CommenTerry

Who Really Got Monday Night Football?

At first blush, it appears that ESPN began broadcasting Monday Night Football this year, taking over that American institution long held by its sister network, ABC. However, upon further review (as they like to say in the NFL), that might night not necessarily be the case. In fact, I now contend that ESPN actually kept Sunday Night Football, which was simply moved to Monday nights; and NBC actually got the rights to Monday Night Football, which was shifted to Sunday nights. I know this sounds crazy, so let me explain.

In previous years, the NFL tried to reserve some of the best games for Monday night, but this is no longer the case. Those games now seem to be set aside for Sunday night instead. Prior to this season, every team in the league (both good and bad) had to appear at least once during the season on Sunday night. This rule has now been abandoned.

The NFL has even implemented a concept known as "flexible scheduling" to ensure that the Sunday night schedule late in the season includes games between contending teams. During six of the last seven weeks of each season, games can be shifted from Sunday afternoon on Fox or CBS to Sunday night on NBC. No such effort is being made to make sure late season Monday night games aren't duds. 

In addition, the broadcaster of Monday Night Football in the recent past owned the broadcast rights to the first two Wildcard playoff games each year and the Super Bowl every third year. These rights did not pass to ESPN when it inherited Monday Night Football. Instead, NBC, the broadcaster of Sunday night games, got those rights.

Now, tell me who really got Monday Night Football.

2008 Presidential Campaign Update #2

It's not quite 2007 yet and we already have five official entries, one Republican and four Democrats, in the 2008 presidential sweepstakes. The Republican is Representative Duncan Hunter of California, who is currently the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (a role he must relinquish when the Democrats take over control of the House next week). The Democrats are former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, (soon-to-be-former) Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, who did not seek re-election to a third term last month, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and former North Carolina Senator and 2004 Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee John Edwards.

In addition, eight candidates, four Republicans and four Democrats, who had been expected by many to join the race, have decided to take their names out of consideration. The Republicans are Tennessee Senator Bill Frist, the outgoing Senate majority leader who did not seek re-election to the Senate last month, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Virginia Senator George Allen, and Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. Allen and Santorum were both defeated in their re-election bids for the Senate last month, which directly led to their decisions to not seek the presidency. The Democrats are Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh.

Today, I also debut my presidential power ratings for both parties, in which rank the current and prospective candidates in order of their likelihood to receive their respective party's presidential nomination. Of course, these rankings will fluctuate with time, as the fortunes of the candidates change, some drop out, and new ones emerge. Here's my first installment:

Democrats:

1. Hillary Clinton

2. Barack Obama

3. John Edwards

4. Al Gore

5. Bill Richardson

6. Chris Dodd

7. Joe Biden

8. Tom Vilsack

9. John Kerry

10. Wesley Clark

11. Dennis Kucinich

12. Mike Gravel

Republicans:

1. John McCain

2. Mitt Romney

3. Rudy Giuliani

4. Sam Brownback

5. Newt Gingrich

6. Jim Gilmore

7. Mike Huckabee

8. George Pataki

9. Chuck Hagel

10. Tommy Thompson

11. Duncan Hunter

12. Tom Tancredo

13. Michael Bloomberg

Stay tuned for regular updates.

College Football Should Ditch the COP Rule

As we head into the peak of bowl season, this would be a good time for college football to re-evaluate one of the new rules it implemented this season. One of the measures its competition committee put into place this year to speed up the games was to have the clock restarted sooner, following a change of possession (COP). In previous years, the clock would not restart after a change of possession until the next snap. Now, it starts as soon as the ball is set on the line of scrimmage by the official, following a change 0f possession.

However, this new rule puts college football out of sync with high school and professional football, which use the old rule. It also creates an awkward situation at the end of a game or half, as a team that gets the ball back from its opponent could see the time run out before getting its offense on the field.  It also gives a team trying to run out the clock an extra down to do so, assuming the other team has no timeouts left. Before, a team could only run time off the clock following first, second, or third down. The clock would stop after fourth down. Now they can take a knee on fourth down and still have the clock run down some more before the other team can take a snap. This is inherently unfair to a team that is behind.

College football should toss out that rule after this post-season. There are better ways to speed up a college football game. They have already shortened halftime, and they could afford to shorten it a little more. Also, the clock shouldn't have to be stopped briefly after every first down. This could be limited to just those first downs that are earned as a result of gains of 20 or more yards.

A Y2K + 7 Problem

In 2007, the new start and end dates for Daylight Saving Time go into effect. Under the new rules, Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November. This could create a problem for some VCRs and DVD players/recorders that have been pre-programmed to automatically go forward an hour the first Sunday in April and back an hour the last Sunday in October, using the rules that first went into effect in 1986. Ignoring this problem could result in planned recordings of TV shows being started an hour too early or too late.

I see three possible solutions to this problem:

(1) Shut off the automatic time-shifting, if possible.

(2) Set the time back an hour the first Sunday in April and forward an hour the last Sunday in October.

(3) Replace your VCR or DVD player/recorder with a new one that has been pre-programmed to use the updated time parameters.

Please note that selecting either of first two solutions still requires the manual setting of times the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November.

Why Christianity Has to Be Exclusive

Many non-Christians who do not deny the existence of Jesus Christ tend to view Him as a "good man" who went around teaching and preaching love and healing the sick. In their minds, that was His main focus in life. However, they ignore his larger purpose for coming to earth in the first place -- to bring salvation to mankind. Jesus' Great Commission to his followers was to preach the gospel of his salvation to everyone -- it did not involve feeding the poor and providing for other physical human needs, although these are noble and honorable things that He commanded Christians to also do.

So, not surprisingly, these people seem to have a hard time understanding why Christians are so exclusive about their beliefs that they are not all that accepting of other religions. In addition, such individuals are puzzled at the Christian desire to proselytize and convert people of other religions and faiths to their way of believing. After all, religion is religion and spirituality is spirituality, right? Well, the simple answer from the Christian viewpoint is no.

Jesus repeatedly indicated that He was (and is) the only route to salvation for imperfect human beings. For example, He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6 - KJV). Now, if you are perfect, congratulations! You don't need Jesus. Otherwise, He is your only hope for this world and the world to come. Without Him, you can never experience true peace or have a right relationship with God. Without Him, you can have no expectation of eternal life.

This is not being said to denigrate or show disrespect for other religions and beliefs -- it's just a statement of one of the most basic tenets of Christianity. Many modern Christian pastors, either out of timidity, fear of offending some parishioners, or deference to political correctness, no longer emphasize or even mention this Christian principle. However, that doesn't make it any less true.

If it's not true, then Jesus could not have been a "good man." Instead, He would have to be considered a liar and a fraud because He said it was a fact. If this is the case, He is not worthy of our worship and praise. If there was another means of salvation, it would also mean that God committed a very cruel and unnecessary act when He intentionally allowed Jesus to be crucified. Indeed, if you are one of those Christians who believes that other religions are also valid, you might as well renounce Christianity and adhere to one of them instead. 

Let me explain Christian proselytizing like this: Let's suppose you were a medical researcher who had discovered the cure for a dreaded disease like cancer or AIDS. Wouldn't you want to make sure that cure got out to as many people as possible? You wouldn't worry about possibly offending someone, as your moral and ethical duty to distribute this cure would far outweigh any such concerns. Similarly, one's responsibility as a Christian is to get Christ's antidote to the deadly disease of sin to as many people as possible. Christians who ignore this fact are being derelict in their duty.

Of course, in a free country where religious freedom is thankfully the rule of law, we realize that we must be tolerant of all religions to the extent that we acknowledge their right to exist and be practiced freely. We must also be mindful of the fact that we cannot force our religion on anyone -- just like that hypothetical medical researcher would not be allowed to force his cure on anyone who did not want it. However, true Christians cannot and will not accept other religions as Christianity's equal. 

Gingrich Disses GOP Voters

During an interview a couple of weeks ago, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said that he might wait as late as next Labor Day before deciding whether to seek the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. His reason for possibly waiting so long? He wants to see if one of the other candidates "seals [the nomination] off by Labor Day." Whoa, Newt, come again! According to my calculations (with sincere apologies to Spock), Labor Day will occur more than four months before the first caucus or primary vote will be cast.

How could someone possibly have the nomination wrapped up by then? Pardon my ignorance, but don't the voters get a say in this matter? It seems to me that Newt has dissed the GOP primary and caucus voters, especially those in Iowa and New Hampshire, who pride themselves on the major role they play in picking a nominee. In those states, a gaff like that could prove more damaging to him than either of his divorces.

Aren't You Glad Jesus Came?

In the Old Testament days, God seemed distant, mysterious, and even unpredictable at times. Even His prophets wondered what He was really like. Back then, it was impossible to really know God.

Fortunately, all of that mystery was finally put to bed when Jesus came to earth to reveal God's true nature in human form. Today, we joyfully celebrate that advent, as we do each year on this date. Now, it's possible for anyone to know God through a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

My Christmas Wish for the World

If I could have one wish granted for the world this Christmas, I would ask that everyone have respect for human life. I had to think about this one for a while. I thought about asking for world peace, the end of starvation, a cure for AIDS, a cure for cancer, the end of all violence, or something like that. All of those things would be honorable things to ask for. However, think of the ramifications of an entire world population that had respect for human life.

We would all work to make sure that never again would anyone suffer from starvation. Dictators who abuse people and deprive them of their basic human rights would be nonexistent. Abortion would become extinct. Children, the elderly, and the sickly among us would be properly taken care of. Greed would still exist but its power would be diminished in that it would cease to drive anyone to the point of denying access to or taking away something that someone else desperately needed. No longer would anyone be willing to shed another person's blood for the sake of money, material items, land, religious fanaticism, or just plain aggression. Violence would be practically unheard of. Most jails and prisons could be demolished and the land they occupy could be used for other purposes. The Christmas wish that I outlined yesterday for the United States would be rendered unnecessary. World peace would be virtually assured.

I could go on, but that's enough to convince me that a universal respect for human life is the one thing that this world needs more than anything else. If only the miracle of Christmas could make it so!

My Christmas Wish for the United States

My Christmas wish for my nation, the United States of America, this Christmas would be that it would learn to use its military resources more wisely. For too long, the U.S. has used them to intervene in conflicts and situations that have had little or nothing to do with the security or interests of its citizens. Much of this has been done as a part of futile efforts to cultivate democracy in places where it is (and we are) not welcome.

I hope the U.S. will begin using its military personnel and treasure exclusively to defend itself from attack and to protect its borders from all invaders, hostile or otherwise. This would include keeping out all illegal aliens and nipping potential terrorism in the bud, before it gets to our shores. In addition, it would require the use of our military intelligence and resources to sniff out dangerous and/or illegal weapons possessed by hostile foreign leaders and to destroy them with preemptive strikes when necessary.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my Christmas wish for the world.

My Christmas Wish for the State of Virginia

My Christmas wish for my state, Virginia, this Christmas would be that it could finally secure a major sports franchise. Right now, it owns the dubious distinction of being the most populous state in the U.S. without a major league franchise in baseball, basketball, football, or hockey.

It has come close on several occasions in the last two decades, but no cigar. In 1991, Northern Virginia was nearly selected as the site of the Washington Redskins' new stadium by then-owner Jack Kent Cooke. Ultimately, though, Landover, Maryland got that honor. In 1995, Northern Virginia was one of the three finalists to get the last two Major League Baseball expansion franchises (for 1998). Unfortunately, they were awarded to Tampa Bay and Arizona. Then, in 1996, the Houston Astros were nearly sold to businessman William Collins and relocated to Northern Virginia. However, the deal was vetoed by Major League owners and the Astros eventually got a new stadium in Houston and stayed put. In 1997, Norfolk was one of eight finalists to get one of the four NHL expansion franchises that were about to be awarded. The name "Norfolk Rhinos" was already selected for the team. Regrettably, Norfolk did not make the cut. Finally, in 2004, both Norfolk and Northern Virginia competed to get the Montreal Expos. But, much to the chagrin of Virginia baseball fans, Washington, DC won the sweepstakes for that franchise.

Currently, Norfolk is interested in the Florida Marlins, which may soon leave South Florida, if they don't get a new stadium. Norfolk also has hopes for a team when the NBA decides to expand again. And it hasn't given up on the NHL either. It'll certainly want to keep an eye on that developing situation with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Maybe 2007 will be the year Virginia becomes major league!

Stay tuned tomorrow for my Christmas wish for my nation, the United States of America.