Sense, Nonsense, and Not-Sense

*nods* they were talking about the thing with the senator on the news last ight. How can you rescind your resignation? I mean, if you're resigned, you're resigned, right?

also, quack some ducks? what?

At least you're taking the lack of a place to live in stride. If I were you, well, I'd be freaking out. Oh wait, I did have a job and no place to live and I did freak out and you had to play worms world party to get me to crack a smile. heh.

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silveradept

Well, considering the senator hasn't actually resigned, only announced an intent to do so, then he could reconsider, since he hasn't actually resigned his position.

I do have a place to live. I just can't move into it yet.

Regarding Duck-quacking, think University of Oregon, the next nonconference opponent for the now-unranked Wolverines.

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Oh, right. They use Donald Duck, don't they?

So all this drama has been over an intent to resign? sheesh.

Yeah, I know. But the whole not being able to move into it would really be bothering me.

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silveradept

Well, I don't know if they use Donald, but they probably have worked something out with Walt's company about anything that looks close to Donald.

It's not about an intent to resign, really, it's about pleading guilty to attemtped solicitation in a men's restroom. And then how that conflicts with the unwritten rule that all social conservatives support Republicans, and any even hint of not being a perfect WASP brings death and dishonor upon all of them.

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But if he did it....doesn't that make him guilty?

And, I checked wiki, it's donald. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Oregon apparently it's a "handshake agreement", whatever that means.

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Handshake Agreement - a verbal contract between 2 or more parties that is NOT written on any form of parchment or notarized. Disney said U of O could use the Donald Duck character as their mascot but he didn't have it put into writing. When he died, the next generation figured "why should they let Oregon keep the image and NOT pay royalty fees for using what is considered Disney property (per Copyright laws.)

As for the "Quack up some Ducks" comment, I won't hold it against you, Elwood. :P

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But Oregon still uses donald, so do they now pay to use it?

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As far as things go, it's safe to assume that is true. They tried to have a new mascot but the fans & alumni (who are important when getting money) said the attempts looked like crap so they're back to Donald, and as things stand they are still beholden to pay Disney Corp for use of copyrighted material. They are no doubt talks between U of O & Disney to hammer something out but Walt was a king who made his own rules. Now Disney is nothing more than a business run by the shareholders and Directors who only care about money.

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We saved all our special plays just for you guys. We'll see if Michigan can exhibit some competence this time around, word is last game was just sloppy and lazy. I also heard that the App. State campus was the site of mass celebratory rioting. Specifically that students could be heard screaming half a mile away, and that they tore down the goalpost and left it in the Chancellor's yard.

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silveradept

I hope, for their sakes, that they show some competence this time around, or it's going to be a long year for them. This loss and subsequent plummeting from the ranking is hopefully the kick in the pants that they need to actually start playing like a good team again.

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I just find it sad that thanks to the BCS ranking system, this one loss could mean that they have no chance of attending a meaningful Bowl game.

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silveradept

They'll need another one, in-conference, before you can say that, because if they run the table, they get a meaningful bowl game, regardless of record, because they win the conference. If they should stumble again in the conference, or get wiped out nastily, then you can say they're going away, but in this case, bceause it's early on, there's still plenty of chance for a meaningful, but unlikely to be championship, bowl game.

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Ah.

It's still annoying how they rate all the teams, though. It doesn't have to be nearly this complicated, but they've figured out that more bowls equals more money, so pretty soon almost everyone will go to one bowl or the other regardless of record.

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silveradept

Already do, really. There are a lot of bowls going on, as you'll see when the "bowl week" which starts about 22 December and ends 4 or 5 January will attest to, all with payouts and television coverage of some sort.

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If U-M ends the season ranked anywhere from 1-4 in conference, they'll go to a bowl game, because those aren't determined by overall stats, just by big-10 stats, right?

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silveradept

Generally, yeah, that's the idea. But, if I recall, those are traditions rather than requirements, and the BCS and such may impose different things at any given time if they should so choose.

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Yeah but i thought it always was that the Big 10 #1 goes to champ, #2 Rose, and somewhere along the lines 3 and 4 get orange or outback....i think?

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silveradept

No, the Big 10 champ does not automatically go to the BCS championship bowl. By tradition and contract, unless they're in the BCS championship game, the Rose Bowl game has the first option of selecting the Big 10 champion as their bowl pick. When the Rose Bowl is the BCS championship, or Big Ten champion is going to BCS championship, that spot can be filled with #2 or an at-large spot. So most of those bowl games are traditionally, although they may now be contractually, supposed to fill certain spots. No guarantees, though.

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ah, okay. but it does stand to reckon, given tradition, that at least half the big 10 will go to a bowl game, and it's also quite possible/likely that U-M will still go to one - granted, it might be one of those "by invitation" bowl games, but like I said the other day - who cares? A bowl is a bowl.

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Hey, at least they'll beat Notre Dame--they looked just plain bad.

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In before flamethrower-wielding StarKruzr.

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Notre Dame can bite me. They're a losing team with a national TV deal that includes incredibly slanted commentary. And then the fans wonder why everyone hates their team!

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I always wondered why NBC carries Notre Dame games. When did that deal get worked out?

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Notre Dame got the deal back in the 60's. One of the main reasons what they they are not part of any conference. They're not Big Ten, SEC, PAC-10 or whatnot. Every game they play is non-conference and they had to do a lot of traveling. Back then, teams didn't travel so much as they do now so they set up a deal for them to have their games broadcast nationally so everyone could see them.

Of course, back then they were good. They were considered for a long time to be "America's Team" but now it's like seeing that old whore that's still working the corner after 50 years on the streets. She ain't what she used 'ta be.

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Since 1991, apparently. They sure run their football program like dirty mercenaries. Between the money from the TV deal and the fact that they wouldn't have to split bowl prize money (not that that's been a problem for their last 9 trips) with their conference (since they have declined to be part of one like everyone else), they must be using it to subsidize a lot of faculty swimming pools.

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