Business time.
Rushmore of post-2000 NFL power couples — Taylor and Travis, Josh and Hailee, Tom and Giselle and Russell Wilson and Ciara.
Rushmore of fin/Finn — Huckleberry Finn, Phineas of “Phineas and Ferb” fame, Jimmy Buffett’s “Fins,” and arguably the most famous Finn ever, Santa Claus, who is believed to live in Lapland, Finland, when he’s not working.
John Malkovich’s Rushmore — “In the Line of Fire,” “Con Air,” “Rounders” and “Places in the Heart.” And that is completely open to debate.
Rushmore of Kim — Kardashian, former Georgia Tech QB, announcer and guy I knew growing up in Smyrna Kim King, Kim Basinger, Kim Fields (aka Tootie from “Facts of Life”).
Rules are rules, even on Friday. Here’s Paschall on UT officially hiring Jim Knowles as the Vols DC. And more Paschall on UT’s football schedule being set for 2026, including the Vols welcoming Arch Manning and the other UT to Knoxville to open SEC play.
To the bag.
From Sam
A good bit of my childhood, early teens and young adulthood were scarred by being a Braves fan. Occasionally a Ron Gant or a Bob Horner would appear for hope, only to slide back into the NL West (not East back then) abyss. The ultra Braves hero of that era was Dale Murphy, and never understood why he is not in the HOF. I know you talk about the subject often, but why in particular do you think this great player is continually shunned? Is there a Mormon bias in the league? I always wondered if things would be different if he had hit one more home run to make it 400.
Also, concerning the expansion of college football playoffs and NCAAs in March for a bigger tent, half the interest/fun are the discussions about who made it and who didn’t. Taking my ball and going home Notre Dame and Should UNC been given the last slot in the NCAAs last year (they got pounded) keep the banter going. You know if the NCAA expands to 132 teams, there will still be the Walker Valley Techs, etc., winner of the Chicken Coup Conference, screaming, Why didn’t we get in?!
Sam
First, Walker Valley Tech is underrated. And MC thinks the SEC is hiding from home-and-homes in basketball against the Chicken Coup Conference.
I am against expansion. Be it playoff fields, my waistline or almost anything this side of my bank account.
That said, the banter will always continue because if the football field is 16 (and it will be soon), teams 17 and 18 are going to bemoan, “What about us?” And don’t sleep on WVT next year.
As for Murph, I watched him in person, no kidding, like 200 times in the 1980s.
And I thought he was a great player. And there was a reason that every Little Leaguer in Smyrna wanted to wear 3. (I had to wear the biggest jersey they had. Momma said I was husky.)
But I never thought, “Man, that’s a Hall of Famer,” watching Murphy like I did with others of that era.
But the moving goal posts of Cooperstown make it simply inexplicable that Jeff Kent, Ted Simmons and Harold Baines are in the Hall and Murphy and his multiple MVPs and closet full of Gold Gloves aren’t.
Granted, the blame there lies with Tony Larissa, et al., voting for their personal favs, but it should matter.
Here’s an idea to fix the broken structure.
Players get two years on the ballot.
First year is for the Jeters and the Marianos and the Seavers and all the no-doubters. Being a first-ballot Hall of Famer sounds cool.
The second and last chance is for the debatable guys.
Then poof, you’re done. And to be frank, the Era (formerly the Veterans) Committee is a farce.
From Chas
For Friday’s bag: USA Today says “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” and The Chipmunks’ “The Christmas Song” are two of the most obnoxious Christmas songs! Can that be right?
Chas
Completely agree with that assessment.
I enjoy Christmas music. But loathe those two Christmas songs.
Let’s review some Christmas music superlatives:
Favorite: “Little Drummer Boy.” Ber-rum-ba-bum.
Best: “White Christmas” by Bing.
Most popular: Mariah’s “All I want for Christmas.”
Cringiest: “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which has more than a few sketchy lines like the female questioning what’s in her drink.
Most underrated: “Christmas in Dixie” by Alabama. Have not heard that one this year. Did it get cancelled?
Biggest sellout: Walker Hayes spinning his monster hit “Fancy Like” into “Fancy Like Christmas.”
Thoughts, and what did I miss?
From Patrick
Ok, a truly big dog program has opened up.
Who does Maize and Blue go after?
Dan Lanning? Clark Lea?
Do they dip their toes into the NFL ranks for a Sean McDermott or maybe even Mike Tomlin? (Man, do you think those kids would run through a brick wall for Tomlin? You bet your sweet bippy they would.)
Or …. (bum bum bum bum) …
Ladies and gentlemen, your next Wolverines head coach …
NICK SABAN!
Patrick
I’d assuredly kick the tires on the Dark Lord and make Miss Terry say no. She will, but man, nattys at three schools would be historic. But could the Bill Belichick final chapters be a bit of deterrent, too?
Not sure Dan Lanning would leave Oregon, which is a modern-era top-five job because of Nike funding the NIL.
Clark Lea is an interesting call because he has done an amazing job in Nashville. But is that Lea’s success or Diego Pavia’s? That makes next year amazingly interesting for Lea.
I think it will be Washington’s Jedd Fisch as the next coach at Michigan.
But in the craziness that is the craziest coaching carousel in the history of college football — and maybe all of sports — let’s play some what ifs?
What if Marcus Freeman is lured to the NFL? What if Kalen DeBoer is tired of being the guy that followed THE GUY and goes to Michigan?
That would mean a coaching search season that had big-time openings at Penn State, Florida, LSU, Auburn, et al., would also include shuffling the deck chairs at Michigan, Notre Dame and Alabama.
Oh my.
Somewhere Jimmy Sexton smiles, nods and lights a $5,000 cigar, sips $10,000 Scotch and adds shares of Apple to the fire for kindling.
From Anonymous
I’m glad that somebody else remembers the very terrible, 100% awful, Willie Nelson/Bob Dylan concert at AT&T Field. Constant rain. Very few fans.
It was crap covered crap, with crap filling.
Anonymous
This is 100% the review of that show that me and a few dozen Chattanoogans braved through back in the day.
It was literally impossible to understand a single word out of Dylan’s mouth.
And as someone who has a) seen Willie live a half dozen times, and b) would have him right there with George Strait atop my personal “You can only listen to one artist ever again, who is it?” list, he was almost as bad.
Pretty sure Willie was not in a state to drive home after the show, and most of his set was done by his son, if memory serves.
Which transfers us to a reverse Friday mailbag? What’s your favorite concert you ever attended?
My medal stand is …
› Gold: Prince at the Fox. Amazing show and the best indoor concert venue I’ve ever been to.
› Silver: Brandi Carlile at the Gorge in Washington State. Best venue I’ve ever seen. No, I have not been to Red Rocks, but that’s next on the list. Did not know all of her songs like the masses — Brandi is an icon in the LGBT community, and suffice it to say, I was very much in the minority socially — but that lady can flat-out sing. Plus, it was a weekend celebration of Joni Mitchell with guest appearances by Mumford and Joan Osborne and Annie Lennox were amazing.
› Bronze: Willie at Chastain. Unlike his turn at AT&T, the Redheaded Stranger was at his apex. And again, unlike at AT&T, he did not utter the world’s most-dreaded phrase at most concerts: “Now something from our new album.”
The Boss at Lakewood was great, too. So was U2 and Public Enemy, but the Georgia Dome is not a great place to see a show.
What about you?
Have a great weekend, friends.