JT

Did you know? UGA QB JT Daniels was the 2017 national high school player of the year, beating out Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. Then Daniels skipped his senior season of high school football, enrolling at USC and earning the starting job at QB. After suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2019 season opener, after the season he transferred to UGA. Last Saturday was Daniel’s first game in 14 months.

2017 high school junior

2018 USC’s starting QB

2019 injured in USC’s season opener

2020 UGA 

Daniels said he was cleared to play for UGA’s second game. What took Kirby Smart so long to make the switch, after Stetson Bennett did so poorly against Alabama? Was it an error on Smart’s part? I still say the coaches saw every snap in every practice, saw the QB’s in meetings. Right or wrong, the coaches knew more than the experts on social media. While Daniels is reportedly a football junkie, perhaps Bennett had the support of the other players that Daniels didn’t. Perhaps Kirby knew the players would react unfavorably to a change at QB. It’s possible.

Last week’s ESPN Total QB Rating

1. 97.8 Brock Purdy Iowa State

6. 96.3 Mac Jones Alabama

7. 96.2 JT Daniels UGA

8. 94.0 Kyle Trask Florida

22. 80.6 Justin Fields Ohio State

43. 66.7 Bo Nix Auburn

55. 45.6 Jarrett Guarantano Tennessee

Forgot something that happened during our Sunday School zoom call. During the call we are broken up into pairs to pray, then later during the lesson we are broken into groups of three or four to discuss the Bible verses. The first break went perfectly – we were paired with a young mother we know from Egypt. But later when we were put into a group, there was no one else in our group! We were left by ourselves. 

As I’d said, Monday after work I drove to small group. Grabbed Wendy’s on the way. After group I stopped by the bank and Kroger. Not much on TV.

This morning we packed at left home by nine. Took 85 north. Heavy Stopped in Spartanburg for gas and Chickfila. Then around Charlotte’s southern perimeter to Jefferson. Averaged 32.5 miles per gallon. Washed the car and picked up pecans. 

Thankful to Who?

Friday we made it down to Macon without much gridlock traffic. But on the way back: we left at 3 pm for the 1-1/2 hour trip, and didn't get home until 8:45. Took 5 hours and 45 minutes. Traffic was slow just north of Griffin. Got off the highway at Locust Grove and the GPS took me down another dirt road. Great. Maneuvered west to highway 41 past the NASCAR track, then over to Old Dixie Highway to Hapeville, then up Metropolitan Parkway to Northside Drive and Howell Mill. Stopped to eat at La Fonda, outside on their patio.

Worked upstairs on Saturday morning. Boxed to old books in Anna's room. Got out winter clothes from the attic. Then downstairs to discover Clemson@FSU had been cancelled. Laundry. Dishwasher. Cooked lunch: ground beef quesadilla. Had Florida@Vandy on while I worked, and later poor Kentucky@Alabama. 

Pulled a large old area rug from the attic and downstairs to put in the living room. Cleared out the guitars and old art from the living room to make it nice again. Moved the art into Ceil's new studio. Progress, slowly but surely.

Watched MissState@Georgia at Reid & Noelle's backyard, around the firepit. Dined on chili with rice. Wore my new red #98 Rodrigo Blankenship UGA jersey. That's probably why Georgia won.

Online Sunday School. Chicken and rice quesadilla for lunch. Cleared out a closetful of clothes that Matthew didn't want. More laundry and dishes. Turned on the Falcons, but skipped the horrible second half. Later I watched the first half of Packers@Colts. Later I saw a replay of the ending: Hot Rod booted the game-winner in overtime.

Grits, toast, and eggs for supper. Got caught up on some computer stuff but not others. Ceil watched reruns on Hallmark Channel. 

I saw that man saves puppy video. Watched it twice to see the puppy run away at the end. Thought about showing it to Ceil, since she's so into puppies these days. Decided not to. Saw where Denison wrote about the guy. That puppy should know he is loved because his owner risked his life for him. How much more did God love us, that His only son died so we could live.

How is Augusta National different on TV than in person? One big thing are all the changes in elevation. 

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__golf.com_news_2020-2Dmasters-2Dmade-2Dfor-2Dtv-2Daugusta-2Dnational_-3Futm-5Fcampaign-3Dforecast-26utm-5Fsource-3Dgolf.com-26utm-5Fmedium-3Demail-26utm-5Fcontent-3D-257Bdate-2528-26utm-5Fterm-3DGOLFcom-2520Top-2520Stories-2520Newsletter&d=DwIFAg&c=UXihhqr7vvdA-hrKyTiC1Q&r=wMWwaEbn9nr4zXI4p6CDP7FGwn1DrBd77MJElrWsP6U&m=Nw_kENqCGaBINvSDOlDwrYEkrBq0PaYQdFvlxoMT9wA&s=fVN-LwdZ6jrHQB_6Dibs2kkqZmj67BCQdT3k98jL1xo&e=   

BOB WALK [B-R Bio] was warmed up in the bullpen when Francisco Cabrera hit the two-run, game-winning , series-winning single. Despite both Walk and Cabrera being right-handers, Pirates' manager Jim Leyland opted to keep Stan Belinda in the game—despite Belinda's having just walked Damon Berryhill to load the bases and having given up a deep fly ball to Ron Gant—to pitch to Cabrera. Walk was the first post-expansion rookie to start Game One of a World Series. He was the starter and the victor of G1 of the 1980 WS, the first ever championship for the NL's Philadelphia franchise. The length of his career behind the microphone has far eclipsed that of his playing career. Has been in the broadcast booth for the Pirates since 1994. It was during his 27th season of broadcasting for the Pirates that he and his wife contracted the Covid-19 virus this summer. They both made full recoveries. Few people were saddened when he decided to shave off his mustache. Walk's mustache? Well, click and see for yourself.

Denison on Thanksgiving: "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). True thanksgiving requires an object, just like friendship or love. To give thanks ultimately requires us to acknowledge the existence and relevance of the God to whom we owe such thanks. There is something spiritual about true thanksgiving. This is a dilemma for secular people. They want the experience of thanksgiving—a sense of gratitude shared with family and friends—without the reality upon which it is based. Many will do the same with Christmas. We will hear "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" over the coming weeks. This is not primarily because we don't want to offend our Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu neighbors, since they make up less than 6 percent of all Americans. It is because secular people want the experience of Christmas without the reality of Christ. They want to enjoy the birthday party while ignoring the guest of honor. Our culture cuts the flowers off at the roots and then wonders why they die." 

Right now businesses and schools are being locked down due to a pandemic that 99.9% of the population survives without repercussions. Soon the lockdowns will be because of "climate change." Never mind that polar ice caps continue to grow larger every year. Yet the very governors calling for lockdowns attend crowded indoor dinners where no one wears a mask. Why is this? 

https://issuesinsights.com/2020/11/18/lockdowns-for-the-pandemic-now-global-warming-later/

Sunday Photos

Back in the day I would pour over game programs like this one: every photos and story, even the ads. Saw this one from 1969 and remembered every page.

Ignoring an upset Rick Monday, the plate umpire gets a new baseball from Charlie the Rabbit, who had risen out of the ground to deliver the ball.

Tech's new basketball uniforms (top). Not quite as good as last season's (below). No worries - they'll change again next year.

From the 1969 Braves program: the assistant trainer had name recognition. Plus great prices on souvenirs.

Breaking the Curse

UGA beat Mississippi State, lifting the curse of the black jerseys in the process. Nit-pickers hated on the dog collars, but they really didn't stand out. I liked the block numbers. Looking forward to getting back to the red jerseys.

JT Daniels finally got playing time, and he responded with over 400 yards passing, the most at Georgia since Aaron Murray in 2013 against Auburn. The four TD passes were a career high for the sophomore transfer from USC.  

Freshman receiver Burton had a huge game, with almost 200 yards receiving - second most in school history.

Not sure what happened to UGA's defense. Miss State put seven in the box to stop the run, but Daniels repeatedly converted downfield on third and long. Daniels spread the ball around to at least five different receivers. George Pickins was back, perhaps wanting to wear the black jersey. Still waiting for the huge freshman tight end Washington to be included in the passing game. Saw him open a couple of times.

 

Clemson@FSU: cancelled just hours before the game. Trevor Lawrence's Heisman hopes continue to fade. He could come back next year to win the award.

 

Justin Fields threw four interceptions to lowly Indiana. The Hoosiers made it a game. I'm still not impressed by the Buckeyes or Fields. But he'll get serious Heisman consideration.

 

Florida's Kyle Trask threw an interception at Vandy (or was it dropped?). Didn't throw for four TD's for the first time all year. Didn't throw for 400 yards. But he's near the top of the Heisman race. Will his hopes fade after losing to Bama in the SEC Championship Game?

 

Bama looked formitable. Kentucky didn't help, committing dumb penalties. Never saw such a late hit on the QB. Bama's backup QB looked as good as their starter. At least three great running backs. Clemson better watch out.

 

Arkansas just missed beating LSU. Good game by Felipe Franks. LSU played their backup QB, a Jemare Russell lookalike who could actually spot his second and third receivers.

 

Wore my new red UGA jersey over to Reid's to watch the game. His son Nathan sported a black dog-collar Pickens #1 jersey. We had a nice discussion.   

Friday

_{Doing okay? I was super busy Thursday morning working from home. Left the house with plenty of time to make my 1:30 meeting in Macon, then discovered a 50 minute delay on my route. That meant no stops for food or drink. The GPS took my off the interstate onto a side road. After a couple of miles it became a dirt road. Made it with time to spare.}

 

_{After the meeting I grabbed Taco Bell and stopped by to see my dad. The dollar milkshake at CookOut was cherry cobbler, which sounded good – but the cobbler was crunched up graham crackers and the cherry was cherry syrup. Should’ve known. Bad traffic coming back. Arrived at 8:30.}

 

_{Did a little work this morning. Ceil and I are driving back to Macon to have lunch with my parents.}

More Stuff

My card says I have been an AMEX member since 1999, though I’d had a different company AMEX card before that. When the company changed names they issued a new card, so I lost several years off my membership. I think Anna just got an AMEX, so perhaps she’ll have it for a long time.

 

For the wedding reception my friends got a bunch of pairs of wine glasses from thrift stores. The idea was that after the reception you’d go around and find the matching wine glass, and take home the pair. Not sure how many people did this. There were lots of wines glasses still on the tables when we cleaned up. At one point I was taking two unmatched wine glasses back to the packing area when one of the groomsmen, a young single Asian guy, brighten. He turned to me and said “Hey, are you taking that glass?” I had just become aware of the tradition, and handed him the glass. He was thrilled. Less for us to take home.

 

We also had extra tea left over. Not many sweet tea drinkers in Virginia. One of the groomsmen took home the leftover unsweet tea, but we couldn’t get any takers for the sweet tea.

Chubb Doesn't Score, Wins the Game

Saw a replay of Nick Chubb last week against the Texans. The Browns needed a first down with a minute to go, so they could run out the clock. He got the first down, turned upfield to avoid going out of bounds, and kept running. Then at the one yard line he stepped out of bounds. Cleveland took a knee and ran out the clock, winning the game 10-7 but not covering the spread – costing thousands of bettors millions of dollars. The Browns coach said he wouldn’t have been mad if Chubb had scored, but stated that Chubb had been told before the play to not score.

https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/30325164/nick-chubb-decision-1-yard-line-costs-bettors-cleveland-browns-fail-cover-45-point-spread 

Tuesday: worked past 5:30 so it was almost dark when I left. Wanted to try the Arby’s turkey sandwich but had to backtrack when one Arby’s had closed down, in an area bustling with activity. It was off the road a little, so maybe people couldn’t see it.

During lunch Tuesday I had looked for an Arby’s on Peachtree Industrial, but it was gone. So I cut over to 285 access road across from FBC, and that one had been torn down. Grabbed Taco Bell instead. 

I also stopped for gas on the way home, so it was past 7 pm when I finally got there. Had stuff to do but crashed on the couch. Watched a new show, and later when C went to bed I watched another Dwayne The Rock Johnson movie “Skyscraper” with Neve Campbell, from Psych, as his wife. Not bad.

Did I tell you that last week I watched the Timothy Dalton / Nastassja Kinski movie “Time Share” made in 2000. It was just okay. 

Busy at work.

How Augusta National’s Par-3 Course became a little piece of perfection

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__golf.com_news_features_augusta-2Dnational-2Dmasters-2Dpar-2D3-2Dcourse-2Dperfection_-3Futm-5Fcampaign-3Dforecast&d=DwIFAg&c=UXihhqr7vvdA-hrKyTiC1Q&r=wMWwaEbn9nr4zXI4p6CDP7FGwn1DrBd77MJElrWsP6U&m=c6wt8qK1dG-6PW1tKCEv80olW2MGVU8Jzwyla69ClJc&s=eSd-7jg4JsTgjCyPi4VPL5-Xwtk9jVgH1tXEifVUZGM&e=  

TREVOR BAUER [B-R Bio] one-time Arizona Diamondback was the first ever Cincinnati Reds pitcher to win the National League Cy Young Award - CYA 2020; Debuted and played 1 year for ARI in 2012. All the games he completed that year were shutouts, with both stats leading the majors: 2 CG; 2 SHO in 2020 Playing at UCLA, he followed in the footsteps of Tim Lincecum and Buster Posey. Won the Golden Spikes Award in 2011. Lincecum (2006) and Posey (2008) were previous winners. 

Denison: “worldwide government opposition to religious liberty seems to be escalating. The Pew Research Center reports the highest level of global government restrictions on religion in a decade. Since 2007, when Pew began its survey, the median level of government restrictions has risen 65 percent and the level for social hostilities has doubled. This issue came home for American Christians recently when Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito stated during a keynote address to the Federalist Society: "It pains me to say this, but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right." He observed: "For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom. It's often just an excuse for bigotry, and it can't be tolerated, even when there is no evidence that anybody has been harmed. You can't say that marriage is the union between one man and one woman. Until very recently, that's what the vast majority of Americans thought. Now it's considered bigotry."

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/supreme-court-justice-warns-religious-liberty-is-fast-becoming-a-disfavored-right-what-matters-most-cannot-be-taken-from-us/ 

Back to Reality

Feeling good today? Feels like Monday but it’s Tuesday, plus I’m off Thursday and Friday of this week and some next week as well. 

My Virginia host Myron is a big car guy. We pretty much talked cars all weekend. With our wives there helping organize the wedding, plus the bride and groom calling their shots, I told Myron that I was there so he would have one person he could boss around. 

Saturday I saw zero football, and no Masters either. But we had a good time. Saturday night there was going to be a crowd at the rehearsal dinner gathering, so Ceil and I didn’t go, to keep the numbers down. C was still arranging flowers and I was worn out from the day. Later we drove around. We ate leftover lasagna from the night before.

Saturday we missed a turn and had to take three cloverleafs to get back to where we needed to go. I decided to make a video. Pardon the background political talk.   

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0DNjvFhUhq89sdROwbsPjoAqA 

Sunday we left for the wedding venue around 9:30 am. Got there and worked to set everything up. The bride’s brother and brother in law were practicing music. I set out all the chairs – 28 were needed. I set out three rows of ten, separated by a middle row, in groups of two and three. Then I added a fourth row of 12, so people could space. Only 20 people filled those 40 chairs.

Ceil and others helped set up the reception in one of the barns. Plenty of space and plenty of ventilation, with the big barn doors open on both ends. Plus the sides of the barn were open, but the tent flaps closed to keep out the wind. A cloudy day, with no rain, but a high of 70 degrees. Very nice for November. Photos at 2 pm, and ceremony at three. Right afterward I grabbed a volunteer to take the drinks from the fridge in one barn over to the reception, and put them on ice. From there everyone helped themselves to drinks, cheese, and crackers.  Before the reception got going several of the groomsmen helped us put the 40 chairs back in the barn. 

Dinner was BBQ pork, baked beans, mac & cheese, slaw, cornbread, and cupcakes. Just a few speeches. By then it was dark. Just a few speeches and dances. Most of the adults helped clean off the tables and pack back up. We were home by ten, and Ceil and I helped Myron and Dawn wash, dry, and pack the plates and forks. Was exhausted, and slept like a rock.

Monday morning we packed. C and I left at 9:45. Took the NW > SW > SE route to avoid Richmond. Stopped for Chickfila, gas, and sunglasses outside of Durham. Later Ceil wanted to stop in Greensboro to check out an art store. Bad rush hour traffic in Charlotte. Worse construction traffic in Spartanburg. Got home at 8:45 – and exhausting eleven hour trip. 

Been through over a thousand emails already this morning. Now 20 more need responses. Then my regular work. No rest for the weary.

Getting old.  Every night I slept well because I was so worn out from all the activity. Not as tired last night after sitting in the car all day.

GT cancelled their Nov 21 game? So hard to get news about Tech. Not much info on social media, just hype videos. If UGA cancels I see several reports. Tech cancels (or loses) and nothing. I didn’t know the Pitt game had been cancelled until after the fact. I entered a contest to win tickets to the Duke@GT game. I entered because the winner gets to ride in the back of the Ramblin Wreck out onto the field. 

At lunch I headed to Brookhaven to pick up Barney’s ashes.

With the kids working over Thanksgiving and Christmas, my schedule is crazy as well. I will work in the office today, tomorrow, and Thursday morning. Macon & back on Friday. Home on Saturday and Sunday. Work in the office next Monday. Work remote on Wednesday. With covid we actually might have Christmas in Atlanta this year. Will probably have to work between Christmas and New Year’s. Almost out of vacation anyway. 

Masters: hadn’t realized how hot Johnson had been recently. Dustin is not really one of my favorites.

Augusta’s Green Jackets: For Winners, Members (and Buyers) Only. The club’s green jackets — awarded to its members and Masters winners — are not supposed to leave its grounds. A rare few have, becoming an expensive holy grail for memorabilia collectors.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nytimes.com_2020_11_12_sports_golf_green-2Djacket-2Dmasters.html-3Fsmid-3Dem-2Dshare&d=DwIFaQ&c=UXihhqr7vvdA-hrKyTiC1Q&r=wMWwaEbn9nr4zXI4p6CDP7FGwn1DrBd77MJElrWsP6U&m=OGiQwHv7XmO-mTDnC_BK9-CkRA4fDLD-h8XxN6R2lR8&s=tSOz_xvEiJYJNiwqxjMp0wni_hEYSO3zm9QfpDirbI4&e= 

HOYT WILHELM [SABR Bio] his record for the most career appearances by a pitcher did Dennis Eckersley break. He passed Cy Young’s 906 in 1968, retired with 1,070 and was passed by Eckersley in 1998. Wilhelm led the league in appearances in two of his first three qualifying seasons in the majors but didn’t lead again in the remaining nearly two decades of his career. He led the NL in games in 1952, 1953 with 71 and 68. He didn’t retire until after the 1972 season and averaged 50 appearances a season, but never led again. A one-time St. Louis Cardinal was decorated for his heroics during the Battle of the Bulge. Wilhelm rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army and was placed in charge of his regiment’s heavy machine guns at the Battle of the Bulge.  He was awarded a Purple Heart after sustaining injuries when a shell exploded nearby.  He received shrapnel wounds in his back and his right hand but recovered and was able to keep pitching although the piece of metal lodged in his back was never removed.  He received his nickname “Ol’ Sarge” from a combination of his military service and extended career.

Virginia Wedding

Attended the wedding of Rachel and Kurt Sunday. We arrived around ten Sunday morning to help set up. We needed 28 chairs, so I thought three rows of ten, divided by a center row, would work. For extra spacing I added a fourth row of twelve for 40 total. About twenty were actually needed. Below was the barn directly behind the chairs. The bridesmaids got ready upstairs. 

Behind the bridesmaids' barn was the reception barn, which Ceil and Dawn and Karla and a few of Rachel's friends set up. Usually the sides and ends were open, but despite a 70 degree afternoon a strong wind kept the sides closed.

Cows, horses, bulls, goats, dogs, and a cat patrolled the venue, run by a family of four: hostress Robin, her sometime surfer husband, and their two teenage boys.

The groomsmen ate pizza and dressed across the way in the clubhouse adjacent to the tennis court, then crossed a bridge to take pictures.

Above and below: signs of the times.

Matron of honor Emily Broadwell Gordon makes her entrance.

Kirkland Broadwell's wife Jillian held the youngest bridesmaid.

Myron and Rachel make their entrance.

Since the couple got married on their original wedding date (5/10/20) Rachel and Kurt rewrote their vows to continue their commitment in marriage. 

BBQ pork, baked beans, mac & cheese, slaw, cheese and crackers, cupcakes, and a cat.

There's also a beautiful house on the property.

Fun Facts: The Masters

The Rodrigo Blankenship UGA jersey I ordered finally delivered this week. Looks okay, though a little small considering the size I had ordered. Could’ve had the 2017 National Championship Game patch but I liked the Rose Bowl patch better. It will be great to wear at game-watching parties. 

Social media has laid waste to the old guideline about not discussing politics or religion. I am continuously amazed at all the cruel people, the people who express their hate for God. I knew there were non-Christians but never realized all the hate there is out there. 

What Christians Should Do If Their Candidate Loses the 2020 Election

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__time.com_5905783_christians-2Delection-2D2020_-3Futm-5Fsource-3Demail-26utm-5Fmedium-3Demail-26utm-5Fcampaign-3Demail-2Dshare-2Darticle-26utm-2Dterm-3Dideas&d=DwIFAg&c=UXihhqr7vvdA-hrKyTiC1Q&r=wMWwaEbn9nr4zXI4p6CDP7FGwn1DrBd77MJElrWsP6U&m=DsUa1icNzcZU2t4qmGPBTiQ9vJ7s_e8u1OKic9xSGxA&s=Bc60R_l6tg2uUSpkkMn3pRoj1DIHldtVpn_gzz2nSjA&e=

 

Why It’s Logical, Christian, and Charitable to Suspect the Election Was Stolen:

  https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__stream.org_why-2Dits-2Dlogical-2Dchristian-2Dand-2Dcharitable-2Dto-2Dsuspect-2Dthe-2Delection-2Dwas-2Dstolen_&d=DwIFAg&c=UXihhqr7vvdA-hrKyTiC1Q&r=wMWwaEbn9nr4zXI4p6CDP7FGwn1DrBd77MJElrWsP6U&m=bYnWFyohsxv8yfufZaWI2KWPYpMd0A57xWXdtZsUWq0&s=hxNp6ospOgGbEcdIkKDJpzIlX5dvZ4ZE8tQCQJbp_ss&e= 

 

Sporting Clays

This morning the guys in the wedding went out east of Richmond to shoot sporting clays.

Kirkland was always to my left.

Below: Myron and son-in-law Kurt observe the action.

Kurt's four brothers and father were excellent shots.

In this photo of Kurt below, you can see the orange clay up in the air, high to the right of Kurt.

Below the clay is seen between the two poles, scampering along the groung from right to left like a rabbit.

Later Kirkland and Emily's husband John practiced for the wedding.

Paul Hornung passed away.

Friday we drove past the home of the old Richmond Braves. It used to be called International Stadium. Now the Flying Squireels play there.

The brewery where Rachel works has an old overhead crane still installed in the rafters.

Good photo of Monument Grove inside the Braves' Truist Park, with Braves history and hall of famers. as well as the new Hank Aaron statue.

The Reds were one of the first teams to wear green on St. Patrick's Day/