Rookie of the Year

Sports Illustrated often publishes more than one "regional" cover each week. Not sure who is on the main cover this week: either Jeff Gordon or Todd Gurley of the Rams. Surely Gurley is in the covers in the St. Louis region, but does his cover appear anywhere else? Not in Bulldog territory – I received a Gordon cover. You'd think in the Southeast, where NASCAR is most popular, SI would send out the Gordon cover. That means Gurley's home state of North Carolina also got Gordon.

Thursday night C and M went to the premiere of the final Hunger Games movie. I want to see the Redford/Nolte movie A Walk in the Woods. I guess the R rating is for language. GT/GB: I was listening to the game on the way home.

All week I've been kicking myself for not buying a particular pair of shoes. They normally sell for $100.00 and they are scarce, so even if I hadn't liked them I could've sold them for a big profit. I'll never be able to find those shoes for such a cheap price again. Last night on the way home I stopped by three stores. The first store had the shoes in a kids size. The second store had an adult pair in my favorite colors: white/black/blue/grey. Even at double the price I was going to buy them - but they were size 14. Looked like boats next to my feet. At the third store I bought a different pair of shoes for M. We'll see if he wears them.

Spent some time Thursday and Friday working on my 2015 scrapbook calendar. I've about got it all filled up. Got my new 2016 calendar all ready to go for next year.

If it wasn't for my Chattanooga trip next week I would've taken off the 20th. Slept at least 15 minutes late this morning, because I've stopped setting an alarm. Went to Cheeseburger Bobby's for lunch. I will probably take off several Fridays in December.

Not much else going on this weekend. Sunday night we have our small group Thanksgiving dinner.

Wedding: I wasn't involved in the guest list. There were just a few people I made sure stayed on the list. I could check the list, but I really won't know who was invited until the wedding. I don't think I've even seen the invitation yet. Just a bunch of black envelopes. Ceil addressed all the envelopes, using a fountain pen. She might have even dipped the pen in an inkwell.

Grateful?

I've been doing my job for eight years, and work orders for fifteen. Kept the customer happy, pulling off miracle after miracle despite putting up with negative circumstances. Never invited to congratulatory banquets, golf tournaments, or retirement dinners for people I've worked alongside for 28 years (I was given a golf ball). I get to go to Chattanooga to answer questions while everyone else is on vacation for Thanksgiving - while all my regular work piles up. 

I can do without the banquets and the golf. It would be nice to not be taken for granted (and maybe get a raise every decade or so). Next I'm wanted in Charleston the week after I get back from Chattanooga. No matter what I say people don’t listen or understand. If I’m not at my desk working to resolve the next week’s potential problems there’s gonna be trouble. I can’t do that when I’m hundreds of miles away. The Ogre understood. So did my old boss Steve Apollo. 

Now that I've my little pity party - not even mentioning all our troubles at home - there's this: my family isn't the only ones sailing rough seas.

RH needs a new roof. Their driveway is settling, which is effecting the foundation of their house. They have one son in college and another who just got his driver’s license and a used BMW. Think of their auto insurance bill. And they just had us over for dinner.

LE’s son had another wreck. This after buying a second used car after the first was a lemon. Plus two kids in college. SW’s co-worker has cancer. My brother is out of work. One co-worker has to manage the affairs of an elderly relative in Florida. Another co-worker has to take dialysis every night. He’s on the list for a kidney transplant. His health is not good. And all I do is sit around not exercising.

Speaking of Steve Apollo, he had been very sick. He is retired and living down in Melbourne Beach Florida, surfing every day. Cancer had run in his family, and he came down with a cancer that attacked his immune system that put him in intensive care. He couldn’t receive visitors, which sucked because he’s such a people person. Finally he got well enough to go home.

A manager at work is having to pitch in with the clerical duties. It takes most of the morning for him to do one part and most of the afternoon to do the rest. That’s in addition to his regular 11 hour a day job. Other co-workers have it bad, being on the road plus more work than they can handle. At least I get paid overtime. Others co-workers also keep getting responsibilities heaped on their already overflowing plates. I rarely hear complaining, yet I complain all the time.

Climbing down the ladder: I used to be a manager with people reporting to me. Not any more. Down the road I could see me getting busted down to being a plant supervisor. Oh to be the beat writer for the Braves or Hawks or Falcons or Tech or Georgia. But those jobs require long hours and travel.  

At least I’m not one of those poor people in Paris.

Going to Chattanooga Monday morning. This morning I was checking on line to see where various restaurants are located near the plant and hotel. Where to stop on the way up and on the way back. Disappointed to learn the Dalton Fuddruckers has closed. Monday and Tuesday night I’ll probably have to eat out at a nice restaurant with several co-workers. Want to come?

Wednesday: The storm was passing over the office right at 6 pm when I was going to leave work. I wound up staying until 6:20. Traffic was so bad I stopped for gas to make sure I wouldn’t run out. Drove through Dunwoody to get home and made good time, though I was driving extra slow because of the rain and dark. Was turning right and waited to make sure a car with its left turn signal on actually made the left. It didn’t. Had I pulled out it would’ve creamed me.

Ceil cooked spaghetti and spinach. Watched Jeopardy and The Middle. For the second straight night I drove to Alpharetta to pick up Matthew. Tuesday was his Bible Study. Last night his school choir had sung downtown. Came home and watched Blackish and Seinfeld. We’re having a cleaning person come. I may have to take a vacation day to clear out all the junk so she can clean. Last night I discovered another hole cut in the wall – in the downstairs bedroom closet. The closets are empty and everything is out in the room. We have a bunch of Will’s stuff with nowhere to put it. Not sure how much he wants to keep. I doubt he’ll take everything to Oklahoma, so we’ll hang on to it until May.

After the Andrelton trade fans are madder than ever. You’d think they’d figure out the team is rebuilding like the Royals and Cubs and Astros did – playoff teams all. But most fans don’t read the articles. That would require effort. Much easier to complain on social media. The Cubs rebuilt, made the playoffs, and this week won manager of the year, rookie of the year, and the Cy Young Award. The Braves were never going to win the World Series with Uggla, BJ, Justin, Chris Johnson – even Andrelton and Gattis are one-dimensional.

Total QB Rating

Marquise Williams (above) continues to have a good senior season at UNC. He is the current ACC leader in touchdown passes and rush yards by a QB.

DeShone Kizer wanted to play quarterback at Clemson to be like DeShane Cameron, but Deshaun Watson was already there. Dabo is currently scouring the Southeast for any quarterbacks named Deshene, Deshine, or Deshune.

 

Ninety-third ranked Christian Hackenberg, hated by Penn State fans, is the 5th highest ranked NFL QB prospect.

 

Georgia’s Greyson Lambert is the fifth highest ranked SEC QB (second in the SEC East) – ahead of the starting QB’s at Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida, South Carolina – as well as his replacement at Virginia.

 

Unless father and son play for the same team, I’ve decided to drop any silly “JR” or “II” or “III” that players have suddenly decided is cool. While I wouldn’t want my jersey to read “SR” it would be fun to have a jersey with a “I” after my name. Of course it would be more confusing than anything.   

 

For the Syracuse game Clemson designated long-snapper Jim Brown as team captain. Dabo told the press the significance was lost on the team, though center Brown understood and appreciated the gesture. Great Dabo article in Sports Illustrated. Someone commented Dabo > Richt. I wanted to respond SEC > ACC. Not sure Clemson can hang with Bama right now.  

 

1. 87.5 Seth Russell, Baylor (injured)

2. 86.1 Trevone Boykin, Texas Christian (injured)

3. 85.6 Deshaun Watson, Clemson

4. 85.0 Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky

5. 84.6 Brandon Allen, Arkansas

6. 83.8 Chad Kelly, Ole Miss

7. 83.3 Kevin Hogan, Stanford

8. 82.6 Marquise Williams, North Carolina (above)

9. 82.5 DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame

 

10. 82.0 Paxton Lynch, Memphis

11. 81.5 Dak Prescott, Mississippi State

12. 80.9 Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

16. 78.6 Greg Ward, Houston

17. 76.8 Jake Rudock, Michigan

18. 76.2 Connor Cook, Michigan State

20. 75.2 CJ Beathard, Iowa

23. 73.7 Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

 

24. 73.5 Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

25. 73.2 Cody Kessler, Southern Cal

26. 73.1 Vernon Adams, Oregon

31. 71.3 Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati

35. 70.0 Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh

39. 68.4 Greyson Lambert, Georgia

41. 68.1 Brandon Harris, LSU

42. 68.0 Jacoby Brissett, NC State

44. 67.0 Lamar Jackson, Louisville

 

46. 66.2 Brad Kaaya, Miami

47. 66.2 Perry Orth, South Carolina

48. 66.1 Will Grier, Florida

51. 64.3 Jake Coker, Alabama

53. 62.4 Everett Golson, FSU (lost job)

54. 61.7 Matt Johns, Virginia

56. 61.2 Kyle Allen, Texas A&M (lost job)

57. 61.0 Eric Dungey, Syracuse

62. 59.6 Thomas Sirk, Duke

 

65. 57.5 Nick Arbuckle, Georgia State

69. 55.2 Patrick Towles, Kentucky

76. 54.5 Joe Hubener, Kennesaw State

83. 52.3 Cardale Jones, Ohio State (lost job)

93. 48.6 Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

97. 47.8 Brenden Motley, Virginia Tech

 

101. 45.4 John Wolford, Wake Forest

108. 40.0 Drew Lock, Missouri

109. 39.1 Johnny McCrary, Vanderbilt

110. 38.8 Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech: not the problem

113. 36.5 Kendall Hinton, Wake Forest

116. 33.0 Justin Holman, UCF: why O’Leary retired?

SunTrust Park: What the AJC Leaves Out

The AJC continues to exclusively report only negative, even sensational, news and opinion about the new Braves stadium (and mostly favorable information about the Falcons new Dome). Yesterday the Atlanta Business Chronicle published two articles, one an interview with Terry McGuirk. It told what you’d never read in the AJC. A few quotes and tidbits:

In the first 9 months of 2015 the Braves had a $9 million increase in operating profit over the same period in 2014. Revenue fell but expenses fell more.

The payroll number is set by McGuirk alone. His team manages the Braves to break even. He sees Braves again becoming a top 10 payroll team with major bumps in payroll starting January 1, 2017. No plans to be like the Dodgers with a huge payroll. “The Dodgers operating theory is unsustainable. That’s what new owners do” (make mistakes).  “We don’t like to lose - period.” He’s never been in a better partnership than the one he has with Liberty. No, he doesn’t know how long Liberty will hold onto the team.

The Braves own 90 acres for future expansion. The team flattened the construction site. The Battery will have 550 apartments, a 9 story office building with a major tenant under contract (Comcast), a 260 room Omni hotel, and 20 restaurants. “We are going to be here for 30 years.” The mixed use component could produce $30 million per year in revenue, not including parking, sponsorships, advertising. The Cumberland commissioner has approved $1 billion in new building permits in the area. “We’re going to be able to spend more money on the ball team than people ever dreamed of.”

Opening night will be the most important MLB event in 2017. The Braves can pick their date – probably a weekend. Possibly the Sunday night national game on ESPN. “Parking will not be a problem…with 8000 – 10000 spaces.” (Turner Field has 8500 spaces).

Ticket sales – the Braves first started selling the higher-priced tickets. Turner Field has 400 premium seats. SunTrust will have 4000, and most have been sold. There will be plenty of relatively inexpensive seats, comparable to Turner Field.

ROB: I saw that interview in the Atl BC as well.  That was really good stuff.  I don't think they will trade Teheran or Freeman.  Hopefully we don't have to hear about that much longer.  Simmons is probably the greatest SS we have seen (since or before Ozzie).  However, due to his inability to hit or run very well, I don't think they are losing as much value as many fans think.

I saw a tweet today where Fredi was on MLB radio saying Olivera would play both LF and 3B.  I hope not.  My biggest complaint with Fredi is he gets carried away with this mixing and matching nonsense.  Put Olivera in one spot and let him get comfortable there.

ME: At Gwinnett Olivera had a strong arm but slung the ball from three quarters, making me fearful of wild throws. I chalked that up to poor mechanics/poor coaching from playing in Cuba. Andrelton might can get away with that, but not many others. The hard ground balls were eating him up at third. At second base he probably had more time to react, and make up for slow reaction with quickness and speed. I’m with you, leave him in one spot.

All last year the fans complained that Markakis wasn’t hitting many home runs. Now the same fans complain when someone on Twitter starts a rumor he might be traded. Jeff Schultz just adds fuel to the fire.

REID (on GT/Tenn): Tech lucky to have won. Some good things, shots that couldn't be made last year were made this year. Jacobs looked good, as well as Mitchell at times. However, two uncontested layups were missed badly, and Jorgensen was no help at all. Should not have been in the game at the end. I think he played the last 5 min when he definitely should not have been in the game.  Tech was favored by 4 and won by 2.  A W is a W !!!!  

Last year Tech had trouble making shots (3's, 2's, and 1's). Last night, I saw shots falling. However, they did miss 5 consecutive free throws near the end. Jorgensen couldn't shoot last year, and he couldn't make a basket last night. Missed 2 free throws near the end. He's so short on defense, they were shooting over him easily. Still can't understand why he was in the game at the end.

ME: I listened to a little of the game on the way home. Seemed like a case of GT only playing to the level of the opponent, swapping baskets instead of playing to the best of their own ability. All these players have been in games where they dominated their opponent. Seems like it’s those times when they play hard and go for the jugular. Then they get in real competitive games and they play more timidly. It’s the Jordans and Kobes who go out and dominate that win championships. Seems to be lacking during the current GT coach’s regime. As usual I say this knowing just a tiny bit of information.

I just hope those shots will keep falling when they’re playing ACC games. Last week I watched a short video of a team shooting nothing but threes. You don’t know if it was late in the game or what, but the team kept missing threes, getting the rebound, and passing out for another three pointer. They’d rather take an off-balance, contested three that pass inside to and open man inside the arc. Shots weren’t even coming close – some were hitting off the top of the backboard. After almost ten misses the other team finally got the rebound. With so many teams it seems like that’s what basketball has become. All guys practice is their dunks.

MONDAY: worked until six. When I left the office I called Ceil. She was out running errands. I swung by Perimeter Mall on the way home to drop off an employment application for Anna at Madewell, a clothing store she frequents. Also stopped by three Goodwill’s, Wendy’s for a snack, the library, and the bank. At the library I was just going to renew the Ken Follett book but someone had placed a hold on it, so I had to turn it in. Instead I checked out three more books, including a Johnny Carson biography. Didn’t get home until eight.

Sunday after church Ceil suggested we use a Pollo Tropical “two can eat for $9.99” coupon. I wasn’t crazy about the idea so I counter offered El Porton, where we could also eat for ten bucks. She took me up on my offer but added we should take Matthew as well. So much for a ten dollar meal. Then Monday night I arrive home at eight. I had grabbed a snack at Wendy’s so I wasn’t starving. I noticed no supper on the stove. Then I noticed two bags – Ceil had cashed in the Pollo Tropical coupon. I passed on the chicken but tasted the rice and black beans. Nothing to write home about.

At least three people here at work are coughing coughing coughing.

The UGA Health Center’s Student Health Advisory Committee launched a mental health campaign to provide students with free resources to help deal with stress. Their survey showed students felt stressed, anxious, tired, unmotivated, overwhelmed, unfocused, and unhappy. Sounds like adults, huh?  The committee conducted a free yoga session on the lawn. Doesn’t prayer help combat all those issues?

Two Degrees of Separation

A friend of one of my Facebook friends was killed in the Paris attack. A high school classmate had flown out of Paris earlier in the day, as did a couple from Johnson Ferry.

Sometimes I look at events in our culture and wonder if they will be around after ISIS attacks or even after our country and government and world is overrun and overtaken by Muslims. Yet those bozos at Missouri were upset all the Paris killings took the attention away from their made-up protest.  College football. NFL. MLB. NBA. The Masters. The Macys Parade. Hollywood, for sure. Shopping malls. What kind of world will my children live in? When and where will we be attacked – Washington DC? NYC? LA? Atlanta? Alabama passed a law forbidding Sharia Law. Why don't other states follow their lead? It may be too late in Michigan. Governors are standing up against the infestation of unvetted Syrian immigrants, yet the mayor of Pittsburgh welcomes them. Greensboro NC is asking citizens to turn in their guns. The president has federalized police forces in seven key US cities. Will the president declare marshal law and call off the 2016 election? Will the US and worldwide economy collapse? Will we lose everything? Come, Lord Jesus come.

It's hard to know which stories are true and which are fiction. Unlike many friends on social media, I almost never post political items. I rarely even "like" the political posts of others. But Saturday I saw this great cartoon showing Obama on Wheel of Fortune, and couldn't resist. I waited until almost midnight. Perhaps my "I don't care who you are, this is funny" caption left the door open for objections, as it struck at least one nerve.

Friday: Ceil, Anna, and Matthew were shopping at Perimeter Mall, then got themselves stuck in traffic taking M somewhere. I stayed at the office catching up on various projects. Stopped by Wendy's on the way home. Turned on the news.

Saturday: cleaned some upstairs. Watched College GameDay, GA/Auburn, Clemson/Syracuse, Oklahoma/Baylor. Did laundry. Had to pick up M from a music thing down near Toco Hills.

GA/Auburn: That Auburn QB Johnson was terrible. Threw sidearm – the reason his passes sailed high. With bad QB play both offenses stuck to the ground game. The Dawgs played conservative and let Auburn beat themselves. That goal line fumble was the last nail in Auburn's coffin.

Clemson/Syracuse: every team is bringing their A game against the Tigers. But as I have said all year, QB Deshaun Watson continues to misfire on passes downfield. He doesn't make many mistakes and is fine on those quick slant passes, but he just doesn't quite have every throw on the field nailed down yet. Clemson's defense was spotty, allowing several long runs and other big plays. They'll have to be firing on all cylinders to beat UNC and certainly any playoff team. In fact Alabama is turning into a beast.

Notre Dame/Wake Forest: the Deacons weren't blown out in South Bend. Did Clemson's next opponent leave everything on the field this week, or will they be able to rise to the occasion two straight weeks and give the Tigers a bit of a fight? Notre Dame gets better every week. Would Clemson be able to beat the Irish a second time? The first win was razor-thin. You'd think the rematch would come in the championship game as opposed to the play-in game.

Oklahoma/Baylor: the Baptist school has sold itself out to Nike to become the Oregon of the Southwest, but once again the Bears stumbled on the big stage. Perhaps the term "clemsoning" should be changed to "bayloring." Like dozens of other schools (including South Carolina and Iowa this week), Baylor trotted out all-black uniforms. They put up a good fight but made one too many key mistakes.

The ABC cameras caught one Baylor defender admonishing his teammate to fall on the ground injured to stop the game (above). In the past Mark Richt has said players are coached to do just that, to stay on the ground if they are hurt instead of risking further injury trying to limp off on their own or continuing to play. Now the Baylor defender may have been injured (he was) and should have done exactly that (he did), but on camera it looked mighty fishy. Kirk Herbstreit jumped all over the guy, calling the antic "bush league" and "unethical." On Sunday Herby learned the guy was hurt, and took to Twitter to sincerely apologize.

Sunday: Johnson Ferry, then I gassed up the CRV, then we ate at El Porton. As usual, Ceil and I shared a plate. M got the lunch special. First time ever at a real Mexican place that our waitress was a blonde named Stephanie. In mid-afternoon the place was almost vacant, so we got great service. Didn't get home until 2:30, so the day was shot. With the house in such shambles it's hard to do anything. Watched some of the NFL Red Zone Channel, which freaked out Ceil. I had to explain to her how it worked. Great ending to the NE/NYG game. M got a ride to Passion, though now after a Friday night concert and sleepover and busy Saturday he is sick.

What did we watch Monday night? The Voice? DWTS? MNF? Tennessee@GT? Fox News? Nope. We watched one of Ceil's favorites: the movie classic "She's the Man."

Greatest to Wear #12

The NFL Network’s greatest players to wear number 12.

Honorable mention:

Marcus Colson, Saints

Percy Harbin, but only for one of the teams he played on.

Seahawks 12th man

Jacoby Jones, Ravens (1) great (recent) postseason: scored 2 TD’s in Super Bowl.

Chris Chandler, Falcons: son-in-law of John Brodie.

James Harris, Rams (says me)

Zeke Bratkowski, Packers (says me)

Doug Williams, Redskins/Buccaneers (me)

Joe Namath, Jets/Rams (me)

10. Andrew Luck, Colts

9.  John Brodie, 49ers

8. Randall Cunningham, Eagles/Vikings

I only saw the ten, nine, and eight. Here are my top seven:

Ken Stabler, Raiders/Oilers/Saints (above)

Jim Kelly, Gunslingers/Bills

Roger Staubach, Cowboys    

Aaron Rodgers, Packers

Bob Griese, Dolphins

Terry Bradshaw, Steelers

Tom Brady, Patriots

Like a Good Neighbor?

Water leak has been fixed. Now to get the floor and ceiling fixed, and everything else. My insurance agent is great at explaining why my problem isn't covered, but doesn't realize this isn't a good time to tell me about his overseas trips and weekly flights to see his son in school. His customer with the $10,000.00 plumbing problem – not covered by insurance – was already living paycheck to paycheck and not taking vacations. Not that I'm any better, but I wish people would talk less and listen more.

 

Several young guys at work are taking part in no-shave November. With the exception of two weeks a couple of Decembers ago, I have remained clean-shaven since my junior year at Tech. I shaved to work at Chickfila and never looked back. Never gave a beard a second thought. I certainly didn't want to be among the endless line of mostly middle-aged men wearing mostly grey goatees – what I like to call the Kenny Rogers look. No thanks. But for some reason over the busy Halloween weekend I decided to quit shaving for a month. I had just gotten a haircut, and thought the short hair with beard look was better than the shaggy haired/bearded look.

 

It wasn't the young guys at work or the two cool administrators at Matthew's school who were growing fall beards. And I haven't been to a cool place where I've seen someone that influenced me. I might have seen Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel with beards in passing, but gave them little thought. Maybe it was The Voice judges. Adam Levine's hair and beard look different every week. Blake Shelton has an on gain off again short beard. Had nothing to do with Will, who may be enjoying his last season of not shaving – nor Matthew with his Jesus look (though I did tell M that I was shoot for his look).

 

Only when the Sales Manager called me into his office did I notice his no-shave attempt. He has stuck with it, as has team member Jonathan. Both have spotty beards. Jonathan keeps asking me when I'm going to shave and if trimming is kosher. I haven't told him it wasn't cool to talk about it (I know, or to write about it). After two weeks my beard looks decent – kinda thin on the sides. My only goal is to keep it through Thanksgiving.  And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Monday was a typical night: worked til six, drove straight home. Cleaned up a little and changed into warm comfortable clothes. Ceil made a gourmet meal out of leftovers: baked chicken, green beans, red potatoes, black eyed peas, homemade applesauce, and salad. After supper M drove me to Kroger for bread for their lunch tomorrow. Also got cereal and jelly. Watched Jeopardy and The Voice. M seemed to be doing more homework last night. I hope that's the case.

Tuesday I stirred up a hornet's nest t work. My new bosses immediately took up my side. Left work at 6:25 pm. M called asking for a ride home later – Ceil was out driving him to the Alpharetta Bible study. The line at Wendy's was too long but I stopped by two Goodwill's. Found a pair of Vans for M but passed on a $15.00 pair of Nike turf shoe sneakers for me (above). Gassed up the Civic. Noelle had made tomato soup, and Ceil fixed a grilled cheese sandwich. Watched Jeopardy and The Voice. Left at 8:30 to get M and didn't get back until 9:50.  

 

Wednesday a white Kia Optima was tailgating me on Eves Road. As I turned onto Holcomb Bridge the Kia wheeled into the fast lane and roared past me – and promptly braked hard for the traffic light just a few hundred yards away. I coasted to a stop next to it. When the light turned green it roared away, changing lanes and weaving through cars as I poked along in my usual gas-saving manner. At every red light I would catch up. As we approached Spaulding the Kia was several cars ahead of me. I saw congestion in our left lane and maneuvered right – passing a long line of cars that included the Kia. After crossing Spaulding I returned to the left lane to avoid cars pulling out of side streets, as well as the usual long line of cars turning right onto Peachtree Corners Circle. By then the Kia was back on my tail. A check of my mirror showed a small Kia about to wiz past me on the right, so I didn't move over. Eventually the white Kia stopped to turn left at Holcomb Bridge as I continued straight on Jimmy Carter. What the Kia didn't know was that my left turn onto Peachtree Industrial was two fewer red lights than his route. Once again the tortoise beats the hare.

 

Thursday my company put the final touches on a new 3 year contract with the customer I work on. A little bit of job security. But no raise or pat on the back. With all the emergencies I resolve every day you think I work for FEMA.

 

Last month I ran into a Living Science dad whose good friend is on surgical staff at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine. Now Will is in touch with him about a job between January and May. Anna has applied to be a summer counselor at Camp Highland in Ellijay. There is a chance my dad will get a newer car and give Matthew his old 1999 Buick aircraft carrier. It's not worth much, so it would be a perfect first car for M. Still looks great. Not sure, but this news might have M studying more than usual this week.

 

Joel Norman got a job as a barista in Brookhaven. His "album" debuts in December. The Hurts hit the Disney Wine & Food Festival last month. Oldest daughter Haley made the Top Ten in last weekend's Miss Alabama pageant. My bobblehead friend Kevin with the two young twins – his daughter is named Nola. My grandmother was named Nora (so is Margaret Ewing's daughter).

The Circle of Life

I’m surprised Drew Kelly didn’t ask me why the Braves traded Andrelton Simmons. Because he's so bad on offense. It’s hard to pay $15 million a year for the second-worst offense shortstop in baseball. If Simmons is such a great defensive player (and he is) why did ESPN only take note of his achievements until after he was traded to the big-market Angels? Typical big-city media bias. The Giants’ shortstop may be good, but in 2015 Andrelton once again led all  baseball in most defensive metrics. Someone compared his dominance to that of Wilt Chamberlain. Shows you the Gold Glove award is just a popularity contest.

 

And all those “fans” who all last year kept saying over and over “I’m so through with this team” and “I’ll never set foot in SunTrust Park” – why are they complaining? Why don’t they go complain about some other team? The Dodgers and Yankees and Red Sox have these monster payrolls, and what did they do last year?

 

But the Braves are in a full rebuild similar to the Cubs and Astros, two teams that made the playoffs this year after long runs of incompetence. Fans forget that Rome wasn’t built in a day. The Braves’ brass may have not made a big deal about the rebuild because they want fans to come to games. What are they supposed to say, “hey, we’re rebuilding for 2017 and 2018. Save your money and come see us then!” That would just give fans something else to complain about.

 

ROB: As a fan I hate the Simmons trade.  However I understand the reasoning and I respect Coppy's guts for doing it.  As local fans, I think we were too close to Simmons to realize what a limited player he really is. All that being said, I really hope they don't trade Freeman - or even Teheran.

 

ME: it’s hard to explain the trade to less reasonable fans. You wonder if Freeman or Teheran would want to stick around after their next contract, but no telling what the situation will be at that time. I’m just over all the complaining from the fans in every sport. They’re just showing how little they know.

 

Will Coppy trade Aybar? I hear he already has offers. Would be interesting if he resigned Kelly Johnson and Uribe. A scout at the AFL wasn’t very impressed with Lucas Sims.

 

It does look like 2016 will be a long season. You may have noticed that with the revolving door of players I kinda lost interest last year. I would turn on a game and see a player I’d never heard of before. Not a good time for the Braves to make announcements like the last season at Turner Field patch design. Just gives fans another chance to complain.

 

ROB: Freddie is under contract until 2021; Teheran 2020.  They will be well past the rebuilding phase by then.

 

Late in the season, Coppy was giving an interview on 680.  In the interview, he stated how much of a game changer the new ballpark would be.  He said he thought it would put the Braves payroll back into the top 10 in MLB.  The hosts (Chuck and Chernoff) pretty much flew by that answer without saying much about it.  I don't think they realized the significance of that statement.  A top 10 payroll today would put them in the $120MM-$130MM range.  That is $20MM-$30MM higher than they have been running since the early 2000's.

 

That extra money - combined with the strong farm system they are building - will significantly change how this ball club has operated since 2004.

 

I don't think 2016 will be as bad as you think.  Aybar won't be much of a downgrade than Simmons.  It sounds like they will use their payroll flexibility to bolster the bullpen.  I think you are on target with Uribe and Kelly Johnson - I would not be surprised of one or both were not signed.  They will not go into the season with a butcher like Garcia playing 3B.

 

Olivera will do fine in LF.  He swings the bat like a grown man.  I think he will have a strong offensive year.

 

ME: The other night a baseball expert pointed out that the Dodgers had four high-priced, oft-injured, underperforming outfielders. What often happens when four prima-donnas are put together in such close quarters are fights and quarrels and ill-feelings. But manager Don Mattingly kept his team on an even keel and led the Dodgers past the defending world champion Giants to the division championship. Mattingly’s reward? He was fired. The Marlins quickly hired him – but the Dodgers will still be paying his salary for the next 2 or 3 seasons.

 

Speaking of division championships, a recent back page Sports Illustrated column argued that fighting for division crowns was tons more interesting and exciting than doing away with them and just seeding teams. This year the Cubs and Pirates had the second and third best records is all of baseball – but were forced to play each other in the one game winner-take-all Wild Card play-in game because both finished behind the Cardinals in the division. Don’t tell this to Braves’ spoiled fans, who count the team’s incredible run of division championships as nothing because they only won one world championship.   

 

Jeff Schultz should become a political writer. He seldom writes about sports any more. He’s even worse on Facebook, waging his one-man crusade against the new Braves stadium. Not a word about the new dome for the Falcons or the reported $150 million Phillips Arena makeover for the Hawks. People are starting to call him out.

 

GT/VT: fumbles, dropped passes, stupid penalties. Neither team wanted to win. Players are given scholarships and walk around campus all year like they are hot stuff. Twelve or 13 times a year they get to walk out on the field and prove they belong. Instead they make fools of themselves.

 

GT took the opening kickoff and drove down the field for a quick touchdown. On their next possession they passed, and had to punt. On their third possession they stuck to the ground, and scored again. Then Tech started passing, and it was all downhill from there. At least they went on a long run of run plays. But no more points on offense.

 

What no TV analyst has ever figured out: GT’s passing game is so bad because GT QB’s are forced to take the snap from center, drop back looking left, then turn around to throw the ball right-handed. Every other team in the country takes snaps from the shotgun. By the time Justin Thomas has dropped back to pass (and turned around) the rush is all around him, and he has to run for his life (or throw forward while running backward). You don’t see that anywhere else.

 

Just one more game the Jackets should have won. At least we won have to hear about their great streak of consecutive bowl games much longer. Not much was made about UGA grad David Pollack riding in Georgia Tech’s Rambling Wreck.

 

The Missouri case (and the Brady case) are more instances where you have to read extensively about the background of what transpired to know who is right and wrong. It does sound like the inmates are running the asylum. College football players should be grateful to receive all they do: much more than a $100,000.00 college education. Most throw their opportunities away.

 

ROB: The Hawks are looking good.  Splitter is still fitting in, but he is a significant upgrade over Antic coming off the bench.  Bazemoore's emergence is mitigating the loss of Carroll.  Korver looks older, but it seems we will be less reliant on him this year.

 

ME: Seems like the experts expected the Hawks to drop off and not repeat last year. Nice to get off to such a good start.

 

A few names popped out on the hot stove email list (Jack Wilkinson, Bob Rathbun, Kevin McGalpin, and Jim Powell). I recently watched the Seinfeld when Jerry first met Keith Hernandez: aka the “Second Spitter” episode featuring current Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell. The new friends vow to do something together, and Jerry gives Keith his number. Then when Keith doesn’t immediately call Jerry acts like the girl who was stood up. Or Martin Short’s Ed Grimley character daydreaming about Pat Sajak. That’s what I was feeling like before the Hot Stove meeting that Braves radio announcer Jim Powell MIGHT attend. Meeting Powell would be cool. Like me, he lives near Roswell. I’m sure we’d hit it off, and…

Hot Stove Minutes

Wednesday I attended the North Georgia Hot Stove League November meeting at the Tallant Baseball Museum in Forsyth County, north of Cumming – a fancy name for Johnny’s basement. I knew to enter the side door and parked on that side of Johnny’s house. Johnny immediately broke away from his conversation and gave me a tour. Banner, bobbleheads, figurines, boxes and notebooks of baseball cards, dozens of caps, bats of all sizes, jerseys and jackets, framed photos and puzzles, banners, and more. He had me sign a calendar recording my attendance and handed me the small wood bat inscribed “Tallant Baseball Museum” that all first-time visitors receive.

 

Johnny called the meeting to order, noting the group had been meeting since 1992, and for the past ten years in his basement. The purpose of the group is merely to get together in the offseason to talk baseball. Since most were retirees, dress was extremely casual. I had worn decent work clothes (slacks and dress shirt) to impress any actual luminary who showed (none did), so I was overdressed. Attendees included:

 

Johnny is the ringleader, past president of the Braves 400 Club. Wore his usual T-shirt, shorts, and ball cap.

Hugh is Johnny’s older sidekick at all the Rome and Gwinnett games. Wore his trademark cap.

Arizona kept the meeting going with his stories. He had recently flown out to see four AFL games with Johnny, and was happy to report there were plenty on the tour “nerdier than us.” Wore a 70’s-era royal blue Braves warm-up jacket. Had a son who sang the national anthem at the season opener in Scranton, and a son who played minor league ball with several notable players he referred to by first name. His sons seemed to be in the know about Tommy Hanson’s situation and secret contract details he couldn’t share. Arizona knows AM680’s Braves beatwriter Kevin McAlpin, who couldn’t make it because he was just assigned to cover Virginia Tech’s arrival.

Son-in-law of Arizona has taught chorus at the same elementary school for 15 years. His kids sand the national anthem at a late season Gwinnett Braves game, and will be participating at the Gladiators Sing for Santa “with 900 other kids” he said, rolling his eyes. It was his first time to the museum as well, and Johnny happily gave him the tour. Son-in-law fiddled with his new bat the entire meeting. He was the only guy younger than me.   

Old SABR talked a lot / knew a lot. Used to live in Milwaukee. In September he went back for the annual Milwaukee Braves meeting.

Young SABR didn’t say much. About my age. Seemed nice. Might’ve rode with Old SABR.  

Big LA – I’ve seen at ballgames. An older, happy guy who didn’t say much.

Quiet Man sat next to Johnny. Seemed to know who everyone was talking about but hardly said anything.

Michigan – old guy in a grey T-shirt. Told a few stories.

Old Guy also in a grey T-shirt. Left early to get his grandkids.

Glasses came in late. He said he was Johnny’s age (65?). Didn’t say much. Wore adidas warm-up pants, boat shoes, long wavy salt and pepper hair, and stylish black eyeglasses. Could be me in ten years.

 

Johnny had Arizona introduce his son-in-law, then had me tell a little about myself. He referred to me as “Bobblehead” since that’s how we met. Besides the AFL trip, topics discussed included:

 

AJ’s signing. Most considered it a good move. I did not ask whether he could have two great years in a row.

 

Jason Heyward. No one had heard any rumors. I mentioned Sports Illustrated’s list of predictions but couldn’t remember where they had Heyward landing (Philly). I did remember Justin (Seattle), Cespedes (Angels), and Matt Wieters (Braves). Several noted Wieter’s experience as a closer at Tech, and joked he could improve Atlanta’s bullpen. He even had Tommy John surgery. This made me wonder out loud about the plans for Bethancourt. Everyone there was down on the young catcher. Several quoted professional scouts (this became a recurring theme). I could tell I was around people who had done their homework.

 

Johnny told the story of writer Gary Caruso commemorating the ten year anniversary of Sid Slide by going out to the Atlanta Stadium home plate and playing a recording of Skip’s call. The next year Johnny and others joined him, and it became an annual tradition. The crowd was down this year. Johnny took a grandson who ran the bases. Some wondered if construction might keep next year’s celebration from happening. I mentioned that next year the Braves might still be in the playoffs, and everyone laughed.

 

SunTrust Park: most had traffic concerns. Johnny had checked it out recently. I talked about my knowledge of the surface streets.  

 

Some asked why Fredi wasn’t there, since he was on the email list. Supposedly Fredi had attended SABR meetings in Atlanta and Philly. Jim Powell had also attended in Philly, where “they loved Fredi and Jim.” Johnny knows Fredi – gets his tickets from Fredi, so he will hate to see him go. Most figured next year would be his last, and discussed the Nationals one-year offer to Bud Black. Will Hart add Black to the Braves payroll like Fredi was added after his Florida firing?

 

Turner Field concessions: some saw a drop-off in quality. Someone mentioned that this year a new vendor was taking over for longtime vendor (50 years) Amarak, who would handle SunTrust concessions. Today I noticed an article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle detailing the transition. Later we discussed what statues would move, and I recited details from the recent AJC article.

 

These guys seem to get together for other events, including SABR meetings and trivia at Manuel’s Tavern. Supposedly Manual Maloof’s ashes are interred in one of the many bottles  The Braves January open house was discussed – both Smoltz and Glavine will attend, and possibly Bobby Cox. Was McCann’s annual Children’s Healthcare charity game moved from Gwinnett because he’s no longer a Brave?

 

Future meetings include Sunday December 6 (meeting up with the Ringgold group) and Wednesday December 9. Possible speakers include area college and high school coaches, as well as McAlpin.