Handicapping the Heisman

Heisman history will be made Saturday night. Either the first freshman, the first pure defensive player, or the first Kansas State Jayhawk winner will be announced. Here are the pros and cons, in order of my prediction…

JOHNNY MANZIEL PRO:

Led Aggies to upset win over number one Alabama.

In first year in SEC led A&M to 10-2 record & Cotton Bowl berth.

Great nickname: Johnny Football.

Exciting player to watch.

Great stats (superior to Klein’s).

QB rating was 16th nationally.

Rushed for 1181 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Responsible for 43 touchdowns.    

Most recently featured on the Sports Illustrated cover.

JOHNNY MANZIEL CON:

Many voters don’t vote for freshmen.

Media bias against Southern teams.

Plays in Texas, far away from voters in the east and west.

MANTI TE’O PRO:

Plays for undefeated, number one ranked Notre Dame.

A senior, with a great body of work.

Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

A good guy, doer of good deeds.

MANTI TE’O CON:

Plays defense.

COLLIN KLEIN PRO:

Led K State to an 11-1 record and a Fiesta Bowl berth.

QB rating was 15th in nation.

Rushed for 890 yards and 22 TDs.

Responsible for 37 touchdowns.

Led lowly Kansas State to national prominence.

Was the Heisman front-runner most of the year.

Played against tough Big 12 competition.

Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Great dual threat QB reminiscent of Tim Tebow.

A senior, with a great body of work.

A good guy, doer of good deeds.

COLLIN KLEIN CON:

Stats were not quite as good as Manzeil’s.

Plays in Kansas, far away from voters in the east and west.

Lost to Baylor.

Missed a game.

Voters turned off by his Christianity.

I’d like to see a Klein-Te’o-Manzeil finish, but the opposite is more likely.

Nov / Dec Reading List

Inside the Revolution: How the followers of Jihad, Jefferson, and Jesus are Battling to Dominate the Middle East & Transform the World, by Joel C Rosenberg (2009). The second non-fiction book written by Rosenberg, describing the Islamic jihadists and those fighting against them militarily, politically, and spiritually. Interesting first-hand account of the Christian revival taking place in the Muslim world.  

Tales From the Georgia Tech Sidelines, by Kim King (2004). Unlike UGA, there are few books chronicling Tech’s amazing football history. Assisted by writer Jack Wilkinson, the late quarterback/radio announcer hits on many highlights, but fails to color in the facts with much detail. The short read left me wanting to write my own history of Tech football. Not sure alumni would line up to buy it, considering the poor attendance at Grant Field these days.  

Pursuit of Honor, by Vince Flynn. Part of the Mitch Rapp series.

Rome 1960: the Olympics That Changed the World, by David Maraniss. USA vs. Russia. Cassius Clay. Wilma Rudolph. Decathlete Rafer Johnson. The Tiger Belles from Tennessee State University, and their coach.

Angelina: an Unauthorized Autobiography, by Andrew Morton. Jole is taken to task by Morton, for repeating sins that she disdained in others…particularly her father, John Voight.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game, by Timothy Baker Shutt. Part of a series of “educational” lectures published as audiobooks. Shutt lectures from notes (or memory), weaving rambling, inconcise narratives that pale in comparison to any average edited book. Decent baseball history, presented in an almost unlistenable form. The professor gets an F for this effort.

Rating NCAA QBs

The cream rises to the top when comparing the top college quarterbacks. Four dual threat QB’s had great statistical seasons, with three coming against some of the toughest competition in the country. But this season Georgia’s Aaron Murray may have grown into the most NFL-ready quarterback, with so many questions revolving around 7-5 USC’s Matt Barkley. And interestingly, a much-maligned option QB was actually rated higher than two more highly-touted dual-threat signal-callers.

THE DUAL THREATS

Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M redshirt freshman (10-2 in the SEC). Came up huge in upset of number one Alabama. Everyone loves a good nickname, bolstering his Heisman candidacy, but his performance trumps even the hype. Rushed for 1181 yards and 19 touchdowns. Edges Klein statistically.

Collin Klein, Kansas State redshirt senior (11-1 in the Big 12). Great dual threat kept unheralded Kansas State in national spotlight. Rushed for 890 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Marcus Mariota, Oregon freshman (11-1 in the Pac 12). QB rating was fifth nationally. Also ran for 690 yards.

Tajh Boyd, Clemson junior (10-2 in the ACC). Lots of touchdown passes, but also many interceptions and sacks. Piled up the stats playing deep into the fourth quarter against the weaker ACC defenses, then fell flat in losses to FSU and SC. Will have a long day against LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Rushed for 519 yards and 9 touchdowns.

THE QUARTERBACKS

Aaron Murray, Georgia junior (11-2 in the SEC). Highest yards per attempt, second highest passer rating. Played great down the stretch against Florida, Ole Miss, and Alabama.

AJ McCarron, Alabama junior (12-1 in the SEC). Bama threw less, helping his passer rating lead the nation. Only three interceptions.

Matt Barkley, USC Senior (7-5 in the Pac 12). Great skills, but can he be a winner in the NFL?

Landry Jones, Oklahoma Senior (10-2 in the Big 12 ). Had over one hundred more attempts than the next closest QB. Great stats, but not an elite QB. Zero rushing touchdowns because he came out in goal line situations.

THE IMPOSTERS

Tevin Washington, Georgia Tech Senior (6-7 in the ACC). Often ridiculed, but had a much better QB rating (& more rushing TD’s) than the more highly-touted Braxton Miller and Logan Thomas. In the first seven games Tevin rushed for 471 yards and 15 touchdowns, and Tech went 3-5. In the last five games Washington only had 167 yards / 4 TD’s…but GT went 3-2.

Braxton Miller, Ohio State sophomore (12-0 in the Big 10). Led these QB’s with 1271 rushing yards, but his QB rating was second worst.

Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech Junior (6-6 in the ACC). Ranked 89th in nation. Not an NFL QB. Virginia Tech was done in by his 14 interceptions and 21 sacks. With only 519 rushing yards, Thomas’ physical prowess did not offset his limited passing skills. 

PL…comp..att…yards..comp%..YPA..TD..int..sack..QB rating

AJ….191…286…2669…66.8…9.33…26…3…22…173.1 (1)

AM…231…353…3466…65.4…9.82…31…8…24…172.4 (2)

TB….251…377…3550…66.6…9.42…34..13..26…168.5 (4)

MM..218…312…2511…69.9…8.05…30…6…16…165.4 (5)

MB…246…387…3273…63.6…8.46…36..15..14…157.6 (11)

CK…180…272…2490…66.2…9.15…15…7…13…156.1 (15)

JM…273…400…3419…68.3…8.55…24…8…22…155.9 (16)

LJ….332…507…3989…65.5…7.90…29..10…12…146.5 (29)

TW….72.…128…1173…56.3…9.16….7.…4….9…145.0 (32)

BM…148…254…2039…58.3…8.03…15…6…28…140.5 (44)

LT….205…390…2783…52.6…7.10…17..14…21…119.7 (89)

5 MPH Bumpers

My meeting was at 8 pm last night. Left work at 4:30 and went for my usual run. Then traffic was heavier than usual, bumper to bumper. I was stopped at a red light, about 4 cars back. It had been bumper to bumper for a while, so I thought there were a line of cars behind me. All of a sudden BAM! The car behind me smashed into me. I hopped out of my car, still sweaty in my shorts and T shirt. I must've glared at the guy behind me, but he whimpered "The lady behind me pushed me into you!" I saw no damage, and we all drove over to the nearby parking lot. I checked my car over, and still couldn't find any damage. The guy behind me had a 92 Camry, and his wasn't damaged either. The lady's Camaro convertible had a small scratch. Thank God for 5 MPH bumpers. Later I worried about my neck and back, but I think I'm ok.

Took Anna to art, then drove to the Cumberland Galleria. Westbound 285 traffic was bad, so from Sandy Springs I took Mt Vernon to Northside Drive, the right on Mount Paran to Northside Parkway. An old friend was at the meeting: Lisa, whose son Curtis played ball with Will for years. Didn't get home until almost ten. Then I helped Anna with her paper and talked to Will. He had been at a church Christmas party in Watkinsville. It had been his last day of classes, and finals are about to start up.

Working on a comparison of some of college football's top QB's. Will share when finished.

Fred O is a grandfather now. He often grows a beard in the winter.

Trading Places

As predicted, the Braves traded Hanson. I thought Wren did well to get that Angels reliever.

BJ Upton: Perhaps our batting coaches can help keep the strikeouts down. Wren joked about having lots of strikeouts in the lineup. With Span traded to the Nationals and Victorino in Boston, will Bourn's price be driven down by the Phillies? Will be interesting to see if the Yankees make a run at him.

Twitter is great for information, but people are dumber than on the blogs. On Facebook's "Friends of Dave O'Brien" page there's one guy who acts like he owns the place. He has nothing positive say, and everything he suggests is dumb. Then he slams those who disagree with him. I'm still waiting to come up with the perfect slam.

Looks like we have lost "Bean", our helper here at work. In her eight months she had become quite helpful for the entire office. From the start I really didn't invest myself in her. She never listened when given instructions, instead interrupting with what she thought the right answer. She'd always explain everything going on, in too much detail. Her often tragic stories didn't always add up or make sense. She didn't eat meat, but ate veggie burgers, fries, and chips. Last month she called in sick for three weeks, saying she was going to homeopathic doctors for testing for several different ailments. She returned to work for two half days, and started explaining her medical plight to a co-worker Born, who's experienced in medical matters. Born started questioning the rambling story, and Bean hasn't been back ever since. When Bean texted, saying she wouldn't be in, I advised her to call our boss. She never did, and the Ogre finally got tired of waiting. Later Bean's temp agency called. Bean had told them she'd be out 3-6 months. I hope she gets help.

We may get a long-time worker to replace her, who'd been recently laid off by the traffic department. We'll have to train her ourselves, which sucks. There's some stuff Bean did that I don't know about.

Championship Saturday

The SEC championship game was a thriller. Hated that Georgia lost. Bama figured at Georgia couldn’t stop the run, and it was all over. Will be interesting to see what people will say about 680 the fan’s Chuck Oliver this week. In the post game press conference he asked Richt about not being able to win the big one, and Richt called him on it. Oliver will never admit to being wrong, but he will be taken to task by his co-host and the callers.

Like Alabama, Tech needed to keep running the ball against UGA. Had Tech run the ball on every play, they would’ve continued to get first downs. But Johnson would keep called a pass, or some trick play, and Tech would have to punt. Same thing in the FSU game. The Noles shut down the sweep, but Tech was running the ball up the middle.

Many Tech fans blamed Washington for the FSU loss. Without him, the game wouldn’t have been so close. Vad Lee is a great talent, but against Duke, Georgia, and FSU he proved that he’s too inexperienced to perform in big games against tough opposition. Things might have been different had Vad played more earlier in the year. I was thinking Tech might actually win the bowl game for once, until I learned they were playing USC.

I’m sure the Sun Bowl hates being forced to take Tech for a second straight year. They have a contract with the ACC, and the conference made them take Tech.

The BCS is a mess, and the United States Congress is partially to blame. They threatened hearings and legislation if rules were changed to allow consideration to the smaller/weaker conferences. Now the five BCS bowls have to invite teams ranked 15th, 21st, and even unranked teams, while half the top ten gets shut out. But we knew all along that the bowls are only interested in making money. Deserving teams like Louisiana State are shut out, while teams with losing records are in. Bowls pick teams in their region, whose fans will best travel to the game. Unless they’re forced by contract to take a less-desirable team.

Friday I shut my computer down at five. Just then my phone rang, and for the next 30 minutes I was helping correct a month end problem. I had pretty much worked from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm without a break. Hadn’t been feeling too good in the morning, so I woofed down my chili at 10:00 am. By the time I left it was too dark to run in the park. I didn’t think about running on the track. For the rest of the evening I was worn out and grouchy.

Saturday morning I took Anna up north of Alpharetta to her friend Emily’s house. Emily had shot a deer the day before. When I dropped off Anna I noticed a huge open field through the woods behind her house. Later I asked Anna, and Emily had shot the deer in that field.

Later I cleaned out the van and got it washed. I still wasn’t feeling well, so I took a nap. Watched the SEC and ACC Championship games, then drove up to Browns Bridge Road to get Anna, north of Cumming…a 65 mile round trip at midnight.

Sunday we finally put all the containers of summer clothes into the attic (It’s a two-person job). We got out the Christmas decorations. Then I raked leaves and finished trimming the hedges, blew the library, cleaned the kitchen, and did some laundry. Watched the bowl selection shows. 

Falcon Throwback

To get the maximum benefit from wearing their lovely throwback uniforms, the Falcons should more carefully select which games they wear them in. It’s a waste to wear them against the Panthers ugly modern uniforms. Instead they should wear them against opponents with traditional uniforms. Current NFL rules dictate how often throwbacks can be worn (twice) and which weeks they can be broken out (the middle of the season). These rules should be relaxed, to allow teams to wear throwbacks against teams with traditional/throwback uniforms.  

IDEA: If teams like the Falcons and/or Saints also had a white throwback jersey, teams could manufacture throwback vs. throwback games. Division rivals could play throwback games so their fans wouldn’t have to see the same uniforms every year. Hey NFL, more jerseys could be sold. MLB does this all the time.

IDEA: If the NFL allowed both teams to wear colored jerseys, certain matchups could make for a more colorful viewing experience. Falcon red vs. Saints black, or Bucs throwback cream vs. Falcons or Saints throwback black. You’d think the guys at Nike would suggest this.

A look at the Falcons 2012 schedule shows which games were the best candidates for throwback uniforms:

at CHIEFS: White throwbacks would look great against KC’s classic unis.

BRONCOS: Regular uni game.

at CHARGERS: Though SD wears powder blues, they haven’t been throwing back. Sad.

PANTHERS: Regular uni game.

at REDSKINS: Another good white throwback game.

RAIDERS: Best opportunity for the Falcons to wear throwbacks, to match up against Oakland’s traditional unis.

at EAGLES: Philly hasn’t worn their beautiful 1960 throwbacks lately, but they should.

COWBOYS: Another opportune throwback game, against the Cowboys traditional unis.

at SAINTS: A home & home throwback series would be great for the fans.

CARDINALS: No chance with Arizona’s ugly Falcon-like unis.

at BUCS: Have TB wear the cream unis, and go double throwback color-on-color!

SAINTS: Throwback vs. throwback round two.

at PANTHERS: Regular uni game.

GIANTS: A third great throwback/traditional game.

at LIONS: Another white throwback chance, should Detroit also throw back.

BUCS: Return the color vs. color throwback favor for the Falcons fans.

Interesting that the Falcons alternated home and road games all year long. Again, I need to write both the Falcons and the NFL.

This was written before the Falcons threw back this past Thursday night. Too bad the Saints didn't at least wear their throwback pants, socks, and helmets.

Twenty One

Not long ago an interesting topic came up on Uni-Watch: What uniform number is the most legendary number for a particular city?

For Atlanta the answer is obvious: 21.

BRAVES: Warren Spahn. HOF, winningest lefthander of all time. The Braves retired his number.

FALCONS: Deion Sanders. Soon to be HOF. Perhaps the greatest cornerback AND return man ever.

HAWKS: Dominique Wilkins. HOF.

GT FOOTBALL: Calvin Johnson. Perhaps the greatest receiver ever, according to Sports Illustrated. 

GT BASKETBALL: Roger Kaiser. Two-time All-American. Also played baseball.

UGA FOOTBALL: Frank Sinkwich. Heisman trophy winner. UGA retired his number.

UGA BASKETBALL: Again, Dominique Wilkins. All American.
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, MACON: Me. 

What number best represents other cities?

Don’t know what this means, but I was reminded of this topic in a dream.

BJ

Mixed feelings about the Braves signing BJ Upton. No move this off-season is perfect…either too expensive (Bourn), or not as good a player. Fans want a slugger who hits home runs, but sluggers strike out a lot. I hear they could still get Span from the Twins. Hanson may be moved to free up salary space.

Teams like the Giants and Nationals and Phillies win by hitting singles, not home runs. Seems like the Braves hit better last year, perhaps thanks to the new hitting coaches. Some hitters are stubborn, like Francoeur and Uggla.

Still slammed, but hardly anything going on outside of work anyway. Co-worker still out, and tomorrow is month end. No time to do my regular job. Stacks of past due work is piled up. Hacks me off when people wonder if we can do without the extra person.

Bucs Should Double Throw Back

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers break out their lovely creamsicke throwback uniforms once of twice a year. Since so many other teams also have a set of throwbacks, or wear traditional uniforms, with advance planning the Bucs could create a traditional-looking matchup. Looking at their 2012 schedule, they could’ve made as many as 13 good-looking games out of their 16 game schedule. Only Carolina and Denver do not own traditional or throwback uni sets. And who did Tampa Bay wear cream against this year? Carolina.

Unlike college football, I’m not sure if the No Fun League would allow both teams to wear colored jerseys, even if they were different enough in color to sufficiently contrast. Color vs. color games regularly took place before the age of television. The early black & white TV’s could not distinguish the blues from reds, so teams started wearing white. Now that B&W is virtually extinct and hi-def color rules the day, there’s no reason not to arrange more colorful NFL matchups. If not, the most natural throwback games would be the Cowboys on the road, and the Chiefs at home.

2012 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS SCHEDULE
PANTHERS: Bucs should wear their regular unis.

at GIANTS: Since the G-man have royal blue traditional unis, TB could wear cream.

at COWBOYS: Dallas wears traditional white at home, so TB should’ve worn cream.

REDSKINS: Cream would contrast well against Washington’s traditional burgundy.

CHIEFS: Kansas City’s traditional white road unis would’ve looked great against TB’s cream.

SAINTS: NO’s black throwbacks and TB’s creams would be a great matchup.

at VIKINGS: Minnesota’s purple throwbacks would contrast well.

at RAIDERS: Oakland’s traditional black unis would contrast well.

at PANTHERS: No reason for TB to throw back.

FALCONS: Atlanta’s black throwbacks were what gave me this idea in the first place.

at BRONCOS: No reason to throw back.

EAGLES: Not sure if Philly has scheduled a throwback game, though they have in the past.

at SAINTS: Black vs. cream for the fans in the Big Easy.

RAMS: Royal & yellow throwbacks vs. cream.

at FALCONS: Black vs. cream for the Atlanta fans.

Note: I really should send this to the Buccaneers home office. Not sure that they're regular readers of my blog.

Turkey Day

Interesting Thanksgiving. On the way home from work Wednesday I stopped by the Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Shop (LOTH), hoping to see Haley Hurt. She had left, but I did see Catherine Norman, home from Memphis. Wednesday night I rented “Coma” which turned out to be a four hour TV miniseries. Took a while to watch. Filmed in Atlanta, using the High Museum as a clinic for coma patients. Starred Richard Dreyfuss and Geena Davis. A lady from North Point (Kelly Lintz) even had a bit part as a nurse…a speaking role.

Thursday morning Will invited me to dinner with Mary-Clayton’s extended family, at her grandparent’s house not far away from our house. Turned out to be a fun time. The highlight: MC’s sister Anna’s cool new black boots. Will and I thought it funny that Joel & Anna G wanted to shop at the same places. Ceil’s family ate at the local BBQ place, where it was crowded. Then they headed back, arriving around 7:30. Before they arrived I got the leaves blown off the driveway.

Black Friday: Late Thursday Will and MC went out shopping with Joel (and Kevin?). Didn’t return until 4 am. Around noon Will got a haircut, and then C and MC took him downtown to the Regency Hyatt. Will was one of ten 4-Hers selected nationally for a 4H leadership conference. My purchase: hedge clippers from Home Depot, and some $7.00 European golf pants from the TJ Maxx next door. Back home I trimmed hedges until dark. Later Ceil and Anna went out shopping, and I missed meeting up with the Hurts at LOTH.

Saturday was another college football veg-out: ESPN College GameDay, Tech/Georgia, Florida/FSU, and Clemson/SC. Ceil baked blueberry muffins and cooked BBQ in the crockpot. I put up ten items on eBay, and have already sold a Kansas State baseball jersey for $50.00. Anna texted Joel, telling him we had his scarf. His hilarious reply went something like this: “Greatest day ever. Anna Gilbert is texting me!” Good thing nobody reads this blog.

For some reason Sunday I picked up Kim King’s book on Georgia Tech football, and read two thirds of it. Not very well written. Few stories or details not already widely known. But unlike UGA, it’s one of the few books out about Georgia Tech football. I should write one, after I write a Herschel book. There may be a couple of Herschel Walker books, including an “autobiography”…but none chronicling his football career.

Will’s 4H group ate at the downtown Ted’s Montana Grill for Sunday lunch. Later I picked him up from the hotel, and we met Ceil at Passion Church. Will headed back to Athens after the service. Traffic didn’t seem too bad. Monday afternoon he toured Turner Field with his 4H group.

Vampire Hunter

Rented Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter last night. Pretty good. Slightly different from the book. Violent, but most of the violence came in the shadows and dimly lit places. Some in slow motion, but still they didn't see much gore. The scariest parts were when the vampires' faces turned monster-like.

What chance do you give the Braves to sign BJ Upton? Concerned that his OBP has decreased, while his strikeouts have increased. Doesn't seem like the Braves want to give him Bourn-like money.

Will drove back by himself yesterday. He drove straight to the airport to pick up MC, then straight up to Cartersville. The Gilberts had hung up a banner for their daughters reading "Welcome home Mary Clayton, Anna…and Will".

Yesterday Matthew excitedly texted me a photo. He had found something he'd been wanting: a stereo record player (with huge speakers).

Andy on CNN

CNN.com published an article on the Stanleys. I thought it was better/nicer than the AJC.com article. Andy did too. This morning he tweeted “My thanks to John Blake/CNN for a fair & accurate presentation of our story. Family is worth fighting for!” http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/17/us/andy-stanley/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Left work Friday at 4:15. Drove to Cumming to pick up Will. Left there at five and met Ceil at the Roswell Square at 5:50. Will and Anna swapped cars, and I drove Anna to Peachtree Corners for a bonfire near the river…not too far from work. Then drove back home, arriving at 7:15. A three hour rush hour commute. In honor of Will’s homecoming, Ceil cooked spaghetti and meatballs. At 11:30 pm I drove back to fetch Anna. Saw two large deer in the Peachtree Corners neighborhood.

For breakfast Saturday morning Ceil cooked scones, bacon, grits, and eggs. Watching college football was more challenging this week: UGA kicked off at 1:30, and both Tech and Clemson at 3:30. The Bulldogs game was pretty much decided by the half, thanks to Aaron Murray’s touchdown pass late in the second quarter. While watching Tech on channel 298 I eventually figured out Clemson was on channel 248. After falling behind 13-0, NC State scored three straight touchdowns. Then Clemson scored four straight TD’s, and wound up winning 62-48.    

Tech looked better on defense, but it was just Duke. The Blue Devils couldn’t stop Tech’s running game, and the jackets had four touchdown drives of 74 yards or longer (plus a 43 yard drive). GT fans are boasting on AJC.com blogs that Tech will beat Georgia, I’ve been wrong before, but no way GT outscores UGA. UGA’s defense will shut down Tevin Washington, and Vad Lee is too inexperienced. Gotta root for FSU to beat Florida, so the Seminoles might let up against Tech in the ACC championship game. If Florida beats FSU, the Seminoles will come out ready to whip some tail.

It is possible for the BCS national championship game to feature two teams from the SEC East, if Notre Dame and Alabama lose. This just a couple of years after two SEC West teams were in the BCS.

Sunday night we had our small group “thanksgiving dinner.” I was talking to my friend Reid, who writes and produces music at Turner. Reid has worked on the music for the NBA on TNT several times. He said today that Adam Silver is visiting, the guy replacing David Stern as the NBA commissioner. A few weeks ago NFL commissioner Roger Goodell poked his head in Reid’s office. Reid doesn’t work directly with these people, but sometimes gets introduced to the bigwigs. A few months ago Ted Turner was in town to celebrate TBS’s anniversary. Reid also told a Jane Fonda story.

Later Jeff Foxworthy came up in the conversation, and Reid mentioned that he had recently worked with Foxworthy on a movie. It turned out to be Bryan Coley’s Crackerjack, and Bryan had been there as well. Foxworthy was recording the narrator lines for the movie. Jeff would read the lines as they were written, then revise them a little to make it sound more like something he would say. Reid said this made them even funnier.

Switchfoot on Leno

Thursday I ran at the nearby soccer fields after work, the first time all week. Ceil cooked a new recipe for supper: a meaty rice and black bean burrito filling. Then I took a nap, then stayed up with Matthew to watch his favorite band Switchfoot on Jay Leno. As usual, the band played one song right at the end of the show. Tim Allen and the young boy from Modern Family were also on with Jay.

Not much going on this weekend. The Clemson game and Tech game will be on TV, but not Georgia. I’ll clean up, and do some battle with the leaves. This afternoon Will is catching a ride home today. Anna is going to a bonfire tonight.

It may be me, but the people that DOB has to put up with on Twitter are harder to ignore than the AJC.com commenters. DOB seems to have fun with them, almost publicly admonishing them for dumb questions. People continuously have bad, uninformed opinions. It’s like they aren’t reading DOB’s tweets and developing a sense of what the Braves are trying to accomplish. Should the Braves actually make one of the deals they suggest these same people would be taking Wren to task.

Some of the Braves fan pages on FB seem to try to draw out negative responses from fans based on the way they ask questions. Same with the AJC and 11Alive. The old codger in me likes to leave contrary opinions.

At the Tech game I snapped a couple of quick photos during the game with my iPhone camera. Just now a guy from work came by and said “Let me show you a picture of where I was last night.” I said “Wait! Let me show you a picture of where I was last night!” We showed each other the pictures at the same time. He was also at the Tech game. In fact, he was in the background of one of my pictures, behind the scorer’s table at center court.

Hoops: GT vs Presbyterian

Had fun at the Tech / Presbyterian game Wednesday night. Reid and I rode with the Perry’s and their old lady friend. They were all a hoot. Mrs. Perry looked great, perhaps because she dressed in all black, like me. Their friend is a basketball nut, weaned on the game as a child in North Carolina. She has one season ticket for men’s basketball, and two for the women’s games.

This was the second men’s game in the new McCamish Pavilion. Reid said the bugs were still being worked out. The lighting had been adjusted since opening night. The courtside student seats were full, but the student section behind the north basket was only half full. Paul Johnson made a late entrance, making his way to a courtside seat. Later when the Jumbotron camera focused on him, he uncharacteristically smiled. A group of football players also arrived late, and settled into the section next to Reid and me. The only one I recognized was quarterback Vad Lee. While many went crazy during the inevitable Budweiser song, Lee remained seated, barely moving to the beat.

Tech came out sluggish, and trailed Presbyterian at the half. They shot under 40% from the field, and less than 20% from three point range. In the second half the Blue Hose clumsily turned the ball over several times, and Tech opened up a lead. The Jackets also started to move the ball inside. Late in the game Presbyterian had the chance to cut the lead to five, but missed. Tech finally broke the 50 point barrier with less than one minute remaining in the game. Last Saturday the football team scored more points.

Reid wondered if the Jackets weren’t in for a long season. Joe admitted they had played better against Tulane, but said Tech would’ve lost to Tulane had the Jackets played like they did against Presbyterian. In a few weeks Tech will add a transfer from Kentucky to the rotation. Coach Brian Gregory about ten players considerable playing time. Tech will probably improve on last year, but still are a year or two away from competing for the ACC Championship.

Tech’s new uniforms look great. Simple and traditional, with the plain gold TECH and block numbers thinly outlined in drop-shadow black. I was also impressed by Presbyterian’s simple navy BLUE HOSE unis, with the Air Jordan logo. Unlike Tech’s mismatched Nike footwear, Presbyterian rocked matching Nikes.    

Supposedly Julie Perry lives in Birmingham, working for various political candidates.

GT Outscores UNC

Hard to complain about the offense in Tech’s 68-50 win over North Carolina, the highest-scoring game in ACC history.

As usual, Tech passed on the first play of the game. As usual, this took the defense completely by surprise. Every week this amazes me. Tevin Washington’s first pass might’ve been a touchdown, but he threw it behind the receiver. This did not surprise me. Neither did Orwin Smith’s coming out of the game after the first play. While this could be by design, it seems implausible that the all-time ACC yards per carry leader would be a such a spot player.

After Tevin’s first two possessions resulted in a touchdown and a punt, Vad Lee quarterbacked the rest of the way. He played well, though right now he is more of an unpolished Tajh Boyd-type than the more well-rounded Cam Newton-type he has the potential to become. While Washington has run Paul Johnson’s option offense better than Nesbitt, Johnson can open up the offense even more to exploit Lee’s abilities. For some reason Tech is one of the few teams in the country to make their right-handed quarterback drop back to pass to the left. Then the QB has to take the time to turn completely around before he can pass. By then the pass rush is closing in. if the primary receiver is covered, there’s no time to look for other options.

UNC’s defense was clearly befuddled by Tech’s ability to run and pass. The Tar Heels contributed greatly to their own demise, losing several fumbles, throwing an interception to a defensive lineman, and botching a fake punt.

Running Back Rundown: David Sims stretched out for an impressive touchdown. Synjyn Days returned to his fumbling ways. Every game I grow fonder of running back Robert Godhigh, the former walk-on turned touchdown machine. He scored three times against UNC, on a short run, a longer run, and a leaping catch. He also is a tenacious blocker. After being tackled he pops up and returns to the huddle, unlike Orwin Smith, who seems to take himself out of the game after every play. Smith seems soft. All skinny sophomore fullback Zack Laskey does is gain yards. Johnson seems to want to play the more highly-touted Sims or Days, but Laskey remains the most productive. BJ Bostic and Tony Zenon add speed to the group.

Jamal Golden returned another kickoff the length of the field for his second touchdown of the season. Every time he touches the ball I’m afraid he’s going to slip. When he breaks out into the clear, Golden runs too closely to the sidelines. Once they reviewed the play to make sure he didn’t step out of bounds. Jamal must be hanging around fellow returner Orwin Smith too much.

Tech appears to have found a kicker. Redshirt senior Chris Tanner had a perfect game. His kickoffs were shorter than Justin Moore, who may be out hurt.

The Jackets extended their perfect record while wearing gold helmets to 3-0. We shall see how this influences their Saturday helmet choice.

With a slim chance for Tech to earn a spot in the ACC Championship Game on the line, the Jackets can’t afford to stumble against a decent Duke team. I don’t mind having Tevin start his last home game, but hopefully Lee will again get extended playing time. The 68 point outburst emboldened some Tech fans to predict victory over #5 Georgia, who “hasn’t proven anything” this year while winning the SEC East. How quickly they forget the 50 points the Jackets’ defense gave up in Chapel Hill. And UNC is no UGA.

CLEMSON: Every week the Tigers get out to a big lead, and leave starting quarterback Tajh Boyd in the game to risk the injury fates. There is a fine line between pulling him too early, because the outcome of the game has to be decided. Saturday Clemson led 38-7 with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, against Maryland’s freshman linebacker turned QB. Tajh Boyd was still in the game…throwing bombs. Boyd finally came out at the very end of the third quarter.

Maryland’s play of the game: Clemson attempted a 54 yard field goal. The punter, having nailed a 60 yarder earlier in the season, seemed to go too easy on this try, and the kick was way short. Maryland alertly fielded the kick and ran it out of the end zone, returning it 80 yards.  

For years Clemson has rolled over lesser opponents, then failed to show up against decent opponents like FSU. Next week’s game against South Carolina will determine if this trend continues.

Taco Bell

Read in Sports Illustrated that the Tigers' Justin Verlander eats at Taco Bell the night before he pitches. And he eats a bunch. Last night I grabbed some Taco Bell for Matthew. Ceil and I had chicken parmesan sandwiches on hoagie rolls. Matthew had one for lunch. Anna had Campbell's chicken noodle soup before her art class. Ceil was baking desserts for the kids Thanksgiving feast, which is today.

I was reading the USA Today article about Spielberg and his Lincoln movie. He said there are several Lincoln stories to tell, but he wouldn't make another Lincoln movie without Daniel Day Lewis. Years ago DDL had originally turned Spielberg down for the role, so SS shelved the project. Later Leonardo Dicaprio heard about it, and helped talk DDL into taking the role.

Left home Monday 4:20 pm and made the round trip to the airport and back in two hours…not bad for a rainy rush hour. Ceil said she'd ride MARTA, but I picked her up anyway. After a depressing weekend, our dog was happy when Ceil got home. She fixed spaghetti with meat sauce.

My sick co-worker hopes to return next Monday, to work at least half days. Between my normal stuff, extra meetings, taking off half of two days, and keeping up with her stuff, I've been pretty busy. I try to check my yahoo email, but sometimes I can go a day or two before checking it. 

Good, Bad, & Ugly

GOOD: Funny that Tech exploded for 68 points the first time Vad Lee plays most of the game. He's certainly far from a finished product, and he appears to be from the same mold as Clemson's Tajh Boyd or Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas. I hate to watch those guys run a regular offense, but Vad could run Paul Johnson's offense better than Nesbitt or Washington.

BAD: Falcons lose: better now than later. I only saw the beginning of the game. You know how I hate excessive celebration penalties, and the one after the interception factored into Atlanta only getting a field goal instead of a touchdown…and the Falcons lost by four. I know there was more to it than that.

UGLY: David Ross signs with Boston: Luckily I did not read the DOB blog, though I did read all the DOB and Bowman tweets. Will's level-headed friend Kevin had an anti-Wren Facebook post, and I cautioned that you really couldn't blame Wren. I really can't blame an older player wanting to play in Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park (or for the crowds in Philly or St. Louis). The payday is great, but so is the pressure. We shall see how Rossy likes it.

Only working four hours both this past Friday and today. Ceil got to go to Williamsburg on Saturday, and returns this afternoon. Friday A, M, and I rented and all watched The Avengers together. I liked it. Another day of watching college football on Saturday. Yesterday was Passion City Church and Moes. I also ironed, did laundry, and completed the summer/winter clothes swap.

Coworker getting tested for Lyme Disease today. She was out all last week, and wants to make the rash decision to quit. I hope she doesn't…she has become a valuable employee.

Logan Thomas Disappoints Again

Exciting game Thursday night between FSU and VT. I was rooting for FSU, since I had written that they would win the ACC. Also because I'd written about the VT QB Logan Thomas not playing well in big games. He did OK last night, though he made several bad throws. For most of the game he had completed less than 50% of his passes. Most of the plays they call for him are "easy" pass routes: drop three steps and fire. Sure, he can rumble and is hard to tackle, but he's far from being a good QUARTERBACK or PASSER. His last pass was intercepted.

Not much happened Thursday night. Young Jimmy Ewing called. He occasionally calls Ceil, since C and Jenny were good friends. Ricky Richardson will call her from time to time as well, but he hasn't called for a while. Margaret Ewing is expecting her second child, this time a boy. Her daughter's photo is featured on the box of a baby product sold in stores.

Friday morning I took C to the airport for her flight to Dulles. Co-worker has been out sick all week. I was going to take off Friday and Monday, but was needed to fill in. MONDAY: Like today, I'll probably arrive to work late and leave early. Hopefully the coworker will be back.

Third Time is OK

Ceil always has a hard time picking out where to eat. After all day at school she had to drive from Alpharetta to southwest Cobb County for Matthew's appointment. Then Matthew had to be at Cumberland Mall at six, to go to the Hawks game. I suggested we meet at The OK Café.

After work I ran, then picked up Anna at the nearby Atlanta Bread Company in Peachtree Corners at 5:15. From there, getting to 75 & West Paces Ferry during rush hour is almost impossible. Went straight down Peachtree Industrial. 285 was jammed both ways, so I drove straight down Peachtree and turned on West Paces. Buckhead traffic was bad, but we arrived just after Ceil. Got to point out several points of interest that Anna had never seen.

I usually dread eating at the OK Café, but last night it was good. Had the BBQ pork sandwich. The fries were excellent. Ceil devoured the vegetable plate, and Anna had her usual chicken sandwich. Afterward C and A went to Perimeter Mall. I went home and watched the Hawks fall behind. The guys left the game early to meet back at Cumberland at ten, so they missed the incredible comeback. Of course I was the one who had to go get Matthew.

Interesting about the deflated footballs. Indicative not only of sports today, but also American society as a whole.

I saw a story about a football betting ring was busted up. Guys were betting hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of the men were coaches in the games being bet on. The football games were being played by little kids!