Morning, friends. Let’s handle our business, and don’t forget a coat. It’s about to be cold out there.
(Side questions: Are you a person who says, “Coat” or “Jacket” gang? Is a toboggan a winter hat or a sled? Wait, where were we? Ah, our business.)
Let’s handle the Rushmores.
Rushmore of players who have played for the Mets and the Yankees: Rickey Henderson, Yogi Berra, Gary Sheffield and Robinson Cano. Yes, it was tough to leave Dwight Gooden off, and DG is on the shortlist of what should have been.
Rushmore of the all-time best bowl games (not playoffs, but bowl games): Nebraska-Miami Orange Bowl that launched Da U (and robbed Auburn of a natty), the Boise State over Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl, Texas and Vince Young over USC in the Rose Bowl, and of course, the Auburn natty win over Oregon in January 2011.
Rushmore of most famous plane crashes: Marshall’s football team, Patsy Cline, 9/11, and the first Japanese kamikaze at Pearl Harbor. This was a terrible Rushmore idea by me.
Rushmore of the best athletic careers after 40: Team sports – Brady, Gordie Howe, Nolan Ryan and Barry Bonds, and yes, he was doped, but read this sentence from ESPN’s ranking of great showings after 40 from 2016: “In 2004, the year he turned 40, Bonds set MLB single-season marks with 232 walks and a 1.421 OPS and won his seventh NL MVP award. He was an All-Star for the Giants at age 42 in 2007, his final season.” Individual sports: Nicklaus, Randy Couture (MMA), George Foreman, and Chas’ Diana Nyad.
As for the rules, here’s Paschall recap of the Dawgs’ demise Thursday night and how the top four seeds have been bounced from the first college football playoff.
Which leads us to the mailbag.
From a slew of you (paraphrased and compiled)
What are your thoughts after the first two rounds of the playoffs?
Gang
I will start this caveat:
With some limited exceptions, I on’t think the sample size is big enough to say “Here’s what we know/have learned.”
This is year one of the 12-team playoff, and we have watched eight games that were poorly seeded and staggered in match-ups.
As for things I believe I know:
The expanded playoff supporters will beat their chest about teams 5-thru-8 being in the Final Four as the greatness of the new season. They have a point.
But those of us against expansion from the start also have a point because this devalues some of the best moments of the regular season and will only continue to do so. THE Ohio State loss at Oregon; Georgia beating Texas twice; Notre Dame losing to a bad Northern Illinois team; all big moments for Ole Miss or Bama; Oregon going unbeaten; there are others.
The folks claiming the 0-4 showing by the four teams getting a bye better be prepared for that – and the home-field nugget – to be used in the quick turn talks to go to 16 sooner rather than later.
I think we all concur that the seeding process is not only in need of service, it’s unfair. That will be adjusted by tax day if I had to guess.
I believe I know that last night was absolutely HUGE for Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman galvanized an iffy fan base. The Irish administration got a strong feather in their green cap about not joining a conference. And now they are a win away from losing to THE Ohio State in the title game.
I also believe that the folks who enjoy the parity of the playoffs and the uncertainty of different teams in the hunt for the natty, then are by definition a supporter of the NIL and the portal. Because the former has been caused by the latter.
As for the other quick-twitch reactions, the folks who believe this is the end of the SEC dominance are being a smidge short-sighted. It’s an adjustment blip more than a culture change because the claims that the SEC dominance is done ignore what it means to the league, the fans and the programs.
I am willing to bet they are just going to raise more for NIL needs.
From Mark
As a Falcons fan, what are your thoughts of what Dan Quinn is currently doing with the Commanders? Do you give all the credit to Jayden Daniels, or do you wonder at all what could have been if Quinn was still in the ATL? I’m not sure if Quinn was the right coach for ATL, but as a Falcons watcher, it doesn’t seem the ATL brass has any better solutions than they had when he was in charge.
Mark
I think Dan Quinn arrived at a perfect time for a program franchise, but his credibility and coaching job this year is at best third to the new arrivals in D.C. and the Commanders success.
(Side question: Can anyone imagine Don Shula or Tom Landry or even Jimmy Johnson coaching a team with his hat on backward? Me neither.)
The most important arrival was Daniels, as you referenced. Second was new ownership replacing Dan Snyder, who had developed a terrible culture. Quinn then is next.
Quinn’s time had expired in the ATL, and that happens when coaches win just enough to get to the playoffs and then plateau without ever getting deeper consistently.
The more intriguing question is how bad the Falcons coaches have performed this season, and last Sunday’s clock mismanagement was just the latest example.
That should be a fireable offense.
From John
Quinn Ewers has been offered $6M to play elsewhere next year? Could it be the Mannings funding that offer??
John
Now this is funny.
And possibly true.
From Josh
Which SEC QB entering the draft would you pick, Jalen Milroe or Carson Beck?
Josh,
Fair question.
Neither until day 3.
From Sam
With the Sugar Bowl being postponed, I was flipping channels and landed on the Rock and Roll HOF inductions. I looked up the requirements and they are lame.
#1: “The artist must have released his first commercial recording 25 years before nomination.” Hello? These are rockers, and a large majority won’t live that long. If they do, they won’t remember the chords or their bandmates. Ozzy Osbourne could not get out of his chair on stage, and the few sentences he mumbled made Biden sound eloquent. What purpose does this serve? Taylor Swift won’t eligible for 8 years. I was shocked to see Mariah Carey was in until I read her 19 #1 hits are second only to the Beatles! I can’t name 4, and she’s just a shriek fest.
#2: “Musical influence, cultural impact and how well their music has aged.” That defines Jimmy Buffet, and he would still be waiting in his hammock if he didn’t pass from 70 years of his Jimmy Buffet ways and get in posthumously. Willie Nelson inducted just last year? He should get a Lifetime Achievement Award just for having a lifetime.
No Jethro Tull, Warren Zevon, Sammy Hagar, Bryan Adams, Phish, etc? Puhlease! So lame, they caved and put it in Cleveland. Had to be some shenanigans there. A Groupies wing would be awesome!
Sam
Perfectly said.
The groupies win has to start with Carmen Electra (Prince) and Penny Lane (Still Water), right?
Have a great weekend, friends, and my picks will come soon.