Let’s handle our business.
Rushmore of best commercials with athletes —
Rushmore of Otto — Otto from the Simpsons (His name is Otto and he loves to get blotto), Otto Graham, Otto Pilot, Otto from “A Fish Called Wanda.”
Rushmore of movies with a number in the title — “Se7en,” “Sixteen Candles,” “Apollo 13” and “40-Year-Old Virgin.” (And, yes, we left off some great ones.)
Rushmore of Jay — Jay-Z, Jay Leno, John Jay and Blue Jay (as in naked as a Blue Jay — never understood that one to be honest. Is the Blue Jay more naked than say a cardinal? Discuss.)
You know the rules. Here’s Hargis from the TSSAA slow-walk meeting Thursday in the midstate.
To the bag.
From Paul
Jay, if you were a PGA player, would you go to LIV?
Paul
That’s layered.
It would depend if I was an elite player or a fringe guy, because the money offered to someone like Talor Gooch is staggering. (Gooch made more than $30 million in 2023 in LIV coin friends.)
If I was an elite guy, no. I would not go there.
But I have never been or will I ever be the guy who tells someone else they are wrong for cashing out. For Pete’s sake, Jon Rahm reportedly is getting half a billion. Yes, with a B.
That’s what Shohei Ohtani is seeking as the most coveted free agent in the history of American team sports.
And this check makes a lot of sense for the Saudis as the discussions about a merger with the PGA Tour appear to be stalling.
Stay tuned.
From JD
While I appreciate your defense of Dodds Ave. and I will not question Ralph Potter’s prowess as a high school tactical genius, but I can’t quite place him on a Rushmore with other area coaching legends.
Blue has garnered a lot of hardware in the last few years, no question.
Do you know how many teams Blue (or Red for that matter) had to compete against for recent state championships? Let me answer that for you: 11. There are 11 teams in TSSAA Division II-AAA.
Other area coaching legends had 100+ in their respective classifications.
To recap, this was my Rushmore:
Red Etter (far, Far, FAR left) (7 state titles at Central, 1 national title at Baylor);
Bill Chappel (33 straight winning seasons at Dalton);
Benny Monroe (had a 54-game winning streak at Cleveland with 3 straight state championships);
Ken Colquette (went 56-1 during a 4-year stretch at Marion County)
Granted, this is all a product of the “everyone wants a trophy” society. If you can’t beat ’em, then move ’em to another classification. Heck, now even some of those 11 schools are crying because Blue and Red have boarding students and others don’t.
But, is it really fair to say a coach who wins 5 state championships against less than a dozen teams deserves a Rushmore spot over a coach who accomplished similar accolades against 100+?
JD
A fair and complete and lucid argument.
Those names on your Rushmore are worthy and outstanding and all-timers.
And, that’s one of the reasons when I revisited the conversation, I posed the question of the Rushmore of area high school football coaches over the last 20 years (or even in the 2000s).
That list assuredly starts with Potter, Hal Lamb, Vic Grider and then who?
As for the competition angle of your fair and complete and lucid argument, you do leave out one important point:
The rest of the state forced those 11 schools to go play in a different league. It was not their choice to do so.
And with the possible exceptions of Alcoa and maybe Maryville at the height of its powers, the D-II heavyweights consistently wipe the floor with the best the rest of the state has to offer.
Thoughts?
From JMac
I don’t think crossing the first two fingers works. It is the two middle fingers.
I was surprised about how much Al Michaels talked about the over/under.
Who would have thought that the Patriots could score that many points? I think the Steelers got robbed on the offsides call late in the game. A lot of bad calls lately. I agree with you about the chip in football and the automated strike zone in baseball.
The portal is unreal…..are players looking for the most money or testing what they can get for entering the portal? Something has to change on that.
JMac
Insightful as always, and several topics to cover in this Thursday evening email.
First, I think there is a market to explore an in-game gambling commentator, not unlike the in-game former referee who analyzes the replays and delivers a verdict.
Have a sharp ready at the mic and discuss decisions — both in terms of the spread or the total — as well as offer insight to how the game flow could dictate in-game betting.
Second, I took a bath on the total in the Pats-Steelers and on the side. Man, the Pats winning hurt both teams. Go figure. That’s why it’s called gambling and not investing I suppose.
As for the portal, the answer is yes.
Players enter the portal for a variety of reasons, some completely understandable and justified.
If the coach — HC or even position — who recruited you is no longer at your school, the portal is a good thing.
If you are buried on the depth chart, the portal is a fair thing.
If you believe a new system or a new locale would help your chances at success — be it football or moving forward in your growth — the portal is a valuable thing.
But alas, a whole lot of these cats — especially the overflow of QB1s who are leaving starting gigs at major programs for ‘greener’ grass — are seeing the movement station spelled ‘Tran$fer Portal$’ these days.
From Vader
So (Quinn) Ewers is likely returning to Texas next year. Any chance Arch Manning decides to hit the transfer portal? I can think of a great landing spot to replace a leaving QB at a school soon to be able to claim two Heisman QBS in the last 5 years…
Vader
In your completely caring and altruistic nature I know you are worried about young Arch’s future and mental well being.
Right?
Maybe Arch waits it out. In a day and age — read the portal discussion above — where hopping fences for more money or better (perceived) scenarios is the rage, a couple of UGA QB1s over recent years have made a ton of hay by staying put.
Stetson Bennett parlayed his patience into a) a chance at an NFL career and b) a lifetime of never having to worry about paying for dinner in any locally owned restaurant from Thomaston to Tunnel Hill.
Plus, in a family with a stout SEC pedigree, if Arch waits one more year and is part of a Texas team that wins an SEC title, well that would be pretty cool to toss out at the Manning Thanksgiving in say, 2032.
That said, LSU would be high on my list of places I would be interested in if I was a former five-star or a QB1 looking to move.
Jayden Daniels should win the Heisman — and believe me, Jay’s Plays NEEDS Daniels to win the Heisman — and LSU is putting out Sunday superstar WRs at a rate that is crazy.
(Yes, THE Ohio State and Alabama both have a lot of WR dudes in the league too, but do either of those schools have a duo that is comparable to JaMarr Chase and Justin Jefferson? We’ll wait.)
In fact, let’s spin this forward.
What’s the top places a QB1 in the portal should look?
— LSU. The job is going to be wide open. The talent is evident. Brian Kelly is assuredly no fun at dinner parties but I believe he can coach, and will let the offense cook.
— USC. There are some former high-level recruits on the roster, but no one that should scare a top-notch transfer. Lincoln Riley is going to almost always get his QB1 enough stats to be a Hesiman finalist. Plus, it’s SoCal and did we mention the coeds?
— Oregon. The place looks bonkers. And for Pete’s sake look what that portal positioning did for Bo (Bleepin) Nix.
— THE Ohio State. Speaking of Ewers, he left a $1 million NIL deal in Columbus to go back to Texas and shine. And now THE Buckeyes are looking to replace Kyle McCord, their QB1 who has entered the portal too. Portal + portal = 2 portals.
— FSU. I think Mike Norvell is going to cook in Tallahassee. Jordan Travis is headed to the league and those two dudes next in line look more FCS than FSU. And the ACC is ripe for a take over.
— Auburn. Man, if the Tigers had had just good QB play, what is AU’s record? Good QB1 play — with the way things went — likely means wins over Georgia and Bama this year. Think about that. And Hugh Freeze is busy building something on The Plains, since this likely will be the worst roster he’ll ever have at AU. Well, as long, as you know, he’s not calling strippers in South Florida.
Thoughts?
From Jack
A lot of my friends read your stuff every day so I tried it.
Good God – do you talk as much as you write? You are the biggest blowhard on the internet!
Do you ever shut up?
Jack
Sometimes.
Have a great weekend friends.