2019 Reading List

Not long ago I realized I've read 34 books this year, a record for me. Not sure how. In past years I might not have been as consistent, taking breaks to listen to the radio. More trips to Macon helped as well.  

I haven't published a reading list since late February, so below are all 34 books I've read this year - including the one I just started.

1. Uncommon Type, by Tom Hanks
2. Red War (Mitch Rapp #17) by Kyle Mills
3. Sisters First: Stories from our Wild and Wonderful Life, by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush  
4. The Bishop's Pawn (Cotton Malone #13) by Steve Berry
5. In Pieces, by Sally Field
6. The Yankee Years, by Joe Torre
7. Tom Clancy: Under Fire (Jack Ryan Universe #19) by Grant Blackwood
8. Kick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter, by Barbara Leaming
9. The Garner Files: A Memoir
10. The Princess Diarist, by Carrie Fisher
11. Untied a Memoir of Family Fame and Floundering by Meredith Baxter
12. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
13. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo
14. Act of Treason (Mitch Rapp #9), by Vince Flynn
15. Enemy of the State (Mitch Rapp #16), by Kyle Mills
16. Keep Moving & Other Truths About Living Well Longer Dick Van Dyke
17. The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth, by Leigh Montville
18. Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team, by Steve Sheinkin
19. Miracle on the 17th Green: A Novel about Life, Love, Family, Miracles...and Golf (Travis McKinley #1), by James Patterson
20. Sundays at Tiffany's, by James Patterson 
21. Miracle at St. Andrews (Travis McKinley #3), by James Patterson
22. The President is Missing, by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
23. The Charlemagne Pursuit (Cotton Malone #4), by Steve Berry
24. Who's Your Caddy?: Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf, by Rick Reilly
25. The Malta Exchange (Cotton Malone #14), by Steve Berry
26. Grateful American: A Journey From Self to Service, by Gary Sinise
27. Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator, by Bill O'Reilly
28. The Tattooist of Auschwitz, by Heather Morris
29. Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan, by Bill O'Reilly
30. I Don't Care if We Never Get Back: 30 Games in 30 Days on the Best Worst Baseball Road Trip Ever, by Ben Blatt and Eric Brewster
31. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, by Jon Krakauer
32. Range Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World David Epstein
33. I'll Be Right Back After This: My Memoir, by Pat O'Brien
34. The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile 

Last Christmas

Wednesday: went to the Y again last night. Legs and hips are sore, but still did my hour on the treadmill. Need to start working in weights. C had taken Anna to the allergist, then went mall shopping. C cooked beef tips, rice, and cooked vegetables.  

 

Thursday: saw the Lakers/Bucks was on and was reminded of Pat O’Brien’s book, how CBS and later NBC would televise every Sunday Laker game. Guess now almost every Laker game is nationally televised. Was reading about LeBron’s agent maneuvering Davis from the Pelicans to the Lakers, and how small market teams have to deal with agents and players recruiting superstars to form super teams, and how the commish is turning a deaf ear.

 

Surprised Drew Kelly wasn’t whooping it up over the Wofford Duke game.

 

Thursday: not much going on at work besides a couple of hot orders, so I left work shortly after three. As I was pulling out of the parking lot I had to wait to make my usual left, so I made the quick decision to turn right and take the northern route home, past three thrift stores I rarely visit. Wound up stopping by five stores. Wasn’t in the mood to buy and passed on (1) black Cole Hahn loafers (2) camo Clemson baseball shirt (red (3) Masters cap (4) Under Armour tights (5) Hawks t-shirt (6) nice golf shirt. C got home just after me. Supper was spaghetti with sausage.

At 8 pm we connected vie Zoom (like FaceTime) with two other couples to pray for our overseas friends. Wife is having a problem pregnancy. Has an appointment Christmas Eve that will determine whether they need to return from the field early (they just went overseas a year ago). Husband is having symptoms of Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS). Hard for him to pick up and care for their three young kids. Satan is really bombarding them, but they both have great attitudes.

 

We were on the Facetime phone call for over two hours. Before and after C had schoolwork / grading to do. I cleaned the kitchen so no TV. Skipped the gym to rest.

Friday: left at 11:30. Waffle House with Reid W. Roswell to pick up an item I should’ve bought on Thursday. Gas. Oil change. Headed home then turned around to get a haircut. Ceil cooked chicken stir fry.

 

Then to the movies to see Last Christmas. Great movie with a huge plot twist near the end. Also Hardee’s for a free burger deal. Decent, but the wait for a five dollar fast burger was intermittable. But not as long as Popeyes.

Saturday: worked upstairs until almost noon. Ate a pizza that Matthew didn’t like. Then to the bank and a couple of stores in Sandy Springs. Home to meet a locksmith to fix Ceil’s broken cat key. Back to Roswell. Checked air in tires.

Tonight Costco. Hot dog. Hobby Lobby. Perimeter Mall to meet Anna. Whole Foods.

Sunday night after a Christmas party I’m driving to Augusta to take inventory on Monday. A has to work Christmas Eve. M has to work both the 24th and 26th. Will works every day through Christmas.   

 

Good article by Dennison. Might share with my Star Wars fans.

Good article not just about Rodrigo but also the National Football Foundation. Lots of old names mentioned that you’ll recognize. Not including the guy above.

 

https://www.onlineathens.com/sports/20191210/loran-smith-hod-rod-so-much-more-than-one-of-countrys-best-kickers?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20Dynamic%20Ads%20-%20Sports&utm_content=GMPG_ABH&utm_term=121719

Bowl Picks (Part One)

I’m the world’s worst bowl picker. Even more variables than the regular season. Generally I go with my knowledge of the teams, what conference they’re in (strength of schedule), bowl proximity, point spread, and mostly the Sagarin rankings, which really only help for teams I don’t know.
Those Sagarins have failed me plenty of times.

 

Sagarin ratings for the most part fall in line with the point spreads.
I’ve only picked a few “upsets”. Winners below in BOLD.

 

12.20 Bahamas Bowl Buffalo 7-5 (81) v Charlotte 7-5 (117).

 

12.20 Frisco Bowl Utah State 7-5 (71) v Kent State 6-6 (105)

 

12.21 Celebration Bowl North Carolina A&T 8-3 (159) v Alcorn State 9-3 (165). I have no idea.

 

12.21 New Mexico Central Michigan 8-5 (97) v San Diego State 9-3 (61)

 

12.21 Cure Bowl Georgia Southern 7-5 (83) v Liberty 7-5 (119).

 

12.21 Boca Raton Bowl Florida Atlantic 10-3 (54) v Southern Methodist 10-2 (34)

 

12.21 Camellia Bowl Arkansas State 7-5 (92) v Florida International 6-6 (118). FIU lost their coach.

 

12.21 Las Vegas Bowl Boise State 12-1 (25) vs Washington 7-5 (19).
Huskies are losing their coach.

 

12.21 New Orleans Bowl Appalachian State 12-1 (28) vs UAB 9-4 (107). Don’t mess with the Mountaineers.

 

12.23 Gasparilla Bowl Central Florida 9-3 (27) vs Marshall 8-4 (85).
Golden Knights shooting for a ten win season.

 

12.24 Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii 9-5 (76) vs Brigham Young 7-5 (64).
Can the Rainbow Warriors pull off the upset on their home field?
Cougars have had a good year.

 

12.26 Independence: Louisiana Tech 9-3 (91) vs Miami 6-6 (53).
In Tech’s back yard, in the cold and rain,
the Canes better show up ready to play. Possible upset.

 

12.26 Quick Lane Bowl Pittsburg 7-5 (63) v Eastern Michigan 6-6 (113). Panthers have the better team.

 

12.27 Military Bowl North Carolina 6-6 (48) vs Temple 8-4 (67).
Will be close. Temple may want it worse. Heels better come to play.

 

12.27 Pinstripe Bowl: Wake Forest 8-4 (57) vs Michigan State 6-6 (37). Demon Deacons will be fired up, though next to Clemson,
they’ll be facing their toughest opponent all year.  

 

12.27 Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State 8-4 (22) v Texas A&M 7-5 (18).
Are the Cowboys the tough team the Aggies finally beat
Hopefully Jimbo and Kellen Mond don’t let us down again.

 

12.27 Holiday Bowl Southern Cal 8-4 (21) v Iowa 9-3 (16).
Hawkeyes will want it worse, but will need to score more than field goals
to win. Trojans may still be in disarray.  

 

12.27 Cheez-It Bowl Air Force 10-2 (31) v Washington State 6-6 (42).
Air Force will be more motivated. Cougars will compete but fall short.

 

12.28 Camping World: Iowa State 7-5 (23) v Notre Dame 10-2 (13).
Doesn’t look like Iowa State has the firepower to pull off the upset.

 

12.28 Cotton Penn State 10-2 (11) vs Memphis 12-1 (17).
Nittany Lions will have to bring their A game, but they’re the better team.
Memphis will be motivated, as will their fans.

 

12.28 Peach LSU 12-0 (3) v Oklahoma 11-1 (5).
Bayou Bengals will continue to roll.  

 

12.28 Fiesta Ohio State 12-0 (1) v Clemson 12-0 (2).
Buckeyes showed they’re human in their conference championship game.
Unlike the Badgers, Clemson will be able to finish the drill.

Bad Customer Service Theater

Today’s Popeye’s bad customer service report: coworker got in the drive thru line today. When she finally was able to pull up to the speaker, the employee said the drive thru wasn’t open. So instead of going outside and placing a sign on the drive thru speaker so the employee could go do something else, the drive thru worker spent their time telling customers to come inside. 

 

Inside Popeye’s was crowded. Long line. Only one register open. The girl running that register was new. An older employs walked around the dining room, thanking customers for their patronage. With the crowd it seems like she could’ve been of more use somewhere else. The night before someone else had an even worse experience. Drive thru closed and one of the doors to the inside was locked. Are the sandwiches really worth all this trouble?

 

Video of Herschel being honored at the college football awards show.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=zy0upNZ0Zc8 

Josh Donaldson told his mother that if she stopped smoking he would buy her a Mazeradi.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/16/us/baseball-player-mom-car-trnd/index.html

 

The Big Ketch is closing or moving, to make way for another high-rise. They’re building those high rises everywhere in Buckhead and Westside. Adding over 200 people per block, over 100 cars, and the same little streets that are already overcrowded. Met a girl who works for a nonprofit bicycle coalition. Need to ask her what old people should do who can’t ride bikes.

 

Wednesday: went to the Y again. Hips are sore, but still did my hour on the treadmill. Need to start working in weights. C had taken Anna to the allergist, then went mall shopping. C cooked beef tips, rice, and cooked vegetables.

 

At work I plug my laptop into a docking station and I have two screens, one for the company computer and the other for email. The two screens are set to different settings, one larger than the other. Not sure how to change it. Some things are super hard to see. Also I get all these junk emails that have to do with work. I have set “rules” so some are automatically deleted, but need to set up more. Too many emails.

 

Thought this might be a good article. Thought about typing up the list but only one or two are actually promising.

 

https://atlanta.eater.com/maps/best-cheap-food-restaurants-atlanta 

The Nokona Baseball Glove Company has a monthly contest, requires creativity to win. This month you have to re-write a Christmas song about baseball and Nokona. I re-wrote Rudolph (below), Mr. Grinch, and It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas. I’ll share one a day.

 

You know Rawlings and Wilson and Mizuno and Easton.

Louisville and Worth and Akadema.

But do you recall
The best performing ball glove of all?

 

Nokona the hand-crafted ball glove
Has some very supple leather
And if you ever wore it
You would even say it’s heaven

All of the other fielders
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Nokona
Join in any baseball games

 

Then one humid summer eve
the ball was hit his way

Nocona with his glove so nice

Made the play to save the day

 

Then how the players loved him
As they won the state tourney

Nokona the hand-crafted ball glove

You're the best in the industry!

 

DAZZY VANCE [SABR Bio] was the first National League pitcher to win an MVP - 1924 MVP for BRO. He could hardly be denied. He led the majors, not just the NL in wins, ERA, complete games, Ks, ERA+, FIP, WHIP, H9, SO9 & SO/W. He was the first pitcher to win his league’s ERA title by >1.00 run. His ERA of 2.61 was 1.26 runs better than runner-up Carl Hubbell n 1930. His teammates called him “Dead Shot” because he backed up his boasts about his prowess with a revolver by slicing a card in 2 edgewise & shooting through the bottom of a bottle w/o breaking the neck.

Pat O'Brien & MJ

Interesting stories in Pat O’Brien’s autobiography. You remember him as the host of the NBA on CBS. Tells stories about Michael Jordan, Magic, Larry, Barkley Ali, the Beatles, Mickey Mantle, Howard Cosell, Tommy Lasorda, etc. He started out as an assistant to David Brinkley.  Once was crossing a NYC street in a downpour, a car window rolled down and the occupant said get in, he’d give Pat a ride. O’Brien hopped in and the only one in the car was the driver: Joe DiMaggio.

 

Famous pre-playoff game interview with MJ: Pat asked how MJ could beat the Lakers. Jordan replied “Pat, we’re playing the Celtics today.” O’Brien first met MJ not long after he’s hit the game-winning shot for UNC in the national championship game against Georgetown. In the timeout beforehand Dean Smith didn’t say a word until they were about to go back on the court. Dean never let a freshman take a final shot. Finally he said “Let the freshman shoot it.” Dean looked at Jordan and said “you’ll be wide open.” He was.

 

O’Brien’s son Shawn spent lots of time around NBA players, including MJ. One day Shawn came home from school and asked “Dad, is Michael Jordan famous? Shawn’s friends didn’t believe that Shawn knew him. So MJ invited Shawn and a friend to the premiere of Space Jam, and walk the red carpet with MJ.

 

Another time O’Brien was eating with MJ and Barkley. A kid approached, waited for Barkley to stop talking, and politely asked for an autograph. Charles was rude and the kid went away. MJ chased down the kid and made Barkley sign. They all gave the kid their autographs, and posed for pictures. MJ told Pat he can tell if an autograph is real or fake. MJ always works the number 23 into the M in his autograph. Other autograph stories from Bill Russell (who never signed) and Reggie Jackson (make your autograph legible).

 

Once O’Brien was playing golf with Mantle, not long after the Mick had gotten out of rehab. On the first hole Mantle teed the ball, then stepped back and just looked at it. Pat asked if there was a problem. Mantle replied “it’s the first time I ever got the ball to stay on the tee on the first try.” Before his hands were always shaking.  

 

For the first game in Toronto’s SkyDome the Canadian prime minister and US president George H W Bush threw out the first pitch. Later in the broadcast booth O’Brien was told to move the PM and POTUS around for a different camera angle. There wasn’t much time, so O’Brien said “guys, let’s move over here”. The White House officials weren’t happy with O’Brien referring to the PM and POTUS as “guys” but Bush didn’t care.  Bush invited Pat next door to the private suite, where Bush personally fixed O’Brien a hot dog. Also in the booth were DiMaggio and Ted Williams. Bush offered Pat a ball autographed by Joe, Ted, Bush, and the PM. O’Brian turned down the ball, and later kicked himself for the decision.

Tech signed a 4-star QB, an Under Armour All-American ranked 133 best player by ESPN. Very nice. He needs to start in the first game. Out of Jacksonville, he picked GT over FSU and Syracuse. Jeff Sims. I have no idea if he’ll be the next Johnny Unitas, but it’s a step in the right direction. UGA signed a kicker to replace Rodrigo.

Tuesday: left work at 530. Stopped by the bank. Then to the Y for another 4 miles. Each night I’m getting faster by a few seconds. Wore one of my Grizzlies shirts. Really shows when I sweat. Home to watch the rest of the Garth Brooks interview. Garth seems to be a down to earth guy, creative with tons on energy, able to admit his faults, who made it big. Really big. Wasn’t proud of his divorce. Admitted that it was his fault for chasing stardom. Quit the music industry and raised his kids, going to great lengths for his three girls to be raised with both parents in the picture. Didn’t spoil his girls. One summer made them build a 50 foot concrete and wood bridge.

 

Barney was limping worse after his late night climbing of the stairs. We made him sleep downstairs last night.

 

Christmas letters: loved by some, hated by others. I like to write them. Fine line between providing news updates and outright bragging. Some provide too many details. We do get one letter each year that’s long and detailed, but they’re not afraid to include warts and all. Too long isn’t good. A chore to read. Two thousand words is too many. Do others really care that much? Mine is 500 words. Gave news but not intricate details. I don’t enclose letters with every Christmas card I send – only to the few that send letters (or who I think are interested). You can give me a thumbs up or down when you get mine.

 

Dennison is correct: everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. Few these days have a moral compass. Dennison lays out the five viewpoints of the president in regards to impeachment.  

 

HOYT WILHELM [SABR Bio] the Orioles part-time reliever threw a nine-inning no-hitter against the American League champion Yankees - No-no 20-Sep-1958 He had been an Orioles for less than a month. Signed by BAL off waivers from CLE on 23-Aug-1958. Struck out a Hall of Famer as an added bonus - struck out Mickey Mantle (as did many pitchers) in the 7th.

Housewarming

Lunch meeting on Friday. Good turkey club panini sandwich. Potato salad. Gave my chips away. Ceil was at the mall shopping so I went to the Y alone. Four miles in a little over an hour. C cooked a late dinner: Chicken and cooked vegetable over rice. Hallmark movie. While C cooked I cleaned and did laundry. 

 

Saturday morning small group at Chickfila Dwarf House in Woodstock. Good discussion. Came home and watched ESPN College GameDay at the Army/Navy game. Charles Barkley was the guest picker. Later I watched a documentary about Garth Brooks. Also Army/Navy. C did some more running around.

 

Dinner at Dominics in downtown Norcross. Italian served family style. Calamari, lasagna, chicken, salad, chocolate mousse, canoli. .Passed on the eggplant and shrimp. A good time. Had 15 in attendance. Didn’t feel well so I went to bed early.

 

Saturday Anna met Christian in Lawrenceville to drink coffee, look a Christmas lights, and hang out. Christian gave Anna a red Mitchell & Ness Dale Murphy BP jersey, nicer than my red knockoff. $150 jersey he found at a thrift store.  

 

Sunday school, then we left for the housewarming at W&MCs. On the way we ate at La Fonda on Howell Mill. C had a huge quesadillia with chicken, green peppers, and onions. I had enchiladas. MC’s mom was running the show at the housewarming. Fancy table and eats. We helped set up. Food (above): ham sandwiches, pigs in a blanket, brownies, cheeses, crackers, cookies, nuts, etc. Talked sneakers with one of Will’s friends.  

 

Got there about 1245 and didn’t leave until after 8 pm. Exhausting but fun. At least forty people came and went. Many from their church, including an assistant pastor and his wife. Also Will’s boss at the hospital. One of the neighborhood kids was there. Not really the type to sit around and chat. He played with the dog for a while. Later he got me to go outside and throw the football with him. Still later Will and Matthew went out and threw the football with him. Then later I went back out with him for another catch. He’s been attending Will’s football game watching parties.

 

Had on the Falcons/49ers but missed the end. Falcons are going to mess around and miss out on a high draft pick. Kicker Younghoe Koo executed another perfect onside kick and the Falcons recovered – but it was called back because the Falcons only had ten men on the field. Got home and went to bed.

 

Left work Monday at 515 after changing for the gym. Drove to the Y and got my usual end treadmill overlooking the rest of the Y, front door, and front desk. Saw two people I knew. Did my 4 miles in just over an hour, trying to go a little faster each time. Home before 730. Turned on Jeopardy. Ceil was cooking chicken, mashed potatoes, and tossed salad. The smoke detector went off. When that happens Barney likes to go out into the garage and get in Ceil’s car. I didn’t open the door to the car because I didn’t want him jumping up there with his broke leg. He stayed in the garage a bit before coming back in.

 

Helped clean up after supper. Had The Neighborhood and Bob+Abeshola on TV, then the crafting show Making It.

 

The Christmas cards had come in the mail so I got to work on them. Addressed about 35 or so and mailed most this morning. A few are on hold (including yours!) because I need to finish my Christmas letter (hopefully today). One tiny typo: like Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, Mary-Clayton’s name has a hyphen. Anna left off the hyphen in MC’s name.  

 

Big news: at 10:30 pm I took out Barney outside to do his business. He was limping so I didn’t make him go over to my car to get something with me. We went inside. C had already gone upstairs. Lately with his hurt leg B has just hopped on his bed or on the couch, but this time he went over to the steps like he was going upstairs. I told him no, so he went into the living room and got on that couch. I was going to block the stairs so he couldn’t come up, but first sat with him awhile before heading upstairs. Then C came downstairs to get something. I went on upstairs and didn’t block the steps. In the middle of the night I woke up and found B sitting on the floor in our room. In the morning I tried to carry him downstairs but he hobbled down by himself. he's limping worse tonight.

W&MC took a quick camping trip to Tennessee this week,

and took Okie to play golf.

 

Bowl Matchups

Nothing like being a week late with the news. You didn’t read it here first, but thanks for stopping by anyway. Numbers in parenthesis are the current USA Today Sagarin ranking.  

I am the last to learn you can’t go by rankings when picking bowl games. Some teams lost conference championship games. Some were hoping to make the playoff and aren’t happy settling for a lesser bowl. Some teams have lost head coaches or assistants. Some have injuries or key players deciding they’re too good to play in a bowl. Other teams have something to prove. Plus you have a bunch of 18 year-olds with emotions and girlfriends and you never know if they’re paying attention, and punt returners fielding punts inside the ten yard line when they shouldn’t.  

12.20 Bahamas Bowl Buffalo 7-5 (81) v Charlotte 7-5 (117)

12.20 Frisco Bowl Utah St 7-5 (71) v Kent St 6-6 (105)

12.21 Celebration Bowl NCA&T 8-3 (159) v Alcorn St 9-3 (165)

12.21 New Mexico C Mich 8-5 (97) v San Diego St 9-3 (61)

12.21 Cure Bowl Ga Southern 7-5 (83) v Liberty 7-5 (119)

12.21 Boca Raton Bowl Fla Atlantic 10-3 (54) v SMU 10-2 (34)

12.21 Camellia Bowl Arkansas St 7-5 (92) v Fla Intl 6-6 (118)

12.21 Vegas Bowl Boise St 12-1 (25) v Washington 7-5 (19)

12.21 New Orleans Bowl App St 12-1 (28) v UAB 9-4 (107)

12.23 Gasparilla Bowl Central Fla 9-3 (27) v Marshall 8-4 (85)

12.24 Hawaii Bowl Hawaii 9-5 (76) v BYU 7-5 (64)

12.26 Independence La Tech 9-3 (91) v Miami 6-6 (53)

12.26 Quick Lane Bowl Pitt 7-5 (63) v E Michigan 6-6 (113)

12.27 Military Bowl UNC 6-6 (48) v Temple 8-4 (67)

12.27 Pinstripe Bowl Wake Forest 8-4 (57) v Michigan St 6-6 (37)

12.27 Texas Bowl OK St 8-4 (22) v Texas A&M 7-5 (18)

12.27 Holiday Bowl USC 8-4 (21) v Iowa 9-3 (16)

12.27 Cheez-It Bowl Air Force 10-2 (31) v Washington St 6-6 (42)

12.28 Camping World Iowa St 7-5 (23) v Notre Dame 10-2 (13)

12.28 Cotton Penn St 10-2 (11) v Memphis 12-1 (17)

12.28 Peach LSU 12-0 (3) v Oklahoma 11-1 (5)

12.28 Fiesta Ohio St 12-0 (1) v Clemson 12-0 (2)

12.30 First Responder W Kent 8-4 (79) v W Mich 7-5 (80)

12.30 Music City Bowl Louisville 7-5 (58) v Miss St 6-6 (38)

12.30 Redbox Bowl Cal 7-5 (45) v Illinois 6-6 (77)

12.30 Orange Florida 10-2 (12) v UVA 9-4 (30)

12.31 Belk Bowl Va Tech 8-4 (43) v Kentucky 7-5 (35)

12.31 Sun FSU 6-6 (46) v Arizona St 7-5 (40)

12.31 Liberty Navy 10-2 (29) v Kansas St 8-4 (24)

12.31 Arizona Ga St 7-5 (111) v Wyoming 7-5 (72)

12.31 Alamo Utah 11-2 (14) v Texas 7-5 (20)  

01.01 Citrus Alabama 10-2 (4) v Michigan 9-3 (9)

01.01 Outback Minnesota 10-2 (26) v Auburn 9-3 (10)

01.01 Rose Oregon 11-2 (8) v Wisconsin 10-3 (7)

01.01 Sugar UGA 11-2 (6) v Baylor 11-2 (15)

01.02 Birmingham Cincinnati 10-3 (32) v Boston College 6-6 (59)

01.02 Gator Indiana 8-4 (39) v Tennessee 7-5 (36)

01.03 Potato Bowl Nevada 7-5 (109) v Ohio 6-6 (84)

01.04 Armed Forces Southern Miss 7-5 (94) v Tulane 6-6 (62)

01.06 LendingTree Louisiana 10-3 (44) v Miami Ohio 8-5 (93)

01.13 National Championship

Ranking NFL Stadia

Sports websites love to publish rankings. ESPN has a new one every day. I’m a sucker for stadium rankings and usually post one every year (much too often for serious journalists).

Most NFL stadiums are palaces. A few stand out above the rest (Atlanta, Dallas, Minnesota) and a few are inadequate (Oakland) but most can be considered above average. I am partial to domes, but many open air stadiums are almost interchangeable (CLE, CIN, BALT, NE, BUFF, NY, PITT, PHIL,  DEN, TENN, JAX, TB).

Sportsdrop.com published a ranking in August. These rankings included stadium experience: a loud, full stadium ranked higher than a mostly-empty stadium housing a losing team. That’s too subjective. Note my more accurate ranking at the bottom.

I added seating capacity, year opened, and whether the stadium has hosted a Super Bowl.

31. 56057 1966 Oakland Alameda Stadium

30. 82000 1997 FedEx Field Redskins

29. 27000 2003 Dignity Health Sports Park Chargers

28. 71608 1973 New Era Field Bills

27. 65326 1987 Hard Rock Stadium Dolphins SB

26. 67895 1999 First Energy Stadium Browns

25. 69132 1995 TIAA Bank Field Jaguars SB

24. 65515 2000 Paul Brown Stadium Bengals

23. 78500 1923 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Rams SB

22. 69143 1999 Nissan Stadium Titans

21. 61500 1924 Soldier Field Bears

20. 66829 2002 Gillette Stadium Patriots

19. 68500 2014 Levi’s Stadium 49ers SB

18. 65890 1998 Raymond James Stadium Buccaneers SB

17. 69596 2003 Lincoln Financial Field Eagles

16. 65000 2002 Ford Field Lions

15. 71008 1998 M&T Bank Stadium Ravens

14. 75523 1996 Bank of America Stadium Panthers

13. 73208 1975 Mercedes Benz Superdome Saints SB

12. 63400 2006 State Farm Stadium Cardinals SB

11. 82500 2010 MetLife Stadium Giants Jets SB

10. 68400 2001 Heinz Field Steelers

9. 76416 1972 Arrowhead Stadium Chiefs

8. 81441 1957 Lambeau Field Packers

7. 67000 2008 Lucas Oil Stadium Colts

6. 76125 2001 Empower Field at Mile High

5. 72220 2002 NRG Stadium Texans SB

4. 66655 2016 US Bank Stadium Vikings SB

3. 71000 2017 Mercedes Benz Stadium Falcons SB

2. 69000 2002 CenturyLink Field Seahawks

1. 80000 2009 AT&T Stadium Cowboys SB

My ranking: (1) Atlanta, (2) new LA stadium, (3) new Las Vegas stadium, (4) Minnesota, (5) Dallas, (6) Indianapolis, (7) Phoenix, (8) Houston, (9) San Francisco, (10) Detroit, (11) Kansas City, (12) Green Bay, (13) Seattle, (14) New York, (15) Chicago, (16) Denver, (17) New England, (18) Pittsburgh, (19)  Charlotte, (20) Miami, (21) Baltimore, (22) Cleveland, (23) Nashville, (24) New Orleans, (25) Cincinnati, (26) Philadelphia, (27) Washington, (28) Tampa, (29) Jacksonville, (30) LA Coliseum, (31) Buffalo, (32) Oakland, (33) Chargers.

Note: my company's aluminum has been made into handrails used in Mercedes Benz Stadium, the new stadium in Vegas, State Farm Arena, SunTrust Park, Sanford Stadium, the Missouri Tigers stadium, and others.

 

 

https://thesportsdrop.com/ranking-all-31-nfl-stadiums-from-worst-to-best/?utm_medium=inbound&utm_source=outbrain&utm_campaign=NFL_Stadiums_Desktop_V20_Outbrain&utm_term=MSN+-+US+-+IE+New+Tab+-+PREMIUM+Header+Bidding&utm_content=MSN+US+%28PREMIUM+Header+Bidding%29