5-at-10: Mailbag on our Bama love, sports best bargains, 5-at-10 history and international bucket list

Gang, the time keeps flying, and it was another strong week.

We considered putting Jomo's question from Monday in here, but we all got a chance to discuss that then.

If you have more to say about the freedom of speech, feel free to speak freely (see what we did there Chas9?) and we can keep that discussion going.

As always, participate in any of the below questions - or ask us about the Heat's somewhat shocking Game 1 loss to the Spurs.

From the "Talks too much" studios, pucker up butter cup. What? Ferris Bueller's on line 2.

From BigO

You had the college football lines early this week, and you think Alabama is going to beat Va Tech by more than 17 and win at Texas A&M by more than 6? Whatever.

No way. I can't believe how much you love Alabama. Why? Why do you and the rest of the media folks worship Alabama?

Until you start writing about Tennessee, I'm not reading this junk any more.

See ya.

BigO (if you come back) -

Call it love, call it worship, call it whatever you like, but it is not emotion. It is respect.

This may be the most-talented Alabama team of the Saban era. Read that sentence again, and know that the Tide have All-Americans at:

A) Quarterback

B) Running back

C) Wide Receiver

D) Offensive tackle

E) Offensive guard

F) Linebacker (two)

G) Safety

This is not All-SEC players mind you. This is All-Americans. Alabama is that good.

As for the 'love' you prescribe, well, we try whenever possible to tell it like it is. If love is truth and truth is love, well, the love is Alabama is the best team in the country. Period.

As for writing more about Tennessee, well, we'll let Jomo or MocTastic or some of the other UTC folks handle that one.

(Side note: Read our bio at the bottom and notice where we went to college. Want to rethink that question? See ya when we see ya.)

---

From Flipper

5@10,

I have been reading you almost from the beginning, and I have to say two things.

First, I am amazed that you do this every day. I don't even shower every day. Thanks.

Second, what's with all the NBA love?

Thanks for the morning reading -- it is a daily stop -- and let us know when you get back on the radio.

Flipper,

Thanks for the kind words, and for being a part of the growing circle of folks that make this fun.

When we started this on Tuesday, Oct. 26 2010, we actually had two entries - the 5-at-10 and the 2:00 Drill - that we did every day for a while. The 5-at-10 was much, Much, MUCH short back then. (Here's a link to the first.)

We went a couple of weeks before we got even the first comment, a zinger from show regular Livn4life that was...

Livn4life said...

Greeson you must have someone better than Ron Burgundy to turn to. Did you miss your trip to Starbucks or the MCD's biscuit stop? Come ON MAN, you can do better than Anchorman outtakes. Work on it! Get help, contact Coach Dooley or Huesman. Someone can get you back on track!!!

When the comments started picking up in the morning 5-at-10 we ended the 2:00 Drill, which was a 2 p.m. update. More times than not now, we'll comment at least a couple of times on the 5-at-10, so we wanted to keep the discussion in one place. Keeping the discussion on track, however, is another matter.

We started doing this to make us write more - it's really easy to get caught up in meetings and planning and the other duties of our day job and forget why we started in this BID-ness in the first place. That said, we would have bagged it a long time ago if it was not a) fun; and b) made fun by interacting with you yahoos. So thanks right back at you.

(Side note I: We recommend showering daily if possible. If not, hey, you gotta be you, right?)

(Side note II: We have had several folks ask for a running glossary of common terms we use that may or may not be common to newer readers. We're not the best person to start this list, because those of you who know the TFP sports editor, know this is pretty much how we talk. The crazy thing about the 5-at-10 is this is more internet radio than a planned column. We sit, we type, no big whoop. We're going to try to assemble a list of common references this summer so if any of you have some you think need to be included, please share. Where were we?)

(Side note III: That was fair criticism back then LivnLarge, and it's fair criticism now. You know what they say, 60 percent of the time, it works every time. Bless you Brian Fontana, Brick Tamland and the rest of the Anchorman gang.)

As for the NBA love, well, it's a combination of things. Part of it is a lack of other stuff going on at the moment. Part of it is the game is better right now than it has been in a long, Long, LONG time. Part of it is the enjoyment of watching LeBron James chase his spot in history.

Without any of those three, we'd probably go right back to ignoring the NBA like most of the rest of the folks we know.

----

From Cap-sized

That was an interesting list from Forbes the other day about the athletes who make the most jack.

It got me thinking, who do you think is the best bargain in sports?

Thanks and thanks for the 5-at-10 (you could stand to quote Blazing Saddles a little more often, you know).

Cap-sized,

It's true, it's true, we could quote Blazing Saddles a little more frequently. We'll work on that. And thanks for the great question.

photo Alabama Coach Nick Saban

In truth the two best values in sports in our eyes are Nick Saban (Sorry, Big O) and Tiger Woods.

Saban is winning at a historic clip and has made the University of Alabama tens of millions for his $5-plus million per year salary. Coupled with national brand he has made the Tide into and what that brings in for the town of Tuscaloosa seven to eight Saturdays a year, his success and presence and the power program he has crafted likely generates close to $250 million a year. That's a pretty good return on less than $6 million per.

As for Tiger, he is the most successful of the individual athletes, who for the most part are the sales people of the sports world.

Team sports stars are business salaries folks; individual sports stars are really working on commission, earning what they can while they can by closing deals and cashing checks.

And Woods is the best ever at that. And while the return is not as great as Saban's, Woods is still an ATM for Nike. The Swoosh has paid him hundreds of millions to swing and sling their brand. Nike Golf has done tens, in not hundreds of billions of dollars worldwide in revenue with him as the face. That's good value.

----

Scott G.

Your summer slow down reference made me wonder what movies that if you see that they are on, you always stop?

(PS - I saw Identity Thief in the theater. At least you only paid $6 for it. It was crap.)

Scott G. -

Great question, and we have to do two lists because we are a sucker for sports movies. In truth, limiting it to just four sports movies is going to be so tough, we're going to invite the Mrs. 5-at-10 to play along because she is not a fan when we stop on one of the below films (especially since we've seen them at least 10 times each).

Rushmore of sports movies that stop the clicker

1) Hoosiers. This is No. 1 on both lists by a pretty wide margin.

2) Field of Dreams

3) Rudy

4) The Replacements

Rushmore of non-sports movies that stop the clicker

1) Shawshank

2) Gladiator

3) Anchorman

4) Red Dawn/Road House (God's speed Patrick Swayze, God's speed)

(And yes, No. 4 on each of those lists are movies that are so bad they are excellent.)

----

From Sportsfan

Jay - ready for football. How much longer? For the mailbag. What's your Rushmore of international sports events that you'd like to attend in person? Put me down for the running of the bulls in Spain, the Tour de Fance when the riders are in the Alps, a World Cup soccer game in S America (preferably in Brazil), and an Australian Rules football game down under (miss the Sunday am games broadcast on ESPN 25 years ago). Thanks and love the 5 at 10.

Sportsfan -

We're 90 days from the opening Thursday night of college football season. But who's counting, right?

Our Rushmore of overseas sports checklist, huh? Great question, and we'll do our best to try not to duplicate yours.

• Sunday at The Open at St. Andrew's. (This may be the No. 1 thing on our sports bucket list overall, but we've had the chance to see/do a lot of cool sports events.)

• ManU soccer game. We're not that much into soccer - but the passion is undeniable. (World Cup would be here, but we're trying to be different from Sportsfan's list.)

• Wimbledon.

• Stanley Cup Game 7 in Montreal.

Your list is definitely more international. So it goes.

Discuss and have a great weekend.

Upcoming Events