Two-Timing
I was going to write a one-act play in which I return to my apartment at 3 a.m. on a Saturday night, only to be confronted by this blog.

Vitamin Z would be wondering why I have been spending so much time at work, and fearing that I am cheating on it with my work blog.

But if I went any further, it'd just get creepy.

This week's work blogs have primarily been about the team I have covered for three years, and the frustration of not getting to cover it when it really does something special. I'm sure every journalist can relate to this emotion.

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There's no tying in baseball.

Mike Hargrove: We played for 19 innings on our home opener in Cleveland Stadium in 1992. And that was when I knew we were gonna be horrible, and the stadium was falling apart and it was cold outside. But did we tie?

Eric Wedge: (Crying) No ... no.

Mike Hargrove: And you know why?

Wedge: No ... no.

Hargrove: Because there is no tying in baseball. There is no tying in baseball!
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I will be presenting an award at The Piggies next week. Seriously, where is Pigskin Podcast getting those guests from?

They've been at it a few weeks and they get Paul Keels? I've been doing this four years and the best I can do is get my brother to cover for me when I go to Los Angeles.
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The Browns brought back Derek Anderson. You just can't get rid of a 24-year old who threw 29 touchdowns. As for the other moves:

Love it.

Love it.

Will wait and see.
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Now let's check out what my friends are saying:

Hammond is going back and forth about the genius of Phil Savage.

Erik is digesting the Quinn-Anderson situation.

Suss wrote about the chance of a BG upset of the nationally-ranked Kent State men, which as it turned out happened.
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Beh. I can't keep up this pace. Good night.

College friends
So what do you say when a group of your friends from college start a bi-weekly podcast on their new blog?

If you answered "put over the site and give your buddies kind words" you win.

I worked with Erik Bell at BGRSO a number of years ago while at Bowling Green. I guess he's in education now. But he still knows his stuff and is an all-around good guy. He lived across from me one year in college, before we worked together. He always had lots of BGRSO fliers.

I met Nick Seuberling at BGRSO. He and I were the only two panelists on On the Line to correctly predict a Patriots win over the Rams in Super Bowl 37. Big Bengals fan. I try not to hold that against him.

Andy Barch has been a member of The Panel, and an occasional columnist here. He also joins me for interviews from time to time. He also worked as my bodyguard during my short-lived career as a professional wrestling manager. Let me tell you, I was on my way to being the next Paul Jones. (The last two sentences were a joke).

Joel Hammond is a friend and nemesis, depending on the discussion. He gets personally offended when I rip on Casey Blake. He also writes for a magazine that a lot of people read. He lifts my spirits when I'm down, and knocks me down a rung when I'm cocky. He was my second sports editor at the BG News, and he set me up on the women's soccer beat, which changed me forever.

So those are the guys running it. They are The Beatles, and from what I hear, I may occasionally play Billy Preston.

It's football discussion. It's media repercussions. It's new-age curmudgeons.

It's web site, football night, get it right, quite a sight.

It's all there for you, at www.pigskinpodcast.com

I have listened to all the shows so far. Despite the fact that these guys are my friends, I wouldn't tell you to listen to a 22-minute podcast unless I thought it was worth your time.

And yes, I'm biased. But these guys know their stuff and they worked during the golden age of BG media.

How do I know? I was there. There was just something about that period. The moons and stars alligned. Joel, Erik Cassano, Nick Hurm and I were all part of it. So were Andy Barch, Nick Seuberling, Erik Bell, Greg Gania, Phil Prusa and Aaron Rund.

Yes, they are all my friends. Am I biased about how good they all were? Of course.

But after this build-up, how can you not at least check out the site some of them have started?

Great moments in broadcasting history
ESPN's Neil Everett (No, I'm not sure which one of the screaming maniacs at the network he is)when talking doing highlights of the debacle that was the GMAC Bowl, gets a tad confused:

From the Futon:

EXCEPT. During that particular highlight (loosely quoted, until video surfaces, if ever):

Josh Cribbs, the Cleveland Browns kick returner, you know, he went to Bowling Green. He never returned kicks there, though.

Not that us at BG wouldn't have wanted Cribbs on our team, because he was excellent at Kent State. But like Matt Sussman, I'm pretty sure Everett got Cribbs confused with BG quarterback Josh Harris.

You'd think you'd research that before blurting it out on the air. In fairness to Everett, he was probably stretching to say something noteworthy about the game, which, for Falcon alums like myself, wasn't noteworthy at all.

BG Football Week One: A win to build on

Going into this season, Bowling Green State University football fans had reason for skepticism.

Last season was a disappointment, with a loss to a winless Temple team and a near-loss to Buffalo. The Falcons finished 4-8, 3-5 in the Mid-American Conference. For those of us who went to the school during the short Urban Meyer tenure, and stuck around for the first two seasons of Gregg Brandon, last season was puzzling.

Was this the end of an era? Was Bowling Green back to being just an average mid-major, like it was during the final years of former coach Gary Blackney?

I don't know if Saturday's overtime win over Minnesota answered those questions. But the win did provide many of us with a sigh of relief - and plenty of jubilation.

Though it was far from the day's biggest upset (I heard something about Appalachian State?), it gave Falcon fans hope that this year could be a step forward, and not a step back.

BG's quarterback, a 19-year old sophomore named Tyler Sheehan, is a long way from deserving the praise once given to Josh Harris and Omar Jacobs. But for one game, Sheehan was fantastic.

He threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns against a Big Ten defense, in its opener. He completed a 9-yard TD pass in overtime to Marques Parks, then found Freddie Barnes for a game-winning 2-point conversion.

In some ways, the ending was similar to another game against a Big Ten team - Northwestern. That was during one of the last games of 2001, which convinced many BG fans something special was happening.

In that game, a BG touchdown with 59 seconds left in regulation brought the Falcons to within a point of the Wildcats. Meyer, in his first season as BG coach, opted to go for the win. A rush by Cole Magner secured the 43-42 win, and gave the team, the coach, and the program a major boost. By the next season, the Falcons were ranked in the top 25.

I'm not saying the same thing will happen in 2007, but Brandon (BG's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2001) was willing to take a major risk, and it paid off. The Falcon players should have a ton of confidence - and they'll need it, with games against Michigan State and Boston College on the horizon, not to mention a typically tough Mid-American Conference schedule.

Some critics may point out that Minnesota was 6-7 last season, or that BG led 21-0 over the Gophers before rallying.

But a win over a Big Ten team is a win over a Big Ten team. It's a victory any mid-major should savor.

It's also one to build on.

Also can be read at www.blogcritics.org

Big Time sports bloggery
Good luck to my pal Matt Sussman, who debuts this weekend at Deadspin. And no, this is not just some cheap plea to him to link some of my stuff there. Good luck Matt.

An Interview with me
I'm pretty sure this is the only interview I have ever given, and it came two days before I graduated from BG in December of 2003.
My good friend Dan Gedney conducted this interview, and came up with the questions. I am kind of surprised this interview is still archived.
Almost four years later, I have to chuckle at some of my answers, and I think it shows why I should never be interviewed. Some of the highlights:
"I don't like cocky people generally."

"There's a difference between being witty and trying to be witty. It's not funny if everyone knows your trying to be funny."

And my personal favorite answer, when asked about my favorite athlete of all time.

Muhammad Ali. For me he just sort of personifies cool. I don't like cocky people generally, but he was cocky and he backed it up. I don't mind cocky people if they back it up. He was retired before I was born, but just his presence, I still love that."

Some thoughts, four years later:
- Me saying I don't like cocky people is like Kate Walsh saying she doesn't like redheads.
- There is, I still believe, a difference between being witty and trying to be witty. No one has shown that more over the last three and a half years than me.
-See, now if someone else had given an answer like I did on the athlete question, I'd mock them to no end. How can my favorite athlete be someone who wasn't even active when I was born? Why didn't I just say Jesse Owens?

I'm surprised Dan was able to conduct the interview with a straight face.

BG chooses Orr
Seems like a good choice. I originally wanted Stan Heath, but Orr has had success in Division I, and seems like a good fit for the program.

BGSU in the Sweet 16
As happy as I am for the Bowling Green women's basketball team, it would be dishonest if I said I wasn't just a little bit jealous.
Several years ago, I covered the Falcons' women's team, and though I enjoyed the beat, I never had the opportunity to cover a team in the NCAA Tournament.
Still, I can't help but be thrilled for my school. I'm not so thrilled the game (save the final minute) was blacked out where I live. Someone needs to explain the logic to me on that one.
I watched the game's flow by a scorebug on ESPN, which in some ways is more intense than watching the game. Watching sports live sometimes gives me the impression I can control it, even though I know I can't.
Amber Flynn scored the points, Ali Mann hit the big shot, and BG made MAC history, becoming the first conference team to reach the Sweet 16. I didn't see any of that, but I saw the final minute. It was a great moment when the buzzer sounded. I assume somewhere, Francine Miller, Lindsay Austin, Stefanie Wenzel and Kim Griech -- the players I covered-- feel very good.
They were there for the tough years, and now they are seeing the culmination of the program they helped build.
Curt Miller also has to feel pretty good. Not only has he led a program from mediocrity to one of the best in the country, but he has to be in line for a pretty good raise.
The question is whether he will get it in BG, or somewhere else. But he will get it.

Backing up the Truck
Another gray Monday in these parts has me thinking about spring. Not so much for warm temperatures, but rather for the increase in sunshine.
As I sit here, I am thinking of baseball's arrival, the length of days, and the cool breeze.
But winter is likely not done yet.
With that in mind:
*Congratulations to the BGSU women's basketball team, which picked up its first NCAA tournament win since 1989. Curt Miller is creating quite a legacy over there.
* To those who wonder, I am not all that optimistic about the Indians this year. It will come down to pitching and defense, and though the Indians are improved in many areas, I see them finishing fourth. The other teams in the division will be willing to spend to correct their mistakes. The Indians will not.
* It's been four years since the start of the Iraq War. When it began, I was still in college. My support for the war remains, but it's easy for me to write that from the Midwest. What I mean by that is the best defenses for the conflict will be made by others who are smarter and better informed than me. As always, read Hitchens.

Dakich is out
Dan Dakich has stepped down as Bowling Green's men's head coach. All I can say is, it's about time.
No disrespect to Dakich. He's not a bad coach and I hope he finds success elsewhere. But clearly, the coach and the college needed a change.
So, who replaces Dakich? Well, assuming Curt Miller is out of the question, here's my fantasy list:
- Kevin Mackey: Sure he hasn't led a program in 17 years, but he had results. The Cleveland State program has never fully recovered since Mackey's highly publicized firing. He's intense, funny, and a great quote. Plus he can work with a mid-major.
- Keith Smart: He's bound to be a head NBA coach soon. I remember Joe Tait saying he was impressed with him during his brief run as coach with the Cavs. And he said that in Bowling Green. It's a sign.
-Casey Blake: He comes with an endorsement from Eric Wedge. Plus, if he coaches BG, he won't have to start 160 games for the Indians.
-Don Delaney: Cavs coach from 1981-1982. Not sure what he's doing now, but he was at times, the Cavs GM, head coach, assistant, and an accomplished softball coach.
-Bill Fitch: This may seem like "Cram as many Cavs coaches into a post as possible," but Fitch knows Bowling Green. He coached in 1967, before going to the University of Minnesota and then the Cavaliers. He's over 70, but so what? He can coach.

BGSU women win again; could Miller replace Dakich?
So the No. 20 Falcons were hurt, short on players, and facing adversity for perhaps the first time this season.
Didn't matter. BG still wins, 66-53.
I take a great deal of satisfaction in the Falcons' success. Not only am I a BG graduate, but I covered them for parts of two seasons with the BG News.
When I covered BG in 2002-2003, it was still a rebuilding program, and while it seemed the team was headed in the right direction, some weren't so sure.
I remember at a press conference, after a loss to Toledo, Miller telling the reporters about his new recruiting class, stressing their size. Post play had been something that had been lacking for years at BG, and Miller was confident that getting some would turn the team around.
Three-straight Mid-American Conference Tournament championships vindicates that.
As I've written here before, Miller is a class act who deserves a ton of credit. He's one of the best coaches in the country.
So I will throw this out there:
If Dan Dakich is fired, would BG consider Miller to replace him?
I wouldn't. The women's program is in such good shape, and I think it's important to keep it that way. I doubt Miller would even consider switching.
Still, with the men's program in trouble, the Falcons need a coach who knows how to rebuild. Miller has shown he can do that.
It might be tempting. Again, I don't see it happening. The women are outdrawing the men in BG right now, and why mess with the women's team?
Just something to think about, even if not for too long.

OK, BG's season is over ... why hasn't Dan Dakich been fired?
Despite Sunday's upset win over Miami University, I assumed the only way for Bowling Green men's basketball coach Dan Dakich to save his job was with a run through the MAC Tournament.
Instead, it was one-and-out.
Several coaches were axed Thursday, but Dakich was not one of them. That's confusing, because I don't know what there is to deliberate about. The Falcons have had back-to-back miserable seasons, and this year they gave a game away because of the coach.
While BG sits at home, it will watch a Dakich recruit play on the No. 1 team in the nation.
The worst thing the Falcons can do is extend this process. If Dakich is out, they will need to start fast to find a suitable replacement.
It is also not fair to Dakich to keep him twisting.
Sure, it's only been a day. But this is a decision that should have been made a long time ago.
The longer it goes, the worse it will be for the program.

Dakich should go
This is not a column I want to write.
Dan Dakich was Bowling Green's men's basketball coach when I arrived at Bowling Green in the fall of 1999, and was there when I left in 2003.
In the years that have followed my graduation, Dakich has had highs and lows. But last season was a disaster, and this season is no different.
Dakich's best season was probably in my freshman year, when the Falcons won the MAC in the regular season, only to be bounced by Miami in the tournament.
They have never made the NCAA Tournament under Dakich, and in recent years, there has been some cause for alarm. Forgiving the coach's disappearing/reappearing act in the spring of 2002, he has had some issues with players.
Everyone remember Ron Lewis?
Then there was Buffalo this week. My friend Matt Sussman recapped it:

With time running out, Buffalo’s desperation shot sailed wide and out of bounds. The buzzer sounded, with the scoreboard reading Bowling Green 77, Buffalo 75. The Falcons retreat to the locker room.
But wait, folks!
The referees examine the clock via instant replay. Apparently there should be 0.6 second still on the clock.
BG is still in the locker room.
The Bulls are still on the court, as are the refs. One of the refs enters the tunnel that leads to the visiting locker room. Then returns.
BG is still in the locker room.
The scoreboard officially says 0:00.6. BG eventually comes out of the locker room. And a technical foul is called.

Just embarrassing.
Dakich has shown he can coach basketball. But I think it might be best for him, and the program, to part ways. I realize it's not exactly the same thing, but Curt Miller has turned BG's women's program into one of the best in the country, and BG continues to be very competitive in several sports (I tried to work in a women's soccer reference in, but couldn't find a proper place).
The point is I don't think the problem is the University.
I think the problem is Dakich, and a change is needed.