Finding enough Murray State and Western Kentucky football programs to build a schedule around,
Identifying enough alumni who really believe in the institution’s academic focus to give thousands of hard-earned dollars so they can be entertained on autumn Saturdays, and
Figuring out a way to attract some decent athletes that are capable of constructing enough complete sentences to pass Freshman English.

Scheduling

Early pioneers of creative scheduling used to rely on sportswriters to simply pick their team as a contender for the National Championship. In years past, the Cornish Game Huskers of Nebraska routinely scheduled unbelievably weak opponents to open their season. They would fill Memorial Stadium in Lincoln with throngs of beer basted, red nosed (and clad) fans to watch the Huskers thrash teams that could hardly assemble eleven people for the kick off.

The advent of the BCS scoring system changed all that. Instead of arranging weekly massacres of poor opponents in September, the Big and Red administration had to try and bring in some quality opponents such as Southern Cal and Virginia Tech. It is bad enough that Nebraska has to face serious competition in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas during their conference schedule. Now, that danged BCS has made the Big and Red Fans (BaRFs), actually see some real games during the harvest season.

The University of Michigan – another of the hallowed monster football programs – used to try the weak-sister scheduling method to gather steam for a national championship run. Unfortunately for them (and a blessedly for the rest of us), over the past two seasons, they scheduled in Appalachian State and the University of Utah as part of their September Patsy Parade. The really bad news for the Wolverines is that both AppState and the Utes actually showed up. In 2008, an early loss to Utah set the stage for a remarkable skid into the grey land of bowl ineligibility. Now, all the snow choked Wolverine fans have to make up a reason to go drink beer in Florida while other teams continue to play football.

The Indiana Hoosier football team didn’t harbor any realistic thoughts of attending a bowl game this year, but they followed the scheduling methodology perfectly. They then hit the tank after a 2-0 start. In taking a closer look, those two early season wins against Western Kentucky and Murray State didn’t actually qualify as genuine games. Still, the Hoosiers actually played the games and managed to defeat both. It just didn’t prepare them for the rest of the Big Ten schedule, which quickly relegated Indiana to their usual place sweeping up the stalls at the bottom of the heap.

Alumni Relations

It has been said that to be successful as a college administrator, one must provide three things to three different constituencies. Students want sex, the faculty wants parking and alumni want winning sports. While the student interest generally takes care of itself and a modest effort can pacify the faculty demand for parking places and hook ups for electric cars, the Alumni demand is quite a bit more challenging.

Some of the more creative administrators remember that alumni were once students themselves and therefore might be more closely attuned to the student demand. That is why cheerleaders are instructed to perform in front of the alumni section as much as in front of the student cheap seats.

Free beer and chips also keep alumni pacified during losing seasons, but at some point, the administration needs to deliver either a winner on the field or provide the hope for delivering a winner. It is this last point that impacts the career of football coaches. Coaches are motivators – not only of players but of alumni as well. Players provide the muscle for on the field execution, alumni provide the funds for the weight room as well as the recruiting parties. Some of these alums attend as well.

Recruiting

A tribute to Dan Hawkins (currently coach of the Colorado Buffalos and formerly of Boise State), seems appropriate here. Motivational speaking can only accomplish so much. However, Hawkins has achieved a level of success rarely touched by others. Convincing a star pampered athlete to leave the comfortable confines of his San Diego prep school to play football on the frozen prairie wasteland of Idaho is a remarkable feat. It is so cold there that the field turned blue. Still the ‘Hawk’ hacked a powerhouse program out of that wilderness due to superior coaching ability and outstanding motivational skill.

Now, the University of Colorado – from its stunningly beautiful Boulder, CO campus – thinks that Hawkins should never lose another game. Unfortunately for the Buffalo Steaks, that hasn’t quite panned out just yet. Still, Hawkins has had some solid recruiting success and the CU program at least appears headed in the right direction. The Buffalos are the Sage’s pick for the surprise team of 2009.

When it comes down to it, there is only so much the coaches can do to produce a winner. They have to put talented athletes on the field. Unfortunately, they have to put these same athletes in Freshman English. Have you heard some of these athletes try to give a radio interview? Ask what it is to conjugate a verb and many will just ask for the key to the restroom. Success on the field does not guarantee success in the classroom. This may be why Duke has such a problem putting a competitive team on the field. Spelling one’s name correctly on the Duke entrance exam is but one requirement. Athletes need to be academically able to attend the Stanfords, Northwesterns, Notre Dames and Dukes of the football world. To these schools, the Sage sends his kudos. You can’t put students in the classroom who have trouble distinguishing verb from pronoun, even if they can run 40 yards in 4.25 seconds.

There will be a number of new coaches and staffs in place for the 2009 season. Usually, season one for a new coaching staff is a disaster. Little recruiting has been done and there is no history for a star recruit to look at to help in his decision to attend. It is in these first years though, that the average viewer really learns who can coach and who can’t. If you have a team made up of essentially walk-on players taking the field to play Oklahoma, you are going to find out who can motivate his team to play its best. And every now and then, you get a huge upset. That is why we keep tuning in and buying the College Football Executive Package from our cable companies. So keep an eye on Sarkisian at Washington next year… Should the Huskies win a game next year, it will be because of solid coaching and not necessarily great recruiting.

Winning football traditions bring multiple of factors together for a successful season. But it’s the losers that figure out interesting ways to blow it. The Sage of College Football will be here to bring you all the fun and interesting tidbits for 2009.

For more wit and wisdom, please visit the author’s home page at http://firstworst.com

It’s not easier for Americans seeking cheap vacations at state parks and campgrounds. They’re likely to find higher fees and reduced hours because of economy-necessitated, budget cuts. Eleven state-run, historic sites in Illinois were closed for 5 months. Utah’s 43 state parks and museums hired fewer workers and eliminated jobs. Georgia’s state park budget was cut by about 40%. New York’s campgrounds opened later and are closing earlier than last year. Nevertheless, the number of state park visits is expected to stay about the same as 2008 – 748 million. State parks are still cheaper than hotels and motels to park vacationing families.

For families taking “staycations” the need for inexpensive, local entertainment during the recession has increased visits to unusual, local sites. In San Francisco the tour of the wastewater- treatment plant is overbooked. The Texas Prison Museum is having more visitors wanting to see things like the state’s first electric chair and toilet-paper roses made by inmates. The Rig Museum, an oil rig in Louisiana’s bayou, is having more visitors in spite of its highway billboard blowing down in 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Of course, for those of us who can’t afford local attractions, there are always guilt trips.

People in Eppelheim, Germany – home of Mercedes Benz – might not go anywhere. The town has been especially hard hit economically. Unemployment is up 70% since 2008 and many employees are working fewer hours. However, the German government provides generous unemployment checks, universal health care and inexpensive university education for all citizens. For employees working fewer hours, their employers pay for actual hours worked and the government pays the difference between those hours and usual hours. Then there’s parental leave. Couples can divide 14 months of paid parental leave and a mother’s job is secure for 3 years per child. In Germany hard times seem softer.

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This lively interview with the Wandering Jew, American Journalist, Ben Harris, about his travels and traveling, was done mostly by email, with two conversations via webcam on Skype. When this writer spoke to him off the record for background, he was in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency offices in New York City, but the reported interview via email comes mostly while he was abroad.   He reports in his blog about getting the assignment:   “Imagine this: Your boss calls you up one day. He tells you he wants to send you on a trip of many months, pretty much anywhere you want to go to write about  … well, pretty much anything you want to write about. You will be blogging, making videos, Twittering, and writing that old standby, the feature story. Starting now, he says, you are to spend your days scrounging up great stories of Jewish life and dreaming up interesting ways to report them around the world. Amazing, right? “That’s more or less the genesis of The Wandering Jew, a new JTA project that will take me across Europe and North America in the coming months, searching out stories that illuminate the many ways people express themselves Jewishly. Along the way, we’ll hopefully shed some light on some larger themes of Jewish life in these early years of the 21st century.”       How do you pack for this trip of yours?   Nothing special on the packing really, though I probably travel less lightly than I should. I have a wheeling Victorinox suitcase, a NorthFace backpack with all the fragile items — laptop and cameras mostly — and a tripod in a third bag. I can manage alright with everything, but I’m not exactly light on my feet.    I generally manage on my own. Backpack on one shoulder, tripod on the other, and the suitcase trailing behind. Again, if you’re looking for tips on light travel, I’m not your guy. I have waaaay too much stuff.     Have you anyone to help you carry all that stuff? Where do you usually stay, by the way? Hotels? Will you tell us the names of one or two that you recall, and how about the food?   I normally stay in hotels, but Europe is expensive, so I have had to get creative. The Pfefferrebet hostel in Berlin was clean and adequate, though not cheap for a hostel. I paid 59 Euros for a private room. It was also a little noisy, and I need quiet to work and sleep. So I upgraded to the Hotel Amano, a very stylish place, and about 25 more Euros a night. The room was tiny and the heat didn’t work. Berlin was not great on accommodations.    In Warsaw, though, I stayed at an exquisite hotel. The hotels are relatively inexpensive here, even the nice ones, so I treated myself a bit. The room was gorgeous, staff incredibly helpful, though the Internet was a bit pricy, which was an issue for me. But I would highly recommend the place — the Hotel Rialto.    Food wise, it has varied. I sampled kosher Hungarian ghoulash in Budapest and kosher Wienerschitzel in Vienna. But this part of the world is meat and potatoes country, and frankly it gets old kind of fast, especially not being a meat eater. I found a lovely vegetarian restaurant a few blocks from my hotel in Warsaw and I’ve been there three times already.      Any special tips to travelers who want to know about packing and carrying? You are now a professional traveler.   My best tip is bring an inexpensive laptop and familiarize yourself with the crucial travel sites. I have no idea how I could have pulled this off without web access — every city I visited, I read the reviews, checked the maps, made hotel and flight reservations, networked with people over Facebook and Twitter, searched recommendations for food, and on and on.   Here’s a good story for you. In Mexico, I was in Zacatecas visiting friends for the weekend and wanted to visit Guadalajara to be with the Jewish community there for Yom Kippur. But communities in Mexico are very closed — you can’t just show up. And we tried to get in touch with people there and were having trouble. Then out of the blue I get a message on Twitter from someone who was following my trip, just asking if I was planning to come to Guadalajara. I responded immediately that not only did we want to come, but we couldn’t find anyone there to host us. Turns out, the guy who Tweeted me was the rabbi of one of the two synagogues there. He invited us for dinner before the fast and generally hooked us up with everyone we needed to see. Was amazing.       Most of my movement around Europe has been by air, though I have taken some trains mostly for shorter hops. I have a lot of equipment with me. I have a Sony HD video camera, a wireless lav mic, a Samson USB mic (for voiceovers mostly), a heavy duty tripod, various electrical adaptors and connectors, and my MacBook pro for writing and editing video. All my work is done on the laptop, and for interviews I either write, record, or take notes right into the computer — and sometimes a combination. Depends on the circumstances really. Recording tends to be the worst option because of the time required to then go back and transcribe the interviews.      How did you hook up with this assignment? How long will you be gone, and will you do it again? Or don’t you know, yet?     I really have my editors to thank. The trip is being financed by grants that we have received for a number of different types of coverage. I don’t have to worry about it.    The Europe stretch is about six weeks. Before that I was in Mexico for 10 days and in Nevada for a week. When I return before Thanksgiving, I will be setting off again a few days later for about 2.5 weeks in the American South — Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas and possibly some others are on the schedule. I would love to keep doing this. It’s exhausting, physically and mentally, but the opportunity to travel and meet incredible people is really to good to pass up. If JTA is willing to keep me on the road, I’m happy to keep at it.    (Just at the beginning of November, 2009 Ben Harris reported on how things were going with his stories and travels. He has his ups and downs:  “One after another, the stories I intended to pursue have fallen through, or wound up not being stories at all. After three weeks on the road, I have to admit the possibility that it’s me — too little sleep, too many nights in strange hotel rooms, a certain fatigue beginning to set in. And I know it’s dangerous, if not lazy, to traffic in crude stereotypes. But after weeks in which I’ve barely seen the sun (except for the few hours I spent in transit above the clouds), it’s hard to resist.”)        Who is your favorite person you’ve met, or most memorable, so far? Tell us something of the character of the European Jew, as contrasted with the American. If you want to do so.   I’m reluctant to name favorites, but given Europe’s difficult Jewish history, there is no shortage of amazing stories. In Germany, I met an Orthodox rabbi who was born to a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father in Budapest. Intermarriage and kids with difficult, or even unknown, Jewish identities is extremely common in Europe because of the Holocaust and decades of Communist oppression. But this guy had an amazing story of discovering his roots, and today is helping to rebuild Jewish life in Germany. I could share some more details about him if you’re interested.      Please do tell us more. This is interesting, to learn about the Jewish community of Europe “growing” and “growing up.”   I’ve also come across a lot of American Jews who have, for various reasons, left the relative comforts of Jewish life in the United States behind and dedicated themselves to helping Jews, particularly in Eastern Europe (my travels have been entirely in central and Eastern Europe so far — I’m heading west this week), rediscover their identities. Their selflessness has been quite inspiring.    In Budapest, I met a group of young Jews who had opened a bar/event space as a sort of hangout for young Jews and as a way to participate in the wider Hungarian discussion. Hungary is unique in this part of Europe because its Jewish community is so large. Most were totally wiped out during World War II. But a sizeable number of Hungarian Jews remain — estimates are around 100,000. These kids couldn’t get the permit to open the bar, so they essentially occupied the place. They are squatters, three years later. And the place is a huge success. There’s a video about them on the blog.    (Hungary is a special situation, for a recent JTA story reports on how few Jews live there. They hope to bolster its Jewish population through immigration. Ben Harris says in one report about his visit to Hungary:   “The offices of the Haver Foundation occupy one room of an apartment on the third floor of building around the corner from my hotel (convenient, see?). There I met Mircea Cernov, the Romanian-born director, just before noon. With Cernov as its only full-time employee, Haver uses a network of some 30 volunteer educators to bring Holocaust and Judaic studies to Hungarian public school students.   “’Generally speaking, Hungarian society became very intolerant, I would say, or a bit aggressive,’ Cernov told me. ‘Everything is very polarized. There is no dialogue. I think that is the most problematic thing at all levels of society, from the top political elite to the level of civil society.’”     I’ll be sure to offer the video to readers. Thank you.   There’s a lot to say about European v. American Jewish identity — if you can sharpen the question a bit maybe I can be more helpful.      Do you plan to meet a famous or prominent Rabbi? Have you? Who? Are you getting a friendly reception?   I’m getting an unbelievable reception. I’ve been able to tap into truly transnational networks of young Jews that have been incredibly helpful and illuminating to me on the way. In almost every city I’ve visited, there has been someone who has taken it upon themselves to show me around, to show me a good time, to introduce me to the relevant people, etc.    I’ve also had the chance to meet the leadership of the local communities. In Poland, I spent the Sabbath here with the chief rabbi, a New York born and bred rabbi who has been here on and off for about 15 years.   He’s one of the selfless Americans I mentioned above.      Will you tell us his name and the Temple or community of which he is a part? You have some thoughts on this, as I see by your answer.    His name is Michael Schudrich. He’s the chief rabbi, so that’s his community I guess.  He’s one of the selfless Americans I mentioned above.    (Here is a taste of Ben Harris’ reporting on Michael Schudrich:    “Poland’s chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, has the air of someone who enjoys being a little unorthodox. I suppose you have to be to leave behind a comfortable Upper West Side upbringing, spend six years leading a community in Japan, and after that set up shop in post-Communist Poland. He’s an Orthodox rabbi who was originally ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, a vegetarian in a meat-and-potatoes country, and seemed to relish telling me about seeing the Grateful Dead perform at Nassau Coliseum in 1973.”)       This is interesting, to learn about the Jewish community of Europe “growing” and “growing up.”   In Central and Eastern Europe, not surprisingly, the legacy of the Holocaust and Communism has been the dominant narrative of Jewish life since World War II. The Holocaust wiped out an entire generation, and most survivors and their children who grew up under Communism denied or hid their Jewish identity. When the Iron Curtain fell, rebuilding those communities began in earnest, largely with philanthropic help from the West.    Now 20 years have passed, and the work continues. But in significant ways, the communities are beginning to deal not just with the baggage of the past, but with the very same challenges that Jewish communities everywhere are facing — how to engage the young, how to ensure continuity, build support for Jewish organizations, etc. And that, I believe, is a sign of their maturity.    One issue you see in the East is the absence of a philanthropic culture. In America, Jewish organizations are almost entirely private non profits that rely on the support of their membership to survive. In the former Communist bloc, this notion remains a foreign one. Most Jewish communities are official entities, recognized by the state, and often receive substantial public funds for their activities. Their members expect services. This makes it hard for innovative projects outside the communal structure to win support. At present, the majority are dependent on philanthropy from Americans and Israelis. There’s some effort to change this, but there’s a long way to go.      It was you who told me something of the differences, and what you said rang true. Jews in Europe tend to be more conservative and Orthodox. Americans are more secular and most are Reform. Say something on this, and about mixed marriage.   That’s not quite the situation. What I said was that European community institutions are generally Orthodox, or hew to Orthodox standards. Most Jews everywhere are not particularly religious. But in Europe, this creates a certain tension. Religious pluralism is not a widespread value here. In several countries I visited, only certain Jewish religious movements are represented on the established community councils. Other groups are effectively left out in the cold. And because these councils are conduits for public funds, the other groups are at a significant disadvantage.    In America, if the existing communal institutions are not serving your needs, religious or otherwise, you go down the street and start your own. Of course, you can do that here too, but the price is higher — it normally means being shut out of money. And given what I saw before about the philanthropy thing, the other groups struggle, or get funds from abroad.    In Hungary, I met a young Jewish theater troupe, the Golem Theatre that gets 95 percent of its support from abroad. There are plenty of other examples.    On the intermarriage thing — this is an issue everywhere. But in the former Communist countries, you rarely find a single young Jew who has two Jewish parents. And if your mother is not Jewish, Orthodox Judaism does not recognize you.    Also, given the tiny numbers of young Jews in a lot of these communities, it’s hardly clear that the younger generation is going to do much better finding Jewish mates.        It’s so good to be wined and dined, especially as part of a worship community. Is there a characteristic you noticed about the practice? Food? Hospitality? Where did you sit, for instance, and did you give a short speech? Were you introduced? (One seminar I took at a San Francisco Bay Area theological seminary – Presbyterian – had as visitor to the luncheon the editor of “Weavings,” and he gave about five or ten minutes of talk to everyone from his table. Very informal, and memorable in that he commented on religion and Hollywood and movies. That was the subject of the seminar.)    It depends. In Osnabruck Germany, they had me give a little talk on Friday night, which they translated sentence by sentence. In Warsaw, Rabbi Schudrich conspicuously invited me up to sit next to him at the communal Shabbat dinner. Normally, I try to slip in unobtrusively and sit in the back. But that’s often not possible.    Best of luck and good travels on your journey.       Images: (1) Ben with Miriam Tauber and Donkey in Zacatecas, Mexico. Note sombrero on donkey; (2) Ben Harris at work with his notebook (”Hard at Work”), Cafe Spinoza, Budapest; (3)  The Wandering Jewesss at Burning Man. This quote from Ben Harris’ blog:” My companion for the week at Burning Man was the Wandering Jewess, who as the director of the Six oints Fellowship, knows a thing or two about art. Here’s her take on the Burn’s artistic offerings and their relationship to Jewish experience:

One way to characterize Burning Man is as an art festival. When I’m pressed to reduce the meaning of art to a sentence, I often say that art “creates meaning in people’s lives,” or “helps us see the world and our experiences in a new way.” Part of the allure of Burning Man (and part of what made it such fun) was that I often felt like I was living inside a gigantic piece of ephemeral participatory performance art.”

(4)  Rabbi Michael Schudrich with friend; (5) On his bicycle at Burning Man, Ben is seen here in the Nevada desert.  All photos courtesy Jewish Telegraphic Agency.   –Peter Menkin, Mill Valley, CA USA

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Any MORTGAGE experts here?
i’m buying a co-op element and requirement to shop for a mortgage. I don’t know anything in the region of mortgages. how do i comparison shop for a mortgage? what do i look for when i’m comparison shopping for a mortgage?

Any mortgage lenders surrounded by UK who will offer/find remortgage to someone stopped but who’s a carer?
Getting carer’s allowance and seeking part time work. Has endowmentment mortgage lb45,000 – about 5 1/2yrs moved out. Uptodate on payments. Present interest rate little over 9% as…

Any Mortgage Loan Officers out in that thought an increase surrounded by sale Jan & Feb?
ive had an increase surrounded by loans that i`ve submitted this month, as well as ultimate month, compared to the months before! anyone out in attendance agree?

Any negotiate tips for an apartment untimely lease termination?
I lost my job, no scorn of mine and moved to another state for a new livelihood and I can’t pay both. I settled to pay rent until the apartment be rerented, from the advice of the department,…

Any network site offering free spike job lacking making fool?
I am searching free lance work to earn some extra money but sorry to say aloud I can’t find any site who give me work without taking money. I am not sure in the region of these sites….

Any obedient wholesalers / change and carry’s surrounded by west midlands?
Hi I am looking to spread my wings from where I am shopping presently. I am mostly interested in kids toys (characters off tv prefered) gadget small electrical items and health and beauty eg razor and…

Any of you mortgage/real-estate specialist hear of this?
one of my best friends parents home about 10 years ago. no house reimbursement what so ever, just property taxes. he have a OK job and his wife stays at home next to the kids….

Any one be to the rich dad seminar?
I was wondering if any one has be to the rich dad (Robert Kiosaki) seminar. I just went and found out I remunerated for a $500 advertisement. I think it be a total rip off. They did not teach me…

Any one comfort me online making money?
what i m joint us? with free

Any one desires to buy a Restaurant?
My boss says he’ll sell his restaurant to anyone beside 175,000 dollars. He’ll give this person everything inside the restaurant including fridges, sinks, ovens, grills, everything inside the dowel, tables, chairs.everything. Its located in Salisbury NC, it have a second…

Any one ever gotten a Lot Loan for disused house?
I’m looking to buy a piece of arrive (Less than $15,000) to someday build my retirement home on. My TRUE estate broker told me I couldn’t go and get a mortgage, but my sandbank (Wachovia) offer what is call…

Any one get a dutiful analysis of the housing souk is working at the min?
i bought 7 houses on buy to let mortgages around 2 years ago would it be a obedient time to sell these in a minute before house prices tip out even…

Any one have handle claim that involved trip-and-fall incident contained by the rental property ( I am the Landlord)
If it was as a result of your negligence (loose stair tread, lump surrounded by carpeting, icy walkways, etc.) you are going to lose… but at hand are…

Any one know of a sizeable business loan for a small business?
My business is an autobody paint / restoration shop. For a while now, our business has be going through a great deal of depression. We use to have a shop built within our back yard….

Any one near any design surrounded by the baytown texas nouns on rent to own houses I am tired of renting but own discouraging cred
I am tired of renting and I have a crappy landlord so I am trying to rent to own or owner nouns in…

Any opinion on Apl Appraisal Company contained by Comstock Park, MI?
How can I draw from my Paid For Appraisal from Apl Appraisal Company, which I rewarded for. All I asking for is a copy of it. Please oblige.

Any philosophy? more details inside. please begin and read. inevitability help out asap!?
i be wondering if anyone bright of a place for first time home buyers next to unbelievably low income and objective credit to oblige beside the purchase of a first home? if someone could point me…

Any place to rent within the New Haven, CT. nouns preferably a worthy nouns for no more next $700.00 a month.?
I am looking for a studio in the New Haven, CT. area for smaller number then 700.00 a month to rent. I am looking for one…

Any planning where on earth I can achieve information?
I am looking for information roughly projected growth surrounded by a subdivision where on earth I am considering purchasing a house. I own talk to 4 realtors and recieved 4 different answers. Any planning of where on earth to look?…

Any possiblity for mortgage?
One owner earn $32000 near a 580 FICO evaluation, the other earn $20000 near a 790 FICO gain. Is here any possibility to use both incomes but better FICO mark to get a mortgage?

Any programs for emergency rent assistance?
Really have need of support roommate go to detention centre. Three kids and not adequate $$.

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