Am I spoiling you by giving you TheFletch for free right here so that you don't go an pick up Score Atlanta at a quiktrip or Kroger in the Atlanta area? I hope not. Go pick one up!
ESPN decided to bring the 2010 NFL draft to prime time LIVE from Radio City Music Hall in New York, but the local radio stations kind of missed out on the coverage. In years past, both stations had a crew at a local sports bar, breaking down the picks and giving analysis on the spot. This year, due to the timing of the first round, that wasn’t the case for one. 680 The Fan was instead airing the finale of the Braves/Phillies series even though the station spent the week touting John Kincade, Chuck Oliver and Falcons receiver Brian Finneran’s roundtable discussion. That would have been cool to hear, but I wasn’t able to go out to their location to be a part of the discussion. 790 The Zone meanwhile was in Sandy Springs where Pollack and Bell were able to do their show until the draft started. Then, as much as I respect Brandon Adams and the Soon to be Famous Jon Michaels, the big guns left. 790 has former first round pick David Pollack at the station as well as former NFLer Ryan Stewart, yet the coverage is left to Brandon and Jon. Again, I have great respect for those guys, but why didn’t the station decide to use Pollack in its coverage? The Atlanta Falcons were at least broadcasting a special draft program that allowed patrons of Taco Mac to see live interviews with owner and CEO Arthur Blank, Rich McKay and other Falcons staff. Then fans were treated to an interview with GM Thomas Dimitroff.
The leadup to the draft was actually quite entertaining this season, despite no local player being at the top of the board like last year with Georgia QB Matthew Stafford. Jon Gruden of ESPN provided a great feature on SportsCenter that eventually grew and grew and eventually got its own special the day before the draft. Gruden invited the top four QBs to go over some tape and Gruden was brutally honest during these sessions. It ultimately came off as tough love, and in several cases, Gruden was flat out funny as he put players on the spot. When Gruden sat down with CJ Spiller, just days before the draft, seeing Spiller writing down “Pointer Sisters” as something to look into made me crack up and “CJ’s AL-WAYS IN-JURED!” is sure to be serenaded should the Clemson back get hurt and leave the field during his rookie year.
One final NFL note, the schedule was released and Falcons fans should be feeling good about not only the schedule, but the two national games that Atlanta will play. The slate opens up with the Pittsburgh Steelers, sans Ben Roethlisberger and caps off with a date against the Carolina Panthers in the Georgia Dome in Week 17. In Week 16, Matt Ryan and company will have a HUGE chance to impress when the Falcons host the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the Georgia Dome. ESPN and Monday Night Football will be in town for that one. The other nationally televised game will be on the NFL Network (OK, so not nationally televised if you don’t have the expanded television package on Comcast or Charter…) against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, November 11 in Atlanta.
The Atlanta Hawks are of course in the playoffs and if you live in the Atlanta area, you are clearly seeing the games with our local broadcast crew providing the sound. If though, like me, you were out of town last week during game one against Milwaukee, you were treated to the broadcast on ESPN. The NBA on ESPN team certainly had some nice things to say about the team and coach Mike Woodson, though some wondered if the team would resign Joe Johnson. ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons echoed that thought in his NBA: Think, Know, Prove column. Said Simmons of the Hawks, “I think this spring could be the last stand for the Rejuvenated Atlanta Hawks. And here's why: Joe Johnson is getting max money this summer to play in Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Clipperland or wherever. He's irreplaceable for Atlanta obviously. Assuming Josh Childress returns from his Greek exile, that gives the Hawks Childress, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jamal Crawford, Marvin "I Look Worse As A No. 2 Pick Each Season" Williams, Zaza Pachulia, Zaza Pachulia's bacne and Mike Bibby's chalk outline next season. That's a 42-win team. The window is right now. They can absolutely make the 2010 Eastern finals ... and then get swept, but still. The Eastern finals!”
The AJC’s Jeff Schultz was impressed following the Hawks game two victory. He boasted that Josh Smith, when on, was unstoppable. Schultz quoted all-star forward Al Horford who said that Smith was the X-Factor, even over Johnson. “Josh is the biggest key,” said Horford, and Schultz piggybacked to say that, if Smith plays this way, not even the Lakers could stop him. Maybe a bit much, saying that Smith could beat Orlando, then Cleveland then Los Angeles (aka, Dwight Howard, then LeBron James, then Kobe Bryant), but Schultz is allowed to dream.
Speaking of the AJC, FINALLY, a headline that wasn’t misleading. The Atlanta newspaper’s headline typically takes a page out of yahoo.com by posting misleading headlines to get clicks to its stories, especially when it comes to Georgia Bulldog football news. However, last week the paper decided not to fool the general public when a walk-on punter was arrested. Instead of running a headline like, “ANOTHER GEORGIA BULLDOG ARRESTED, RICHT HAS LOST CONTROL!” the paper instead noted that a walk-on had been arrested. Yellow journalism was popular back in the early 1900s but the AJC was working with Yahoo to bring it back. Has the website seen the light? Doubtful. In fact, they will probably regret that they missed the chance to hookwink readers into potential clicks to the site.
Tony Barnhart did get my click on ajc.com the other day with his opinion on SEC expansion. The Big Ten (or 11) has been rumored to be after Notre Dame and could add as many as five more teams to become a super-conference of 16 teams. USA Today called for the Big Ten (11, really) to give Notre Dame the ultimatum of “join now or never,” as it went up to 16 teams. Barnhart argued that if the Big Ten (11) adds just Notre Dame, it won’t affect the SEC. However, Mr. College Football went on to add that if the Big Ten (11) ends up adding 16 including Notre Dame, the SEC’s hand will be forced and the conference will likely have to raid the Big East, Conference USA and even the ACC and Big 12 for members to become another super-conference. I tend to agree with Barnhart that if Notre Dame joins the Big Ten (11), that won’t really matter. Maybe then Notre Dame games won’t occupy NBC on Saturdays and the Irish will be on the Big Ten Network, which, thankfully, I don’t get and won’t have to watch.
CAN YOU BELIEVE HE JUST SAID THAT?
“Anybody recall Francisco Cabrera, Game 7, 1992 NLCS?” That was Mark Bradley of the AJC, comparing Jason Heyward’s game-winning single with the hit that sent the Braves to the franchise’s second straight World Series in the early 1990s. I realize that the situation Heyward came to the plate with was similar in that the Braves were down one, with two outs and the bases loaded. And the ball was even hit to the left side of the infield. There was one tiny difference though: Cabrera’s hit came in the playoffs whereas Heyward’s hit was in APRIL. MID-APRIL!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Drafting a few thoughts about last night....
The NFL held the first round of the draft last night in PRIME TIME for the first time ever, and a few things stood out to me. No.1, lots of crying last night. Wow. Have I ever seen so many HUGE men crying before? Only when Larry's Original Calabash Seafood shut down to remodel. There were a bunch of fat men crying for a few minutes before they realized they could just eat somewhere else.
No.2, as a Redskins fan, the first few things I DIDN'T want to hear about the No.4 overall pick Trent Williams....
Boomer: A bit of a surprise with Washington going with Williams over Okung, right Mel?
Kiper: He'll need to work on his strength. He only did 23 reps at the combine, but he is athletic. He can dunk a basketball.
Todd McShay: this is a versital guy. His first few seasons he was a right tackle and even played center. His last year he played left tackle.
So let's recap, shall we: he was moving up draft boards late, for whatever reason. Perhaps news that he could dunk a basketball sparked that. Wait, I don't remember new Redskins coach Mike Shannahan running many plays that required his LT to dunk a basketball when winning two Super Bowls in Denver. Hmmm. And he only did 23 reps at the combine? You know who did more? Several quarterbacks.
and he played RIGHT TACKLE AND CENTER his first few years before switching to LT his final season....when Sam Bradford was knocked out TWICE on sacks. Great. Your first game as LT and Bradford leaves the game with a crushing injury. 6 weeks later after he returns, he is hurt AGAIN in that first game and misses the rest of the year. GREAT JOB LEFT TACKLE!
The Falcons got Sean Weatherspoon. A pretty good pickup for them. Thank goodness that Maurkice Pouncey was taken one pick ahead of them because I think they would have taken him. Boy, I'd have loved to have seen the spin machine try and sell a freaking CENTER over Dez Bryant, Gresham, Kindle, Weatherspoon, etc.
Tim Tebow got picked in the first round. Wow. one of three gators. And he's going to Denver where he won't start but can learn. A great spot for him. Not a good spot for Gator-haters. He might actually make it out there. CRUD.
Two GT players taken in the first round, though no Dwyer. He still HAD to go though. No Dawgs taken on day one. expect at least Owens and Atkins to go today as 2nd and 3rd rounds are tonight.
No.2, as a Redskins fan, the first few things I DIDN'T want to hear about the No.4 overall pick Trent Williams....
Boomer: A bit of a surprise with Washington going with Williams over Okung, right Mel?
Kiper: He'll need to work on his strength. He only did 23 reps at the combine, but he is athletic. He can dunk a basketball.
Todd McShay: this is a versital guy. His first few seasons he was a right tackle and even played center. His last year he played left tackle.
So let's recap, shall we: he was moving up draft boards late, for whatever reason. Perhaps news that he could dunk a basketball sparked that. Wait, I don't remember new Redskins coach Mike Shannahan running many plays that required his LT to dunk a basketball when winning two Super Bowls in Denver. Hmmm. And he only did 23 reps at the combine? You know who did more? Several quarterbacks.
and he played RIGHT TACKLE AND CENTER his first few years before switching to LT his final season....when Sam Bradford was knocked out TWICE on sacks. Great. Your first game as LT and Bradford leaves the game with a crushing injury. 6 weeks later after he returns, he is hurt AGAIN in that first game and misses the rest of the year. GREAT JOB LEFT TACKLE!
The Falcons got Sean Weatherspoon. A pretty good pickup for them. Thank goodness that Maurkice Pouncey was taken one pick ahead of them because I think they would have taken him. Boy, I'd have loved to have seen the spin machine try and sell a freaking CENTER over Dez Bryant, Gresham, Kindle, Weatherspoon, etc.
Tim Tebow got picked in the first round. Wow. one of three gators. And he's going to Denver where he won't start but can learn. A great spot for him. Not a good spot for Gator-haters. He might actually make it out there. CRUD.
Two GT players taken in the first round, though no Dwyer. He still HAD to go though. No Dawgs taken on day one. expect at least Owens and Atkins to go today as 2nd and 3rd rounds are tonight.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
TheFletch for this week
Back from NYC, on my way to Cabo. Thought you should still enjoy this week's THEFLETCH. But you know the drill. STOP BY QUIKTRIP and GRAB a copy of Score Atlanta. DO IT!
I was able to finally catch the Braves pregame show on 680 The Fan recently and I must say that I’m a bit disappointed. Buck Belue and Mark Lemke were hosting the official pregame show on the Braves flagship station, and honestly, Belue’s show last season was better. In 2009, Belue hosted a thirty minute show that aired before Braves home games, usually featuring a Jonathan Chadwick interview or report from Turner Field, and I don’t know if it was the length of the show (much shorter, so more meaningful minutes) or the slant of the broadcast, but last year was better. This year Belue seems more corporate when previewing the games whereas last season he was able to relax more. Perhaps it is because Belue is having to set up other people, but he is so conversational when by himself opposed to that sometimes hushed voice he breaks out for big time interviews, his serious voice, I guess. I hate to be one that longs for the good ole days, but I long for the days of…last year. And for the record, when it comes to the Braves pregame coverage, it seems as though Leo Mazzone is finally comfortable on the radio. Leo offers great insight and strong opinions when discussing baseball and the Braves in particular that I quite frankly have not heard on the Rude Awakening. He and Lemke play well off each other, and it is nice to hear his thoughts on the way the game is played today. Leo is old school for sure when it comes to pitching, and I find myself agreeing with him on the pregame shows instead of just wishing he would stop talking like I do when he giggles through the morning show.
The Official Visit, presented by Score Atlanta pulled off quite a coup last Tuesday when Pope offensive lineman Thomas O’Reilly committed to Auburn on the show, which aired on 790 The Zone. O’Reilly is the first recruit to commit for the 2011 class live on The Official Visit, which had McEachern’s Terrell Mitchell pledge to the University of Kentucky in January 2009 and was scheduled to have Hutson Mason deliver his pledge to the Georgia Bulldogs earlier this year, before Mason instead declared on CSS. Chip Towers of the AJC was quick to credit The Official Visit with the announcement, but the two major recruiting websites, scout.com and rivals.com used the content without giving proper credit. Scout.com did send an email, thanking Score Atlanta for the information, however rivals.com lifted the interview, verbatim, claiming that its writer had asked the same questions and had gotten the exact same answer. The “interview” on rivals.com’s site was also posted roughly 45 minutes after the conclusion of O’Reilly’s appearance on The Official Visit. As a co-host of the show and a member of the media, I realize that everyone borrows from everyone, but I personally give credit if I use something that should be credited. Hopefully rivals.com can learn that lesson someday.
The Atlanta Thrashers reshuffled its coaching staff and front office, naming Rick Dudley its new GM after Don Waddell was promoted to team president. The move was met with an “it’s about time,” piece from Jeff Schultz from the AJC and kind words from an ESPN NHL blogger. Pierre LeBrun said of Dudley, “He's a quirky guy, doesn't suck up to owners or people in power like many of his colleagues, and doesn't play politics all too well. He's just a great hockey man; but, unfortunately, that's not always good enough in this business.” Dudley was a former assistant GM with Chicago before coming to the Thrashers before this past season. LeBrun noted in his blog that it was only a matter of time before Dudley replaced Waddell, saying, “Another season out of the playoffs, the ninth time in 10 seasons that's happened, made it the right time. The local fans and media have soured greatly on Waddell.” Meanwhile, Schultz of the AJC wondered last week if enough had been done. “Change is good. Change is needed. Change is the only thing that gives the Thrashers a chance for success and hockey an extended lifeline in Atlanta. But did the Atlanta Spirit go far enough?” Schultz bemoaned the lack of accountability and surmised that perhaps the only reason this change in infrastructure went down was because it was the least expensive way.
I know that this is the South where college football is religion, but I find it interesting the differences in signing day coverage between college football and college basketball. For college football EVERY local paper, be it the AJC, the Gwinnett Daily Post, the Marietta Daily Journal or even the Athens Banner-Herald, is all over National Signing Day. When it comes to basketball’s signing day though, the coverage dips a little bit. Perhaps it is because there are two signing periods, the early period and the late period which we are currently in, but the coverage always seems second-rate. This season is a bit of an exception though. Not only has The Official Visit on 790 been all over the late signing period, but the Athens Banner-Herald has posted updates in regards to Georgia, and the AJC has been chronicling the Marcus Thornton story. Thornton of Westlake was named Mr. Basketball by the AJC and once Clemson’s coach departed, Thornton asked for his release, as he signed in the early period. The AJC is describing him as one of “the top free agents” in recruiting circles. College basketball recruiting should receive more coverage than it does, especially with the stars having to go to college for at least one season. Two years ago after Georgia won the SEC tournament championship, the Dawgs signed Travis Leslie, Dustin Ware and several other players in the late period. This season, Georgia picked up Donte Williams and Sherrard Brantley. With all of the talent in the state of Georgia, with top programs invading the state every signing period looking for the best players, seemingly the local media would amp up its coverage. Perhaps we are now FINALLY seeing that.
CAN YOU BELIEVE HE JUST SAID THAT?
“You got this punk ass Billy Payne who goes on TV…for him to get on there and act like he’s all Uncle Tom, he’s the master on the plantation, that piss [sic] me off.”
Charles Barkley added on Dan Patrick’s radio show that he wishes someone would walk up to Payne and punch him in the face. Clearly Chaz is upset with Payne, the Masters chairman, for coming down hard on Tiger Woods in his pre-tournament press conference. TMZ actually beat me to it, but Charles, in the book, “Uncle Tom” was black. Just saying.
I was able to finally catch the Braves pregame show on 680 The Fan recently and I must say that I’m a bit disappointed. Buck Belue and Mark Lemke were hosting the official pregame show on the Braves flagship station, and honestly, Belue’s show last season was better. In 2009, Belue hosted a thirty minute show that aired before Braves home games, usually featuring a Jonathan Chadwick interview or report from Turner Field, and I don’t know if it was the length of the show (much shorter, so more meaningful minutes) or the slant of the broadcast, but last year was better. This year Belue seems more corporate when previewing the games whereas last season he was able to relax more. Perhaps it is because Belue is having to set up other people, but he is so conversational when by himself opposed to that sometimes hushed voice he breaks out for big time interviews, his serious voice, I guess. I hate to be one that longs for the good ole days, but I long for the days of…last year. And for the record, when it comes to the Braves pregame coverage, it seems as though Leo Mazzone is finally comfortable on the radio. Leo offers great insight and strong opinions when discussing baseball and the Braves in particular that I quite frankly have not heard on the Rude Awakening. He and Lemke play well off each other, and it is nice to hear his thoughts on the way the game is played today. Leo is old school for sure when it comes to pitching, and I find myself agreeing with him on the pregame shows instead of just wishing he would stop talking like I do when he giggles through the morning show.
The Official Visit, presented by Score Atlanta pulled off quite a coup last Tuesday when Pope offensive lineman Thomas O’Reilly committed to Auburn on the show, which aired on 790 The Zone. O’Reilly is the first recruit to commit for the 2011 class live on The Official Visit, which had McEachern’s Terrell Mitchell pledge to the University of Kentucky in January 2009 and was scheduled to have Hutson Mason deliver his pledge to the Georgia Bulldogs earlier this year, before Mason instead declared on CSS. Chip Towers of the AJC was quick to credit The Official Visit with the announcement, but the two major recruiting websites, scout.com and rivals.com used the content without giving proper credit. Scout.com did send an email, thanking Score Atlanta for the information, however rivals.com lifted the interview, verbatim, claiming that its writer had asked the same questions and had gotten the exact same answer. The “interview” on rivals.com’s site was also posted roughly 45 minutes after the conclusion of O’Reilly’s appearance on The Official Visit. As a co-host of the show and a member of the media, I realize that everyone borrows from everyone, but I personally give credit if I use something that should be credited. Hopefully rivals.com can learn that lesson someday.
The Atlanta Thrashers reshuffled its coaching staff and front office, naming Rick Dudley its new GM after Don Waddell was promoted to team president. The move was met with an “it’s about time,” piece from Jeff Schultz from the AJC and kind words from an ESPN NHL blogger. Pierre LeBrun said of Dudley, “He's a quirky guy, doesn't suck up to owners or people in power like many of his colleagues, and doesn't play politics all too well. He's just a great hockey man; but, unfortunately, that's not always good enough in this business.” Dudley was a former assistant GM with Chicago before coming to the Thrashers before this past season. LeBrun noted in his blog that it was only a matter of time before Dudley replaced Waddell, saying, “Another season out of the playoffs, the ninth time in 10 seasons that's happened, made it the right time. The local fans and media have soured greatly on Waddell.” Meanwhile, Schultz of the AJC wondered last week if enough had been done. “Change is good. Change is needed. Change is the only thing that gives the Thrashers a chance for success and hockey an extended lifeline in Atlanta. But did the Atlanta Spirit go far enough?” Schultz bemoaned the lack of accountability and surmised that perhaps the only reason this change in infrastructure went down was because it was the least expensive way.
I know that this is the South where college football is religion, but I find it interesting the differences in signing day coverage between college football and college basketball. For college football EVERY local paper, be it the AJC, the Gwinnett Daily Post, the Marietta Daily Journal or even the Athens Banner-Herald, is all over National Signing Day. When it comes to basketball’s signing day though, the coverage dips a little bit. Perhaps it is because there are two signing periods, the early period and the late period which we are currently in, but the coverage always seems second-rate. This season is a bit of an exception though. Not only has The Official Visit on 790 been all over the late signing period, but the Athens Banner-Herald has posted updates in regards to Georgia, and the AJC has been chronicling the Marcus Thornton story. Thornton of Westlake was named Mr. Basketball by the AJC and once Clemson’s coach departed, Thornton asked for his release, as he signed in the early period. The AJC is describing him as one of “the top free agents” in recruiting circles. College basketball recruiting should receive more coverage than it does, especially with the stars having to go to college for at least one season. Two years ago after Georgia won the SEC tournament championship, the Dawgs signed Travis Leslie, Dustin Ware and several other players in the late period. This season, Georgia picked up Donte Williams and Sherrard Brantley. With all of the talent in the state of Georgia, with top programs invading the state every signing period looking for the best players, seemingly the local media would amp up its coverage. Perhaps we are now FINALLY seeing that.
CAN YOU BELIEVE HE JUST SAID THAT?
“You got this punk ass Billy Payne who goes on TV…for him to get on there and act like he’s all Uncle Tom, he’s the master on the plantation, that piss [sic] me off.”
Charles Barkley added on Dan Patrick’s radio show that he wishes someone would walk up to Payne and punch him in the face. Clearly Chaz is upset with Payne, the Masters chairman, for coming down hard on Tiger Woods in his pre-tournament press conference. TMZ actually beat me to it, but Charles, in the book, “Uncle Tom” was black. Just saying.
Friday, April 16, 2010
This week's The Fletch. enjoy
just because you read it here doesn't mean you shouldn't still go pick up a score! go to quiktrip and grab a copy! NOW!
With the Braves baseball season underway, let’s take a second to look at how the announcing crews are doing. Jim Powell and Don Sutton on the Braves radio broadcasts are really a treat to listen to. When Sutton returned to the Braves broadcast booth, I fidgeted a bit because I remember how sometimes he can go Back in MY day-crazy, but he has truly been a delight thus far on the broadcasts. He KNOWS the game of baseball, and as a former pitcher, he knows what is coming and breaks it down in a way that Tim McCarver must be green with envy over. And kudos to Powell for not going overboard on the Jason Heyward home run on opening day. He knew the importance of the moment, yet he still let the moment speak for itself with a bit of silence to let the crowd noise come over the radio. It was a simple call but one that I will remember for some time because of the way it came off. Nothing overboard, just a call-and-get-out-of-the-way. Great job Jim.
Moving over to the television side, I don’t care that sometimes he misjudges the trajectory of the ball or switches his safe/out calls, I like Chip Caray in the Braves television booth. Harry was great to watch as I grew up on WGN and Skip was a true delight with his sense of humor, and now it just feels right to have Chip in the booth. He isn’t Joe Buck (who is MUCH better doing baseball opposed to football), but he is WAY better than Thom Brennaman, in terms of people who got their starts due to famous relatives.
And on the first Braves on Peachtree TV broadcast of the year, Braves fans were able to welcome back John Smoltz to the team after a bitter off-season two years ago. Smoltz seemed very confident, very comfortable, and quite honestly, he could be another Don Sutton in terms of knowing the situation and what is coming next. It was fun listening to him talk about what manager Bobby Cox was thinking, as he knows Cox so well, and Smoltz broke down the game in a way that kept my wife (a Braves fan the three times a year we go to the games) interested and me (a huge baseball fan) on the edge of my seat to hear the insight. Smoltz and Ernie Johnson Jr. were quite the duo in the broadcast booth and when you add in Joe Simpson, this booth is maybe the best it has ever been. I am serious. With all due respect to Pete and Skip, I like Ernie, John and Joe. Ernie brings something to the booth that has been missing the last few seasons, in my opinion. Johnson is a true professional in his presentation, yet you can feel his connection to the team. I could never have said that about former Braves announcer Jon “Boog” Sciambi. Boog was a play-by-play man that just happened to be doing Braves games. He knew the sport, but Johnson comes off as he knows the fabric of the Braves franchise. I know EJ is only doing 45 games this year for Peachtree TV, but I am looking forward to every single one of them.
One final Braves coverage thought, WOW it took just three games until 680 The Fan decided to throw the Braves onto one of its sister stations. So unless you were inside the perimeter, I guess you were listening to the game on Rock 100.5. And I also think it is funny that Leo Mazzone is allowed to miss chunks of the morning show because he had to work an extra hour on the Braves pregame show. If Leo is going to be with the Braves coverage, that is cool as he knows the game. He is the former pitching coach. But don’t treat him like he is a regular on the morning show. Let him JUST do the Braves stuff, please, which is what he probably should be doing anyway.
SO STOP TALKING ABOUT IT…
I think it is hilarious when a sports talk radio personality complains about a topic that in his opinion has been talked about to the point of vomiting, only he keeps talking about it. Recently on Pollack & Bell, Mike Bell was growling that he was tired of talking about the Tiger Woods’ sex story and hated that Billy Payne brought it up at his Masters press conference. Umm, Mike, if you are tired of talking about it, don’t talk about it. The topic goes away faster when you stop addressing it. You’re tired of Tiger? Don’t talk about that story and start talking about something else, and suddenly THAT’S what people are calling about, not Tiger. I know you are a veteran in this and everything, but …
A TRADITION UNLIKE ANY OTHER…
The Masters was last week and with all due respect to CBS, Score Atlanta was all over it. Not only did Score Atlanta Sports Sunday on 790 The Zone have our Masters correspondent Paul Mac call in the week before the tournament to break down the field, Mac also called in from the grounds of Augusta National just minutes before Tiger Woods teed off for his final Sunday round. Mac was able to give us a first-hand account of the pin placements, the location of the tee boxes, but also how the players looked on the driving range and on the practice putting greens. He was also able to give us a feel of how Tiger was treated by the patrons. To sum up, Mac said that Tiger was treated politely, but the aura that he once commanded was not there this year. To check out more from Paul Mac’s experience at Augusta, look for his column a few pages from now.
As for CBS, once again the Masters coverage was superb, and it left me wanting more. The lack of commercials is always a pleasure, and although Jim Nantz is good, I want more Verne Lundquist. The voice of SEC football is even better doing golf than he is during basketball season and the SEC basketball games.
CAN YOU BELIVE HE JUST SAID THAT!?!?
“Jesus Christ couldn’t turn around some of those teams.” Billy Packer, former CBS college basketball analyst was on the Rude Awakening recently and spoke about how some college coaches “tarnish” their coaching resumes with short stops in the NBA. I don’t have a problem with the statement at all but likely some fools out there listening to the show will flip out over the “blasphemy.” To those people I say, “Come on. It’s Billy Packer.” He has certainly earned the right to speak his mind on everything college basketball and he shouldn’t be afraid to speak his mind. It is refreshing to hear what everyone is thinking.
With the Braves baseball season underway, let’s take a second to look at how the announcing crews are doing. Jim Powell and Don Sutton on the Braves radio broadcasts are really a treat to listen to. When Sutton returned to the Braves broadcast booth, I fidgeted a bit because I remember how sometimes he can go Back in MY day-crazy, but he has truly been a delight thus far on the broadcasts. He KNOWS the game of baseball, and as a former pitcher, he knows what is coming and breaks it down in a way that Tim McCarver must be green with envy over. And kudos to Powell for not going overboard on the Jason Heyward home run on opening day. He knew the importance of the moment, yet he still let the moment speak for itself with a bit of silence to let the crowd noise come over the radio. It was a simple call but one that I will remember for some time because of the way it came off. Nothing overboard, just a call-and-get-out-of-the-way. Great job Jim.
Moving over to the television side, I don’t care that sometimes he misjudges the trajectory of the ball or switches his safe/out calls, I like Chip Caray in the Braves television booth. Harry was great to watch as I grew up on WGN and Skip was a true delight with his sense of humor, and now it just feels right to have Chip in the booth. He isn’t Joe Buck (who is MUCH better doing baseball opposed to football), but he is WAY better than Thom Brennaman, in terms of people who got their starts due to famous relatives.
And on the first Braves on Peachtree TV broadcast of the year, Braves fans were able to welcome back John Smoltz to the team after a bitter off-season two years ago. Smoltz seemed very confident, very comfortable, and quite honestly, he could be another Don Sutton in terms of knowing the situation and what is coming next. It was fun listening to him talk about what manager Bobby Cox was thinking, as he knows Cox so well, and Smoltz broke down the game in a way that kept my wife (a Braves fan the three times a year we go to the games) interested and me (a huge baseball fan) on the edge of my seat to hear the insight. Smoltz and Ernie Johnson Jr. were quite the duo in the broadcast booth and when you add in Joe Simpson, this booth is maybe the best it has ever been. I am serious. With all due respect to Pete and Skip, I like Ernie, John and Joe. Ernie brings something to the booth that has been missing the last few seasons, in my opinion. Johnson is a true professional in his presentation, yet you can feel his connection to the team. I could never have said that about former Braves announcer Jon “Boog” Sciambi. Boog was a play-by-play man that just happened to be doing Braves games. He knew the sport, but Johnson comes off as he knows the fabric of the Braves franchise. I know EJ is only doing 45 games this year for Peachtree TV, but I am looking forward to every single one of them.
One final Braves coverage thought, WOW it took just three games until 680 The Fan decided to throw the Braves onto one of its sister stations. So unless you were inside the perimeter, I guess you were listening to the game on Rock 100.5. And I also think it is funny that Leo Mazzone is allowed to miss chunks of the morning show because he had to work an extra hour on the Braves pregame show. If Leo is going to be with the Braves coverage, that is cool as he knows the game. He is the former pitching coach. But don’t treat him like he is a regular on the morning show. Let him JUST do the Braves stuff, please, which is what he probably should be doing anyway.
SO STOP TALKING ABOUT IT…
I think it is hilarious when a sports talk radio personality complains about a topic that in his opinion has been talked about to the point of vomiting, only he keeps talking about it. Recently on Pollack & Bell, Mike Bell was growling that he was tired of talking about the Tiger Woods’ sex story and hated that Billy Payne brought it up at his Masters press conference. Umm, Mike, if you are tired of talking about it, don’t talk about it. The topic goes away faster when you stop addressing it. You’re tired of Tiger? Don’t talk about that story and start talking about something else, and suddenly THAT’S what people are calling about, not Tiger. I know you are a veteran in this and everything, but …
A TRADITION UNLIKE ANY OTHER…
The Masters was last week and with all due respect to CBS, Score Atlanta was all over it. Not only did Score Atlanta Sports Sunday on 790 The Zone have our Masters correspondent Paul Mac call in the week before the tournament to break down the field, Mac also called in from the grounds of Augusta National just minutes before Tiger Woods teed off for his final Sunday round. Mac was able to give us a first-hand account of the pin placements, the location of the tee boxes, but also how the players looked on the driving range and on the practice putting greens. He was also able to give us a feel of how Tiger was treated by the patrons. To sum up, Mac said that Tiger was treated politely, but the aura that he once commanded was not there this year. To check out more from Paul Mac’s experience at Augusta, look for his column a few pages from now.
As for CBS, once again the Masters coverage was superb, and it left me wanting more. The lack of commercials is always a pleasure, and although Jim Nantz is good, I want more Verne Lundquist. The voice of SEC football is even better doing golf than he is during basketball season and the SEC basketball games.
CAN YOU BELIVE HE JUST SAID THAT!?!?
“Jesus Christ couldn’t turn around some of those teams.” Billy Packer, former CBS college basketball analyst was on the Rude Awakening recently and spoke about how some college coaches “tarnish” their coaching resumes with short stops in the NBA. I don’t have a problem with the statement at all but likely some fools out there listening to the show will flip out over the “blasphemy.” To those people I say, “Come on. It’s Billy Packer.” He has certainly earned the right to speak his mind on everything college basketball and he shouldn’t be afraid to speak his mind. It is refreshing to hear what everyone is thinking.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
After seven games.....NO NEED TO PANIC!
Note: this was written for the Score Atlanta website (www.scoreatl.com, or see the link at the bottom of the page!) yesterday, though it was not posted. Wednesday is deadline day, so I can understand. Sort of. The Braves of course won last night. Go Bravos!
After seven games, the Atlanta Braves are 3-4 and are out on the left coast, battling the Padres. That is sad actually when you think about it. Having to battle the Padres, one of the worst teams in baseball coming into the season. Actually, Atlanta lost the first game of the series 17-2, so perhaps I shouldn’t say battling.
What should we make of the Braves after the first seven games? This team sadly still has some of the problems the 2009 team encountered. Troy Glaus was brought in and converted to first base in an attempt to supply the lineup with more power. Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor would weep as Glaus has not lived up to the billing, and his defense has been suspect to date. On the other side of the diamond, Chipper Jones has already missed action due to an injury, though he did provide the Turner Field faithful with a jolt of electricity last week with a game-winning home run. Nate McLouth has also yet to return to his all-star form he showed for so long with the Pirates.
It hasn’t all been bad though, despite the record. Derek Lowe has yet to pitch lights out, but he is 2-0. If he is going to “struggle” like that all season, I’ll take it. Kenshin Kawakami pitched well against Tim Lincecum the other day and Tim Hudson looked strong in his season debut.
The Braves bullpen has had its moments, with Billy Wagner looking really sharp, save for his blown save against the Giants. Even in that outing though, Wagner looked good until he hung a slider to former Brave Edgar Renteria. Moylan and Saito have looked impressive out of the pen, and Scott Proctor has been very impressive for Gwinnett. It is only a matter of time before Jo-Jo Reyes (nine runs in his last outing on Monday) is sent down and replaced with Proctor.
The middle infield has picked up right where last season left off, both defensively and offensively. Martin Prado’s hitting has been the bright spot of the season and his defense is more than passable. Yunel Escobar meanwhile remains as clutch as any Brave we’ve seen since David Justice and his range and arm take the sting out of Rafael Furcal’s do-si-do last season.
And who can forget the biggest story thus far of the season: Jason Heyward. Whether it is NBC Sports, ESPN, Sporting News or MLB Network, everyone is heaping praise upon the Braves young rightfielder and he has lived up to the hype thus far, just like Tommy Hanson did last season. Heyward is leading the team in RBI and home runs, and he broke out of a slump by making adjustments, seemingly overnight. This kid is impressive and it will be interesting to see if Bobby Cox keeps him in the No. 7 hole or is tempted to move him up to compensate for the struggling Glaus. Due to Glaus’ struggles, Brian McCann is once again hitting from the cleanup spot, and while he has proven he CAN do it, I’d rather him not have that added pressure and just be allowed to rake from the 5-spot in the order.
Bottom line; it appears that McCann will have some company this season for the all-star game with Heyward and perhaps Wagner, but the real story will be this team finding that clutch hitting when need be. The San Francisco series was 1-2 but could have been 3-0 with timely hitting. Solve that and the Braves will challenge for 92 wins. That’s a big if, but, it always is.
After seven games, the Atlanta Braves are 3-4 and are out on the left coast, battling the Padres. That is sad actually when you think about it. Having to battle the Padres, one of the worst teams in baseball coming into the season. Actually, Atlanta lost the first game of the series 17-2, so perhaps I shouldn’t say battling.
What should we make of the Braves after the first seven games? This team sadly still has some of the problems the 2009 team encountered. Troy Glaus was brought in and converted to first base in an attempt to supply the lineup with more power. Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor would weep as Glaus has not lived up to the billing, and his defense has been suspect to date. On the other side of the diamond, Chipper Jones has already missed action due to an injury, though he did provide the Turner Field faithful with a jolt of electricity last week with a game-winning home run. Nate McLouth has also yet to return to his all-star form he showed for so long with the Pirates.
It hasn’t all been bad though, despite the record. Derek Lowe has yet to pitch lights out, but he is 2-0. If he is going to “struggle” like that all season, I’ll take it. Kenshin Kawakami pitched well against Tim Lincecum the other day and Tim Hudson looked strong in his season debut.
The Braves bullpen has had its moments, with Billy Wagner looking really sharp, save for his blown save against the Giants. Even in that outing though, Wagner looked good until he hung a slider to former Brave Edgar Renteria. Moylan and Saito have looked impressive out of the pen, and Scott Proctor has been very impressive for Gwinnett. It is only a matter of time before Jo-Jo Reyes (nine runs in his last outing on Monday) is sent down and replaced with Proctor.
The middle infield has picked up right where last season left off, both defensively and offensively. Martin Prado’s hitting has been the bright spot of the season and his defense is more than passable. Yunel Escobar meanwhile remains as clutch as any Brave we’ve seen since David Justice and his range and arm take the sting out of Rafael Furcal’s do-si-do last season.
And who can forget the biggest story thus far of the season: Jason Heyward. Whether it is NBC Sports, ESPN, Sporting News or MLB Network, everyone is heaping praise upon the Braves young rightfielder and he has lived up to the hype thus far, just like Tommy Hanson did last season. Heyward is leading the team in RBI and home runs, and he broke out of a slump by making adjustments, seemingly overnight. This kid is impressive and it will be interesting to see if Bobby Cox keeps him in the No. 7 hole or is tempted to move him up to compensate for the struggling Glaus. Due to Glaus’ struggles, Brian McCann is once again hitting from the cleanup spot, and while he has proven he CAN do it, I’d rather him not have that added pressure and just be allowed to rake from the 5-spot in the order.
Bottom line; it appears that McCann will have some company this season for the all-star game with Heyward and perhaps Wagner, but the real story will be this team finding that clutch hitting when need be. The San Francisco series was 1-2 but could have been 3-0 with timely hitting. Solve that and the Braves will challenge for 92 wins. That’s a big if, but, it always is.
REALLY? I was appalled too!
The new Burger King ads are apparently causing quite a stink. The mental health people don't like that the ads are saying, "The King is crazy!"
(from Yahoo....) Once the ad aired, it drew outraged protests from mental health advocates. Michael Fitzpatrick, the executive director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told the Washington Post that he found the ad "blatantly offensive," saying that he was "absolutely stunned and appalled" when he saw it.
I was appalled too because I hate the King. But I found nothing wrong with the content and calling the King crazy.
Hey Fitz, get OVER it. You don't need to say stupid crap like how you were STUNNED over a flipping ad JUST to get attention to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. That is really a shame you are using this as an excuse to get people to realize who you and your group are. Shame on YOU!
(from Yahoo....) Once the ad aired, it drew outraged protests from mental health advocates. Michael Fitzpatrick, the executive director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told the Washington Post that he found the ad "blatantly offensive," saying that he was "absolutely stunned and appalled" when he saw it.
I was appalled too because I hate the King. But I found nothing wrong with the content and calling the King crazy.
Hey Fitz, get OVER it. You don't need to say stupid crap like how you were STUNNED over a flipping ad JUST to get attention to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. That is really a shame you are using this as an excuse to get people to realize who you and your group are. Shame on YOU!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Paul Mac weighs in on the Masters
The 2010 Masters Golf Tournament was breathtaking in every since of the word. Each and every year this golf course leaves one astonished with her beauty and flawless perfection. This winter especially in the south seemed exceptionally long; cold and sometimes miserable. That’s just the weather without even mentioning the world’s most prominent golfer’s troubles. Golf itself has had a rather trying season here in the US. Courses are struggling economically, TV ratings and interest in the game itself are faltering, we have needed to see those springtime signs of life, those leaves; flowers… reminders of Watson’s heroics at the Open Championship and the subsequent crowning of our own local hero Stewart Cink as a major champion. How could anyone know just how spectacular this Masters Tournament would be?
At the beginning of the week the bulk of the storylines were on whether Tiger would be able to come back and compete at all given the long layoff. Also in question, what the Patron’s reaction might be to Mr Woods. Also as has been the case since the most recent round of major course changes added length and encouraged accuracy much fuss was made over those changes and how it made the course bite back too forcefully and took away some of the shot making for which it was famous especially on Sunday afternoons. On the contrary they have simply aligned the course with technology to make par yet again a very fair score and anything lower must be well earned given good weather at least. Augusta National is golf’s truly legendary stadium course where generations can be judged against each other in this first major of the year. Unfortunately the last several years have not been kind weather wise the second weekend in April and scores have suffered accordingly. Zach Johnson won with a 1 over par 289 in 2007 leading many to believe they might never see the days when the roars could be heard if not felt all over the golf course again. 2010 is the year of the roar.
We were greeted by pleasing weather on Thursday and very approachable pin placements. While everyone was watching to see how Matt Kuchar and KJ Choi would react to playing with Tiger and how the galleries would treat him… Tom Watson and Fred Couples would shoot 67 and an unbelievable 66 respectively to lead the tournament. Couples did it with such a relaxed swagger in his boat shoes to leave many of us thinking that he might just pull it off at 50. Couples has issues with his back but when on he is surgical with his wedges. At 60 years old Watson is certainly showing that age is just a number and his excellent play harkens back to an earlier time when Arnold Palmer; Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player among others played and competed well into their 50s and 60s. I had a chance to go out to the brand new practice facility Thursday morning which naturally looks like it has been there for 100 years and saw Couples taking warm-ups with his coaches and he just looked ready to play. I also saw Stewart Cink give a very nice polite welcome back to Tiger out on the practice putting green. Woods shot a very respectable 68 to put him in the hunt but knowing how approachable the pins were he was disappointed he left a few strokes on the course.
Pollen was as thick as I can ever remember seeing it. Pine stamens were everywhere and certainly altered a few shots. Naturally the army of grounds people were able to clean virtually everything up prior to the next round.
Speaking of Tiger the Patrons were extraordinarily hospitable of Tiger all week treating him much like they always have though I feel the Galleries Thursday through Saturday were not quite as large as they were in years past. Bobby Jones himself in the Augusta National Spectator Guide notes that cheering the misfortunes of a player is “most distressing.” Perhaps this is the reason for the hospitality. People certainly were able to separate private life from golf even with those aerial banners flown over the course reminding everyone on Thursday. He was a little rusty but Tiger had an outstanding tournament on the whole. Yes, he dropped clubs and cursed a bit upon failing to execute but that’s who he is and believe it or not I felt he was far more jovial than in years past. When I saw him sink an eagle on his approach to 7 to get right back in it on Sunday clearly he was appreciative of the group of Patrons who had been following and cheering him on. It clearly meant a lot to him to have people smiling and cheering for him again.
This year however was not going to be about Tiger or Freddie Couples, or even Lee Westwood who played so well. It would not be about Tom Watson. This year was about the transition of Phil Mickelson from the excellent player he’s always been to a historically great player.
Legends need moments of greatness. Phil has the talent. He’s always had the talent but for some reason his moments often felt more like you were watching Greg Norman than Arnold Palmer. Prior to his win in 2004 it was his blunders rather than his brilliance that were most often brought up and even after that first Masters Victory there was the errant drive on the last hole at Winged Foot to lose the US Open. Of course he won his second Masters in 2006 but it just wasn’t what it was last weekend. This was the stuff of Legend.
Saturday and Sunday were absolutely beautiful days for the first time in a few years and a lot of excellent players were in contention. It certainly helps as well that the two most popular players in the game by far known simply by “Tiger” and “Phil” to most of us were in right in the thick of it. Mickelson would announce himself in contention and put himself in the final pairing with Lee Westwood with an absolutely stunning stretch of play on the back nine on Saturday. In the course of 3 holes 13-14 and 15 usually the swing holes he picked up 5 strokes. 2 eagles and a birdie holing a remarkable 2 on the Par 4 14th which has one of the toughest greens ever constructed. What made this even more astounding was what else was going on around him at the time. Roars were erupting all over the back nine. Patrons anxiously waited for the changing of the manual scoreboard numbers to see just what had transpired on the other holes. Couples chipped in an Eagle on 15, Ricky Barnes chipped in an Eagle and Tiger kept pace with several birdies. The fun and excitement came back. It really set the stage for Sunday.
My day opened with hearing a tremendous roar behind me as I sat in the top of the grandstands on the 14th fairway. Nathan Green who had a few minutes ago eagled 13 had just dropped in a hole in one on 16. I knew it was going to be a fun afternoon. Tiger and Adam Scott both Eagled 7 from the Fairway. Couples made an early charge with 3 birdies on the front nine getting to 10 under at one point before making the same shot at the 12th that set him up to win the 1992 Masters this time however it was not his day and the ball went into Rae’s creek. Nick Watney and Anthony Kim both showed their merit scoring final round 7 under 65’s. If not for Lee Westwood’s birdie at 17 Kim would have placed 2nd. Tiger Woods round read like a Mickelson scorecard prior to 2004. Up and down like a roller coaster. 3 bogeys in the first 5 holes then Eagle, Birdie Birdie the final 3 before the turn but it was not to be. He needed a stronger back nine. He did Eagle 15 to establish a record for Eagles in a Masters but the 3 putt on 14 from inside 3 feet was his undoing.
Phil Mickelson has had an extraordinarily difficult year in his family life and had not won this year even being jumped in the world rankings by Steve Stricker. He wasn’t able to do much on the front nine Sunday. The birdie at 8 was the lone birdie on his scorecard but he didn’t lose any ground and was bogey free even surviving an unfortunate situation where a pine stamen fell just in front of a birdie putt knocking it off course. He tied Westwood with that birdie and didn’t look back from there. The real brilliance of the day came with an unreal 6 iron between 2 trees on the 13th. He had just birdied 12 and had the lead but true to form instead of chipping out and playing safe he went for it and was rewarded handsomely. It’s one of the most fantastic shots under that kind of pressure I’ve ever witnessed and its right up there with Tigers chip on the 16th from 2005. This is a shot we will talk about years from now. Naturally having done the hard work Phil botched the subsequent short eagle putt but that birdie would clinch it for him. He added a birdie at 15 and an exclamation point at 18 to finish with a winning score of 272 16 under par just 2 off of Tiger Woods course record of 270. In dramatic fashion Phil Mickelson has joined golf royalty with his 3rd Green Jacket joining just 7 other players to win 3 or more and Jimmy Demaret; Sam Snead; Gary Player and Nick Faldo as 3 time champions. Only Jack Nicklaus; Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods have won more and the way he played this week you get the feeling Phil plans on winning again. I hope I’m there to see it.
At the beginning of the week the bulk of the storylines were on whether Tiger would be able to come back and compete at all given the long layoff. Also in question, what the Patron’s reaction might be to Mr Woods. Also as has been the case since the most recent round of major course changes added length and encouraged accuracy much fuss was made over those changes and how it made the course bite back too forcefully and took away some of the shot making for which it was famous especially on Sunday afternoons. On the contrary they have simply aligned the course with technology to make par yet again a very fair score and anything lower must be well earned given good weather at least. Augusta National is golf’s truly legendary stadium course where generations can be judged against each other in this first major of the year. Unfortunately the last several years have not been kind weather wise the second weekend in April and scores have suffered accordingly. Zach Johnson won with a 1 over par 289 in 2007 leading many to believe they might never see the days when the roars could be heard if not felt all over the golf course again. 2010 is the year of the roar.
We were greeted by pleasing weather on Thursday and very approachable pin placements. While everyone was watching to see how Matt Kuchar and KJ Choi would react to playing with Tiger and how the galleries would treat him… Tom Watson and Fred Couples would shoot 67 and an unbelievable 66 respectively to lead the tournament. Couples did it with such a relaxed swagger in his boat shoes to leave many of us thinking that he might just pull it off at 50. Couples has issues with his back but when on he is surgical with his wedges. At 60 years old Watson is certainly showing that age is just a number and his excellent play harkens back to an earlier time when Arnold Palmer; Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player among others played and competed well into their 50s and 60s. I had a chance to go out to the brand new practice facility Thursday morning which naturally looks like it has been there for 100 years and saw Couples taking warm-ups with his coaches and he just looked ready to play. I also saw Stewart Cink give a very nice polite welcome back to Tiger out on the practice putting green. Woods shot a very respectable 68 to put him in the hunt but knowing how approachable the pins were he was disappointed he left a few strokes on the course.
Pollen was as thick as I can ever remember seeing it. Pine stamens were everywhere and certainly altered a few shots. Naturally the army of grounds people were able to clean virtually everything up prior to the next round.
Speaking of Tiger the Patrons were extraordinarily hospitable of Tiger all week treating him much like they always have though I feel the Galleries Thursday through Saturday were not quite as large as they were in years past. Bobby Jones himself in the Augusta National Spectator Guide notes that cheering the misfortunes of a player is “most distressing.” Perhaps this is the reason for the hospitality. People certainly were able to separate private life from golf even with those aerial banners flown over the course reminding everyone on Thursday. He was a little rusty but Tiger had an outstanding tournament on the whole. Yes, he dropped clubs and cursed a bit upon failing to execute but that’s who he is and believe it or not I felt he was far more jovial than in years past. When I saw him sink an eagle on his approach to 7 to get right back in it on Sunday clearly he was appreciative of the group of Patrons who had been following and cheering him on. It clearly meant a lot to him to have people smiling and cheering for him again.
This year however was not going to be about Tiger or Freddie Couples, or even Lee Westwood who played so well. It would not be about Tom Watson. This year was about the transition of Phil Mickelson from the excellent player he’s always been to a historically great player.
Legends need moments of greatness. Phil has the talent. He’s always had the talent but for some reason his moments often felt more like you were watching Greg Norman than Arnold Palmer. Prior to his win in 2004 it was his blunders rather than his brilliance that were most often brought up and even after that first Masters Victory there was the errant drive on the last hole at Winged Foot to lose the US Open. Of course he won his second Masters in 2006 but it just wasn’t what it was last weekend. This was the stuff of Legend.
Saturday and Sunday were absolutely beautiful days for the first time in a few years and a lot of excellent players were in contention. It certainly helps as well that the two most popular players in the game by far known simply by “Tiger” and “Phil” to most of us were in right in the thick of it. Mickelson would announce himself in contention and put himself in the final pairing with Lee Westwood with an absolutely stunning stretch of play on the back nine on Saturday. In the course of 3 holes 13-14 and 15 usually the swing holes he picked up 5 strokes. 2 eagles and a birdie holing a remarkable 2 on the Par 4 14th which has one of the toughest greens ever constructed. What made this even more astounding was what else was going on around him at the time. Roars were erupting all over the back nine. Patrons anxiously waited for the changing of the manual scoreboard numbers to see just what had transpired on the other holes. Couples chipped in an Eagle on 15, Ricky Barnes chipped in an Eagle and Tiger kept pace with several birdies. The fun and excitement came back. It really set the stage for Sunday.
My day opened with hearing a tremendous roar behind me as I sat in the top of the grandstands on the 14th fairway. Nathan Green who had a few minutes ago eagled 13 had just dropped in a hole in one on 16. I knew it was going to be a fun afternoon. Tiger and Adam Scott both Eagled 7 from the Fairway. Couples made an early charge with 3 birdies on the front nine getting to 10 under at one point before making the same shot at the 12th that set him up to win the 1992 Masters this time however it was not his day and the ball went into Rae’s creek. Nick Watney and Anthony Kim both showed their merit scoring final round 7 under 65’s. If not for Lee Westwood’s birdie at 17 Kim would have placed 2nd. Tiger Woods round read like a Mickelson scorecard prior to 2004. Up and down like a roller coaster. 3 bogeys in the first 5 holes then Eagle, Birdie Birdie the final 3 before the turn but it was not to be. He needed a stronger back nine. He did Eagle 15 to establish a record for Eagles in a Masters but the 3 putt on 14 from inside 3 feet was his undoing.
Phil Mickelson has had an extraordinarily difficult year in his family life and had not won this year even being jumped in the world rankings by Steve Stricker. He wasn’t able to do much on the front nine Sunday. The birdie at 8 was the lone birdie on his scorecard but he didn’t lose any ground and was bogey free even surviving an unfortunate situation where a pine stamen fell just in front of a birdie putt knocking it off course. He tied Westwood with that birdie and didn’t look back from there. The real brilliance of the day came with an unreal 6 iron between 2 trees on the 13th. He had just birdied 12 and had the lead but true to form instead of chipping out and playing safe he went for it and was rewarded handsomely. It’s one of the most fantastic shots under that kind of pressure I’ve ever witnessed and its right up there with Tigers chip on the 16th from 2005. This is a shot we will talk about years from now. Naturally having done the hard work Phil botched the subsequent short eagle putt but that birdie would clinch it for him. He added a birdie at 15 and an exclamation point at 18 to finish with a winning score of 272 16 under par just 2 off of Tiger Woods course record of 270. In dramatic fashion Phil Mickelson has joined golf royalty with his 3rd Green Jacket joining just 7 other players to win 3 or more and Jimmy Demaret; Sam Snead; Gary Player and Nick Faldo as 3 time champions. Only Jack Nicklaus; Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods have won more and the way he played this week you get the feeling Phil plans on winning again. I hope I’m there to see it.
Why does everyone hate the RichRod?
I understand why West Virginia people hate him, but why does everyone else? For anyone that DOESN'T know, Rich Rodriguez is the former West Va coach who now coaches (as of 11:17 am on April 14, 2010) at Michigan. After RichRod left the Neers for the Wolverines before WVU's bowl game against Bob Stoops, people were KILLING RichRod in the press and on blogs and everything thing else because it was a messy divorce. (PS, West Va, you should have known this guy was who he was because he leveraged the Bama job for more cash and the good ones NEVER do stuff like that).
But then once he got to Michigan, players started leaving and then he got in some trouble when some former players popped off about how he surpassed the 20 hours/week rule (which EVERY college team does. Let's be serious here).
Michigan failed to go to a bowl the first two years under RichRod and now some dirt is trying to be unearthed at WVU that would put RichRod in some more hot water.
My question is....why are people out to get RichRod? I understand West Virginia people (they are inbred most of them), who want him to fail, even though he brought that program to the highest it will ever go to in this day and age and he's an alum, just because they are bitter. Have you ever MET anyone from West Virginia?
But why are Michigan people anxious to get him out of there. Umm, last time I checked, if RichRod ever gets a chance to get his players into the program, he will OWN the Big11. Seriously. He will OWN it. Penn State, Ohio State, Wisco, Purdue, Sparty, all of those school will bow down to Michigan if he can get a Pat White/Steve Slaton/Noel Devine in there. And it can happen, just be patient folks. He has a pretty good incoming freshman QB and if he is allowed to tutor him, Michigan will run circles around the slow Big 11. He has 9 wins built into his schedule every year. The Big 11 is just the Big East but with its own network and Pam Ward. Seriously. the football is about the same, BUT you get the Chicago market instead of the Pittsburgh market.
I am not certain why everyone hates RichRod. Maybe he's a dick. I don't know. I've never met him. Do people like what he did to WVA? You mean the same thing Saban did with LSU AND the Dolphins? The same thing Brian Kelly did? The same thing EVERY coach does that leaves one program for another does.
Michigan people need to chill out and West Va people need to stop burning couches and throwing them off their trailers. Hey West Va, get over yourselves. You are angry he left you with Bill Stewart. Blame your AD, not RichRod.
But then once he got to Michigan, players started leaving and then he got in some trouble when some former players popped off about how he surpassed the 20 hours/week rule (which EVERY college team does. Let's be serious here).
Michigan failed to go to a bowl the first two years under RichRod and now some dirt is trying to be unearthed at WVU that would put RichRod in some more hot water.
My question is....why are people out to get RichRod? I understand West Virginia people (they are inbred most of them), who want him to fail, even though he brought that program to the highest it will ever go to in this day and age and he's an alum, just because they are bitter. Have you ever MET anyone from West Virginia?
But why are Michigan people anxious to get him out of there. Umm, last time I checked, if RichRod ever gets a chance to get his players into the program, he will OWN the Big11. Seriously. He will OWN it. Penn State, Ohio State, Wisco, Purdue, Sparty, all of those school will bow down to Michigan if he can get a Pat White/Steve Slaton/Noel Devine in there. And it can happen, just be patient folks. He has a pretty good incoming freshman QB and if he is allowed to tutor him, Michigan will run circles around the slow Big 11. He has 9 wins built into his schedule every year. The Big 11 is just the Big East but with its own network and Pam Ward. Seriously. the football is about the same, BUT you get the Chicago market instead of the Pittsburgh market.
I am not certain why everyone hates RichRod. Maybe he's a dick. I don't know. I've never met him. Do people like what he did to WVA? You mean the same thing Saban did with LSU AND the Dolphins? The same thing Brian Kelly did? The same thing EVERY coach does that leaves one program for another does.
Michigan people need to chill out and West Va people need to stop burning couches and throwing them off their trailers. Hey West Va, get over yourselves. You are angry he left you with Bill Stewart. Blame your AD, not RichRod.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Big B's top rising senior linebackers for 2010-11 season
Score Atlanta's Brian Jones is once again on the ball when it comes to ranking the top rising senior linebackers in Georgia. This list will make its debut tonight on Score Atlanta's Official Visit on 790 the Zone (8-10 pm TONIGHT!) Be sure to tune in tonight as Pope Offensive lineman Thomas O'Reilly will reveal his college decision tonight. Scout.com has the 6'3 OL deciding between GT, Auburn, Vandy, Wake, NCSU and Duke. And for more of Big B, tune in to 790 this Sunday from 2-5 p.m.
10. Jordan Mincy
9. Justin Garrett
8. Edward Muldrow
7. Brandon McGowan
6. Tanner Botts
5. Amarlo Herrera
4. Christian Harris
3. Shannon Brown
2. A.J. Johnson
1. James Vaughters
10. Jordan Mincy
9. Justin Garrett
8. Edward Muldrow
7. Brandon McGowan
6. Tanner Botts
5. Amarlo Herrera
4. Christian Harris
3. Shannon Brown
2. A.J. Johnson
1. James Vaughters
Monday, April 12, 2010
Way to TAKE A STAND PITTSBURGH!
Sarcasm, my name is Fletcher!
So the Pittsburgh Steelers have shipped Santonio Holmes off to the New York Jets even though he will be suspended for the first four games due to violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. I can understand why the Jets would say, "I DON'T CARE THAT HE'LL MISS THE FIRST FOUR GAMES! (likely for smoking the wackyweed that was probably NOT prescribed for glaucoma) HE WAS THE SUPER MVP FROM TWO SEASONS AGO!" Yeah, remember when the Steelers beat the Cardinals in February 2009 for the Super Bowl? THIS GUY was the MVP.
But the Steelers decided that ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH and shipped HIM out instead of Ben Roethlisberger aka the sexual-assault-waiting-to-happen. Honestly, you decide to KEEP Roethlisberger, who will likely hear today that no charges will be filed by the Milledgeville PD and county DA in the sexual assault case that was brought up against him several weeks back. This recent sexual assault case I should say because the guy ALSO had a rape charge brought up against him a few off-seasons ago.
But no, the pot-smoker is the REAL black eye in that organization. Not that Santonio Holmes is a guy I want as the face of my organization, but when HE hits up Mary Jane, he is smoking pot. When Ben Roethlisberger hits up Mary Jane, she gets a black eye, but the charges get dropped.
So the Pittsburgh Steelers have shipped Santonio Holmes off to the New York Jets even though he will be suspended for the first four games due to violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. I can understand why the Jets would say, "I DON'T CARE THAT HE'LL MISS THE FIRST FOUR GAMES! (likely for smoking the wackyweed that was probably NOT prescribed for glaucoma) HE WAS THE SUPER MVP FROM TWO SEASONS AGO!" Yeah, remember when the Steelers beat the Cardinals in February 2009 for the Super Bowl? THIS GUY was the MVP.
But the Steelers decided that ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH and shipped HIM out instead of Ben Roethlisberger aka the sexual-assault-waiting-to-happen. Honestly, you decide to KEEP Roethlisberger, who will likely hear today that no charges will be filed by the Milledgeville PD and county DA in the sexual assault case that was brought up against him several weeks back. This recent sexual assault case I should say because the guy ALSO had a rape charge brought up against him a few off-seasons ago.
But no, the pot-smoker is the REAL black eye in that organization. Not that Santonio Holmes is a guy I want as the face of my organization, but when HE hits up Mary Jane, he is smoking pot. When Ben Roethlisberger hits up Mary Jane, she gets a black eye, but the charges get dropped.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Fresh Meat 2 debuts, but no Situation? Come on...
So MTV debuted Fresh Meat 2 and I think MTV really missed the boat on NOT including Ronnie or The Situation as part of the Fresh Meat. I know that it is an attempt to bring some "new blood" into the challenges, but the only guys that I think might stick are Vinny, Noor and the guy Pete that kept yelling at Jillian during the exile challenge. As far as the women, sadly Cara Maria (darrell's partner) will be back because she cried while Laurel is hooking up with everybody, so you KNOW she is down to party. Same with Theresa (I think that is her) that is trying to hook up with BOTH Wes and Mr. Beautiful Kenny. She will bring an end to the shaky treaty that those two have agreed to, which is what we need to happen to Serena and Venus.
As far as the "alumni," can somebody answer me as to why Katelynn is allowed to have a guy as a partner. (Sorry, that was too easy). Also, CJ is a rookie himself. I'd be pissed to be his partner.
Going back to the episode, Darrell's early exit is huge, and I think that if he can stay on the correct side of the politics, Landon is now the HUGE favorite to take the thang home. If Ev and Sara ever go head to head, that will be awesome. But they won't be in a one-on-one, it would be in an exile, and Ev will lose because her partner seems like a tool. Why wouldn't they let Bronne play? Why did they let CJ go to BC? I dunno. Maybe Bronne could have co-hosted with TJ?
But back to my original point, I wish that MTV (owned by Viacom) could have reached over to its sister Broadcast channel CBS and swiped a few Survivor folks for the Fresh Meat. Imagine Tyson in there. He would do well AND his quick wit would RULE in that house. He would TEAR THEM ALL APART verbally and in confessional, and since he is clearly an idiot-he REALLY believed Russell?-he would fit like a glove.
And throw Pavati in there...she'd get all of the guys on her side by flirting before stabbing them all in the back. NICE.
Or, MTV could have jumped into its OWN programming for other players. The Situation and Ronnie (though with Ronnie, we'd probably have to wave the steroid testing...). The Situation would think that ALL of the chicks wanted him while Ronnie might kill someone with Roidrage. And you KNOW they'd form an alliance only to break it because Jenn got between them.
Also, MTV could have snagged Charlie (Spencer's friend from The Hills, as I don't think Spencer would do it.) and Stephanie/ShePratt (since clearly she'll do anything to be on TV) for two more. Charlie could rock the creepy, flesh-colored beard while She-Pratt could just be utterly useless but still more valuable than, say, Casey.
Next, MTV could go to its A Shot at Love2 crew and get Chad, who headbutted Bo to get DQ'd. And also from that same season, Lisa, who just willed herself to win EVERY SINGLE date with Tila, until she was eliminated....probably because she was a softball coach. This is what I wrote about her back in June of 2008: Lisa ALWAYS is doing something stupid to piss Tila off, but she can ALWAYS earn the private date RIGHT before elimination to patch things up and she is NEVER in any danger it seems. I believe she is the odds on favorite to win this because, NO WAY Jersey is winning this thing, No WAY Bo wins, because Bo is basically Bobby-the jerk that "broke her heart." And Lisa is so much cooler than Kristy, so Lisa is the odds on favorite to take this thing. I bet she gets that attitude from being a softball coach. I bet if one of her players struggles, she just YELLS at her OR goes out and physically does it 100 times until she gets the results she wants. Lisa is mad strong and seems to be in everyone's head in the Tila House.
So we are at Ronnie, The Situation, Chad, Charlie, Tyson and Parvati, Lisa and ShePratt. Thus far. Throw Ozzy in from Survivor:Cook. From Newport Harbor: Samantha, who was fat; Lo from Laguna Beyotch and the Hills. Our last two both come from Maui Fever: Chaunte and Anna. Anna would be good in the challenges while Chaunte would be the new slut that Wes gets to yell at.
I'm not saying this is an all-star lineup or anything, but I DO think it would make for a good show. If I were to redo the draft, with the same order, here is how I think it plays out....
Darrell picks Lisa.
Jenn takes Ozzy
Kenny takes Parvati
Danny takes Anna
Wes takes Chaunte (I made him in this case)
Ryan takes ShePratt
CJ takes Lo
Landon takes Samantha (fresh off eating her way through Europe with Allie)
Paula takes Tyson
Sarah takes Chad
Jillian takes The Situation
Katelynn takes Ronnie
Ev takes Charlie
Yep, that's how it goes. It would be a strong show. You KNOW you'd watch.
As far as the "alumni," can somebody answer me as to why Katelynn is allowed to have a guy as a partner. (Sorry, that was too easy). Also, CJ is a rookie himself. I'd be pissed to be his partner.
Going back to the episode, Darrell's early exit is huge, and I think that if he can stay on the correct side of the politics, Landon is now the HUGE favorite to take the thang home. If Ev and Sara ever go head to head, that will be awesome. But they won't be in a one-on-one, it would be in an exile, and Ev will lose because her partner seems like a tool. Why wouldn't they let Bronne play? Why did they let CJ go to BC? I dunno. Maybe Bronne could have co-hosted with TJ?
But back to my original point, I wish that MTV (owned by Viacom) could have reached over to its sister Broadcast channel CBS and swiped a few Survivor folks for the Fresh Meat. Imagine Tyson in there. He would do well AND his quick wit would RULE in that house. He would TEAR THEM ALL APART verbally and in confessional, and since he is clearly an idiot-he REALLY believed Russell?-he would fit like a glove.
And throw Pavati in there...she'd get all of the guys on her side by flirting before stabbing them all in the back. NICE.
Or, MTV could have jumped into its OWN programming for other players. The Situation and Ronnie (though with Ronnie, we'd probably have to wave the steroid testing...). The Situation would think that ALL of the chicks wanted him while Ronnie might kill someone with Roidrage. And you KNOW they'd form an alliance only to break it because Jenn got between them.
Also, MTV could have snagged Charlie (Spencer's friend from The Hills, as I don't think Spencer would do it.) and Stephanie/ShePratt (since clearly she'll do anything to be on TV) for two more. Charlie could rock the creepy, flesh-colored beard while She-Pratt could just be utterly useless but still more valuable than, say, Casey.
Next, MTV could go to its A Shot at Love2 crew and get Chad, who headbutted Bo to get DQ'd. And also from that same season, Lisa, who just willed herself to win EVERY SINGLE date with Tila, until she was eliminated....probably because she was a softball coach. This is what I wrote about her back in June of 2008: Lisa ALWAYS is doing something stupid to piss Tila off, but she can ALWAYS earn the private date RIGHT before elimination to patch things up and she is NEVER in any danger it seems. I believe she is the odds on favorite to win this because, NO WAY Jersey is winning this thing, No WAY Bo wins, because Bo is basically Bobby-the jerk that "broke her heart." And Lisa is so much cooler than Kristy, so Lisa is the odds on favorite to take this thing. I bet she gets that attitude from being a softball coach. I bet if one of her players struggles, she just YELLS at her OR goes out and physically does it 100 times until she gets the results she wants. Lisa is mad strong and seems to be in everyone's head in the Tila House.
So we are at Ronnie, The Situation, Chad, Charlie, Tyson and Parvati, Lisa and ShePratt. Thus far. Throw Ozzy in from Survivor:Cook. From Newport Harbor: Samantha, who was fat; Lo from Laguna Beyotch and the Hills. Our last two both come from Maui Fever: Chaunte and Anna. Anna would be good in the challenges while Chaunte would be the new slut that Wes gets to yell at.
I'm not saying this is an all-star lineup or anything, but I DO think it would make for a good show. If I were to redo the draft, with the same order, here is how I think it plays out....
Darrell picks Lisa.
Jenn takes Ozzy
Kenny takes Parvati
Danny takes Anna
Wes takes Chaunte (I made him in this case)
Ryan takes ShePratt
CJ takes Lo
Landon takes Samantha (fresh off eating her way through Europe with Allie)
Paula takes Tyson
Sarah takes Chad
Jillian takes The Situation
Katelynn takes Ronnie
Ev takes Charlie
Yep, that's how it goes. It would be a strong show. You KNOW you'd watch.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Your first look at THEFLETCH
I know, I know, the title is weird. I didn't come up with it. Make sure you pick up a copy of Score Atlanta tomorrow at your local quiktrip! DO IT!
Last weekend, the Final Four dominated the airwaves and rightfully so. It wasn’t just the games though that I’m talking about. All of the local sports radio stations were of course waist-deep in coverage leading up to last weekend as well as wrapping up and discussing the championship game last Monday. 790 The Zone and CBS Atlanta came together for a show last Saturday entitled Crowning a Champion. Mayhem in the AM’s Nick Cellini, and Steak Shapiro and Jeff Woolverton of Brandon and Woolvey appeared on the show, and while it was clear that Cellini is comfortable on camera from his time with CSS, one other member looked at ease while the third looked less than smooth. Woolvey looked like he was born to be on camera, moving from camera to camera and coming off well-prepared while Steak seemed less than ready. The ringleader of Mayhem in the AM came off a bit goofy following a campy Bruger King spot, and it seemed to be a bit of a problem for Steak when it came to finding the correct camera. This was odd considering his long time in the business. Woolvey on the other hand, could have a future as a sports anchor of a smaller market ABC or CBS affiliate, if he wanted it.
Earlier that Saturday on Brandon and Woolvey, Brandon Adams came across an interesting column from CNNSI’s Stewart Mandel that discussed why hating Duke was “so 2006!” Adams used the piece for a good three quality segments in the 45 minutes that I listened, and Adams came up with several reasonable ideas why Duke is so hated. He surmised that people dislike the rat-king Coach K’s antics on the coach, with the constant F-bombs and the berating and working of officials. Adams suggested that people dislike the Cameron Crazies, and he put out that people potentially are tired of the media (read: Dickie V) bowing down to the program. Finally Adams began to address the racial issue, wondering why so many white males hated this collection of mostly white player over the past two decades. This last point is part of the reason I actually dislike Duke. As I explained on last week’s Score Atlanta Sports Sunday on 790 The Zone (tune in this Sunday from 2-5 p.m.) when I think of Duke, I think of Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Chris Collins, Wojo, Cherokee Parks, JJ Redick, Mike Dunleavy Jr., etc. With the exception of Parks and Laettner (who both tower over me), the rest of the guys are just like me: guard-sized with no jump-out-of-the-arena ability that can shoot. The difference is that those guys worked really hard in middle school and high school, eschewing other sports to focus on shooting, ditching dating to work on dribbling, dropping the French club to work on free throw shooting. So I am jealous of Duke’s players, not so much their program. I wish that had been me. That’s why I dislike Duke, my own self-hatred. I’m just kidding about the last part. Much like TO once said, “I love me some me!”
With the Atlanta Thrashers falling twice last week, 680 The Fan may now stop sweating out what could have been a very tough decision. 680 is the new flagship of the Atlanta Braves and have been running promos crowing as much since last autumn. One of the promos though says, “hear every pitch of the 2010 season on 680 The Fan!” and it was this promo in particular that got me thinking: what if the Thrashers make the playoffs? Would they be sent to the “minor leagues” ie, one of The Fan’s sister stations so that the Braves would be on 680? Could you put playoff hockey on a smaller station with a smaller listening area for a team that has made the postseason just once in its history? Or would you move the Braves to the smaller station in the team’s first month on your station after you spent how many hours promoting The Fan as the flagship? 680’s Assistant Programming Director Scott McFarlane addressed this potential decision with Score Atlanta last week before the Thrashers lost to Washington and Pittsburgh.
“The Thrashers would take precedence on 680 The Fan over the Braves as we have been partners with the Thrashers and the Spirit for the last five years and would honor our contract with them.” McFarlane noted that the Braves would have been moved to one of The Fan’s sister stations, either ESPN Radio 1230 The Fan 2 or 1340 The Fan 3, Fox Sports Radio. For anyone who could not get those two could clearly always just tune to Rock 100.5 FM, where the games will also be found all season. McFarlane continued, “We definitely hope and are pulling for the Thrashers to make the playoffs and are very excited about the Braves getting started, having three full time sports station stations and a great FM simulcast partner in Rock 100.5 makes it easy to clear great Atlanta sports content.” The recent rash of losses though likely mean that the Thrashers won’t make the postseason, but the franchise’s run towards the playoffs surely led to some anxious meetings.
Jason Boral, Score Atlanta’s beat writer for the Atlanta NHL franchise appeared on Score Atlanta Sports Sunday and besides being all over everything that was hockey, not just with the Thrashers but the rest of the NHL as well, Boral handled himself quite well during the interview. He sounded like a true professional that was calling in to Mike & Mike, and it may just be a matter of time before Score Atlanta loses him to NHL.com or another hockey-based town’s radio coverage of the team. The Thrashers would be well-served to give Boral a look at potentially coming to work for the team’s website and perhaps even having him appear on a podcast for the team. We are lucky to have him at Score Atlanta.
CAN YOU BELIVE HE JUST SAID THAT!?!?
“I’m just not sure landing on the moon is that big of a deal…I mean if Louis Armstrong didn’t do it first, somebody else would have.” That was 790 The Zone’s David Pollack. So did the trumpet do INSIDE the suit or did he open that visor? Pollack was a three-time All-American at the University of Georgia, and now we know none of those were Academic All-American awards. I honestly hope Pollack was kidding. I really hope so. As a Georgia grad, I REALLY hope so.
Last weekend, the Final Four dominated the airwaves and rightfully so. It wasn’t just the games though that I’m talking about. All of the local sports radio stations were of course waist-deep in coverage leading up to last weekend as well as wrapping up and discussing the championship game last Monday. 790 The Zone and CBS Atlanta came together for a show last Saturday entitled Crowning a Champion. Mayhem in the AM’s Nick Cellini, and Steak Shapiro and Jeff Woolverton of Brandon and Woolvey appeared on the show, and while it was clear that Cellini is comfortable on camera from his time with CSS, one other member looked at ease while the third looked less than smooth. Woolvey looked like he was born to be on camera, moving from camera to camera and coming off well-prepared while Steak seemed less than ready. The ringleader of Mayhem in the AM came off a bit goofy following a campy Bruger King spot, and it seemed to be a bit of a problem for Steak when it came to finding the correct camera. This was odd considering his long time in the business. Woolvey on the other hand, could have a future as a sports anchor of a smaller market ABC or CBS affiliate, if he wanted it.
Earlier that Saturday on Brandon and Woolvey, Brandon Adams came across an interesting column from CNNSI’s Stewart Mandel that discussed why hating Duke was “so 2006!” Adams used the piece for a good three quality segments in the 45 minutes that I listened, and Adams came up with several reasonable ideas why Duke is so hated. He surmised that people dislike the rat-king Coach K’s antics on the coach, with the constant F-bombs and the berating and working of officials. Adams suggested that people dislike the Cameron Crazies, and he put out that people potentially are tired of the media (read: Dickie V) bowing down to the program. Finally Adams began to address the racial issue, wondering why so many white males hated this collection of mostly white player over the past two decades. This last point is part of the reason I actually dislike Duke. As I explained on last week’s Score Atlanta Sports Sunday on 790 The Zone (tune in this Sunday from 2-5 p.m.) when I think of Duke, I think of Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Chris Collins, Wojo, Cherokee Parks, JJ Redick, Mike Dunleavy Jr., etc. With the exception of Parks and Laettner (who both tower over me), the rest of the guys are just like me: guard-sized with no jump-out-of-the-arena ability that can shoot. The difference is that those guys worked really hard in middle school and high school, eschewing other sports to focus on shooting, ditching dating to work on dribbling, dropping the French club to work on free throw shooting. So I am jealous of Duke’s players, not so much their program. I wish that had been me. That’s why I dislike Duke, my own self-hatred. I’m just kidding about the last part. Much like TO once said, “I love me some me!”
With the Atlanta Thrashers falling twice last week, 680 The Fan may now stop sweating out what could have been a very tough decision. 680 is the new flagship of the Atlanta Braves and have been running promos crowing as much since last autumn. One of the promos though says, “hear every pitch of the 2010 season on 680 The Fan!” and it was this promo in particular that got me thinking: what if the Thrashers make the playoffs? Would they be sent to the “minor leagues” ie, one of The Fan’s sister stations so that the Braves would be on 680? Could you put playoff hockey on a smaller station with a smaller listening area for a team that has made the postseason just once in its history? Or would you move the Braves to the smaller station in the team’s first month on your station after you spent how many hours promoting The Fan as the flagship? 680’s Assistant Programming Director Scott McFarlane addressed this potential decision with Score Atlanta last week before the Thrashers lost to Washington and Pittsburgh.
“The Thrashers would take precedence on 680 The Fan over the Braves as we have been partners with the Thrashers and the Spirit for the last five years and would honor our contract with them.” McFarlane noted that the Braves would have been moved to one of The Fan’s sister stations, either ESPN Radio 1230 The Fan 2 or 1340 The Fan 3, Fox Sports Radio. For anyone who could not get those two could clearly always just tune to Rock 100.5 FM, where the games will also be found all season. McFarlane continued, “We definitely hope and are pulling for the Thrashers to make the playoffs and are very excited about the Braves getting started, having three full time sports station stations and a great FM simulcast partner in Rock 100.5 makes it easy to clear great Atlanta sports content.” The recent rash of losses though likely mean that the Thrashers won’t make the postseason, but the franchise’s run towards the playoffs surely led to some anxious meetings.
Jason Boral, Score Atlanta’s beat writer for the Atlanta NHL franchise appeared on Score Atlanta Sports Sunday and besides being all over everything that was hockey, not just with the Thrashers but the rest of the NHL as well, Boral handled himself quite well during the interview. He sounded like a true professional that was calling in to Mike & Mike, and it may just be a matter of time before Score Atlanta loses him to NHL.com or another hockey-based town’s radio coverage of the team. The Thrashers would be well-served to give Boral a look at potentially coming to work for the team’s website and perhaps even having him appear on a podcast for the team. We are lucky to have him at Score Atlanta.
CAN YOU BELIVE HE JUST SAID THAT!?!?
“I’m just not sure landing on the moon is that big of a deal…I mean if Louis Armstrong didn’t do it first, somebody else would have.” That was 790 The Zone’s David Pollack. So did the trumpet do INSIDE the suit or did he open that visor? Pollack was a three-time All-American at the University of Georgia, and now we know none of those were Academic All-American awards. I honestly hope Pollack was kidding. I really hope so. As a Georgia grad, I REALLY hope so.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The dominance scale!
I have had some people ask me about the dominance scale, believing that it was never actually thought out. ARE YOU KIDDING? OF COURSE I once put this down. It was on myspace, but now it is on SBF. Enjoy. INTO THE MYSPACE VAULTS EVERYONE!
From June 2006.....
I know you guys have been awaiting this for quite some time, aka since I was drunk at the beach, so here goes with the Official Dominance Scale
1) Humans. Obvie. We are smart, we created guns and zoos and WE HAVE OPPOSABLE THUMBS
2) Bears. While Grizzly, Black, and Golden are all frightening, I believe they are all not as dangerous as the Polar. If you were to eat a bite of a Polar Bear's liver, you die. They are lethal. Plus they'd probably kill you for your Coke if you were at a Pole, freezing your ass off.
3) Sharks. Their ADD moves them down-they have to keep moving in order to breath. Plus Dolphins can kill them and people pay to swim with Dolphins. How can you be killed by something that gets caught in Tuna Nets?
SIDE NOTE: If this were the vacuum, I think Bears do have the edge over Sharks. Bears can strike while on all fours OR stand up for a two swing approach. Sharks can't really go vertical. Plus Sharks just have the teeth. Bears have the fangs and claws. 2 v 1 wins IN THE VACUUM.
4) Monkeys. Pros: Congo scared me; the thought of King Kong would certainly move these guys up(though Kong was seduced by Naomi Watts, which face it, is something Humans would never fall for, dominance for Humans); and the opposable thumb potential is there. Cons: We still own guns; red asses move them down.
5) Wild Boars/Razorbacks With the sharp tusks and they run fast. Plus tough skin. However, I think Humans take them in the long haul. I see pictures of spits all the time with hogs of some sort on them.
6) Elephants. They TOO have tusks and are REALLY big. But as Lee Corso would say, "NOT so fast my friend!" They are really slow. And they cry. Like Urban Meyer.
7) Horses. Look what they did to Superman! Though they do lose points that if they break a leg WE turn them into glue that our children eat. HAHAHAHAHA
8) Birds of Prey. Now I am not talking about Owls(what are they going to screech at us, make us pick up litter) or Hawks(are they going to play swingman on us) or Falcons(are they going to throw an interception on us). No I am talking about Ducks. Those plucky sonsabitches. Seagulls too. I saw The Birds. If they banded together, we'd be in trouble. Big "if" though.
9) Lions and Tigers and other Jungle Cats. Since I am never going to Africa, I think I am safe. What you say, am I scared? NO I am making the dominant choice of preferring to see them on MY turf, at a zoo. This is what the most dominant team in the regular season gets in the postseason. I am making the same rules apply. Also, last time I check, I wouldn't be scared of the Lions anyways. Detroit sucked last year, and UGA owns Mike the Tiger, who lives IN A CAGE.
10) Whales, Dolphins, other fish. Anything that beaches itself isn't the smartest animal, though some whales do have 16 ft wangs. I don't know where they'd put that if they were humans, but it kinda makes me feel bad about the soup can.
11)Jellyfish. Anything I can take down with a boogyboard, IS NOT DOMINANT. Plus I like saying Boogy.
12) Ants, Bees, Insects. Anything I can kill with RAID or my SHOE is not dominant. Killer Moth aside Sean, but I am known as The Moth Killa!
*Note if Dinosaurs were still around they would clearly be #1. Anything that can eat me in one gulp wins. Some would argue that a lion or shark could eat me. Really? A shark, on land? Interesting. In water? Not when I go down in my shark cage and shoot them with a harpoon ALL WHILE USING MY OPPOSABLE THUMBS. Also, Rick made the arguement at the beach about a virus. Not when I flush the petri dish it is in.
That is what this scale comes down to. We are the smartest, best suited to run the world. We win, they lose. I am finito!
From June 2006.....
I know you guys have been awaiting this for quite some time, aka since I was drunk at the beach, so here goes with the Official Dominance Scale
1) Humans. Obvie. We are smart, we created guns and zoos and WE HAVE OPPOSABLE THUMBS
2) Bears. While Grizzly, Black, and Golden are all frightening, I believe they are all not as dangerous as the Polar. If you were to eat a bite of a Polar Bear's liver, you die. They are lethal. Plus they'd probably kill you for your Coke if you were at a Pole, freezing your ass off.
3) Sharks. Their ADD moves them down-they have to keep moving in order to breath. Plus Dolphins can kill them and people pay to swim with Dolphins. How can you be killed by something that gets caught in Tuna Nets?
SIDE NOTE: If this were the vacuum, I think Bears do have the edge over Sharks. Bears can strike while on all fours OR stand up for a two swing approach. Sharks can't really go vertical. Plus Sharks just have the teeth. Bears have the fangs and claws. 2 v 1 wins IN THE VACUUM.
4) Monkeys. Pros: Congo scared me; the thought of King Kong would certainly move these guys up(though Kong was seduced by Naomi Watts, which face it, is something Humans would never fall for, dominance for Humans); and the opposable thumb potential is there. Cons: We still own guns; red asses move them down.
5) Wild Boars/Razorbacks With the sharp tusks and they run fast. Plus tough skin. However, I think Humans take them in the long haul. I see pictures of spits all the time with hogs of some sort on them.
6) Elephants. They TOO have tusks and are REALLY big. But as Lee Corso would say, "NOT so fast my friend!" They are really slow. And they cry. Like Urban Meyer.
7) Horses. Look what they did to Superman! Though they do lose points that if they break a leg WE turn them into glue that our children eat. HAHAHAHAHA
8) Birds of Prey. Now I am not talking about Owls(what are they going to screech at us, make us pick up litter) or Hawks(are they going to play swingman on us) or Falcons(are they going to throw an interception on us). No I am talking about Ducks. Those plucky sonsabitches. Seagulls too. I saw The Birds. If they banded together, we'd be in trouble. Big "if" though.
9) Lions and Tigers and other Jungle Cats. Since I am never going to Africa, I think I am safe. What you say, am I scared? NO I am making the dominant choice of preferring to see them on MY turf, at a zoo. This is what the most dominant team in the regular season gets in the postseason. I am making the same rules apply. Also, last time I check, I wouldn't be scared of the Lions anyways. Detroit sucked last year, and UGA owns Mike the Tiger, who lives IN A CAGE.
10) Whales, Dolphins, other fish. Anything that beaches itself isn't the smartest animal, though some whales do have 16 ft wangs. I don't know where they'd put that if they were humans, but it kinda makes me feel bad about the soup can.
11)Jellyfish. Anything I can take down with a boogyboard, IS NOT DOMINANT. Plus I like saying Boogy.
12) Ants, Bees, Insects. Anything I can kill with RAID or my SHOE is not dominant. Killer Moth aside Sean, but I am known as The Moth Killa!
*Note if Dinosaurs were still around they would clearly be #1. Anything that can eat me in one gulp wins. Some would argue that a lion or shark could eat me. Really? A shark, on land? Interesting. In water? Not when I go down in my shark cage and shoot them with a harpoon ALL WHILE USING MY OPPOSABLE THUMBS. Also, Rick made the arguement at the beach about a virus. Not when I flush the petri dish it is in.
That is what this scale comes down to. We are the smartest, best suited to run the world. We win, they lose. I am finito!
Remember this blog from the myspace days?
This will be a new feature on Sportsbyfletch. We'll go back to our old myspace days and bring back some of the old blogs.
Enjoy.....
This past Saturday was the bachelor party, and apparently CT had never been to a strip club before. Well when the Body heard this, he tried to let CT know just what strip clubs were all about.
Here is what he said...
"Turner, have you ever been to a roller rink? It is kinda like that, but the women are naked."
Sean and I had a field day with this.
I responded, "Yeah and there are NO roller skates or an actual RINK."
That of course led to a good 20 minutes of "A strip club is just like........." jokes
Here were some of the best
A sugar packet, but instead of having Sugar inside, there are strippers.
A firestation. There is a pole, but strippers, not firemen.
A golf course because there are plenty of holes, but no carts, just strippers.
An ice skating rink, only without the ice, and instead strippers.
a band-aid, but with strippers instead of gauze.
a McDonalds, only without french fries, but strippers instead.
Enjoy.....
This past Saturday was the bachelor party, and apparently CT had never been to a strip club before. Well when the Body heard this, he tried to let CT know just what strip clubs were all about.
Here is what he said...
"Turner, have you ever been to a roller rink? It is kinda like that, but the women are naked."
Sean and I had a field day with this.
I responded, "Yeah and there are NO roller skates or an actual RINK."
That of course led to a good 20 minutes of "A strip club is just like........." jokes
Here were some of the best
A sugar packet, but instead of having Sugar inside, there are strippers.
A firestation. There is a pole, but strippers, not firemen.
A golf course because there are plenty of holes, but no carts, just strippers.
An ice skating rink, only without the ice, and instead strippers.
a band-aid, but with strippers instead of gauze.
a McDonalds, only without french fries, but strippers instead.
Paul Mac weighs in on Tiger's press conference
Paul Mac is covering the Masters for Score Atlanta as well as SportsbyFletch. He weighs in on Tiger's press conference yesterday....
Really nice job yesterday. He really covered the bases well. Honestly I don’t understand the hatred. I’m not sure why people are so angry. I hear… well he’s a fake. Um 99% of America wants to be something they aren’t. This is all jealousy. Then you get… well he didn’t even get punished. Looking at yourself in the mirror knowing what you did and knowing that your parents and the entire free world knows what you did is embarrassing enough.
The only thing he truly cares about outside of golf is privacy. His freaking multi billion dollar yacht IS NAMED PRIVACY. For the rest of his life he will be the butt of jokes and not be able to do anything without being a tabloid story. I’d say that price is high enough. I don’t feel the need to boo a guy while he’s working and providing me with some entertainment.
Really nice job yesterday. He really covered the bases well. Honestly I don’t understand the hatred. I’m not sure why people are so angry. I hear… well he’s a fake. Um 99% of America wants to be something they aren’t. This is all jealousy. Then you get… well he didn’t even get punished. Looking at yourself in the mirror knowing what you did and knowing that your parents and the entire free world knows what you did is embarrassing enough.
The only thing he truly cares about outside of golf is privacy. His freaking multi billion dollar yacht IS NAMED PRIVACY. For the rest of his life he will be the butt of jokes and not be able to do anything without being a tabloid story. I’d say that price is high enough. I don’t feel the need to boo a guy while he’s working and providing me with some entertainment.
Purnell to DePaul? what?
First off, let me say good job Coach K. You survived BUTLER to win your 4th (3rd in my book) National title. KUDOS TO YOU.
I feel dirty.
Now let's move on to a story that made me LAUGH OUT LOUD. Klimpsen's Oliver Purnell shocked EVERYONE by taking the DePaul job. Are you kidding me? He walked away from the cushy job that was Clemson where no one seemed to care that he ALWAYS folded down the stretch (aka when the conference schedule started) and he has STILL NEVER won an NCAA game, for DePaul, based in Chicago where he WILL be gone in three years if he doesn't win an NCAA game.
Yeah, in the BIG EAST, he's likely to be MAYBE 9th best with his BEST team. If he thought the ACC was hard (and he typically did. that MUST be why his in conference record was always a sad sack of crap opposed to the record he compiled before the conference schedule started....), just imagine how hard the Big East will be.
This is really funny. He just killed the golden goose. He flew too close to the sun and the glue of his wings melted....Purnell, not a smart move my man.
I wonder what Clemson will do....wait, maybe hire a coach that CAN win an NCAA game. PERHAPS!
HAVE DABO coach the team! DO IT!
I feel dirty.
Now let's move on to a story that made me LAUGH OUT LOUD. Klimpsen's Oliver Purnell shocked EVERYONE by taking the DePaul job. Are you kidding me? He walked away from the cushy job that was Clemson where no one seemed to care that he ALWAYS folded down the stretch (aka when the conference schedule started) and he has STILL NEVER won an NCAA game, for DePaul, based in Chicago where he WILL be gone in three years if he doesn't win an NCAA game.
Yeah, in the BIG EAST, he's likely to be MAYBE 9th best with his BEST team. If he thought the ACC was hard (and he typically did. that MUST be why his in conference record was always a sad sack of crap opposed to the record he compiled before the conference schedule started....), just imagine how hard the Big East will be.
This is really funny. He just killed the golden goose. He flew too close to the sun and the glue of his wings melted....Purnell, not a smart move my man.
I wonder what Clemson will do....wait, maybe hire a coach that CAN win an NCAA game. PERHAPS!
HAVE DABO coach the team! DO IT!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Has that ball landed yet?
Jason Heyward came up with the score tied 3-3 in the first, runners on first and third and one out. After he laid off of a pitch away, he sent a ball screaming into the bullpen 435 feet away. A legend isn't just born but it has been cemented.
Derek Lowe gave up a three-run home run in the first only to see the Braves battle back to tie the game up at three and THAT is when the fireworks started. WOW. Heyward was a MAN today. Then Brian McCann sent a home run into the frenzied Turner Field crowd. Though DLowe gave up another home run, the Braves supported him with even more runs in the seventh thanks to Yunel Escobar's bases-loaded double to finish with five RBI for the game and Heyward drove in yet another run (he finished with four though another runner scored when he reached on an error.) Heyward scored a few runs and he looks like a superstar.
I said yesterday on Score Atlanta Sports Sunday that I hoped people didn't put too much on him too soon like everyone did with Jeff Francoeur, but perhaps this kid can handle it. I do hope though that Chipper continues to carry the team this season and then maybe McCann takes "control" of the team next year. Let Heyward ease into the "face of the franchise" role.
Between Hanson, Jurrjens, McCann and now Heyward on board, this team scored 16 runs today and really looks like a strong wild card contender, if not the leader in the clubhouse.
Doc Holladay looked strong in an 11-1 Philly win, but if the Braves offense averages just 6 runs per game....hello playoffs.
This is going to be a special season with Bobby leaving and McCann going to the all-star game yet again, and Hanson hopefully ascending to "ACE" of the team...Heyward though could make this one of the most special we've seen perhaps since 1999, the last time the Braves went to the World Series. Hopefully it is more like 1995...and you know what happened then.
Derek Lowe gave up a three-run home run in the first only to see the Braves battle back to tie the game up at three and THAT is when the fireworks started. WOW. Heyward was a MAN today. Then Brian McCann sent a home run into the frenzied Turner Field crowd. Though DLowe gave up another home run, the Braves supported him with even more runs in the seventh thanks to Yunel Escobar's bases-loaded double to finish with five RBI for the game and Heyward drove in yet another run (he finished with four though another runner scored when he reached on an error.) Heyward scored a few runs and he looks like a superstar.
I said yesterday on Score Atlanta Sports Sunday that I hoped people didn't put too much on him too soon like everyone did with Jeff Francoeur, but perhaps this kid can handle it. I do hope though that Chipper continues to carry the team this season and then maybe McCann takes "control" of the team next year. Let Heyward ease into the "face of the franchise" role.
Between Hanson, Jurrjens, McCann and now Heyward on board, this team scored 16 runs today and really looks like a strong wild card contender, if not the leader in the clubhouse.
Doc Holladay looked strong in an 11-1 Philly win, but if the Braves offense averages just 6 runs per game....hello playoffs.
This is going to be a special season with Bobby leaving and McCann going to the all-star game yet again, and Hanson hopefully ascending to "ACE" of the team...Heyward though could make this one of the most special we've seen perhaps since 1999, the last time the Braves went to the World Series. Hopefully it is more like 1995...and you know what happened then.
You think I'm HAPPY about this?
As I rode in to work this morning, folks on the radio kept telling me I should be thrilled. I should LOVE LIFE right now. I say BOO to that.
As a Redskins fan NO I am not happy about trading for Donovan McNabb and I'll tell you why. We gave up the No. 37 pick in the draft this season AS WELL AS a third or fourth rounder next season to get a guy that will likely only play 9-11 games for us (look at his injury history. Shoot, he played just 14 games last season!) then bolt for Minnesota after the season to replace Brett Favre under Brad Childress, one of his former coaches in Philly. He openly said he wanted to play for Childress and Minny. So I give up basically a second first round pick this season (the draft pool is DEEP) AND another pick next season for McNabb who will play PART of ONE season for us before he leaves for the Vikings?
You want me to be excited over that?
The only reason this went down is because new coach Mike Shanahan looked at Campbell and said, "OH HECK NO!" and realized McNabb was better than Clausen or McCoy or Pike, and that is true. But ONE YEAR? AT THAT PRICE of the draft picks? Come on.
And he MIGHT get us to the playoffs (we still play in the division with Dallas-a playoff team, NYGiants (SB champs three years ago) and Philly (a playoff team last season that still has two other QBs with playing experience!). DO I REALLY THINK HE'LL win us a Super Bowl in his one season? NO.
So what will he do? Will he make his 7th Pro Bowl? Perhaps (because other QBs will drop out, not because I believe in Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly or Santana Moss). Will he make his 6th NFC championship game? Doubtful (but this team SHOULD be better now that it respects its coach). Will he put up decent numbers that will get him either a WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to large of a contract from Snyder in an attempt to keep him from going to the Vikings? LIKELY.
Another thing should be addressed as well. Why were the Eagles shopping him, first of all; and secondly, do they REALLY think he has that much in the tank that they'd trade him to a team they will face TWICE this season? Shouldn't they be afraid to face him if he still has his QB gifts? They traded him WITHIN THE DIVISION. Scares me as to if he is still the McNabb that took his team to all of those NFC Championship games.
Oh and I cannot wait to see if he throws up in the huddle if the Skins actually DO make the playoffs. Wait, he'll probably be hurt at that point in the season. WHO NEEDS AN ACL? Ribs, what are those? We don't need no stinkin' ankle!
I do like McNabb over Rex Grossman and Jason Campbell, but I believe the cost was too high and I don't think he'll stick around DC for a REASONABLE number in 2011. This is a one-and-done, ala John Wall, and my bracket saw how that turned out....
As a Redskins fan NO I am not happy about trading for Donovan McNabb and I'll tell you why. We gave up the No. 37 pick in the draft this season AS WELL AS a third or fourth rounder next season to get a guy that will likely only play 9-11 games for us (look at his injury history. Shoot, he played just 14 games last season!) then bolt for Minnesota after the season to replace Brett Favre under Brad Childress, one of his former coaches in Philly. He openly said he wanted to play for Childress and Minny. So I give up basically a second first round pick this season (the draft pool is DEEP) AND another pick next season for McNabb who will play PART of ONE season for us before he leaves for the Vikings?
You want me to be excited over that?
The only reason this went down is because new coach Mike Shanahan looked at Campbell and said, "OH HECK NO!" and realized McNabb was better than Clausen or McCoy or Pike, and that is true. But ONE YEAR? AT THAT PRICE of the draft picks? Come on.
And he MIGHT get us to the playoffs (we still play in the division with Dallas-a playoff team, NYGiants (SB champs three years ago) and Philly (a playoff team last season that still has two other QBs with playing experience!). DO I REALLY THINK HE'LL win us a Super Bowl in his one season? NO.
So what will he do? Will he make his 7th Pro Bowl? Perhaps (because other QBs will drop out, not because I believe in Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly or Santana Moss). Will he make his 6th NFC championship game? Doubtful (but this team SHOULD be better now that it respects its coach). Will he put up decent numbers that will get him either a WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to large of a contract from Snyder in an attempt to keep him from going to the Vikings? LIKELY.
Another thing should be addressed as well. Why were the Eagles shopping him, first of all; and secondly, do they REALLY think he has that much in the tank that they'd trade him to a team they will face TWICE this season? Shouldn't they be afraid to face him if he still has his QB gifts? They traded him WITHIN THE DIVISION. Scares me as to if he is still the McNabb that took his team to all of those NFC Championship games.
Oh and I cannot wait to see if he throws up in the huddle if the Skins actually DO make the playoffs. Wait, he'll probably be hurt at that point in the season. WHO NEEDS AN ACL? Ribs, what are those? We don't need no stinkin' ankle!
I do like McNabb over Rex Grossman and Jason Campbell, but I believe the cost was too high and I don't think he'll stick around DC for a REASONABLE number in 2011. This is a one-and-done, ala John Wall, and my bracket saw how that turned out....
Friday, April 2, 2010
This week's THE FLETCH goes Around the Dial
Seriously, I didn't come up with the name. But pick up a copy of Score Atlanta anyway. Or visit www.scoreatl.com....the link is at the bottom of the page!
Urban Meyer is CRAZY. There is not much more you can say. The guy wins two national titles and has his undefeated Florida team ready to play Alabama in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome and less than 6 hours after the game, he is in the hospital for “dehydration.” Then the day after Christmas, Meyer retires, only to take it back just days later. Meyer’s leave of absence lasts about twenty minutes and then he is back at Florida spring practice where the spit hits the fan. A Gator beat writer that writes a blog for the Orlando Sentinel accurately quotes Florida receiver Deonte Thompson in regards to new QB John Brantley and how he is a “real” quarterback, unlike Tebow (that sentence was taken out of context but the one Jeremy Fowler included in his blog was the full quote), and Meyer just goes off. After Fowler put the quote in his blog, sports outlets across the country ran with it, including 680 The Fan’s Buck & Kincade Show, and it suddenly had legs.
In case you were wondering, here is the actual quote from Fowler’s blog on orlandosentinel.com: You never know with Tim,” Thompson said. “You can bolt, you think he’s running but he’ll come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready at all times. With Brantley, everything’s with rhythm, time. You know what I mean, a real quarterback.”
Fowler didn’t strip down the quote chop-shop style or take it out of context. He did his job and reported the quote, like any good reporter would do. And Meyer felt the need to berate the reporter, calling him “a bad man, a bad guy,” in front of rolling cameras. He yelled at Fowler, “Don’t mess with our players. Don’t do it. You did it.” He dressed down Fowler during practice and then threatened Fowler’s livelihood by threatening to ban the paper from the program. The Sentinel would have had no choice but to replace Fowler, which would mean either reassigning the reporter or even firing him. FOR DOING HIS JOB. As a beat writer myself for the Atlanta Braves, I have a problem with what Meyer did. You don’t dress a reporter down when he ISN’T AT FAULT because you are “standing up for your player.” Give me a break. How about you tell Thompson to think about what he says before he says it? How about you not let him speak to the media if he cannot do that? OR if you DO have a problem with what was written, why not pull the reporter to the side for a private discussion?
What was the reaction to Meyer is Atlanta? 790 The Zone’s Chris Dimino said he was a bully, and Dimino is spot on. Meyer at one point told Fowler that they would be fighting if Thompson was a member of his family. Fowler cannot fight back; otherwise he would have been kicked off the beat. John Kincade of 680 the Fan echoed the sentiment that Meyer was a bully. Brandon Adams of 790 the Zone’s Brandon and Woolvy came down the hardest, calling Urban “amateurish,” and saying that Meyer acted like a coward in not bringing in Jeremy Fowler privately to discuss the situation. Then Adams was striking the Coward Drum again when it was reported that Meyer had privately apologized to Fowler, saying that Meyer should have publicly apologized to the reporter, in the same forum where he called the reporter out.
Perhaps of all of the opinions shared on Atlanta radio though would be when Adams said something that I had not thought about but now agree with: Urban Meyer is a far superior coach in comparison to Mark Richt; Mark Richt is a far superior man than Urban Meyer. Adams noted that several years ago when Richt had a problem with Jeff Schultz of the AJC, he called him out in a press conference. When word got back that it was not Schultz but in fact another writer that had posted a headline for Schultz’s column, Richt opened up his weekly press conference with an apology. Classy move for Richt; not sure Meyer would ever be able to put himself out there like that.
The Two Live Stews duked it out last week and the event was captured on video. Personally, I watched the “fight of the century,” go down on www.790thezone.com website, but I’ve heard that some people listened to it live on the air, and they weren’t sure if it was just a “for radio only,” or if it was real. It was real…sort of. It did not quite live up to the legend of the Chuck Smith/Chuck Oliver throwdown, but still it was entertaining to watch. Ryan appeared to get the better of Doug during the two encounters, but perhaps the entire ordeal could have been prevented if only Dough had been more polite to Jazzy aka the First Lady of Sports. Ryan “defended” Jazzy’s honor after he felt Doug “disrespected” her. OR PERHAPS the entire ordeal could have been prevented if they had stuck to talking about sports instead of brining in someone to talk about when Mary J Blige might next release an album.
Speaking of “Duke”…Duke’s Coach K appeared on Mayhem in the AM last week before his team took out Purdue and Baylor to reach this weekend’s Final Four. Sadly he did not tell a knock-knock joke. One thing I found interesting though, and credit the guys from Mayhem for asking about this particular Duke team, was that Coach K said these Blue Devils were “not a great team, but a very good team.” After a wild weekend where Kentucky, Syracuse and Ohio State went down, leaving Duke as the lone No.1 seed remaining and the favorite to win the Big Dance on Monday, it speaks volumes as to the state of college basketball. At various points in the season you could point to Duke and snicker to think that they were the best team in the land, but hey, they just might win the title. But isn’t the tournament fun? Wait, you don’t enjoy the upsets that much anymore because it ruins the Elite 8? Oh you agree with me now.
CAN YOU BELIVE HE JUST SAID THAT!?!?
“It (the snow) was just ridiculous!” I get it. Perry Laurentino’s “character” on the Rude Awakening is the curmudgeon that somehow is a fan of some of history’s best sports teams from across the country with no rhyme or reason (except to get under the skin of Atlanta fans). But I think it might be time to readjust the character that Laurentino plays. When Christopher Rude was out and Perry had to run point on the show, he came off as a quick-witted, spirited discussion leader that reined Leo in whenever he got too crazy and still made points of his own that provoked thought. The bitter part of Perry was put away in a shelf, which was nice. Was it Kincade-lite? Yes, but it worked. However now that the bitterness (over what, I’m not sure) is back, I just miss that Perry, More of that version, less of this version.
Urban Meyer is CRAZY. There is not much more you can say. The guy wins two national titles and has his undefeated Florida team ready to play Alabama in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome and less than 6 hours after the game, he is in the hospital for “dehydration.” Then the day after Christmas, Meyer retires, only to take it back just days later. Meyer’s leave of absence lasts about twenty minutes and then he is back at Florida spring practice where the spit hits the fan. A Gator beat writer that writes a blog for the Orlando Sentinel accurately quotes Florida receiver Deonte Thompson in regards to new QB John Brantley and how he is a “real” quarterback, unlike Tebow (that sentence was taken out of context but the one Jeremy Fowler included in his blog was the full quote), and Meyer just goes off. After Fowler put the quote in his blog, sports outlets across the country ran with it, including 680 The Fan’s Buck & Kincade Show, and it suddenly had legs.
In case you were wondering, here is the actual quote from Fowler’s blog on orlandosentinel.com: You never know with Tim,” Thompson said. “You can bolt, you think he’s running but he’ll come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready at all times. With Brantley, everything’s with rhythm, time. You know what I mean, a real quarterback.”
Fowler didn’t strip down the quote chop-shop style or take it out of context. He did his job and reported the quote, like any good reporter would do. And Meyer felt the need to berate the reporter, calling him “a bad man, a bad guy,” in front of rolling cameras. He yelled at Fowler, “Don’t mess with our players. Don’t do it. You did it.” He dressed down Fowler during practice and then threatened Fowler’s livelihood by threatening to ban the paper from the program. The Sentinel would have had no choice but to replace Fowler, which would mean either reassigning the reporter or even firing him. FOR DOING HIS JOB. As a beat writer myself for the Atlanta Braves, I have a problem with what Meyer did. You don’t dress a reporter down when he ISN’T AT FAULT because you are “standing up for your player.” Give me a break. How about you tell Thompson to think about what he says before he says it? How about you not let him speak to the media if he cannot do that? OR if you DO have a problem with what was written, why not pull the reporter to the side for a private discussion?
What was the reaction to Meyer is Atlanta? 790 The Zone’s Chris Dimino said he was a bully, and Dimino is spot on. Meyer at one point told Fowler that they would be fighting if Thompson was a member of his family. Fowler cannot fight back; otherwise he would have been kicked off the beat. John Kincade of 680 the Fan echoed the sentiment that Meyer was a bully. Brandon Adams of 790 the Zone’s Brandon and Woolvy came down the hardest, calling Urban “amateurish,” and saying that Meyer acted like a coward in not bringing in Jeremy Fowler privately to discuss the situation. Then Adams was striking the Coward Drum again when it was reported that Meyer had privately apologized to Fowler, saying that Meyer should have publicly apologized to the reporter, in the same forum where he called the reporter out.
Perhaps of all of the opinions shared on Atlanta radio though would be when Adams said something that I had not thought about but now agree with: Urban Meyer is a far superior coach in comparison to Mark Richt; Mark Richt is a far superior man than Urban Meyer. Adams noted that several years ago when Richt had a problem with Jeff Schultz of the AJC, he called him out in a press conference. When word got back that it was not Schultz but in fact another writer that had posted a headline for Schultz’s column, Richt opened up his weekly press conference with an apology. Classy move for Richt; not sure Meyer would ever be able to put himself out there like that.
The Two Live Stews duked it out last week and the event was captured on video. Personally, I watched the “fight of the century,” go down on www.790thezone.com website, but I’ve heard that some people listened to it live on the air, and they weren’t sure if it was just a “for radio only,” or if it was real. It was real…sort of. It did not quite live up to the legend of the Chuck Smith/Chuck Oliver throwdown, but still it was entertaining to watch. Ryan appeared to get the better of Doug during the two encounters, but perhaps the entire ordeal could have been prevented if only Dough had been more polite to Jazzy aka the First Lady of Sports. Ryan “defended” Jazzy’s honor after he felt Doug “disrespected” her. OR PERHAPS the entire ordeal could have been prevented if they had stuck to talking about sports instead of brining in someone to talk about when Mary J Blige might next release an album.
Speaking of “Duke”…Duke’s Coach K appeared on Mayhem in the AM last week before his team took out Purdue and Baylor to reach this weekend’s Final Four. Sadly he did not tell a knock-knock joke. One thing I found interesting though, and credit the guys from Mayhem for asking about this particular Duke team, was that Coach K said these Blue Devils were “not a great team, but a very good team.” After a wild weekend where Kentucky, Syracuse and Ohio State went down, leaving Duke as the lone No.1 seed remaining and the favorite to win the Big Dance on Monday, it speaks volumes as to the state of college basketball. At various points in the season you could point to Duke and snicker to think that they were the best team in the land, but hey, they just might win the title. But isn’t the tournament fun? Wait, you don’t enjoy the upsets that much anymore because it ruins the Elite 8? Oh you agree with me now.
CAN YOU BELIVE HE JUST SAID THAT!?!?
“It (the snow) was just ridiculous!” I get it. Perry Laurentino’s “character” on the Rude Awakening is the curmudgeon that somehow is a fan of some of history’s best sports teams from across the country with no rhyme or reason (except to get under the skin of Atlanta fans). But I think it might be time to readjust the character that Laurentino plays. When Christopher Rude was out and Perry had to run point on the show, he came off as a quick-witted, spirited discussion leader that reined Leo in whenever he got too crazy and still made points of his own that provoked thought. The bitter part of Perry was put away in a shelf, which was nice. Was it Kincade-lite? Yes, but it worked. However now that the bitterness (over what, I’m not sure) is back, I just miss that Perry, More of that version, less of this version.
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