12 Hours (I Mean 72 Hours) Later....RU Wins Bowl Game, "AD" Leaves For The NFL, The Big Dig Out, and Other Stuff

Rutgers celebrates its 45-24 victory in the ST. PETERSBURG BOWL (Star-Ledger Photo)

First my apologies for being away so long....you might have heard about a "slight issue" with the weather in the Northeast- a blizzard hit and dumped two feet of snow in much of the area, though we got about ten inches here, most of which fell Saturday into early Sunday. A good portion of Sunday involved digging out and waiting to be dug out, and Monday and Tuesday was dedicated to catching up with Christmas shopping that had to be scuttled because of the storm.

But I'm done....FINALLY. And some semblance of normalcy is returning to life.,,,and it feels good!

So, without further ado, lets talk about "some stuff".

(1). Five consecutive bowl games, four consecutive wins. Rutgers pounded Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl 45-24. The win gave Rutgers a 9-4 record for the 2009 season, its best win total since going 11-2 in 2006. This was the the fifth consecutive winning season for Rutgers- you have to go back to the 1991-92 seasons for the last time they even had back to back winning seasons.

You can talk about some of the disappointments of the year if you wish, but I won't. Naysayers first said "when Ray Rice leaves they'll start losing again". Ray left, and RU went to another bowl game. The same cynics then said "when Mike Teel and Kenny Britt leave, RU will collapse". Mike and Kenny moved on to the NFL, and Rutgers won one more game than last year.

It was the young freshmen who shined brightest this year....not to take away from great old grizzled veterans like Ryan D’Imperio, Devin McCourty, and Tim Brown. But it was the emergence of new stars Tom Savage, Mohamed Sanu, and Steve Beauharnais that gave promise to the beginning of a new era where the success can continue. Head Coach Greg Schiano has said that you have to be consistent before you can be great. The Scarlet Knights seemed poised to take that next step- the building blocks and keys to success are there.

When Schiano came to Rutgers he had to build a program from the ground up. His way is a amalgamation of a little bit Joe Paterno, with heavy emphasis on academics, graduating his players, and getting the "right kind of players"- in Paterno-speak its called "we don't want any bigshots". An RU player has to love football, and he has to dedicate himself to the academic demands of the institution. Often Schiano asks the team leaders if a potential recruit is an "RU recruit". So far, Greg Schiano has delivered on all promises save one- a Big East Championship.

Another coach Schiano borrowed from was Howard Schnellenberger. When he took over as the head coach of the University of Miami in 1979, Schnellenberger declared South Florida to be "The State of Miami", and used that as his recruiting base. The beginning of "The U's" dynasty began with that philosophy, and Schiano incorporated it into his "State of Rutgers" campaign- it extends to all of New Jersey and to a three hour driving radius from New Jersey's borders. True, Schiano does recruit Florida and other some other states as well- but its about New Jersey first. Six or seven years ago you couldn't find Rutgers fans anywhere. Its nearly 2010, and walk around any parking lot in Central New Jersey and try to count the scarlet block R  's on the cars, or the jerseys, tee-shirts, and and caps on the people walking around.

So far....a job well done.

(2) Speaking of Schiano the disciplinarian...sometimes he'll let a thing or two slide. As the game was winding down of Saturday night, check Coach's reaction to linebacker senior Damaso Munoz's fielding of an on side kick, and taking it back for a touchdown. Munoz, who was razzed by his fellow linebackers for never having scored a touchdown finally did on what would be his last touch of the ball in his college career- he did a frontwards flip into the end zone and then spiked the ball. It resulted in a TD, but with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as well.
In this video, Coach Schiano seems like he's trying not to laugh.



(3) Saying goodbye to "AD". In the worst football secret since Brian Kelly's latest coaching destination, Rutgers junior All-America lineman Anthony Davis has decided to forgo his senior season to enter the 2010 NFL draft. Davis is projected to be a first round pick. He follows Ray Rice and Kenny Britt, who also left early following the two previous seasons.

Thanks AD....and good luck.

(4) The Giants and Redskins. Was it possible for the Giants to play a better game, or the Redskins to play worse, in that 45-12 blowout on Monday Night football? I'll say it right now- the first 15 minutes of the game might have been the best opening quarter for a team that I have ever seen for any team at any level. The Giants opening drive lasted 9:13, was 16 plays , covered 80 yards, and resulted in a Giants touchdown. The ensuing possession for Washington was a three and out. Then the Giants got the ball back at the 4:21 mark in the first quarter the Giants got the ball back and went on a 5:00 minute, 67 yard, 11 play touchdown drive that lasted into the second quarter. This was the equal of a first round TKO. The Skins showed a little fight in the second half, scoring twice....but the Giants D came alive. and kept them contained, while the Giants offense scored at will. Eli Manning might be playing the best quarterback of his career.

As a Giant fan....a tremendous game, and kudos to Big Blue.

(5) And finally....goodbye Melky Cabrera , and welcome back to New York Javier Vasquez. I followed Melky from his days with the Trenton Thunder, and I hate to see him leave. But when the Braves were willing to deal Vasquez back to New York it was a move you have to make. Vasquez will be a solid number four starter for the Yankees, while the Braves essentially receive Melky, who was usually the number nine hitter in the Yankee lineup. Cabrera still has a world of potential....maybe a change of leagues will help him take the next step.

That's all folks....I'll be back with some "pre-Christmas stuff" ina day or so.

Quick Hits For December 18- Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

(1). A massive snowstorm has hit the DC area and will be churning up the coast to blanket the Middle Atlantic States and New England, bringing a halt to travel and retail activity on the last weekend before Christmas.

The rumor is tomorrow (Saturday December 19th) Republican House leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor will call a press conference to blame the Obama Administration for not knowing about the storm a week ago.

(2) Obviously I'm here, in soon to be buried New Jersey, instead in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida where 8,000+ of my fellow Rutgers fans traveled to watch our beloved Scarlet Knights take on the University of Central Florida in St. Petersburg Bowl. While going to five straight bowl games is an accomplishment and it shows vast improvement from the way things used to be- little fan support, losing seasons and year upon year of bad football, it is unfortunate with the scheduling of the game right in the middle of the the Christmas frenzy with less than two weeks notice. Its hard to drop everything and go when there have been prior commitments, and in the students case bowl week is right in the middle of finals.

And even worse....ESPN and the bowl organizers should know better than to violate Rules One and Two- "Thou Shalt Not Schedule a Sports Event Opposite an NFL Game" and "Thou Shalt Not EVER Schedule a Sports Event Opposite an NFL Game Featuring the Dallas Cowboys". Organizers of the bowl were crowing the other day about scheduling the game in the evening against no other college football bowl game competition on ESPN at 8:00PM Saturday- and that's a good thing.

Now the bad stuff- the St. Petersburg Bowl will be on opposite the undefeated New Orleans Saints vs the Dallas Cowboys on the NFL Network. True, many cable systems don't have the NFL Network as part of their basic package, and some don't carry them at all. But still, in a situation where there is one team with a national following and another trying to make history by going undefeated, the TV schedule makers did neither the fans of Rutgers or UCF, or for those nationally who love bowl games any favors. Moving the game from an afternoon start to opposite the Cowboys and Saints was a colossal blunder....and you can't spin it any possible way.

(3). The other day I wrote about the inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and touched on Genesis for a bit. I came upon this amazing video of the classic five piece GENESIS lineup from 1971, featuring charter members Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks and introducing the two new kids, Steve Hackett and Phil Collins. Hackett replace original guitarist Anthony Phillips and drummer Collins took over for John Mayhew (who replaced John Silver, who replaced Chris Stewart). This stabilized lineup recorded the band's third album Nursery Cryme, released in November, 1971. This lineup went on to record Foxtrot (1972), Selling England By The Pound (1973), and the ambitious double album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974), after which Peter Gabriel left to embark on his very successful solo career. The group then auditioned 400 singers to take over the lead vocalist chores....but Phil Collins came out from behind his drum kit, and sounded (according to several British critics) more "like Peter Gabriel than Gabriel did".

This early video, from a Belgian TV show, is the then new lineup of Genesis performing THE MUSICAL BOX, from Nursery Cryme. And check out the hair on the now very bald Phil Collins!



BE SURE TO TURN OF THE PLAYLIST IN THE LEFT HAND MARGIN BEFORE CLICKING ON THE VIDEO!

(4). This is another abbreviated version of QUICK HITS. In the past three days I must have driven 300 miles and never left a two county area of New Jersey, just Christmas shopping and getting stuff together for the holidays. To be blunt....I'm beat! Time for a beer or two, and then start counting the snow flakes, because they're a-comin'!

I'll be back with my final "12 Hours Later" segment about the 2009 Rutgers Football season on Sunday or Monday. Stay well, stay warm....just STAY! And avoid those treacherous and icy roads.

Quick Hits For December 9th; Meet Mr. Monk's Daughter (Well, Sort Of)

(1) There was a lot of activity on this blog last weekend concerning the MONK series finale, one of the busiest 24 hours this blog has ever seen....but there was one issue that was never resolved and had viewers scouring the internet still looking for answers....

People wanted to know who was the very beautiful actress who played Trudy Monk's daughter?.

Molly Evans was played by Alona Tal, an Israeli actress, who like the character she played on MONK is 26 years of age. She starred on several series in Israel, and began her career in the United States on Veronica Mars as "Meg Manning" from 2004-06. She had a recurring role on Supernatural (2006-09), and has guest starred in such series as CSI; Crime Scene Investigation, Cold Case, 7th Heaven, Ghost Whisperer, and The Mentalist.

Almost immediately after the episode aired, within minutes, queries began....who played Molly in MONK's finale?  I had no answer at the time, and as of now on the USA website the credits for the last show of not been posted in the episode guide. But she definitely made an impression on the huge audience for the final show. 

After five years of working in the States, Alona Tal is an overnight sensation!



(2) Same sex marriage is being debated in Trenton. The current governor, Jon Corzine, said he would sign the bill if it passes. Governor elect Chris Christie has said he would veto the bill if he were in office. My take- I agree with the immortal Kinky Friedman. When Kinky was running for governor of Texas a few years ago he was asked what he thought of same sex marriage he said....."I'm for same sex marriage. There's no reason gay people shouldn't be allowed to be as miserable as the rest of us are".

(3).The funniest guy on late night TV....or possibly on any TV show? Its Craig Ferguson, hands down (above with Jennifer Love Hewitt). Living proof that less is more....no band, no sidekicks, just Craig and his stream of consciousness  form of humor. The guest has no idea where he going with the interview, so its just be prepared for anything and everything. He does a great Michael Caine impression as well.

(4). On November 29th I boldly made these bowl projections for the Big East....

Cincinnati beats Pitt, West Virginia beats Rutgers, and UCONN- USF a tossup. Cincinnati would go to the Sugar Bowl, West Virginia (tie breaker on Pitt) goes to the Gator, Pitt goes to the Meineke, Rutgers to St.Petersburg, South Florida to The International, UCONN to Papa John's.

OK...so I also included three other scenarios to cover all of the bases. I'd rather be thorough than to be wrong. But I'm usually never so thorough, and often find myself oh-so-wrong.

(5). Does anybody out there actually write down how you managed to rig the outdoor Christmas lights so you can be more efficient each year, or are you like me- a mad scientist plugging in lights and watching them short out before your eyes? And because of this, have you invented any new curse words for this most sacred of seasons? Well...I have.

"#@%$#)&@'er's".....and its so damn cold out here!"

(6). I don't know what I found more amusing- Chad Ochocinco putting on a sombrero and poncho after catching a touchdown pass last Sunday (and getting a $30,000 fine from the league for doing it) or seeing ESPN's latest promo featuring Mike Ditka and Snoop Dogg (talk about an odd couple). Nice hat Mike!

(7). I woke up yesterday morning, looked at the calendar, and saw it was December 8th...."Ahhhhh! The "Feast of the Immaculate Reception," I said to myself. Which means either I'm not such a good Catholic (no big news there) or I watch way too much football. Or perhaps both.

(8) Sad news about the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs being disbanded. Just a few years ago they won the league championship and for years were one of the WNBA's flagship franchises. In recent years the franchises in Charlotte and Houston were dissolved and Detroit is being relocated to Tulsa. A recent press release has said the league wants to have a franchise in the San Francisco Bay area in 2011- new ownership was sought for the Monarchs but not found, and the timetable for a move to the Bay Area just wasn't feasible. A dispersal draft is to be held for the the players on the Monarchs roster.

(9).As The World Turns , the CBS soap opera which made its debut on April 2, 1956, will end its run on September 17, 2010. The age of the daytime soap opera may be nearing an end, with a total of only six on three networks as of fall, 2010. Its yet another blow to the acting fraternity based in New York.

So what will be the replacement? Yet another talk show? A retread gameshow? Or a vapid unreality reality show? I'm not a fan of soaps but at least they are scripted and gave actors a chance to work on their craft. This is just another example of what happens when bean counters take over an industry....ANY industry.

(10). Finally, Rick Malwitz, columnist for The Home News Tribune wrote a great piece; For Some Five Consecutive Bowls Is Not Enough, concerning some of the griping Rutgers Nation is doing about its selection to play Central Florida in The St. Petersburg Bowl. Rick's take is it wasn't that long ago (2004) that Rutgers football fans would sell their first born to go to a bowl game...ANY bowl game, having not gone to one since 1978. And Rick is right- the mere fact that people are complaining about going to a minor bowl game is, in a way, a sign of progress.


I'll be sticking to this self imposed Holiday Schedule until the beginning of the New Year or unless World War III breaks out in the next three weeks, which ever comes first. It works for me....and I have mucho stuff to do, Christmas shopping, and a house to decorate for the holidays....we'll talk to you again on Friday.

12 Hours Later (Plus + Plus)- Rutgers Falls to WVU, St . Petersburg Bowl Bound

This is part of my season long look at the Rutgers Football team's 2009 season from my seat in Section 104.

There was rain, there was cold, there was snow, there were 50,000 plus people in the stands at the start of the game (and don't believe those members of the media who say it was only 40,000; you can't get a good view of the stands from a heated press box next to your complimentary hot meal courtesy of the tuition payers and taxpayers, Rutgers being the State University of New Jersey).

The result was the same- for the 15th straight year Rutgers was beaten by West Virginia, 24-21. Think about this- the last time Rutgers beat West Virginia was the second game of the new Rutgers Stadium. For the trivia minded out there- and check the name of the blog, if you will- Ray Lucas, now the radio analyst for Rutgers was the winning quarterback in both of Rutgers last two win against WVU. He started the last game ever at old Rutgers Stadium in November, 1992 and was the winning qb in the Dedication Game of the new Stadium in September, 1994 against the Mountaineers.

(To take it a couple of RU Trivia steps further, Lucas- besides being the winning qb at the last game ever played at Old Rutgers Stadium, was also the winning qb for the first game ever played at the new Rutgers Stadium, against Kent State in September, 1994. He is also the only Rutgers qb to win Rutgers home games in three different stadiums- Old and New Rutgers Stadium, and at Giants Stadium, where Rutgers played home games during the 1993 season.)

Was I disappointed in the outcome of the Rutgers-WVU game? I wouldn't be much of a fan if I wasn't. At some point Rutgers will have to end the streak against WVU in order to be taken seriously by the media and the college football community. Don't get me wrong- I think anytime you turn your team over to a true freshman quarterback (Tom Savage) and still make it to a bowl game the season is a success and the bigger picture says the future is bright. And this will be five straight bowl games- this has to be called the most successful period in the history of the Rutgers football program. And remember this- it was only six years ago that Rutgers ended a 25 game Big East losing streak that spanned five seasons, five years, two head coaches, and two centuries (1999 to 2003). It was only a short time ago that Rutgers was not just a Jersey joke, but a national one as well.

The bowl streak began with the 2005 season (7-5)and a trip to the Insight Bowl and a loss the Arizona State. The following years Rutgers was 11-2 and clocked Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. What we had was a team that went from being a perennial loser to being a seven win team to being an eleven win team. And RU actually skipped a step- when building a football program teams usually don't go from 6 and 7 wins to 10,11, and 12 wins without spending some time in the 8 and 9 win area. That 10 win per year territory is usually reserved for the college football elite. What Rutgers did in 2006 was the result of a remarkable year in which they began the season 9-0.

The following three years saw Rutgers at 8-5, 8-5, and currently at 8-4. This is where they are, and this is where the program (as of this moment) probably should be. Right now this program, considering its history which has been long but not very storied, seems poised to take the next step- that is, getting to that 10 win plateau. Its not easy, but having a Top 20 recruiting class in 2009 helps, coupled with incrementally better recruiting classes each year since the bowl appearance streak began in 2005.

If getting to that next level and staying there was such an easy task, don't you think guys like Charlie Weis would have done so for job security's sake? People, like WFAN (NYC) radio's Mike Francesa, have called Rutgers a "total fraud" because they have not improved after that 11-2 season. He has a bully pulpit, which at times he does tend to use as a bully....but I won't take to task any program that finds itself in bowl games every year while seeing its classes ranked in college football's APR in the top five ever year, along with the likes of Navy, Stanford, Duke, and Air Force- they go to bowls and they graduate their kids, they fill their expanded stadium to 95% capacity, and their fan base travels better than anybody in the Big East not based in Morgantown, WV.

Pardon the language....some f-ing fraud.

There was speculation that Rutgers would be invited to the Meinecke Bowl in Charlotte, which has become one of the more prestigious second tier games in a relatively short period of time. Truth be told, Rutgers didn't deserve it; with Cincinnati off to the Sugar Bowl with a date with Florida, West Virginia to meet FSU in the Gator, Pitt- by virtue of being the third place team in the Big East, beating Rutgers at home, and having a winning record in the Big East and a better overall record (9-3) deserved that bowl. Rutgers was in a tie for fourth place with UCONN and South Florida at 3-4 in conference but held a tie breaker with wins over them and a better overall record (8-4 to their 7-5 each).

Rutgers will meet the University of Central Florida in the second St. Petersburg Bowl. The good news is its a warm weather city, its Florida, its sun and fun for the fans who want to go the game. The bad news- its in less that two weeks (December 19) which will make things tight for the RU faithful in the middle of the holiday season with short notice. And Rutgers will not get much of the extra practice time allotted to bowl teams since the game is among the first bowl games to be played in the first bowl weekend. This really amounts to the same prep time in a bye week situation. Also, the game is being played during the final exam period at Rutgers- who knows how this will play into the mental preparedness for the game?

On a personal note, the timing of this game could not be worse for me- not only will I have to contend with all the holiday trials and tribulations that other fans, but I have the prospect of jury duty on December 15. If I'm selected for the trial I'll be performing my duty as a solid citizen of New Jersey and Middlesex County instead of drinking a Corona (with lime) on the beach in the Tampa Bay area, counting down the hours till kickoff with my beloved football team.

The sacrifices one must make for truth, justice, and the American way....especially that justice part.