Gridiron to the Couch

National Champs

As someone born and bred a University of Georgia fan (Dad’s an alumni), I have to implore my fellow Bulldog fans to show a little class and be reasonable. Instead of crying over spilt milk, focus on the fact that if the Dogs stay healthy next year there is no reason they shouldn’t win a national championship.
Of course UGA was the best team in the land this season. However, under the system in place it didn’t earn the national title. As always, Steve Spurrier had a hand in ruining the Dogs’ chances. The Old Ball Coach took advantage of a UGA team that didn’t come ready for battle Sept. 15 so the Dogs didn’t get to compete for the SEC championship, which could have catapulted them into the BSC title game.
If you put your emotions and loyalties aside, it’s hard to argue that anyone who lost to this year’s Gamecock’s team deserves the championship over LSU, whose two losses both came in overtime to very good teams. Plus, the Tigers took care of Tennessee, which was something Georgia failed to do.
Coming on a day all SEC teams should have been applauding the Tigers for a great season, UGA President Michael F. Adam‘s cry for a plus-one system (4-team playoff) was both transparent and tacky. I doubt that it won him as much favor with Bulldog faithful as some may think it would, if that is indeed what he was after.
Now I’m all for the plus one system; it’s just that the time to capture headlilnes with public support of it would have been right before serious discussion on the subject begins, not on the day LSU is announced as the concincous national champ.
To me, the real autrocity is that Ohio State continues to finish the season high in the BSC rankings without having to prove itself as much as other Top 10 teams. It’s time the Buckeyes man-up and show the nation what they really have by competing in a conference championship game.
Don’t get me wrong. Ohio State continues to have great teams. However, I don’t think it’s fair that they have been able to just skate into two straight BSC title games (in which maybe not so coincidently they preformed horibly in) while other teams have to fight so hard for that honor.
The BSC system works, but it would work better if it incorporated a plus-one format and if all conferences were required to have championship games. Come on America, do you want a true champion or not.

NOT a Clemson thing

Why is it whenever you question a USC or Clemson athlete or coach, everybody assumes you are a fan of the instate school you didn't write about. My Over Reaction submission was about a coach with a history of giving up on his starters because heaven knows if things go wrong, it can't be his fault. My point is that USC has a great team and that the coach over reacted to a loss. It has nothing to do with Clemson and anyone who thinks it does should ask themself why they are so quick to make everything a Clemson/USC thing. My point was that the Gamecocks had already stood toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the country and that it was time to tweak things, not overhaul the whole team like the Gamecock coach had indicated he was going to do in his press confernece after the LSU game.

Overreaction

I’ve been so excited about football that I’ve forgotten to blog lately.
Some people seem so surprised that LSU whipped the Gamecocks. Why? LSU is clearly in another league this year. South Carolina got lucky and played a great game against Georgia, but did anybody really think they were going to waltz in and beat the No. 2 team in the nation.
Of course, The Head Ball Coach is doing what he always does, over reacting. If you ask me, what I saw against Georgia looked pretty good. They need to stick with who they have and focus on how to get those athletes to improve, particularly at the QB spot.
A guy doesn’t go from being the leader of an offense, someone the other players respect and want to follow, to a complete washout just because of one bad game against a team that has a legitimate shot at winning the national title.
That was just not one of those games you use for the basis of drastic changes. The Old Florida Coach would have been better off giving it another week and seeing how his players do rather than holding try outs again. It will be interesting to see how the team does with everyone all tense about their performance from here on out, wondering if their next mistake will be the last one they get the chance to make this season.
You don’t run across many bleeding-heart types in the coaching profession. Maybe there’s a good reason for that; I’m not sure.
Hey, at least Spurrier isn’t flipping out over a little criticism. Sticks and Stones: it’s a great lesson for any momma’s boy to learn.

S.C. Football Exhibit

OK ladies, if your husband has a bunch of old football gear lying around, here’s your chance to unload it.
The South Carolina State Museum is planning an exhibition about the history of football in the Palmetto State. Scheduled to open in the late summer 2008, this exhibit will trace the game's development from its early beginnings in the late 19th century to the end of the 20th century.
Just tell hubby that here’s his chance to have his load of junk – uhh, better make that his precious sports memorabilia – seen by thousands of fans sure to flock to an exhibit paying homage to the greatest sport known to man.
“In order to make this exhibition come alive and provide a new perspective on one of this nation's favorite sports, the Museum is seeking artifacts, photographs and promotional material from all periods and all levels of the game,” Museum Curator of History Fritz Hamer writes in a letter. “Artifacts such as footballs, uniforms, equipment, posters, tickets and booster clothes and related material are just some of the objects we seek. This exhibition will follow the game's development from the most amateur youth levels to the high school, small college, major college and professional ranks.”
We all know any such exhibition wouldn’t be complete without some Green Wave, Patriot and Panther items. So see if you can talk your significant other into sharing his smelly old rag that gets muskier by the day because he won’t ever let you wash it – uhh, make that his awesome championship jersey, the one that brings the smells of Memorial Stadium to the senses of anyone standing near it – with other football fans.
OK guys, this seems like a worthy enough cause. Why not donate that old picture of John McKissick out on the sidelines or your program from the 1980-81 Clemson football season. Think of it this way; it could help guys all over the region score points with their wives. Wondering how so? I tell you.
After the exhibit opens, guys can suggest a trip to the Museum with the family, emphasizing the educational benefits for the kids. Once there, they should act genuinely surprised and delighted that there is a football exhibit. Their wives won’t buy this of course, but they will still be so delighted that their man even knows the state has a museum that they will let it slide.
While mom and the kids learn about history, art, or whatnot, the guys can hang out and reminisce about playing for McKissick or just the glory days in general. The bonus: since the kids already made the trip, there will be no need to go again for a long, long time.
This Hamer fellow may be on to something. Anyone wanting to contribute to the football exhibit can reach him at (803) 898-4942 or fritz.hamer@museum.state.sc.us.
The focus of the exhibit will be on players who are from this state, as well as the coaches and benefactors of the game. The museum is interested in both donations and loans from the smallest organizations and schools to major institutions across the state.

St. George Legion eyes playoffs

The St. George American Legion Seniors kept their playoff hopes alive with an 8-0 win over Summerville Thursday.
The team is looking to secure a No. 2 or No. 3 seed with wins against League IV Champion Dalzell-Shaw tonight (July 6) and Orangeburg Monday (July 9). However, the team isn’t in the clear yet. Back-to-back wins against the league’s current top two is a long shot for St. George, plus Walterboro can still affect the playoff seeding.
Only the top three teams from each league make the playoffs. Depending on how Walterboro and St. George do in their remaining games, the two teams could end up tied for the No. 3 seed, forcing a tiebreaker.
St. George Coach Carlton Peele is hoping home field advantage will work in his favor.
“This team is really pulling together,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve peeked; we are playing some of our best ball right now. It would be nice if we could get a good crowd out here for these final two games to show some support for these kids.”
The games are both scheduled for 7:30 p.m. St. George improved its record to 7-7 with Thursday’s win.

A victory for USA

July 4 marked a truly great moment in American history.
I’m not talking about the day America finally earned its independence from England. No, escape from oppression and the ability to shape our own destiny is good and all, but I’m talking about July 4, 2007 – the day the Mustard Belt was brought back to the U-S-of-A! That’s right, someone finally stepped up to the plate (pun intended, be on the lookout for more) and brought the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Championship back to the states.
Following last year’s hot dog eating contest, I issued a plea for all competitive eaters from the states to do everything they could to end Takeru Kobayashi’s reign as the six-time Nathan’s champion. Fortunately, Joey Chestnut is the kind of guy who relishes such challenges. The California native trained hard and this July 4th, choked down a world record 66 hot dogs and buns to defeat the Japanese eater, who only downed 63. Joey, you are my new hero and I’m sure I’m not the only one to now hold you in such high regard.
However, I am concerned about our ability to keep the title here where it belongs. Kobayashi was too close for comfort this year and America has some serious ground to make up so I suggest a few changes to the rules. Even if they don’t help American contestants, they should still increase the entertainment value.
Adding condiments for the hot dogs might go a long way toward helping America catch up. Every fifth hot dog a contestant eats should be loaded with onions. I’m not talking about the Sweet Vidalia variety either; no, the wieners should be covered with the hottest onions available and they should be cut immediately before the contest so that maybe contestants will even have to deal with tearing up. Every 10th dog should be topped with five alarm-chili made with the hottest peppers and spices available.
Each year hot dog mascots join contestants on stage. Isn’t it time for them to play a more active role? For instance, each hot dog a mascot swipes off a contestant’s plate could count against the eater’s total. Mascots could either swipe from a variety of contestants or focus all their efforts on a single contestant’s plate. If a mascot wanted to concentrate on, say, anyone not born in America, they would be free to do so.
Finally, just to amp up the already over-the top event, contact should be allowed. Eaters would be able to punch, kick, push and even sit on mascots in order to protect their wieners. Martial arts tactics would be encouraged. Of course, all maneuvers would have to be applied in the spirit of professional wrestling, so that no one really gets hurt too bad.

From the gridiron to the couch

Everybody keeps telling me how great this Internet thing is and how many people now turn to the computer rather than the newspaper or television to get their information so I guess it’s time for me to jump on the wideband wagon.
Let me kick this thing off with a short explanation about the name of my blog. I thought about naming it after my column “A little leeway” which is a play on words encompassing my last name and my love of both nautical things and open mindedness. However, my column focuses mainly on sports and  I want my blog to include other things.
I still intend to address all types of sports related topics, thus the gridiron part of the name. In fact, I see this as an opportunity to mention things about local athletic events that I didn’t have room for on our sports pages. There may be a player who had an outstanding game because of some intangible contributions. Maybe he motivated his teammates or just played solid defense. However, if A.J. Green caught 25 passes, rushed for 200 yards and scored 10 touchdowns in that game, that’s what people want to read about. With limited space and plenty of other things to cover, the first athlete may be left out of the sports pages, but now I can give him a cyber shout out to give him some recognition.
In addition to being a sports editor, I am a parent and an avid television and movie consumer so I will also use this blog to weight in on topics related to those realms, thus the couch part. I also plan to throw in some stuff I just happen upon. Come to think of it, this blog thing could be fun.
The possibilities are nearly limitless. I say nearly because I will still face the problems of finding the time to blog and sifting through my thoughts to find things that aren’t just interesting to me, but to others. Believe me, a lot of those thoughts aren’t fit for consumption by the general public.
Once I  settle on a topic for  a blog, I will take the same approach I would if I were sharing something with a friend. Sadly, most of my friends get their greatest joy out of making fun of things, as do I.
So later this season if you’re wondering how many years it took Barry Bonds to break Hank Aaron’s homerun record, my blog is probably not the place to go to find out. Here, you are more likely to find glib comments about how many lawyers it will take Bonds to get that record to stand or how silly a professional football players is acting this week.