Let's clean the kitchen from the week.
Rushmores this week
Rushmore of TV sitcom daughters: Kelly Bundy, Marcia Brady, Joanie Cunningham, Lisa Simpson (and it's tough leaving several, like Mallory Keaton and Gloria Bunker off the list).
Rushmore of rain: Rain Man with Cruise and Hoffman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Purple Rain, Smoky Mountain Rain. (Yeah, there are several songs for that last spot, but that's my choice.)
Rushmore of ampersands in pop culture: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Fast & Furious (all of them), Texas A&M and AT&T.
Rushmore of 10: Bo Derek's classic "10," Force Ten from Navarone, Pearl Jam's debut album 10 and an Olympic perfect 10, which narrowly edged Rin Tin Tin, the crime-fighting canine.
You know the rules. Here's Paschall's Iron Bowl lookahead.
Remember we made our NFL picks on Tuesday this week, and cruised to a 2-0 Turkey Day stuffing. We also offered the Steelers earlier in the week, and if you pulled the trigger then, you got Pittsburgh minus-3 before word got out that Lamar Jackson has COVID. The line has moved to Steelers minus-4.5 and you have to believe it's going to get bigger before Sunday.
Here were the Tuesday choices: Houston minus-2.5 over Detroit; Washington plus-3.5 over Dallas; Pittsburgh minus-3 over Baltimore; Raiders minus-3 over Atlanta; Kansas City-Tampa Bay over 53; Seattle minus-5 over Philly.
We're now 27-23 (54 percent) against the number with the two Thursday winners. That's a little more entertaining.
From Lonny
Jay, I listen to you on David's radio show and wonder if you just say stuff to say stuff a lot of the times. Why in the world would you care about some golf exhibition with some washed-up Tiger/Wareagle/Plainsman hack? Follow a real team!!!
Lonny-
Happy Thanksgiving. And absolutely I will watch parts if not all of today's version of The Match.
> The format is entertaining.
> The in-game betting on golf is way better than most folks know. (Speaking of betting, I thought this was pretty cool. According to ESPN gambling writer David Purdum: "@DraftKings is donating 100,000 meals to Feeding America for every birdie made during today's match between Peyton Manning-Stephen Curry vs. Phil Mickelson-Charles Barkley. DraftKings has pledged to donate a minimum of 1 million meals regardless.")
> And for whatever reason, watching golf without fans has been easier to tolerate than golf with fans.
Again, thanks for the question - and for listening to David's show. He does a great job, doesn't he?
From Tom
Jay, that's great news about Charlie Morton, that gives the Braves 4 solid starters. Re-signing Ozuna would be a bonus. I understand that there are 10 teams in it for his services. I also understand he just changed agents? Do you have any insights on why he would change agents now?
Tom-
I too like the Morton signing. I'd love that signing if it's the lead-in to the Braves keeping Marcell Ozuna, who proved to be the perfect complement to Freddie Freeman and bullet-proof protection for the Braves' MVP first baseman.
As for the specifics of the question, not sure how the change to mega agency CAA means or how that ultimately impacts the Braves' pursuit of what by every measure is one of the two or three best free agents on the market.
I think the Mets will be a major force in these negotiations, because a) the Mets new ownership is super-rich and wants the franchise to be big time, and b) the year-long suspension of Robinson Cano for PEDs gives the Mets almost $25 million extra to spend right now.
(Side note: While the new ownership gives the Mets deep pockets in free agency, the new ownership also parted ways with Brodie Van Wagenen, who was a former CAA super agent, which would have seemed to help the Mets in that scenario.)
As for changing, well, CAA is a mega-firm for sure, and Ozuna has earned a mega-deal. The only thing working against him right now - considering he took a one-year deal for way, Way, WAY less in guarantee money last January before knocking the cover off the ball for the Braves in 2020 - is the uncertainty of whether the universal DH will be in effect in 2021 or delayed until '22.
Still, the Braves' window to win it all is now - because I think the purse strings may get pulled a bit in L.A. since they finally ended its title drought - all things considered.
And while Alex Anthopoulous has earned every benefit of the doubt, leaving this one on the table will hurt the franchise - both on the field and in the fans' eyes of true title intentions.
From Steve
Why are you hating on Matt Ryan? He's the best QB in Falcons history and a first-ballot Hall of Famer!
The line being that bad and the coaches being that bad are not Ryan's fault - he's top-five in the league in passing yards despite being in this Dan Quinn/TDmitroff mess.
I thought you knew football better than that.
Steve-
No Matt Ryan hatred. Heck, he's on my fantasy team, and while I do not think he's a first-ballot guy, I do believe he's on a Hall of Fame career curve.
He will be top-10, if not top-five in most passing categories when he retires, and he has an MVP and a Super Bowl trip. That will be enough.
But, Steve, please do not confuse top-five in stats with top-five in the league.
As for these Falcons, if you are going to blame the situation, you have to also credit the situation, because Ryan gets insane numbers because the Falcons' defense gives up even more insane numbers.
My biggest question on Ryan is, "What would he have been without Julio Jones, who is a no-questions-asked, first-ballot Gold Jacket invitee?"
That answer is not as clear. That said, the future of the position is changing to a place that the Matt Ryan of the next generation simply will be holding a clipboard.
Look around the NFL, and all of the quarterbacks can move these days. All of them, even a guy like Sam Darnold is way more athletic than the traditional, three-, five-, seven-step guys of the previous generation.
In a passing league that is assuredly a copycat operation, the blueprint has been to find athletic defensive linemen to find ways to the QB. And parking meter fixtures like Matty Ice, turn those pass rushers into Cool Hand Luke because of an inability to escape pressure.
Yes, Ryan's got his head on a swivel like a 1991 Baghdad boutique owner because of the sketchiness of his O-line, but his one-read, check-the-rush, third-grade duck-and-cover tactic against the Saints was dreadful.
(Side question: Looking back, how was the duck-and-cover a good idea for almost anything that serious back in grade school?)
I think Ryan was very good at the peak of his powers. I don't think he's ever been a top-three or even a top-five guy in the league, even when he won his MVP.
If that's hate, well, then maybe I am hating on him. So it goes.
From AB
I would bet you a nickel these responses today are lily-white, reflecting your reading audience. Your column content is never conducive to attracting a diverse crowd; always easy to read between your lines. Is that your intent, or does it just come out naturally?
AB-
This question was about our A2 column sharing what various readers sent me about things for which they are thankful.
And in retrospect, maybe they were all white. But emails are color-blind in nature, at least last I checked. Maybe content gives a stereotypical or preconceived idea of race, but again, without asking each email sender, it's truly impossible to know.
As for the bigger picture context of this, well, thanks AB for making me think, because, while you normally are not a fan of my views, as I have consistently said, all views that make me think about my words and opinions are always appreciated.
First, my thought roamed to, "What are the demographics racially of my readership in particular and the TFP in general?" There's very little way to accurately define the former; I will see if I can get the latter.
I am open for all kinds of inclusion in terms of readership, because at a very basic level, readers are customers, and more readers - especially online, which is way more calculable than the print version - is great for me professional and the paper as an institution.
But, and your sly racism insertion of reading between my lines aside, the only way to do share as many opinions as I do is to do it as directly and honestly as possible. That's my goal every time I fire-up the keyboard, and that is my only intention.
Because having an outside motive - regardless of which side you're trying to please or worse, offend - or any kind of intent on the front end of any opinion is the very fundamental starting point of preconceived bias.
Again, thanks for reading and for the chance to respond.
Have a great weekend gang.
Jay Greeson