Caught on the Kiss Cam

Thursday the Braves tickets from work were available but I passed. Early on AJC beat writer Dave O’Brien tweeted that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were seated in the box next to the dugout. I missed not only another loss but also the kiss cam – featuring the former president. The next day I asked my young coworker who had taken the tickets if she had seen President Carter on the kiss cam. "You mean that cute old couple?" was her reply.  http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2015/09/17/150178084/jimmy-carter-appears-on-braves-kiss-cam

Ceil baked a ground beef and noodle dish similar to lasagna. Also salad. Very good. I worked until 7 pm and drove straight home to watch the Clemson game.

Can’t blame Dabo for putting a positive spin on the victory, or for celebrating with his team. A win is a win. But in his heart he has to know his team is far from dominant. Win one game at a time is all he can do.  I don’t think Vince Lombardi could train today’s athlete to play selflessly. Sure the Clemson player motioned for the interceptor to down the ball, but just by catching the batted ball and running five or ten yards gave Louisville an extra chance to force a fumble that might be returned for the game-winning touchdown. Perhaps a one in a million chance, but that’s exactly what happened to UGA against Auburn in 2013. Kids these days are always out for glory and rarely learn from history – because they’re so caught up in their own little world that they rarely notice and learn from what’s happening in the larger world around them.

Was I too hard on Clemson? How many teams have it all together after three games? Opponents can be tough, even 0-2 opponents playing at home. Tech has played two cupcakes and faces a tough Notre Dame team at their place. I’d better watch what I say lest I jinx them.

Friday morning M had a test. Ceil took Barney to the vet to have three lesions removed, one near his eye. They shaved around his eye area and will have to wear the cone of shame for a while. I worked until six. M was spending the night with his band, so Ceil and I finally celebrated our anniversary at Moxie Burger. Big Friday night crowd. Next year a third East Cobb Moxie opens. Hope they don’t over-saturate the market. Afterwards we cruised through Merchants Walk to check out the movies. The shopping center has really been upgraded lately, and it almost rivals The Avenue. War Room didn’t start for over an hour, so we returned home. Ceil played on the computer.

Watched FSU / Boston College. Both teams may have strong defenses. Both offenses were stymied, particularly BC’s. Like UNC and Vandy and so many other schools with supposedly great “athletic” quarterbacks, BC’s QB was flashy but ineffective. He would scramble into the clear. The crowd would rise – then an even more athletic FSU defender would stop him for no gain. In the second half he sprained an ankle and limped off. The even more athletic backup only knew a few plays and proved to be worse. He was pulled after only a few plays. BC inserted Doug Flutie’s nephew, who actually was able to run the offense, complete passes, scramble for first downs, and move the team.    

It took a BC fumble and FSU return to effectively put the game out of reach with a two touchdown lead. After the game Jimbo praised the defense and special teams but admitted he needed to do a better job coaching up the offense. Will the Seminoles improve before they play Tech? I hope not.

This weekend was physical inventory at work. Saturday there were at least twelve of us at work keying in and checking tags. We were able to get a little bit of other work done as well. Chickfila biscuits for breakfast and Jimmy Johns sandwiches for lunch. Helped me get to know some of my new younger co-workers. Worked 7 am – 2:30 pm. Some stayed later.

Made it home for the GT game. Several factors contributed to the loss. Being a favorite in South Bend. The Irish were fired up after almost losing to Virginia. Those huge linemen. A team loaded up with 5 star recruits usually beats a team of 3 stars. ND defended the option well. Even though Justin Thomas is the best passer Paul Johnson has ever had, GT still passed too much. Number 8 is supposed to beat number 17. Had GT made fewer mistakes they could’ve won.

After missing two field goals Johnson didn’t try a third, instead going for it on 4th and 17. Make those field goals and Tech wins. Drew Kelly said I was blaming the kicker. Who else was to blame for the misses? Perhaps Butker was playing hurt. Butker’s family may be friends of Drew’s.

UGA looked good. Perhaps they can give Bama a game. Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly also looked good. But the Rebels are playing with fire. Kelly has left a trail of uncontrollable temper and bad decisions back home in Buffalo, at Clemson, and at his community college. I can’t blame Clemson for kicking him off the team.

More inventory on Sunday morning. There were just four of us in the office: Steve, Alex, Sue, and me. With fewer people I couldn’t work on other stuff, but we were able to chat. Worked 7 – 11:30. On the way home I picked up a Columbia shirt and sweater. Didn’t do much the rest of the day: watched a little Falcons and Braves and napped. Picked up M at church.