Gang, here's hoping you are getting more comfortable with the new commenting procedure.
As we prepare for the 1,100th consecutive Monday-through-Friday 5-at-10, we offer a thank you to all who have found their way here.
From the "Talks too much" studios, let's do that thing we do.
From Steve
Dude, hope you had a great holiday. Wanted to tell you that you and David have been awesome on the radio and I'm looking forward to where you guys are headed in next year.
Did you set any New Year's Resolutions?
Steve -
Thanks for the kind words and for listening. Who knows where it's headed but it has been a fun ride to this point. As a side note, we will be taking the show on the road Monday. We're going to World of Beers to broadcast from 3-to-7 as everyone gets ready for the first college football playoff championship.
As for New Year's resolutions, not really. Same as everyone we suppose - try to get in better shape; save more money; be a better dude; carry the bag for the Dali Lama (got that going for us, which is NICE).
Although this year we may try to stick with the exercising one for a little longer this time. Yep, we may make it to next Tuesday.
Chips and salsa for everyone.
---
From LB
OK, I have been reading your blog for a while now and have wondered about how you got started.
I also wanted to ask you about something Mike and Mike were debating -- when do you think the college football playoff will expand?
Thanks and are you guys going to do a Rushmore Friday on Press Row. I loved the one today about special teams plays and think you guys got it right.
LB --
Thanks for the kind words.
We got started in sports journalism at a small paper called the Newnan Times Herald in 1997. Long time ago.
We got started with the 5-at-10 in October 2010 wanting to post something sports related, and started with five items at 10 a.m. (five at 10... get it?) and we have done it every Monday through Friday since. Very good times.
We may have a Rushmore today, who knows. And yes, the Rushmore of special teams plays (in honor of the 15th anniversary of the Music City Miracle) was a lot of fun. We settled on the Kick Six, the Music City Miracle, the final play in the Stanford-Cal game when dude scores and runs over the band member, and Punt Bama Punt.
As for when the college football playoff field will expand, we believe it will be sooner rather than later. We believe in three years from now - by the start of the 2018 season - there will be an eight-team playoff set.
And we believe it will cause more harm than good.
If there had been an eight-team playoff this year, it would have allowed TCU and Baylor a spot and that's good for those two teams - and also good for the other two teams that would have been invited. Those teams likely would have been Michigan State and maybe Mississippi State.
So that's four teams that are pleased. Yay for those four teams.
But, the expanded field also would have meant the SEC championship game would have been meaningless for Alabama other than seating purposes. It also would have meant it would have been better for Oregon financially to lose the Pac-12 title game. The Ducks would have been in the eight as a champ or as an at-large team, so if they had lost to Arizona, the Pac-12 would have had Arizona and Oregon in the supposed field of eight.
So in an effort to expand to please four teams, you are going to devalue games in the march to the playoff.
Then, you've college basketball.
---
From a lot of you in various forms
We had a caller on Press Row ask about Curt Schilling's quotes that he did not get in the baseball Hall of Fame because Schilling is a Republican.
And you want our thoughts?
Gang -
We think we'll give Schilling a pass primarily because he was obviously upset about not getting voted in the Hall. His career - and his style and arsenal for that matter - was very similar to Smoltz (minus Smoltzie's stint as a closer) and Schilling was understandably upset.
Here's the quote Schilling gave WEEI
"I think he got in because of [Greg] Maddux and [Tom] Glavine. I think the fact that they won 14 straight pennants. I think his 'Swiss army knife versatility,' which somebody said yesterday, I think he got a lot of accolades for that, I think he got a lot of recognition for that. He's a Hall of Famer," Schilling said. "And I think the other big thing is that I think he's a Democrat and so I know that, as a Republican, that there's some people that really don't like that."
Well, The Washington Post has added some info that Smoltz has campaigned for and contributed to Republicans. So there's that.
But let's be honest, even as cracked as we think the voters for the Hall are, if that seems like one of the more silly rationales we've heard in a long, Long, LONG time.
So it goes.
---
From Diver Down -
Mailbag,
UTC junior quarterback Jacob Huesman had an outstanding year both running the ball and passing it as the Mocs reached the FCS playoff quarterfinals. UTC junior quarterback Jacob Huesman had an outstanding year both running the ball and passing it as the Mocs reached the FCS playoff quarterfinals.DD -
We know there was a fair amount of sarcasm in your question.
With college football winding down, here are the five front-runners for next year's Heisman:
1. Whomever wins the quarterback job at THE Ohio State (seriously Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones would be the frontrunner as long as they get snaps)
Running back Nick Chubb during Georgia's Belk Bowl game against the Louisville Cardinals on Tuesday, Dec.30, 2014 in Charlotte, N.C.
2. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin
3. Georgia running back Nick Chubb
4. Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott (we think he will come back)
5. USC quarterback Cody Kessler
That said, Jacob Huesman will be a leading candidate for the Walter Payton Award next year and will leave UTC with almost every meaningful offensive record.
---
From War Eagle Dave
Jay, Thanks so much for the bowl contest and all the prizes. I wish I had put some real 'entertainment' on some of those picks.
For the mailbag, who was the biggest breakout star of the bowl season and what surprised you the most?
Thanks again for the 5@10 -- it's a lot of fun.
War Eagle Dave -
Congratulations on a near-flawless entry. Great job.
And thanks to everyone for playing along. This was a lot of fun this year and Dave and Tom and several folks had awesome entries.
I think TCU and Trevone Boykin really shined. Nick Chubb did too. However, we knew those guys were pretty special even before the bowls.
Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones drops back to pass during the first half of the Big Ten Conference championship NCAA college football game against Wisconsin Saturday in Indianapolis.For a breakout player, it's hard not to be staggered by what Cardale Jones has done in the Big Ten title game and in the Sugar Bowl. Dude was third-string in August and now he's star. (Side note: Talk about taking the good with the bad. Jones visited some sick kids in a Columbus hospital this week. Cool, right? He even played video games with them. He also ran up the score, beating one kid 91-35 with time still to play. Dude, slow your roll a little.)
As for the biggest surprises, we'll go with three:
We were surprised how entertaining a vast majority of the bowl games were.
We were surprised that Ohio State was able to have that much success offensively against Alabama.
We were surprised by the enthusiasm and the volume of Vols fans in Jacksonville.