From Spy
Democrat with the best chance to beat Trump? I go JFK. Though he's, you know, dead. Living Democrat? Snowball's chance in Aruba.
Wow. What goes better with peanut butter, jelly or chocolate? That's the Blair vs. Jo question of food. My heart says jelly (strawberry jam, actually) but the head will say chocolate.
As for a question, I heard you like the draft a bit so here's two:
After the big two which quarterback goes next? And where would you take Jake Fromm?
I'll hang up and listen.
Spy -
Great question, and the head-turners from the first day of the combine both had ties to Alabama.
> Henry Ruggs dropped a 4.27 40 and will be right there with teammate Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb for the first receiver off the board. How deep is this WR class? Ruggs was one of 20 WRs with a sub-4.5 40 - and that does not include Jauan Jennings, the Tennessee pass catcher who clocked a 4.73 (and a guy I believe will be a good NFL player) - which ties the record for one draft class in the modern combine era.
> The QB that turned the most heads on Thursday in the throwing drills was none other than Jalen Hurts, the former Alabama star who finished his career at Oklahoma.
As for your questions, well, this morning news came that Todd McShay bet Mel Kiper $5,000 that Utah State product Jordan Love would go in front of Justin Herbert, the Oregon QB who many believe will be a top-six pick. (I lean more toward Love because of the need for mobility in today's NFL.)
My top-five QB board is Burrow, Tua, Love, Herbert, Jacob Eason, and with the number of teams with QB questions, I think all five of those guys will be first-rounders.
As for Fromm, I'm not sure I draft him at all, to be honest. He's not mobile (especially at the next level, considering that Baker Mayfield looks slow in the current NFL) and he was not accurate last year. I like his makeup, but if Aaron Murray was a guy who could not make it work, I certainly have doubts about Fromm.
Answer me this: Would you rather have Fromm or Mariota? Exactly.
From JoeDon
JG:
You love the Draft (we know this) and you're rather fond of the Underwear Olympics, too.
So How would YOU fare at the Sports Writer Combine in front of 32 Newspaper Editors from across the nation? Events would include the Subject-and-Verb-Agreement shuttle. Words Per Minute Drill with deductions for Typos. And Headline Pun toss.
Why not have similar Combines for other jobs?
In order to be the Publix Produce Manager, there would be events such as Melon Tossing, Idaho Potato Stacking and the Price-Check Sprint.
To work at Waffle House, there would be events such as French Fry Counting, Tip Calculating and the Midnight Coffee Cup Catch.
Happy Job Hunting.
Joe Don -
Love this question, although as a self-respecting heavy guy who has made countless trips to the Waffle House as well as the Huddle House, I must offer the modest correction that the Waffle House does not offer French fries. (Been a while since I've been there, so it may have changed, but if memory serves, it's hash browns or bust. Maybe the Wonderlic test for prospective WH future stars is the vocab quiz on what "covered, smothered, diced, chunked and topped" would include. I believe it's cheese, onions, tomatoes, ham and chili.)
As for my skills, well, I would be Henry Ruggs in the 40 in the headline pun category. Head-turning good. My words-per-minute without typos would probably drop me to a day two pick.
The old combine likely included tackling drills for defensive players. The old-school sports writing combine would have to include shorthand note-taking from a source, right?
Love the Price Check sprint for the Publix manager, too, but the 40 of that combine has to be handling the irate old white woman who has an expired coupon for Coke products that says buy two get two free (Max 4) but since it's double coupon Tuesday, she demands to buy eight and get eight because her church has a youth event on Wednesday.
Heck, think Des Bryant was stunned when the NFL GM asked him if his mom was a prostitute? The above situation is the Rubik's Cube compared to that one.
From Ernie
Bum Phillips: "When it's first and a mile, I won't give it to him." ~ On RB Earl Campbell's inability to finish a 1-mile run
I realize you know this by heart, but I love it, and I wish I could think quickly enough to come back on a dumb question that well!
Ernie -
I know this was not a question, but I loved the memory and that quote, and in truth I loved Bum Phillips.
Quick Rushmore of Bum Phillips quotes: We'll include Ernie's great reference to "When it's first and a mile, I won't give it to him." We'll add "Two kinds of ballplayers aren't worth a darn: One that never does what he's told, and one who does nothin' except what he's told." His often-imitated and seldom-duplicated, "Bryant can take his'n and beat your'n and then he can turn around and take your'n and beat his'n" about Bear Bryant, and yes, that makes cheese grits look like the Bronx. Another great one on Earl Campbell was, "I don't know if he's in a class by himself, but I do know that when that class gets together it sure don't take long to call the roll."
(And friends, that's leaving "That boy could throw a football through a car wash and not get it wet" or Warren Moon's arm strength; "Yeah, that test says he's dumb as a fence post, but when he hits he looks like Einstein to me," on the Wonderlic test; and when asked why he took his wife on all the road trips, "Because she's too ugly to kiss goodbye.")
As for this week's Rushmores, we'll go this way.
Rushmore of 1980s movie villains, another on with two categories: Horror - Freddy Krueger, Jason, Michael Myers and Non-Horror - Sensei Cress of "The Karate Kid," and he got bonus points for training Johnny Lawrence, who deserves a lifetime achievement award in this category since he was that guy in "Karate Kid," "Back to School" and "Just One of the Guys"; Hans Gruber and Ivan Drago; Biff Tannen from "Back to the Future." A few others right on the edge, Richard Vernon ("The Breakfast Club"), Steff (played by James Spader in "Pretty in Pink"), Mr. Rooney, who chased Ferris on his day off and Walter Peck from "Ghostbusters." (Side note: Vader, like "Jaws," was introduced in the 1970s.)
Rushmore of Johnny Cash songs: "Folsom Prison Blues," and the divide between this and every other is vast; "Sunday Morning Coming Down," "Hurt," "Ring of Fire."
Rushmore of "Fat" (and we needed two for this one): Movie quotes with fat - "Are you going to eat your fat?" Spalding Smails; "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son," Dean Wormer; "Look at me, I'm a big fat slob! I've got bigger titties than you do! I've got more chins than a Chinese phone book! I've not seen my willy in two years, which is long enough to declare it legally dead." Fat (Bleep) from "Austin Powers." "Wait, was she a great big fat person?" Buffalo Bill from "Silence of the Lambs." Fats Domino, Minnesota Fats, Fat Tuesday, Fat Boy's (restaurant in Smyrna with the BEST chili dogs ever) and it was tough to keep 5-at-10 regular Fat Vader off this list.
Rushmore of corporate logos: Nike, Apple, Shell, and McDonald's
From TC
I will save my enmity for "the Donald" for another rant for another day. On that topic, you and I are probably pretty close in our politics, but do you in view of the malpractice that is taking place at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that promotes the undermining of our institutions every day and looks increasingly like a "Banana Republic" every day feel good about the future for your kids and grandchildren?
TC -
This was part of an excellent reply earlier this week, and I thought this question was fair and deserved a public response.
Thanks for the very well-measured response, and there's a lot to digest in there.
And while I voted for Trump last time, it was mainly a vote against Hilary. There have been plenty of times that I have felt angst for my vote and even second-guessed it, but I also believe that the country is in a better place today than it would be if Hilary had been elected.
Is that debatable? Sure it is.
And in truth, of the people still with an even slight chance to get on the ballot, Amy would be high on my list, too.
But last on my list is Bernie, far behind Trump because of where I am in life.
I have no college debt - thanks to my parents and working as a bookie through Auburn - and I paid off my wife's small college debt to UGA. (She got a lot of scholarships.) I have saved a lot of money for my kids to go to college. I am 49 years old working two jobs to save as much money as I can over the next 10-15 years and have the slight possibility to retire.
Bernie changes all of that. And none of it in a good way, in my opinion.
Yes, I voted for Trump, and was completely comfortable looking at another option this November, because for as many economic successes as he has had, from social issues to social media he has been at best awkward, often embarrassing and sometimes downright awful.
But because of my life station and how this election affects my family and our future, if it's Donald vs. Bernie, I will not only vote for Donald, I dang may well campaign for him.
That's how much Bernie's get-everyone-out-of-debt-free platform and it's still-yet-to-explained financing scares the stew out of me.
Does that come with some real head-scratching moments about what I will tell my kids and grandkids about supporting a certainly flawed human? Sure it does.
In some ways though, maybe other generations had the same reservations with the same vote-casting second-guessing in the 1960s with the whispers of JFK's indiscretions and Slick Willie Clinton's excellent work in the office and his questionable decisions with the work force.
The truly sad state of where we are is that for far too many elections and policy-changing decisions, we are far too often picking between the lesser of two evils. And if it's Bernie vs. Trump, well, the lesser of two evils for me is a flawed human rather a completely broken economic system that will drive our already-too-big debt into a complete society wrecker.
Great question TC.
(Side note: I will have my XFL picks later today. Deal? Deal.)
Not exactly fan mail
It's back, gang, and the responses from those who have revoked membership in the fan club truly may be better than ever.
"I'd vote for Castro over Trump, and I'd read David's (Cook) grocery list over anything you have ever written. (Bleep)hole."
Morning.
"Regarding your comment at the end of "Speaking of the Afterlife" insinuating that Mr. Ben Hart of Kentucky will end up in "a special circle of Hell" for his personalized license plate selection, l find it mean-spirited and decidedly un-Christian if that is, in fact, what you desire."
Afternoon.
"This old grandmother finds your righteous indignation and Trumpian composition a dreadful way to start my mornings. I guess your computer spews gold nuggets and oil for all your followers."
Evening. Getting closer:
"Who are you to be embarrassed by anything our great President has done? You might as well go to CNN because MAGA does not need you or your vote to beat that (bleeping) commie Bernie Sanders."
Time for one more:
"Jay - I stopped reading your articles when they became so political and negative but decided to read the one on Walmart. Great positive, uplifting article until the last column. No more Greeson articles for me."
And maybe one more:
"If there was a god, he would punish you for Trump-loving BULL(BLEEP). You suck at life."
Almost home:
"Of course in your spoiled soft life on Signal you are voting for Trump you fat faced racist (bleep). Why do I keep reading your canned conservative (bleep)?"
There you go. Enjoy the weekend, friends.