Boise State

Today is the day of reckoning for the Boise State Broncos, and it might be a lose-lose situation for them.

Tonight Boise State plays Virginia Tech in a game that could very well be Boise's key to the BCS title game. After tonight the toughest game on the Boise State schedule is their game against Oregon State in a couple of weeks. After that, there's a very high probability that they will go undefeated over the course of the season. But if you're a college football fan you already know that.

From a personal standpoint I am torn on this game. Part of me wants to see Boise State lose and get brushed aside from the national championship picture. I just don't think they match up against the more "elite" programs in college football like Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Ohio State, USC, and the Florida's. It's easy to go unbeaten every year in the WAC when you recruit better, and are coached better than the rest of the league. That being said, their run, even in the WAC, deserves credit because teams like Fresno State have been known to put out highly ranked, competitive teams every few years. For Boise State to do what they've done as long as they have is nothing short of remarkable. But that doesn't mean it entitles them to a shot at the national title.

The other part of me wants to see Boise ride this out simply because it will throw a wrench into the BCS. I am not someone who hates the BCS. I think the system works fairly well for the most part. I get the argument that it doesn't determine a true champion because there's no playoff and teams have ups and downs over the course of the season. However, I would argue that every team knows going into the season that, with the way the BCS is currently constructed, they have to bring their A-game to the stadium every week. At the end of the year, the team that does that most consistently typically ends up as your national champion. But the system discriminates against teams like Boise State for not playing in stronger conferences. So, as much as I'd like to see the hype behind Boise State go away once and for all, I wouldn't mind watching an inherently flawed system crash and burn once and for all.

Tonight will be an interesting night in the world of college football. This is a game that's been hyped up for the past year. Boise has performed well on the national stage like this before. It's those performances that have put them in this position tonight. But the pressure tonight will be unmatched to those previous experiences. Boise State has their shot at a national title on the line tonight. I think Boise State will win tonight if only because Virginia Tech isn't exactly known for performing well in big games. If that's the case, it will be an interesting ride through the rest of the college football season

In case you haven't been watching - ESPN has lost all of their integrity

Am I the only one who seems to have noticed what a joke ESPN has become over the past couple of years? I mean seriously. It just keeps getting worse and worse. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when ESPN stopped caring about credible journalism and cared only about being some sort of pseudo-sports entertainment company. I mean seriously, it's gotten to the point where they try to build storylines like you see in professional wrestling. I mean this whole Brett Favre thing - will he, won't he. I get that it's a big story, one that any credible sports media outlet should cover. But at the same time I can't buy the way they've covered it. Last year Ed Werder was hiding in the bushes down by Favre's mansion and had inaccurate report after inaccurate report. Is this journalism? Its sensationalism at best.

What really ended up being the nail in the coffin for me was their handling of LeBron James over the past few weeks. LeBron James called ESPN and told them not to report the story that Delonte West had had a relationship with LeBron's mom or else he wouldn't do any interviews ever again with ESPN or an ESPN affiliate. Couple that with the fact they hosted the spectacle only known now as "The Decision" and I have fully opened my eyes to what ESPN is.

They aren't about any sort of sports journalism. They are about sensationalistic stories and pandering to big name athletes so that they can use their programming as a forum for star athletes to promote themselves and stroke their ego's. I find it odd that across the country other sports writers, talk show hosts, and newspapers had the stones to put LeBron down for his handling of his free agency. Only ESPN put pundit after pundit on the air defending LeBron and seemingly refusing to call into question his decision making abilities. If the rest of the country is attacking LeBron why is everyone at ESPN not saying anything bad about him, unless of course LeBron has some kind of deal with ESPN to protect his image. Then there's the story that was pulled from ESPN that details LeBron's actions in Vegas, and paints a picture of him as a spoiled diva. Again, where's the integrity?

My issue with ESPN isn't so much with the material that they post on their website and air on their programming. It's how they try to present themselves. I've got news for you ESPN - you aren't a sports news network. You're an entertainment channel and a forum of diva athletes to promote themselves. Once you stop pretending that you're something else, maybe I'll come back to you for my sports news. Until then, I'll pass on Sportscenter, PTI, and Around the Horn and head over to cbssports.com. At least they aren't trying to be something the aren't, and can post news with a bit of integrity.

The King is Trying to Fend Off A Mutiny

Lebron James is at it again. This time in an interview that will be part of an upcoming GQ magazine article. As most people probably know at this point, James states in the interview that growing up he hated Cleveland because Clevelanders looked down on Akron, and still hates people in Cleveland. He also at one point says that he would not rule out playing for Cleveland again in the future. All of this is tied together but what I consider to be a fleeting attempt to try and heal wounds in his hometown of Akron so he doesn't feel like an exile there.

As someone who was born and raised in Cleveland, let me tell you something LeBron - people in Cleveland don't care that you're from Akron. We never did. We never looked down on Akron. Who is Cleveland to look down on anyone (unless it's Detroit)? And for that matter, why do you even care what Cleveland fans think of you? I know some in the national media (I'm talking about Colin Cowherd) are quick to dismiss Cleveland fans as inbred hillbillies who have nothing better to do than chew tobacco and collect unemployment, and attribute their mass hatred of Lebron James strictly on these alleged aforementioned characteristics, but nothing could be further from the truth. Cleveland fans get slapped in the face, spit on, and kicked in every possible manner when it comes to their sports teams, and really most other aspects of life. Cleveland has never been a sexy city, and it's economic problems are well known nationwide. That said, Cleveland still has it's pride. We don't need or want LeBron James telling us he'd play for us again or using another media outlet as a way to justify his actions. While ESPN may not say anything bad about you LeBron, rest assured, the rest of the country can't stand you, your arrogance, and an article in GQ magazine isn't going to change that. I can't speak for natives of Akron, but I can speak for a large part of the state of Ohio: You aren't welcome here. We respect your right to leave (again, contrary to what Colin Cowherd says we do), but we don't respect your choice to make a spectacle out of your free agency and to spit in Cleveland and the state of Ohio's face on national TV.

All that said, why do you care what the people in Akron think about you LeBron? And for saying you hate Cleveland and Clevelanders, why would you even suggest that you might one day return to play in Cleveland? Do you feel so unloved and unsure of yourself that you need to try and mend fences with a place that was essentially your home because if people here legitimately hate you, you can't handle it? All of this makes perfect sense when you look at your on the court performance in the playoffs this year. You couldn't handle the pressure of being asked to lead a team to an NBA title. So you folded under the pressure and quit. Like a spoiled little kid. Now you're feeling the pressure, and probably some guilt, from your decision. You're so arrogant that you probably didn't expect the backlash that you received from how you handled your free agency. Sure ESPN does what you want, but they don't have any integrity, so does that really count? Now you're opening up the papers all over the country and see that people don't have the same opinion of you that they did 3 months ago. They want you to fail. And you can't handle that pressure, or that criticism, because you don't have the heart, the guts, or the courage to man up and be a leader. Well LeBron, don't worry. You won't have to man up and lead. You've got ESPN in your back pocket to paint a rosy picture of how great you are, and every night you can pass the ball to Dwayne Wade to take the final shot, all so you don't have to.

So enjoy playing second fiddle. Enjoy being Scottie Pippen. But please, spare us the pity party and stop trying to paint yourself as some sort of victim that was tortured by the city of Cleveland. We're far better than you, and you aren't worth our time.