Free Republic

This has been brewing a while. It's probably not a fully formed thought, so I'll just throw that out there first and foremost and apologize. The situation, as we all know now, is grim. We have an ineffective, disliked and extremely polarizing incumbent. We have an allegedly moderate Republican from a very blue state. We have the GOP wunderkind in Ryan who is supposedly going to help flip another very blue state in Wisconsin. Yet what do we have? 4 more years of Obama. This is the end of the GOP and of national conservatism. It's time to face it,...

To all: My loving wife is currently in the hospital with a blood clot in her left lung. Her prognosis is good, we caught it just in the nick of time, but she is a bit down about the situation and obviously being on the hospital is never a good thing. I'm requesting prayer for my wife as she pulls through this bump in the road. She's a great wife and mother (she'd have to be to put up with me to say the least), and she could really use it.

Stefanie Spielman, 42, wife of OSU great Chris Spielman, has died. She is beloved for her courageous struggle against breast cancer. Stefanie is survived by her husband, Chris, and four children. A fund named for her -- Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research -- has raised more than $6.5 million for breast cancer research, according to the Spielman Fund Web site.

The October 2009 average temperature for the contiguous United States was the third coolest on record for that month according to NOAA’s State of the Climate report issued today. Based on data going back to 1895, the monthly National Climatic Data Center analysis is part of the suite of climate services provided by NOAA. The average October temperature of 50.8 degrees F was 4.0 degrees F below the 20th Century average. Preliminary data also reveals this was the wettest October on record with average precipitation across the contiguous United States reaching 4.15 inches, 2.04 inches above the 1901-2000 average.

THE BCS NATIONAL TITLE GAME vs. Florida vs Ohio State (-7) The BCS National Title game is being played in Glendale, Arizona and features the BCS #1 team and Big Ten conference champion Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the BCS #2 and SEC Conference champion Florida Gators. Being that this is the National Title game as we know it, I’ll break it down by groups. Feel free to disagree if you like, but I’ll do my level best to keep it even here. Ohio State’s offensive line vs. Florida’s defensive line: This is one of 3 critical match-ups in the game....

NEW DELHI, India (AP) -An Indian runner who won a silver medal in the women's 800 meters at the Asian Games failed a gender test and was stripped of the medal. Shanti Sounderajan, 25, took the gender test in Doha, Qatar, after placing second. The Indian Olympic Association said Monday it has been told by the Olympic Council of Asia that the 25-year-old runner was disqualified. "IOA has asked the Athletic Federation of India to return the medal as desired by the Olympic Council of Asia,'' the Indian Olympic group said. The IOA also asked its medical commission to inquire...

Microsoft updates Vista in latest piracy crackdown 'Frankenbuild' update detects tampering of Vista code that would let users work around the OS' built-in activation system Microsoft on Thursday released an update to Windows Vista that will shut down unauthorized versions of the OS that allow users to skip the product's activation system. The move comes as pirated copies of Vista are already making the rounds, mere weeks after the product was released to business customers. The update, which Microsoft has dubbed "frankenbuild," detects tampering of Windows Vista code that would allow users of the OS to work around the product's...

I don’t mean to rag on the state of Alabama again -- but it’s just so easy. As I said the day Mike Shula was fired, the Crimson Tide’s storied program is being held back by the incompetent, old-boy network that still calls the shots there. And now, cross-state competitor UAB is being plagued by the same problem. According to Birmingham News columnist Kevin Scarbinsky, the Blazers were all set to hire their No. 1 coaching choice, LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, on Friday. Fisher, whose previous ties to the state include stints at Samford and Auburn, is a hot...

The college football bowl season is upon us. Some of these games are worth watching, others are pure and simple money grabs. That said, I do like the fact that there are bowl games for all of the conference winners. However, I do NOT understand why the 6th place Big Ten team or the 8th place SEC team has a bowl game to go too. It’s all about the money. Almost all of these games will be on ESPN or ESPN2, but I will highlight the channel that these games are on. This thread will cover all non-National Title games....

It comes down to Troy Smith, Brady Quinn and Darren McFadden....

2006 Award Winners Award Winner Maxwell Brady Quinn O'Brien Troy Smith Walker Darren McFadden Bilitnikoff Calvin Johnson Mackey Matt Spaeth Rimington Dan Mozes Bednarik Paul Posluszny Butkus Patrick Willis Outland Joe Thomas Thorpe Aaron Ross Lombardi LaMarr Woodley Nagurski James Laurinaitis Groza Art Carmody Ray Guy Daniel Sepulveda 2006 Award Tracker

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Football League's ability to negotiate exclusive sports packages is under fire from the outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., twice said he would introduce legislation in the next session aimed at eliminating the league's freedom from antitrust laws. Specter said the NFL should not use the exemption to negotiate exclusive programming packages such as DirectTV Inc.'s "Sunday Ticket," which allows viewers to watch teams outside their regional market. "As I look at what the NFL is doing today with the NFL channel with the DirectTV ... a lot of people,...

Weekend Thirteen cleared up the BCS title picture a bit. USC won convincingly against Notre Dame while Florida failed to get the style points needed to make a run at the Trojans and Wolverines. With Arkansas losing to LSU, Florida only theoretically has a chance at the title game. The weekend was not without surprises as Texas lost for the 2nd time in a row while West Virginia eliminated itself from Big East and BCS contention by losing to South Florida. The weekend also featured some great finishes with BYU, Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee pulling games out late. This week...

Weekend Twelve showcased what is, in my opinion, the best rivalry in college football and one of the best rivalries in all sports. Ohio State vs. Michigan seemed to actually live up to the hype, with an Ohio State victory over Michigan 42-39. The game was dampened a bit by the passing of a legend, Bo Schembechler, the day before the game. Needless to say, Bo (and Woody for that matter) would not have liked the game given the nearly 900 yards of offense and over 80 points scored. This weekend gives us several match-ups that are key to the...

SI.com is a CNN entity and must be linked.... In short... 1) Ohio State 1.000 2) Michigan 0.922 3) USC 0.919

Weekend Eleven threw the entire BCS mess into an even bigger mess if that is possible. No fewer than 3 one loss teams lost (Texas, Auburn, Cal) while another one (Florida) needed to block 3 kicks to win their game 17-16 against South Carolina. This week is the week that just about everyone in the national media has been waiting for. The greatest rivalry in college football renews and that game finds that Ohio State is #1 and Michigan is #2 for the first time in the 102 game history of this game. Saturday, November 18th, 2006 (ABC) at (2)...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hall of Fame football coach Bill Walsh has leukemia, according to two reports Friday. The 74-year-old coach, who led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl victories and revolutionized the sport with his West Coast offense, told The Press Democrat of Santa Rosa, Calif., and the Sports Xchange Web site that he has been battling the cancer for several years. Walsh said he feels much better after a series of transfusions in the past month, and he intends to resume a more active schedule. "I'm positive, but not evangelistic," he said. "I'm pragmatically doing everything my...

Weekend Ten gave us one of the more exciting games this year with West Virginia going down valiantly against Louisville 44-34. Louisville has silenced the doubters as to whether it belonged in the National Title hunt with a resounding win that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Michigan and Ohio State both won very close and competitive games against inferior opponents, which has set the national sports media abuzz about the possibilities that neither is truly the best team in the nation. Louisville is no stranger to the match up of the week as they are traveling to Piscataway,...

It's been a fun couple months for those of us who love football in all it's forms. We are at the halfway point in the NFL with the conclusion of Monday Night's game. We are at a critical point of the season in College Football where one loss can ruin an otherwise great season for someone. This is a thread for everyone who loves football to bring in their personal observations about the football season, their debates and anything else you'd like to contribute.

Weekend Nine brought one of the “Big 3” down. USC went into Corvallis, Oregon with their BCS destiny in their hands. Had they won out, they were assured of playing for the mythical National Championship. Unfortunately for USC, the Oregon State Beavers had other ideas. After getting out to a 33-10 lead, Oregon St. survived a ferocious comeback attempt by John David Booty to hold on. The loss by USC opened the door for yet another unbeaten team to hold destiny in the palm of their hand. West Virginia takes the spotlight this weekend in the Thursday Night Showdown with...