UT-Florida
Want to know the biggest void Steve Spurrier has left?
The banter.
No one was as clever, colorful, charismatic, cuss-worthy, and several other words fitting the alliteration of the game's best three-ring circus leader. And he almost always backed it up.
It's worth the moment of silence for the legacy Spurrier left - and his barbs were universal, be it Georgia, Auburn, Saban or whomever - when we hear the pale comparisons of pregame gibberish.
This from Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson guaranteed another Gators win this weekend against Tennessee. Every Gators player ever has every reason to smack-talk the Vols. Eleven wins in a row offers a fair amount of chatter leniency.
When Wilson was asked to explain his guarantee, he told reporters Tuesday, "We have a message from DBU to Tennessee: Have you ever seen a duck pull a truck? Ducks don't pull trucks. Nobody has ever seen a duck pull a truck. Florida Gators are going to win, simple as that."
Excuse me? Ducks and trucks. Quacks and tracks. Bills and grills. Maybe he meant the bear don't pull a chair. Or a goat pulling a boat. Potentially a dog pulling a log.
Talk about lost in translation.
Still, until we see otherwise, it's safe to assume the Gators are the trucks and the Vols are the ducks, right?
Along those lines, here's some enjoyable reading from TFP UT ace Downtown Patrick Brown on the angst of last year and the smack-talking heading into the Vols-Gators tilt on Saturday.
Harbaugh being Harbaugh
We all believe we're competitive, at least in some ways right?
We all say we hate to lose, and for the most part that's relatively true because like needles and Hillary, no one really likes to lose. (Yes, let me have it left-wingers, but no one likes Hillary. Period. Now she may very well win in November because so many people hate, Hate, HATE Trump, but not even Hillary's family likes Hillary.)
Where were we? Oh yeah, being competitive.
We're pretty competitive, even to the point that when we were courting the Mrs. 5-at-10, the two of us had to agree not to throw darts or shoot pool or fill in the blank for a fair amount of time because if it somehow ended with me losing, well, suffice it to say I didn't handle it well. Yes we've improved on that and a lot of our rough edges are smoothed when kids are entered into the life equation.
But, for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who we rank fourth on the overall scale of best football coaches breathing right now - Belichick is 1, Saban is 2, Urban Meyer is 3 and Harbaugh is 4, and yes, it's quite head-scratching that three of the top four are in college, but remember the money is huge there -competition is more than a way of life.
It is life.
On the national feed on ESPN radio on Tuesday, Harbaugh detailed a level of competition that is worth repeating. When asked about Halloween, Harbaugh shared the gameplay for his kids in their neighborhood.
"Yeah, the hustle, that's how you get more candy," Harbaugh told "The Dan LeBatard Show" on Tuesday. "You can get a lot of candy from going out there and walking from house to house, but you can get a lot more by jogging from house to house. And if you can sprint, you'll get the most candy."
But wait. There's more.
"The strategy is to run, go as long as we can, as fast as we can," Harbaugh told Le Batard. "Then the strategy is having a second costume ready. Once you've hit every house in the neighborhood, you want to come home and change into a secondary costume and go back and hit all the houses again."
Somewhere, Saban is now trying to figure out how his grandkids can get a leg up in the Easter egg hunt.
FILE - In this Monday, June 1, 2015, file photo, Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson throws the ball against Radford in an NCAA regional college baseball game in Nashville, Tenn. Three Commodores--Swanson and pitchers Walker Buehler and Carson Fulmer--are among the top prospects entering the MLB draft. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) Reason to smile
Great read here from AJC Braves beat ace Dave O'Brien on the shining play of shortstop Dansby Swanson.
This, from O'Brien's piece was especially eye-popping from the rookie who was acquired in the Shelby Miller deal last winter and had not been higher than Double-A before being called up to the big leagues last month.
"In 12 consecutive starts Swanson hit .400 (16-for-40) with three doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs, raising his overall average to .305 with a .358 OBP and .451 slugging percentage in 27 major league games. In Monday's 7-3 series-opening win at Citi Field, he had three hits and three RBIs, including two hits against ace Noah Syndergaard."
So, with less than two weeks left in this season of much defeat, what do we make of these Atlanta Braves?
In truth, we can make an opinion and state a case that this organization, despite the most losses in the National League, is in far better position than it has been at any point in the last three years.
Point A: There are two potential long-term all-star-caliber players on the everyday line-up with Swanson and first baseman Freddie Freeman. Yes, Swanson's sample size is limited, but the numbers at every level have been consistent. And his numbers so far in the majors - 99 ABs, .313 average, two homers, 14 RBIs, .788 OPS - are stout.
Point B: The Braves can smile broadly at the decision making process to acquire Swanson. The Braves refused to overpay for Jason Hayward, who is hitting less than .240 in the second-year of a $184 million deal that runs through 2023, and dealt him to St. Louis for Shelby Miller. Miller had a great year in Atlanta, and the Braves sent him to Arizona for Swanson, and Miller has been awful with the D-Backs.
Point C: The Braves fleeced the Padres in multiple deals and restocked a minor league system that three years ago was one of the worst in baseball.
Point D: Now, with affordable pieces in a variety of positions - yes, they acquired Matt Kemp's lofty contract, but it's better than the awful Upton deals Atlanta was saddled with - the Braves brass has said they will look to spend during the upcoming free agency period.
Starting at 60-91 record, this may be the most enjoyable day of the season Braves believes.
This and that
- According to this report, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney apologized to his team for his comments about the Colin Kaepernick protests.
- A detailed look at the farewell of one of my all-time favorites, Vin Scully. There will never be another like him.
- We have always believed that if we had big-time coaching success on the high college or pro level that our final job would be a high school somewhere. Call it the Norman Dale move minus the hitting a player thing. Looks like Larry Brown is pondering the same thing. Of course, if Brown does take a New York high school job, the New York high school sports governing body better double its investigative staff.
- Amid the dust-up of the Madison Bumgarner-Yasiel Puig confrontation, is the joviality of the big league locker room. To that point, former Calhoun High star Charlie Culberson sent Bumgarner a #DontLookAtMe T-shirt signed by Puig. Good times.
- Speaking of former Calhoun High School baseball stars, it was good to see former ace Jeff Smoker on the mound for the Mets last night. And with a left-handed heater clocking in at 96, his name still rings true.
Today's question
Which college football game intrigues you most this weekend? Why?
Also, what is the worst mixed metaphor you have heard? We have a bunch: Some from a dear friend of the family who is form Holland, so she picked up English in pieces; some from a former boss who, well, just mismatched a bunch of sayings. Here are but a few:
Put your nose to the ground;
A bull in a Chinaman's shop;
Doesn't take a brain scientist;
If the shoe fits, take it home from the store;
That's comparing apples and pineapples;
And several more if I can remember them.
As for a Rushmore today, well, it is Bill Murray's 66th birthday (yes, we thought he was older, too), but I'm pretty sure we've done a Rushmore of Murray movies. (Caddy shack - duh - with Stripes, Ghostbusters and Royal Tenenbaums, and yes that leaves a lot of meat on the bone, but so it goes.)
It's also Steven King's 69th birthday, so with that in mind, what's the Rushmore of movies inspired by King's writing genius? And yes, "Stand by Me" is a shoe-in.