Morning gang. Great week, and thanks for playing along. Couple of tidbits before we get to the mailbag.
First, unbelievable props to former Baylor School and UTC golfer Stephan Jaeger shot a 58 Thursday on the Web.com Tour.
A 58 for Pete's sake. In all of the days of the PGA Tour - and yes, the Web.com Tour is under the PGA umbrella - there has never been a 58 shot in competition. Major congrats to a good dude and obviously a very good golfer.
To the mailbag.
Chicken wings in all their spicy glory will be served up by seven competitors during Sunday's Scenic City Wings event at Chattanooga Market.From Skip
I'm sure you would have known this anyway but Friday is National Chicken Wing Day. Do you have a favorite chicken wing?
Skip -
Great question, and Happy NCWD to everyone. Celebrate with a plate full for lunch, and maybe a cold Co-Cola.
OK, Skip we'll give you three Rushmores in honor of this excellent mailbag effort.
Rushmore of best wings: J.R. Cricket's in Atlanta. Off the charts good. Heavenly Flavored Wings is excellent, and their hottest version is the closest thing to Cricket's ultimate heater. Buffalo Wild Wings is the best chain option in our view (although Taco Mac is good, too). Finally, there's another place in Atlanta called "Wing Stop" which was stellar.
Next, we'll go wing flavors. We start almost always with the 'hottest' one on the menu. Now some places - and the old-school J.R. Cricket's that was across the street from the Varsity in the A-T-L was so hot it was not enjoyable (or finish able) - make that tough, but that's where we start. From there we'll go Teriyaki, a simple mild buffalo-taste, and then the Honey BBQ. (And if you can find a Honey BBQ with a little extra kick, well, all the better.)
Finally, we'll go with the Rushmore of food best suited for an ice-cold Co-Cola, since wings definitely qualify. It's hard to remember the last time we went to a Mexican restaurant and did not have a Co-Cerveza. Pizza makes our list, too. Finally, anything you order at the ball park.
Cue Terence Mann in Field of Dreams, "Dog and a beer."
Atlanta Braves pitcher Jim Johnson, left, and catcher A.J.Pierzynski celebrate the final out as the Braves defeated the Minnesota Twins 2-0 in a baseball game Tuesday, July 26, 2016, in Minneapolis. Johnson picked up the save. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)From Brad
If you were the Braves heading into this weekend, would you make a trade?
Thanks for the 5-at-10 and I enjoy listening to Press Row.
Brad -
Yes, succinctly. The Braves will do everything in their power to make as many moves as possible for the lottery tickets that are prospects. (Heck, baseball just welcomed Mike Piazza, the 1,390th pick in the 1988 draft into the Hall of Fame. You think the Dodgers would have thrown him in on a deal for a rented fourth outfielder during a pennant race? Of course they would have.)
So it would not shock us if Franceour or A.J. or you name it on the roster is dealt for some young dudes. It's not like there's a big difference between winning 55 games or 60, you know?
Here's the more pressing question: Is there anyone on the current Braves roster that should be viewed as untradeable?
Yes, the young guys are out of the equations for the most part, but the big names in this discussion are Freddie Freeman and Julio Teheran. Would you deal either, knowing that each is signed for the foreseeable future?
We'd deal Teheran first, but it would take a blow-your-hair-back offer.
It'd take a Herschel Walker-type offer for us to be comfortable dealing Freeman because of what he means in that locker room and in the clubhouse.
FILE - In this March 9, 2016, file photo, basketball player Elena Delle Donne poses for photo at the 2016 Team USA Media Summit in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Americans will face France on Wednesday at the University of Delaware, play Canada on Friday in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and host Australia on Sunday in New York before heading to the Rio Olympics. The Americans will play France in the home state of Olympic rookie Elena Delle Donne. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, FIle) From Mike
If you were an Olympic athlete what would you be most worried about next week in Rio?
Mike -
Wow. It's hard to pin it down on just one.
If we were a swimmer, the water conditions would be a high concern. (If you did not see David Paschall's story earlier this month on McCallie grad Sean Ryan, who will swim in that cesspool, search the TFP website for it. Good stuff.)
If we were a female, the Zika virus is pretty scary stuff, even with the reports that the mosquitoes are down because it's winter down there. (Amid the myriad of questions of why Rio, have we really looked at why we are having the Summer Olympics in a place where it's currently winter?)
If we were a fan going down there, it likely would be the crime and criminal element that has generated a murder rate of about 12 per day over the last two years of measurable stats. Also, the construction concerns are very real - especially in the Olympic Villages - makes it seem downright dangerous to even take a nap.
Ultimately though, and I hate to say this - and the last thing we try to do here is be a fear profit - but for some reason there's this awful feeling of a possible terror attack at these Olympics. So basically, Mike, pretty much all of it.
Olympics Fever, catch it. (Then see a doctor and get rid of it.)
FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2016, file photo, Ken Griffey Jr., left, poses for a photograph with Mike Piazza at a press conference announcing they are both elected into the 2016 National Baseball Hall of Fame, in New York. The Seattle Mariners made Ken Griffey Jr. the first pick of the 1987 amateur draft and a year later the Dodgers selected Mike Piazza on the 62nd round with the 1,390th pick. Both left indelible imprints on the game and will be rewarded Sunday with induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) From Stewwie
If you don't think the casual fan cares about PEDs and HGH, then please explain what has happened to baseball.
Stewwie -
This was not a true mailbag question, as much as it was something pulled out of one of the great conversations we've had this week around these parts.
We contended that causal fans did not care about PEDs and HGH, and we should have been more clear and said, "casual football fans" And we believe almost all football fans couldn't care less about PED use or HGH or anything else that alleviates the pain or helps the bodies as these guys go into 35 car wrecks each Sunday.
The ones that do care, care about rule-breaking more than PEDs or HGH, especially for guys who are on their team and get suspended, because as Herm Edwards has preached you availability is your greatest capability.
So we needed to clear that up.
As for Stewwie's accurate talking point about baseball, well, after thinking about it, here's betting that most casual fans don't really care about it all. And the most causal fans probably come down on the pro-PED side because more steroids more home runs.
Here's betting the owners feel that way in general, but they have been caught in the wave of safety concerns and the influences in could have on high school athletes. In truth, that's the biggest problem - high school kids copying and using for the edge - we see with PEDs and HGH, especially the ones that are not technically illegal.
The big hubbub was generated in baseball by the hard-core fans, because we all know how much hard-core baseball fans worship the numbers of the game. (Side note: It's strange the dividing line between sports fans: Ask your self if you want to see current players set records or do you want the current records to stand? Why or why not in those cases? Lots of time it's age and preference.)
But baseball fans more times than not want records to stand for whatever reason, and the HGH and PED stuff shattered a lot of records that people cherished.
Great talking point, and thanks Stewwie for always keeping us on our toes.
FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2015, file photo, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, left, talks with forward Tim Duncan (21) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks in San Antonio. They were joined at the hip for 19 years, a player and coach combination that enjoyed more wins than any in NBA history. And now that Duncan's playing days are done, Popovich is about to start anew in some respects. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File0 From Billy-In-Brainerd:
Jay-G, as you [+ your readers] well know, I do not know a lot about anything. So I ask you [or JoMo or Stewwie or MocTastic]who is the next Tim Duncan? Ben Simmons? If Ben is not the next Tim, then Ben is the next Who?
Thanks + keep up your great work at the paper + on the radio.
Billy-In-Brainerd -
Don't sell yourself short Judge, you're a tremendous slouch.
Ben Simmons is not comparable to Timmy D because Big Ben is more perimeter-oriented. Simmons is 6-foot-10 with a better-than-average handle and a less-than-average jump shot, for an NBA No. 1 overall pick.
Let's examine some of possible comparisons for Simmons.
The starting point - and in some ways the basement for the comparison - is Lamar Odom. A skilled 6-10 dude who was a much better passer than people realized. Odom was a better player than most of us remember because of all the of the nonsense and drug stuff away from the game.
Simmons, though, should be more than that, but that's the starting point.
Some have tried to use the Next LeBron tag, and LeBron has even said he's OK with that. But Simmons, while taller, is not as muscular or physical as King James.
Here's kind of what we're thinking in regard Simmons: He is either a taller, and slight less athletic Grant Hill (pre-injury woes) or kind of perimeter-oriented Anthony Davis, minus the innate defensive genius the Uniblocker has.
As for the next Duncan, well, we're not sure we'll ever see another one like him.
First, there's the commitment to the fundamentals that Duncan embraced. Something that a lot of players are not that high on considering the ESPN highlights are dunks and 3s rather than 15-foot bank shots from the wing. (Happy National Wing Day, after all.)
Second, the game does not call for back-to-the-basket post player. The floor-spread sets and the stretch 4s and all the rest make looking for the next Duncan not all that important.
And in some ways, since true post players now are being asked to defend perimeter guys on the other end of the floor, it could be viewed as a liability by some.
That said, if we had to pick one, we'll go off the board with this name: Domantas Sabonis, the rookie 6-10 Lithuanian who is part of the reconstruction process with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the post-Durant movement.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton waves after taking the stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Thursday, July 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) From Stacy
Jay, I love your writing on A2 and enjoy your humor as well as your point of view. Since I have not watched all of the conventions, can you sum them up for us?
Would like to read your take on them. Thanks so much.
Stacy -
Wow, what a great question and thanks for the kind words. If we had to do it a Twitter recap, let's go with these two:
GOP - We're really testing the theory that America will elect "Anyone but Hillary." Did anyone see if Ryan Seacrest or Mark Cuban was busy?
Dems - If we pretend all of the things Hillary did actually didn't happen, does that make them go away? Hey a video with Morgan Freeman's voice.
If we were going to use a single word to represent the conventions it would be simply - fear. Each side is using the fear of the other candidate to whip each base into a frenzy.
Yes, it's a powerful tool and it's been really effective so far as the conservatives truly would rather have almost anyone than Hillary and the liberals are taking swing after swing at Trump's many shortcomings.
In truth, the biggest problem with each convention - and we have watched more than we probably should have of each - was the absolute vacuum of ideas and solutions offered by either side.
So maybe disappointing would the second word we'd use to sum up these dog-and-pony shows.
So there's that.
Have a great weekend gang.