Tell me if you’ve heard this before…according to Rivals, the top five signing day classes belong to USC, LSU, Texas, Ohio State and Alabama.  Between the five schools, 18 5-star recruits and 63 4-star recruits signed up to join these factories and join the equal number of similarly heralded recruits from the last year, who joined the equal number of similarly heralded recruits from the last year, etc, etc, etc.

Not surprisingly, all of these teams, save perhaps Alabama, have regularly found themselves in the upper echelon of the rankings annually.  USC, OSU and ‘bama all have power coaches with a strong national presence and Texas and LSU are smack dab in the middle of the most talent rich region of the country, and I mean no offense to Florida, which is right up there too.   It’s no wonder these teams are normally successful with pipelines like these.

But it’s not just limited to these powerhouses…a quick glance at the rest of the early top 25 classes reaveals pretty much every SEC team worth a shit, with Tennessee having a surprisingly strong class considering their coaching turnover, and Florida and Georgia getting their usual haul of ridiculous skill players.  Oklahoma had a strong class, as did known recruiting mofo Butch Davis, bringing North Carolina another strong class and building Chapel Hill’s program in the same vein as he rebuilt Miami’s in.

Now, I’m not going to get into every single recruit and speculating the shit out of each and every kid, because, lets be honest, whenever 75% of these kids get good, we won’t remember their recruiting stars or any of that bullshit, and there’s just as much a chance of some 2 or 3-star kid becoming great (Buckeye homer alert…like James Lauranaitis and Malcolm Jenkins, two low rated players who turned out fantastic) as there is one of these kids.  Nobody knows anything at this point, and it’s just become a really cheap version of the NFL Draft, only if the Steelers, Pats, Colts, Cowboys and Giants all had the first five picks each and every year.

So what’s my point?

As if there hasn’t been enough of a divide in national perception between these football factories and the “middling” non-BCS/Big East schools, this rat race is nothing more than pouring gasoline on the fire.  As if any non-BCS school (no matter how many Boise State’s and Utah’s we get) had a chance at getting into the Nationa Championship game to begin with, there’s even a worse chance of them getting into a BCS game over a football factory.  Why would you pick Bosie State over Ohio State for an at-large bid?  Ohio State is full of players who were highly touted athletes coming out of high school and Boise State is full of a lot of Rudy’s.

Yes, I’m saying that Boise State (or TCU) deserved the Fiesta Bowl bid over Ohio State last year.

While every year some non-BCS team proves that it can hang with the big boys, and the playing field gets noticably more level, the end result is always the same…9 football factories in the BCS games, a Big East and ACC team and a plucky underdog.  No matter what the on-field results communicate, it’s the schools who always end up at the top of these recruiting class rankings that always end up at the top at the end of the season.

But, again, this is hardly groundbreaking stuff here.

I guess it’s just the nature of the business.  To be honest, the fact I even wasted my time writing this is kind of disturbing.  It’s accepted fact that these handful of well-funded schools will always have the massive advantage because of their national presence and the money they can bring the BCS cunts, so why should this fluffed up meat market be any different?  College football is nothing more than a beauty pageant and bragging rights go to the coach who can swindle the most talented teenagers into thinking the world is theirs…

…actually, I think I just wrote this because I hitched my wagon to one of the ugly girls.

Well…I should probably end this somehow…

…

Per good friend of the site, Darren Rovell: the Mets have no intention of trying to boost the economy and will continue using taxpayer funds for the use of naming rights to their glorified minor league stadium.

“In conversations this morning, Citi reinforced that they will honor our legally binding agreement.”

Not mentioned in the link, but possibly true according to some sources, the Wilpon family was one of Benito Mussolini’s biggest benefactors.

I guess we’ll get the obvious questions out of the way early: Are Clown and Rex exactly like their internet personas?  The answer is a resounding yes.

After having to find Rex via cellphone in the airport we finally start walking toward each other in slow motion with music playing.  When our destiny unites us his first words are, “you’re fatter than I thought.”  My heart burned with desire, this was the man I thought he would be.  Clown’s plane came in two hours later so we grabbed a couple of beers at Chilis in which Rex immediately started eye-fucking all the Phoenix Fives.  If the chick had a boyfriend, Rex saw it more as a challenge than a sign that he should move onto the next one.  No one noticed him (psst. Rex is a Phoenix One).  The waitress didn’t even try to hide her disdain.

There was surprisingly little awkwardness between the Danger Seeker and myself so we assumed that the quiet, closet case would be Clown…and we were correct.  Clown is quiet in real life.  But everything he says is an internet comment.  If you want to hear more, you gots to click the jump:

Clown removed his mask to reveal something infinitely more horrifying.

Friday Night: We arrive at Mexico, unpack, and head into town for dinner.  We enjoy a nice meal, watch a sunset, and seem to genuinely get along.  The jokes were at a minimum and the sincerity level was at an all time high.  Maybe we weren’t sure if we could/should joke with each other.  Maybe we were just happy that none of us were serial killers.  Maybe we were tired from the drive, but we were not tearing each a new one at every moment.  This would be the last such time this occurred.

Saturday Morning: Hef’s Gay Magician Friend can’t follow directions well and shows up at the Beach House at 5 in the morning after driving around the development looking for the house.  Apparently when I say 4th house on the left he thinks that means House #4 so he keeps peering into windows at all of the houses on the street and then takes off in frustration and does donuts in the sand across the way.  I only bail him out when the security guy’s police car lights wake me up.  I consider leaving him in a mexican prison when he blames me for it.  To calm his frustration, he proceeds to drink a full bottle of that cheap Rossi wine.  And act beligerent.  And wake up the other two.

Saturday Evening: We watch the Suns/Bulls game and the UFC fights and then everything goes blank.  There are no recollections to be had after that moment.  I’m pretty sure everyone was tucked into their beds at 9.

Sunday Morning: Word of advice–Mexican speed bumps are invisible.  Just ask Clown’s concussion.  We hit one of those speed tables doing 40 and Clown bounced up and hit the ceiling with his dome.  Almost dented my roof with his enormous head.

Sunday Evening: Super Bowl and gambling.  And Steaks.  And Shrimp.  And Ceviche.  And Clams.  And Oysters.  And Cigars.  And mid-90s R&B.  We’ll have pictures later.

Monday Morning.  I’m surprised that 4 men of our age do so little damage to a house anymore.  Cleanup was a breeze and we got out of the house by 10.  At this point I’m tired and not really talking.  Clown apparently has no ability to turn off his internet persona.  I swear it was like driving with my mother.  “You call that aggressive driving?”  “Did the border guard get you flustered, Hef?”  “Nice Costanza wallet.”  “You don’t know Johnny Gill?”

Monday Afternoon: Hef humanizes the shit out of himself by introducing the wife and kids to his fake internet friends.  Rex and Clown treat Hef’s kids like internet commenters.  HeJew seems unimpressed.  HeJewII keeps offering Clown his crackers.  The tiredness sets in.  Oh yeah, In & Out Burgers.  How can I fail to mention food?  I drop them off at the airport without crying.  It took a lot of restraint.

Lakers 126, Knicks 117: I had something written about this…but after WordPress FUCKED ME OVER THREE FUCKING TIMES THIS MORNING…I’m sorry, this is all you’re getting.

Kobe is good.  LeBron is still better.  End of story.

Good evening everybody. Today was a bit of a travel day here at MLJ. Hef, Rex, clown and Hef’s Gay Magician friend made their way home from Mexico and the rest of us made our way back to sobriety. As far as lazy, uninspired Mondays go, this may have been the most stupendous ever.  As I am trembling in the excitement that is the Oliver Perez resigning, a glimmer of hope seems to be shining. Word is maybe, possibly, sort of, it could happen that the Mets may or may not possibly talk to Scott Boras about Manny maybe thinking about playing for the Mets. I am excited.

Sometimes, Met ownership needs a little jolt to make the right decisions. Last week, 30 of my brethren made their way outside of SNY studios for the “Million Manny March”. It got some attention but was mocked in some quarters as lame. Well, it is fucking lame. As a Met fan, that we have to resort to a March to get ownership to get an all time great hitter who still performs at a top level on the relative cheap is just pathetic. But this is my team and well, I want results. Fortunately, said organizers are doing it again Thursday. 7PM outside SNY studios during the live Mets Hot Stove show. I looked at the old calendar and clown and I switched days due to his traveling back from his Gheycation. So Thursday, if Manny is still a free agent, I am going to go to this thing. I am going to step it up and be a member of the masses. That and I will bring a camera and get some material to write so you can mock me even more than you already do. While I make my oaktag poster for the march we can all watch some of the following:

Lakers/Knicks

Blazers/Hornets

Mavericks/Magic

Blues/Red Wings

Flames/Avs

Sabres/Ducks

UConn/Louisville

Kansas/Baylor

24 - Jack’s Back and driving around in the most inconspicuous bright blue van in history.

Not Jack's Van but as conspicuous.

Ollie's expression sums up how I feel about this.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Jon Heyman and Metsblog, Oliver Perez is close to a three year deal with the Mets that pays him no more than $12 million annually but it is not confirmed what the exact number is. There may or may not be a vesting option. In related news, I am going to be drinking more heavily this season since my tender psyche can’t handle Ollie’s tender psyche.

Update: It looks like the deal is 3 years $36 million with no option. Not a terrible contract considering the short years. It is terrible if the Get Manny In Left Field or MILF Clause is not enacted soon.

On a side note, Scott Boras has rebounded nicely. Which is good for him and his clients. He took it on the chin last year with the A-Hole fiasco but this year he is the only agent to get anywhere near the dollars and years he was looking for with his guys. He got Texeira and Lowe paid. He got Ollie Perez three years in a bad market. He is going to get Manny his. It will happen. He got Varitek two years when he deserved the door. He did miscalculate on the arbitration thing but still. I am not a Boras fan but to say he is no longer a force or a factor is just silly.

MILF in 2009

If you want to gripe, Barkley is already enrolled at USC and will participate in spring practice, but he’s in here anyways because he’s the best QB recruit of the year, the prototypical pocket passer with the elite-high school resume.  A product of Mater Dei high school (arguably the best high school program in the country), Barkley took the helm as a freshman and never looked back, and pretty much has had the recruiting world in a tizzy since his junior year.

There are a lot of elements that make Bradley seem like a can’t miss QB…at 6′4” and around 220, he already has the size that NFL teams are looking for in a QB, he’s got the big arm that’s accurate enough and the coolness in the pocket that belies his youth.  Of course, this is the thing that’s said about EVERY prospective QB coming out of high school.  Barkley has a few things going for him, though, that seperate him from the rest of the QB prospects…the fact he operated from a “pro-style” offense and has the requisite footwork and his alma mater, which means he played against some of the best high school competition in the country. 

While he looks like the real deal, it should be noted that QB prospecting is a dangerous game.  Terrelle Pryor’s biggest knock was that he looked like a better athlete because he didn’t play in Pennsylvania’s top division, which of course was rendered retarded when he was the best athlete on the field as a true freshman in college.  Compare that to Anthony Morrelli, who DID play in the Keystone State’s highest division and succeeded wildly at that level, but then was a MASSIVE flop at Penn State.

Sure, some of that has to do with coaching, and PSU’s coaches are notoriously awful, but take a loot at Notre Dame’s last two QB’s…Brady Quinn was fantastic during the Weis years, but then number 1 overall recruit Jimmy Clausen comes in and looks like one of the worst QB’s ever to put on a helmet.  Was a lot of that due to targets and OL?  Sure, but it’s not like Brady Quinn was playing with world beaters either…

So, while Barkley looks like a sure thing…be wary.

Video Evidence:

Will he be good?: I say yep…it’s USC.  I wouldn’t even be shocked if he started a few games.