Cup of Coffee

November 18, 2011: Misdirection

166 Comments

I was hired for a job and every day of the job has seen new revelations of how I was lied to during the interview process. I'd complain a lot more if meat wasn't going through the same situation, except hundreds of times worse.

166 thoughts on “November 18, 2011: Misdirection”

  1. I've been out of the loop for the past 60 or so hours. What are they making you sell, spooky? Appliances?

    1. Cameras and MP3 players - two of the only things in the store I've never sold, effectively killing any benefit of rehiring someone who doesn't have to be trained. I also was given the impression I'd have great hours, and that's not the case either, as a labor crunch was announced maybe two minutes into my first shift.

      Mostly, though, I shouldn't have gone back for all the reasons I didn't want to before. Yesterday, finding out that I'd been mystery shopped was the last straw. I did well, but at my age, knowing that the company has hired someone to spy on me just isn't okay anymore. I don't know why I let them talk me into going back, and why they bothered to ask me back if they were going to place me so incorrectly.

      1. Mystery shopped?!? You mean your employer hires someone to go "shopping" in your area and then reports back how well you did pushing high margin items? Cripes I am so glad I've never really worked retail.

                1. Non-anonymous observations of employees? Whatever benefit you get from catching the salesman unaware that he is being observed must be at least somewhat negated by having him interact with someone who isn't a real customer.

                  I would imagine that a shrewd manager ought to have a good sense of when the customers in the store are unhappy and when they are unhappy, and you can probably also use sales data combined with who is working in which department to get an idea of who is moving the most product.

                  1. Exactly. Mystery shops are worthless. The irritating thing is that they're given a script to follow, so employees immediately identify mystery shoppers and change their style accordingly. Mystery shoppers are easy to spot, they rarely understand the company's values (or the product they're pretending to buy) enough to write educated evaluations, and worst of all, they hold up employees who could otherwise be assisting people who have a reason to be in the store. I once had a mystery shopper in Apple Valley on an incredibly busy day, and several other employees were asking me for help. I finally had to tell the mystery shopper that I had identified him as such immediately and had no time to waste with someone who was about to say "I forgot my wallet in the car, but I'll be right back" only to disappear for good.

                    There are at least nine managers at every location in our company. There's no excuse for employee performance to go unnoticed.

                    1. If mystery shoppers are easy to spot, why did it take you a few days to find out? (Not trying to call you on it, probably because you're unfamiliar with your merchandise.)

                    2. It didn't take me a few days to find out, it took a few days for them to get back with results. Everything she said and did screamed mystery shop (other telltale signs - in order to "sound natural" mystery shoppers go overboard and make absurd amounts of small talk, and they make constant eye contact, whereas real customers focus on the product they want and never on the salesman), and the second she walked out, I mentioned to some other employees that I'd just been mystery shopped.

                    3. Gotcha, I was just curious based on a misreading of what you wrote above. My experience in retail lasted only about 3 months when I was in high school and I was easily the most competent (not saying much) of the clowns in my section.

                    5. So, the lesson here is if you want to be treated really well by someone in customer service (or just mess with someone's head), look them straight in the eye and make a lot of inane small talk. Cool! 🙂

                    6. There are at least nine managers at every location in our company.

                      I think I see an organizational problem right there.

                    7. socal: Honestly, go for it. If an employee thinks you're a secret shopper, they'll stick to you like glue.

                      bS: Yeah, they keep shuffling the deck chairs, but there are still too many chairs.

            1. If I ever get out that way, I'm going to come and mystery shop you just for fun. It'll be revenge for the whole PS3 thing.

              1. speaking of, i call dibs on any 160GB ipods they hand you. my 30's on austerity measures and still packed to the brim.

                1. I've won two PS3s, an iPod, a Nintendo DS and two digital cameras in my time there. I've been pretty lucky so far, but with the company tightening its belt, I'm not expecting more of the same.

      2. My mom does that. I wouldn't take it personally. Just the company trying to make sure their customer service is doing well. I doubt you were personally targeted, just your department. My mom usually is told to go to a certain store and buy a certain product or pretend to have a problem with something. I think it's just standard practice for all customer service places nowadays. If you came out well, then you should be feeling good about things.

          1. Don't take it out on the mystery shopper. They're just doing the job they were hired to do. Your beef would be with management.

            1. Dude, my beef is with the management, which I think is pretty clear.

              The mystery shoppers only earn my ire when they see I'm way too busy to help them, but come after me anyway.

      3. I wanna know about the Mystery Dance
        httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTS09Wo1xhI&feature=related
        All this "shop talk" leaves me blue. Almost.

  3. I'm out! The owner of he shop berated me for 40 minutes. He felt it necessary to call me an ugly American, then derided my art, told me that I would never make it, that I was losing out due to his willingness to mentor me and shape my art, and hen told me that my art wasn't worth his grace. I explained that my profession is something I do for money, but I make art for myself and that if he couldn't see the difference then we should be done talking. He then continued to deride me until I told himthat he needed to stop talking immeadeatly, that he had cut deep and that I was terribly insulted. He tried to apologize, but I stoped him by saying that his anger was no excuse to treat another person like this.

    I'm free. Holy balls. He threaded me by saying that he's going to contact tamarind to tell them how unprofessional I am. I'll let them tell him that his shop has Ben blacklisted.

    1. Well, if it's not a happy ending, at least it's an ending. I hope that some of your fallback options pan out.

    2. I applaud your ability to take his crap for 40 minutes. Sorry it turned out that way, meat. Sounds like you're way better off getting the hell out of there, anyhow.

      1. What bigham said. I'm not sure how I would have reacted if someone trashed me like that without cause.

        And the more I deal with international clients, the less I understand the "Ugly Americans" thing. Some of the most obnoxious and difficult people to deal with that I've worked with in my career have been British, and then I hear stories like this and start to wonder if all of Europe got together and decided to collectively rag on the US so they could be dicks to us in an effort to get what they want.

          1. That's good to hear. I was beginning to think it was something about me that was causing them to act the way they do.

          2. Maybe it was just because I predominantly interacted with people in service industries (Bed and breakfast operators and storekeepers, mostly), but my experience in Ireland was that everyone was friendly and engaging.

            Of course, we also had almost entirely sunny skies the 6 days we were there and only even remotely got close to rain once, when there was about a 15 minute shower while we were doing the Guinness tour, so I already know that my experience with Ireland is atypical.

              1. Irish people can be very pleasant, especially when they're making their living off of famous Irish hospitality. However, a lot of Irish people can go just as far the other direction. Especially when they go abroad. Irish tourists give them a terrible name in most of the rest of Europe.

                1. Also, I'm talking in a "professional" sense, which tends to be much different from everyday interactions.

              2. The first Irish boy my family hosted definitely was pretty obnoxious. Of course, 17 years later and he's now in an Irish prison.

    4. Good for you! Too many people allow themselves to feel trapped in situations that are bad for them. I hope your plan works out, but if it doesn't, I'm confident you'll work out another plan. Best wishes to you.

        1. Seconded. Best wishes for a third and I'm really excited to see the stuff you produce as a result of this experience.

    7. Good on ya, printer.

      (You are far more patient than me, sir. I would have excused myself after about 5 minutes of his harangue.)

      1. I didn't have any choice because he blocked the door. When I explained my position he told me that he didn't want to hear anymore of my excuses, and that when I looked back on this in the future he'd hope that I'd see that I was at fault. I took responsibility for misunderstanding what he was asking for, but I refused to budge on the interpretation of the words "artist residence" and "assist", and the fact that they had put nothing in writing.

        I've landed in some of the most caring hands. I've been duped before, but these folks have been more than kind to me. I have been invited to use their printshop like it's my own, they've given me an apartment to crash in, and all they're asking in return is an impression from any edition(s) I make while I stay with them. They've offered to take me to a major city in northern Ireland and introduce me to their friends, curators, and fellow artists. The folks who put me in contact with these lovely people have really saved my bacon.

        I'm grateful to y'all here, too.

        1. One good turn deserves another...or something like that. I get the feeling that your polite, restrained and professional response to a shit situation wasn't a fluke occurrence - good people, or at least people who pay attention, can generally sense a quality person and return quality in kind.

          As I said earlier, I'm excited to see your new work.

        2. That's great news, meat. Glad things are working out for you a bit better now. If I were you, I'd sat it called for an oyster stout to celebrate.

          1. That's fantastic, meat. You might just make something out of this mess after all! Plus, you know, oyster stout.

    1. Why now?

      It is not the first time Davern has contradicted statements he and others made to investigators after Woods' death, and the magazine notes that he has told his story through tabloids and has been shopping for a book deal for years.

        1. Was that supposed to be read in Christopher Walken's voice (or in Titus Welliver's voice doing a Walken impression)? If so, I succeeded perfectly. If not, well I did anyway.

      1. Well crap. That pizza qualifies as burnt now. I hate figuring out new ovens. I'm pretty sure this one was made when the Czech Republic was still Communist and Czechoslovakia.

        1. As a serial renter, I've found the best thing to do is find a good thermometer to hang in the oven. Of course, I've had thermometers fail on me, too.

  7. O.k. I started watching Breaking Bad while riding my bike on the trainer. Three episodes in and it's decent, but not exactly drawing me in. I just won on E-bay the entire Wire series ($45 for all five seasons, never opened!!!) So when the DVDs arrive do I stick with BB or go back and re-watch The Wire? I know lots of Citizens swear by BB so does it get better or are the first three episodes indicative of what's to come? Even if I go The Wire, I will not give up on BB, just won't watch while riding the bike.

    1. i think i'm the last citizen before you that started. i'm about halfway through the 2nd season, and it definitely picks up. that said, i was pretty grabbed by the first few episodes, so i dunno.

      1. I was absolutely hooked immediately, but it gets better throughout. You'll never catch me dissuading someone from a second viewing of The Wire, though.

        1. I second the getting hooked immediately thing. I think I would dissuade someone from a second viewing of The Wire in this context, simply because Breaking Bad is a currently ongoing series so why not be mostly caught up?

        2. Thanks. This is basically for my winter riding. I have found that if I have a serial to watch while riding, it's a great motivator. Basically I'm not jumping on the bike to exercise but to watch a gripping TV series. BSG, The Wire, The Sopranos, and Season 1 of the Shield have gotten me through the last four Winters. I think I'm going to stick with Breaking Bad with the understanding that I have The Wire if for some reason I am lagging. That will mean I will have The Wire for next Winter. Win-Win!!

          2. I didn't get into BB at first. I actually quit in the second season but then came back.

            It's now my favorite current show.

    2. free, as someone who has seen it all and rewatched The Wire 3 times. Plow through Breaking Bad. It really hits its stride about halfway into Season 2 and then never lets up (and I think the first season really suffered from the writer's strike and is easily the weakest).

      1. I still preferred it to the first half of season three, with the two gimmicky silent brothers. Every time they were on, I felt like I'd been transported to a silly action movie where I'd accept such a dorky convention. I mean, the show was still great despite that silliness, but it really stood out in an otherwise near-perfect show.

          1. They had some intimidation to them, but their lack of real training hurt them in my eyes. Any time they looked at each other before performing an act, I found it to be a bit overbearing. The director went too far out of his way to make them one-dimensional. I didn't really get into those characters until I saw the horrifying scene with the young Twins and Hector.

  8. I have to go to Oklahoma City for two nights next week. Any suggestions on where to eat from anyone that's been there?

      1. There are a couple of places within about 5 or 6 miles of my hotel that have hundreds of beers. That's walking distance, afterall.....

          1. i've no idea why, but as i was scanning this over, i read "hotel" as "brothel". sounded like a nice trip.

  9. Sheenie and I got our tickets to see Craig Finn's solo show at the Triple Rock in February. Anybody else going?

      1. Unfortunately, we had other plans. This will be the first local show of theirs we've missed in awhile.

      2. All things considered, the Dodgers current reputation doing the little things, like "paying your players" isn't the best right now. (even though I'm aware they are no longer under the same ownership.)

      3. I've seen some speculation that he could spend time at DH, so it well could be an NL/AL thing.

    3. I am legitimately shocked - SHOCKED - that Doumit signed (with the Twins or anyone) for a worse deal than Jamey Carroll.

      2. He must have attracted very little interest as a catcher. The only way this makes much sense is if teams were looking at him as a 1B/OF/DH. Or maybe Doumit should hire Carroll's agent.

      3. Joe C reporting the deal includes performance incentives, so it could end being considerably more depending on the incentives.

    4. This makes me happy. I really don't know anything about Doumit, but he likely prevents GMTR from signing Cap'n Tek.

  11. Let's see:

    111 wRC+ -- Cuddyer, career
    109 wRC+ -- Kubel, career
    104 wRC+ -- Doumit, career

    Likely his defense at catcher is pretty terrible (I don't know really one way or another, but usually playing at 1B/OF is a good indication that a catcher's defense isn't too good), but if we look at him as an OF/1B/DH who can fill in at catcher at times, I'm having a hard time believing that we signed him for $3M. Sure, injury troubles, etc., etc., but if he catches less, he's less likely to get injured, and it's not as though Kubel or Cuddyer didn't have their injury issues as well.

    If we figure that Cuddyer is definitely on his way out since someone will offer him $Boatload/ManyYrs, then one way to look at Ryan's moves so far is that starting with Cuddyer's $10.5M last year, he's put $2.75M on Carroll and $3M on Doumit, leaving $4.75M left over to put towards reducing the budget and/or acquiring more talent.

    In some ways this feels like vintage TR, but it almost seems better than vintage TR. Carroll and Doumit seem less washed up than some of his other low-cost finds (Batista, Castro, RonDL, Boone, etc.)

    1. In some ways this feels like vintage TR, but it almost seems better than vintage TR.
      This. I like the moves, but I hesitate to pin it on the "new" GM. I don't recall these sorts of moves when Ryan was GM. These are moves straight out of Gleeman's yearly (ignored) suggestions of who to sign. Conclusion: Gleeman is the new special assistant to the GM.

      1. Maybe Terry spent the last four years reading Gleeman's column. I wonder what he thinks of the podcast.

        1. I see lots of dirty (as in grass stained, etc - not [redacted] Harris) Twins in addition to this caption.

    3. It's TR with a bigger budget = less washed up. Doumit for that amount is a nice signing, but still not a complete replacement for Kubel or Cuddyer. Carroll and Doumit signings makes me think the Twins will continue to be quite active with a lot of similar signings. Done right, it could make for significant improvement. I'm guessing the Twins are going for depth over big impact. I'm guessing the Twins' biggest signing will probably be Joe Nathan, but hopefully it won't be for too many years.

      1. Which is fine because TR's not trying to replace Kubel or Cuddyer, he's trying to build a better ballclub. Getting, say 50% of Cuddyer's production for 25% of the cost and 25% of the contract length is a big step in the right direction for a club with a lot of holes to fill.

        I'm beginning to think that with some of the FA prices out there, the only thing that might keep Kubel from coming back to the Twins is that he doesn't want to take a cut to stay with the Twins, but if he goes elsewhere the market will probably force him into a cut anyway.

        1. if 50 percent of Cuddyer's production is 1.6 fWAR, and 25 pct of the cost is ~$3M-$4M per year for one or two years, hey, I'm all over that. Does that creature exist on the FA market?

          2. Cuddyer projects (at a 5-4-3 weighting) to roughly 2.3 fWAR next year. Doumit projects to 1.1 fWAR next year. I'm guessing (and I could be wrong) that Cuddyer might find someone to give him $44M/4yr, because there could be someone out there crazy enough to do it. $3M is close enough to 25% of $11M for blogwork.

  13. Even with Doumit, I'll be disappointed if the Twins don't sign a decent defensive backup catcher to push Butera to the minors. Doumit seems more like a utility player who can step up to everyday player in case of injury, at least on a decent team. And he seems to fit perfectly for a team that doesn't have clear first choices at corner outfield, might need a backup catcher for long stretches, might need a backup first baseman for long stretches, and doesn't really have a clear DH at the moment. (And decent pinch hitters are always welcome as well.)

    1. Totally agree. If this is Gardy's emergency third catcher who can also play regularly in the field (or as DH), it's a pretty great move. Actually, it's a pretty great move regardless, but...

    2. As mentioned above, the free agent catching market seems to be drying up already. The Rays just got Jose Molina, who I would've liked as a cheap defensive backup for the Twins more than I'd like Pudge or Varitek.

      1. Granted I'd probably prefer Molina to Pudge or Varitek, but still, we're just talking about getting someone better than Butera here. That bar is not high.

      2. The problem for the Twins is that catchers know they won't start unless Mauer's hurt, and if he is hurt, the Twins won't be contending. The Rays offered Molina a starting spot and a chance to play on a contender.

        1. Not sure where you're getting they offered him a starting spot from. I'm sure at best he'll be the lesser half of a platoon with John Jaso, since Joe Maddon actually knows how to work a platoon.

  14. twitter

    Twins Minnesota Twins
    Twins add OF Oswaldo Arcia, RHP Carlos Gutierrez, LHP Tyler Robertson to Major League roster. Outright Bromberg to Rochester.

    I wonder if Gutierrez will get a chance to close

    2. Twins also signed Jason Bulger to a minor league deal. More than a K an inning in his time with the Angels, but K/BB less than 2. Coming off injuries as well.

      1. Thanks for the link. I always enjoy cooking instruction with real-world constraints (time, energy, cost, etc.) taken into account.

  16. According to the article, you didn't have to put any time into the business degree!

    If they didn't adjust for the number of part-time students in that study, its a joke to say that business majors spend the least amount of time on studies and the most on work and family.

  17. talking turkey

    Cody Brokmeyer, agricultural statistician in charge of turkeys at the National Agricultural Statistics Service, said the average cost of a live turkey in October was 77 cents a pound. But processing adds another 40 cents or so a pound. Then, there are the shipping costs. And those ads cost something, too. In other words, there is no way a turkey costs 49 cents a pound.

    “It’s very competitive at the retail level, and that turkey gets someone through the door,” said John Anderson, senior economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation. "

  18. Maybe someone here can shed some light on a problem I am having. I'm trying to connect my laptop to my tv using a VGA cable. The problem is, when I connect then, I get a nice image of my desktop on the tv. After a couple seconds, the damn thing seems to lose the signal and switches back to the laptop display only, then finds the signal again and goes back to the tv. Repeat.

    I have a feeling it could be the cable, but I'm hoping it isn't because its brand new and I don't have another one to test the theory.

    1. Sometimes you have to switch your computer to projector mode when you use a VGA cable- go into the control panel, display options, then select connect to a projector. You should have 4 different options for how you want to connect. Give it a try, anyhow.

      1. That seems to help. It works ok with my wife's computer if I extend the desktop to the tv, but doesn't work at all with duplicate. However, when I use my laptop, it likes to revert back to not being connected to a projector, which is weird. That's on duplicate though. I'll try extending that one too.

        But yeah, thank you, kind sir. You are my audio/visual hero.

        1. Huh, I actually learned something from work that helped someone in the "real" world. That doesn't happen often for me.

  19. I am by myself at St. John's university guest house for the weekend. It's a quiet retreat center that my wife uses a few times a year. I'll be working on finishing up some of my actuarial education.

    But work's been ridiculously hectic this week (and will be next, I think I have as much stuff to get done as this past week, but only three days in which to do it). So I need to relax a bit and get all those thoughts out of my head so I can focus on the second of the four online learning "modules" that I need to attain my desired designation (FSA, if you're curious). So I drank one of the two beers I brought (Summit Black Ale: I approve!) and just spent about an hour catching up on meat's drama. I hope that meat was able to utter several "Boo!"s at the jackass. 😉

    But at least I understand what that guy was trying to do: screw meat, get his work for free. I don't understand what Spooky's former and current employer is doing to him: why hire the guy back only to assign him where he's unfamiliar.

    Anyways, I'm thankful for my job, where although we've had four names in the ten years I've been there, I've had one boss (who's had two bosses), and we're about to do the second-most disruptive thing over that decade: our office is relocating, we're moving across the street. So I guess I should go be a steward to that job and get these education things done.

  20. #2 Oklahoma St lost to friggin IOWA STATE...ugh. Oh boy, more SEC teams playing for a national title. yippee

  21. A handful of the people in my office are Cyclones fans. This should make them happy. (Yet we have no Hawkeyes.)

    A rundown of the teams currently vying for the national title game berths:

    LSU. Undefeated. Beat two teams with no other losses, neither game at home. Yet to play: Ole Miss (2-8), Arkansas (below), SEC Title Game?

    Alabama Only loss came from LSU, in overtime, but at home. Yet to play: FCS Georgia Southern, #24 Auburn. SEC Title Game?

    Arkansas Only loss came from Alabama. It was at Alabama, but decisive (14-38). Yet to play: Miss State (5-5), at LSU (above), SEC Title game?

    If the above three teams beat this week's cannon fodder, then it is possible that Arkansas could beat LSU in the last game of the year, making the SEC West look like the Big12 South of a few years ago, where it will depend on the BCS numbers (I believe) because LSU>Ala>Ark>LSU. (This is what I want to see.) Opponent will be either #14 Georgia or #12 South Carolina.

    Oregon Only loss came from LSU, in the first game of the year at a neutral site (the JerryDome), but it was decisive. Beat Stanford (their only loss). Yet to Play: #26 USC, OrSU (2-8), Pac12 Title Game?

    Stanford Only loss came at to Oregon, but it was decisive and at home. [Fixed] Yet to play: Cal (6-4), Notre Dame (7-3). Could play Pac 12 Title game if Oregon loses either one or two games (unsure on tiebreakers).

    Oklahoma State Only loss came at ISU, in double overtime, but ISU isn't very good (6-4). A much worse loss than any of the teams above. Yet to play: Oklahoma (Below), with next week off. The Big12lessTwo does not have a championship game this year.

    Oklahoma Only loss came to Texas Tech (5-5), but at home, and only by a figgie (due to a late comeback). A much worse loss than any team above. Yet to play: at #22 Baylor, ISU, at Oklahoma State (above). No Championship game.

    Clemson Only loss came at Georgia Tech (7-3), but decisively. Defeated one team with no other losses. Also: Is Clemson. Yet to play: at NC State (5-5), at #12 South Carolina, ACC Title Game.

    Virginia Tech Only loss came to Clemson, but at home and very decisively. Only played one other ranked team. Yet to play: Virginia (7-3), ACC Title Game? (If they lose to Virginia, I don't know the tiebreakers.)

    Most likely, Clemson and VTech will both be 11-1 coming into the ACC title game, so one should end the season 12-1.

    Houston Hasn't lost, hasn't played any team that's any good. Also: is from C-USA. Yet to play: SMU (6-4), at Tulsa (7-3), C-USA title game? (probably against SMU again). Even if they win out, they need a few big upsets of the other teams.

    ---
    But still, that's ten teams that could make the national championship game. The two most likely outcomes (LSU-ALA, LSU-ORE) are both rematches. I'm thinking Arkansas-Clemson would be the most surprising (short of Houston).

    1. nice rundown of everything. I just dont want to see LSU-Alabama again. And Im not a fan of the SEC.

    2. The neutral site game for Oregon-LSU was about 75% LSU (not that the National Championship game in New Orleans won't be either...). I just despise, DESPISE, Nick Saban with a passion.

      2. How much is the HFA based on fan support vs not having to travel?
        I assumed it was more just the fatigue of flying, not sleeping in your own bed, not using your own lockerroom, etc.

        1. I think travel makes a big difference--the actual travel more than not sleeping in your own bed--but Oregon had a much longer trip than LSU did for that game. If anything, I feel like Oregon's loss to LSU should be considered less harmful to Oregon's case because it was a non-conference game and teams should be given an incentive for scheduling tough non-conference opponents. Plus, if there's going to be a national title game and some (most? all?) conferences are going to have conference championship games, then you should have to win your conference to be in the national championship game, which means only one of LSU/Alabama/Arkansas would make it anyway, so in my view, Oregon should probably be first in line for one of the two spots in the title game.

    4. There are lots of folks who are familiar with professional soccer who wish that some American sports leagues would feature promotion and relegation, but that concept will generally never work in American professional sports because the value of the franchises would take a big hit and the owners won't ever let that happen.

      If there was one place in American sports where something like that could exist, it would be college sports, which are supposedly amateur anyway and aren't supposed to be money-making ventures. (And for many colleges, they aren't profitable.) If the NCAA had some real cajones (and it was more powerful than the conferences, which it might not be), it could create a college football system with:

      1) 8 (regional) conferences of 8 teams each
      2) 11-game regular season: play each team in your conference once, play four other games of your choice
      3) Conference champion is determined solely by the record in your conference
      4) Conference champs play each other (national tournament quarterfinals)
      5) National tournament semifinals
      6) National champion

      Allow any team not in the tournament the opportunity to schedule one post-season game. The bowl system is a total joke and there's no good reason that a 6-6 team should get extra practice time that a 5-7 team doesn't get. On top of that, by making conference record the only path towards post-season play, then teams are free to schedule challenging games in their non-conference schedule. If teams want to make their post-season game a vacation game, I mean bowl game, then they will be free to do so.

      Whoever ultimately wins the national title might not have the best overall record in the nation, but every team that starts the season has a fair shot at winning it. The winner should be no more controversial than the winner of the NCAA basketball tournament.

      Going back to my point about promotion and relegation: I'm not sure how D2 is currently constructed, but they should align 8 regions with the 8 regions in D1. Each regional champion should play a game with the worst team D1 team in their region for the opportunity to play D1 the next year. This somewhat addresses the issue of trimming D1 to 64 teams in the first place: if you want to get back to D1, you can play your way back up. And right now, there's not a whole lot of reasons to pay attention to miscellaneous mid-major match-ups, but with a pro/rel set-up, conference fans are probably going to pay attention to the second division to see who might be coming next year. Since there is no restriction on the out-of-conference games, a team like Minnesota could potentially keep its games against, say, Wisconsin and Iowa, when it is inevitably demoted to D2 at some point.

      A final note on why this would be a good candidate for promotion and relegation: players would have to sit out a season if they wanted to bail out on a team that was relegated. I think this might be a big enough disincentive to switching teams that a demoted team wouldn't see a mass exodus of its players, which seems to happen in professional sports with promotion/relegation. (Although in professional sports, that's due to finances as much as anything. The NCAA should be able to spread money around in such a way that finances aren't a problem for the newly promoted and newly demoted teams.)

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