Music Friday: "American Idiot"

As a prelude to election season, most of the lyrics of this song seem appropriate. 

Basket Case

It's almost August. While my fantasy baseball team, The Schlitzophrenics, makes its penchant for mediocrity and downright crappiness more acute, my thoughts are getting more focused on college football season.

Heck, what hokum. Even if The Schlitzophrenics were doing great this season, I'd still be thinking about the hopeful glory of college football season, worrying about the how the Tide will do this year, contemplating how Jordan Jefferson might turn into the fine QB that he should be, fearing the wrath of that immobile giant named Ryan Mallett, wondering if the Gators will be better without Weeping Tebow.

A herd of sports writers seems to think the Tide will repeat this season, and I'm not confident about that prospect. Don't get me wrong. I think Alabama will field a strong team this season because of the strength of its offense, which has eight returning starters.

The defense concerns me. How that writerly herd can vote Alabama pre-season number one is odd to me since the Crimson Tide will have only two returning starters on defense. Maybe somewhere in the top ten, but pre-season number one?

When a team has to replace the top three cornerbacks along with its entire starting DLine and kicking specialists, I don't care how much depth a squad has, replacing the experience and skills of those players along with the leadership and football acumen of McClain, Tiffin, Arenas, Jackson, Cody, and Reamer is difficult.

Pontificating about the pre-season rankings makes me a little edgy, so the Million Dollar Band's rendition of "Basket Case" by Green Day seems justifiable for linkage. Click HERE to enjoy that.

Or maybe Nirvana's "Stay Away" is more appropriate for my take on the situation: "Monkey see - monkey do."