Happy Friday people. We are here - and we plan to continue the 5-at-10 on a daily basis come rain, shine or what have you - for as long as they will have us.
By now we're sure you have heard the changes that we are taking our talents to the commentary department, leaving the daily details and decisions of the sports department to Stephen Hargis. More on this below.
So without further ado, from the "Talks too much" studios, it's a new day.
From John -
Jay,
Not sure why the change at the paper, I thought you had one of the best sports department in the entire southeast.....your signing day coverage combined with your show was probably the best in the southeast....anyway, wish you the best in this move. Would love it if you could continue the five@ten but hope for at least one more...maybe a sports blog elsewhere?
Your Press Row shows have been great....Monday's was really special...if you ever decide to syndicate the show, let me know, I would love to help sell it!
John -
Thanks for the kind words and for playing along.
With the help of a slew of talented folks who work very hard and bring a truckload of passion to their job daily, Team TFP has crafted one of the best sports section going, and I fully expect that to continue with Stephen running the show. He has great contacts across the area and has been one of our brightest stars for the 12 years I have been the sports editor.
Plus, he is blessed to have a great staff and team.
We're excited about this chance to do some different things and we're committed to continuing the 5-at-10 for as long as they will have us. We know there will be some ups and downs and hits and misses, but that's exciting, too. We'll see, and as always we love to have the feedback from all angles.
Thanks again for reading and your email.
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From Larry -
Hey what do you think is the best Valentine's Day present?
And if you are going to do a Rushmore today would it be the Rushmore of Valentines or the Rushmore of slasher movies (today is Friday 13th after all)?
Thanks for the 5-at-10 -- I read it every day.
Larry -
We always believe less is more for Valentine's Day. Go sweet and simple, especially if this year is early in your Valetine's Day buying for whomever you are buying for. You don't want to set the bar too high and then two years from now you're debating the tennis bracelet or the trip to a beach somewhere. Flowers - especially if you make sure to find out what her favorites are - are a great start no matter how boring they may seem. Nice dinner.
Stay away from clothes - that brings the whole size, "you think I'm fat" possibility into play - and remember the ultimate goal is to make her smile and get through this without getting into hot water. We'd also suggest that unless she is absolutely demanding it, stay away from "50 Shades of Grey." That just seems like a Seinfeld episode waiting to happen at movie theaters across the country. Plus, the reviews have been tragic, and if your buddies are catching American Sniper and eye you emerging from the soft-core eye candy shop, well, here's saying you'll hear about that for the next "50 years of Grey."
We'll go Rushmore of Valentine's: Valentine's Day Massacre, Bobby Valentine, Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy's character in "Trading Places" - "Karate man bruises on the inside.") and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.
We will have a chance at the slasher movies next month.
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From PP12 -
I don't know if this happens to you but it seems like it happens to me a lot.
FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2011, file photo, New York Times journalist David Carr, left, and director Andrew Rossi, right, pose for photographs as they arrive for the French premiere of the documentary "Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times," in Paris. Carr collapsed at the office and died in a hospital Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015. He was 58. Carr wrote the Media Equation column for the Times, focusing on issues of media in relation to business and culture. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File) I was looking at the internet and saw "David Carr" was trending and thought "Hey, what's the former No. 1 overall pick up to?" It turned out to be about A New York journalist that died.
What's your Rushmore of famous people with the same name?
Thanks, and tell Paschall there's nothing wrong with a singlet.
PP12 -
We'll take your word on the singlet and pass it along. Yes, for actual competitive wrestlers, it's fine - the required uniform even as they say in Breakfast Club - but for a 38-year-old dude showing up at the Y for a 30 minutes on the treadmill, a singlet may seem a touch over the top.
We can say that the name duplication does not happen that often to us, but we have noticed it some. There are some uncommon ones, like Jackie Gleason and Jack Gleeson (who played King Joffrey on "Game of Thrones") and even Mark Wahlburg and Mark L. Walberg (host of "Antique Road Show" among other things).
David Carr just missed our Rushmore, but we have to admit, we did the same thing you did this morning.
Rushmore of celebs with the same name:
1. Michael Douglas and Mike Douglas - and it gets the top spot because Michael Keaton's real name is actually Michael Douglas but he changed it for obvious reasons.
FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2011, file photo, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game in Chicago. Adrian Peterson remains in NFL limbo and his union's latest attempt to restore his playing status will take place in federal court on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) 2. Adrian Peterson and Adrian Peterson - bonus points because they played the same position.
3. Bruce Jenner and Bruce Jenner - hey, he once was the world's greatest athlete and soon she will be, well, we're not certain what she will be but she wool definitely be famous.
4. Michelle Williams and Michelle Williams - one was in Destiny's Child; the other won an Academy Award.
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From Jomo
FOR FRIDAYS MAILBAG ; With Friday being the opening day of "Fifty Shades of Grey" and Valentines weekend. What are the top SPORTS sex scandals of all-time ?. . . . . .where does Tiger rank ? Do you count Greg Oden and Brett Favre for "natural" selfies ? Wade Boggs ? Warren Sapp and Lawerence Taylor, scandal or stupidity ? and can you call Manti Tao (un)True love or a scandal ? Ben Rothlesberger ? Marv Albert ? And strippers with Bama's Mike Price, Patrick Ewing and PacMan Jones . Wow, doesn't this get you in the Valentines spirit ?
Jomo -
Wow, great and timely question.
Not sure you missed any, though.
Tiger Woods misplays a chip to the third green during the pro-am at the Farmer Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi) OK, we know Tiger's infidelity is definitely on the Rushmore of love scandals in sports. We think Manti Te'o has to be there too.
Mike Price is a good one and the guys who had selfies and picked up pros are their own category, you know? (A list to which you'd have to add Eugene Robinson, who got arrested for solicitation before the Falcons' Super Bowl and hours after being recognized as the NFL man of the year. Nice.)
Sadly, there's also a whole list of criminal and gross names involved with rape allegations and other cringeworthy acts - one word: Sandusky - that we will not include.
For the Rushmore of sports scandals of the heart, we'll add two new ones to Tiger and Manti's pretend girlfriend.
1) We'll add pitchers Fritz Peterson Mike Kekich, who when they were Yankees teams in March 1973, they announced they had swapped families. Could you image the fall-out of this today in the 24-7 news cycle? Holy Wife Sharing, Batman, this would be the talk of the free world. Side note: Peterson and the former Susanne Kekich are still married by recent reports. Kekich and Marilyn Peterson's relationship did not last long.
2) And the Minnesota Vikings' Love Boat.
Great question as always.
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From Stewwie
For the bag: Adam Silver is considering adding more roster spots to the all-star squads. Do you think that's a good idea? If you were commissioner, what other changes would you try to make for All-Star weekend?
Stewwie -
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots over Chicago Bulls forward Tony Snell (20) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) We have zero beef with adding to the roster, especially since they really have added a few players after injury and fatigue back-outs anyway.
Does it water-down the process? Maybe, but we're OK with that.
As far as changes across the landscape of the NBA, well, the league needs to get its hands around the whole "resting players" situation. We get the thought-process that Greg Popovich and his disciples are using to rest aging players for long postseason runs, but if you are a 12-year-old kid living outside St. Paul and your dad drops $300 for tickets and the whole deal to see the Cavs because you worship LeBron, and the Cavs sit James, well, that's a problem.
As for the All-Star weekend, well, we think the NBA should consider drafting players like the NFL does. The NFL draft is silly, but playing a 'pick-up game' would be awesome for the NBA. Also, the dunk contest needs an overhaul. It used to be the marquee event of all All-Star events, but that was when the actual stars you knew did it. Seriously, for those too young to remember, the dunk contest in the 1980s was awesome in its awesomeness.
Now it's a collection of guys no one know trying (and most often missing) impossible dunks. That equals no fun.
We'd be all for an all-NBA game of H-O-R-S-E, with only two dunks allowed. That way, you'd get some of the dunk excellence but in a match-up of LeBron vs. say Steph Curry, James couldn't just go from the foul line, then do a 360 and so on.
This has been mentioned before, but doesn't seem to get much traction.
But hey, at least home-court for the NBA Finals is not on the line, you know?