Friends, Happy Labor Day. We have so much to get to today that we'll actually load up and roll.
Deal? Deal.
From the satellite offices of the "Talks too much" studios on the lovely shores of Lake Martin in Eclectic, Ala., let's do this.
Weekend winners
John McCain tributes. Rest easy good sir. Your time was well-spent.
Chicago Bears. OK, when you overhaul your coaching staff (in a positive way), give your second-year franchise quarterback a Pro Bowl tight end and a Pro Bowl wide out, that's a very good offseason. Now realize that the Bears added the best NFL outside linebacker and the best NCAA inside linebacker to an already stingy defense. That friends is making your team better. A lot better. And the price (2 first-rounders) and the hefty, record-setting contract for Khalil Mack is not as extreme as most believe. First, is there a team in the NFL that would not trade any two of their last five first-round picks who were not quarterbacks (sense Chicago already has pushed its chips in on quarterback Mitchell Trubisky) for Mack and a second-rounder? Maybe not the Rams, who have taken Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald in the last five years, but the Raiders clearly do not want to pay anyone big money, regardless of skill level. Secondly, the Raiders thought they could not pay Mack because they already have the most QB contract for Derek Carr. The Bears have three more affordable years on Trubisky, so this deal balance. Great weekend on a Chicago Bear. Bad weekend to be a) Raiders fan, b) Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford, c) anyone who had Oakland winning that division.
Dan Quinn. Yes, the Falcons head coach actually embraced all this faux outrage from spoiled-brats aka head football coaches who think their poop does not stink. (Side note: Football coaches universally ask for commitment and toughness, both of body and mind. They demand professionalism from their players and staff. They crave discipline. Unless of course they are looking in the mirror. Urban Liar is full of more stuffing than a Thanksgiving turkey. Eagles coach Doug Pederson gets his visor in a bunch when asked about the quarterbacks. And we'll get to ol' Uncle Nick in a minute. If the players - or assistants - for those dudes acted as juvenile and child-like and downright wrong as they have, they would blown an O ring. Period.) Anyhoo, Quinn and the Falcons open the NFL season Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles. We're down with that. Quinn, on a conference call with Philadelphia media types in reference to the continual discourse about whether Carson Wentz would be ready for the season opener or whether Nick Foles, the Eagles back-up and current Super Bowl MVP, would start has this to say: "I understand you have quarterback questions" Quinn continued, "So...Matt Ryan will be our quarterback." Perfect.
Christian Yelich. Dude is mashing a baseball right now. Since the All-Star break, Yelich is hitting .360 with 16 homers, 36 runs scored, 38 RBIs and a .744 slugging percentage. All of those numbers are either first or tied for first in the NL. Side question: Of the departed Miami outfielder who were jettisoned during the offseason, what kind of odds could we have gotten that Yelich rather than Giancarlo Stanton would be an MVP front-runner?
The Fab 4 (plus some) picks. Wowser, what an opening Saturday, huh? We went 5-and-bagel on Saturday, with winners THE Ohio State (minus-38 in a 77-31 win over THE Oregon State), Oklahoma-FAU over 66 (Sooners 63-14), West Virginia (minus-9.5 in a 40-14 win over Tennessee), UNLV (plus-28 in a 43-21 loss to USC) and Alabama (minus-25 in a 51-14 win over Louisville that was not that close). Yes, we ignored some very clear warning signs about the Hurricanes, who pooped themselves in a 33-17 loss to LSU on Sunday night. And Nebraska got rained out. But a 5-1 week is very, Very, VERY entertaining for those hunting entertaining among friends.
Weekend losers
Bracket framers at the U.S. Open. Put-lease. The Williams sisters on a Friday before the start of college football season? Someone walking some hall in a place as meaningful and important as the U.S. Open Tennis facility has to be smarter than that. (And please hold the, "Well, that's how the seeds play out," mumbo-jumbo. No one this side of the a high school basketball coach hosting a Christmas tournament are the brackets jumbled more than tennis, where somehow Serena was unseeded at an event earlier this year and the semifinals are not 1-4, 2-3 draws.)
Butch Jones. Yes, the talent he left in Knoxville was clearly disconcerting Saturday. But how about this tidbit from Barrett Sallee on social media: Butch Jones once had Nathan Peterman, Josh Dobbs and Riley Ferguson on the same roster with the Vols. Jones started Justin Worley.
Shohei Ohtani's duality. We loved the Octane's story from the start. Power hitter. Power pitcher. Same dude. Yes, he's the first MLB player since some dude named Babe Ruth to have four pitching wins and 15 homers in the same season. But in his first pitching start since early June on Sunday, he lasted less than there innings and was noticeably weaker on his fastball. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-scores-schedule-live-team-updates-news-ohtani-makes-first-start-since-june/
Those of us who thought the Braves would fade. Atlanta has a four-game lead over the Phillies in the East and the computer simulators have the Braves with an 84 percent chance to win the East. We'll ask it again, is there any way Brian Snitker is not your NL Manager of the Year?
Paxton Lynch. Dude was a first-rounder. He made four starts with Denver before being part of last weekend's roster casualties. That's the fewest of any first-rounder since Jim Drunkenmiller, and if there's a bright side to this, anytime we get to type Jim Drunkenmiller, well, there's that.
College football is BACK baby
OK, there simply was too much to get to since toe met leather (and it's a high kick) Saturday for the (cough, cough, ahem) amateur football players of the NCAA ot have just one winner and/or loser.
Let's break it down in a top-10 of observations from the weekend. Deal? Deal.
The SEC was the big winner. The league's likely No. 3 team - Auburn - beat the Pac-12's best team, and the league's No. 5 or 6 team (and maybe worse depending on Coach O) - LSU - whipped the ACC's second-best team. The SEC West is undefeated, the only division in college football that is unblemished and league went 13-1 to open the season with the lone loss being
Tennessee. How do we ask this politely: Can UT sue Butch Jones some of that money back for a clear dereliction of duties in the final 18 months Intern Butch was on the job in K-town. Wow, that's roster that other than a couple of dudes - Tim Jordan looked good, we believe in the receivers - that have some monstrous holes. And it's at least hopeful to think UT will not see another connection as talented as Grier-to-Sills (a tandem of two dudes on several preseason All-American lists), remember that the Vols face a slew of pretty salty SEC quarterbacks in Stidham, Lock, Bentley, Tagovailoa, Fromm to name but five more.
Speaking of Mr. Tua Tagovailoa, well, he was awesome against Louisville. Jalen Hurts was not. When asked by Maria Taylor after the game about what he saw from the two quarterbacks in the opener - really the only question that a) should be asked until Saban officially names a starter, and b) the only questions that really makes any sense after a 51-14 shellacking of Louisville - Nick Saban acted like my 8-year-old daughter when she gets tired and hangry. The race of the Alabama fans on social media to defend their beloved bratty and brilliant boss was HI-larious. Wonder if they are still taking that stance after Saban reportedly called and apologized to Taylor, who is very good at her job. Two quick side questions: Wonder how Saban handles this the next time he's at the podium, as in will he name Tua the starter once and for all big picture, and specifically, will he address Taylor with an apology as public as his childish reaction. Question two: Does anyone else think Ms. Terry made Nick apologize? (I certainly do.)
Speaking of quarterback tugs-of-war, well, Saban can say whatever he wants, but it was clear who QB1 was for Alabama. And then go to the second-best team in the country, and the long-haired freshman at Clemson looked like QB1 for the Tigers. And then go to the second-best team in the SEC, and Justin Fields looked like a DUDE for Georgia. Those coaches may not want to answer those QB1 questions, but those discussions and wonderings are real. (Yes, Jake Fromm was aces for Georgia too, and he's QB1, but those young cats can play.)
Amid all the things that make us wonder why we love college football so much, occasionally comes a story like Maryland's first play against Texas. Maryland sent 10 players onto the field, leaving an opening at right guard - the position of Jordan McNair, who died in June after collapsing during conditioning drills in May. Maryland took the delay of game penalty with 10 guys on the field as the tribute. That's cool. Texas coach Tom Herman declined the penalty. That's class.
Herman? Yes, question mark. Remember when he was the flavor of the month after leading Houston into the playoff discussion and landing arguably the nation's best high school player to stay at home and play for the Cougars? Yeah, neither do we. But, Herman is now 7-7 with two season-opening losses to Maryland, which is 2-22 against ranked teams in the last seven seasons. (Yes both of those were against Herman and the Longhorns.)
Jim Harbaugh? Yes, question mark. What do you with that, right? Dude is 9-9 in his last 19. Saban has lost nine games in the last seven seasons. They make similar salaries and have similar expectations. One is legit and has a fan base that would take a murder rap for him; One is known for wearing khakis and just lost to Notre Dame to make his record at Michigan 1-7 against Michigan State, THE Ohio State and the Irish.
Mark Richt? Yes, question mark. Somewhere every Georgia fan who was tickled that Richt was shown the door feels justified. And if we had a dollar for every social media joke about Mark Richt popping the bed against a mediocre SEC team and lower-tier opposing coach with more talent on a national scale, well, we'd take the week off. (Our favorite was the dude who recapped the 'Canes meltdown to LSU, which physically whipped Miami - another Richt staple - by saying, "All that was missing was the black jerseys." Ouch-standing.)
Few numbers that matter: Alabama has won 74 consecutive games against non-ranked foes, the most ever in the poll era. (Side note: About the Tide, well, Louisville had 25 yards on 22 rushes, and that's not counting Alabama's sack. No es bueno.) Here's the lost of longest current losing streaks against ranked teams on the road: Colorado (28), Purdue (23), Kansas and Vanderbilt (19 each) and Michigan (17). The best sneaky defensive debut was by Herm Edwards' Arizona State Sun Devils, who held USTA to 2 rushing yards on 34 carries (that includes nine sacks) and 40 of USTA's 77 snaps went for zero yards or less.
Finally, because it's not really football season unless Mike Leach says something or calls something that makes us all smile, here you go. Thank you Mike Leach, for being the best you possible.
This and that
- My dad would have been 77 today. First time in my life I will not get to tell him Happy Birthday. Rest easy Pop. (And yes, for those wondering, I was born in early October and since I was talking at nine months - I know bigger shocker, right Stewwie - I even got that first one in, albeit rather garbled.)
- Speaking of that, well, it got a little dusty doing our research this morning after we saw this. Pardon us for a second. Stupid allergies.
- Speaking of the Raiders, earlier, well, they added Brent Musberger as their radio voice during the offseason. Over the weekend, the Raiders added A.J. McCarron from the Bills. Brent welcomed the McCarrons to Raiders Nation on Twitter - A.J.'s wife is the lovely former Miss Katherine Webb, who Brent fawned over during a live broadcast a few years ago when A.J. was at Alabama - and the responses were HI-larious.
- Speaking of the NFL, we are locked and loaded for the 5-at-10 Survivor Series, Part I this year for NFL games. Here's the deal: Send me your NFL winner this week. I need these in my email - jgreeson@timesfreepress.com - because that is much to keep track of. This week, I need everyone who is playing to send me your pick (if it is Philly or the Falcons before end of BID-ness Thursday. If not, you have until the end of BID-ness Friday. That will be our time frame each week. Picks in by 5 p.m. Friday unless you are picking the Thursday night game. There is no spread, just a straight-up winner. The catch of course is that you can't use the same team more than once, so once you pick Brady, Belicheck and the Pats, that's it. At some point down the road you're likely going to be begging for Andrew Luck to overcome a late deficit against the Titans. Good times. Who's with me?
- Speaking of baseball pennant races, how about this crazy stat: The Dodgers are 75-62 and have a half-game lead over the Rockies, who are 74-62, in the NL West. The Dodgers have a run-differential of +128; the Rockies have a run-differential of minus-15. Baseball.
- Speaking of baseball, there are fewer baseball players since Barry Bonds that I can recall enjoying watching more than I enjoy watching Ronald Acuna Jr. play the game.
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Today's questions
Happy September everyone. (And Happy birthdays over the weekend to former TFP sports department amigos David Paschall, Stephen Hargis and Wes Rucker. Good times.)
Weekend winners and losers. Discuss.
Weekend college football takeaways. Discuss.
As for today, Sept. 3, let's explore.
It's National Skyscraper Day. It's also U.S. Bowling League Day.
The Treaty of Paris was signed on this day in 1783 to end the Revolutionary War. U-S-A! U-S-A!
Vince Lombardi died on this day in 1970.
Malcolm Gladwell is 55 today, and dude does a strong podcast for those interested in such things. Charlie Sheen is 53 today. Shaun White is 32.
OK, in honor of Mr. White, aka "The Flying Tomato Can" what's on the Rushmore of the most outlandish/funny nicknames.
Discuss.