5-at-10 Note: Gang, we will have this day in history and this week's Rushmores at noon.
Got covered up, but we call this the 5-at-10 for a reason. And the 5-at-10:30 simply does not have the same ring.
Giddy-up.
From Billy-In-Brainerd:
Jay-G,
If and when the NCAA and the Power 5 conferences allow college athletes to change schools and be immediately eligible [like other students can], will the TSSAA and other state HS athletic associations do the same?
Recruiting among the private schools in TN [Division II] already resembles the Wild Wild West in some ways [almost anything goes] your thoughts good sir?
Thanks + keep up the good work here and on the radio.
BiB -
No, the TSSAA and other state high school associations will never waive that rule.
And yes, the recruiting and offers made by private schools - especially some of the bigger local private institutions that sound like Traylor and Back-Mallie - is very similar to the offers of these big-time college programs.
(Side point: We also must remember, whether we are talking about colleges or privates schools anywhere, the offers and competition while recruiting the smart kids is every bit as intense as it is recruiting the five-star athletes. So there's that.)
And to further your comparison, we would not be surprised if in a generation the Power 5 break away, and if the schools in Division II break away as well. Seriously. And this is not to say public high schools do not recruit. We know they do, too.
But the transfer rules in high school sports could never be waived, and that's because the basis of the school district is finite and defined. The basis of college choices for athletes and student-athletes is about choice.
Either way, BiB, anyone who thinks there are not a lot of folks working the rules to their personal benefit, well, we'd be happy to offer you a great deal on some Gulf front property in Memphis.
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From Tom
I agree with all of your points.
Sports betting in this state will not happen in your lifetime. It is about as likely as banning assault rifles.
Georgia, will pass casinos before we do. Kentucky? They are a natural to have casinos, have four border states that do, have Churchill
Downs, that would be a great racino, and they are far from passing it.
And it is not reasonable to have sports betting without casinos. Where would they be? Betting shops like in the UK? A kiosk in McKenzie Arena? I don't think so. But I am sure you know one can bet on all Mocs BB games.
Yes it would be nice to have a boat at Ross's Landing with a casino and sportsbook.I have dreamed of it. And the Southern Belle literally was a casino at one time. But it will not happen.
Like your column sometimes, love your radio show.
Tom -
Some of these questions, we're pretty sure, were asked rhetorically, but we'll offer this:
Why not have kiosks or strip mall stores that are betting windows. The old-school OTB windows in New York as an example.
And no, we're not talking about kiosks on the campus of UTC or in McKenzie.
But if we're going to put a Vape store and a tattoo shop next to every Food City, what's wrong with a legalized betting shop?
Seriously.
And if you are against legalized sports betting, would you not have to be just as opposed to state-run lottery gambling?
And if you are that's your right as a citizen.
But for the Tennessee state government to fully embrace the latter while ignore the former makes them a) hypocrites; b) operating a monopoly; or c) both.
Thoughts?
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From a few of you
Do you really think Tiger is back?
Gang -
OK, first and foremost, Tiger will never be back.
Not to the Tiger of the late 1990s-to- the early 2000s.
Tiger will never return to that. In fact, no golfer we have currently seen - and most likely no golfer ever - will reach that level of dominance.
Some quick stats: From 1999 through 2003, Tiger won 32 tournaments, finished second or third another 17 times and did not miss a cut.
Yes, did not miss a cut. In that time he won two PGA Championships, two U.S. Opens, two Masters and a British Open.
No one will do that again. Not this Tiger. Not Rory or Justin or Jordan or DJ or Jason Day. That is a level of dominance that's wedge boggling.
So as long as we are not talking about Tiger being back to that level of Tiger, then we can have this discussion.
And we'll say this: Tiger looks pain free. Tiger sounds like Tiger. The "TIGER!" and the "BITE!" exclamations from the fairway are eerily familiar. He is not the money putter he was in his heyday but he is way better. (Side note: in the over-examined world of golf equipment,
Tiger's improved putting results have coincided with his switch back to a Scotty Cameron putter after Nike equipment went away, and we have not seen that story debated as much as we would have thought.)
His chipping woes seemed to be solved almost over night. His ball-striking from the fairway has been excellent. His driver is still somewhat inconsistent, but even in his high-rolling heyday, Tiger sometimes had to win in spite of his driver as much as because of it.
Tiger is back and he looks like a contender. We will never see Tiger from back in those days, but we do believe that for the first time since the run of back surgeries that Tiger could win and will win.
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From Michael P.
Wonder why you did not have more on The Oscars, which is only the biggest non-sports TV show every year? Please tell me you're not one of these 'Liberal Hollywood is bad' Clay Travis-wannabes trying to be the sports version of Fox news?
If that's your goal, then this is my last visit to the 5-at-10.
AND
From Former Listener
Fred was right (Thursday). You are just another liberal media big shot trying to tell us how to live our lives. I love Double Stuff Oreos and you can screw off. Fred was dead on you are pissing off your base.
You just got mad and hung up on him. Real mature. Go get a job at CNN, (Curse words removed).
Michael P and Former Listener and all the regulars and newcomers -
Normally we end the hate mail segment with "Good talk" - a tip of the visor to the great Clark Griswold line in the original "Vacation."
Not this time. Pull up a chair.
Gang, this is how I know that I am a) being true to myself and my opinions, and b) doing the job the only way I know how - honestly.
For comparison, a few years ago when we were the sports editor, we would gauge the balance of our coverage on certain hot-button topics by comparing the number of complaints form each side. A perfect example was always when the phone would ring and a parent would be upset with how much more coverage Baylor was getting and then the next call would be someone upset about how much ink McCallie was getting.
In that case, being imperfectly balanced in the eyes of the interested is still perfectly balanced. That we got these two complaints this week is another example.
Because of the time we live, the first thing so many people do is not hear, discuss or debate the message, it's to throw the boomerang of bias at the messenger.
Sorry "Former Listener" I am not a politician. I do not have a base. I have folks who read and listen - and I appreciative of them all. Even Fred, who was 100 percent dead wrong Thursday.
For those not listening to the show, Fred got bent out of shape because we had a radio poll question about Oreos and one whether NFL teams should be able to ask players if they are gay in the combine interviews. Hey, we love the passion, but bring some connectable points to the discussion beyond the hackneyed "Boas" "Make fun of fat Southerns" Blah, blah, blah."
First and foremost, I am a fat Southern, and if we have learned any hard and fast truth in this day of ultra sensitivity it is the only group you can make fun of is the group you belong in. It's called self-deprecating humor, and everything else sadly is offensive.
But the base or our frustration with Fred was the clarity with which is was trying to make something out of nothing. If you can not see the difference between the fun behind an Oreo poll question and the seriousness about a poll question of asking Derrius Guice if he likes men in a job interview, well, then it's best if we just agree to disagree.
Who is the bigger fool: The fool or the one who argues with the fool.
As for the dichotomies between these two letters, well, first I think Hollywood is in a rut. Other than animations and Star Wars, it's hard to remember the last movie we saw in the theater and it's even harder to remember the last movie we saw in the theater and really enjoyed. (The last Star Wars was about 30-40- minutes too long to be honest.)
Heck, when a remake of Splash that has been called Grinding Nemo on the interwebs is hailed as the best picture, well that's all we need to know. The other thing is that the hypocrisy of Hollywood doesn't really concern me because I've never looked to La-La Land for heroes or life advice. We watched as much of the Oscars as we did the European Tour or NASCAR or bowling last weekend, and that's why we did not mention it in depth.
We're pretty sure there were a lot of other Oscar reviews on these here interwebs, so feel free to scan your bandwidth.
As the regulars around these parts can attest, we have some fundamental truths. We love our God, family and country in that order. We love the draft and LeBron more than a grown man should. We're a former Copenhagen addict, enjoy a cold Co-Cola or three more than most, and only play Titleist golf balls. Other than that, we shoot from the hip and the lip more than we likely should but that allows us to be as honest as possible, and that in my mind is the most important thing I can offer when you share as many words - written and spoke - with people as I do.
I'm a big boy, and I can handle it. And there are a lot of folks in the media world who have profited greatly from aligning themselves with one ideology or another. Someone mentioned Clay Travis, and in truth, that guy has made millions embracing a controversial, conservative, anti-ESPN point of view.
He's doing his thing and has become rich and famous doing it. Good for him.
That's not me. Not here at the 5-at-10 or on A2 or on the radio. We will offend conservatives because we think gun control laws should be seriously examined. We will offend liberals because well, we think everyone should stand for the anthem and most of our points of view are conservative. (Please notice that we did not say they must stand for the anthem. No, protestors have that right, as long as they know they must live with the consequences, as well.)
And in truth that these cats believe that the above points of view - Fox and/or CNN - are all encompassing and universally defining is the reason nothing gets done of merit politically in this country.
Until next week.