First Batsu Game of the Podcast Decided

Mike, BATSU GAME!!!

The first batsu game of the podcast has been decided thanks to the Atlanta Falcons' being eliminated from playoff contention. You may recall at the beginning of the season Mike picked Atlanta to win the Super Bowl.

Mike's first batsu game will be decided...

Episode 16 - Know Your Mid-Majors: Southland

Today we present the second installment of Know Your Mid-Majors.

Today's conference: the Southland Conference.

The Southland is home to the following schools:

• Abilene Christian
• Central Arkansas
• Houston Baptist
• Incarnate Word
• Lamar (alma mater to both of Mike's parents)
• McNeese State (in Louisiana, not in Texas)
• New Orleans
• Nicholls State (in Louisiana, not in Texas)
• Northwestern State
• Oral Roberts (considered by many UMKC fans and alumni, Mike included, as their archrival; returning to the Summit League in 2014)
• Sam Houston State
• Southeastern Louisiana
• Stephen F. Austin
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Click here to download.

Episode 15 - Know Your Mid-Majors: WAC

Today's the first installment of Know Your Mid-Majors.

First on our KYMM docket: the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

In 2013-14, the WAC is home to the following schools:

• Cal State Bakersfield
• Chicago State
• Grand Canyon University (the first for-profit school in DI)
• Idaho (heading to the Big Sky Conference in July 2014)
• Missouri-Kansas City (Mike's alma mater)
• New Mexico State
• Seattle
• Texas-Pan American
• Utah Valley

Click here to download.

Episode 14 - Blackistone Discussion

Today, Mike and Tim discuss certain comments made by Around the Horn panelist Kevin Blackistone regarding Northwestern's blood-stained Veterans' Day tribute and whether it's appropriate to play the Star Spangled Banner before sporting events.

We actually begin today's show with Blackistone's comments.  Credit for the clip goes to ESPN.  We make no money from this podcast and include the segment for illustrative purposes only.

Click here to download.

Episode 13 - Bullying in Football

In today's podcast, Mike and Tim talk about the recent reports of bullying in the Miami Dolphins locker room involving second-year tackle Jonathan Martin and veteran guard (and known dirty player) Richie Incognito.

Click here to download.

Episode 12 - Know Your Mid-Majors Intro

On this episode of the podcast, we're introducing a sub-series called "Know Your Mid-Majors."

Mid-majors are the NCAA Division I conferences and schools outside of the big-time B(C)S conferences - ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC.  These are the smaller schools you likely have never heard of, some of whom have made impressive tournament runs in recent years - George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth, Butler, Wichita State, and so on.

There are 340 Division I schools in 32 conferences (this includes the aforementioned B(C)S conferences).  Many of these schools - which includes Mike's alma mater, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) - are schools most casual sports fans have never heard of or knew were DI.  That's where KYMM comes in.

The conferences we will be highlighting in this series include:

• America East Conference
• American Athletic Conference (the renamed former Big East)
• Atlantic Sun Conference
• Atlantic-10 Conference (A-10)
• Big East Conference (the non-football schools of the former Big East that broke away and took the name with them)
• Big Sky Conference
• Big South Conference
• Big West Conference
• Colonial Athletic Association
• Conference USA
• Horizon League
• Ivy League
• Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)
• Mid-American Conference (MAC)
• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
• Missouri Valley Conference
• Mountain West Conference
• Northeast Conference (NEC)
• Ohio Valley Conference
• Patriot League
• Southern Conference
• Southland Conference
• Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
• Summit League
• Sun Belt Conference
• West Coast Conference
• Western Athletic Conference (WAC)

Click here to download.

Episode 11 - Orlando City Rant

"You have meddled with the primal forces of nature!  And you!  Will!  Atone!"
- Network (1976)

On this podcast, Mike has to rant against MLS' decision to admit Orlando City - a third division soccer team - into the first division, breaking many of FIFA's bylaws in the process, specifically (1) breaking FIFA's top-flight limit of 20 teams at any one time (this move would make 21); (2) allowing a third division team to jump into the first division while completely bypassing the second division; and (3) undermining the cry from North American soccer fans to implement - or at the very least start talking about implementing - a system of promotion and relegation.

Orlando City, congratulations, you've pissed one of us off.

There will be a discussion on promotion and relegation in North American soccer in an upcoming edition of this podcast.


Click here to download.