Brad Rock: Rock On

Scary scheduling

Ohio State president Gordon Gee drew fire last week from non-AQ schools after declaring TCU and Boise State undeserving of a shot at a national title.

Gee, who previously presided at West Virginia, Colorado, Brown and Vanderbilt told the Associated Press: "Well, I don't know enough about the X's and O's of college football. I do know, having been both a Southeastern Conference president and a Big Ten president, that it's like murderer's row every week for these schools. We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor."

You mean like Vanderbilt and Brown?

He added, "We play very fine schools on any given day."

Heaven knows, nobody would ever accuse Minnesota and Indiana of being patsies.

A mild affront

It must have been because of Max Hall's I-hate-Utah rant in 2009, but the rhetoric seemed a bit tame after this year's Utah-BYU game.

One of the bigger understatements came from Cougar kicker Mitch Payne, who said of the loss, "We're all just a little disappointed."

Isn't that like saying you're just a little annoyed when someone steals your girl, cleans out your bank account and wrecks your car?

Fire folly

This one originally got past Rock On, but is worth revisiting.

News reports in April said a New Jersey teacher raced past firefighters and inside her burning house to retrieve her Philadelphia Phillies season tickets – only to later learn the club would have reprinted her tickets for free.

Rock On thinks that's crazy, irresponsible, inexcusable.

Only time he'd ever sprint into a burning building would be to drop off Pirates' tickets.

1-way street

Worried about a padded brick wall just past the end zone at Wrigley Field, Northwestern and Illinois ran all their Nov. 20 offensive plays toward one end of the field.

Officials feared for the safety of the players, so they struck the agreement.

Incidentally, Illinois won 48-27, in what could only be termed, well, a one-sided game.

Heaven sent

Deron Williams said last week that the Jazz chaplain sometimes prays for improved rebounding in pre-game services.

That seems like a lot of work.

Wouldn't it be easier just to pray for Joakim Noah?

Live for today

Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant lost (but later recovered) a $50,000 diamond earring during an NFL game. In semi-related news, the league fined Chad Ochocinco $20,000 for wearing gold cleats.

Just wondering: Has anyone notified these guys there might be a work stoppage next season?