College football and a crystal ball

          While sitting in a restaurant, hoping the food would arrive before the new year (it was a day or so after Christmas Day), your loyal blogger noticed the I-Don’t-Care-Who-Wins Bowl presented by Nobody-Else-Does-Either on the television high above the bar on the other side of the eatery.

          After watching a few plays (which seemed to indicate the people in the city where the game was played didn’t care too much either because none of them bought tickets), this blogger began to make predictions about the future of college football.

          The results:

 

          The I-Don’t-Care-Who-Wins Bowl, which is played in a cold weather town named Can’t-Find-Us-On-A-Map, may not survive too many more years. Why watch a pair of 6-6 teams play poorly in the snow?

          The four-team playoff coming to the NCAA’s most important division will create more complaints than the BCS computer ranking system ever did.

          Notre Dame will be included in the playoff system any year the Fighting Irish can achieve seven wins. They will not deserve it, just like they should not have been matched against Alabama a year ago, but money talks and Notre Dame is good for television rankings.

          The four-school playoff system will last one year. It will expand to eight and eventually to 16 schools. Even with that number of invitees, some conferences will not be represented, not even by the conference champions. A 10-win conference championship team from the Mountain West might not get a spot in the Magic 16, but the fourth-place team from the weakest division in the Big 10 will get a bid.

          Some college football teams will play 17 games in a season soon.

          No school from the Mountain West will ever host a playoff game under the new format.

          Eventually, the Big 10 (which has a dozen members) will return to its traditional position as one of the toughest conferences in the country for football. Right now, the Big 10 is a paper tiger.

          Next season, a guy who lived across the street from Nick Saban when Saban was an assistant coach two decades ago at (pick a school) will have lunch with another guy who once attended a game at a school which recently fired its football coach. Based on that luncheon, the national media will run wild with the ‘news’ that Saban is shopping himself around.

          The Southeastern Conference will probably have only one representative, if it gets that many, in the football final four next year. It says here that any team which wins its division in the SEC is probably deserving of a berth in the Final Four, whether it wins the conference championship game or not.

          The SEC championship game will no longer be a semi-final game for the national championship system. It will be a quarter-final game. Because humans, not computers, will make all the determinations in the future, the SEC will return to an under-valued position among the elite conferences.

          The next toughest conference in the country will be proven to be the Pacific 12. At least they can count their members, which is more than the Big 10 or Big 12 can say.

          The final play of the Iron Bowl, the 109-yard return of the missed field goal by an Auburn player against Alabama, will be replayed 45 times or more during the national championship game’s pre-game show.

          Yours truly will not slip on a patch of ice and suffer an injury during the final hour before the national championship game this season. I will walk the dog earlier this time.

 

          Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays from us to you

          The Holiday Season is here.

          Your Loyal Blogger has joined family and friends this week in hopes that all of you can do the same.

          Everyone in the extended Leeway family joins in a chorus of wishes that you and yours enjoy a happy, safe and joyous time around the end of December.

A poet does not write this blog. That much is clear to you the reader and to this writer. (Not much editing goes on here either, but that’s a different matter.)

Still, a small attempt is offered below to wish all of you the finest of Holidays.

 

FROM US TO YOU

Join the band, let’s all join hands and sing a song of cheer

Get on the ball; it is time for all to free the world from fear

Remember please, let no one tease, let’s all be very clear

Bells should ring and people sing for Christmas time is here.

 

          Thanks for reading.

 

Holiday wishes in song

          As a transplanted Californian, your loyal blogger has written frequently here about the causes, effects and uses of winter.

          The cause, it has been written here, is a massive communist plot. Among the effects was an outstanding smack on the head after slipping on ice. The uses? We’ve called winter an excellent photo op.

          Mother Nature’s timing is outstanding. According to the well-weathered announcers on the electric television this week, we’ll have rain here today, followed by rain tomorrow. The next day, the temperature will drop significantly and people will be ice skating down Main Street.

          Or something like that.

          The point is that winter has made an impression, an impression so dramatic that this observer has been moved to song.

          Our children, the son and daughter of Leeway, have been moved by song. If fact, the fear of song moved them great distances away in order to avoid these musical moments. They moved to the other side of the North American continent from where we once lived just to get away from these charming offerings. As life has progressed, the kids now live on opposite sides of the continent and we live in the middle.

          That’s been bad news for Mrs. Leeway, who must now bear the brunt of the musical massacre as one of the season’s most iconic carols is reduced to something a little less sappy and a little more, well, ditty-like.

          Wishing all of you the happiest and safest of Holiday Seasons, your loyal blogger leaves you with this:

 

I’m Dreaming of a Warm Christmas

 

I’m dreaming of a warm Christmas

Just like the kind I used to know

Where the joggers hustle

And I can bustle

Without slipping in the snow.

 

I’m dreaming of a nice, warm Christmas

Without a single sheet of ice

Where the house tops stay dry

And children know why

They don’t have to shovel snow

May your days be merry and bright

And may your Christmas not be white!

 

          Thanks for singing, uh, reading.

 

The common soldier

          One common thread for many commanders in both armies during the American Civil War was sewn years earlier when they served together in the United States Army during the Mexican War.

          Ulysses Grant, Robert E. Lee, George Meade, James Longstreet and Thomas (not yet called ‘Stonewall’) Jackson served in that conflict. None were generals at that point of their careers, but they all played one role or another and all on the same side.

          The Mexican War does not get the same study or popular attention as does the

John Isaac Baird

Civil War. Reading some Civil War studies leads you to believe that Grant and the others mentioned above went down to Mexico with General Winfield Scott and pretty much handled everything by themselves.

          They didn’t, of course. There were lots of common soldiers involved in the fighting. Otherwise, the officers would have nobody to order around.

          One of the common soldiers in the army at that time was a Private named John Isaac Baird. Baird served in Cunningham’s Alabama Regiment in Mexico, mustering in on June 29, 1846.

Baird put his experience to work later when he enlisted in the Confederate Army in early July, 1862 as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Cavalry Battalion of Hilliard’s Legion. The Cavalry Battalion, the Legion’s 5^th, was split off from the Legion very soon after it was founded to become part of the 10^th Confederate Cavalry.

Ironically, the 10^th was part of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, as was the Legion, by the fall of 1863. Serving in the brigade commanded by Brig. General Archibald Gracie, the Legion won fame during the bloody Battle of Chickamauga. The 10^th also fought valiantly in that battle.

Baird, however, was not at Chickamauga. He was promoted to Captain on April 15, 1863 but resigned due to physical disability on July 22 of the same year, a little less than two months before the clash at Chickamauga.

He became the Sheriff of Clay County, Alabama in 1867.

The information about Baird came from a great-great grandson of Baird’s, Monte Rogers, who also allowed this blog to use the image of Baird that you see here. Nice guy.

The point here is that battlefield histories must concentrate on officers, usually high-ranking officers, in order to explain decisions and actions that take place during battles. Regiments are identified by their commanders and so forth. But for every commander mentioned there are hundreds or thousands of common soldiers who carry out those decisions and determine whether the actions are successful.

We must never forget the courage of the common soldiers, then or now.

 

Thanks for reading.

An absolute maybe

          It does not matter what kind of historical research you are doing, the problems are basically the same. You have to find and identify the necessary material and then follow it where it takes you.

          Whether your subject matter is the early years of the National Football League, sports car racing of the late 20^th century or America’s Civil War, the researcher seldom steers the pathway. Oh, you might use the accelerator or stomp on the brakes sometimes, but you don’t do the steering. You are a follower, not a leader. It is a lot like the old Disneyland ride, Autopia.

          The drivel-packed paragraphs above (maybe the pair-a graphs above?) is meant to prepare the reader for the coming description of the latest stumbling block on your loyal blogger’s pathway to research bliss.

          His name was Alonzo Jesse Bullard. Well, that was probably his name. We can confidently assume that this might have been his name. Maybe.

          There is every reason to believe that Bullard likely served in Company C of the10th Confederate Cavalry during the Civil War. The various versions of his name are spread across two Confederate commands, which is consistent with Confederate regimental records about those two units, and is linked to a third regiment, which is consistent with nothing.

          Excellent.

          Alonzo J. Bullard is listed as a Private in the 5^th Battalion of Hilliard’s Legion, a mostly Alabama unit founded by Colonel Henry W. Hilliard in 1862. The 5^th Battalion was the Legion’s cavalry arm and the Confederate War Department transferred the 5^th Battalion to a new unit, the 10^th Confederate Cavalry, almost as soon as it was formed. A Georgia cavalry command was folded in with the 5^th Battalion to form the 10^th.

          Got all that? Good.

          So here we go: There is a grave marker in the Red Hill Cemetery in Lee County, Mississippi for an Alonzo Jesse Bullard. Next to the head stone, there is a marker proclaiming that Bullard served in Company C of the 5^th Alabama Cavalry during the Civil War.

          There is also a Hilliard’s Legion roster that lists Alango J. Bullard as a Private in Company C of the 5^th Battalion of Hilliard’s Legion.

          So you start following the material.

          The Alabama Department of Archives and History does not list a soldier with the sir name Bullard in the 5^th Alabama Cavalry. The ADAH is an exceptional research institution. Your loyal blogger thinks it unlikely that Bullard served in the 5^th Alabama Cavalry.

          The Legion roster compiled by yours truly shows an Alonzo J. Bullard, who served in Company C of the 5^th Battalion. This version of the soldier in question enlisted at the age of 18.

          The grave marker in Mississippi lists Alonzo Jesse Bullard’s birthdate as July 4, 1843. If Bullard enlisted in the Legion any time before July 4, 1862, he would have been 18 years of age.

          Years of study by this blogger indicate the vast majority of Legion soldiers enlisted between July 1 and July 7, 1862 and most went on the record before July 4. Some enlisted in the months before that and a few joined later. If Bullard enlisted on one of the same dates as the majority of Legion members, he would have signed on before July 4, 1862.

          As for the listing of Alango J. Bullard, it appears this is a simple mistake. The rosters of the day, for both the Confederate and Federal armies, were handwritten and the customary writing of the day included plenty of loops and squiggles. Even the pages where the writing is legible are hard to read. What looks like Alonzo to one set of eyes could easily look like Alango to another.

          If the assumptions above (some of which run counter to the evidence) are accurate, Alonzo Jesse Bullard was a cavalry soldier in Hilliard’s Legion before moving on to the 10^th Confederate Cavalry. If not, if there were two soldiers with similar names (which happens a lot).

          We see the coincidence between the 5^th Battalion and 5th Cavalry. The war was long over by the time Bullard passed away. We think the marker is in error.

          There was probably one soldier and his name was likely Alonzo. He served in the Legion and in the 10^th. If you accept ‘probably’ as good enough, you have one name down and 3,000 more to go to build an accurate Legion roster. So far, 'probably' hasn't been good enough. This whole thing might take a while.

          Let’s finish the story: Alonzo Jesse Bullard married Lydia Ann Lackey before the war. Lydia was a little less than two years younger than her husband. The marriage produced six children.

          Lydia passed away January 3, 1924. Alonzo passed away February 15 of the same year. They are under a common head stone.

 

          May they rest in peace. Thanks for reading.

Pictures, flags and notes about history

The Boot Hill cemetery on the outskirts of Tombstone, Ariz. Note
the wording on the marker and note the 'historians' in the background
to the left of the marker.

          If you enjoy visiting historic locations, then you probably own a camera. Most history enthusiasts like to record their visits to the various famous locals.

          Who cares what kind of camera is available. We just want to prove we’ve been

Shirts on Warren's rock at
Little Round Top.

there. I have a buddy who has never been to the Gettysburg National Military Park, so I bought both my pal and his wife a shirt, then photographed the shirts on General Warren’s rock at Little Round Top. Even if my friends haven’t been to LRT, at least they own shirts that have been on that hallowed ground.

          I love to explore these places and every time I go, I find something I haven’t seen before. The real task, then, is to explain to my wife the interesting discovery I have made when I return to her at the end of each exploratory day. Mrs. Leeway loves history, but she does not enjoy summer heat. Since most of our history visiting happens during the hot months, she typically explores the air conditioned shopping malls, movie theaters and hotels whilst I am stomping around in the heat.

          She might be smarter than I am.

  

First shot marker for
Gettysburg. This is
located in someone's
backyard.

        The images I capture with my trusty Nikon, then, have an extra duty: They have to remind me of what I saw so I can show it to Mrs. Leeway.

          The thing is, you just never know what you are going to find at these locations, even spots you’ve visited many times in the past. Thousands of others have visited these places as well and they sometimes leave their imprint.

          Sometimes you go looking for something you know about but have never visited.

          My family had grown tired of hearing me talk about the Boot Hill cemetery near Tombstone, Arizona by the time we visited there. The first image here is a classic example of an image from the ‘proof I’ve been there,’ school of photography. I had a passing visitor snap this image. If you look to the left side of the image, you can see my wife and daughter were already tired of the visit. I was still warming up.



          Sometimes visitors leave small notes at these locations. One of the most noteworthy spots is the left flank marker for the 20^th Maine regiment at Little Round Top. In this image, you see where someone jammed a small flag in the ground next to the marker. What else is there to say?

          And look at the regimental memorial for the 20^th Maine. Small notes are held against the wind by small stones. I’ve never opened one of these notes to read them. I don’t think they were left for that purpose.

Look at the notes and small flag left at the base of the regimental memorial for the 20th Maine. These are removed
constantly, only to be replaced by others. In a way these notes are also memorials. I've never opened a closed
note at a memorial. Would you?

          But, sometimes, there are notes left to be read. Two examples of these open notes left behind on Little Round Top are shown. The typewritten note memorializes

The hand-scratched note reads, "15th Alabama
needs a monument."

members of the 15^th Alabama, the Confederate unit that attacked the 20^th Maine on July 2, 1863. The notes were left a few steps from the 20^th Maine memorial. The hand-written note explains itself. Whether you agree with the sentiments expressed is immaterial. The feelings are real enough for those who leave the notes.

          Then there are the flags. Visitors leave flags all over these historic spots. The first flag image is in one of the cemeteries at the Confederate Veterans Memorial Park in Alabama, a flag for a marker. I deliberately stood behind the marker for this image, so as to keep the name of the soldier private.

A small flag flutters in an old Confederate cemetery.

          Look at the image of the flag propped up by small stones at Little Round Top, not far from the right flank marker of the 20^th Maine. This is a Confederate flag, perhaps left by a descendant of a Confederate soldier. Given that the little flag is posted on the rocks that demark the approximate line defended by the 20^th Maine, it seems unlikely that Confederate many soldiers reached that location.

I didn’t shoot this image because of the importance of the spot. Mostly, I liked all the different colors available.

The wrap up here is that regardless of what type of image you are looking for at an historic site, remember to keep your eyes open. Walk with respect for those who

made the place historically important and remember that you will not be the first visitor to have made the trip.

Others have been there before you and those people had their own reason for coming.

Thanks for reading.

 

For some reason, this site is seldom part of a tour guide's planned trip around the Gettysburg battlefield. You can see
the flags are dirty, meaning they have been there for a while. This is the location where the 20th Maine's
Company B waited in ambush for the attack of the 15th Alabama on the Maine regiment's main body.

 

A flag but no notes. The left flank marker of the 16th Michigan.
 

 

Steam on the specs: A Martian adventure

                Each year, as the direct result of a massive communist plot, winter returns to northeastern Ohio.

          The best I can figure things out, Ohio tends to vote conservatively and the commies don’t like that, so they send us their winter weather.

          Regardless of the letters I write to the state and local governments, the cold temperatures, the snow and the ice all hang around for months. The same gentle breezes we have in the summer months feel like sharpened knives of ice this time of year and there isn’t a thing to do about it.

          “Hey, that’s your fault,” my soon-to-be-ex friends say. “You’re the guy that decided to move there. Buy a coat and live with it.”

          That, of course, is the rub. The whole living with it thing.

          Oh, your loyal blogger was confident before moving here from Southern California. Very dismissing of even a hint from someone that one change in life can bring on lots of changes.

          “If it turns cold outside, we’ll just go inside,” I scoffed at the negative know-nothings who predicted an unhappy result due to moving to northeastern Ohio. “If we have to drive somewhere, so what? Both cars have heaters. Modern life has surpassed the point where you have to wear scarves and gloves just to go outside. I mean, come on. Coats have pockets, right?”

          Okay, score one for the entire rest of the world. You all might have been correct about the scarves and gloves. Maybe.

          But, you know, you all might have been wrong after all if it wasn’t for one issue that was not added into the equation. The single, solitary X factor that was never dialed in. The unforeseen circumstance. The problem.

          We don’t have a backyard. We do have a dog. Dogs must be walked if you have no backyard to let them loose into.

          The winter weather screwdriver keeps turning things tighter as winter grows deeper and all those dumb metaphors. Mother Nature, who might be related somehow to Mother Russia, just keeps piling it on in order to prove her point: You need gloves and scarves.

          Last year, as the winter noose grew tighter, your loyal blogger began changing his dog walking wardrobe. First came a seriously warm coat to supplant the light windbreaker I brought with me from California. The wind breaker works in the spring and early fall, but not in winter.

          Then came gloves and a knit watch cap. The watch cap goes under the hood of the warm coat. You can guess where the gloves go, right? Walking the dog does not allow for keeping both hands in warm coat pockets at the same time.

          Last year, your loyal blogger learned to take advantage of the glorious Metro Park located across the street from us. The tree-studded walking paths, with their delightful changes in elevation and abundant wildlife, offer terrific exercise. When the weather turned cold, a head sock was purchased to protect the entire face from the nasty cold air.

          A problem arose when the exhaled breath from your loyal blogger’s lungs was directed up by the head sock instead of out and thus fogged the eye glasses. It turns out you can’t see through steamed spectacles. Who knew?

          Those commies are really thorough.

          For a year, this problem manifested itself dozens of times: Walking the dog, walking the trails, walking to the grocery, even walking from the parking lot to the shopping center.

          It’s about 20 degrees outside, you’re wearing five or 10 layers of clothing, plus winter boots, and you have to trudge uphill to wherever you have to go. You start breathing a little harder, the steam leaks out of the head sock, the specs fog up and, boom, you become a human battering ram. A walking bumper car.

          Things finally came to a head last week while walking with Mrs. Leeway to the soft serve ice cream shop down the street. There was ice on the sidewalk and, steamed up around the eyes, you-know-who could not see the latest commie hazard and thus slipped on the ice. Disaster was averted when, using dazzling dexterity, yours truly planted the non-slipping foot on dry concrete and righted the ship.  

          Heroically, your loyal blogger was determined to find a solution to this cold weather catastrophe. Finally it happened.

          Skiers have to breathe, right? And they have to exhale because that’s part of the breathing process. So now, ski goggles have been added to the walking wardrobe. The kind of goggles that fit over eye glasses.

          Our neighbors are convinced they have a Martian living amongst them. Who else would wear a head sock and ski goggles under a hood just to walk the dog? Then again, it must have been a little confusing to see someone walking down the street with two hands stretched out in front, grasping for trees, stop signs or whatever else might be out there.

          Well, there it is. Walking in a Winter Wonderland. With goggles.

          Thanks for reading.

 

         

This is the only logical conclusion...

          Our neighbors here in Ohio will not like reading this. Our friends in Florida will be enraged. People in Texas? They will not like it either.

          Gee, that’s too bad.

          The teams will be selected to play in the BCS national football championship game today, Sunday.

          Florida State will be there without deserving it. They haven’t played a worthy opponent all season. You can’t blame them for that, but you shouldn’t credit them as the top team in the nation, either.

          Auburn should be there, having knocked off the top ranked team in the country nine days ago and having beat the fifth-ranked team in the country last night.

          Ohio State, which was ranked second going into last night’s game, finally got around to playing a team ranked in the top 10 and Ohio State lost. The Buckeyes played a tougher schedule than did Florida State, but that’s like saying the Andrea Doria was a better ship than the Titanic. Not much to choose from there.

          Missouri, which began the week ranked fifth, lost a tough game against Auburn Saturday.

          So, if the top-ranked Florida State team needs to be ranked lower, and second-ranked Ohio State has been booted from the top five, that leaves Auburn ranked first. And moving Auburn from third to first creates a gap right there in second place. A spot which must be filled in order to have two teams compete in the national championship game in January.

          I don’t know which television network will broadcast the game this time, but I’m pretty sure they’ll insist on having two teams show up to play.

          The only logical conclusion would be to move the fourth-ranked team up to second. Think about it: First place FSU needs to go, second-ranked OSU is gone, third-ranked Auburn is now first. Fifth-ranked Missouri is gone.

          That leaves us just one team, the only team in the top five not to play a game last night. You can see it coming, right?

          The fourth-ranked team at the start of play Saturday was…Alabama. The same Alabama team that spent the entire season ranked first. The same Alabama team that was tied with Auburn with one second remaining in their game last week. The two-time defending national champs.

          The same school which did not win the SEC championship a few years ago because it lost to LSU in conference play, but won the national championship anyway by beating LSU in the title game. Don't you love it when history repeats itself?

          This year’s national championship game should match top-ranked Auburn against Alabama. It is the only logical conclusion.

 

          Thanks for reading and, as always, Roll Tide.

Better off playing tag on the highway

          There are jobs and there are bad jobs. Then there are jobs nobody in their right mind interviews for or accepts. They should be advertised under the heading, “Lunatic needed.”

          For this reason, it is always a good idea to ask what happened to the most recent person to hold the position you might interview for.

          Your loyal blogger once held public office, taking the position when the previous office holder moved out of his service area due to a family issue. The decision not to run for election was fairly simple. It would have cost an estimated $30,000 to campaign for a job that paid $3,600 a year.

          You could call that bad math.

          Here is a list of jobs you should not want:

          Quarterback, Cleveland Browns -- Skills needed: Ability to throw a football and hand off to others. Must be willing to accept injury, up to and including brain injuries. The last two guys have had concussions. They guy before that tore up his knee. This is one of those times a question about previous employees would be in order. On the plus side, there are openings on the offensive line. In fact, that's the problem, all the openings along the offensive line.

          President of the United States – Skills needed: Must be able to fool enough of the people enough of the time. Must be willing to lead a nation that does not want to be led and be responsible to a society which no longer values responsibility. If your loyal blogger was ever accidentally elected to this job, he would attend the swearing in ceremony, enjoy a week of official parties and then resign and live on the retirement afforded former presidents. Former Presidents don’t need Obamacare.

          Public school teacher – Skills needed: Are you kidding? Must be a government statistician, must be fully conversant on governmental rules regarding (but not limited to) child endangerment and emergency First Aid. Must understand the basics of psychology, sociology and psychiatry and must be up to speed on whatever pop culture says is hot at any moment. Oh yeah, must be a capable instructor when time allows. Must understand how unions work.

          Bomb Squad Member – If you see these people running, there is a reason. Accept what you see and don’t ask questions.

          PR rep for any ocean-bound cruise line – I have two words for you: Francesco Schettino.

          Vin Scully’s replacement – Vinnie, play-by-play man for the Los Angeles Dodgers, retires at the end of the 2014 season. It matters not who the replacement is. Nobody could replace the finest sports broadcaster of all time. No matter who the new Voice of the Dodgers is, Dodgers fans will say he or she sucks. Your loyal blogger hereby volunteers to take the job and accept the uproar (I don't think I'd suck, but everyone else would), paving the way for the next Voice to carry a smaller burden. I’ll get my Mom, the Mother of Leeway, to do color commentary. Everybody likes Mom.

           Thanks for reading.

 

Unrepentant as ever...

For those of you who might wonder:

Yes, I saw the Iron Bowl.

I thought it was a terrific football game. I thought the ending sucked.

Yes, I saw the USC-UCLA debacle. No, I didn't like it.

Yes, I saw the Ohio State-Michigan game. I thought Brady Hoke walked across the field with the game on a silver serving tray and handed it to Urban Meyer. Meyer graciously accepted it.

I think Auburn should leapfrog over Ohio State in the BCS standings, Florida State should be ranked first and, after the conference championship games in the coming weeks, Auburn should be ranked second and play Florida State for the national title.

Auburn plays in the SEC, where three teams are ranked in the top five, others are in the top 10 and still more are in the top 25. Ohio State has an excellent program in a weak (for now) conference and there is a price to pay for that schedule.

By the way, we have all read about declining math skills in our young people. I believe this is true. Here is why: Ohio State and Michigan, both reputed to be excellent academic institutions, play in a conference with a dozen members, calling itself The Big Ten.

There is a conference named The Big 12. It has ten members.

Math skills? Those people can't even count!

Thanks for reading. I'm glad someone still can.

Roll Tide.