaiso might come closest, but one can point to their reliance on the Drew family for that. And Homer never left, like the coaches in Butler's lineage. A lot of credit needs to be attributed to Collier, I would posit. It's easy to recruit big names when you have some initial success, and it's even easier to hire good head coaches when you can simply promote the talented assistant's that your departing coach hired.
Collier had post season appearances in 3 of his final 4 seasons at Butler, and had two very good assistants in his last few years: Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter. When Lickliter took over, he hired young, eager eyed Brad Stevens. Brandon Miller came back to Butler, he was the first coach since Collier not to be directly promoted after serving on the staff the season before. He had been an assistant at Illinois, and brought Chris Holtmann from Gardner-Webb to coach. By that point, the lineage and tradition of success started when Collier took over had been established. It was easier to recruit talent.
Oh, and do you know who has hired the last three head coaches? Collier is the athletic director at Butler, and has been since 2006. Bob Collier might just be a coaching genius, and one that doesn't get enough credit.

Selling out

Usually, when a young fan or artist shames another for "selling out" there is a hint of jealousy. The sell-outer, if I can coin a term, generally sees their music and style change as much because they are introduced to better technology and production values as they are changing their own point of view to align with what the market demands.

The Go Go's really sold out though. It's hard to believe, listening to their catalogue of hits that they started as a punk band in southern California. Belinda Carlisle is on record as being heavily involved in the punk scene, and has been very open about, shall we say, how, involvedshe was.

The smash hit of the early popular era Go Go's was probably We Got the Beat, which is decidedly not punk. It's fun, catchy and almost airheaded. It seems as though the women who made up the Go Go's, had they heard the song a few years earlier, would have hated it. What happened?

Punk fans might say that The Go Go's sold out. Musically, by the 80's and especially with Carlisle when she went solo by the middle of the decade, that was certainly the case. Unlike many that have sold out, they didn't sell their souls, just their style. To coin a phrase, the Go Go's were still punk on the inside.

There was some remnant of punk in the pacing of their earlier work. Carlisle's voice was too pure, too melodic to withstand the harsher elements of her punk contemporaries. If you listen to the backing base in their music, however, you will hear a faster beat than you might initially anticipate. Taken independently, Carlisle's vocals don't seem to make much sense with the instrumentals, but the ultimate reason for their national success was that the elements do indeed all come together, which is a credit to their songwriting.

Carlisle's name stayed in the public consciousness as she continued to top the charts with mainstream songs like "Heaven is a Place on Earth." Carlisle wasn't even in rock anymore, let alone punk. She had turned pop, doing the improbable, selling out two different genres.

Undoubtedly, selling out has its tangible benefits. You likely never would have heard of the Go Go's had it not been for their pop turn. Belinda Carlisle would never have articles written about her use of a private terminal in Los Angeles. For punk stars turned pop stars, though, there is one definite advantage to selling out: gaining a bigger platform.

Punk is the original version of alternative music. Whether it's the 70s' Go Go's or the 90s' Green Day,

the groups had something in common. They sought to differentiate themselves musically from the staid music of their particular generation. In their view, there was something wrong with music as it was popularly consumed, and they strived to make their own brand of art.

Innate in their sense of the world is the idea that there was something wrong with the status quo. As they mature, they grow into principled adulthood. Perhaps their views don't align with yours, but they are comfortable with speaking out against injustice, perceived or otherwise after a lifetime of fighting against the establishment, albeit a more open minded music making establishment.

One thing the Go Go's never stepped back from, even if their sound changed, was their willingness to be outspoken on things that mattered to them. Carlisle, in particular, has been an activist for PETA, gay rights (particularly when her son came out) and against the current presidential administration. A quick check of her Twitter feed reveals a nearly steady stream of activism.

The Go Go's certainly sold out musically, but with their co-opting a pop music sound, and Carlisle veering towards the sound of some contemporary divas, but with it came a broader platform. If they had stayed within the LA punk scene, they may never have continued a music career that lasted for decades. Their message, especially when they found their message fueled in outreach and activism, would not have changed any minds or hearts.

In the ways that truly matter, the Go Go's never truly sold out. They kept their counterculture principles which dovetailed into a humanitarian activism in their adulthood. They continued to speak out for issues they were passionate about. Indeed, selling out musically was a means to an end. Not only did the Go Go's prove that a group of women could make music together, they also showed the world how to sell out properly. 

The Rhino and Compass OOTP Season preview

I don't know how this never happened before, but I picked up a copy of Out of the Park Baseball 18, and it was my first ever OOTP purchase. I had never even heard of it until this time! For those that are unfamiliar with the game, it is a baseball strategy game for the PC, and it is reminiscent of Football Manager, but for baseball. It's known for its commitment to detail and in depth player knowledge.
I found out about it through the a couple of sites doing MLB previews of the season, and so, naturally, the first thing I did was simulate the entire year so I could come up with a preview for the 2017 baseball season. I haven't seen any sites do any Twins focused stats, so I wanted to first note some of the interesting things that happened during their season.
First, the transactions that the computerized Thad Levine executed. He claimed Austin Jackson and Raul Alcantara off of waivers early in the year, but waited until July to make a trio of trades. Two of those moves were with Milwaukee, cumulatively trading Tyler Duffey and Lamonte Wade for Chase Anderson, Carlos Herrera and Angel Ventura. Later, Eduardo Escobar was traded to the Padres for Enyel De Los Santos.
Another interesting happenstance was that they failed to sign first overall pick Hunter Greene. Thats not so bad, because they will get a high pick the next season, along with their regular 1st round selection, which will be much lower. The OOTP Twins went 79-83, which is a terrific improvement. Most of that had to do with the improvement of the players, like Max Kepler, who won a gold glove while hitting over .300 and collecting 24 home runs.Miguel Sano led the team with 40, with Brian Dozier and Byron Buxton following with 33 and 28. Dozier won the Silver Slugger at 2nd.
The pitching was still shaky, to say the least. Only Kyle Gibson nd Phil Hughes worked more than 200 innings, while Duffey, before he got traded, had the best ERA among starters. Hector Santiago had an ERA over 5, but more surprisingly, Ervin Santana was over 6, and was released after the season ended. Jose Berrios wasn't much better, but Adalberto Mejia showed promise with a 4.12 ERA.
Now, for your playoff stats. The Twins didn't make it. Cleveland won the AL Central by 20 games (50 over last place Kansas City) and had the # 1 seed in the playoffs. Seattle and Boston won their divisions while Houston and Tampa Bay collected Wild Card spots. Tampa beat Houston to win the Wild Card Playoff, then swept Cleveland and lost to Boston, who swept Seattle in the Division Series. Boston was the AL representative in the World Series.
On the NL side, the Cubs had a scare, needing the second Wild Card spot to reach the post season, as the Cardinals overtook them. The Mets had the other WC spot, while the Nationals and Dodgers won their divisions. The Cubs recovered from their regular season struggles, defeating the Mets, Dodgers and Nationals on their way to another World Series. Yes, the Cubs and Red Sox met in the World Series, which just seems a little too quaint. The Cubs won their second World Series, 4 games to 2.
OOTP is probably on to something, if I am being totally honest with myself. I guess we all just have to wait for that break out season from Max Kepler.

Who but the Cubs?

Usually going into ever baseball season, there is some rising team that I think will make a big push into the post season, another that I don't think is as good as many pundits thought they would be, and some weird as heck pick for World Series champion.
Well, this year, there is no practical reason not to pick the Cubs to repeat. Oh, sure, I can tell you that I think the Astros will make a post season push or that the Indians won't be as good as they were last year, but it's downright reckless to pick anyone but the Cubs to win it all again.
Chicago has recently had the best return rate on their farm system. It seems like they hit on prospect after prospect, signing after signing, and were simply well built for the long term.
Just think about the two stars on their team, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo is the older of the two, and he is only 27. Bryant is 25. He's already won the MVP in his league. They plan to start Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Wilson Contreras and Javier Baez as well, who are all younger than Bryant. They have Albert Almora to come off the bench, who is only 23.
Even if they backslide a little bit, this group already won the World Series. This is a fantastic group of position players that has patched their few holes with good free agents like Ben Zobrist. They felt strong enough to deal from their stack of prospects, sending Jorge Soler to the Royals during the offseason.
The thing that I look to for playoff success, and the thing that usually sinks many prospective challengers to their league crown is pitching. The Cubs have Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Kyle Hendricks, who were all among the top 20 pitchers last year. They added Wade Davis at the back of the bullpen with the Soler trade I referenced earlier, in order to replace Aroldis Chapman. They didn't have the elite closer all season last year. This will work as a boost to the team in the one area that was likely a weakness last year, and even then, it wasn't a weakness for any longer than a few months.
Just because of the nature of probability, you have to take "the field" when discussing which team will win the World Series. Strange things happen in the playoffs and during the season. If you want to make me pick one team to win the World Series, though? It has to be the Cubs. This year and for years to come.

Never enough

 

Like so many of his teammates, Ricardo Allen stood on the field at NRG Stadium in disbelief on February 5th. How could the Falcons have lost that game? What else did they have to do? What more could they have done? Why weren't they Super Bowl champions? Fortunately for Allen, doubt has always been a part of life, and something he has embraced.

This offseason will be no different for the young Falcons safety, who, among his other disadvantages, is dramatically undersized for any role on an NFL team, aside from kicker or third down back. Despite 90 tackles for Atlanta last year, and a clutch pair of playoff interceptions, many pundits find free safety to be the Falcons most upgradable defensive position.

This criticism, like that has come before it has nothing to do with Allen's productivity. Video certainly shows him overmatched at times in run stopping or when attempting to take down a larger receiver or tight end, but he generally accomplishes his task. His size is a handicap, certainly, but that's far from the only reason you could have been surprised to see him in the NFL today.

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Adrian was the football player in the Allen family of Daytona Beach, Florida. He had the passion for the game and the spot on the roster at Mainland High School. His younger brother, Ricardo "threw the ball around in the back yard", but never demonstrated the desire to play the game.

Adrian is the older brother of Ricardo, and was a star running back for Mainland, the high school Ricardo would eventually attend. One evening, while Ricardo was trying to prepare himself something to eat, he drifted off, leaving hamburger in popping grease unattended. A half hour later, Adrian discovered a fire in the kitchen and attempted to douse it with water. Unfortunately, as the fire was a grease fire, it spread with the splash of the water, severely burning the older Allen.

Adrian's career was over. Ricardo was shaken by this misfortune, feeling the sting of culpability. Rather than internalizing this pain, the younger Allen took it as a sort of divine inspiration. He needed to play football because his brother no longer could. Ricardo joined Mainland's team when he reached high school a few years later, and worked hard on the field, as much for his family as for himself.

While at Mainland, the younger Allen played on the defensive side of the ball, and turned himself into a 3 star recruit at cornerback. He was recruited by several major conference teams, though none were close to home. The Floridian powerhouses had options that were taller than the 5'9 Allen, and opted for raw ability, rather than the results that Allen produced in high school. He had opportunities in the SEC, ACC and at Illinois, but opted to attend Purdue University.

Despite not looking the part of a major college football player, Allen rose to the top almost immediately. Even though there wasn't a buzz around him when he came out of high school, Danny Hope's staff took notice of the diminutive DB as soon as he reached the sidelines in Purdue. He was a ball hawk, and a hard worker, still out to prove himself and to right the childhood wrong he still felt guilty about.

Internally, he may not yet have felt that he righted any wrong, but he certainly proved himself as an athlete. He set a Purdue record for interceptions returned for touchdowns, and was named all-conference and started every year he was in West Lafayette. Normally, this would be a sign of a career in the NFL, but his was in doubt. He couldn't shake the fact that in a league where wide receivers were getting bigger every year, he was still only 5'9".

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Purdue was a bad team while Ricardo Allen was there, and they only got worse as he played through his 4 years in West Lafayette. Undoubtedly, this buried some of his accomplishments with the Boilermakers, and as a result, nobody batted an eye when Allen, who had broken some of Rod Woodson's records at Purdue, fell to the 5th round, where he was selected by Atlanta.

Dismissed before the draft, and at a disadvantage when he arrived at camp, thanks again to both his size, but also his provenance, coming from a weak football program, Ricardo Allen did not make the Falcons roster in his first year. He spent his rookie season with the scout team, moving to safety and biding his time.

He stepped in a year later and ended up acquitting himself nicely in pass defense, but allowing questions to linger about his size and strength. Safeties are usually hard hitters with a bit of size, which is important in run support or regulating the middle of the season. Still, he was a durable player, and more or less reliable in his first year as a starter.

This season, the Falcons drafted additional support at safety, in Keanu Neal from Florida. The big, talented and well regarded first round pick was a surefire choice for one of the starting roles at safety. After proving himself in 2015, Ricardo Allen was tabbed for the second starting safety position, lining up next to the hard hitting former Gator

The pairing worked, especially for Allen, who stepped up and was part of 90 tackles this season.

Allen was back to his college era best when the playoffs rolled around. He doubled his season's output in interceptions, with two, including one from Russell Wilson and another from Aaron Rodgers. He started in the Super Bowl, and though he didn't turn in any big plays, he was always near the action, his keen nose for the action evident again

And then, the Super Bowl came. Fearing nothing, Ricardo Allen made a statement to that effect. Neither he nor his counterparts in the secondary were afraid of Tom Brady or the Patriots. The first half of SB LI made everyone realize that the statement wasn't just bluster. The Falcons were more than willing to face up to Brady and his Patriots.

It wasn't fear that led to the Falcons downfall, but rather the Patriots persistence and experience. The Falcons offense didn't lift their foot off the accelerator in the first half, but suddenly seemed overwhelmed, undisciplined and careless in the second half. They couldn't hold on to the ball any more, and it was in Tom Brady's capable hands for the rest of the game. The Atlanta defense wore down because they were constantly on the field, and the Patriots were eventually able to pick them apart.

The Falcons had bad breaks, such as Julian Edelman's famous catch, and were often overpowered on defense, thanks to tired legs. James White's winning touchdown is a perfect example of a team that had simply been on the field too much. Ricardo Allen was there for both plays, but didn't have enough in the tank to turn them to Atlanta's favor.

The loss really wasn't all on the defense, and it wouldn't have been specifically on Allen, even if it was the defense's fault. That doesn't mean that he, like the rest of the team, isn't left wondering what they could have done. How could they have change the outcome of the game? What could they have done differently?

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The Falcons organization, like Allen, leftare wrestling with that question this offseason. Unless they can win the Super Bowl, they will likely live with those questions for the remainder of their days. Even if they DO win a ring, they may never get over Super Bowl 51.

The Falcons are taking a broader look at the organization, but asking the same questions. What can they do to make sure they not only reach, but win the Super Bowl in Minneapolis? One of the first places many people are looking at is the undersized safety from Purdue, from Daytona Beach, Florida. Can't he be upgraded?

With a young defense, most of whom come with a better pedigree than Allen, many pundits point to Free Safety as a target area in the draft. Allen is a restricted free agent, and if the Falcons believe they can improve that spot, he may be out of a starting role. He has signed a tender to remain with the team, but that doesn't mean the team won't attempt to draft new talent at his position and with contracts in the NFL not guaranteed, he could still be unemployed at some point this summer

The good news is, there will be a team, just as the Falcons did towards the end of the 2015 draft, that looks at Allen's track record and not his size and brings him aboard with an eye towards a starting spot. Maybe he will never leave Atlanta, but maybe he will need to some day.

Allen has dedicated his football career to an older brother who couldn't follow his dream. Everyone doubted him, every step of the way, and even now, with reels of tape and years of success, questions remain. He can never give enough to appease his skeptics, but that's ok for Ricardo Allen, because he hasn't given enough to give himself peace either.