Way Too Early Predictions: GT

Georgia Tech released their 2026 football schedule, and as usual it looks tough. The Jackets have lost several key players and coaches, and I'm not sure they'll be able to overcome them. Last year Tech had a QB who found a way to win the close games. Will they have such a player this fall? 

So like so many of the yahoos of social media making predictions, here are mine...

9.05 Colorado @ GT. Chaos continues in Boulder. Jackets will beat the Deions. 1-0.

9.12 Tennessee @ GT. Vols will be too much for Tech. 1-1.

9.19 Mercer @ GT. No way the Bears can win, but it will be closer than most predict. 2-1.  

9.26 GT @ Stanford. Jackets fly cross country and could be jetlagged, but perhaps Tech wins a close one. 3-1.

10.03 bye

10.10 Duke @ GT. Blue Devils having a rough off season, but will play Tech tough. I hope Tech finds a QB that can win these close games. Otherwise they're in for a long season. 4-1.

10.17 GT @ Virginia Tech. The luck runs out on the Jackets. 4-2.

10.24 Boston College @ GT. BC always plays tough on the road. They can beat anyone. Perhaps Tech can find a way to win. 5-2. 

10.31 GT @ Pitt. Lots of talk of becoming bowl eligble all week, which doesn't help. Panthers beat Tech again. 5-3.

11.07 Louisville @ GT. Cardinals usually play Tech tough. A must win for Tech, which usually results in an embarrassing loss. 5-4.  

11.14 GT @ Clemson. The Tigers think Tech has a hex on them. Not this year. 5-5.

11.21 GT vs Wake Forest. Jackets need a win, but are beat down from the long season. Hopefully they win a close one. 6-5. 

11.28 GT @ UGA. Jackets can play the Dawgs tough between the hedges. Not this year. 6-6. Jackets go to a bowl. 

12.05 ACC Championship Game in Charlotte 

Bowl game: Tech just can't seem to win a bowl game. 6-7. Could be worse. There's a decent chance they lose one of those close game, finish 5-7 or 4-8, and miss out on a bowl game. You heard it here first. 

Shouldn't have, but a got a great deal on a Myrtle Beach Pelicans cap. Did I post this already?

Found an old picture of when I had long hair, so I shared it with my coworkers.

Since my hair looked like Leo's, Daniel added a Leo moustache.

Then Daniel gave me a haircut.   

GIL McDOUGALD [SABR Bio] is the only native of San Francisco to become Rookie of the Year. He was born on 19-May-1928, San Francisco, California. Was the AL ROY in 1951. HOF Gilbert Ray ‘Gil’ Hodges and Gilbert James ‘Gil’ McDougald played in the same World Series 4 times - 27 games in all, in 1952, 1953, 1955, and 1956. McDougald was chosen by the newly formed Los Angeles Angels in MLB’s original expansion draft for the 1961 season, but chose to retire instead.

Denison: American high school seniors' scores on math and reading tests have fallen to their lowest levels on record. Dependence on AI tools erodes critical thinking skills, harms learning and creativity, and increases isolation and loneliness. Research shows that overuse of social media, video games, and other digital platforms impairs executive functioning skills, including memory, planning, and decision-making. Short-form videos have been conclusively linked to poorer mental health and cognition. Andrew Budson, a Boston University neurologist who specializes in memory disorders, explains our problem: we are using technology for the wrong purposes: "our brains evolved for social interactions. People who become socially isolated, their brains actually shrink, even if they don't have a disorder, and people who are socially isolated are at increased risk of developing dementia."

2025 NFL Regular Season QB Ratings

2025 regular season NFL QB rating (minimum 185 attempts). 

Rating YDs comp% TD INT

113.2 4394 72.0 31 08 Drake Maye Patriots AFC

109.2 4707 65.0 46 08 Matthew Stafford Rams

105.5 4564 68.0 34 08 Jared Goff, Lions 

103.8 2549 63.6 21 07 Lamar Jackson, Ravens AFC

102.2 3668 69.4 25 10 Josh Allen, Bills AFC

101.2 3381 66.3 23 06 Jordan Love, Packers

100.7 1809 66.8 17 05 Joe Burrow, Bengals AFC

100.5 2167 69.4 20 10 Brock Purdy, 49ers

100.2 3101 68.0 19 08 Daniel Jones, Colts AFC

99.5 4552 67.3 30 10 Dak Prescott, Cowboys

99.1 4048 67.7 25 14 Sam Darnold, Seahawks 

98.5 3224 64.8 25 06 Jalen Hurts, Eagles

97.4 2151 69.6 13 06 Mac Jones 49ers

94.8 3322 65.7 24 07 Aaron Rodgers Steelers AFC

94.1 3727 94.1 26 13 Justin Hebert Chargers AFC

94.1 3366 65.0 23 08 Jacoby Brissett Cardinals

92.9 3041 64.5 19 08 CJ Stroud Texans AFC

91.7 2272 63.7 15 05 Jaxson Dart Giants rookie

91.3 2384 67.6 10 06 Tyler Slough Saints rookie

91.0 4007 60.9 29 12 Trevor Lawrence Jaguars AFC

90.6 3693 63.2 26 11 Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers    

90.1 3942 58.1 27 07 Caleb Williams, Bears

89.6 3587 62.8 22 11 Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs AFC 

89.5 1259 62.8 07 01 Justin Fields, Jets

88.5 1982 60.1 09 03 Micheal Phenix, Falcons

88.4 2660 67.7 20 15 Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins AFC

88.1 1262 60.6 08 03 Jayden Daniels, Commanders

87.8 3931 63.4 25 11 Bo Nix, Broncos AFC

87.8 3011 63.6 23 11 Bryce Young, Panthers

86.5 1586 67.7 08 05 Spencer Rattler, Saints

86.1 1695 61.2 10 07 Marcus Mariota, Commanders

84.8 1721 61.7 10 05 Kirk Cousins, Falcons

84.7 3025 67.4 19 17 Geno Smith, Raiders AFC

80.8 0937 59.5 07 02 Dillon Gabriel Browns AFC rookie

80.2 3169 59.8 15 07 Cam Ward Titans AFC

79.2 2479 60.3 15 10 Joe Flacco Browns Bengals AFC

72.6 1632 57.6 11 12 JJ McCarthy Vikings

68.1 1400 56.6 07 10 Shedeur Sanders Browns AFC rookie

BABE RUTH [SABR Bio] batted 6th in the lineup in Game 4 of the 1918 WS vs. the Cubs. He was the starting pitcher. Ruth knocked in George Whiteman & George "Stuffy" McInnis with a triple off Cubs starter Lefty Tyler in the 4th inning. Only Barry Bonds led his league in bases-on-balls more times than Ruth. Bonds broke Ruth's record, having led the NL 12 times. Ruth is still the AL king, leading the league ten times. 

Best Burgers OTP

Just read yet another Atlanta's Best Burgers list, and as usual most are in some out of the way places you never heard of…Kirkwood, East Atlanta Village, etc. So I just decided to make up my own list: best burgers outside the perimeter. 

1. B&W Burger Bar, downtown Norcross 

2. Moxie Burger, Roswell Square 

3. Firebirds, Peachtree Corners

4. Stoney River, Roswell

5. Bad Daddy's Burgers, Sandy Plains Road

6. Medlock Tavern, Norcross 

7. Goldbergs Deli, The Battery Atlanta 

8. Grindhouse Killer Burgers, Athens

9. NFA Burger in Dunwoody.

10. Village Burger in Dunwoody

11. Fuddruckers, Anderson SC.

Spent all day cleaning out our bedroom, bathroom, closet, and storage areas. Construction starts tomorrow! Never knew I had so much. So much to go through. Found a treasure trove of game logs, etc that Reid had sent me over the years, that I had here at the house. I have another full file of his stuff that I had just brought home from my office.

Caleb stopped by around 1130 to pick up two big pieces of furniture that had been in our garage. Got a hutch I need to sell, and another chest that Ceil's brother needs to pick up, and we'll be on our way to getting our garage opened up. I have a feeling it will still take months.

This afternoon we met with the contractor who will be making the repairs upstairs. A big dumpster is being delivered tomorrow morning. Ceil has her class at the gym tomorrow morning, so I'll have to stay here. Hopefully I can get back to the gym later tomorrow. I've had a good workout moving stuff around today.

Matthew also stopped by to visit this afternoon. 

Last night both Lang and Ceil cooked baked chicken. Tonight C fixed BBQ and slaw. 

In talking with the contractor, we may put my office upstairs in the back bedroom, overlooking the woods in the back. Plenty of light. 

Saturday morning temperatures will be in the low teens for BravesFest, with a high Saturday afternoon of 25 degrees.

 

JOE DiMAGGIO  [SABR Bio] earned more World Series rings as a player than anyone except Yogi Berra. DiMaggio was a 9-time winner with the  Yankees:  1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1950, & 1951. No player has batted in more runs during his first ten seasons. Joe amassed 1,277 RBI 1936-42, 1946-48, including highs of 167 in 1937 & 155 in 1948. Before Nomar Garciaparra in 1999-2000, Joe was the last right-handed batter to win consecutive American League batting titles. DiMaggio led the AL in 1939 (.381) & 1940 (.352). All other repeaters until Nomah were  lefties. Righties Miguel Cabrera & Jose Altuve have done it since then.

Responding to Muslim Arguments

Had this in my files for years. Good stuff. Case Study: The Deity of Christ. 

Ali's three statements:

1. the Bible has been changed

• how do you know the Bible has been changed?
• Dan Rice existing manuscripts argument

• double standard: there is no Islamic equivalent to New Testament textual criticism, to my understanding.  

2. Jesus is not God's Son

• what we believe about the Son of God is different than what you might think

• God did not have relations with Mary

• the Gospel of John, one of the most important books of the Bible was written for this very reason:

• John 20:30-31 "but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus in the Christ, the Son of God..." 

3. The Trinity is not even in the Bible

• It is true the word "trinity" is not found in the Bible
• what we believe about the trinity is not what you might think (has nothing to do with Mary)
• the concept is found throughout the Bible

• We are commanded to baptize "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19)
• Jesus himself is called God

• John 1:1 "the Word was with God and the Word was God"
• John 8:58--"before Abraham was, I AM." 
• John 20:20--Thomas "My Lord and my God!"
• Romans 9:5--"...is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever, Amen," 
• Colossians 1:15-20--"He is the image of the invisible God..." 
• Titus 2:13--"the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ"
• Rev 22:13--"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end" (see Rev 1:8) 

• our belief in the Trinity is at the very foundation of our salvation and the Christian faith

• The Father planned our salvation
• The Son purchased our salvation

• If Jesus is not the Son of God, he would not qualify to be punished for our sins.

• The Holy Spirit preserves our salvation

• if the Holy Spirit does not dwell within us, we would not remain a Christian!

 What WOULD you say? First, some reminders:

• remember you are speaking to someone who has been blinded by the Evil One (2 Cor 4:4)
• pray! Ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment
• be a good listener
• speak the truth in love
• invite him to start reading the Bible together

Second, some assumptions about where Ali is coming from:

• What he is saying to you is a core tenet of his religion

• God is one
• it is blasphemous to say that God would have a son

• Other beliefs Muslims hold:

• Jesus never died on the cross (the Jews thought he did)
• another person could never be punished for your sins
• the Bible has been changed
• man is born as a blank slate (not with an inherent sin nature)

 So what would I say? 

• Quick "drive-by" response:

• How do you know the Bible's been changed?  Have you ever read it?  Maybe you should. 

• Longer curb-side conversation response:

• How do you know the Bible's been changed?  Have you ever read it? 
• May I share with you a story?  

• Mark 2 story of Jesus healing the paralytic

• That is from the Bible.  Mark 2.  Would you be interested in getting together again to read the Bible.
• objective:  drive the conversation to helping the person encounter Christ through the Word

Typically, how do Muslims come to faith in Christ?  Research has show these are the most common ways:

1. Through experiencing the love of a believer (contrary to what they assume about Christians)
2. Encountering the love of Christ through the Scriptures
3. Through dreams and visions

Listening

Why ask a question if you're not going to listen to the answer? I have to remind myself to listen and ask questions, which can be difficult. My mind can be all over the place.

W&MC landed at 815 Thursday night. Took them awhile to go through customs, so I didn't get them picked up and back home until 930. Got back home at 1020, walked Winnie, and went to bed. Slept until 720. Nice.

Had my first sauna at the gym on Friday morning. Also lifted some weights and spent time on the treadmill. Back home C fixed oatmeal for breakfast.

A&C closed on their house Friday morning, and are in the process of moving. With all the packing, Goose is a little out of sorts. We went over see it this afternoon. One hundred years old. Very nice.

Both yesterday and this afternoon Ceil and I worked to declutter upstairs. Threw a bunch of stuff away, and loaded up my car with donations for Goodwill. Leftover chili for supper.

AARON JUDGE  [B-R Bio]  failed to get Most Valuable Player votes only three times in his first ten seasons. From 2016 through 2025, Judge received MVP votes following every season except 2016, 2019, & 2020. In college he played for the California State Fresno Bulldogs whose alumni count 12 additional players with at least 10 years in MLB. He got two first-place AL MVP votes in 2017. He got most of the 1st-place votes in 2022 (28 of 30) and in 2025 (17 of 30), then got all the 1^st-place votes in 2024, his unanimous AL MVP. Frank Robinson was the first player to be chosen unanimously for both ROY & MVP (1956, 1966). Judge as unanimous ROY in 2017 & MVP in 2024. Other members include Orlando Cepeda, Albert Pujols, and Mike Trout.

Grand Camp

Busy week taking care of the girls.

Last Friday: slept until almost 8. Dreamed about a snake. Did a tiny bit of organizing in my office. The Chiles treated us to lunch at Longhorn to celebrate. My fourth meal out in three days, and I actually finished first for the first time. The previous three meals I had finished last.

Then I cleaned all afternoon. A coworker called to check on me. W&MC arrived with the girls, then A&C and finally M. Thought Will was going to burn the house down while charbroiling the smash burgers. M had made the flakey crust for Ceil's apple pie. Tired, plus I've had a headache all day.

Saturday: after C and the girls went to bed a little after 9 on Firday night, I went back downstairs and turned off the lights and went to sleep on the sofa. A decent night's sleep. The girls slept until almost 8. W&MC's flight to Grenada departed at 945. I walked Winnie and Okie several times. 

Made it to Pope High early, and scored second row seats for Frozen the Musical. Decent crowd. The girls loved it. Afterward we waited in line so the girls could get their pictures taken with the performers.   

Sunday: having these girls to care for sure is a full time job. Got them to Sunday School on time, barely. Big crowds at JFBC. Had to park far away after dropping C and the girls off. Forty in Sunday School. C didn't want to keep the girls in the extended session, so we didn't make it to the service. Leftovers for lunch. 

I drove up to the Hot Stove meeting in Cumming. Tried to get David Hurt to join me, but he had grandkid duty. Stopped by two thrift stores on the way home. Passed on a $13 pair of yellow Pumas and a $7 pair of slip on Nikes. Bought Matthew a $2 Thrashers cap and a cheap pair of Oofos recovery slip ons for me. C baked a lasagna for supper.

Monday: lunch with the guys at Cava. Filled up with gas. Got home and C and the girls were taking naps, so I rested as well. The girls slept until 530. They needed it. I got a little work done in my office. So many leftovers to eat at the house. After feeding the girls we packed up the cars and drove down to spend the night at W&MC's. C drove the girls. I drove the dogs. Okie rode shotgun.

Didn't know how much of the Indiana vs Miami game that I'd be able to watch, but we had the game on the entire way. A good game. Miami didn't give up, but the Hoosiers were too much. Carson Beck always seems to do the wrong thing. Even if the late interception wasn't his fault, he didn't need to walk off the field without congratulating Mendoza. Beck has played lots of football, and should know better.

Monday night: sleeping at W&MCs. All night long I was hearing train after train, and several loud cars passing by. Winnie was happy to sleep in the bed with us. Okie was just happy to be home. I'd been sleeping on the couch, to keep the dogs from barking. Been trying to get to bed on the early side. My watch says I'm getting a good night's sleep, but I'm not so sure. The girls woke up at 720 on Monday morning, so I did as well.

Tuesday: got the girls off to school without too much fanfare. We both drove back to East Cobb. Man I caught every redlight and construction zone. Stopped by two thrift stores and left my wallet and phone in the restroom. Didn't realize it until I got home. Had to retrace my steps. While I was out I had to run errands for Ceil.

I was able to knock one thing off my list on Tuesday. Drove back to W&MCs during rush hour. Got the girls to bed somewhat early. Watched episode 3 of Best Medicine. 

Wednesday: got the girls off to school. There's a constant water leak in the street in front of W&MC's house, so this morning there was a patch of ice all across the width of the street. I warmed up the cars. 

Around 11 am I drove back downtown to play golf at Candler Park. Timed it pretty good. A single was just teeing off, so I was able to tee off as he was putting out on the par 4 first hole. 12:45 pm, 48 degrees.

1. Two decent drives. Hit a good fairway shot. Several poor pitches, none onto the green. 

2. My first 7 iron off the tee was pretty straight. Decent length. My chips weren't great. Okay lag putts. 

3. Hit a low worm burner off the tee. It rolled and rolled, all the way down the hill. Kept rolling way down to the right fringe. Not pretty but it was the best result on this hole in months. Hit a mulligan and it felt good, but I'm not sure where it went. Hit a lag putt to one inch. Tapped in for a par.

4. Hit my tee shot well, but it didn't have much distance. Chipped four balls, but only two were good. Sank a 10 footer for "par".

5. Hit a good tee shot to the front fringe. Mulligan sailed right. Two of my chips were good. Struck three 10 foot putts, the third one dropped.

6. Didn't see where either drive went, but found my first ball. Hit four 5-iron shots, only one was good. But all three of my chips found the green. 

7. Neither drive was great, but I found both balls. Hit two 4-irons, the first better than the second. Neither approach shot was good, but then I was able to chip onto the green. My second lag putt was good.

8. Hit a great drive, that rolled down the hill. Perhaps my best drive ever on this hole. Made two good chips out of four. Couldn't get a putt to fall.

9. Hit a good mulligan. All four chips failed to reach the green. Putted it around one last time. 

Finished at 2:15 and battled traffic back home. Ate an early supper, then me and Winnie battled traffic again down to W&MC's. Picked up Chipotle for Ceil's supper. 

Spent the last night at W&MC's on Wednesday night. Got the girls off to school, then drove back home to East Cobb. Winnie tracked mud all over white seats in my car. 

Wednesday night I had a dream that I was at a crowded focus group with coworker Jessica. Next to us was a taste test focus group sampling cake. Jessica loves sweets, so she was doing everything possible to get some of the cake. 

Thursday: spent an hour at the gym. Need to make this a daily thing. Then to Kroger - a big crowd getting ready for the ice. They were out of what C wanted, but I found it across the street at Dollar Tree. Loaded my shopping cart. Headed back down to get the girls.

Andruw Jones was finally voted in to the baseball hall of fame this week. I guess you heard.

Sneakers

Yes I have too many sneakers. Trying to get rid of several. There current club.

White:
Nike Air Force One
Adidas Stan Smith
Hoka
Cole Haan
Puma
Puma basketball
Puma high tops
Nike Commuters
New Balance gum souls
Reebok Fury
Puma golf

Cole Haan white brown blue black

Hoka black white blue red

Nike Air Force One
Nike KD 7s
Nike Golf
Nike All Turf
Nike Panda Dunks
Nike black running
Nike Air Max red

Nike waffle trainers
 
Puma golf
Puma RS-X high tops
Puma basketball
Puma light grey

Puma Suedes red
 
adidas grey
adidas Stan Smith
adidas Prophere
adidas golf

Black:
Nike golf
Nike turf
Adidas Prophere
Adidas golf
Oofos
Ecco loafers
Hoka
Cole Haan
Nike Panda Dunks
Puma Emojis
Adidas
Nike Huarache