Merry Christmas Starbucks

Today’s beef: Christians bending over backwards to appease Starbucks. Now I admit that as a non-coffee drinker I am unaffected by the corporation’s magic potions. I won’t name names, but many I know are filling up my Facebook timeline to NOT call out Starbucks for making the change to a red cup during the upcoming holiday season – while making no mention or use of the term Christmas or any of the symbols of the birth of Jesus. Sure, they don’t have to. I will even agree, it’s really not a big deal. Many companies decorate for the holidays while instructing employees to not mention Christmas.

 

People of other faiths taking part in other celebrations, that I will not attempt to spell here. As crotchety as I am becoming in my old age, I’ll try to not be too offended if someone wishes my happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas. When someone does wish me happy holidays I need to be able to think fast on my feet and reply with a cheerful Merry Christmas, but I’m usually not that quick. I’ve heard tales of this happening and the store employee sheepishly thanking the customer for saying Merry Christmas, while admitting the store is forcing them to use the holiday greeting.

 

While it is sad our once God-fearing country has become more and more anti-Christian, I agree that how people greet each other while out taking part in the end-of-year consumption-driven shopping frenzy is not the battle followers of Jesus should be waging. We should always be kind and loving not just to fellow believers but also to those of other faiths, as well as to our enemies – the growing but vocal minority so adamantly and belligerently opposed to all things Biblical and Christian. I have a hard enough time doing that myself.

 

No business should be forced to operate based on how other people think they should. Bakers shouldn’t have to bake cakes promoting viewpoints in opposition to that baker’s beliefs. A pastor should not be forced to perform a wedding ceremony that doesn’t adhere to God’s description of marriage in the Bible. Starbucks should not be forced to wish its customers Merry Christmas. And customers can take their business wherever they wish, for whatever reasons they have. While there are many other coffee houses scattered around the city, state, and country, Starbucks has made itself indispensable by placing franchises on every corner – even inside other businesses like Home Depot. Jay Leno once said he saw where a new Starbucks had opened up – inside another Starbucks.        

 

Starbucks may or may not be any more evil than the typical American corporation. To support same sex marriage in today’s culture is no great risk, since over half of the country polled is not against it. What’s interesting is these Christians are taking said stand in support of a mega-corporation like Starbucks. Sure Starbucks treats their employees well. Sure they are a good citizen of the world. It’s easy to do these things when they charge four dollars for a cup of flavored water. Seems like the companies in need of the church’s support are companies standing up for Biblical principles and the Biblical view of marriage, like Hobby Lobby and Chickfila. Companies under attack in the world today. Doesn’t Chickfila have good coffee? Toto, we’re not in Disneyland any more.

 

Several articles twisted the Starbucks CEO’s words into something he did not say. http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2013/03/22/howard-schultz-to-anti-gay-marriage-starbucks-shareholder-you-can-sell-your-shares/ 

 

 http://www.christianpost.com/news/did-starbucks-ceo-really-say-we-dont-want-your-business-92588/  This goes to show you can’t believe every headline or article you read, both on MSNBC and Fox News. You really have to dig to get the real story, which is a shame. Who has time for that?  

 

Reminds me of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode when an enemy gets the Enterprise crew hooked on playing an appealing game, so addicting that when danger presents itself the crew is so wrapped up in playing the game they don’t respond to the threat. The ever-logical android Data, unaffected by the game’s lure, is left to save the day.  

 

Now there are articles saying the initial Christian outrage over Starbucks was a fabricated media hoax. Who knows what the story is. I know I am the world’s worst at expressing my viewpoints like this. It would be easy for someone to rip my argument apart. But they can’t change what I believe or how I feel. Why it would be important for someone to do this I do not know, except out of hate.

ESPN Total QB Rating

Top-ranked Seth Russell is hurt, and will eventually drop out of the rankings. Highly doubtful his Baylor Bears will make the playoff, and all their fans will again be heartbroken. Oklahoma State is looking good. They made Trevone Boykin look bad (three interceptions), putting a damper on his Heisman hopes.

With four easy games on the horizon, Deshaun Watson’s ranking will probably rise to the top. Perhaps this is the week his mug graces the Sports Illustrated cover, unless SI goes back to the oft-used Bama/LSU well (NOTE: I was right!). No surprise that other highly ranked teams have highly-rated QB’s: Stanford, Houston, Memphis, Michigan State, LSU, Nebraska.

After watching them falter so often in big games, the continued high rankings of dual-threat QB’s Marquisse Williams, Joshua Dobbs, and Jacoby Brissett still surprises me. Perhaps like at Clemson, their offensive coordinators finally figured out which plays they are most able to execute. Perhaps they haven’t faced a decent opponent. Yet.

Despite the Bulldog fan’s outcry, embattled Georgia QB Greyson Lambert continues to be ranked higher that his counterparts at Florida, Alabama, and Ohio State. At least poor Justin Thomas is ranked ahead of the woeful Johnny McCrary – and just behind Virginia Tech’s Brenden Motley. Whoever plays best Thursday night will be on the winning side.

Gunner Kiel is finally rising in the ratings. Groomed from before birth to be a quarterback and now at his third school, I’m surprised more people don’t call him Robo-QB. In fact, so many quarterbacks these days are groomed for the position from a very young age, what with all the camps and special coaches and nutrition experts. So many share the same size, footwork, and mechanics that most could be deemed Robo-QB’s. From a distance many look the same.

Though highly touted by the so-called draft experts, Penn State fans can’t wait for the end of the Christian Hackenberg era. Still he has risen like the phoenix from 100-110 ranked all the way up to 88 – the highest ranking in his illustrious career.

1. 87.2 Seth Russell, Baylor (injured)

2. 87.2 Trevone Boykin, Texas Christian

3. 86.8 Deshaun Watson, Clemson (above)

4. 86.0 Kevin Hogan, Stanford

5. 84.8 Dak Prescott, Mississippi State

6. 84.8 Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky

7. 84.8 Matt Johnson, Bowling Green

8. 84.5 Brandon Allen, Arkansas

09. 83.2 Marquisse Williams, North Carolina

10. 83.0 Greg Ward, Houston

11. 82.7 Chad Kelly, Ole Miss

12. 82.6 DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame (success story)

13. 81.9 Paxton Lynch, Memphis

14. 79.4 Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech

15. 79.2 Connor Cook, Michigan State

16. 79.0 Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

18. 76.9 Brandon Harris, LSU

20. 75.9 Tommy Armstrong, Nebraska

22. 74.8 Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

23. 73.5 Cody Kessler, Southern Cal

25. 72.5 Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati

29. 71.5 Vernon Adams, Oregon

30. 71.4 Jacoby Brissett, NC State

32. 71.0 Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

33. 70.5 Jake Rudock, Michigan

37. 69.2 Perry Orth, South Carolina

40. 68.6 Brad Kaaya, Miami

42. 68.3 Greyson Lambert, Georgia  

45. 66.2 Will Grier, Florida

46. 66.1 Everett Golson, Florida State (lost his job)

50. 64.6 Jake Coker, Alabama

52. 64.0 Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh

54. 62.1 Eric Dungey, Syracuse

59. 59.9 Patrick Towles, Kentucky

60. 59.4 Thomas Sirk, Duke

62. 59.0 Kyle Allen, Texas A&M (lost his job)

66. 56.3 Matt Johns, Virginia

69. 55.9 Joe Hubener, Kennesaw State

77. 52.6 Cardale Jones, Ohio State (lost his job)

78. 52.5 Nick Arbuckle, Georgia State

88. 48.9 Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

89. 48.8 John Wolford, Wake Forest

90. 48.4 Brenden Motley, Virginia Tech

104. 38.8 Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech

105. 38.6 Johnny McCrary, Vanderbilt

108. 36.6 Kendall Hinton, Wake Forest

111. 33.4 Justin Holman, Central Florida

117. 26.1 Drew Lock, Missouri

Der Weekend

THURSDAY: left work at six for the 7 pm meeting. Traffic was terrible. I had planned on stopping to get something to eat but didn’t have time. Gobbled down a couple of oatmeal cookies as the meeting began. My week-old beard fit in nicely with the new beards on three of the school’s leaders. Next year Legacy is moving from just north of the North Fulton Hospital in south Alpharetta to Northside Church in Roswell, located on 9 wooded acres behind the Andretti Speed Labs.

 

After the meeting we watched the exciting finale of Project Runway. Of the final four my favorite came in fourth. All the Christmas movies that have begun airing on the Hallmark Channel have preempted all the reruns of The Middle that I usually watch.

 

FRIDAY: Today is Ceil’s birthday so I’m sure we’ll eat out tonight. She had something cooking on the crockpot all night, but I don’t know what. Will is coming home but he’s going to his future brother-in-law’s last football game. Good football tomorrow. KY@GA at noon, FSU@Clemson at 3:30, and LSU@Alabama at 8 pm. My picks: UGA, Clemson, and LSU.

 

Left work at 4 pm. Ceil wanted to go to Superica, and I knew there would be traffic. It could’ve been worse. Picked up C and M and headed west to 75 South. On the way she thought about going to Perimeter Mall, but 400 South was blocked. Then she said El Felix would be ok, but by then turning around and battling eastbound traffic would’ve been worse than staying the course. She wanted to shop at the new Ponce City Market, but I drove straight on to Superica. In the rain and dark and with the narrow streets and one way streets it was hard to find the place.

Ceil loved the entire Krog Street Market. We had a great waiter. Matthew ordered Puffy Tacos. I got the chicken enchiladas and noticed a fired egg on top was just a dollar extra. I asked the waiter if he recommended it and he insisted I get it. It was good. Interesting items next door at The Mercantile: a “trophy wife” mug, a Star Wars book for a small girl, and pennants that appeared to be vintage. Next we drove over to the Ponce City Market, where Ceil shopped at Anthropologie. On the way home we stopped for cheesecake by Café Intermezzo near Perimeter Mall. Will had come home to attend Thomas’s last football game. Joel Norman tagged along.

 

SATURDAY: Ceil and Will drove up to Clemson for the FSU game. I cleaned the house and did laundry. All day long I went from being hot to cold, and by the evening I was constantly sneezing.

 

Watched UGA beat Kentucky. The Cats only score (a field goal) came off a fumble on the 20 yard line. Seems like the Georgia coaches have figured out that none of the three current QB’s are the answer. The fans think the coaches ought to be able to turn at least one of the QB’s into Johnny Unitas in one week. Ain’t gonna happen.

 

More Mark Richt: articles are being published looking at every angle. I just read one about whether UGA’s financial situation has suffered (only slightly). Richt seems to be a decent overall CEO, which is what being the head coach of a major college football team has become. There might be problems with defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt but unless it gets out of hand the time to deal with that is not until after the regular season ends. But like many say it’s the game decisions that most haunt Richt. If Florida has one of the best defenses in the country it’s no wonder Georgia didn’t do better on offense, especially with a brand new QB. Take away the three tipped interceptions and all the dropped passes and it’s a different ball game.  

 

Drove M up to his school dance in Milton. On the way home an old lady pulled out in front of me on Alpharetta Highway. I slammed on my brakes and skidded for 100 feet on the damp pavement. I could smell the burning rubber.

 

Went home and watched the end of the Clemson/FSU game. After the long FSU touchdown run on the first play, then another long run on their second possession, I wasn’t sure if the Tigers could come back. As I’ve said all along, I don’t think Deshaun Watson is the greatest player in the country. All year long he has missed wide open receivers, and somewhere down the line this will bite him. Watson is a much better passer than Justin Thomas, but Thomas is a better runner. Watson rarely makes mistakes, which is a must for a team in the hunt for a national champion. Then when Watson mistakenly grounded the ball on third down his excuse was the signal from the sidelines. I’ll have to ask my nephew about that, since he’s the one signaling in plays from the sidelines.

 

Was really sneezing when I drove up to get Matthew. Got back in time to see the second half of Bama/LSU. Not sure Herschel was ever shut down as bad as Fournette was Saturday night. Not sure if that took him out of the Heisman race or not. Doesn’t look like Fournette will be able to equal any of Herschel’s collegiate accomplishments. Ceil and Will returned, much to Barney’s delight.

 

SUNDAY: Before I went to bed I gulped down a bunch of Nyquil, and by morning I felt better. Ceil and I went to Johnson Ferry, where I started overheating again. Will drove back to Athens after a late lunch. I took a nap and watched some football, and folded more clothes. Later I picked up M downtown. After a Friday night group dinner date and the Kentucky game on Saturday, Anna went up to the Smokey Mountains with friends on Sunday.          

 

Late last week two co-workers were laid off. I was reminded of the Seinfeld episode when Kramer went to work in an office, though he really didn’t have an official job there. He showed but every day in coat and tie – with zero business acumen. Finally the boss called him in to fire him, and Kramer admitted he really didn’t even work there.  

 

The second person laid off was longtime salesman Greg, a middle-aged white male like me. He lives in Birmingham but had to drive to Florida to call on customers. Not sure if it was a headcount issue. A new guy had just been hired to replace a retiree.

Death Valley

Ceil and Will's view at yesterday's Clemson/FSU game.

GA/KY Game Notes

UGA receives the opening kickoff. Stumble for a one yard gain. Penalty. Punt – a 50 yarder by Ramsey. The defense forces a three and out. Marshall slips but has a nice gain on second down. Lambert hits his lineman in the head with a pass. Tight end drops a pass. Fumble – picked up by Godwin and carried into the end zone (above). UGA lead 7-0 after six minutes.

Kentucky brings the kickoff out of the end zone. As usual, bad decision. Tackle at the ten plus a clipping penalty. First down 18 yard run by freshman Horton. Wildcats then convert on third down. They can’t contain Leonard Floyd, who forces a second punt. Two Lambert incompletions, and Kentucky defenders are strutting. Ramsey punts again, and long-snapper Theus recovers the muff. The strutting stops. Sony Michel up the thrice middle. On fourth and inches Marshall Morgan makes it 10-0 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Another 3 & out for the UGA defense. Another UGA penalty on the punt. Brice Ramsey in at QB. No gain by Marshall. High pass almost caught. Malcomb Mitchell slips but catches the pass for a first down, then Michel’s 11 yard run is called. Back. – but he reels off twelve. Then another first down to midfield. Ramsey a tough overthrow on a screen pass. Another good run by Michel. Godwin runs ten yards – backwards. Ramsey punts 42 yards to the 11 yard line.

Interception! But Sanders drops the ball at the seven, and Kentucky recovers. Will this be the difference in the game? Cats drive. A hold isn’t called, but a facemask is. Punt. Completion. A slow developing run is stuffed. Fumble by McKenzie gives Kentucky the ball on the 20. Dropped pass. Stuffed run. Field goal. 10-3 Dawgs.

Kentucky recovers the pooch kick to the right – but was offsides on the far left. Lambert in at QB. Pressured, he short-hops a pass. Then a 24 yard completion to Mitchell with 20 seconds remaining. Douglass to the 25 with 16 seconds. Lambert scrambles and is tackled with ten seconds left. Morgan’s 38 yard attempt sails left. Should Richt have called list last timeout with ten seconds on the clock and thrown into the end zone? Probably too risky, but in hindsight…  

UNC is pulling away from Duke. Gators trail Vandy at the half.

Second helf: Cats fail to convert on fourth and two. Lambert still the QB. Dawgs drive 50 yards, with Michel carrying the last two. 17-3 Dawgs nine minutes into the half.

Another key penalty on lineman meadows, and Kentucky punts. Good return. Completion to Mitchell, long run Michel and a 12 yard screen to Marshall, who reaches the ball across the pylon to make it 24-3 with 2:33 left in the third.

Sack. Punt. McKenzie runs for ten. Michel has 134 yards rushing in the first three quarters. With success on the ground, the Dawgs work on the pass. Pressured, Lambert throws two straight incompletions. At least he wasn’t sacked. Ramsey punts into the end zone. Towles tosses for 24. Another first down. But Dominique Sanders intercepts a tipped pass. This time he holds onto the ball and returns it to the 38. Michel runs for 25, but Godwin takes too much time in the Wild Dawg formation. Marshall Morgan makes it 27-3 with 8:47 remaining.

Backup QB: same result. Punt. Dawgs run clock. Keith Marshall for twelve. Douglass gets some work. Just when the threaten a personal foul on Theus sets the Dawgs back 15 - allowing them to run more clock. Final score: 27-3.

    

Top Ten 49ers

The NFL Network’s top ten greatest San Francisco 49ers:

10. RB Frank Gore

9. DL Charles Haley

8. WR Dwight Clark made The Catch

7. RB Roger Craig

6. LB Patrick Willis

5. QB Steve Young won the Super Bowl MVP

4. The Million Dollar Backfield: QB YA Tittle, FB John Henry Johnson, HB Hugh McElhenny, RB Joe Perry. All are in the Hall of Fame.

3. SS Ronnie Lott

2. WR Jerry Rice, often called the greatest football player in history.

1. QB Joe Montana

The debate is of course between number one and number two. Rice gained more yards than any professional not named Herschel Walker. Would Rice had been as prolific without Montana and Young? Or in a different system? Detroit Lion Calvin Johnson may be more talented than Rice, but puts up lesser numbers on a below-average team. For this reason Montana merits consideration as the greatest 49er.

Honorable mention: MVP QB John Brodie, WR Gene Washington, WR Terrell Owens, WR John Taylor, Bob St. Clair, Hardy Brown. Billy Kilmer, Ken Willard, Charlie Krueger, Randy Cross, and Cedric Hardeman were not mentioned.

UGA's Future?

One great thing about getting a new head coach at Georgia will be playing in all those national championship games wearing all-new all-black uniforms, or all-grey uniforms, or all-red uniforms, or all-white uniforms, or all-camo uniforms – looking just like Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi State, Missouri, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ohio State, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Miami, Syracuse, Wake Forest, NC State, West Virginia, Maryland, UCLA, Arizona, Kennesaw, and every other sellout team in the country (except Alabama, LSU, and Auburn). You read it here first. Trying to offend the most Facebook friends with one post. #globalwarming

It’s evident that ten win seasons, New Years’ Day bowl games, and competing for division and conference championships - all while running one of the most above-board programs in the country – is less important to the UGA fan base and “powers that be” than winning at all costs. Making a change will be expensive, as Richt and both coordinators will all require high dollar buyouts to be shown the door. Chuck Oliver thinks Richt will get another year. Fans say the decision shouldn’t hinge on whether QB recruit Jacob Eason stays or goes elsewhere.

 

I read the DawgNation article, then later noticed the AJC linked the same article as their own. But Seth Emerson and Chip Towers often write for the AJC. All the “unnamed sources” are frustrating, but that’s the nature of the beast. Tuesday Chuck and Chernoff interviewed Emerson on 680. Georgia could win their final four games and go to a New Year’s Day bowl game. Sure hope they do.  https://www.dawgnation.com/football/team-news/changes-are-likely-coming-at-georgia

Since Georgia is doing so “bad” I’m wondering if any football tickets will open up this month. It’s supposed to rain this weekend. Tickets are probably selling for cheap. Saturday near the stadium they might be giving them away.  

 

TECH: With all the heat on Richt, Paul Johnson could lose the rest of his games and not feel the heat. And Tech might lose the rest of their games. The defense is terrible and the offense isn’t much better. Zero blocking. With inexperienced tailbacks, opposing defenses are stuffing the fullback dive and forcing the pitch. I still think Johnson calls too many pass plays.

 

Monday: Didn’t get much done at work or at home. Ceil cooked meatballs for dinner. Busy day Tuesday so I didn’t have time to feel bad.

 

Mary-Clayton sang the national anthem at the Oklahoma Thunder game, with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Pops Chorale. She is right in the middle at the start of the video. https://www.facebook.com/okcphilharmonic/videos/10153411909708800/

Our house is a wreck. Tuesday the plumbers took out the downstairs bathroom sink and dug a hole there. Fixed one leak and found another. Ceil is so frazzled that she forgot to eat all day. When she gets like that she can’t think or make decisions. She stopped at Chickfila to get something for Matthew but didn’t get anything for herself. She took M to a worship service. I changed my route home to meet her for dinner, then she remembered she was supposed to meet her friends. Later I drove back to downtown Alpharetta to pick up M. Got home and watched the end of The Voice.

 

Wednesday at work the Spiced Rite restaurant across from the Roswell Square brought in catering samples for us to taste. They might cater our company Christmas meal. Tasted good, except the gravy was too smokey. Not the greatest stuffing/dressing, but the corn casserole and sweet potato soufflé were good. I saved some in my Tupperware for lunch today.

 

Another night on the go. Left work at 5:45 and picked up M at a house in east Roswell/SE Alpharetta/SW Johns Creek. I had the address so I let my phone guide me – the first time I’d used the GPS in my new phone. It was dark and the phone said I had arrived so I pulled in the driveway, called M to come out, got out of my car, and waited. I got out of my car in case Frank’s dad came out, since we hadn’t met. Through the darkness I heard Matthew calling – from the house next door. I had parked at the wrong house! I had to drive down to get him and meet Frank’s dad, who of course witnessed my mistake.

 

We went around the corner to the Hall’s for dinner: BBQ chicken, rice, salad, broccoli, tortilla soup, watermelon, and chess pie. Very good and a fun evening. Got home at 8:45 and watched some of the CMA Awards. Justin Timberlake sings, acts, dances, and does comedy. He could be the next Steve Martin. Both attended the CMAs.

 

Tonight we have a parents meeting at M’s school. Yesterday M wore his Halloween costume to school. Matthew actually sewed his Halloween costume (hat), tracking down the fabric, adding cow ears, and even sewing a button. A character from some TV show. My friend knew who it was because he had arranged music for the show. Two 7th graders were characters from Monty Python & the Holy Grail. Nathan said the public schools wouldn’t let students wear costumes, and I could imagine why. Too many hookers and other /sleazy character costumes.

 

Dock’s dad called needing some metal, so I’m working to hook him up. His crowd is headed to Myrtle Beach this weekend for a golf trip, but it’s supposed to – wait for it - rain.

 

Found the elusive Gwinnett Tommy Hanson bobblehead at a thrift store. On senior discount day. Double score.

200 IP

From the October 12th issue of Sports Illustrated: 2/3 innings pitched by Toronto’s Mark Buehrle against the Rays in the regular season finale. It was his shortest outing in 493 career starts, and he fell four outs shy of reaching 200 IP for a (American League) record 15th straight year.

 

From: David
Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2015

To: 'letters@si.timeinc.com'

Mark Buehrle may have fallen 1.8 innings short in his bid of reaching 200 IP for an American League record of 15 straight years (SI Oct 12), but the 36 year-old still has a ways to go to match the marks of Cy Young and Greg Maddux. Young pitched at least 287 innings for 19 straight years – 10 straight seasons in the NL, then 9 more in the AL. Similar to Buehrle, Maddux fell only 9/10ths of an inning short of a 15th straight 200 inning National League season. Then Mad Dog added 4 more years of 200 IP before finishing with seasons of 198 and 194 innings pitched. That’s 21 straight seasons of at least 194 innings pitched.

 

David

 

MORE: Buehrle became the first pitcher since Young to record 200 IP with 61 or fewer walks in 14 straight seasons. In Maddux’s first five 200 inning seasons his walk totals were 81, 82, 71, 66, and 70. His next season (52 walks) would be Mad Dog’s highest walk total of his next 16 seasons.   

 

Buehrle: 15 straight seasons of 198.2 IP

Maddux: 19 straight seasons of 199.1 IP

Maddux: 21 straight seasons of 194.0 IP

Cy Young: 19 straight seasons of 287 IP (1891-1909)

Cy Young: 15 straight seasons of 320 IP

 

In 2014 Buehrle became only the 7th pitcher since 1901 with 14 straight seasons of 200 IP. The other six are hall of famers. Five have ties to the Braves.

 

Warren Spahn: 17 years of 245+ IP.

Gaylord Perry: 15 yrs of 205+IP, 17 of 19 yrs w/ 200 IP

Don Sutton: 15 straight seasons of 207+IP.

Greg Maddux: 14 straight, 18 of 19 years w/ 200 IP

Phil Niekro: 14 yrs of 207+IP, 18 of 19 yrs w/ 200 IP

Christy Mathewson: 14 years of 266+IP  

       

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/mark-buehrle-7th-pitcher-since-1901-to-throw-200-innings-14-straight-seasons-144701676.html

 

The mighty Roger Clemens pitched 24 years but could only manage seven straight years of 200 innings pitched.

Greatest Plays in UGA History

Some of the greatest plays in UGA history. Most of these plays I am familiar with, but not all. Much easier with all the information to steal off www.georgiadogs.com You'd think Tech would have a more thorough website, but they hardly have anything.

Red Boyd's blocked punt in the 1942 Rose Bowl against UCLA.

Charley Trippi's 79 yard punt against Auburn in 1945 (in Columbus).

Jimmy Campagna's 100 yard punt return at Vanderbilt in 1952.

In 1957 "Drought-Breaker" Theron Sapp scores on 4th & goal to end Georgia Tech's eight game winning streak, the longest in the series (above).

Charlie Britt's 100 yard interception return against Florida in 1959.

Fran Tarkenton's 13 yard pass to Bill Herron with 30 seconds remaining against Auburn to clinch the 1959 SEC championship (above).

Kicker Bobby Etter's 5 yard scoop and run of a fumbled field goal snap against Florida in 1964.

The Kirby Moore to Pat Hodgson to Bob Taylor 73 yard flea flicker to beat Alabama in 1965 (above).

Spike Jones' 87 yard punt against Auburn in 1967.

Richard Appleby's 80 yard bomb to Gene Washington to beat Florida in 1975 (above).

Freshman quarterback Buck Belue's 42 yard touchdown pass to Amp Arnold (and Buck's option pitch to Arnold on the two-point conversion) to beat Georgia Tech in 1978 on national TV (above).

Herschel's first touchdown run, over All-American safety Bill Bates to beat Tennessee in 1980 (above).

Lindsey Scott's 93 yard touchdown reception and run to beat Florida in 1980 (above).

Herschel leaps over the line of scrimmage, lands on his feet, and continues into the end zone to score against Mississippi State.

Quarterback John Lastinger's 17 yard touchdown run to beat Texas in the 1983 Cotton Bowl (above).

All-American kicker Kevin Butler's 60 yard field goal as time expired to beat Clemson in 1984 (above).

Tim Worley's 89 yard touchdown run against Florida in 1985.

Quarterback Mike Bobo's 30 yard pass to Corey Allen in the first overtime game in SEC history (1996). 

Fullback Verron Haynes catches the 6 yard hobnail boot touchdown pass from David Greene to beat Tennessee with 5 seconds remaining in 2001 (above).

David Pollack's end zone interception against South Carolina in 2002 (above).

David Greene's 19 yard touchdown pass to Michael Johnson on 4th & 15 to win at Auburn in 2002.

Matthew Stafford's 25 yard touchdown pass to Mikey Henderson on Georgia's first offensive play in overtime to beat Alabama in 2007.

Knowshon Moreno leaps over a defender.

Todd Gurley's 100 yard kickoff return against Clemson in 2014 (tied for the longest in school history).

Playing in his first game, freshman Nick Chubb runs for a touchdown against Clemson after losing his shoe (2014).

End of the Richt Era?

As much as I like him, perhaps it’s time for UGA to let Richt go. But when they do it will be a sad day. There is no finer man in college football. The day Mark Richt is fired will be the day that big money wins, and all things decent lose. Gone will be the days of developing good character, replaced with more arrests, cheap shots, and trash-talking. All black uniforms - you heard it here first. A better record is highly doubtful.   

 

Timing a firing is tough, depending on when the new coach can be hired. Fire Richt now and the rest of the season would be even worse. But the “fans” will complain until they do. Not sure who UGA could get that would be better. Making the change could be a gamble – things could not be this good for a long long time. Chuck Oliver was saying there would be more competition for college coaches this year, with all the openings at USC, Miami, etc. He said Miami should hire the Bama OL coach, a Miami grad. Richt wouldn't go coach the Canes.

 

Fans who called for Bobo’s head are already eating their words. Like Vince, I think Richt will stay in Athens after he is fired, but he'll keep a low profile. There would be no reason for Richt to retire for another five or ten years.

Fans say Richt doesn't display enough emotion. How do they know? They're not at practices or meetings. What do they want, a screamer like Tennessee's Butch Jones?

We’ve been through all this firing stuff before. Fans complain about the QB play and want the coaches fired forgetting they’d lose the #1 QB in the country. I sure would hate to lose incoming quarterback stud Jacob Eason.

 

GA/FL: three of the four interceptions were tipped. Was it the coaches fault numerous passes and punts were dropped? Take those away and it’s a different ballgame. I would stick with this new QB, that number 10 guy.

 

GT/VA: Justin Thomas threw 32 passes and didn’t do that bad, considering the running game has been non-existent. Is it the blocking or the third-string backs? I say it’s the poor blocking. If the offense can’t help the defense they have little chance of winning. Johnson finally gets a great QB but there’s no one else on offense to help out. Too bad, since UGA is beatable this year

 

Clemson: every time they travel to Raleigh the Tigers struggle. Not sure why. Those thought didn’t watch the game saw the blowout score, but NC State put a scare for three quarters. NCST QB Grissett may finally be maturing, or maybe Clemson’s defense was being overly cautious. FSU backup QB McGuire may be harder to defend than starting QB Everett Gilson.

 

Duke/Miami: ACC officials are kicking themselves. They wanted Duke and UNC to win out so Clemson can beat the highest ranked team possible in the ACC Championship game, to ensure a berth in the playoff for the Tigers. Duke looked terrible on that last kickoff, just standing around instead of trying to tackle someone. Every time there’s a great play people say it’s the best ever, when the fact is there are great plays every week. Rarely to they come against arch rivals or win championships or come in bowl games.

 

Fans following last week’s GT/FSU game on the FSU Football Twitter feed read the following four final tweets:

 

“GT takes over with 4:25 to go. 1st and 10 at their 37 yard line”

 

“Tie game. #Noles: 16 Jackets: 16. 0:54 left”

 

“Pass complete to Dalvin. 1st and 10 at the GT 42. #BEATGT”

 

“Turns phone off”

 

That last tweet was retweeted almost 12,000 times.

 

I like the Hawks, but it shows what the city of Atlanta thinks of the Braves when the mayor first negotiates to build a new dome for the Falcons and then says he’ll spend another hundred million to renovate Phillips Arena for the Hawks. Kasim Reed can’t lose another sports team on his watch – because he has aspirations on higher office. Will he become the next Cynthia McKinney?

 

The Braves played in downtown for 50 years and the city hardly lifted a finger to develop the area around the stadium – all the while taking in all the revenues from all the bleak parking lots. Unlike the Falcons and Hawks, the Braves were at a competitive disadvantage due to lack of revenue. To be able to compete for championships and draw fans something had to change. The Braves paid for studies on how to best develop the area and willingly handed over the results to the city. The Braves were ready to spend their own money but the city wouldn’t sign off on the deal. The Braves were up front with their negotiations, setting up dates for meetings that fell on empty city ears. The city wasn’t used to dealing with professionals not willing to continuously put off time and again. The city couldn’t believe the Braves would move out of downtown. They were wrong.

 

Next: people thinking the Falcons number one draft pick is a bust – after he had a tough game against Tennessee. The same person thought the Falcons should’ve picked Todd Gurley and had him return punts and kickoffs. Nothing wrong with the Falcons’ back from FSU, who reminds some former players of Barry Sanders.

 

I hate the Cowboys. Especially Dez Bryant. I like Romo as a person but not as a QB. Jerry Jones is like the evil emperor on Star Wars. I like the head coach.

 

Oct 28 lunch: Leftover piece of pizza from last Thursday. Leftover chips and salsa from last Friday. Leftover grilled chicken from last Saturday, plus a bun to eat it as a sandwich. Leftover hamburger from Monday. Patty had been in the freezer for awhile. Yogurt cup past the expiration date.

 

Friday morning I had to leave work to meet Anna to the car shop. Had to get some work done so it would pass emissions. A was getting a haircut so I had to wait until Ceil returned from her meeting at school before I could go back to work. On the way home I got a haircut. Ceil cooked pizza for dinner.

 

Saturday morning I cleaned upstairs. C and A went shopping. After College GameDay went off Matthew and I raked up the branches I had cut the week before. M blew the drive and deck, then I drove him to Cumming. Picked up Halloween candy on the way home. Watched GA/FL, GT/VA, and Clemson/NC State. Lot of cute trick-or-treaters – we almost ran out of candy. After the games Ceil and I went to Chipotle. They almost didn’t notice our costumes – we had to ask for the discount. We got our burrito bowls to go, and I still haven’t eaten mine. I went to bed before 10 pm and missed the end of the Miami/Duke game. With the time change I got a LOT of sleep.

 

Sunday morning I had to pick up Matthew and get the emissions done in Anna’s Jeep, so I was gone for several hours. Grabbed a Wendy’s chicken sandwich. Back home I cleaned and watched the Falcons. After the strong start people quickly forgot how bad they were last year. They also forgot how almost every win this year came in the last minutes, and required luck. This week they ran out of luck – and time. Packaged three eBay shipments and drove downtown to pick up Matthew.

 

This morning I drove up to Cumming for my last appointment with the vascular surgeon. They did an ultrasound and said I didn’t have to come back. The rain and traffic were bad. Drivers were going too fast. Two cars spun out on the northbound side. 400 South was backed up from Buckhead to Cumming.

Places to Live

Places I wouldn’t mind moving to/living:

Vickery Creek Town Center, Midway GA (above). Remote, which is good and bad. Not immune to traffic.

Downtown Crabapple. Less traffic? Not far from places we go.

Bishop Lake, in East Cobb. Like a mountain lake near the city. Close to our current house.

Downtown Roswell side street. Walk to restaurants. Not far from where we live. Traffic may be a hassle.

Avalon in Alpharetta. Plenty of amenities. Next to 400. Walk to Whole Foods, restaurants, and movies. Traffic may be a hassle.

Huntcliff Trace. Sandy Springs overlooking the Chattahoochee. Great views but close to 400. Crime a factor?

Downtown Canton. Not near places we go.

SunTrust Park, off Cobb Parkway north of the Gallaria/Cumberland. Plenty of amenities. Traffic would be a hassle., but there are PLENTY of alternate routes.

Vinings inside 285/Smyrna outside 285. Traffic, possible crime.   

Westside Atlanta. Close in. Crime and traffic would be a factor.

Perimeter Place, Dunwoody. Similar to Avalon. Close to highways and MARTA. And crime and traffic.

CoolRay Field Condos, Buford. Nice place to live but not close to anything we do. Bad traffic.

Athens. Fun but gameday traffic and students could be a hassle.  

Ponce City Market, Atlanta. Crime, traffic, expensive, people who hold different viewpoints and standards.

Lake Burton, in north Georgia.

Seaside/Rosemary Beach Florida