Strange feeling...

Typically, to both friends and family, I'm known as the listener, advice giver, the peacemaker/-keeper, etc. But, just like everyone else, I have my soft spots, pet peeves, and once in a while, I feel as if I've bit my tongue/lip for far too long and it's about time I spout a few words of my own.

Some people I know and I make like Cheers at a local lounge. We go there about once a week to socialize, drink, eat, have a few laughs, etc. The problem I run into with some of these people is when talk politics and/or tell bad jokes. I don't mean the jokes aren't funny bad, I mean they're in very poor taste. They're either sexist, racist, or homophobic. I can typically just turn my head and block out the slurs and derogatory commentary. I've tried in my past, asking them if they wouldn't mind not saying such things around me, but it's done no good. But, this past Monday, I finally had enough.

Two televisions play at this lounge and the material shown is usually sports-related. So, there we were, watching SportsCenter and one of the two anchors was a female. So, what's my friend say, "Why's she on there? That shouldn't be allowed. He's also made comments before in regard to Hillary Clinton and why he believes she has no chance at a victory in the 2008 (or any, for that matter) presidential election. Why won't she win, so he says? No self-respecting man would vote a woman into office. That's his reason. He has similar thoughts and feelings on Barack Obama, due to his skin color. Later on Monday evening, an African-American athlete appeared on the screen and as is true about 75% of the time when his eyes meet the television screen where an African-American appears, he made some derogatory remarks. I then decided to philosophize. This guy was dead set on the athlete playing into a stereotype and not dressing respectfully, so I simply started asking, "Well, define what is dressing respecfully." He gave a very weak definition and I continued to inquire, "Alright, and why is that definition correct and another's is incorrect?" He then started saying that murderers in the video game Grand Theft Auto dress like the athlete depicted on television, to which I asked, "So, are you drawing the link that those who dress like that are more apt to murdering another than one who is not? Where are the facts to back up that claim?" He then said, "Well, he should be a good role model." I then inquired, "Define what a good role model is and why is this guy not one, according to you?" He said, "A suit, a tie, 'respectable' haircut, etc., etc., etc." I then said, "What about the many politicians who have committed crimes? Enron and other such corrupt organizations? Are they "respectable" simply because of their "professional" attire? Is one more of a role model for a child to dress "professionally," but commit felonies as opposed to one who doesn't wear "professional" attire, but doesn't commit any crime? He just kept on coming with the slurs and I finally just calmly said, "Prejudiced bast***." I think I'm done with this group of people. Perhaps my naivete got the best of me and I thought I could potentially open their minds some, but I was obviously wrong in that regard. An old friend of mine preached to me about this racist's right to free speech. Yeah, he does have that right, but I don't have to agree with it. I have just as much a right to disagree and to refuse to be affiliated with it in any way. I very much appreciate differing opinion, but don't appreciate hate. These couple people are hateful toward anyone but the heterosexual white male and while some may preach to me that it's their first amendment right to believe such things, I believe such prejudices are rooted in ignorance and insecurity.

It's just left with an odd feeling ever sense. It feels as if I've been typecasted through the years by these friends and family members of mine as the shrink and for whatever reason, I've felt a sense of guilt for actually speaking out, because it perhaps hurt another's feelings. I don't know, I keep trying to tell myself that perhaps it shook him some and he'll think twice before using derogatory language again, but call me pessimistic, I just don't see that occuring, unfortunately.

When will the media learn?

I live in the Omaha area currently, so when news broke of the shooting at Westroads Mall, it hit a little closer to home for me and those I know than to most in the country. But why the media obsesses over such stories when they do occur is beyond me.

The shooter (I won't give him the satisfaction of mentioning his name) at the mall wrote in a suicide note, "Now I'll be famous." Why did the kid do what he did as opposed to just killing himself? Due to the amount of press the Columbine shootings received, the Virginia Tech massacre received, etc., he knew darn well that if he went on a killing spree like the perpetrators in the other two horrendous massacres did, he'd get his face placed all over the news, the papers, and regardless of how he'd be remembered by most, he'd be remembered.

So, what ensued that day and in the days to come? Non-stop coverage. The kid got his wish. He became famous. Why do we continue to do this? There will continue to be copycats if the media obsesses over each and every such case. The 24-hour news cycle is one major problem. When stories like this arise, the news networks don't have much to worry about in terms of finding material to fill the 24-hours. With stories like these, they basically have an off day, because they need only to focus on that one story.

I just wish we'd learn from these previous mistakes and I'm not scapegoating the media for the kid being mentally disturbed. The media is irrelevant to his depression and other troubles, BUT, I highly doubt that without past media obsession over such slaughters, this guy would have thought he'd get "famous" by doing something like this. There's no way he'd become famous by committing suicide, unless he was a celebrity, which was not the case. So, through his words, "Now I'll be famous" in his suicide note, I have to believe the media is partly to blame for his shooting spree at the mall. Unfortunately, due to the obsession with this case, it'll probably happen again. From now on, I say just briefly mention the story on the news, the victims' faces/names, so that the friends and family know, and don't even mention the name/show the face of the perpetrator. He/she doesn't deserve any kind of face time. That's exactly what they wanted and I see no point in giving them that satisfaction.

Week 14 College Football Picks and Results

Predictions
Thursday
Rutgers at Louisville: Louisville is trying to become the sixth Big East team (of eight) to qualify for a bowl bid. The Cardinals come into this game at 5-6 and a bye week, following their embarrassing 55-17 loss to South Florida a couple weeks ago. Anything is possible these days, but I have trouble believing the porous Cardinals' front seven will be able to stop Ray Rice short of 150-200 yards rushing for the game. Rutgers wins and heads into bowl season at 8-4, while the Cardinals watch at home.
Rutgers 27 Louisville 24
Louisville 41 Rutgers 38 (0-1)

Friday
Fresno State at New Mexico State: Outside of Hawaii, Pat Hill's Fresno State Bulldogs are playing some of the best football in the WAC. Even with the Aggies coming off a much needed bye week, I don't see them even come close to upsetting the Bulldogs. Fresno finishes the regular season at 8-4.
Fresno State 38 New Mexico State 17
Fresno State 30 New Mexico State 23 (1-1)

Saturday
Miami (Ohio) vs. Central Michigan (MAC Championship): This is quite an odd "title" game, as it features two teams with a combined record of just 13-11. If Miami (Ohio) loses this game, they will not be eligible to go bowling, as they will finish the regular season at 6-7. Just three teams in the MAC have an above .500 record and two of those clubs are not featured in this one (Bowling Green at 8-4 and Ball State at 7-5). The Chippewas have been living dangerously of late with their nail-biters down the stretch, but Miami can't even claim that feat, as they're coming off a 38-29 loss to 6-6 Ohio. CMU lives dangerously again, but pulls out another close victory to finish the regular season at 8-5.
Central Michigan 38 Miami (Ohio) 31
Central Michigan 35 Miami (Ohio) 10 (2-1)

Navy vs. Army: One of the most historic rivalries in all of sports. Unfortunately, Army is not nearly as good as they once were on the gridiron and Navy has bettered the Black Knights rather regularly the past few years. Expect more of the same in this one, as Navy finishes the season at 8-4 and heads to the Poinsettia Bowl.
Navy 42 Army 24
Navy 38 Army 3 (3-1)

Tulsa vs. Central Florida (C-USA Championship): One team I would not want to face right now is Central Florida. Ever since the Golden Knights' embarrassing 64-12 loss to South Florida, which sent UCF to an even 3-3 record, the Knights have won six consecutive games, by a total of 130 points (21.7 ppg). UCF's low output during this stretch was when they scored JUST 34 points in their 17-point victory in Hattiesburg, Mississippi against Jeff Bower's Golden Eagles. Tulsa, meanwhile, has allowed 82 points in the past two weeks (40.5 average) to the likes of Army (3-8) and Rice (3-9). With how well UCF has played on both sides of the ball of late and how poorly Tulsa has played on defense, I give the edge to George O'Leary's Golden Knights.
Central Florida 45 Tulsa 31
Central Florida 44 Tulsa 25 (4-1)

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (ACC Championship): The Hokies won 55 of the 60 minutes played against Boston College earlier in the season, only to fall late by the final score of 14-10. I have a hard time believing that Frank Beamer, Bud Foster, and company will allow that to happen again. The Hokies have been on a tear since that loss, beating the likes of: Georgia Tech (7-5), Florida State (7-5), Miami (Florida) (5-7), and Virginia (9-3) by the combined score of 144-59 (average of 36.0 - 14.8). BC has just been good enough to win some ball games down the stretch, like their one this past Saturday, when they defeated Miami 28-14. With revenge on their minds and in playing the best football of any ACC team over the past month, I look for Virginia Tech to win the ACC Championship and head to a BCS game at 10-2.
Virginia Tech 24 Boston College 17
Virginia Tech 30 Boston College 16 (5-1)

Florida Atlantic at Troy: For how dominant Troy has been in the Sun Belt conference this year, it's hard to believe that the winner of this game will be crowned conference champion. Troy comes into the game 6-0 in Sun Belt play and Howard Schnellenberger's Burrowing Owls at 5-1. Schnelly has definitely helped improve FAU this season and regardless of the outcome here, they'll finish the regular season bowl eligible, but Troy is just too darn good to lose the season finale at home. Troy finishes the year 7-0 in conference and 9-3 overall. I feel bad for whomever they play come bowl season.
Troy 38 Florida Atlantic 24
Florida Atlantic 38 Troy 32 (5-2)

Tennessee vs. LSU (SEC Championship): Both clubs are coming off some extremely wild games this past weekend. Arkansas took LSU to three overtimes, before upsetting the then #1 ranked Tigers 50-48. It took four overtimes to decide the victor between Tennessee and Kentucky, with the Vols hanging on to a 52-50 lead at game's end. A few weeks ago, I would've said that the Vols had no chance in this one, but much has changed during that time. Tennessee's defense has risen to the occasion (nevermind the 50 points allowed last Saturday) and LSU has lived on edge, before finally falling off the cliff this past weekend. With all the rumors swirling about head coach Les Miles going to Michigan and defensive coordinator Bo Pelini potentially going to Nebraska, there are many in-house distractions which will play a factor in the Tigers' upcoming games. I look for Tennessee to take full advantage of this opportunity and be crowned SEC Champion.
Tennessee 34 LSU 31
LSU 21 Tennessee 14 (5-3)

Louisiana Tech at Nevada: With both teams coming into the game at 5-6, the winner will officially become bowl eligible and the loser will...well...not. With the game at home and dual-threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick coming off a disappointing couple of efforts, I look for the freshman stud to rebound nicely at home and at least give the Wolfpack a chance of being invited to a bowl game.
Nevada 38 Louisiana Tech 28
Nevada 49 Louisiana Tech 10 (6-3)

UCLA at USC: Bruins' head coach, Karl Dorrell, was probably thanking his lucky stars that his club beat Oregon this past weekend to improve to 6-5, which made them bowl eligible. Why? The Trojans' national championship hopes were dashed last season following the Bruins' regular season finale upset. With many of the players returning to this year's club, including quarterback John David Booty, look for the Trojans to avenge last year's loss, improve to 10-2, and head to another Rose Bowl.
USC 27 UCLA 13
USC 24 UCLA 7 (7-3)

Oregon State at Oregon: The Ducks' offense is lost without their leader, Dennis Dixon. Back-up quarterback, Brady Leaf, was also injured in the loss to UCLA last weekend. The Ducks played most of the game with their third and fourth-string quarterbacks. Look for more of the same in The Civil War. Oregon State has been playing pretty well of late and should make the most of the opportunity a Dixonless Ducks' squad provides them. The Beavers improve to 8-4 on the season while the Ducks fall to 8-4.
Oregon State 24 Oregon 10
Oregon State 38 Oregon 31 2OT (8-3)

BYU at San Diego State: A make-up game due to hazardous weather conditions. The Aztecs are probably now wishing that they had played in the harsh weather, as it may have made the game a bit closer than it will be this upcoming Saturday. BYU leads from start to finish, as the Cougars improve to 10-2 on the season on their way to a bowl game.
BYU 41 San Diego State 13
BYU 48 San Diego State 27 (9-3)

California at Stanford: Cal needs this game, just from a confidence standpoint. Stanford is 3-8 and regardless if they win this one or not, they have had some peaks this year from which to build for next year. Cal was once 5-0, ranked #2 in the country, and a few seconds away from sending a game with Oregon State into overtime, where, with a victory, they'd move up to #1 in the nation. Six games later and a 1-5 record in that span to reach a cumulative record of 6-5, and the Golden Bears are reeling. Their lowest offensive output through their first four games was 31 points in their 31-24 win over Oregon at Autzen Stadium. Their high output in the past six games is 28 points in their 31-28 loss to Oregon State at home, which initiated the slide. With the week off for players to heal and coaches to fix some quirks in game strategies from recent losses, I look for the Bears to close the regular season with a much needed victory, at the expense of the cellar dweller in the Pac-10. Cal finishes at 7-5.
California 31 Stanford 17
Stanford 20 California 13 (9-4)

North Texas at Florida International: This is one of two games that FIU probably circled at the start of the season, believing that they had a legitimate shot to win. But, unfortunately for them, the Mean Green has been better of late and for the second consecutive season, I see the Golden Panthers finishing the season at 0-12.
North Texas 34 Florida International 17
Florida International 38 North Texas 19 (9-5)

Pittsburgh at West Virginia: The Backyard Brawl, or so it's called, has more meaning to it this year than in year's past. No, it's not a top ten match-up or a battle for the Big East crown, BUT, with a win in this game, West Virginia will be all but ensured a spot in the national championship game. The 10-1 Mountaineers have already assured themselves a spot in a BCS bowl, with a win over Connecticut last week, but are still one win away from finding themselves in the title game. Pittsburgh won't be a push-over and may play WVU tightly for about a half, but the running of Pat White, Steve Slaton, and Noel Devine will wear down the Pitt defense in the second half, as the Mountaineers get their opportunity to be crowned national champions.
West Virginia 38 Pittsburgh 17
Pittsburgh 13 West Virginia 9 (9-6)

Arizona at Arizona State: Even with three straight wins under their belt, Arizona is still one win away from becoming bowl eligible. ASU may be playing with their heads in the sand some, coming off a very disappointing 44-24 loss to USC last Thursday, which made the Trojans the Pac-10 front-runner for the Rose Bowl. Taking all that into consideration, I give the slight edge to U of A, to upend their in-state rival, which pushes them to 6-6 and bowl eligibility.
Arizona 31 Arizona State 27
Arizona State 20 Arizona 17 (9-7)

Oklahoma vs. Missouri (Big XII Championship): The Tigers led 24-23 after three quarters in the first meeting this season, before falling flat on their face in the 4th quarter en route to a 41-31 loss. But, the Tigers have improved since then and OU has fluctuated some between dominance (ask Texas A&M) and mediocrity (ask Texas Tech). With the Sooners' quarterback, Bradford, not 100% and tailback, Murray, out the rest of the season, I look for Mizzou's offense to outscore the Sooners for the Big XII title and a national championship berth against West Virginia.
Missouri 38 Oklahoma 31
Oklahoma 38 Missouri 17 (9-8)

Washington at Hawaii: I'm done picking against Hawaii in Honolulu. Washington should be able to score some points on the Warriors, but UW just gave up 42 points to Washington State last Saturday night, so I have trouble believing the Huskies' defense will improve much for this next game. Hawaii could suffer a bit of a let-down, with all the hype that surrounded the Boise State game last Friday night, but not enough to suffer their first loss of the season. Hawaii finishes the year 12-0 and earns a trip to a BCS game, where they should get slaughtered by the opposition.
Hawaii 48 Washington 31
Hawaii 35 Washington 28 (10-8)

Week 14 Record: 10-8 (.556)
Overall Record: 445-194 (.696)