WMU Bronco Hockey: A Program That Can Go As Far As It Wants

Upon transferring to Western Michigan University I found out how passionate the fans are. I never really followed college hockey before my time here at WMU. I'm sure more of my fellow students are the same way. Most of the people here rooted for Michigan or Michigan State in basketball and football but for the Bronco Hockey they usually are the first team any of us root for.

Bronco Hockey has long been frustrating for many fans. Especially since larger schools so close experience a great deal of success. Whats even worse is seeing smaller schools succeed like Ferris State, Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State University. We have the potential to be great, but never act upon it. Plus our uniforms are usually black and white. Really? That's not even trying. Now we have some nicer, more classic ones with our actual school colors on them. Why can't this university realize what our school colors really are?

Now that the background has been set, we look at the program now. They are very talented and young, and if these players stick around, this team could be good. Last year the Broncos hosted and won a playoff series against Lake State. So things must be looking up right?

The Broncos are held back by pitiful special teams and offense. Since we have the talent, coaching has to come into question. Jim Culhane has long been under the microscope. He played his college hockey here and played a few years for the Hartford Whalers. He then came back and took over the program with zero head coaching experience. He is an inexpensive coach and some rumors say he will take over as Athletic Director when Kathy Beauregard steps downs. That being said, he has a winning percentage that would get most coaches fired and has never been under the hot seat. He just signed a three year extension last year. Why does he keep getting second chances?

Culhane can recruit. We get players (multiple NHL Draft Picks play here) that WMU has no business having. He convinces these kids to come to a program with little coverage and virtually zero postseason success. Sure, we don't steal recruits from the big boys in the state, but we get our share of talented players. He also puts together an upset or two every year. He gets decent support from the community and is probably a good enough guy. But is that enough to keep a coach around? Then again, it may not be his fault. The program is poorly supported in cash. Its expensive to have a hockey program, but even still. It seems like basketball and football get far more support than the hockey program. A new arena has been proposed (it would also house the ECHL's Kalamazoo Wings and WMU Bronco Basketball, payment would be through the K-Wings owner and a 1% increase in restaurant taxes) and it would be built downtown. It would be an obvious boost to downtown businesses and restaurants, and maybe some of the families who left because of the loud and vulgar student section would come back. They pay good money for the tickets, and students don't. Should students be charged for tickets? They are at Ferris and people still show up. I can't see why having a small season ticket charge for students would be such a bad thing. Attendance would go down but the money could be useful and if the product is better more people would show up. Also, please get a small band to come and play at some of the games (if not all). The support would be nice and having a real band there would be fun. It could only add to the college hockey experience. Miami of Ohio built new facilities and made it to the National Championship game (which they should have won), so why can't we duplicate that in Kalamazoo? Parking would be an issue, but I'm sure WMU can come up with something. The interest and support for the Broncos would be immense and can give the town something to be proud of.

So can Bronco hockey be a big time program? Sure it could. With a new arena and the revenue from it, the increased recruiting and interest from the town, there is no reason that this team could not be very competitive with the established powers in the state.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Notre Dame got the coach they wanted. Unlike the last coach, who's name will not be mentioned, Kelly has what most schools are looking for in a Head Coach: up and comer, winner in college, college coaching experience, midwest recruiting ties, (hes Irish), and hes willing to start right away. He is leaving Cincinnati and not coaching them in their bowl against Florida (almost guaranteeing a slaughter) and will start by trying to save a number of ND recruits.

Kelly separated himself from Randy Edsell by his ability to build up programs (some of his Bearcats are Dantonio recruits) and win on a big stage. UConn never really were a contender in the Big East, and Kelly seemed to have more support from the alumni. His personality is perfect for the job and outside of Urban Meyer or Bob Stoops, he had to been the favorite.

What does this mean for Notre Dame? They will have another tough year next year losing most of their great players and switching to more of a spread offense that Kelly prefers. They will start to land some bigger recruits and it will take 3 or 4 more years before they start winning again. Notre Dame may learn from past mistakes. Maybe they will give him 6 years, and not sign him to a 10 year extension after his first sign of success. Kelly can turn Notre Dame into a consistent winner (not a consistent National Title contender) and be a solid hire. With so much salary being eaten, don't expect to see Kelly going anywhere for a while.

In Cincinnati, they may hire Butch Jones, the man who replaced Kelly in Central Michigan. Jones has 2 MAC titles and a trip to the GMAC Bowl ranked 25th in the nation. But with Mr. Everything Lefevour graduating, now could be a good time to get another, higher paying, higher profile job. He is also interested in the Marshall job, but Marshall will lack the BCS conference power and probably some of the money. Marshall did finish with 2.5 million dollars in profit so they can invest in facilities and attract better recruits and coaches, like Jones. He could go and try to dominate Conference USA and land a better job down the road. We should see plenty more coaches move around as the season draws to a close.

You're Welcome: College Football Shines

Before this week's You're Welcome, I will do a mock Heisman Ballot (because I don't get a real vote...yet). This is what it would look like:

1. Ndamukong Suh, DT Nebraska
2. Mark Ingram, RB Alabama
3. Toby Gerhart, RB Stanford
4. Colt McCoy, QB Texas
5. Tim Tebow, QB Florida

This may be the deepest 1-5 in the Heisman ballot that I can remember. Tebow may have gotten there because of Florida's success and past triumphs. Still a very solid group of talented football players.

My pick for this week's Thursday Night Football game is Steelers over Browns. Now for You're Welcome!

1. Cincinnati Bearcats: Down by 21, on the road against a stellar defense and outstanding opponent in Pittsburgh, you jumped on Marty Gilyard's shoulders and he carried you to Big East promise land. Tony Pike shook off an awful game to deliver in crunch time. Sure, your coach was lying and was jumping to go to Notre Dame but still you hung in tough. Dion Lewis touched the ball over 50 times and you were able to slow him down in the end. The whole game I was sure Pitt would hold on for the win and take the Big East Crown and automatic BCS birth. But the resilience of Cinncy was too much and now they get the privilege to play Florida on the national stage.

2. Ndamukong Suh: You completely dominated Colt McCoy and his offensive line. Suh propelled himself into the Heisman race and at least is a top ten pick in the next April's NFL Draft. I sure hope he is wearing Honolulu Blue and Silver next season. His performance reminds me of Reggie Bush's thrashing of Fresno State that shot him to the Heisman. If he dominates his bowl and works out well, he can easily be the first pick taken. He has all the talent in the world and its great he can display it to everyone.

3. Mark Ingram: In another Heisman audition game, Ingram completely dominated the best, veteran defense in the nation with 3 touchdowns and over 100 very tough well earned yards. He came up with highlight reel plays just when Alabama needed it and put away the Gators for good in the second half. I bet he will win the Heisman, with the offensive bias, and may leave for the NFL draft (not as likely). But I hope the Flint native sticks around so we can see him run over defenders all over the field.

Tigers Cut Talent, Money But Only For Now?

The Tigers have started their "Everything Must Go!" sale today with dealing Edwin Jackson and fan favorite Curtis Granderson for prospects from the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. This trade is designed for the team to get a cheaper payroll and get some young position players in there for valuable playing time.

Curtis Granderson is everybody's Tiger (despite my Cubbie bear loyalties, I root for and watch a lot of Tigers games. I root for them over 28 other teams in the MLB, my Tiger is Brandon Inge.) and Edwin Jackson is a young up and coming pitcher. Both player's salaries are more than their new counterparts. Daniel Schlereth (father is Mark) is a good pitching prospect in the D-Backs system. They get Jackson, in their hopes they get the player who was lights out before the All-Star break. A move to the National League always helps. The D-Backs also cut ties with Max Scherzer, a relief pitcher (got to believe he is Brandon Lyon's replacement) who has potential. The player with the most hype is the Yankee's former top prospect Austin Jackson. He is a Center Fielder who can hit .300 in the bigs. He strikes out a lot and doesn't field too well yet. Phil Coke is a solid lefty out of the pen. Can't have enough of those. And most important to the man pictured (a WMU grad by the way) above is the Tigers shed about 11 million dollars in payroll.

At first, you see this deal and are outraged. A proven vet that everyone loves and a young pitcher who could be a solid second option for the Tigers. But, besides the obvious monetary reason this trade was made, this deal makes sense. Austin Jackson has more upside than Granderson and may hit for a higher average. Schlereth could be a solid young pitcher given time. Edwin Jackson could just have had a good half of the year, teams got film on him and then he started his decline. He didn't get run support but who did on the Tiger's staff? Edwin is a bit of a wild card, and they might have traded him at the peak of his value. The Tigers didn't give up any prospects and filled everything they traded away. The two relievers they received should be solid additions to a weaker bullpen. The Yankees got a 4th outfielder and upgraded their depth, and the D-Backs got a pitcher to start right away. The winner has to be the Tigers right now, and in a few years they could be big winners.

Don't start with me about fire Dombrowksi or whatever. He did overpay some players (all seemed like a good thing at the time right?) but he has drafted well and should have a chance to clean up his own mess. The only mistake he truly made was signing Dontrelle Willis to a 3 year 29 million dollar extension before he ever pitched for the Tigers (luckily its expiring soon). He has rebuilt the Marlins before and he can do it again here. He has to be more frugal in the future but he is one of the better General Managers in the MLB. Give it time, Tigers fans, it will be worth it in the long run. Next year could be brutal though.

The BCS Works

The National Title game is set, and if your not a fan of the BCS Busting Three Amigos, you have a lot of people to convince that they should be there over Texas or Alabama. The Big 12 is better than the WAC, Mountain West and Big East. They played a better schedule and I believe that they could beat all three at a neutral site. That being said, Texas barely beat the Nebraska Ndamukong Suhs (Cornhuskers) and are up there because they were ranked higher than the other three were. I'll make my opinion known now, my vote for Heisman would go to Suh, and I want the Lions to take him with their first pick. He has been a beast and could vastly improve any defense he would be on. How many defensive tackles can get so much penetration and be a force? Mark Ingram will probably win the Heisman with his domination of the vaunted Florida defense and he could be a very solid pro, but Suh is something special.

Enough about the Heisman, lets get to the Bowls:

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Iowa: The Triple Option vs Good Ol' Midwest corn fed defense! How fun! This should be a dark horse for bowl game of the season. The Big Ten needs a win, but the ACC is 1-8 in BCS Bowl games, yet we never hear how bad that conference is. A lot of talent will be on display this game, and QB Ricky Stanzi should be back for the Hawkeyes. Nesbitt and Dwyer should be running all day. Prediction 28-21 Iowa

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs Oregon: This has a shot to be a great game, and an equal shot to be a blowout. Oregon's defense is nothing special but their offense can control the game. Ohio State and Sweatervest need to get their act together and not embarrass the Big Ten anymore. OSU has an elite defense that no one seems to talk about, but the offense is the key. Pryor and his running backs (all with cute nicknames) need to put up points and take home the Rose Bowl trophy. Prediction: OSU 35 Oregon 34

Sugar Bowl: Florida vs Cincinnati: No way does Florida lose this game. Tebow and all those seniors want to go out with a win, and unlike Alabama last year who lost to Utah, they will be motivated and have something to prove. Florida is far more talented than Cincinnati. The Bearcat offense is too inconsistent with Pike at the helm, and if they run into a world class defense they'll have problems. They're defense is nothing special and Tebow could pick them apart. You better believe Tebow will play hard after the struggles on Saturday. Prediction: Florida 35 Cincinnati 14

Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs Boise State: In the Consolation Bowl, the two best BCS Busters square off. Boise has been here before and TCU is very balanced. This should be a very fun, hard fought game. Both teams have solid offense and TCU's defense is top 5 in the nation. Both fan bases will travel well and this game will be a good one. I wish they would have split these teams up (one play Georgia Tech, one play Iowa) so they can prove themselves against the big boys. Watch for a tough battle with both teams giving all they got. Prediction: TCU 21 Boise State 17

BCS National Title Game: Alabama vs Texas: In the Rose Bowl, Part 2, we see the Crimson Tide come in red hot after their playoff victory over Florida. Texas barely got past Nebraska (underrated) basically at home. Colt McCoy almost blew the whole season by not throwing the ball out of bounds earlier (Awareness: 75). Bama has a great defense and underrated offense with Ingram and Jones leading the way. McElroy is a solid QB in the mold of a game manager. This will be a better game then some people think, but Alabama will come out on top. Prediction: Alabama 28 Texas 17

NFL Picks Week 13

As I incorrectly picked on Wednesday, the Jets beat the Bills. On the season I am 122-55 with a 6-6 Upset Special record. Here are the week's picks.

Eagles over Falcons
Bears over Rams
Bengals over Lions
Colts over Titans
Broncos over Chiefs
Patriots over Dolphins
Steelers over Raiders
Saints over Redskins
Panthers over Buccaneers
Chargers over Browns
Cowboys over Giants
49ers over Seahawks

*Upset Special* Texans over Jaguars

Sunday Night Football: Vikings over Arizona
Monday Night Football: Packers over Ravens

You're Welcome: I'm Thankful For Football

I'll start this week by picking the NFL Thursday Night game with the Bills over the Jets. Now here is the weekly You're Welcome post!

1. Vince Young: This one could probably be chalked up for the entire Titan team, and even the owner who kicked this off by asking for Young to replace aging vet Kerry Collins. Young is now playing a style of football that suits him more, with option plays and shotgun passing systems like the ones in Texas. He recently set a career high in passing yards. He also led a 99 yard game winning TD drive against the Cardinals at home. I hate announcers that say "he just wins" or "hes a competitor" but he has taken steps to show he is maturing and could be the QB of the future for the Titans or possibly another team.

2. New Orleans Saints: Putting away doubts about if you're the real deal is always tough when your a team that has been pitiful for the majority of their existence. By beating the Patriots by 21 on Monday Night Football will do the trick most of the time. Maybe the Pats have slipped a bit and aren't the team we are all used to but they are still a top 10 team in the NFL. The Saints now have a lot to play for at the end of the year, trying to distance themselves from the Vikings for home field advantage. They have a surprisingly potent defense and a legendary offense that could score on about anyone. They have only a few losable games before the playoffs when they are going to be the favorites. We could certainly see a New Orleans Super Bowl appearance.

3. BCS Busters: TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati all have taken care of business (the Bearcats still have Pitt to take care of to get the Big East title) and avoided upsets that would have left them in a bowl that they are more accustomed to. The only way a playoff system will ever be implemented is if we see a Cinncy vs Boise State National Title game. I know it is unrealistic that we will ever see a playoff system (since the SEC title game is a playoff) and the money tied up in the Bowl games. Its always fun to root for the underdog and see how far they can go with none of the perks big programs enjoy.