(Editor’s note: Not sure if it has been the heat or the fact that some of you guys and gals are getting really antsy for football, but there was a tone and a tenor of snide-ness in this week’s mailbag. I’m OK with that. Enjoy.)
(Editor’s note, II: The 5-at-10 clan is headed to the beach next week. We will still pound out 5-at-10s, but they will be shorter and I will not be monitoring them as often. You guys do a great job of playing nice – making this a rare refuge of civility on the interwebs. Kudos. But play nice and if you see something spinning, email me. But you guys do a great job.)
(Editor’s note, III: Friday is a mailbag. Duh. And your emails, comments, and questions dictate the content. But I would be 100 percent remiss if I did not include this great column from TFP sports editor Stephen Hargis. Truth be told, the connections and guru-ness (more on that in a moment) of Hargis on prep football, Paschall on the SEC and Weeds on college basketball is, in truth, a layer of expertise that no other outlet – paper, TV, radio, etc. – can match. Impressive indeed.)
(Editor’s note, IV: Hargis is going to be on Press Row today at 4:30 to discuss the start of high school football and what promises to be an awesome high school football package in the TFP this weekend.)
To the mailbag
From HGT023
Jay, I saw a reader ask you about “interpretate” earlier this week. You do realize when you use made-up words you sound ignorant, right?
You are supposed to be a professional writer. You should take more pride in your work.
HGT023 –
Lighten up Francis.
And Jules’ point about me making up words on the radio is 100 percent fair and accurate. I am sure, with my mind working faster than my yapper, I often run words together.
Interpretate certainly is only the tip of the ice pick.
In fact, I once had a boss who was renowned for dropping a malaprop at any time.
“Comparing apples to pineapples.” “Put your ear to the grindstone.” “Eye of the tornado.” There were a slew of them that made us all look around and try to quash the giggles.
The verbal mixtures – I am pretty sure when talking about Dak and Zeke in Dallas, I have said Zack and Deke a time or three – are going to happen.
Also, putting as many words on the page as I do each morning, I am certain that I misssssspell a word or three.
As for some of the made-up words, though, the items like anyhoo, strategery, and a slew of others, well, just smile and nod and realize you are now on the inside of the program.
Francis, enjoy the weekend.
From Tyler
I listen to Press Row everyday. Why do you always have to be goofy with every guest you guys have? The NFL QB guest (Thursday) was great but you wasted his time asking him about movie quarterbacks.
You didn’t ask about Dak (Prescott). You could have asked him any number of meaningful and important questions. But you asked him about Paul Crew and Willie Beamon?
Be better at your job please.
Tyler –
Let’s try this again. Lighten up Francis.
If you heard the interview, well, Mike Sando – The Athletic NFL senior writer who crafts the QB Tier story each year – laughed his tail off at the question.
Yes, I could have asked, “Uh, Mike, according to your research do you think Derek Carr is better or worse than Andy Dalton?” But dude, if you are not looking for different or something that can make you laugh, well, maybe you stay a little late at the IRS audit training center.
And while we are here
From Landon
LOVED THE INTERVIEW WITH THE QB GUY FROM ATHLETIC.
That was great man. And the movie QB tiers was excellent. Who would be your four or five tier one Movie QBs. Thanks.
Love the 5-at-10 man.
Landon
Now we’re talking. And in truth, that seems pretty tough, right, since so many football movies are divided from professional to high school? So, let’s do the high school rankings, college rankings and pro rankings.
We will limit our Tier 1 guys to just four.
High school: Lance Harbour “Varsity Blues”, Johnny Walker “Johnny Be Good”, David Green “School Ties”, Reno Hightower “Best of Times.” (Vince Howard from “Friday Night Lights” would have made it but that’s a TV show, not a movie)
College: Joe Kane “The Program,” Frank Cushman “Jerry Maguire,” Paul Blake “Necessary Roughness,” Stan Gable “Revenge of the Nerds.”
Pro: Paul Crewe “The Longest Yard,” Shane Falco “The Replacements,” Seth Maxwell “North Dallas Forty,” Flash Gordon “Flash Gordon.”
That brings us to the Rushmores for the week…
Rushmore of worst sports movies: Non-sequels – “Ed,” “Air Up There” (Kevin Bacon basketball disaster), every “Air Bud,” “Juwanna Man.” (And the fact that I have four way worse than the premise of Eddie, the idea of Matilda, the boxing Kangaroo, and a slew of others is staggering.) Sequels – “Caddyshack 2,” “Snapshot 2,” “Major League 3,” “Rocky V.” (And that’s without “The Bad News Bears Go to Japan.” Egad.)
Rushmore of worst Grammy winners: Baha Men “Who Let the Dogs Out,” Milli Vanilli, Blood, Sweat & Tears (won album of the year over a track called “Abbey Road” Egad), Herbie Hancock.
Rushmore of Phillip Seymour Hoffman movies: “Almost Famous,” “Capote,” “Boogie Nights,” and I thought he was great in “Charlie Wilson’s War.” (And he was aces as Art Howe in “Moneyball,” too.)
Rushmore of MLB players that should be in the Hall of Fame (non-PED and Pete Rose division): Andruw Jones (I am irrational about this, I know and to revert back to the earlier question, we could add unrational to that list why is unrational not a word?), Jeff Kent (the lack of comparables at his position is head-scratching), Larry Walker, Don Mattingly (he had an amazing decade, which I much prefer to the dudes like Edgar Martinez, who was a stat compiler).
From Chas
Can the GOP blame Obama longer than Big Orange Nation blames Butch?
Chas
Loved that question and believe the blame for Obama will outlast the blame for Butch.
But to be fair, the blame for W was arguably the all-time record holder for blame-getter. (Sorry, I likely made that ‘blame-getter’ phrase up. I am so not a professional.)
College head coaches and former presidents. Those are the 1 and 1A of no-doubt blame-getters. (Yikes. Did it again.)
From Fat Vader
You should do a segment on NCAA/NFL Futures and win totals for your degenerate readers. I only have LSU O 9 wins. The way I see the schedule, a push is worst case.
Fat Vader
We have on more than one occasion suggested UK over 6.5 is our favorite bet on the SEC side.
I love FSU, too. I think the total is 7.5 and the ACC is dreadful, and that is still a collection of 4- and 5-star dudes who are now ticked off. Other than Clemson, who on FSU’s schedule is 100 percent more talented.
I promise we will get to that today on Press Row with VegasInsider Brian Edwards.
Deal? Deal.
Side point: I have more to answer but I ran out of time. Check back at noon.
Enjoy the weekend friends. You too, Francis.