The new McDonald's

Have you been to a McDonald's lately? I know they are not the mom and pop burger shop I try to find in every town, but they have made some drastic changes in what seems to be the last year. These mods have definitely gained my respect. I once avoided the popular American fast food chain...but not any more. Flat screen tv's better food, and a whole new look. Five them another chance.

Debating on new cruiser grips...

I'm looking for some opinions out there because I need new grips for my Electra Coaster 1. My current stock grips are getting cut at the end of the bars. I'm debating going old school with something classic from AME and tossing nickels in the ends. Similar to these blue AME MTB Tri's but in black. I prefer something without the flange so I can choke up on occasion. Or going with something metal like these one's from Electra. I've always rode with rubber, so I don't know how the metals will ride. If I go this route I would prefer to get something black to keep my ride uniform.
Let me know what you think or if you can provide any good links...

The Big12 South stinks..

The Big12 is not all they tried to say they were this year...

During this past year's NCAA football season the media and the Big12 tried to boast about being the exclusive powerhouse in college football. And better yet...better than the SEC.

Just take a look at the bowl scores and do the math yourself. Yes, the Big12 North did close the deal on their 3 games, but the Big12 South, really dropped the ball figuring they were the one's doing all of the talking.

North
W - Missouri skimmed by Northwestern.
W - Kansas beat Minnesota.
W - Nebraska beat Clemson by 5.

The South
L - Texas Tech dropping to Mississippi...the only team to beat the triumphant Gators this year.
W - Texas winning by a spot of a ball in the 4th against THE Ohio State.
L - Oklahoma State losing to Oregon.
L - And Oklahoma losing to Florida.

So they went 4-3 overall and the ones doing all of the talking only won 1 of 4.

In summary...The SEC is still the leader of the pack.

Fixing the College Football Bowl Situation

Playoff, +1, keep it as is... Something has to give.

Everyone that loves college football knows that the current situation needs to change. Yes, if you take a look at history, we are far better off with the BCS than we were a few years back without it. The crime is that it boils down to money, and not football or the students playing the game.

Personally, I blame the gridlock on the Rose Bowl and the PAC10 and BigTen. They won't release their grip off of the rights to the annual Pasadena trip.

I'll cut to the chase...

My solution isn't original, but also is the fastest to implement and the best middle ground offering compromise.

1. Keep the current BCS ranking system. No, I don't think it is all that fair either, but it is a system that floats the best to the top.
2. (Optional) Institute mandatory conference championships. This would equal out the amount of games and create harder schedules for those without. The 2 strongest conferences do this already.
3. Keep the same BCS bowl rotation. 5 trump games in New Orleans, Miami, Pasadena, and Phoenix. And maybe switch up the sites every few years. By now, you are thinking...Huh. This guy is stupid.
4. Here is where my +1 solution comes in. Make the 2 previous bowl games that hosted the championship the playoff sites with 1 vs. 4, and 2 vs. 3. The 1 vs. 4 would have been held in the Sugar Bowl, and the 2 vs. 3 would have been held in the Fiesta Bowl this year.
   
5. Allowing the Orange Bowl to host the 4th most important matchup, with 7 vs. 8.
6. And the Rose Bowl to have the 3rd most important with 5 vs. 6.
   
7. The winners of the 2 'playoff' bowl games in Phoenix and New Orleans go to the final in Miami. Still allowing for the week after game. The dates would have to be shuffled around a bit every year. But I'm certain the Rose Bowl Parade fanatics would be the only ones to complain.
8. The system will have to eliminate who gets automatic bids in to each bowl by way of conference leader.

And there you have it. A +1 with no season extension and a semi-playoff offering 4 spots. The catch is that we would need to decide on this new layout in advance and maybe even a couple of years so everyone knew what was coming...No big deal.

The Positives are:

• This formula keeps the current quantity of bowls.
• Does not extend the bowl season.
• Allows for 4 teams to make their way into the final after the final BCS rankings.
• Somewhat of a compromise of the current system, a +1, and a playoff.
  

The Negatives are:

• The total amount of bowl teams are reduced by two because the 2 final teams play another game.
• Particular conferences do not get locked into select BCS bowls...boo hoo.
• Additional money for 2 of the 4 final teams. This could possibly be reworked or donated to other deserving causes or programs.
• Fans may not dish out the cash to go to 2 bowl games if their teams are that good. Ohhh my gosh.... ticket prices might have to go down. How crazy would that be?