12.5.07

A Quick Rant

Every year at this time, when college football programs are trying to replace the coaches who have been fired or have left for other positions.

And every year at this time we are bombarded with the incessant ranting of various civil rights groups, screaming from the rooftops with the fact that there are only 6 minority head coaches in Division I football.

There is no doubt that this is a grossly disproportionate number of minority coaches. However, the so-called "Rooney Rule" where schools and teams are required to interview a minority coach is short-sighted and ineffectual.

Use the Texas A&M example...

They had an opening, they had an alum who has been extraordinarily successful in coaching in Mike Sherman---and they hired him within 24 hours of the job opening up.

What would be the point of interviewing a minority? They knew who they wanted.

The same way that a few years ago, UCLA and Washington knew who they wanted---and they hired black coaches (albeit unsuccessfully.)

But here's the overwhelming truth of all this:

Affirmative action in high level positions sets civil rights back, it doesn't move it forward.

When Martin Luther King Jr. was leading the civil rights movement, he asked us to view all people "not by the color of their skin, but but the content of their character." And yet modern civil rights leaders, who claim they are continuing King's movement, are doing just the opposite---they're asking people to be judged (in this case, interviewed) based on the color of their skin and not the content of their character.

It is short-sighted and stupid.

NBA Scouts aren't required to bring in a white player when evaluating draft picks, despite the NBA being 86% black. And why don't they have to do this? Because it is ridiculous. The simple fact is that there are more talented black players than white players---and not because they're black, because they're simply better.

The same goes for coaches. You hire the best guy.

So for the affirmative action types out there--just give it time. A couple of decades ago there was racism in coaching. People simply weren't hired because of the color of their skin.

But over time, teams started hiring minority position coaches, now they're hiring minority coordinators---the system will naturally bring them up. If someone is successful as a coordinator, they'll get a small college head coaching job. If they're successful there, they'll move up.

Just don't tell me that people need to be hired based on the color of their skin--it is degrading to people of all color and ethnicity.




'tis the Season for Over-rated/Under-rated...

Over-rated: Angels on the tops of trees.
Under-rated: Midgets on the tops of trees.
I place midget jokes alongside mullet jokes...the lowest possible form of comedy. However--the idea of walking into a room and seeing a midget on the top of a tree is beautiful to me...

Over-rated: Elf
Under-rated: Home Alone

Maybe if the producers of this movie hadn't pulled a Medellin and put every entertaining part of Elf in the preview it wouldn't have sucked so much. Aside from that, Home Alone I and II (there were no other Home Alones, is that clear??) are two of the top 100 movies of all-time.

Over-rated: Celebrating Quanza, Hanukkah, Festivus and Chrismukah
Under-rated: Not burning in hell.
Pick a faith and go with it. Even Democrats can get religion straight...

(Oh--FYI--one of the Arnolds emailed me yesterday to tell me that SHE is presently pretending to be Jewish so she can use some Jewish gym...PURE class...)

Over-rated: Writing "X-Mas"

Under-rated: Realizing that the "Christ" part of the holiday is somewhat important.
Little known fact: Christmas is NOT the celebration of Santa Claus' birthday.

Over-rated: Ham
Under-rated: Everything but ham.
Please Lord let me avoid this disgusting meat this holiday season.

Over-rated: Prancer
Under-rated: Blitzen
How the F did PRANCER get a movie made after him? Shouldn't the ad-wizards have realized that BLITZEN is one of the more badass names a reindeer could have. Screw it--I'm naming my first born Blitzen.

Over-rated: The Transiberian Orchestra
Under-rated: The local children's choir
I saw "TO" (as their fans call them) and I genuinely fell asleep. Sorry...little kids singing Silent Night makes me feel a little more Christmasy than Rob Zombie-esque bass riffs.

Over-rated: Pretending to be unique because you "always" watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on Christmas Eve.
Under-rated: Realizing that you don't know the movie as well as McCaw and I.
"Have a REALLY, MERRY, CHRISTMAS" Who says it? Don't know?? YOU LOSE!

Over-rated: Hanging the big multi-colored bulb lights on your house.
Under-rated: Avoiding social activity with people who hang the big multi-colored bulb lights on their house.
I mean--really??? Isn't that up there with a waterbed and a "Who Farted?" hat on the list of things that you never want one of your friends to own??

Over-rated: Carol of the Bells
Under-rated: THIS!
I'm on a mission to convince TBS to air that 33 second clip on a 24-hour loop right before they start showing A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve. Speaking of which...

Over-rated: A Christmas Story
Under-rated: Questioning what the hell time period that movie was set in.
It is a Christmas-classic...but it sits a ways down on my Christmas movie list (note--this is a ranking of their importance during the Christmas season--not on the quality of the movie, which can be noted in my All-time Top 100):

1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
2. Miracle on 34th Street (New)
3. Home Alone II
4. It's a Wonderful Life
5. Home Alone
6. A Flintstone Christmas (but NOT A Flintstone Christmas CAROL)
7. Die Hard
8. Love Actually

9. Die Hard II
10. A Christmas Story

Over-rated: Milk and Cookies for Santa

Under-rated: Bringing back the Coke/Pepsi Challenge
My brother and I extrapolated that and put out a new soda challenge every year. One year it was about five types of Orange Soda. That morning, we looked out on the frosty lawn and saw Santa's lifeless corpse, struck dead from an insulin shortage.

Over-rated: Mouthwash for your stocking
Under-rated: Infrared goggles for your stalking
What better time of year to ensure that your ex-girlfriend can be seen through her window even at night.


Christmas Mailbag this week?? I need some questions...
mcflyblogs@gmail.com