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2008 EagleBank Bowl - Riley Skinner of Wake Forest Redeems Himself in 29-19 Comeback Over Navy Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner went 11-for-11 and threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Ben Wooster in the 4th quarter to lead his Demon Deacons to a 29-19 comeback victory over Navy in the inaugural EagleBank Bowl. It was the end of a perfect day for Riley. Find out why it was Riley's Redemption. College Football - Steve Sarkisian - A Real Breath of Fresh Air for Washington's Huskies He is apparently half-Armenian and half-Irish, 34 years old and the new head coach of the University of Washington's football team. Meet Steve Sarkisian, young, energetic, successful and excited about the opportunity to turn around the fortunes of the Husky football program. That will not be as difficult a problem as Washington's current 0-12 season record might suggest. Find out why. College Football - Despite the Protestations, It Really Was All About Tyrone Willingham He would have made a great Roman soldier, the strong, disciplined, determined, unemotional type ready to go into battle. The problem at the University of Washington was that he went into battle with the responsibility of being a football coach, not a soldier. So Tyrone Willingham received an early retirement from Husky Stadium. Find out what happened to the grim warrior. Final BCS Standings Show Why It's Better to Lose Early Than Late The final, cumulative BCS Standings showed Oklahoma with a BCS Average of 0.976, Florida at 0.948 and Texas at 0.930, with a mere 18 one-hundreds of a point separating Florida and Texas. Learn why Texas became the odd man out. NCAA Cross-Country - Washington's 2 Freshmen Lead Women to the 2008 National Cross-Country Title Imagine for a moment that you are the head coach at a major university and you recruit two freshmen to run on your cross-country team. You do not redshirt them because they are good enough to run on your varsity. A few months later they finish 5th and 9th to lead your team to its first NCAA National Championship. Get the full story. NCAA Cross-Country - Michigan State's Nicole Bush Wins the 2008 Great Lakes Regional Championship Michigan State brought the best runner to the 2008 Great Lakes Regional, but Michigan brought the best team and took home the trophy, winning the meet with 72 points to Wisconsin's 80 and Michigan State's 83 for 3rd place. Senior Nicole Bush beat 227 runners to claim the individual title in 20:48.5 over the 6,000-meter (3.72 mile) course at Purdue University in Lafayette (IN). NCAA Cross-Country - Washington Women Win West Regional Meet With a Stunning 3-4-5-6-7 Finish After winning the Pac 10 Cross-Country Championship with an unprecedented 1-2-3-4-5 perfect score of 15, the University of Washington's women runners ran away with the 2008 NCAA West Regional Championship with a 3-4-5-6-7 finish at Stanford University's course, scoring only 25 points to runner-up Oregon's 62. Find out why the Washington women are ranked No. 1 in the country. Wisconsin Men, Minnesota Women Win 2008 Big Ten Cross-Country Titles Wisconsin's men won their 10th straight title, Minnesota's women repeated as champs but Nicole Bush of Michigan State won the individual title Sunday (11-1-08) at the Big Ten Cross-Country Championship Meet in Ann Arbor (MI). Nicole Bush toured the 6,000-meter course (3.72 miles) in 20:15.8 to win by 12 seconds over runner-up Gwen Jorgensen of Wisconsin. Michigan State finished 3rd in the womens' competition. Cross-Country - Washington's Gig Harbor Girls Just Miss Another State Title and Chance at History Washington State's 2008 Prep Cross-Country Championships taught the Gig Harbor High School girls' team a really disappointing lesson in knowing just how close is not close enough. After winning 3 consecutive state titles in the 4A state championship competition, Gig Harbor fell 1 point short in the team competition Saturday (11-8-08) at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, settling for the runner-up spot. Learn what happened. Northwest Christian in Lacey Becomes a Washington Powerhouse in Cross-Country The Northwest Christian High School Navigators arrive at the starting line ready to not only compete but to win, and win they did Saturday (11-8-08) during Washington State's 2008 Prep Cross-Country Championships at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, taking home championship trophies in both the girls and boys B (small school) races. Cross-Country - Washington Women Win Pac 10 Title, Set Record Wtih First-Ever Perfect Score In was show time on Halloween at the Springfield (OR) Country Club for the 2008 Pac 10 Conference Cross-Country Championships and the University of Washington women runners showed why the Huskies are the No. 1-ranked team in the country, winning with an unprecedented perfect score of 15. Learn why the Washington women are so good. Political Satire - America's Presidential Election Coverage Is Biased and Steeped in Stupidity Those of us who have suspected that the media coverage of the 2008 Presidential Race has not been fair now have a study to validate our suspicions. The Center for Media and Public Affairs spent the past two months monitoring comments by sources, voters, reporters and anchors that aired on evening newscasts at America's three main national networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) and documented what many of us already knew. Learn the full story. Washington's Athletic Director Finally Makes the Right Move - Fires Coach Scott Woodward, the University of Washington's newly appointed permanent athletic director, has made it official that Tyrone Willingham will not be back for another season as the Huskies' head football coach. Willingham will stay on to coach the team's 5 remaining games and then leave with a $1 million buyout. Willingham was in his 4th year of a 5-year contract. Find out what went wrong. College Football - In Just Two Years Nick Saban Has the Crimson Tide No. 1 in the Nation Goodbye Texas. Hello Alabama. It is now the Crimson Tide that have become the No. 1 coveted target in the nation for big-time college football programs in America. The Texas Longhorns, who were No. 1, took on their 4th top-ranked team in consecutive weeks and came up short to No. 6 Texas Tech 39-33. Read the full article. Boise State and Ball State, Both 11-0, Are Really Unbeaten But Untested, Overrated Top 25 Teams Both Boise State and Ball State are 11-0 so far this season and have earned some bragging rights. After all, they are 2 of only 4 teams that remain undefeated among the 119 Division 1-A schools at this point in the college football season. Utah is 12-0 and Alabama is 11-0. I do not have any problem with Alabama and Utah's national rankings, but I do have some serious problems with Boise State and Ball State being ranked so high. Let me explain. Tulsa the 19th Best Team in the Nation? You Must Be Kididng and Here Is Why Entering college football's 10th week of play there were 8 unbeaten teams remaining—Texas, Alabama, Penn State, Texas Tech, Utah, Boise State, Ball State and Tulsa. Everyone paying attention knew that either Texas or Texas Tech would suffer their first loss as they were playing each other at Texas Tech. Few knew just how vulnerable Utah, Boise State, Ball State and Tulsa were to suffering their first defeat. "Waking Ned Devine" by Kirk Jones Is the Best Comedy I Have Ever Seen - Part 2 Sooner or later one has to come clean. When pigeonholed about what is my favorite comedy, I said some time ago that "Meet the Fockers" was the best comedy I had seen in a long time. What I did not say was what is the best comedy I have ever seen. So let me say it here and now: as of Sunday, March 11, 2007 the best comedy I have ever seen is "Waking Ned Devine" and it is not even a close call. Find out why. "Waking Ned Devine" by Kirk Jones Is the Best Comedy I Have Ever Seen - Part 1 Sooner or later one has to come clean. When pigeonholed about what is my favorite comedy, I said some time ago that "Meet the Fockers" was the best comedy I had seen in a long time. What I did not say was what is the best comedy I have ever seen. So let me say it here and now: as of Sunday, March 11, 2007 the best comedy I have ever seen is "Waking Ned Devine" and it is not even a close call. Find out why. A Jewish Family Flees Germany and Settles "Nowhere in Africa" Only Walter could see it coming. His extended family in Germany could not see that Adolph Hitler would turn on his own German citizens who were Jewish. Walter was a professional, a judge and a German citizen, not a Jew who happened to be a German citizen. He would leave Germany and take his family to Africa in 1938. "Nowhere in Africa" is his story. Any Day That Mcihigan Loses and Michigan State Wins Is a Great Day Any day that Michigan loses a football game and Michigan State wins a football game is a great day. When Michigan State beats Michigan (as happened today, Saturday, 10-25-08) it is a glorious day. That would be because Michigan State had not beaten Michigan at the Big House in Michigan since 1990, 18 years ago. The Spartans huge win Saturday pushed their record to 7-2 for just the 3rd time in 40 years. Read the details. "Friendly Persuasion" Finds a Pacifist Quaker Family in the Middle of a War If "Friendly Persuasion" was produced 52 years after its original release in 1956, it might have won some of the 6 Oscar nominations it received, such as Best Sound and Best Writing, not to mention Best Picture and Best Director. The technical advancements in moviemaking today are light years ahead of where they were when William Wyler directed this simple film about a simple family in a very complicated situation. "Forest Gump" Teaches Many Lessons, and Tom Hanks Earns Best Actor Oscar Everything that happens in "Forrest Gump" is worth seeing, and much of what happens through its central character Forrest Gump teaches us important lessons in life. This is a love story, a story of relationships and the story of one person in a very big world that is sometimes almost impossible to understand. Forrest Gump won 6 Oscars and another 7 Oscar nominations and remains one of the most successful films ever made. Find out why. The Silliness of Major League Baseball's Stupidity with Payroll Richie Sexson of the woeful Seattle Mariners is simply the latest example of the silliness of Major League Baseball's love affair with high-priced superstars whose production is pathetic. Sexson's lousy 30 RBIs this season have cost the Mariners $290,226 for each and every paltry one. Learn how stupid this policy is. Meet the Illinois Fighting Illini - The Most Overrated Team in the AP's Top 25 Poll Coach Ron Zook's Illinois team took the Big Ten by storm last year, tying with Michigan for the runner-up spot at 6-2, and going 9-3 in the regular season. All of last year's fight and hype moved Illinois into this year's AP Top 25 Poll. Find out why Illinois should not be in the current AP Top 25 Poll. Forbes Touts Alabama's Nick Saban as the Most Powerful Coach in Sports So who is the most powerful coach in sports today? Nick Saban of Alabama according to Forbes magazine (9-1-08 issue). Forbes wastes no time in anoiting Saban as the best of the best and ahead of the rest when it comes to being the most powerful sports coach in our time. Find out why. Phelps' 8 Gold Medals Could Net Him $100 Million in Future Income Sports agents that should know decided some time ago that winning a gold medal in the Olympics could be worth $12 million in appearances and endorsements. Michael Phelps' 8 golds at $12 million apiece works out to $96 million in possible income. Phelps' agent, Peter Carlisle, agrees, but will Phelps be a success or a failure as a marketable personality for companies seeking his services? America's Middle Distance Running Disaster at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Despite all of the United States' great success in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, there was next to nothing to cheer about its middle distance runners in the track and field competition. If it was not for Shalane Flanagan's third-place finish in the 10,000, the United States would not have won a single medal in the middle distance events. Her 30:22.22 clocking was good enough for the bronze medal and an American record. So How Long Has Michael Phelps Been Training to Be a Champion? Stories about teenage phenoms winning gold medals and setting world records at world-class swimming competitions are legion. The list is long and you can add Michael Phelps' name to the list. Find out what Phelps had to do, and how he did it to get where he is today. Michael Phelps' 2008 Olympic Legacy: 8 Gold Medal Victories, 7 World Records Is there anyone who watched the Beijing Olympics on television who does not already know that Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals, setting 7 world records and 1 Olympic record in the 8-day swimming competition? Get all the facts, records and race information on Phelps' historic effort. "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" Ends Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western Trilogy From virtually no acclaim at the time, Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" is now regarded as a classic by many critics. It was part of Time's "100 Greatest Movies" of the last century. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is currently ranked no less than 5th among the Internet Movie Database Top 250, all of which is not too shabby for an Italian guy directing an American Western. Too Many Overpaid CEOs Are Really Smooth Operators Who Produce Little When you understand that the average CEO in America makes 400 times what the average worker makes, you could get upset. When you have an environment where chief executive officers of companies can rack up a pitiful financial performance and still continue to rake in millions of compensation for being essentially incompetent, it is even more upsetting. What are we to do? In an Educational Bureaucracy, It Is Hard to Weed Out Incompetence My level of being appalled rose dramatically the other day, fortunately, my blood pressure remained the same. The cause of this happening was an editorial in USA Today (7-17-08) titled the "Teacher Protection Racket". It seems that getting rid of teachers in the public school system is almost as difficult as quickly solving any perceived problems involving global warming. Find out why. Director Giuseppe Tornatore Wins Best Foreign Film Oscar for "Cinema Paradiso" In my search for films that are not well known but tell a great story with an excellent presentation, I discovered "Cinema Paradiso" by Italian Director Giuseppe Tornatore. Many critics credit Cinema Paradiso with reviving Italy's movie industry, which would later produce "Mediterraneo" and "Life is Beautiful". Discover why this film is so special. "A Fistful of Dollars" Started Sergio Leone's Masterpiece Trilogy of Spaghetti Westerns Is it possible for an excellent, groundbreaking film in a specific genre to be overlooked at award ceremonies? Absolutely, and a perfect example is "A Fistful of Dollars" that gave rise to what we commonly identify today as "the spaghetti Western". A Fistful of Dollars was the first of Director Sergio Leone's masterpiece trilogy. Learn why Director Sergio Leone made movie history. NFL Football Preview - Here Come the Seahawks: Stumbling and Bumbling into Holmgren's Last Year Just when Seattle's Mike Holmgren is entering his last year as head coach, his Seahawks are now stumbling and bumbling their way into the regular season. After dusting off the Minnesota Vikings 34-17 in their first 2008 preseason game on the road in Minneapolis, the Seahawks narrowly escaped defeat in their home preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, winning 29-26 in an error-prone display of ineptness. "For a Few Dollars More" Establishes Leone as a Master of Creating Emotion After the unexpected, smashing success of Sergio Leone's direction in "A Fistful of Dollars" with the newly-found presence of Clint Eastwood as the gunfighter who would become The Man With No Name, Leone 's direction in "For a Few Dollars More" was even more successful, artistically and financially. Learn why a film that could not garner a single award in its day has become a classic western film with a faithful following. Kathryn Martin Dominates on the Track at the 2008 USATF National Masters Meet The shining star in the prime running events at the 2008 USATF National Masters Meet in Spokane (WA) was Kathryn (Kathy) Martin, who won 5 national titles in the 800, 1500, 5000 and 10,000-meter races, and set an American record in the 2000-meter steeplechase. The 56-year-old from Northport (NY) was virtually unstoppable in the 55-59 age group competition. Get the full story. Could the Way Food Looks Give Real Clues as to What Is Really Healthy for Us to Eat? The next time you sit down to lunch or dinner, you may be surprised to learn that many of the foods that we eat look similar to vital organs in our body, and in fact provide nutrients that actually help the organ in question function. Carrots, tomatoes, grapes, oranges, figs, walnuts, kidney beans and onions are just a few examples. Find out more. Karl Rove's Sly Deal With Fox? Wow, This Is Really Inside Stuff No One Could Discern Imagine my surprise when I went online recently and encountered this headline: "Karl Rove's Sly Deal With Fox". Think of a conservative, right-wing political hack with slight-of-hand magic out to pull a fast one over on American voters. You get the picture. Could this be some great political insight on the Presidential election? Get the full story and learn why it is anything but. How to Attack the Lakers "Triangle" Offense? Run Smack into the Celtics "Angle" Defense The Boston Celtics recent NBA title effort capped an amazing turnaround. A year ago the Celtics finished at 24-58 and dead last in the NBA Eastern Conference. This year they went 66-16, won the Atlantic Division title and the Eastern Conference title before disposing of the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-92, to win their 17th NBA title. Should We Be Concerned About the Apparent Violence of Our Children? Two incidents in the United States in recent days have caused me to wonder if we should be more concerned about the apparent violence among our children. Both sets of young women in both incidents had a choice to make. The difference between the two choices is clear: you can choose to be self-centered or other-centered. What caused some young women to make a great choice and others to make a poor choice? Find out why. Several Track and Field Girl Athletes Prove Their Great Sportsmanship and Substance Two separate events recently showed once again how incredibly impressive our young women in American can be—one an instance of pure sportsmanship at its best, and the other an instance of pure desire, determination and substance. Find out how Nicole Cochran and Bonnie Richardson become the centerpieces for these extraordinary events. Is "Black Liberation Theology" Really Helping African Americans? Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ has sought to minister to the needs of his congregation, exhibiting a perfectly normal and natural sense about what a minister should be doing. His unexpected exposure on national television has caused umbrage with some viewers, who found his remarks to be unpatriotic, inflammatory and offensive. Are there other lessons to be learned in addition to "black liberation theology"? You Must Answer Three Questions to Find Your True Purpose in Life There have been times in my life when I have sat down and wondered: What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Is this what my life is going to be? To find my reason for being, I was forced to answer in writing these three questions: Who am I? What am I meant to do here? What am I trying to do with my life? USA High School Track & Field Records and the Best 2008 Prep Performances Eight high school athletes set 6 new records during the 2008 track and field season. The shinning star of the boys had to be German Fernandez of Riverbank (CA) High School, who set 2 new records and led all boys by taking the top spot in 5 of 6 middle distance races—the 1,500, 1,600, 3,000 and 3,200-meter runs and the 2 mile. Read the complete article and get all of the facts and times. America's Marketing Nightmare - The Foreign Runners Who Dominate the Boston Marathon They ran the 112th Boston Marathon Monday (4-21-08). The triumph was that Robert Cheruiyot (try to say something close to Cherry-ott) of Kenya won his 4th Boston Marathon. The tragedy was that America hardly noticed. It is flat out difficult, nay impossible, to market world-class foreign athletes on American soil, no matter how much they win or how many records they set. Nobody in America seems to care. Is There a More Winning NCAA Coach Than UCLA's John Wooden? Well, Yes Any discussion of the NCAA's winningest coach naturally begins with UCLA's legendary basketball guru John Wooden, who won 10 NCAA championships in 12 years and 7 straight titles from 1967 to 1973. However, Arkansas's John McDonnell, who coaches the Razorbacks' cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track teams, has won 42 NCAA championships and 12 consecutive indoor track titles from 1984 to 1995. Learn more in the full article. Travel Review - We Were Blessed by Visiting Manzanillo, South of Puerto Vallarta, and Vida del Mar I had some serious doubts about whether my first trip to Mexico would be a success. Now I can report that my first trip to Mexico was fantastic because I found a slice of heaven at Vida del Mar in Manzanillo (Mon-zah-knee-oh). I almost selfishly thought about not writing about my trip to Manzanillo and Vida del Mar as word may get around and then everything that makes it a little slice of heaven might be less so in the coming years. Job Interviews - When He Asked, "How Do You Motivate Yourself?," I Was Without a Good Answer A reader emailed me with this question: "I was in an interview, and was asked this question: How do you motivate yourself? I could barely answer the question. What would you suggest?" That is a great question that deserves a great answer. After managing dozens of employees over the years, I can tell you not what I think, but what I know. Get the full story. Social Commentary - Should We Be Concerned About the Apparent Violence of Our Children? Two incidents in the United States in recent days have caused me to wonder if we should be more concerned about the apparent violence among our children. Both sets of young women in both incidents had a choice to make. The difference between the two choices is clear: you can choose to be self-centered or other-centered. What caused some young women to make a great choice and others to make a poor choice? Find out why. 2008 NCAA Title - For Kansas Coach Bill Self, the Long Wait Is Over as His Jayhawks Outlast Memphis The only guarantee going into the 2008 NCAA National Championship Game was that one of two very good coaches—Bill Self of Kansas or John Calipari of Memphis—would win his first national title. In the end, Bill Self, who had more NCAA tournament wins—18—without reaching the Final Four than any other active coach, would lead his Jayhawks past Memphis 75-68 in overtime to win the national championship. Meet "Pre" - America's Greatest Running Legend and Greatest Middle Distance Hero It has now been 33 years since the untimely, tragic death of America's greatest running legend and its greatest middle distance runner, Steve Prefontaine, and his legacy continues to grow as the void he filled remains open. It is rare but true to say that his legacy may never be matched again. Find out why. Legendary High School Coach Pat Tyson Becomes New Coach at Gonzaga University Gonzaga University Athletic Director Mike Roth made the most astute move since the hiring of Mark Few as his basketball coach by recently hiring legendary high school coach Pat Tyson as his first full-time running coach. Pat Tyson does not only eat, sleep and live running 24 hours a day, he is not only a high school coach with no peer, he is a coaching legend before he starts. Gonzaga is about to make an impact in its running program.

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