Buckle up gang. We got wordy today. (Sorry.) From the outdoor annex of the "Talks too much" studios, football is getting close.
Weekend winners
Jimmy Walker. He was amazingly solid and made every 4-footer he stood over Sunday in a marathon 36-hole performance. The world's 48th-ranked golfer - the lowest to win a major since Keegan Bradley at the PGA a few years ago - continued the season's trend of first-time major champions.
Stephan Jaeger. Former Baylor School and UTC star golfer completely dominated the Web.com Tour event in California, setting all-time PGA event records for best score after 18 holes (58), 36 holes (123), 54 holes (187) and 72 holes (250). He play 72 holes, making an eagle, 29 birdies, 41 pars and a bogey to finish at -30. He collected $108,000 for the win and moved from 102nd to 20th on the money list with $139,793 - remember the top 25 in season cash from the Web.com get a PGA Tour card for next year.
In-state FCS teams searching for quarterbacks. UTC landed a strong commit from Bradley Central quarterback Cole Copeland. Here's TFP UTC ace Mean Gene Henley's report. Also, Will Healy and Austin Peay got a good one when Brentwood Academy quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall committed to the Governors. Dude will be a tough handle on the FCS level. His game is very Johnny Manziel-ish, and the kid wins. Here's a story from Nashville sports ace Maurice Patton.
Howard and JoAnn Sawyer. OK, maybe they won last weekend, but we just saw that the Sawyers celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on July 23. Man, their marriage has reached the official retirement age.
Michigan. The Wolverines are on the short list of teams that won the offseason. Jim Harbaugh has Michigan as a talking point across the country. Now comes news that the athletics department's 11-year deal with Nike that started today will be worth $15,821 a day. Yes, a day.
Bonus Pick: Chattanooga FC fans. Here's an excellent take from TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer on how classy the CFC fans were after a stunning loss Saturday night. Well-played gang. Well-played indeed.
Bonus Pick, II: Chicago Cubs and manager Joe Maddon. The Cubs rallied from an early six-run deficit to win in extra innings. They needed big contributions from a couple of pitchers - one playing left field; the other as a pinch-hitter as Jon Lester dropped a walk-off, game-winning squeeze bunt - as Maddon continues to push all the right buttons. This is one of those types of wins that feels like more than just one win.
Weekend losers
Draymond Green is a fantastic talent. His summer of mea culpas continued this weekend after he posted a photo of his man parts on social media. Between kicks to the crotch and swings to the crotch and pictures of his crotch, well, some players are clutch and some players are, you know.
Rio Olympics. Man, the looming Summer Olympics have been a regular visitor here. This weekend, news came out that the security firm hired by the organizers were fired and replaced. Oh buckets.
Donald Trump. Dude can't get out of his own way. Now he's crossways with families of military men and women who were killed in action.
NASCAR. Man, the only thing that generate more empty seats than last week's tumbleweed-fest at Indy is a rain-delayed move to Monday. Man, it's going to look like practice. And there's a chance it may have be raced Tuesday.
Yankees fans. Welcome to the harsh reality that everyone stinks from time to time Yankees fans. The Yankees, for the first time maybe since pre-Derek Jeter, are sellers are the trading deadline, sending Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs last week and Andrew Miller to the Indians over the weekend. It's long-term smart but a hard realization that this team simply can't contend as is. It wouldn't surprise too many if Carlos Betran also was on the move, too. (Side note: Buster Olney, one of the best ESPN analysts out there, thinks the Indians getting Miller makes an Indians-Cubs World Series a real possibility.)
Bonus Pick: Texas A&M assistant football coaches Jim Turner and Jeff Banks for an awful decision and completely inappropriate presentation for the Aggies annual event for women football fans. This is so stupid it's actually hard to believe either grown man thought it was a good idea.
Ethan Wolf (82) lines up for a play. The University of Tennessee Orange/White Spring Football Game was held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on April 16, 2016.College football
OK, teams are reporting and practice is starting. This week we will break down a ton of different stuff.
Today, though, we'd be remiss if we didn't recap the excellent work done by TFP college football aces David Paschall and Downtown Patrick Brown. Here are the five questions facing the Georgia Bulldogs, per Paschall. Here are the five questions facing the Tennessee Vols, per Downtown.
While we will dive deeper into each this week, it's quite telling in regard to the state of each program - and those expectations - to read the most pressing question in the view of the beat writers.
Tennessee's main question as the Vols start practice today is staying healthy; Georgia's main question as it starts practice today is who will be the starting quarterback.
That's quite telling.
Either way, it's here. It's all happening.
This and that
- OK, there's a famous story in Smyrna about Otis - THAT guy that every small town in the South has, who is known by one name and is kind of the mascot of the whole place
- in which he ordered a chili dog with no chili at the local Dairy Queen. We were there and saw it and how it flipped out the young kid working the cash register. Well, along those same lines is the case of Alabama lineman Alphonse Taylor, who was arrested for a DUI earlier this summer after blowing a 0.00 on the breathalyzer.
- Good move here by Fan Duel, listing a set of rules for its players and promising more transparency.
- Not sure where to file this other than just letting it out there: DeAngelo Williams and his bride had a "Walking Dead" themed wedding.
- Cool story idea here as a Golf Digest reported followed Erin Walker around as her husband Jimmy held on to win the PGA Championship on Sunday.
- More PGA Championship stuff: As error-filled and haphazard as his college football announcing can be, Uncle Verne Lundquist is really good doing golf. Secondly, the yahoos yelling "You DA Man" and "Get in the Hole" and all the other inane shouts behind when the golfers make contact are at an intolerable level. "BABA-Booey!"
- Here's a college football top-five to get you going. The top five stadiums in college football according to this list are, in order: Rose Bowl; Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge; Michigan; Notre Dame; and Ohio State.
- Five-star safety Jacoby Stevens has set his announcement date. He will pick his college destination a week from today.
Today's questions
Winners and losers. Go.
MTV turns 35 today. Yes, it's OK to feel a little old with that news.
Let's do two MTV-related Rushmores. Deal? Deal.
What are the videos that make the Rushmore?
What artists are on the Rushmore of MTV, as in they were perfect for the time and are much bigger because of the MTV influence? (We think Madonna is the far left, no-brainer here.)