8/30/12 Draft: Best Games on the 2012 BC Schedule

It’s time for us to look at the ol’  schedule and see what we are looking forward to this year.  While the BC ticket holders have long griped about a lack of premiere games at home, this year there’s precious little complaining to be had.  Lots of good games and we’ll take our crack at which games lead the pack….Wesley will start us off.

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1Wesley) 9/1 Miami @ Chestnut Hill

You know sometimes I am on the fence about how to start the season. Sometimes I think that BC starts a bit slow and needs that extra week or two to recover from camp, to work out the kinks, to really get the scheme of the new offensive coordinator down.. But strangely, not this year even all of those excuses apply. 

This year I want to rip the band-aid off. I want to know EXACTLY how good our team is from week one. I want the light shining hard on BC, and we will either sink or swim VERY quickly.  As painful as it is to hear, as the first game goes, so will the rest of our season, in 2012 this couldn’t be more true.

2BCMike) 11/10 Notre Dame @ Home

The nice thing about rivalries is that you can always through the records out.  On paper ND is a good team this year and is a dark horse (don’t laugh) to make a BCS game or even the MNC Game….but does that matter to BC?  Absolutely not.

While we thoroughly enjoyed owning the Irish Pre-Spaz reeling off five straight and six out of seven; it’s been the Golden Domers who have dominated our Eagles the past three (four?) seasons.  I don’t know if Spaz has enough in him to charge up the troops but hopefully with the influx of former player coaches like Richie Gunns and Al “Mount” Washington they’ll inject some fire into the game and our boys will come out with a W.

I don’t have too terribly high hopes for the season and a win here would be really fantastic and help alleviate some of the pain.

3W) 9/15 @ Northwestern

You know I am being selfish on this pick. I went to the Northwestern game last year at home. And I truly believe we should have won that one.

There was no reason to not win last year, at all. And the last thing I want to hear about is how a Big 10 school beat us at home.. So I am giving this another chance. I am going to be in Chicago, and I fully expect us to beat Northwestern at their house!

4M) 10/13 @ Florida State

Oh, the Pre Season Champs.  Yes, they’re supposed to be great this year.  Just like last year.  And the year before that.  And that.  And that.  

Listen—I’m not saying for a split second there isn’t talent at Florida State.  That doesn’t mean it comes together well.  You can dump massive quantities of craft beer and mix it with delicious spicy queso and you’re left with a hot disgusting mess.  Good ingredients don’t always mean great finished product.

That being said, BC just always plays well in these types of games.  No one will give us a shot, FSU won’t really prepare for us, and our kids will have grown tired of the media attention directed at the Seminoles.   If I had to guess/bet on one big upset we pull this year, this is it.  I’m looking forward to this game and sincerely have a strangely high level of confidence, albeit mainly unfounded.

5W) 10/20 @ Georgia Tech

BCMike, I may be engaged but I can think of a few reasons that the FSU game would be a great time , well outside of them being the perennial pre season champs.

No no but seriously this is their year, just wait and see.. I've just heard that line too many times. Although I will enjoy all the press for the game, that BC always struggles to get.

On my selection I am going back to a game that I PLAN on being in attendance for. In Atlanta, and the Alumni group better do it right!

So Wesley , being the eternal optimist will be thinking of nothing else other than the 2007 matchup when Matt Ryan really started to show what he was capable of. It was the end zone pass to Brandon Robinson that made me an officially a believer. This year GT will be favored, but I always like how we matchup against them, and expect this to be a VERY fun game

6M) 9/8 Maine @ home

Damn, how did I let you take this one from me?  The only thing I like better than a BC game is one I don’t have to travel for.  Our Eagles don’t visit Atlanta all that often so it’s  a real treat when they do.  We’ll definitely turn it up and have a great time.   A reminder to any readers who want to share a pint with us, both Wesley and I will be at this one.

Okay I’m taking Maine here because IT WILL BE A WIN.  As a fanatic I want us to win every game and will watch and cheer my brains out hoping we’ll come out victorious in each match-up we have, but frankly I think we might be in for a tough year.  This game will be a win.  Spaz can’t lose this if he tried. 

Our guys will all get to play and other kids who have busted their butts in practice will get a chance to hit the field and get significant PT.  

7W) 11/24 @ NC STATE

There is just something about beating TOB that I take great pleasure in. And I plan on being in attendance for this one as well

8M) 9/29  Clemson @ home

Oh Ginger.  It never gets old playing TOB.  I do have to say one of our favorite drafts ever were the range of emotions fromTOB (link).  

I know NC State is expecting big things this year but they’ve yet to have their “oh no we have ______ injured, we would have been ACC Champs otherwise” injury update from LNH, but don’t worry—it will happen.

I have Clemson up next because 

A) Clemson is just a fun team to watch play, and 

B) Will bring some excitement to The Heights.  

We’ll be a huge underdog in this game but as a fairly new rivalry, there’s always the chance we bite these guys when they’re not ready and not looking for it.  They’re still a fairly young team lead by a fairly young coach and it’s possible we can take this one by surprise by a team that’s likely spent after playing Florida State the week prior and possibly looking forward to a game against (likely) ranked GT the week after us.

9W) 10/6 @ Army

BCMike, you know you are letting me get a steal with my last pick. This game I WISH I was going to be able to be at.. I may actually be able to make it happen but it will be a stretch I have repeatedly heard the story about taking the boat up the river and docking right at the game, and just the overwhelming good time it is.

The time of year, the pride in a service academy etc, just makes this an awesome event.

I will leave you with (what I think you will pick) VT

10M) 11/17 vs Virginia Tech

Yeah I definitely would love to catch a game at Michie Stadium, I’ve heard terrific things as well.

Here I’m going with—you called it—Virginia Tech.  My wife as we all know by now is a Hokie and that gives this game an extra sense of importance in the BCMike household.

Depending on where we are ranked (hey, don’t laugh…it’s possible!) this could be a great contest.  We do get them at home late in the season so hopefully our new OC has things humming and our guys are throwing up points.  Would be a great game to win.

Who had the better draft?  Wesley or BCMike?

8/30/12 Draft: Best Game on the 2012 Schedule
	Wesley: Miami, NW, GT, NC State, Army
	BCMike: Notre Dame, FSU, Maine, Clemson, VT
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8/29/12 Draft SPECIAL: Interview with Al Washington

Picking up where we left off, we have another great interview for you. Thanks to Wesley for getting the ball rolling and making this happen. Our first interview in 2012-2013 is new assistant coach and former BC Eagle Al Washington. Enjoy! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

BCDraft: First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to BCMike and I of BCDraft.com, we greatly appreciate it!

You were recently named the Assistant DL and ST coach at BC, can you tell us how all of the staff is working together, and a day in the life for you in this new role. Also, how is our DL looking?

Al Washington: Under the leadership of Coach Spaz, as a staff we are all focused on putting together a season that reflects the rich tradition we have here of being tough, disciplined, competitive and relentless on the field. That is the BC way I know and believe it to be, if we can do that our record will take care of itself. As a former student athlete here at Boston College I find it both exciting and humbling to return as a coach, I am eager to roll up my sleeves and get to it, this fall. As a defensive line we are young and talented looking forward to re-establishing a reputation of dominance in this conference. The boys have maximized their opportunities this off-season and are taking the first steps as we look forward to having a strong preseason camp.

BCD: You have had a lot of success on the recruiting trail, what do you think is an important message to share with recruits when talking about BC?

AW: The message conveyed to the young men is simple. We educate them of the rich tradition here at BC as well as the multiple opportunities that will be presented to them as student athletes, both on the field and off. I truly believe that Boston College offers the total package. As a native of Ohio I can tell you that choosing Boston College was one of the best decisions I have ever made in terms of my development as a player, professional and person.

BCD: The Original 92 Dream Team plays the current USA Basketball team, who wins, and why?

AW: 92, too much character and mental toughness, period.

BCD: How has College Football changed since you played?

AW: Since 06’, a lot more uniform options per team I guess…man, how old do you guys think I am? Haha!

BCD: The new field looks great, for those that aren't there at BC, can you tell us a bit about the improvements?

AW: BC is taking the appropriate steps in creating a high caliber environment. I personally love it and feel the fans will too.

BCD: Most BC diehards remember you as a dominating DT that came to Kiwi's aid when Brad Butler took a cheap shot at Mathias' injured knee. Can you take us back to that day and walk us through what you saw, thought, and did?

AW: Honestly I didn’t do too much thinking that particular moment, haha. That’s just how it was, that was the culture we practiced in everyday, it was a tough mindset. We supported each other and were not going to be pushed around. I never had any ill feelings towards Brad Butler, I wasn’t trying to be a hero. It was our first year in the ACC and we just refused to allow any team to think that they could push us around.

BCD: It seems to those of us immersed in Social Media that you are the first coach/recruiting coach who gets excited about recruiting and the kids you are talking to. How important do you believe it to be in this new era of communications for BC to be involved in multiple social mediums? What is your strategy when it comes to communicating on these different platforms?

AW: I believe it is incredibly important to be involved with the young men and today that is the arena to facilitate this involvement most of the time. I believe the best schools in the country have a presence in social media and I know as time goes more and more programs will have to as well in order to stay ahead of the curve. My approach is to highlight everything positive about the city of Boston, the education department, the facilities, the prestige, hell I even focus on how fresh the air is here, haha . But the majority of what I focus on is the great potential BC holds for a young man’s future both on and off the field. I think that there is a lot to be excited about here.

BCD: WAWG....tell me about "We all we got". Where did that come from, and what does it mean to you?

AW: "We all we got” represents the belief that no one is capable of supporting us like the way that we can support each other. I got it from a movie a long time ago and it’s how I live my life. Whether someone believes you can or can’t reach your goal is not important. What matters is what we believe. In life when you make mistakes or come up short, people tend to count you out prematurely. Last season’s record does not define this season of BC football or the direction we are headed. That saying represents a movement, if you will, of us going in the right direction, but first it starts with us.

BCD: What players should we look out for on the DL this year that we don't already really know about and expect a lot from...who are some "sleepers" who might surprise the casual fan?

AW: This group is so competitive I couldn’t point out just a few. This camp is wide open and the fans will have a lot to look forward to this Fall.

BCD: As fans, we were very excited to see you and Richie Gunns (Rich Gunnell) brought back to the BC family. Is there a push to bring more BC stars and more BC family members back into the fold?

AW: I think so. I know that I was excited to join and to see Rich back as well. We are a family here at BC and time will never change that.

BCD: Last but not least, even the craziest of the crazy BC fans left last season feeling a bit heartbroken at how far the program has fallen. It seemed like only a handful of years ago we were ranked #2 , playing for conference championships and on off years winning another bowl game. Now that we have suffered our first losing season since '98 and haven't won a bowl game since Matt Ryan beat Michigan State in 2007, what words of encouragement can you give the masses? What, realistically, should BC fans expect out of this team? What sort of realistic goals is this team capable of achieving? 

AW: What I would tell the fans to focus on is to remember how we finished the year last season. The kids made their mind up and decided that they want to WIN and proved this off season that they are willing to work for it. What they should expect is a tough, disciplined, competitive and relentless team on the field. The Sky is the limit. Right now we have to focus on having a great first snap on Saturday. After we are able to do that then we need to focus on play 2, then 3 and so on. Do that enough times and I believe good things will happen. 

A BIG BCDraft.com thank you to Al Washington for taking the time to chat with us today.  #WeAreBC #WAWG

8/28/12 Draft: List of Excuses

And……………we’re back from that brief four and a half month word from our sponsors. 

Listen, we admit it.  It’s easy to blog about BC sports when it’s football season (especially when you add in hockey and hoops), but the dead period is just that.  And frankly, we both had the wind taken out of our sails after watching the football team throw up a 4-8 season and extending our streak of not winning a bowl game to….Matt Ryan’s last game.  Yikes.  Anyway, enough about that.  We’re not  here to focus on last year—well not in this post anyway.

This blog post will be about what we’ve been up to during the break and why the break was a good thing.

As a refresher because it has been a minute...Wesley and I "draft" all our topics.  We alternate taking a shot at the best selection.  You can see who's writing what by the "M" or "W" following the draft selection.

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1BCMike) Homebrewing

Alright, for avid readers of this blog you know I brew, and enjoy good beer.  During the break I brewed four beers: Not Far from India Pale Ale, Orange Lemon Hefeweizen, Hickory Whiskey Stout, and Karamel Oktoberfest.  I actually entered them all in a contest for the first time.  Due to poor judging, I lost.  Although there were 109 entries, there was only one winner (again, not me…not that I’m bitter).

I choose to believe mine finished 2-5.

For what it’s worth, the Karamel Oktoberfest may be one of the best I’ve ever brewed.  I used old school Kraft Caramels melted in a double boiler in the wort (75) plus one solid during the secondary.  Those caramels combined in a light märzen base produced a slightly sweet, boozy but highly drinkable Oktoberfest.  If you’re in Atlanta, stop by and I’ll share…if there’s any left.

2Wesley) Got engagedMaybe this goes hand in hand with beer, somehow.. But Ms. Weaselz and I are planning to get married this year (outside of football season of course)

I typically don’t share personal information on this blog, but I figured life changing events qualified for a good excuse 


3M) We get a new AD!Okay, this isn’t news to anyone out there who likes BC enough to read our dribble here, but I wanted to get out our (my) feelings on this whole thing.   One of Gene’s favorite quotes was to say “things are never as good as they seem, and things are never as bad as they seem”.  I think this is actually apropos of GDF’s tenure.  There are some things that even the biggest haters of Gene can’t take away: the hockey team did win multiple national titles during his tenure, he moved the school from the BigEast to the ACC, and oversaw a period from the mid 2000’s until late 2000’s that were unmatched in terms of success for all of the teams at one time.

That being said, you also have ammo if you’re a hater.  He meddled in daily coaching activities and put/shoved his nose where it didn’t belong—repeatedly.  He allowed TOB to go (which I’m fine with, it was time for both parties to move on), got into a public pissing match with Jags and forced out a hot coach that had taken BC to The Heights (pardon the pun) of the AP poll and national recognition, but most criminally hired Spaziani who had never coached a game in his life with the title of “Head Coach” until Gene hired him at the age of 68.  The supposed “National” search yielded a safe pick who has effectively run a perennial top 25 team into the ground to the point where we lost to Duke.  At home.  In football.

At the end of the day, there were a lot of good things and a lot of bad things.  Eventually it became apparent it was best for both sides to move on.  To me, I now view GDF in a similar light as TOB.  I’m thankful for what they did here, happy they did what they did for BC, and more than content they have moved on.



4W) Started my MBA

Just when I knew I was already tired of school, I took the GMAT…. Twice lol..  And applied to a handful of schools, and decided upon James Madison University, and I am slated to graduate in 2014 pending any personal meltdown.
Now stating that, yes it may take a little bit of time away from this blog during the season, but overall we should flow pretty well, but the excuse is already out there.


5M) House Hunting

The wife and I are looking to start a family, but my one condition is we get a new house first.  We live in North Buckhead which is a terrific area of Atlanta.  It’s near everything and we truly love living here.  The problem is it’s a condo and we just need more room if we’re going to have a little one (or more) running around.

Thus, the House Hunting.

Why didn’t someone tell me what an insanely brutal process this is?  Not only is the whoring yourself out to the realtors to have them sell your place awful, but attempting to find a home that both my wife and I like has proven to be tougher than sitting through a Frank Spaziani press conference and equally annoying.

I did manage to come up with a pretty good comparison, though.  Basically I feel like house hunting is very, very similar to online dating.  People only post pictures that they think other folks will like, often at odd angles to make things look bigger or smaller.  When you show up and see it for the first time, you’re often left wondering: “What the f*ck is this?  This isn’t what I saw online!” but proceed to waste your time walking around and spending time just trying to make yourself like them so you can justify the time you’ve already invested.

Lastly, viewings are like page views or “winks”.  It’s great that people are interested enough to view you and inquire more, but only dates (offers on the home) actually count for anything.

We’re still in our condo.  I think we might just live in a van down by the river at this point.


6W) Also House hunting...
So because of my life event of getting engaged, and planning a wedding for this year. I have found out that the house that Rocky (my Labrador retriever) and I share isn’t quite what the future wife would like to live in forever, or even for a week or two lol. So we have been on a full on house hunt for about the last month. Also getting my current house fixed up so it can be sold.


7M) Coaching the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Roadrunners

I’m a sucker for sports video games.  I’m sure there’s going to be a day where I think I’m too old for video games and won’t buy the new college football game the day it comes out…but that day isn’t today.  I have played the EA Sports Franchise a good amount, and after winning a national title or two with BC decided to challenge myself—thus the defensive coordinator at UTSA.  

Suffice to say it’s been challenging (although I did just accept a promotion to HC there and we’re now 7-0 six game into my first season, ranked #18 in the AP).  If you ever want to play online, shoot me an invite.  My player tag thing is BCMike22.



8W) Changes in BC Athletic department  - addition to BCMike’s AD post

You know BCMike, you talked about the new AD, and I have to admit, I liked some things about Gene, but the overall thought of a new AD, and the trickle down effect of a new Head Coach is exciting. Yes I am of the belief that it doesn’t matter how well Spaz does this year, he will be out. There are certain subtle hints in this. BC hype up videos with no sight of Spaz. The drop of a key recruit right before the announcement of Gene’s retirement. More interviews of the coordinators (both Martin and McGovern) Spaz will be let go ( in some creative BC way, which tries to save face for both sides) prior to next years season. 

But it wasn’t done now for a couple of obvious reasons. 1) new AD 2) recruiting 3) season   Ok. Ok. I will step off my soap box now.

9M) I got the negativity out—well, mainly.
I openly admit I care entirely too much about BC sports.  I’m the definition of a fanatic.  Unfortunately that means the highs are highs and the lows are low.  This past football season was such a sucker punch to the gut and with Gene publicly backing Spaz I just didn’t see the end in sight. 

Now that I’ve had time to heal and we’ve seen a changing of the guard at AD, I feel like this nightmare is going to finally end.  Maybe not today.  Maybe not tomorrow.  But soon, and for the rest of our lives.



10W) Even Blauds has a Blog now

I knew we had to get up off our keyster when I saw Blauds blog (ajerseyguy.com) fired up and pumping out some serious content, that was 100x better than what he did at the globe.  

 After all of the disapproval I gave on his work there, I have to say the blog is good, and has some pretty good content. So seeing that Blauds has a blog, I err we decided that it was time to kick it in gear and get things back going again.







               
                Who had the better draft of excuses?

Who had the better...excuse(s)?
	BCMike: Homebrewing, New AD, House Hunting, coaching UTSA, negativity out
	Wesley: Got engaged, starting MBA, house hunting, BC AD v2, keep up with Blau
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