Man, did it stink. Let's pick at the bones a bit.
First reports were out of the lovely Fox River Valley. Xavier loses to Waupaca. Okay, so you don't want to see the ol' high school lose, but there's not a lot of shame in it. Stuff like that happens, especially at a school that has seen a lot of lean years on the gridiron. But it would get worse.
Illinois 31, Wisconsin 26. Thankfully, I didn't see much of this game. What I did see was no fun at all. The Illini were dominant at times and always seemed to have an answer whenever the Badgers would rally. The only good thing was the Badgers didn't fold up once they were down 17-0. If Bucky can rebound at Penn State, the season could still be a good one. Otherwise, hello Alamo Bowl, or worse.
Ripon 56, Beloit 9. As has been pointed out in this space, Bucs rhymes with sucks. Still, you hate to see your alma mater get destroyed. The fact that this was the Beloit homecoming game makes it doubly galling. Ed DeGeorge coached at Beloit for nearly 30 seasons; this new guy has it in a shambles in only two. On the other hand, if there were any early 70s Beloit alumni in attendance at the game, the result would have been quite familiar.
Team Satan 27, Packers 20. I did see this game, pretty much in its entirety. What an opportunity wasted. The Packers were sloppy all game and their sloppiness bit them in the butt in the end. Based on what I saw, the talent gap between the two teams has now closed; arguably, the Packers may have better overall talent. This is a credit to the much-maligned Ted Thompson, who has quietly assembled a nice looking team, especially on defense. You have to give the Bears credit; under Lovie Smith, they are smart enough to accept a gift victory. There were times under previous regimes where the Packers would have gotten by with such a performance. Not now.
Was there any good news? Well, my son's prospective high school, lovely and long-suffering Irondale, pulled off the big upset, beating a formidable Benilde-St. Margaret team 13-7 on a very muddy field somewhere in the wilds of St. Louis Park. The win puts Irondale at 5-1 and on track for their best season in probably 20 years. Next up are the dreaded Fridley Tigers.
Still, not much to hang your hat on. Especially when the Illinois hordes are the ones who get the Ws. Enjoy it, FIBs!
2 comments:
Take Heart Mr. Dilletante, because it's never been truer to say it: "The Bears Still Suck."
What a bizarre game! Bizarre turnovers, bizarre officiating, bizarre instant replay reviews, bizarre play-calling by Mike "I'm going to run if it kills me" McCarthy, and of course, a bizarre forced throw by Farve to Urlacher.
The Bears needed that win, but if they left that game thinking that they are the better team, then they too are bizarre. The Pack wrapped up this one and gave it to the Midway Monsters. Perhaps they felt sorry for the Cub Fans who know that the curse remains alive and well.
Regarding Ill-annoyed, it's a sad fact that the Badgers most likely aren't that good. There's still football left to be played, but they do appear to be destined to be "Children of a lesser Bowl."
Hey Mark,
I'll take it easy on you about the Budgers, for two reasons. First, given that my Cubbies won exactly as many playoff games as the Brewers (ugh!), I'm not much in a gloating mood.
And second, I'll confess that when it comes to Illini football, I'm a fair-weather-FIB at best. If they weren't starting to get some national attention, I'd be oblivious to how they're doing.
So no(t much) gloating from me. Head up high, Mr. Dilettante. There's always next week!
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