Sunday, August 31, 2008

Glass Half Full - Five Reasons to Feel Good About the UCLA Game

1) Eric Berry - It is nice to have the best player on the field and his name is Eric Berry. I'm going to be disappointed with anything less than 10 picks and 3 touchdowns out of the sophomore. The Vols secondary ought to be good enough to allow John Chavis to blitz all year and leave his backfield in man coverage.

2) Arian Foster - Foster tested the professional waters after last season, but decided that the Tennessee River was just fine for another year. The word out of Knoxville is that he is working hard and being a leader in the locker room. He'll probably become the all-time rushing leader at Tennessee, which is odd to me since I wouldn't list him in my top 10 of all-time Vols backs (off the top of my head - Travis Henry, Jamal Lewis, Travis Stephens, Chuck Webb, Reggie Cobb, Jay Graham, Charlie Garner...okay, he is Top 10).

Foster is going to have a huge game running behind the Vols offensive line, which brings us to #3

3) UCLA's Offensive Line - UCLA has never been a physical football team in the past, but they are inexperienced and really inexperienced. Chavis will send his boys from all angles and repeatedly hit...

4) UCLA QB Kevin Craft - the community college transfer does not scare me. Ben Olson, yes. Kevin Craft? The guy threw three interceptions in a UCLA scrimmage game. What is going to do in the Rose Bowl with blitzing Vols and a defensive backfield of Eric Berry, Demetrice Morley and Dennis Rogan?


5) Phil Fulmer - call me crazy, but I think Phil still senses the Vols vultures hovering above him even after last season. The Vols have the potential to be a really, really good team this year and Fulmer knows it. To win the SEC East this year over Georgia and Florida would be feather in his cap and to win the entire SEC and go BCS bowling again would silence his critics for some time. With the addition of Dave Clawson, I think Fulmer is going to be energized and eager to put the Vols back into the national spotlight once again. It starts Monday night.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Glass Half Empty - 5 Reasons to Worry About the UCLA Game

1) Jonathan Crompton - he was a big recruit, has tons of talent and showed great promise as a freshmen. So why worry?

Here is why: he stunk last year, is inexperienced and had to learn a brand new offense this off-season. Worried, now?

The Vols will go where Crompton takes them. I'm not sold that Arian Foster can carry the Vols on his back and I'm not sold that the Tennessee receivers are good enough to make plays on their own without great quarterback play. There is no doubt that Crompton will have weapons around him, but not the type of weapons that can mask his poor play.

If we see the Jonathan Crompton we saw against LSU two years ago, we'll be alright. If we see the Crompton that looked baffled and confused whenever he took snaps last year, we are in for a long season and a long night in the Rose Bowl.

2) Rick Neuheisel - the guy might be an idiot when it comes to common sense on the job, but he can coach. The Bruins will be fired up to impress their new coach, to usher in a new era in UCLA football and to pull off a major opening season upset.

Would I rather Karl Dorrell still be the head coach at UCLA? Yes, yes and yes. Neuheisel is an upgrade who might have a few tricks up his sleeve for Fulmer and the Boys.

3) Norm Chow - yes, that Norm Chow. The architect of the USC Trojans' National Championship offense. The architect of the Tennessee Titans...well, that wasn't his finest work.

Chow is a college guy and he'll be ready to exploit weaknesses in Tennessee's defense. He might not have the tools right now to do it, but once again the Bruins are better in the coaching department than they were six months ago.

4) Dave Clawson - the great unknown. Remember that great feeling two years ago when David Cutcliffe's offense crushed the Cal Bears in the season opener? We were finally out of the Randy Sanders Era and back to playing good offensive football.

We might have that feeling once again...or we might now. Dave Clawson brings plenty of success to Knoxville, but that success was at Villanova and Richmond. Those are not UCLA caliber teams. Is Clawson over his head? Does Clawson have the offense ready for his new system? It could be great, but it could also be awful.

5) Depth - the story of the scrimmage schedule has been dissatisfaction with the second and third units. Fulmer called them out, saying they were not ready to compete in the SEC. That would be fine if this was spring practice, but we are just days from the season opener.

If Tennessee is crossing its fingers for no injuries to expose its lousy bench, the Vols are in trouble. There will be guys hurt on Monday night and there will be a need for guys to come off the bench ready to play. Let's hope they are more ready than we have been led to believe.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Kotsay to the Red Sox


http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ge-kotsay082508&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

J.D. Drew's current trip to the DL apparently prompted this. I really liked Kotsay as a Brave-- I'm excited.

Monday, August 25, 2008

U.S. Open Starts Today!




I don’t have a whole lot of time to do a comprehensive preview of the world’s premier hard court tennis tournament, so I thought I’d just jot down a few thoughts:

1. Who the hell made up this draw? I’m most annoyed by the fact that Donald Young (pictured) has to play James Blake tonight in the first round. That’s right, by tomorrow the number of African-American men in the draw will be cut in half. Even though I’ve been critical of the state of American Tennis, the lefty Donald Young is a true bright spot. He’s a charismatic 19-year old African-American, currently ranked 99th in the world.

2. Is this the beginning of a new era? Not only does the current defending four-time champion, Roger Federer, come in as an underdog, but he enters a grand slam tournament as something other than the number one seed for the first time since . . . since . . . I don’t know when. Hey Rafa, good luck being the hunted. Which leads me to:

3. Can Nadal win his third straight Grand Slam of the year? Yes. Will he? I’m not so sure. While Rafael has already proven he can win on hard courts, he’s yet to get past the quarters in New York. He is also on a collision course to meet Andy Murray in the semi-finals. Murray is currently ranked #6, but since his coming out party at Wimbledon this year, he’s been playing some amazing tennis. He’s also my pick to win the whole thing. You read it here first!

4. Who is going to win on the Women’s side? Due to Justine Henin’s early retirement, the women head into this tournament without a clear favorite. In fact, there are six women who have a shot at becoming number one in the world with a win here at Flushing Meadows. Even though Sharapova is out with an injury (you’ll still see plenty of her during the commercial breaks), I’m still making a bold prediction that this year’s winner will be Russian—the Russian women swept the medals in Beijing. My pick: look for Dinara Safina (Marat Safin’s younger sister) to win the first of many slams to come.

The Beijing Olympics - Peas From the Same Pod

I'm not the biggest Olympic guy in the world, but the 2008 Games hooked me in at the opening ceremony and held me all the way through the Redeem Team's gold medal victory. In a year of great sports moments, these games had more than their share.

Michael Phelps dominated the games with his eight golds...until Usain Bolt lightninged his way to three world records. The basketball gold medal game was an instant classic, but the best American basketball team was probably the women's team that barely broke a sweat in Beijing. The American track team was a miserable disappointment, but the water polo guys came out of nowhere to grab a silver medal.

Even China, with its repressive government, mistreatment of the Tibetans, aid to the Sudanese government, censorship of the media and the rest, came across as a likable place. Going into the games I had serious reservations about the games highlighting today's China. I still do. But I've got to be honest: I enjoyed the heck out of the Chinese atmosphere and culture. With the exception of one nut, the games seemed to be safe for athletes and fans alike. China's government might be ugly, but it came through in regards to these Olympics.

The Olympics and China are peas from the same pod: they are as wonderful and beautiful as they are terrible and tragic. For every Michael Phelps there is a tae kwon do idiot kicking a referee, a racer tossed for juicing or wrestler throwing down his medal. For the beauty of the opening ceremony there are stories about inhumane treatment of the performers in preparation. It will be the same in four years when the game visiting London and the same four years after that as well.

The older I get, the more I realize that politics is sports and sports is politics. The only difference is that sports have more equipment. The good and the bad that comes along with both was displayed to the world for the last two weeks in China.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Gearing Up - SEC Talk

Slowly, but surely, I'm gearing up for the football season. My loyal readers know how obnoxious I find the current "all football, all the time" lunacy, but I do love me some pigskin and am starting to gear up for the season.

I thought I'd get some football conversation going with an SEC preview that requires very little actual research from yours truly. Like I said, I'm not quite all the way in just yet, but getting there.

SEC Champion - Tennessee.

What?!? That's right - I'm picking the Vols to win the league this year. No, it is not because I'm a lifelong fan. No, it is not because I'm a graduate. No, it is not because I currently live in the Volunteer State. This is an unbiased, objective prediction.

Okay, not really. The Vols, however, are in prime sleeper position. All the talk is Georgia and Florida right now. You don't think that burns in the belly of the defending SEC East Champions? The Vols stomped Georgia last year in a non-competitive game. Tennessee hosts both Florida and Alabama this year, so revenge looks plausible against both. The Auburn game is a tricky one as Tuberville is usually tough in the big game, but if Tennessee beats both Florida and Georgia, it can lose the Auburn game and still be fine.

Fulmer is a better coach in the underdog role than the favorite. Much will depend on the transition to Dave Clawson's offense, but I'm expecting a better defense despite the loss of Jarod Mayo. The secondary is loaded, the linebackers look good and the D-Line could be much better if Bolden and Ayers step up as seniors.

Long story short - I'm feeling good about the Vols.

Last in the SEC - South Carolina.

I think this is it for Spurrier and the Gamecocks. Spurrier hasn't gotten anything going there as recruiting to USC is nearly impossible in this area of the country. The Fun and Gun has been pretty joyless since Spurrier left Gainesville, so I wonder if the passion is gone. Regardless, I think Spurrier is gone after this year.

Bold Prediction - Vanderbilt goes to a bowl.

They are due, right?

Fired/Quit - Steve Spurrier & Sylvester Croom.

Spurrier I covered, but I see Mississippi State having another mediocre year and the Starkville faithful finally saying enough is enough about Croom's tenure. You can win at Mississippi State which Croom has not done very often. He's gone.

Best Helmet - Arkansas

There is no reason for this category, but I like it. And I like Arkansas's helmet. The razorback on it is clearly too small, but that is its charm. The details in the animal set it apart.

Worst Helmets - Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and South Carolina

Pick one, you say. Here is the connection - they all once had better looking versions. Kentucky's K looked much stronger than the current UK design. Vanderbilt's black look was cool and accurately described the state of the program. Mississippi State and South Carolina have similar looking helmets which are both inferior to their previous red varieties.

Change is not always progress.

Best uniforms - Ole Miss

When the Rebels are wearing their blue tops and silver pants, it is a sharp look. If only their offense looked so smooth.

Worst Uniforms - LSU

If Tennessee consistently wore the orange on orange combo, it would be the Vols. LSU's problem is that despite a decent color combo, their uniforms always look like a mess. The helmet is too busy and the white tops on yellow pants is too plain. And I hate Les Miles, so there.

Player of the Year - Percy Harvin

Now that the world is dedicated to stopping Tim Tebow, get ready for Percy Harvin (if he stays healthy) to run wild.

Most Over-rated Player - Matthew Stafford

He might have an NFL arm, but he makes junior high decisions with the ball. I don't trust him and haven't been impressed by him. Word is that he is gone after this year. My guess is that he costs the Dawgs a couple of games and decides to leave before his stock drops even more.

Most Dumbest Player - Ryan Perrilloux

From a National Championship to Jacksonville State. Nice going, idiot.

Most Interesting Game - Florida vs. Georgia

The end zone dance ought to have the Gators motivated and added some bad blood to a fairly stale rivalry. This could be for the SEC East and the National Championship. A close second is Ole Miss vs. Arkansas as Houston Nutt tries to best his old team.

Least Interesting Game - Ole Miss vs. Samford

There are some embarrassing games on various team's schedules, but the Rebels vs. Bulldogs ought to be a real stinker. Auburn vs. Tennessee-Martin, Florida vs. The Citadel, Kentucky vs. Norfolk State and Georgia vs. Georgia Southern are all embarrassing match-ups for SEC schools.

Upset Pick - Kentucky over Georgia

The Kats catch Georgia in a brutal stretch of road games (at LSU, at Florida, at Kentucky, at Auburn), so I smell a trap.

Over/Under on SEC football posts over the next four months - 100

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

The Olympics

Yesterday I started working at an elite private school with lots of boys and lots of money. Our athletes have tremendous advantages over most rivals in terms of coaching, equipment, facilities and funding. It is hardly a level playing field when we compete against local schools as they are more than happy to remind us.

It is just like America at the Olympics.

Right now, we are winning in the overall medal count over China, Australia and a few other podunk nations. It is a source of national pride with me and I imagine most of you whenever I see it or one of our athletes winning a medal.

In reality, however, it is hardly a value of our collective worth. We ought to be winning lots of medals. We are the big private school with lots of athletes and money. In 2008, who can compete with us other than China? Nobody. We are a huge country with lots of people and infinite resources. What is surprising is not the American dominance of the Games, but why we can't dominate each and every sport. Why can't we figure out how to win at luge and table tennis?

I don't mean to be a sourpuss about the Olympics, but there is something fairly hollow about the swelling of national pride we get when America does well.

Other random Olympic thoughts:

* Is there a more bankrupt sport in the world than gymnastics? We are watching underage kids win medals for landing on their knees. What about the tie-breaker that cost an American girl the gold medal? Gymnastics isn't even a sport, is it? It is a performance. What is the difference between the tango and a floor exercise? And aren't we all a little embarrassed that jumping on a trampoline can earn you an Olympic medal?

Here is my criteria for whether something is a sport or a performance: if the winner is determined solely by judges, it is a performance and not a sport. Gymnastics, diving, figure skating - performances. Some sports can come down to a judge's decision - like boxing for example - after the participants had the opportunity to win outright. That is a sport. If the only way to win is to receive scores from Simon, Paula and Randy, it ain't a sport in my book.

* I love the Redeem Team. If they don't win the gold, it won't be because a bunch of over-hyped, spoiled NBA players lost to a hungrier nation. These guys are getting after it on the defensive end to make up for their suspect shooting and lack of post-up game (which is basically non-existent in the Olympics because of the international lane). LeBron is the second best athlete in Beijing behind Mr. Phelps and Dwyane Wade is back to his 2006 form. Did you see his alley-oop to Kobe the other night? I love these guys.

* Why haven't I heard more discussion about Aaron Piersol giving Mark Spitz the bird after Phelps' 8th gold? Are we pretending he was really cleaning out his eye?

* Speaking of swimming, shouldn't they cap how many different events are held? I can think of a million different swimming scenarios involving different strokes, relays and distances, but that doesn't mean they ought to have that many. Phelps is great and all, but most athletes have no chance at eight medals because there are not eight varieties of their respective sport. All the variety seems a bit much to me as the quantity of races devalues a swimming medal.

* I have a issue with the bronze medal. 3rd place? When do we ever celebrate 3rd place? Some of these sports are only played by about three people in the hole world. I don't blame that wrestler for tossing his bronze - 3rd place is nothing to stand on a podium about. I guess the Greeks were more generous with their adulation than us Americans.

* Last rant: How are countries allowed to use athletes who are not actually from their respective countries? Chris Kaman played for Germany's basketball team - he isn't German. I watched a table tennis match between four Chinese women, only two of them were from "Singapore." Would we put up with recruiting another countries athletes to play for us? What if Rafael Nadal decided to play tennis for America? That isn't the same as Agassi or Sampras winning it, is it? I can't believe the IOC lets this happen. Is recruitment a part of the "Olympic Spirit" I missed?

Sunday, August 17, 2008

AP Pre-Season College Football Poll

1. Georgia (22) 0-0 1,528
2. Ohio State (21) 0-0 1,506
3. USC (12) 0-0 1,490
4. Oklahoma (4) 0-0 1,444
5. Florida (6) 0-0 1,415
6. Missouri 0-0 1,266
7. LSU 0-0 1,135
8. West Virginia 0-0 1,116
9. Clemson 0-0 1,105
10. Auburn 0-0 968
11. Texas 0-0 966
12. Texas Tech 0-0 786
13. Wisconsin 0-0 771
14. Kansas 0-0 707
15. Arizona State 0-0 631
16. Brigham Young 0-0 590
17. Virginia Tech 0-0 578
18. Tennessee 0-0 509
19. South Florida 0-0 496
20. Illinois 0-0 483
21. Oregon 0-0 366
22. Penn State 0-0 293
23. Wake Forest 0-0 227
24. Alabama 0-0 89
25. Pittsburgh 0-0 85
Others Receiving Votes
South Carolina 84, Fresno State 83, California 59, Utah 53, Cincinnati 44, Florida State 41, Michigan 36, Boston College 32, Rutgers 32, Michigan State 21, Boise State 17, Arkansas 14, North Carolina 14, Connecticut 10, Tulsa 7, UCLA 6, Oregon State 5, Mississippi State 4, Virginia 4, Arizona 3, Nebraska 2, Notre Dame 2, Hawaii 1, Washington 1.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

High School Jamboree Report

I arrived at the end of Boyd-Buchanan's 7-0 victory over Baylor (who is quite a bit down this year from what I hear) and left before Ooltewah's 7-0 win over Rhea County. In-between, however, was some good football from Finley Stadium.

* East Ridge beat Soddy-Daisy 3-0 in an ugly exhibition. Soddy's passing offense rarely connected, eventually resulting in a tipped pass interception that set up the game-winning field goal. East Ridge's offensive line avoided contact throughout the evening which cannot be said for the quarterback and tailback behind them.

* McCallie looked extremely impressive in its 14-0 domination of Brainerd. The Blue Tornado picked about the Panthers on the ground and forced a fumble on defense. It looks like Keenon Rush has settled in as McCallie's quarterback, though his ability on the ground exceeds his passing prowess. The key for McCallie, however, might be Joey Skogen who is eligible after transferring from Tennessee Temple last year. He had a touchdown and a big run to set up another one. Brainerd looked sloppy and overwhelmed.

* Walker Valley thoroughly dominated Notre Dame. The Irish look great in their green and gold unis, but they also look small and slow. Walker Valley racked up 20 points in 20 minutes against the Irish. The Mustangs were playing at a completely different speed in this one.

* It is fun to watch the guys on the sidelines during a high school game. They never quite know how to act. When something good happens for their team - a quarterback sack for example - only about three or four will celebrate. The rest are either a) bitter about being on the sideline b) not watching the game at all or c) so terrified about actually being in the game that they are frozen in their fear.

* I'm also amused by how oblivious guys are to what they do on defense. A cornerback will dive onto a falling runner and jump up like he just de-cleated somebody. Buddy, you didn't hit him hard and didn't even make the tackle. Bring it down a little.

* Abby will not wear what I saw high school girls wearing to the jamboree last night. Even on her honeymoon.

* Remember when you never saw passing in high school football? Not anymore - everyone wants to spread it out and run some variation of the spread option. I guess it is more exciting than the old wishbone offense that dominated high school ball back in my day, but some of the quarterbacks last night lack the skills to throw the ball more than occasionally.

* Finley Stadium really is a nice place to watch a game. There was plenty of parking and plenty of seats with backs. I'm looking forward to the October 3rd McCallie/Baylor game there.

The high school football season starts for real next Friday. The football, the rivalries, the cheerleaders, the fight songs, the drunk high school kids who think you can't tell - can't wait.

Friday, August 15, 2008

College Football Viewing Schedule

For the past 20+ years of my life, Saturday afternoons in the fall have meant one thing - college football. I woke up to Gameday, ate lunch with the early morning games, got fired up for the 3:30 SEC contests, got my second wind for the prime time offerings and sometimes even stayed up for some West Coast football before bed.

Then I had two kids.

Last football season was the first hint towards my future. It was a little tougher to commit to 15 straight hours of college football with Abby running around. She needed attention. She needed food. She needed fresh diapers.

I know what you are thinking - what about your wife? Where is she? Good questions. She thinks that when I'm home, she is off-duty. It is truly disgraceful.

Okay, that is not true at all. I'm just not a big enough schmuck to sit on the couch and ask her to raise the young'ens all by herself.

I am, however, enough of a schmuck to ask her to do it for one game a day. So I'm looking ahead at the college football season for the one game I cannot miss. It may seem like a nightmare scenario for those readers without infants, but it is my reality.

One game a Saturday? I'll take what I can get.

I already have a process in place for this venture that I think will create the greatest football satisfaction possible. The first thing we must do is look for Tennessee's big games and commit to those. Then we go to big SEC games because a) it is the best football and b) those games matter the most to me. After that, we'll look for big match-ups and traditional rivalries to round out the year.

Looking at my calendar, there are about 15 college football Saturdays coming up. Not much to choose from, huh? This is going to tough, but we'll get through it together (and for the record, I'm doing this process as I write, so you really are on board for the entire experiment. I hope that adds something to posting, but it probably just means more spelling and grammar errers.).

The calendar looks like this:

August 30 -
Sept. 6 -
Sept. 13 -
Sept. 20 -
Sept. 27 -
Oct. 4 -
Oct. 11 -
Oct. 18 -
Oct. 25 -
Nov. 1 -
Nov. 8 -
Nov. 15 -
Nov. 22 -
Nov. 29 -
Dec. 6 -

Let's start with the Vols. Luckily, the UCLA game is on a Monday night so that opens up the first weekend. I'm planning on going to the UAB and Northern Illinois games, so that takes away two weekends that I might have skipped out on watching the Big Orange. Obviously, the Florida, Georgia and Alabama games are musts each year and this year we go to Auburn so chalk that one up too. I'm not going to initially commit to South Carolina, Vandy or Kentucky until I get a sense for how good each will be (this calendar is subject to change).

As a reasonably optimistic Vols fan, I'm going to block the SEC Championship game as well. I don't really believe it just yet, but if Gators keeps getting hurt and Bulldogs keep going to jail, we might have a shot.

So let's update the calendar as such:

August 30 -
Sept. 6 -
Sept. 13 - UAB at Tennessee
Sept. 20 - Florida at Tennessee
Sept. 27 - Tennessee at Auburn
Oct. 4 - Northern Illinois at Tennessee
Oct. 11 - Tennessee at Georgia
Oct. 18 -
Oct. 25 - Alabama at Tennessee
Nov. 1 -
Nov. 8 -
Nov. 15 -
Nov. 22 -
Nov. 29 -
Dec. 6 - SEC Championship

Now to the SEC. The Florida/Georgia game is a must, but so is Florida/LSU (same day as UT/UGA). Maybe we can get a baby-sitter on the 11th. The Gators also host Miami which probably won't be much of a game, but the slate is pretty thin that day.

LSU/Alabama looks great on paper, so I'll commit to that one as well as two more Bama games - the Iron Bowl and the opening game against Clemson. Georgia/Auburn looks like a winner too, so we'll add that one. I'm curious about the Arkansas/Ole Miss game (Houston Nutt vs. his old team), but not enough to actually commit to it.

Calendar update:

August 30 - Alabama at Clemson
Sept. 6 - Miami at Florida
Sept. 13 - UAB at Tennessee
Sept. 20 - Florida at Tennessee
Sept. 27 - Tennessee at Auburn
Oct. 4 - Northern Illinois at Tennessee
Oct. 11 - Tennessee at Georgia
Oct. 18 -
Oct. 25 - Alabama at Tennessee
Nov. 1 - Florida vs. Georgia
Nov. 8 - Alabama at LSU
Nov. 15 - Georgia at Auburn
Nov. 22 -
Nov. 29 - Auburn at Alabama
Dec. 6 - SEC Championship

Let's fill in the holes. Ohio State/Michigan is always fun and fits on Nov. 22nd (though I'm bummed about missing Ohio State/USC on the 13th as my calendar currently stands). That leaves us with one open date - October 18th - which is the Red River Shootout. That, my friends, fills in the calendar:

August 30 - Alabama at Clemson
Sept. 6 - Miami at Florida
Sept. 13 - UAB at Tennessee
Sept. 20 - Florida at Tennessee
Sept. 27 - Tennessee at Auburn
Oct. 4 - Northern Illinois at Tennessee
Oct. 11 - Tennessee at Georgia
Oct. 18 - Oklahoma vs. Texas
Oct. 25 - Alabama at Tennessee
Nov. 1 - Florida vs. Georgia
Nov. 8 - Alabama at LSU
Nov. 15 - Georgia at Auburn
Nov. 22 - Michigan at Ohio State
Nov. 29 - Auburn at Alabama
Dec. 6 - SEC Championship

Luckily, it looks like the Thursday offerings are much improved this year. I've already spotted Auburn/West Virginia, Clemson/Wake Forest, West Virginia/Colorado and Texas/Texas A&M for my Thursday night viewing as well as Kansas/South Florida and Memphis/Louisville on Friday nights.

At this point, I'll take what I can get. And I'm starting to want it to get here more and more.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Top 10 Future Olympic Events I'd Like to See

1) Golf - seriously.

2) Supermarket Sweep - even seriouser.

3) Poker - this might actually be really fun to watch, but probably an idea three years too late.

4) Chess Boxing - I'm fascinated.

5) MMA Cage Fighting - that MMA is so hot right now.

6) Football - because there is no such thing as too much football.

7) Australian Rules Football - because I used to love it on ESPN as a kid.

8) Canadian Rules Football - because Doug Flutie is American.

9) Dancing With the Stars - two words: Kristi Yamaguchi.

10) Guitar Hero - rock music + video games = American gold

Others receiving consideration: Cricket (looks like it might be cool), Family Feud (always entertaining), Craps (I'd like to learn the rules), Wiffle Ball (the Cubans would probably dominate), Bass Fishing (USA! USA! USA!) and any other variety of women's beach volleyball (4 on 4, 6 on 6, 1 on 1 - any combo is welcome).

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Goodbye, Skip Caray

I have more wonderful memories of watching the 1980s Atlanta Braves than most people. Maybe it took being an 8-year old to enjoy the Chuck Tanner Experience...I don't know. I fondly remember Picture Day when my brother and I got our pictures taken with Dale Murphy, Glen Hubbard and Chief Knockahoma (I also remember insulting reliever Jim Acker when I told my dad I didn't want a picture with him because "he's horrible."). I learned about heckling during the last innings of another Braves blowout loss from a group of rowdy rednecks.

One of my favorite memories involves Skip Caray. For some reason, I really hated Harry Caray when I was a kid. I thought the Cubs were Atlanta's rival because they were both on television all the time. I hated Ryne Sandberg. I hated Jody Davis. And I hated Harry Caray.

I also had no idea that Harry was Skip's dad. I knew they had the same last name, but I thought it just added to my imaginary Cubs/Braves feud. So when I found out that we were going to Atlanta to see the Braves play the Cubs, I was really fired up. To me, this was Ali/Frazier or Tom/Jerry. This was Cubs/Braves.

In my excitement about the game, I came up with an idea that I pitched to Mom and Dad. Now, keep in mind, I'm a 2nd or 3rd grader at this point. My idea was a sign to hold up between innings that read:

"Hey, Harry, our Caray can "Skip" all over your cow."

Brilliant, no? I remember my parents' reaction like it was yesterday. There was laughter alongside a knowing look of, "We've got something special right here." It was the beginning of a promising writing career that climaxed in the 8th grade with my classic homeless people essay (won me $50 and got a rousing ovation from the patrons at the Community Kitchen) and has sputtered out with occasional postings on an insignificant sports blog.

Back to my story...

I held up that sign every half inning for the entire game, but never made the Jumbotron or TBS. It was not for a lack of trying. The people in front of us turned to read the sign and laughed approvingly, but I guess the Powers That Be on the SuperStation couldn't handle calling out that WGN drunkard.

I think of that sign often when I see Skip Caray. It is a fun childhood memory centered around a major part of my adolescence: my love of the Atlanta Braves. Skip Caray was part of the team along with Pete Van Wieren and Ernie Johnson. They taught me much of what I know about baseball, though mostly in the context of "Don't do what the Braves just did."

Plenty of people think of Skip Caray as a "homer" who openly pulled for the Braves during the TBS broadcasts. Those people never listened to him when the Braves were bad. He was a different kind of homer then, the type who whose voice deflated when the bullpen coughed up another lead or grounded into another double-play. He wasn't so much a cheerleader as a punching bag who took gut shots every night the Braves played their pathetic brand of baseball.

That is why the Skip Caray of the 1990s was so excited and so over-the-top. His most famous call - the Sid Bream slide to beat the Pirates - was the release of years of pent up frustration towards the Braves.

There is something sadly fitting about Caray passing during the same season that the Braves no longer play on TBS. It wasn't right seeing Caray on something called Peachtree TV and you could feel his boredom in the radio both simmering through the speakers (or that might have been his annoyance with Mark Lemke's nasal voice. It would have been mine.). For me, Caray and TBS went side-by-side, just like Skip Caray is indelibly linked to my childhood.

Thanks for the memories, Skip.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Coaches Poll - UT Ranked #18

Thoughts?

1. Georgia (22);11-2;1,438;3

2. USC (14);11-2;1,430;2

3. Ohio State (14);11-2;1,392;4

4. Oklahoma (3);11-3;1,329;8

5. Florida (5);9-4;1,293;16

6. LSU (3);12-2;1,163;1

7. Missouri;12-2;1,143;5

8. West Virginia;11-2;1,008;6

9. Clemson;9-4;999;22

10. Texas;10-3;979;10

11. Auburn;9-4;888;t14

12. Wisconsin;9-4;747;21

13. Kansas;12-1;714;7

14. Texas Tech;9-4;644;23

15. Virginia Tech;11-3;568;9

16. Arizona State;10-3;560;13

17. Brigham Young;11-2;547;t14

18. Tennessee;10-4;506;12

19. Illinois;9-4;422;18

20. Oregon;9-4;399;24

21. South Florida;9-4;350;NR

22. Penn State;9-4;313;25

23. Wake Forest;9-4;203;NR

24. Michigan;9-4;112;19

25. Fresno State;9-4;91;NR

Others Receiving Votes: Alabama 83, South Carolina 64, Utah 60, Rutgers 53, Florida State 53, Boston College 47, California 41, Pittsburgh 34, Boise State 25, Oregon State 23, Nebraska 17, Cincinnati 13, Virginia 12, Connecticut 9, Michigan State 9, Mississippi State 6, Kentucky 5, Notre Dame 5, TCU 5, Maryland 4, Texas A&M 3, UCLA 3, North Carolina 3, Louisville 2, Georgia Tech 2, UCF 2, Tulsa 1, Oklahoma State 1, Arizona 1, Colorado 1.