Draft day 2
So it's NFL draft week. I love the draft. You know this. There are a million mock drafts out there, and in truth, doing mock drafts makes weather forecasting look like an exact science.
There are lots of reasons for that of course.
There is the intersection of need and availability. There is the cavalcade of smokescreens so dense it makes the Vatican think there's a Papal decision looming. And then there are just poor decisions, which sadly feels like where the Atlanta Falcons are headed.
And before we go much further, this is one and only mock draft that I truly pay attention to. It's from Pro Football Focus, and not only do those folks do amazing analytical work on America's Game played at the highest levels.Plus, this mock draft is not done trying to peg or predict. It's gleaned off what the writer is hearing in his discussions around the league.
And the takeaways are kind of staggering.
First, it projects the Falcons taking Malik Willis with the No. 8 overall pick. Oy vey.
Hey, by all accounts Willis was a star making the rounds during the interviews, but guys, we're not looking for someone to sell insurance or date your niece.
Yes, Marcus Mariota is not the answer long-term. And yes with five picks in the first two days - the No. 8 pick Thursday in round one and two in rounds two and three - a QB makes sense early.
But not Willis, at least not there. This team has too many holes to spend the No. 8 overall pick - in the Pro Football Focus mock, Willis goes 8 and Derek Stingley goes to Seattle a pick later - on a complete QB coin flip.
So who would I like to see the Falcons select at 8? Glad you asked. Pull up a clipboard.
First, I think Kyle Hamilton is a monster. The Notre Dame safety is an every down difference maker. I love Stingley, too, and believe the former LSU corner - who got bored at the end of his college career - would have been a top-three pick after his freshman season.
And if the Falcons can find someone who wants to trade up, make that move and cross your fingers that Jordan Davis is still on the board.
Fore sure
So Phil Mickelson is registered to play in the PGA Championship and the US Open. Doesn't mean he'll actually tee it up, but he is registered.
And Phil also asked the PGA Tour for a waiver by Monday's deadline to play in the LIV event in London in June.
Mickelson joins Robert Garrigus as the known PGA players who have asked for the waiver to play in the event. Bob Harig with SI.com has reported that 15 of the top 100 players in the world are slated to play in the LIV event.
We do not know the names of those 15, but think I could guess a few.
Mickelson would be one of those 15 as he's ranked 54th in the world. Could Englishman Lee Westwood, who is two spots behind Mickelson in the rankings be there? Or even Ian Poulter, who is 74th in the world?
Still, 15 of the top 100 in the world is a lot more than I would have guessed earlier this spring when it felt like Mickelson was the only one out on that limb.
Which brings us back to Lefty, and man, it's hard to recall a more roller coaster of a year than the last 12 months Philly Mick has strung together, you know? A historic major title at last year's PGA. A rise in popularity and prominence that foreshadowed what was going to be a Romo-esque broadcasting career. And then, poof.
Sad day
As I was doing my morning research - yes, Spy, I actually do some research - I saw on Dave Staley's Twitter about the fire that has destroyed the Ocoee White Water Center.
What a sad and tragic event.
The Ocoee center was the host site for the whitewater events in the 1996 Olympics, but more than its connection to sports history, it was quite possibly the centerpiece of all of Polk County.
And those economic ripples from those rapids certainly reached Hamilton County too. Think how many folks used that facility, and now think how many folks came to this neck of the woods to enjoy that facility.
Truly a sad day for the entire area, but a complete game-changer for goodness knows how many of our Polk County neighbors who made their living - directly or indirectly - from the Ocoee White Water Center.
This and that
- Sorry, but this ruling makes little sense to me and really sets a dangerous precedent. A Massachusetts family bought what they believed to be their dream home, paying $750K for a house on a golf course in 2017. Well, when you live on a golf course, don't you know going in that you're in the crosshairs of wayward Titliest or three. Yes, the 651 errant shots have struck their home in the five years seems high, but still. So they sued and won almost $5 million. Wow.
- Rest easy Kirk Herbstriet, who is taking an ESPN break as he deals with a blood clot.
- We mentioned earlier that several of the real people featured in the HBO series about the early days of the Lakers dynasty in the 1980s are less than thrilled with the depiction of them. The series - "Winning Time" - is based loosely off a Jeff Pearlman book and says at the end of the episodes that parts of it are dramatized. But among the folks most irate is Mr. Logo himself, Jerry West, who last week threatened legal action and told the L.A. Times on Monday he will take it to the Supreme Court if need be.
- You know the rules, when TFP sports editor and high school sports guru Stephen Hargis writes about area preps, we read and link Hargis on such matters. Here is his take on Susan Crownover retiring after almost 30 years as the GPS softball coach.
- How bad are things going for the Braves? Well, they were off Monday and still lost, as it was announced that postseason hero Eddie Rosario will miss months because of eye surgery that was required because of blurry vision. Speaking of blurry vision, maybe the docs can check out Dansby's and Duvall's eyes while they are at it.
Today's questions
True or false, Tuesdays have become one of Ernie's top seven days. I say true.True or false, the Falcons will find a way to bungle this draft.
True or false, Atlanta should take a QB in round 1 or 2.
True or false, with a field that includes Phil Mickelson and a reported 15 of the top 100 golfers in the world, you will watch the LIV event in London in early June.
As for today, well not much that caught my eye. But I enjoy this conversation, and it started with Mike Scott, the former Astros right-hander who turns 67 today. Rushmore of modern-era (post-1980) pitchers who would be in the Hall of Very Good, because that's Mike Scott for sure. Go.