Last Week: NIU Wins MAC Championship, Sat. Afternoon Band, Stucky's, Karaoke, Bears Lose...Again, Another Legion

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4

Watched NIU defeat Kent State for the MAC Championship game, one of the rare times Northern actually dominated an opponent.  (And earlier this season Kent State had just barely beaten us.)  Sadly, I couldn't get it on the radio as I enjoy listening to Bill Baker call the Huskies as he's been doing it since the 1980s.  He IS the "Voice" of the Huskies.

Went to the Fox Lake American Legion for their monthly first Saturday afternoon band and saw an excellent two-piece group but can't remember their name.

Then to Stucky's in Johnsburg for dinner, $1 draft pints and karaoke.  A whole bunch of Sunnysiders came in.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5

Watched and listened to the Bears lose another game at home (now 4-8).  I always enjoy listening to the Bear announcers on the radio as they are real fans.

Then to the McHenry American Legion for the $2.50 Adequate Bloody Marys and $1 off Happy Hour prices.

--RoadDog

JSIS: Stupid-Looking Hair Coming Out of Helmets-- Conference Championship Games-- NIU Football

JSIS--  Just Some Interesting Stuff

1.  STUPID-LOOKING HAIR COMING OUT OF HELMETS--  A couple weeks ago Liz and I saw the annual Army-Navy football game at the American Legion.  Sure was nice to see that no member of either team had hair coming out below their helmets.  I'm sorry, but that just looks stupid.  

Anytime you watch a college or NFL game it seems you see more and more of that long, funny-looking hair on both Blacks and whites.  I don't like it on any person.  Then, there is the guy on the Titans we all call Old Turd Hair.

2.  CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES--  Well, one thing nice about all the college conference championship games this year is the size of the crowds.  NIU is in the MAC and our championship games draw maybe 5,000 to 8,000 fans (but then again, who wants to go to Detroit).  Then the Power 5 games are standing room only.  This year, they are all essentially empty.  Wonder why?

3.  NIU FOOTBALL--  A sad year for Northern Illinois University football with an 0-6 record.  But, this really wasn't a real year anyway.  Too weird and strange with you-know-what.  But, the second year Joe Novak was our coach, we were 0-12 and then by the fourth year, it was all up from there as we were able to somehow keep him despite his success and the Big 10, 11,12,13,14 grabbing MAC coaches all the time.

Maybe This Is a Sign of Good Times to Come?  --RoadWin

In case you're wondering what the name of the group was that beat out the Beatles in their audition, scroll down to this months Music Deaths for David Munden.

JSS: Cold-- Snow-- NIU Women's Basketball-- March Madness Begins

JSS--  Just Some Stuff

1.  COLD--  After all that warmth we had here while we were gone, it sure turned cold this weekend.  Kind of took away from the enjoyment of the St. Patrick's Day parades this past weekend.  It is not supposed to get above freezing before Thursday.

2.  SNOW--  And, we had between 3-4 inches of snow to boot.  Again, why didn't they have this winter stuff here when we were in Florida.

3.  NIU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL--  Sadly, our ladies lost to Toledo in the MAC Conference championship so there will be no NCAA Tournament for them.  Boy, that Toledo sure takes the cake.

4.  MARCH MADNESS BEGINS--  And, speaking of sports.  The best sporting event of the year.  I have my favorites, but won't say who for fear of bad luck.  But, I can tell you that I ALWAYS pull for the underdogs (unless it is Toledo), even if they are playing one of "my" big time teams.

Squeak Those Floors.  --RoadDog

Fifth Time in 7 Years That MAC Title Coach Bolts

From the Dec. 13, 2013, Yahoo! Sports, AP "Another MAC coach gets on-the-job training in bowl."

Interim Bowling Green Coach Adam Scheier was special teams coordinator a week ago. Now, he gets on-the-job training before his team's Little Caesar's Bowl appearance in a few days. That's because the former BG head coach bolted for Wake Forest right after the MAC Championship.

Said Coach Scheier, "In this conference, success generally leads to opportunity."

The MAC has always been a stepping stone for a coach's career, including the famous "Cradle of Coaches" at Miami of Ohio. This is a big reason the conference can't rise to another level.

When a coach gets a winning program going, he's gone and a rebuilding process has to take place. T

That ever been the case with my NIU. We've had two winning eras going, but lost coaches Mallory and Pettibone to Indiana and Oregon State respectively. It wasn't until Coach Joe Novak came AND STAYED, that we were able to enjoy our current success.

With the Bowling Green departure, that is five coaches of the winning MAC title game gone in seven years. That would include the 2012 championship winner Doeren from NIU (and even Kent State loser, Hazard). They went to North Carolina State and Purdue respectively. Two years before that, NIU lost the title game and Coach Kill to Minnesota.

I wish the article had listed the names of all five coaches who left the MAC.

Today's MAC Winners Are Tomorrow's Power 5 Coaches.  --RoadDog

Bowling Green Gets Those MAC Championship Blues: The Curse of the Championship

OK, the Bowling Green Falcons beat us badly in the MAC Championship game in Detroit this past Friday, but they fell victim to the MAC Curse. Win, or even lose that game and start looking for a new coach.

It has been announced that Bowling Green's coach, Dave Clawson, has been hired by Wake Forest of the ACC, just like our head coach in 2012, Dave Doeren, jumped ship to North Carolina State, also of the ACC, after our victory in the MAC Chamionship last year.

Evidently, not only are bowl games there at the game scouting, but also the Big Guys looking for new coaches.

Of interest last year, our opponent, Kent State, also lost their head coach to Purdue of the Big Ten (11, 12, 13 or 14). Back in 2010, we lost our coach, Jerry Kill, to Minnesota of the Big Ten (11, 12, 13 or 14) after the MAC Championship game as well. Jerry Kill, however, unlike Doereen, had a proven track record for success, having built Southern Illinois into a power and taking a good program at NIU and making it better.

Dave Clawson turned programs around at Fordham and Richmond and was named national coach of the year at both of them before going to Bowling Green. He also was seriously considered for the head coach at East Carolina back in 2010. Hopefully, Clawson's duties at Bowling Green are over and he won't be coaching at the Little Caesar Bowl. The MAC needs to put a $2 million clause into contracts where the Big Guys have to pay us that much for every year our head coaches break their contract to go to a Big Guy school. All they have to do is ask one of their rich guy backers for the dough.

So far, our coach, Rod Carey, is still with NIU.

That's Life in the Mid-Majors. --RoadDog