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Hall pass
So, I have banged the drum for a few years saying Andruw Jones should be in MLB’s Hall of Great.
Well, he should — and Carlos Beltran, too — should be in the Hall of Great.
The 5-at-10 has officially changed its name because of the watering-down of Cooperstown in recent years by the Era Committee — aka, the old Veterans Committee — that has added Harold Baines, Ted Simmons and Jeff Kent in recent cycles.
So Jones and Beltran deserve to be in HOG.
Should they be in the old Hall of Fame? Hard to judge in the modern prism when the majority of the truly elite guys of their generation are in the PED purgatory in the eyes of the voters.
Jones has a contention with the simple statement that here are the guys who have more than 400 career homers and 10 Gold Gloves — Mike Schmidt, Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays and him — and that’s a stout starting point.
But the debate to me feels dated now with the dilution of the voting standards and the prism.
So, I will turn the page to this 30-for-30 idea:
“Are the 1990s Braves the most underachieving collection of stars in MLB history? In professional sports history?”
For a large part of that decade, the Braves had eight fixtures that are now in the HOG: Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Fred McGriff and Andruw on the field and GM John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox off it.
They won one title.
The Yankees, who thumped the Braves at the back of the decade and won four titles in five years, have two Halls of Famers — Jeter and Rivera — from that team.
Thoughts?
Coaching matters
So, Tuesday you guys were a flutter of activity. It was impressive and more likely than not, record-setting. Triple-digit comments in Clay Bennett-type of stuff, and without all the insults and acrimony.
Part of that back-and-forth was on the changing power positions in college football.
The Big Ten > the SEC in this moment. Three titles in a row by three different programs. No title game appearances for the SEC in that span.
The nuance of that debate is layered about the transition.
> Tradition matters, but not as much as it did.
> High-school recruiting matters, but not as much. Title teams are fine-tuning more than foundation-building, and relying on that annually.
> NIL matters more than ever now that it’s out in the open. (Side note: If they ever set a cap, look for a quick SEC rebound because limited spending across sports will allow the SEC to return to its roots and start paying stars more under the table. Remember, it just means more.)
But all of the changes make the man behind the curtain even more important.
The major college football head coach is the most important non-playing role in sports.
He’s the leader, the architect and the face of nine- and 10-figure operations that are the anchor and support of more jobs and scholarships than you could ever imagine.
Football is the economic engine for the majority of the people in towns like Auburn, Oxford, Athens, and so many others, and is the catalyst for the rest of the student-athletes in almost every sport at almost every public university in America.
And finding an elite HC is truly a golden goose.
To that point, if Kirby Smart walked into whomever-the-UGA-president-is’ office and said, “I’d like $24 million a year; you have until the end of the day,” he would get it.
So how do you find the golden goose? Here’s my checklist in the modern landscape of what we used to call college football.
And not surprisingly, Lord Saban was great at this, so, equally unsurprisingly, Saban’s disciples are atop the pecking order in the modern rankings.
These are not in any particular order.
> Talent evaluation. Maybe the most critical of Saban’s super powers, it’s even more magnified in the revenue-sharing era. And the way Curt CigNatty lifted IU in finding 20 $1 million players rather than five $4 million players.
> Culture building. Saban’s elite recruiting allowed him to craft a culture in which mistakes would get you replaced. Everyone wants that, but other places back in the day could sit five-stars for three stars. Saban was replacing five-stars with five-stars. Now it’s different, and managing locker room salary envy is a huge deal. This one is critical — now as it was then — but it’s ever-changing.
> Schematic savant. Being elite strategically — even in one area like Saban defensively, especially in the secondary — is an asset now more than ever. Why do you think everyone wants Lane Kiffin? It’s not for his trustworthy soul or his faux dog’s social media connection. It’s doubly impactful now as talent finds varying locales every cycle. Other than NIL money, this one has a direct impact on the next one.
> Talent acquisition. Being elite at any of the previous three helps here, but it’s clear kids wanted to play for Kiffin. LSU finished one in the portal with Kiffin, and his former program Ole Miss finished two. Think about that. This used to be the job No. 1, and Saban was legendary at it, but now meshing all of these makes this job so difficult.
Clothes make the jumper?
The Winter Olympics are next month, which normally means, “Yay America. What time is the curling? Is there another ‘Andy Griffith’ on?” around the 5-at-10 compound.
But in these crazy times loaded with conspiracy theories, well, these games are starting with conspiratorial controversy. And it’s one that no one — NO ONE — could have predicted.
PEDs? Nope.
One American skater hiring a hit Gillooly to take out the competition? Nah, been there, done that.
Judging controversy that had a figure skater — guy or gal (glitter for everyone!) — in tears.
(Side question for the 5-at-10 Siskel to my Ebert, one Fat Vader: “Blades of Steel,” friend or foe?)
Qualifying manipulation in the skeleton, which sounds like something Batman’s new nemesis, The Becker, a mad geneticist, is trying to do to the entire population of Gotham starting with beloved Alfred. Of course not.
All of those have happened and barely raised an eyebrow.
Nope, we are of course discussing the lazy folks from Norway — would they be Norwegian loafers, Spy? — who have discovered the aerodynamic advantages in a long-jumping ski suit with a few well-placed stitches in the crotch.
Yes, the tangents here are limitless.
Size matters clearly, but less can be more. If you are thinking of sponsorships, if a long jumper crashes, would it be the little blue spill. If someone gets angry at a competitor, do they call him a “son of a stitch” now? Is the best Norwegian ski jumper dubbed the “crotch rocket” now? Is there a “Lilo & Stitch” sequel in the works? If not, someone get on that.
Sew, where were we?
Oh yes, cheating crotches. Normally that will cost you half your stuff, but it could cost Norway even more.
Because the frayed edges of the most diabolical tailoring since Ms. Swift embraced sequins are magnified because of the locale and the importance of ski jumping to the Norwegians.
This is Norway’s Deflate-gate, and I am 100% in on Crotchgate. Wait, what?
This and that
> I’m not crying, you’re crying. This is why I stay even remotely connected to social media at all.
> Of all the screamers on the national media scene — and there are a lot of them — Colin Cowherd is more times that not among the best. And gang, this take on Caleb Williams is terrific. Like Aaron Sorkin-esque worded, and made me elevate Williams into a top-10ish QB1 and a bona fide top-five QB talent. (Yes, Spy, there is a difference. Jeff George comes to mind.)
> Here are the Razzie nominations for the worst in movies in 2025.
> Billy Bob Thornton says super-hit-maker Taylor Sheridan is being snubbed for awards because industry voters “assume he’s right-wing.” Interesting theory, to be honest. Thornton seems like a good dude, or maybe it’s just his “Landman” character. (Yes, I know I am behind, and I appreciate no spoilers. Got a free weekend, so the Mrs. 5-at-10 and I are planning on catching up.)
> The judge denied Duke’s request to force Blue Devils QB1 Darian Mensah to stay. Mensah entered the portal late Friday at the end of the portal window after pledging to remain in Durham. Boy, he feels Miami-bound, right?
> After Kyle Tucker became the eighth Dodgers player to get a nine-figure contract, MLB owners are leaking stories that they are all-in for a salary cap when labor negotiations get rolling this year. This is going to get messy.
> Bucs-Falcons are about to be must-see TV as Baker Mayfield and new Atlanta coach Kevin Stefanski are not on speaking terms.
> Rules, friends. Here’s Paschall on UT’s new football strength coordinator. And to the conversation of Tuesday on this: My pecking order for winning culture in a major college football program is head coach, QB1, schedule maker, strength and conditioning coach. In that order.
Today’s question
Which way Wednesday starts this way: Which word would you use to describe Billy Bob Thornton?
Which “Landman” star would you want to have a CoCola with?
Which attribute on my coaching checklist is the most important?
Which movie on Winter Olympics sports is the best (other than “Miracle,” of course)?
Which loaded sports franchise underachieved more, the early ’90s Bills or the mid-to-late-’90s Braves? (If you have another, fire away.)
Answer some WWWs, ask some WWWs.
As for today, Jan. 21, let’s review.
Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon is 63 today. Rushmore of best rhyming sports nicknames. Go, and there are way more than you may originally think.