Morning friends. Man, the back-to-back short weeks of the holidays wreak havoc on my calendar.
(Side question: The word “wreak” seems wrong, right? And if it is wrong, then I don’t wanna be right, right?)
Where were we?
Ah yes, the Friday mailbag, where you smart folks take the wheel and drive this crazy train wherever you desire.
Let’s handle our business first with the Rushmores.
What’s the Rushmore of TV shows centered on the legal/justice system? We took cop shows out because cop shows rule, and “The Wire” may be the best TV series ever created. In terms of court shows though, we’ll go “L.A. Law,” “Night Court,” “Boston Legal” and of course “The People’s Court.” Judge Wapner should have been nominated for a seat on the SCOTUS.
Rushmore of female rock stars — and yes, this one was tough. I think Tina Turner was a rocker. Stevie Nicks has a place here. So does Janis Joplin, and I will round it out with Joan Jett, but that’s with true apologies to Deborah Harry and Pat Benatar.
Rushmore of actors that use the Jr. tag — We’ll start with Robert Downey Jr. and offer some unsolicited praise for that dude. When your catalog can span everything from side-splitting comedies like “Weird Science” and “Back to School” to serious as all get-out roles like “Less than Zero” to action blockbusters like being Iron Man, that is a Hall of Fame career sir. The others on the Rushmore, Louis Gossett Jr. — “Officer and a Gentleman” was great and then you add in “Iron Eagle,” puh-lease — Lon Chaney Jr. and finally, if for no other reason than his excellence in “Best in Show” Ed Begley Jr.
Rushmore of Paul — the apostle, McCartney, Newman and Revere.
Hey, let’s remember the rules. Here’s Paschall with another reason for the big hopes for the Big Orange in 2024.
Now let’s get to the mailbag, which was loaded this week, so we are going to include more and try to be less wordy. Shut up, Spy.
From Mark
Do you think that the expanded 12 team playoff will keep more kids playing in the bowls instead of sitting out or portalling? If not, will we be watching third-stringers lead their teams ranked, say 6-12, in the playoffs? Will the portal window be changed to accommodate more playoff teams?
Mark
Great question, and for those 12 teams, yes, the entire roster will be vested.
Opt-outs will be limited. Portalling will wait until after the playoffs.
In truth, one of the most pressing issues in a college football world that is filled with pressing issues is the calendar, and your question about the portal window is part of that.
December is a crazy month for all of us. But for college football coaches — and yes, no one is going to cry a river of crocodile tears for guys making close to a $1 million a month coaching football — December is nuts. Early signing, conference championships, bowl prep, portal exploration and everything else. Lions, tigers and bears, oh my.
The calendar needs to be fixed.
Like so many other things in college football, however, those who think playoff expansion will be the cure-all, well, Lee Corso would say “Not so fast, my friends.”
My first gripe has always been with the expanded playoff is how it will assuredly devalue the best regular season in all of sports.
And your question brings up a second gripe: If we thought the trend of more and more teams facing opt-outs and portallers was an issue this bowl season, when the expansion happens, who is going to get fired up for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl or the Pop-Tarts thingy?
In terms of numbers, the expansion will increase the number of opt-outs outside of the playoffs.
And for those thinking this is a good thing, why? I watched way more quote-unquote “meaningless” bowl games than I did any NBA game or any MLB game not involving the Braves in 2023.
Plus, those bowls are valuable assets to their cities and communities.
Yes, the opt-outs were an issue this season. Highlighted by the FSU Quitters.
And I do not know if there is an answer to fix that. (Heck, when I was a seven-year undergrad — shut up — I may have skipped out on my responsibilities from time to time as well.)
But expanding the playoff field will mean eight more teams are vested and all the rest will be even less interested.
Great question.
From Mack
Jay, we have discussed this at work and we all want your opinion: What’s the greatest sports quote of all-time?
Mack,
Yikes, what a question.
Motivational, movie, meaningful, there are so many.
Funny and fun-hearted.
Man, what a tough question to answer.
I think the best from a sports announcer has to be “Do you believe in miracles? Yes.”
I think the best from an athlete is either “Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,” or also from an all-time great boxer, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
Of course there are some obscure ones, too, like the time when someone asked about the field conditions to Tug McGraw and whether he preferred AstroTurf or grass. “I don’t know. I’ve never smoked AstroTurf.”
And there was the glorious line from Pete Rose, when he said, “I’d be willing to bet you, if I was a betting man, that I have never bet on baseball.” Yikes. Somewhere Nixon’s version of “I am not a crook” smiles and nods Pete.
But if I had to pick one, I think I go with Lombardi’s all-timer:
“Winning isn’t everything,” Vince Lombardi famously said, “it’s the only thing.”
God bless sports.
From Terry
Jay, Happy New Year! I know you watch a lot of movies. So who would you pick in a fight, William Wallace in Braveheart or Maximus in Gladiator?
Terry,
Yikes, another monster question that has layers on layers.
In that either/or I will go Maximus. Both are motivated of course by the deaths of their beloveds, but a) Maximus looks more cut-up than Wallace and b) Maximus did it all on his own while Wallace had a band of merry red-headed Scottish folks killing people.
This great question also made me think about all-time movie fights.
Sure, Daniel LaRusso (if he was any relation to Tony, then he loses points in my book) could pull off the upset in the All Valley Karate Tournament. But there is not bleeping way Rocky beats Drago.
Period, end of conversation.
I would fight William Wallace, Maximus and Daniel-sun at the same time before I would step into the ring with Ivan Drago.