Kicking off school
Busy morning at the 5-at-10 compound.
Our oldest started high school; our youngest started middle school. Breakfasts, lunches, coffee, juice, a teary-eyed Mrs. 5-at-10 because "it's all going so fast" and, well, you get the idea.
(Side note: If the Mrs. had heard Kenny Chesney's "Don't Blink" on the car ride home, it would have created a waterworks akin to Ray Kinsella asking his dad for a catch in Iowa combined with Sally Field pulling the plug on Shelby in "Steel Magnolias" to Shooter saying, "Son, kick their butt" before the state finals in which the barely big enough for three syllables Hickory Huskers toppled the mighty Bears of South Bend Central to shooting Old Yeller actually in my garage.)
Fun times.
But there are fun times with the return to school because back to school means football is also right around the corner. In some ways, have we under-previewed football? Has it been an appropriate slow walk considering it's still just Aug. 10, and the meaningful games above the high school months are not until the 'er' months?
Interested in your thoughts, and if you have specific questions - like a couple posed Tuesday - maybe we can chop up some college football stuff in Friday's bag. Deal? Deal.
As for the college football realm, and if you listened to the podcast we did last week, this may sound familiar. Wait, why not a quick top five with explainers in 10 words or less. It would be like a 5-in-10 from the 5-at-10.
Cue the Guinness beer fellas: "Brilliant."
1 An attractive Hooker. UT's QB may be SEC player of the year. (Side note: This does not count against the 10-word blurb, but you know the rules. Here's Paschall on the aforementioned Hendon Hooker, who has accounted for almost 7,500 total yards - 1,649 rushing, 5,839 passing - and 73 TDs in 31 games over the last three seasons.)
2 Saban's middle-finger march. Think he remembers those first two losses to former assistants?
3 Georgia reloading. Kirby's crown was killer; are they ready to defend? (Side question: See what I did there Bearddawg? "Ready to defend." A punny reference to reloading arguably the most talented defense not to play in Tuscaloosa or Miami in the last quarter century? You're welcome.)
4 Remember us? Clemson 'only' won 10 in last year's disappointment.
5 It's playoff semifinals or bust. Yes, Tide and Dawgs; Should be UTC's focus too.
Thoughts?
Done deal
We have been saying for a while that the tea leaves were pointing to a new Lookouts Stadium.
Tuesday it became official as the Chattanooga City Council provided the final checkmark on the governmental to-do list.
It got contentious, there's no question, but for the love of the scenic parts of the Scenic City, let's not make the same mistakes locally that have consumed projects and possibilities on a national level.
This is happening now, whether the incoming county mayor likes it - and who it benefits - or not.
Working against something like this at this point is more than counterproductive.
Comparatively, the folks that wanted Trump or Biden to fail - and correspondingly our country to struggle - are the worst examples of putting politics over people and party over policy.
Same could be said for the stadium, because let's face it, while this thing was put on the fast track, there are still some less-than-certain aspects to this puppy.
And if it blows up in the coming year or three, the negative ripples on our community will be far more meaningful and impactful than a celebratory victory lap from the opposing side.
LIVin' with the good and the bad
It's the PR version of reaching a par-5 in two and three-putting for par.
Yeah, par is fine score, especially for me since the last time I played a round of golf, the LIV Tour was Stephen Tyler's daughter traveling abroad. But that par still feels a little bittersweet.
That's the news cycle for the LIV this morning as the reports of British Open champion Cameron Smith joining the rival tour of the PGA hit the numeric level. Smith reportedly is getting $100 million to eschew the traditional golf avenues and go to the new, Saudi-funded LIV series.
That's the perfect 5 wood to carry the water and reach the par-5 with your second.
The three-jack?
News that the lawsuits filed by Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones to get into this weekend's St. Jude's Classic - which is the first round of the FedEx playoffs - was denied.
This will not be the end of the legal back-and-forth between the LIV players, who want the guaranteed money and a shot at the monster Saudi purses and still be able to play in the bigger PGA events. But the judge's ruling that there was no "irreparable harm" to those players is a key part of the ruling, but moving forward, this language could be even more foreshadowing.
The judge clearly made it known that she felt the players knew the potential consequences about joining the LIV tour and that was part of the bargain.
From the Yahoo story, which ends with what could be a surprising number for a lot of us: "Judge Freeman seemed to take issue with the breadth of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan's power to suspend and otherwise control the destiny of players on the Tour. On the other hand, she raised significant doubts about the level of antitrust violation at work here, given how successful LIV has been in attracting and retaining some of the biggest names in the sport. Five of the 10 most popular players on Tour, according to the Tour's own metrics, have now joined forces with LIV."
And in terms of burying the lead, near the end of that Yahoo story comes some real new details about the payment hierarchy and structure.
According to the attorney for the players, at least a few of the LIV players who received guaranteed millions will have their tournament winnings deducted from that total. To that end, if Player X got $25 million up front, that's not an appearance fee as much as it would be viewed as an advance and Player X would not cash any new checks until his price winnings reached that $25 million.
That makes the attraction for a Mickelson or a Sergio - dudes who cashed much bigger checks than their clubs could ever generate in this day and at their age - but makes you wonder about some of the others, depending on the amounts of the upfront money.
So there you go. And not all pars are created the same my friends.
This and that
- Serena Williams announced she is hanging 'em up. The more I've thought about it, she's the GOAT. Heck, she may be the GOAT female athlete of all-time, all things considered.
- Man if the Braves could play the Red Sox a couple of dozen times between now and Labor Day, they could reel in the Mets. Side note: Austin Riley, you are good at this baseball thing. Also of note, while Riley is going to finish top-three in the NL MVP race - and deservedly so - the Braves are so, So, SO much better when Ronald Acuña is engaged at the plate. Riley may be the league MVP, but Ronald is the key to the Atlanta offense, if that makes sense.
- And for the best story of Tuesday - sports and everything else? How about this little tale of a little leaguer consoling the opposing pitcher after the pitcher unloaded an errant fastball that hit the batter in the head. That's emotionally charging the mound. Shut up Alejandro. I'm not crying; you're crying.
- Speaking of the LIV, it looks like Marc Leishman is headed in that direction too. Man, the President's Cup later this summer is going to feel like the Black Creek Member-Guest.
- In the NFL, stories of players missing camp workouts for one reason or another are quite common. Well, not like this. Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson, who had more than 100 catches for more than 1,000 yards last year, is being sued for missing camp. Not by the Steelers. By the organizers of who had to refund the money for the kids who signed up for the "Diontae Johnson Football Camp" in May that did not include Diontae Johnson.
Today's questions
Which way Wednesday starts this way (again):
Which golfer will be the next to try to LIV that lo vida dinero?
Which above college football prediction is the best? Which is the worst?
Which is the most likely outcome for the Southside Stadium, home run, ground-rule double, strikeout looking?
Which would be the best Chattanooga-centric name for said stadium?
If the Angels called and said we will send Shohei Ohtani to the Braves for Austin Riley or Ronald Acuña - and considering the savings - which would Alex Anthopoulos choose?
Answer some which ways, leave some which ways.
As for today, Aug. 8, let's review.
Jack Haley, who played the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz," would have been 124 today.
Leo Fender, an all-time guitar designer, would have been 113 today.
Rushmore of specific guitars, like Chuck Berry's famous one that he called Lucille. Go.