5-at-10: Weekend winners and losers, SEC schedule hijnks, Rushmore of horror movies

FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2014, file photo, the SEC logo is displayed on the field ahead of the Southeastern Conference championship football game between Alabama and Missouri in Atlanta. The Southeastern Conference will play only league games in 2020 to deal with potential COVID-19 disruptions, a decision that pushes major college football closer to a siloed regular season in which none of the power conferences cross paths(AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2014, file photo, the SEC logo is displayed on the field ahead of the Southeastern Conference championship football game between Alabama and Missouri in Atlanta. The Southeastern Conference will play only league games in 2020 to deal with potential COVID-19 disruptions, a decision that pushes major college football closer to a siloed regular season in which none of the power conferences cross paths(AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

Weekend winners

Collin Morikawa. Wow, what a performance for a young dude has the look of being one of those guys. We mention lists and the importance of the other names on those lists. Well, do you know the four youngest PGA Championship winners since 1958 when the tournament went to stroke play? Some dudes named McIlroy, Nicklaus, Morikawa and Tiger.

Phil Mickelson. Don't care where he finished, Mickelson pulled up a chair during the Saturday CBS broadcast and was easily the best guy talking.

Luca Doncic. Yes, the NBA season has been a whole lot of things at all ends of the spectrum. That said, Doncic's triple-double Saturday night moved him to the league lead in such feats this season. And his assists seated 45 points for his teammates. Amazing. Side note: Doncic is the next superstar in this league - yes Zion may be more marketable but no where close to the potential ceiling Doncic has - and the Hawks traded him. Yep, Hawks gonna Hawks.

Max Fried. Wow, did is lights out right now. Four starts, 22-plus innings and 19 total baserunners. Know this friends, a Cy Young in a 60-game season is a still a Cy Young.

Rusty Wright. The UTC football coach - who Ron correctly tipped the visor to for his social media, "Who wants to play" Tweet - got some national air time on ESPN's national "Marty and MCGee" program. And Wright was aces.

Weekend losers

Dustin Johnson. Dude has the skills to be Tom Watson 2.0. He also has the gutlessness to be the most-talented one-time major champion this side of Freddie Couples (without the back woes).

L.A. Lakers. What the bleep LeBron? For real? Man, the NBA bubble with Blazers-Raptors in the Finals will be amazing. Or not.

Nick Faldo. Yes, Faldo is fine at his job and he's likable. You know who else was fine and likable? Phil Simms, who was walked from the No. 1 analysis job at CBS to the pregame studio for cutting the cheese in Denver and then Tony Romo took his chair and never looked back.

College football. The MAC called it quits - it was a financial decision more than a safety decision and I believe that to my core - and the reports are circling that the Power 5 are discussing whether fall is doable.

Do what?

We all have those folks we know who put everything into a conspiracy prism. Whether they wear tin foil hats or talk to pillows or not, you know someone - or like me may be related to someone - who thinks the fix is in on every decision made in almost every arena.The SEC is a frequent target of those theories and thoughts.

To that end, it's almost always hog wash. But sometimes we must ask if Greg Sankey and his minions can be this dumb?

With all the worries and concerns of the pro-Alabama 'conspiracy' theories, the SEC was OK with the bombastic schedule released last week? Really?

At the heart of real conspiracies is always money. And for Alabama, Georgia and LSU to get the softest landings among the announced 2020 SEC schedules checks a lot of conspiracy boxes.

(Side caveat: Yes, we can all only pray that we are really bemoaning schedules and their strengths and fairness in six weeks, but hey, when in Rome.)

In a time when everyone is eyeing the bottom-line, putting the three top teams in your league in the best position possible for a run at the playoff is eyebrow-raising.

And that the announcement was veiled in secrecy and vague quotes is another.

Hey, SEC, you know that the chief crime fighter to conspiracy is transparency, right?

This and that

- Speaking of the PGA Championship, the three full-time card-carrying PGA Baylor School grads made the cut this weekend. Harris English finished tied for 19th at 5 under ($134,000), Keith Mitchell finished tied for 43rd at even ($31,594) and Luke List was tied for 51st at 1 over ($24,000).

- This headline has a whole different meaning these days. "NBA Exec: 'Nobody is Safe in This Environment'" is the title, and it speaks of the NBA's unpredictability in the bubble. Yes, I thought, "Buckets' who has the Coronas now?"

- Say what? Hey, shooters gotta shoot, right? And you want your QB to believe he's the best in the game. So, maybe that's why Donald Trump's folks called the leaders of South Dakota to see if Trump could get his mug on Rushmore.

- Speaking of the Corona and football, here's TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer saying high school football and lower levels of college football should call the season. I love Weeds, and he likely will be right and football likely will get bagged, sooner or later, but I don't agree with him here.

Today's questions

Weekend winners and losers. Go

Side note: I'm back in Chattanooga - alas, the beach was excellent - and playing in the FCA golf tournament this morning. I did not have time to grade all the entries, but through 35 this morning, Josh J. is the current leader with an entry of Dustin Johnson (2), Bryson DeChambeau (4), Tony Finau (4) and Justin Rose (9). That's an impressive score of 19.

Did anyone have a bette entry? Speak now, and I'll grade the rest tonight. And yes, I'm a little bitter that Brooks fell off the planet and took my chances with him.

As for today, Aug. 10, well, Psycho was released on this day 60 years ago.Does it make the Rushmore of all-time horror movies? Go.

Upcoming Events