On This Week In Schadenfreude we explore the sputtering rage, gibbering condemnation, and resigned ennui of the college football fan who has recently undergone humiliating defeat. Because even in your darkest hour, someone else is suffering too, and probably worse than you. Unless you are a Michigan fan who has just finished watching the Appalachian State game.scha·den·freu·de
–noun
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
[Origin: 1890–95; < G, equiv. to Schaden harm + Freude joy]
The Bill Stewart era came crashing down in its first game against a I-A opponent in a shockingly uncompetitive loss to ECU, and West Virginia message boards descended into the sort of post-apocalyptic war you might expect. My favorite bit of fallout was one bright and bushy fellow asking if there "were any positives at all in this game" and getting the following responses, all consecutive:
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yes. It ended. |
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| BIG TEN |
It's all quiet on the Midwestern front this week as the Big Ten went undefeated against a slate of tomato cans, though if Ohio State carries their form over into the USC game there will be a hell of an entry here next week. |
| PAC 10 |
There's universal agreement that Washington got J-O-B jobbed this weekend -- though Doctor Saturday does point out BYU vastly outgained Washington and deserved the win -- but that's cold consolation to Ty Willingham: most still want him fired last year. It's not, however, to TWIS, because it results in message board threads debating exactly how high Locker threw the ball -- an initial estimate was 44 feet, but that was later knocked down to 25-35: If it indeed took 2.4 seconds for the ball to return to the ground after it left his hand (which to me seems a little short...I thought it was more like 3-4 seconds), then you you can assume symmetry in the problem and just use the 1.2 seconds to go up (or down).
There's something beautiful in this. College football plus physics majors plus OUTRAGE plus the internet == 100% pure Colombian awesome. The formula for distance is d = v*t + 1/2 a*t^2 where v represents the initial velocity (instead of calculating the velocity as the ball left JL's hand, we can start at the apex where the initial velocity is zero) this gives d = 1/2 a*t^2 and using 32.2 ft/sec^2 as the accelleration of gravity, this gives 23.2 feet as the total distance. At 3 seconds total (1.5 up and 1.5 down) the formula gives 36.2 feet. Either way, I'd say it is safe to say that JL threw the ball 25-35 feet in the air (for this problem, air resistance should have had a negligible effect on the height of the ball and it came nowhere near terminal velocity) Also: God hates the Washington HuskiesWhatever sins the Husky football program committed, whatever the sins of the late James era, the Neuheisel era, the Gilby-Ty era...whatever sins were committed 100 years ago, the McElhenny years, the days of prejudice...whatever wrongs we have done individually or collectively as Husky Nation....surely we have been punished enough. because now, it's just piling on. I am officially calling a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty on God.
Everyone within 50 feet of "Husky73" should be slowly backing away, preferably whilst tugging on their collar and looking nervously skyward. |
| SEC |
Back on the homefront I run the Blogpoll. The poll gives out an award for extreme bias that is a freakily efficient predictor of horrible defeat for the team supported to the winner (this week Boston College voters finished 1-2 and watched their team go down to Georgia Tech 19-16.) This is weird, but maybe plausible. However, last week I objected to Rocky Top Talk's pleas for reason and that very night Tennessee got Crafted in spectacular fashion. The RTT reaction: Pants. It's just pants.
That's either British or incoherent. It is also downright creepy. I'm tempted to point at a homeless guy and command him to die, but what if it works? |
I don't like it any more than anyone else does, but the reign of Steve Spurrier, evil genius, appears over. South Carolina remains South Carolina four years into Spurrier's tenure, his kid is veering towards JayPa territory, -- assuming that's still JayPa territory after Penn State was shockingly effective against Oregon State -- and the OBC looks done. Scarlet and Black Attack has the gory reaction: Inexcusable. There's no excuse for what we saw tonight. There just isn't. Don't even start this "Vanderbilt is a good team" crap. Don't even start excuses. Don't even begin to try to explain this away.
We lost. To Vanderbilt. Deal with it. There are calls to bench Captain Munnerlyn, proclamations that the offensive line was "pitiful" and a grade of F applied. And none of it seems that irrational. RIP, OBC. Click-clack. |
| BIG EAST |
Syracuse 28, Akron 42, crying child:  Lather, rinse repeat. |
Let's go back to West Virgina, because the freude is so very schaden there. The message boards have gone from worshiping "Coach Stew" to reviling "Uncle Stew" in record time, and now they're coming around to the opinion everyone else had when West Virginia married their rebound: We need a coach with some heart and some intensity. He has neither.Stewart is a cross between Gomer Pyle/ Marry Poppins. Not a good combo for a head coach for a top level program.( Which we won't be after this year for a long time)
That gentleman goes on to declare the Marshall game a potential "nail bitter!!!" which is either [sic] or really deep, man. Meanwhile there's an official "bring back Rodriguez" thread that doesn't include the words "with his head on a spike," a "would you bring back Rodriguez pole" that's running 2-1 against, a "anyone who wants to bring back Rodriguez is a morally corrupt demon" thread, a "face it this year with Pat White, Noel Devine, and five returning OL starters is a rebuilding year" thread, and various other pieces of chaos that make Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome look like a sunny version of the future. |
| BIG TWELVE |
Like the Big Ten, there were a couple of close calls against cupcakes but no actual losses, so there's no freude to be had here |
| ACC |
Losing to Middle Tennessee State pretty much signals the end of the road for any coach reputed to be on the hot seat, so it's time to bid the Fridge goodbye and wonder just how the hell Maryland was a ten-win team for a few years. Hell in a Red Shell declares that W is for Whiskey: To crib from Spencer's writing over at The Sporting Blog; W is for Whiskey! As in you'll be drinking a lot of it to get through the rest of this football season.TWIS strongly discourages you from this course of action unless you're Kevin Grady because you will die. |
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Coal tinged tears with just a hint of moonshine taste the best while watching a couch burn.
Karma is a mofo.
Coal tinged tears with a hint of moonshine tatste the best when watching a couch burn.
Karma is a mofo.
No, *only* freude in the Big 12, no schaden. The freude's the joy part.
Is it just me or does that Syracuse crying child have a disturbingly full set of teeth?
There is actually neither. We are the people taking the joy in seeing these teams fail. If there is no failure, there is no freude. But I suppose it all depends on your point of view. I'm sure Mark Mangino is full of freude (among other things) today.
A-Hole-Rod knew that 2008 would be a rebuilding year for the Mountaineers, sold out his school and his state, didn't prepare his team for the Pitt game, took the money and ran to Ann Arbor as fast as he could. WVU would have been better off if he left the previous year for Alabama. The true Mountaineer fan will remember what A-Hole-Rod's record was in his first season. Even though I am a die hard WVU fan the No. 8 ranking was way too lofty for a team that lost most of it's talent on defense and three key threats on offense. There are other top 25 teams in the same boat. Take Oklahoma--(they didn't just get beat they got whipped by WVU in the bowl and look at their pre-season ranking)--or Ohio State or LSU or Florida or Missouri. Maybe there should be no pre-season rankings. There's still a long season to go--let's not get all caught up in one loss to a good ECU team that beat Virginia Tech the previous week (anyone want to bash the ACC). Let the final games play out and then make your opinion of your coach and your team. Remember they are just college students.
Matt,
It's hard to type beacause your post was so entertaining.
"A-Hole-Rod knew that 2008 would be a rebuilding year for the Mountaineers, sold out his school and his state, didn't prepare his team for the Pitt game, took the money and ran to Ann Arbor as fast as he could"
So, RR left WVU bare to go to the full cupboard at UM?
RR had all the talent in the Georgia Tech bowl game, I suppose?
Are you talking about the Mountaineers 38-35 win over Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl? Sure "RR" was the coach but he didn't win the game--Pat White's play in the third quarter and the strong defensive effort in the second half led to WVU's come back win. As far as going to a full cupboard at Michigan--why did several top players transfer after "RR" was named head coach. "Mr. Pesonality" should have a much easier time recruiting at Michigan because of it's past glory years and it's large draw of in-state talent. WVU usually lands the top players in the state but must go out of state for most of the talent because of the state's small population. Bottom line is what happens on the field--Let's Go Mountaineers!!!!!!!
-cont-
Instead of blaming RR, maybe you should look to good 'ol Coach Stew who installed a new offense, and totally changed Pat White's game.
Like I've said before, no one has ever deserved everything that's coming to them more than the delusional part of the WVU fanbase.
So "RR" is running Lloyd Carr's offense??? Now who's delusional??
Hey Matt -
WVU's fans are getting exactly what they deserved, and it's beautiful. I feel for those kids who have to waste a year (maybe more) under inept coaching, but for the "'eers" like you, I have this to say:
Ha ha
Everyone seems to be burying Bill Stewart for losing one game. One loss does not make a season. And please tell me about myself--you seem to know me so well. What do Mountaineer fans deserve--we care and back our team just like you do for your favorite school--whatever institution of lower learning that might be.
Matt,
What was I thinking? The head coach has absolutely nothing to do with what's happening on the field. Wow!
I guess Notre dame is full of horrible football players.
Thanks for sorting that out for me.
Scalz?,
There ya go you thinkin'....Notre Dame has no coach and no players....they beat San Diego State that lost the week before the CPSO--a team that had over 500 yards in total offense....can you spell CPSO--I should've guessed it you and Regis are related.....and there we go a fan of a program that was coached by the father of the team that beat WV--old man Holtz born in WV, raised in eastern OH but has no respect for either state or either team....you are what you are but you ain't what you ain't......as for you above statement--who made the play on the field A-Hole Rod or Pat White.....do you really think that every play a coach calls is the way it's run on the field...see the "Ole Ball Coach" at SC
"RR" can change the offensive scheme at Michigan but Bill Stewart can't do the same at WVU?? What coach that takes over another team stays with the exact same offense?? Are you scared of people from West Virginia?? We might have more common sense than all you intellects out there?? Some of us may have tears coming out of our eyes from working in the coal mines, and some of us may like the taste of moonshine and some of us may enjoy burning couches after a huge win. What's your problem with that?? Scared??
In a word, yes.
Changing my IP address as we speak(or type)
Hahahahahaha....you funny man......it's just all opinion here--mine, yours and others.... bottom line no matter if our favorite team wins or loses the real world rolls on.....God Bless America
Rebuilding year at WV? That must mean that everyone in AP that ranked them in the top 10 doesn't know what talent is. WV ranked Michigan, unranked which team has the bare cupboard?
The Psycho-ex WVU fans who are still whining about RR should get over it and start whining about the WVU administration. It is the WVU administration who chased RR away by not giving him the resources to truly compete for national championships every year.
If y'all weren't so busy burning furniture and giving your sisters the shocker, maybe you would open your eyes and realize that the WVU administration has just flushed seven years of RR's hard work down the crapper.
But go ahead: blame RR. Don't blame the utterly incompetent Stewie, who has about as much business coaching a BCS program as I do piloting the space shuttle. Don't blame the shirts in the WVU administration, who were too racist to consider Calvin Magee for the job.
What's really funny is that the administration's smear campaign on RR has accomplished exactly what it set out to do; it has caused the WVU fanbase to totally ignore the fact that the administration is the real problem there.
To put it in language that even the most purely inbred of 'eers can understand: y'all fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
And you are getting exactly what you deserve for being so stupid.
Burn a couple of couches for me next time WVU wins. There won't be too many more opportunities for awhile.
Where is Crackhead Cook and his pinhead minions???? I want to taste some tasty teams of all Michicrap and O-ringed State fans after they represented their TEN TEN conference this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Talk about a twin can being opened on your punks.........richly deserved................but we know in 2 weeks the crackpipes will be smoking National Championship talk again................
Rich Rod looked like a complete idiot..........only made better by that sweather loving moron who cant figure out his senior QB sucks BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bet we wont see Michicrap and OringState in the Schadenfreude this week...but I am loving it!!!!!!!!!!!!