He has only been my boss for eight months, but he is already one of my favorites. Unfortunately, I will begin reporting to a new manager in a little less than two weeks (who also happens to be remote). Today I received the following note in the mail from the outgoing boss.

Scott -

This reorganization will likely pose a few challenges. Just remember, you could always be out of gin.

Included in the envelope was a refrigerator magnet from Keep the Faye.

The last time I was at the home office we went out one night for drinks and dinner. Another co-worker and I ordered martinis, while he stuck to beer. Remembering my love of gin months later—taking the time and effort to apply it in a humorous and encouraging way—now that is one good boss.

Presumptive self-confidence may look like faith, but it has a very different spiritual root (Jer. 17:5-10). Faith and presumption look alike because both qualities are characterized by confidence, but faith begins in the recognition and acceptance of our total human weakness. It relies solely on God and his gracious willingness to empower us.

Presumption, on the other hand, is a reliance on human moral abilities and religious accomplishments, on visible securities. It ultimately relies on human will power to serve God and people.

— Rose Marie Miller, From Fear to Freedom, pp. 15-16.

The Scarlet Knights fell off their horse this past Saturday, thus deflating much of the debate over the Bogus Championship Series. By beating Michigan, Ohio State has a lock on the championship game. Who will play them is still something to be solved on the playing field and by the pollsters. For further news and analysis I searched the sports sites while sipping my morning coffee.

• Ivan Maisel writes that the top five teams in the BCS rankings “play each other or have already played each other.” This makes the BCS picture clearer, but in fairness he says that “head-to-head competition is not always valid.”
• Pete Fiutak reminds us in his top ten bowl prediction rundown that the polls play a bigger factor in the BCS rankings than the teams entire seasons (i.e., as opposed to objective data).
• On NPR’s Morning Edition, John Feinstein compares the Ohio State v. Michigan game to the Thrilla in Manilla, as he and Steve Inskeep deconstruct the game and its national title implications. When asked about Boise State, Feinstein said that his “belief is in sports if you don’t lose, then you should be allowed to play for the championship.”

Neither the events of the weekend nor the thoughtful analysis (dispassionate or otherwise) changes what I said in my Four P’s post. If anything, I am less enthusiastic about the upcoming bowl season, as well as college football in general. The fact that I installed a garbage disposal during the epic Ohio State v. Michigan game is evidence of my declining interest. My somewhat apathetic honest, but cynical, answer to the title question of this post is, “Who cares?”

I used to say that I was a fan of college football because of the purity of the game. Professional football is a business, while amateur football is a true sport. Big money teams dominate in the professional leagues, but in college the underdog has a chance. I now think that between endorsements, media contracts and the BCS (which has less to do with selecting a champion than it does with monopolizing the limelight and maximizing profits); the line between the NCAA Division I-A and the NFL is all but obliterated. Of course, the NFL still has one key distinction over the NCAA—they have a playoff system.

O

H, give me light to see, a heart to close with, and power to do Thy will, O God — Amen.

— Thomas Wilson (1663 – 1755)

No one has ever asked me about my favicon. Hence, I redesigned it: . . . will anyone notice?