Gang, it's beginning to look a lot like... March. C'mon Christmas weather. Hurry up.
From the "Talks too much" studios, let me remind each of you that you better watch out and you better not cry, you better not pout and we're telling you why.
Football tileCollege football rankings
What's the committee doing? Seriously?
Now, they are telling us that unbeaten Florida State is on the verge of not making the tournament despite being the only team in the country that has handled every test in front of them.
Dear Goodness and Sweet Buckets of beauty contests, does the eye test mean more than winning? Want to know which sports rely most on the eye test? Figure skating and diving.
Yep the college football playoff committee is turning this entire process into a joke. Yes, a joke.
Jeff Long, the Arkansas AD and head of the committee, says they do not project a team's floor. This is also the guy that has given premise to the phrase "game control" which is related to game controllers but not air traffic controllers which has no connection to air fresheners. Where were we?
Yes, the committee that has the nation's only unbeaten team - and the defending national champ mind you - on the edge of even making a four-team playoff.
And that FSU is trailing a TCU team that is three spots ahead of a Baylor team that beat TCU and has the same record is almost as equally confounding.
Buckets. This does not look promising.
Who's your top four and why? Discuss.
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Kris MedlenBraves
Your Atlanta Braves continued their remodeling. Heck, it could be considered rebuilding at this point.
Tuesday was the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players. The Braves non-tendered pitchers Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy and Gus Schlosser.
The decision means Medlen likely becomes the most fascinating name in the free agent pool. How healthy is? How much is he worth? The questions are intriguing. Here are the facts:
The Braves felt the projected $5.8 million - some interesting projections here - was too much for Medlen, who is coming off his second Tommy John surgery.
Someone will roll the dice on Medlen, who was money in 2013, and likely sign him to an incentive-heavy deal to guard against the trend of pitchers falling mightily after a second elbow ligament replacement surgery. Heck, it could even be the Braves.
That said, the Braves continue to stockpile cash and err on the side of frugality.
Also making news around the hot stove rumblings this week was the fact that the Braves are willing to deal power-slugging and extremely affordable Evan Gattis as long as a team is willing to accept power-missing and extremely overpaid B.J. Upton.
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UTC football
We are approaching about 72 hours (1 p.m. today to be exact) from the first home playoff game in UTC history.
We had a nice discussion Tuesday about the number of folks who will attend UTC's high-profile event.
Here's an excellent discussion point from TFP ace David Paschall looking at the process and the risk of bidding for and hosting Saturday's second-round game with Indiana State.
From Paschall's report, it appears the school needs approximately 10,000 folks to break even on its guarantee to the NCAA. (And, when you hear people use those stats and numbers today and into the next couple of days, remember where you read them and where the others got them when they refuse to credit the source. Just saying', you know.)
We still believe 6,000 - considering the rain and the price - is a pretty fair over/under all things considering.
As for the Mocs on the field, well, our TFP UTC football ace Stephen Hargis continues to detail the biggest challenge for the Mocs defense here. After exploring Josh Freeman's importance in the pass rush earlier this week, Hargis breaks down the UTC secondary against the ISU wide outs.
Simply put, if the Mocs handle the ISU passing game, the Mocs will roll.
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This and that
- UAB killed its football program Tuesday. It will not be the last time this happens in the next decade.
- Michigan made it official and sacked Brady Hoke on Tuesday. That means Michigan, Nebraska and Florida - all three big-boy jobs - are open at the same time. It also means in the last 24 months, those three and Auburn, Tennessee, USC, Texas, Penn State, Washington, Arkansas and Wisconsin have each made hirings. That's some turnover there.
USA basketball players LeBron James, left, jokes with teammate Kevin Durant as they sit on the bench during a game against Tunisia.- Kevin Durant returned Tuesday night and went for 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting. His return was derailed by the stat-machine that is Anthony Davis, who went for 25 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and four blocks. It's the ninth time this season Davis has posted a stat line with at least 25 points and 10 rebounds (and that's in 16 games mind you), and he's only the second player in the last 25 years to post a sheet with at least 25 points, 10, rebounds, six steals and four blocks (Gerald Wallace did it in 2006). Yes, that's 'Brow' beatings for everyone.
- As LeBron and the Cavs get comfortable with their new mix, sometimes moments like Tuesday happen. LeBron James (26 points), Kevin Love (27 points) and Kyrie Irving (28 points) went for 81 in the Cavs' 111-108 win over the Bucks.
- UTC got whipped by Georgia at home on Tuesday. Here's TFP UTC hoops ace Mean Gene Henley's recount of the Dogs' 86-55 win. The wordsmith that is TFP ace columnist Mark Weidmer accurately noted that pressing without baskets is line shooting craps without dice. Side question for those there: Looking on TV and on ESPN3, there appeared to be pretty close to about 3K. We know the announced crowd was 3,700 and change but there were too many empty seats in the lower bowl to think that was accurate. Thoughts on the number of folks there?
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Ozzy OsbourneToday's question
Feel free to weigh in on any of the above.
Ozzy Osbourne turns 66 today. Yes, 66.
Rushmore of the faces of Heavy Metal music? Whatcha got?
And remember the mailbag.