Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Ryan Clady's Power Ranger alter ego


At this point in the run-up to the NFL Draft, teams know everything there is to know about the top prospects--except secret Power Ranger personas.

Fortunately, OBNUG can help with that. While doing research on Ryan Clady's MySpace page, we discovered the big guy's afternoon alter ego, and it sounds pretty awesome:

You are the Black Ranger, you are Zach. Your weapon is the power axe. You are the Mastadon.
Clady's Mighty Morphin' handle came from a simple MySpace survey. More journalists should employ such tactics.

Discovering Clady's other side could reap benefits come draft day. Who wouldn't want an athlete who can morph into a monster-slaying, prepubescent superhero? If the following video is any indication, the Dolphins might be pursuing the wrong guy.



Ryan Clady's MySpace [MySpace]
Which Mighty Morphin Power Ranger are you? [MySpace Quizzes]

WAC coaches define conference chasm


The WAC, maybe more than any other conference in America, has a great discrepancy between the teams at the top and the teams at the bottom. Boise State and Hawaii played in BCS bowls the past two years while Utah State and Idaho struggled to win a single game.

One of the reasons for this gap is the coaching, and Sporting News apparently agrees. The following is their ranking of non-BCS coaches.

1. June Jones, SMU
2. Gary Patterson, TCU
3. Pat Hill, Fresno State
4. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU
5. Chris Petersen, Boise State
6. Todd Graham, Tulsa
7. Larry Blakeney, Troy
8. Dick Tomey, San Jose State
9. George O'Leary, Central Florida
10. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
...
20. Chris Ault, Nevada
30. Hal Mumme, New Mexico State
40. Derek Dooley, Louisiana Tech
47. Brent Guy, Utah State
49. Robb Akey, Idaho
50. Greg McMackin, Hawaii
Just to clarify, there are only 52 total.

Ranking the non-BCS coaches [Sporting News]

Brian Murphy doesn't get college football


Brian Murphy continues to amaze us. After belittling Bronco fans in his March columns, Murphy has turned his attention to taking the wrong side in the BCS/Congress debate. In his Statesman story over the weekend, the Murph claimed that there are more important things for the Justice Department to concerned about.

Mike Simpson, R-Ida. and co-sponsors Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, and Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., have decided that what Congress should be worrying about is the college football bowl system. Even in this period of persistent war, a collapsing dollar, a mortgage crisis, all-time high gasoline prices and troubled healthcare system what Congress should really be worrying about is the college football bowl system.

Huh?

"We can do more than one thing at a time," Simpson said, defending the bill. "It doesn't mean we're not doing other things."

Um, that's precisely what it means.

Leave it to Murphy to ignore quotes from his main source in order to keep on the path to his original point. Sure, there are other issues in this country, but the government is well aware of them and working hard to fix them. Simpson is right; a bunch of grown-ups can multi-task.

Besides, as a Boise State fan, Murphy should be thrilled about this bill. The Broncos are the poster child for fairness and equality, and their success is exactly why this kind of legislation is being proposed. Should it pass, Boise State will have an infinitely better shot at a national title.

The issue is not an issue solely reserved for college football because obviously college football cannot handle it. If left alone in the hands of Myles Brand and Co., the BCS will continue in its current inequitable state for years. College football needs outside intervention, and the best place to get it is in Congress.

Murphy needs to get off his soapbox and appreciate this great opportunity. Forget the energy crisis. Be glad that college football won't be broken forever.

Congress should be dealing with bigger problems [Idaho Statesman]