Let’s handle our business.
Rushmore of fast-food restaurant “mascots” — Ronald McDonald, Chick-fil-A cows, Wendy and Colonel Sanders. Honorable mention to the King of Burgers and the wee Caesar and his “Pizza, Pizza” mantra.
Rushmore of best first lines of famous speeches — “Four score and seven years ago …,” JFK’s inauguration (after thanking the bigwigs around him) “We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom –symbolizing an end as well as a beginning — signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago …,” FDR’s “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan …,” and, of course, “I believe in the soul, the bleep, the bleep, the small of a woman’s back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, over-rated crap …” by famous American Crash Davis.
Rushmore of “princess” — “Princess Bride,” Princess Di, Princess Leia and the Pacific Princess (aka The Love Boat).
Rushmore of sports nicknames with “Big” included — Hall of Famer division (best players) Big Hurt, Big Unit, Big Train and Big O; best Big nicknames, Big Country Bryant Reeves, Big Nasty Corliss Williamson, Big Shot Bob Robert Horry, Big Sexy Bartolo Colon.
Rules, people. Here’s Paschall with UT’s hopes for continuing its defensive improvement.
Rules again. Here’s Hargis with more high school football goodness.
Let’s bag the ‘bag.
From MocsColts
Listen to this link below. Basically the Power 4 will ONLY schedule Quad 1 or Quad 4 games and are able to manipulate the NET … Except for Auburn who is willing to play anyone, I give them credit.
MC
Yes.
And the system rewards them for it, so can you blame them for positioning themselves to have the best shot at making the tournament?
I’m not saying you’re wrong, by any measure. But I am questioning why should they change?
Because of the fairness of competition?
Because I can assure you that when a Power 5 coach in his postseason eval with his AD after a disappointing 18-17 season that led to an NIT trip is not going to keep his job because he gave a lot of mid-majors some home-and-home scheduling opportunities.
Again, you’re not wrong, and the AU example is a bit of an outlier in the truth that Bruce Pearl had to schedule any and all games against Quad 2s and mid-major powers because AU hoops pre-Bruce was mid-major at best.
And to continue our conversation on social media, I don’t agree with the position that expanding the tournament will address the issue.
Nor will expansion to low-70s behoove mid-majors, because those extra bids will go to other meh Power 5 teams before they add extra mid-majors.
Now, if/when they go to 96 and give mid-major bids to the regular-season and tournament champs, well, that will add more Davids as well as more Goliaths.
So I understand your point, and it’s valid, but do you think a) it will ever change or b) that any coach should change in the practical world, not the “love of competition” vacuum?
From Mike
What, in the name of player safety, has happened to knee pads, especially in college? I could say the same for the hanging mouthpieces. It just makes me cringe, especially with my two bad knees. Protect them as much as you can; you might need them in more than half a century.
Mike
Such a great question and looking at a lot of these games, especially in college, there’s a very real scenario that the kicker for Oklahoma’s football pants are shorter than the baggy britches the Fab 5 wore at Michigan three decades ago.
And with so many games on turf these days, well, today’s football players have a lot of skin in the game — quite literally.
From Patrick
Don’t get me wrong — even as a Tech guy I’m a big Gunner Stockton fan. Saw him play twice in the state playoffs, and he was one of those kids you watch and you go, yep, he’s got a big-time star ranking and he’s even more than that ranking.
But playing better than Haynes King — who has topped 400 yards of total offense in each of the last three games (OK, it was 395 against lame tail Syracuse. Pre-med, pre-law, what’s the diff?)? Hmm … not sure about that.
Patrick
Completely fair point, and I have been a Haynes King believer since the jump.
And the earlier point from Spy about Tech dropping the ball on his Heisman campaign is a big-time L for a program that could use all the positive pub it can get.
Stockton has been great, and I understand his place among the best. (Side note: King was fourth on that list we published earlier this week.)
In fact, while the Heisman is now reserved for a) the best QB on one of the best teams/biggest title contenders in the country or b) some super intriguing storyline — think Charles Woodson or Travis Hunter with eye-catching highlights, I think if college football had a real MVP and focused on value to program, King and Diego Pavia would be my front runners.
From Don
You mentioned Atlanta re-signing Raisel Iglesias, but the Braves also got Mauricio Dubon, so they offloaded all-glove, no-bat Nick Allen and have improved their infield offense. More than anything, the Braves need health. They need to keep Riley, Acuna and Albies in the lineup for 150 games and not 90-100. Good health — the most important thing. Then again, the guy who said that died of lead poisoning at the airport. He wound up not being bigger than U.S. Steel. But I digress …
Don
First, any Heyman Roth reference gets a mailbag spot.
Completely agree, and shortstop was a big position of need.
And the biggest checklist item for the regular season will be the health of its stars.
But if the Braves want to be in place to challenge the Dodgers, finding a front-line starting pitcher has to be high on Alex Anthopoulos’ to-do list.
And the Braves’ M.O. of signing a formerly successful starter in his upper 30s is not going to cut it this year. So no Patrick Corbin or Merrill Kelly or Justin Verlander this time.
Atlanta needs to be in the Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen market in the coming weeks.
From Spy
Didja know Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg was panned initially by the press? The keynote speaker, one Edward Everett, went on for two hours. Yet we remember the two and a half minutes Abe spent talking.
Old Abe didn’t need a comms team — he gave us the Gettysburg Address and his letter to a Massachusetts mother (read by the Gen. Marshall character in “Saving Private Ryan”), and those might be two of the most impactful and yet briefest statements every made by any president.
Sure beats the hell out of “no new taxes,” “if you like your doctor, you can keep you doctor,” and “I did not have sex with that woman.”
Spy
Yep, these are my readers.
Have a great weekend, friends.