Happy Friday, friends. And here's hoping you were on the Plays of the Day side last night with the 49ers covering and Christian McCaffrey finding pay dirt.
And pay days.
And you know what they say, "Money won is a heckuva lot sweeter than money earned."
I think Socrates said that first. Or maybe Fast Eddie Felson in "Color of Money." (Side question: "Color of Money" is underrated, right, as a movie, as part of Tom Cruise's catalog and among the all-time sequels? Discuss.)
To our business.
Nice win for the Mocs at MTSU last night. Here's more.
As for the Rushmores, let's do these.
Rushmore of Don Johnson vehicles: "Miami Vice," "Tin Cup," "Django Unchained" and "Nash Bridges," which is a weaker Rushmore than I thought he may have. Maybe, like Dick Vernon, I expected more from a varsity letterman.
Rushmore of Jamie Foxx vehicles: "Django Unchained," which deserves a rare Rushmore double, "Ray," "In Living Color" and "Dreamgirls." (Side note: Since Foxx played Tubbs in the movie version of "Miami Vice" there was a double Rushmore double potential here. Side question: How was Foxx not nominated for something after playing Django?)
Rushmore of shoes named for people: Chuck Taylors, Air Jordans, Stan Smith (Adidas) and the Nike Cortez (the iconic white lowtop with the bright red swoosh and the blue streak on the side of the soul was named for Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez, so there's that).
Rushmore of sea movies: I like Vader's suggestion of a Disney and non-Disney version, and in truth, the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" makes both. It was that good. And the sequels were that not good. Other Disney's: "Little Mermaid," "Moana" and the first Nemo. Non-Disney, we'll go with "Jaws," clearly, and while I'm not a fan, I feel like "Titanic" has a spot here, too. And I'll say it again, "Dang Rose, move over and make a little room for Jack, will ya?" "The Hunt for Red October" and Pirates round this out.
And speaking of Disney and the water, who is willing to report back with a review of "Avatar" Monday? Also of note, the Avatar ride at Disney in Orlando is the truth. If you have ridden, you are nodding vigorously. If you haven't, well, sorry.
It's Friday. So it's like a traveler during the holidays, let's unpack the bag.
From Pete
McShay predicting Levis to ATL at 6. What does they say about Mariota's future, but also Ridder? Only asking because you have called for Ridder to play now. (and)
Ugliest uniforms? In pro sports. Seahawks? They are awful. In my opinion.
Pete --
Congrats on grabbing spots 1 and 2 this week. Both are worthy.
Are we talking all-time, because the Denver Broncos throwbacks (not the Orange Crush of the early Elway days, but the brown versions with shapes) were dreadful, as were the very old school Steelers and the old-timey Packers.
But in our time, the current Seahawks are in the discussion with the old UPS-version of the Padres. And while we're here, any brown -- looking at you Cleveland -- is not going to be overly attractive.
The ugliest in pro sports though is tough because it's so dependent on personal preference.
My sport-by-sport list would be the Marlins, the Seahawks, Hornets and Spy, who are we missing in hockey?
As for the Falcons, well, first we need to discuss Todd McShay's comments about Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
McShay, who has earned a whole lot of street cred for his draft analysis and rightly so, said Carter could slide because of personal issues. That's a huge and all-encompassing umbrella and when you have the panache of a McShay, you could really cost someone millions with an assertion like that.
But that's not McShay's job. If he has that comment from trustworthy sources, that's his job. Granted, he has to make sure said source is not trying to play McShay. By that I mean, if McShay got that from only one executive from one team -- a team that could hold a pick after 5 but before 12 and would love to have Carter -- and that exec was trying to devalue Carter so his team could acquire the menace-making defensive star, well, that's poor form.
In my view, McShay has earned the benefit of the doubt on this one to be honest.
As for McShay penciling Will Levis in for the Falcons at 6, well, that would be the most Falcons move of a lifetime of Falcons moves.
Admittedly I was 100% wrong on Josh Allen. But I think Levis is better suited to be the 6 pick of round 2 (at best) more than a top-10 overall selection.
Here's my theory on that:
If you are a true 4- or 5-star QB recruit in high school, your team better be in the state playoffs, regardless of the talent around you. You are in a critical role, and if you are a legit 4- or 5-star dude, then you get your team to the postseason. Period.
If you are a true-10 NFL QB talent, then your team's offense should run 100% through you. And Kentucky's never did. And this is not about style, because the styles of every team -- Saban included -- are altered when you really have an NFL franchise guy behind center in my opinion. Which screams to me that Stoops and Co. realized that Levis is little more than Bo Callahan from "Draft Day," regardless of how many people went to his 21st birthday party.
As for the projection, well, that assuredly could and will be altered if Ridder delivers over the next five weeks.
That said, is it fair -- good or bad -- to grade a dude after just five games with injuries and indifference creeping across the league? That's one of the reasons I thought Ridder should have received the QB1 tag as we were prepping for Halloween rather than the birthday of our Lord Jesus.
Great questions.
From Bearddawg
I don't know if there is any college football coach I would like to have a beer with now. They're all like pro golfers, plain vanilla. Prolly Primtime, certainly Leach. If I coulda had one beer (or scotch) with any coach that ever lived then Wally Butts, Bear Bryant, Pat Dye (people forget he was one of the best UGA OL's ever and was a deep down diehard Dawg until the end -- same with Vince and Auburn), Johnny Vaught and Bum Phillips (he coached in college somewhere, I'm sure) would all get a drink on me.
I'm pretty sure Bob Barker has a pact with the devil, or is perhaps a robot. To solemnize the occasion of his birth today, I will take someone's pet to have it spayed or neutered.
BD --
Excellent comment -- one the moderator kiboshed for some reason earlier this week -- and one that got me thinking about coaches with whom I'd like to bend an elbow with.
Well Coach Prime is off the list for me. Remember, he's blocked me on Twitter. As has David Carroll.
If I could put a couple of drops on truth serum in his cocktail, I'd love to have a CoCola Nick Saban and pick his ear about so many things, especially leadership skills and tactics. Seriously.
I'd love to have one drink with Lane Kiffin, but only one, because after more than that, he's likely going to start chatting up some coeds and here's betting the Mrs. 5-at-10 would not be a fan of that development.
All-time, well, the Bear and Pat Dye combo could take Bluto and D-Day and the rest of Delta House to the drinking woodshed.
Side story: So the Mrs. 5-at-10's parents had a sweet place on Lake Martin in Alabama for a couple of decades. Heck we were hitched down there at Church in the Pines. As legend has it, in the early 2000s, the water got really low and as the lake receded, one of their friends found a pair of circa-1983 plaid pants deep in the mud. The belt was still in them as was the wallet. The driver's license read "Patrick Fain Dye," which points us to the direction of the former AU coach needed to take his slacks off during a lake trip back in the day. Go you silver britches indeed. You motorboatin' son of gun.
I bet Neyland had some great stories back in the day. And so many -- including Bill Curry, who should be on this list his own self -- had so many good things to say about Bobby Dodd, that I bet he'd be a treat too.
It also points me to a question for the group:
Every SEC coach walks into a bar with no cameras, no other customers and no way for anyone to know what happens. What does each coach order and who is the first to leave and who is most likely to pick up the check?
Discuss.
From DP Jr.
What did you think of Yellowstone this week?
DP --
Fair question and thanks for the reminder, because it slipped my mind. Which is not praise for a show that has gone from "can't miss" to forgettable in the course of five-plus episodes this season.
It was fine, but a few things stuck out to me.
-- I am to a place that I want half the cast to go away. Jamie, leave. Beth, wash your dirty mouth out with soap and then hit the bricks. The hippie blond lady, well, Spy has a theory she's going to get eaten by a bear. Or at least a hope anyway.
-- I was fine with the old cowboy death even if it was more predictable than Georgia stomping Auburn in football. And the Mrs. Cowboy handling it and the way the TV crew framed it was fine, too.
-- How Jamie does not see he's being manipulated by the female lawyer is mind-blowing to me.
-- If they make Rip unlikable, well, then I'm done.
But my biggest takeaway this week -- other than the remarkable scenery -- is two things:
One, I am more intrigued by the storyline and machinations on the Indian reservation than anything else currently.
Two, watching right now feels like homework. An obligation to keep up because we always have.
And no, that's not a compliment.
From Doug
Charlie Baker ??? new NCAA president. your thoughts ? Gov of Mass
Doug --
Not many to be honest, because I do not know if the NCAA will be relevant moving forward.
I feel like major college conferences and programs now look at the NCAA the way Wyatt Earp looked at the Marshall in "Tombstone" and collectively repeats, "I don't think I'm gonna let you arrest me today."
Have a great weekend, friends.