They gave the Heisman Trophy to WHO?????

I can rush for 30 yards against Auburn.  My DOG can rush for 30 yards against Auburn.  My PET ROCK can rush that far.

I cannot believe that there were not some kind of shenanigans, payoffs, promises, or threats that brought about this result.  This is a travesty, it is sick, and it is totally, totally, totally WRONG!

The so-called Heisman Committee (or whatever they call themselves) have completely soiled themselves and lost all possible credibility EVER.

The natural choice for this year’s trophy would have been Tim Tebow of Florida.  No other college football player has ever accomplished what he has.  And he did it after missing a game and a half with a concussion.

But he has won it before.  And he was blatantly Christian in his acceptance speech two years ago, and they could not risk such a thing again.  Plus, he’s not of the right “ethnic” background, since someone of the incorrect “ethnic” background won it in the last two years.

The second obvious choice would have been Colt McCoy of Texas.  He was as important to his team as Tebow was to Florida.  And he was the runner-up last year with a slightly worse performance.  But there’s the “ethnic” problem there, too. And he is a quarterback, and a quarterback has won it for the last 2 years, so that would not be “fair”.

Mark Ingram was from Ala-stinking-cheating-nogood-bama, he was not a quarterback, and he fit the other “criteria” to keep the hustlers from complaining. But no one with any sense, observational powers, knowledge of football, or anything other than basic stupidity can say that Ingram was as valuable to his team as Tebow or McCoy (or a couple of the other candidates) were to their team throughout the year. His “performance” against Auburn gave the lie to that notion.

BTW, someone asked why I was rooting for Florida in the SEC championship game against Ala-gag-a-maggot-bama.  My reply was that I would rather cheer for a team with a quarterback who is openly and unashamedly Christian than to root for a team that is coached by Satan.  Or however he is spelling it now.

I WANT MY HEISMAN!  I DESERVE ONE TOO!

Except that I do not play for the “right” team and have the correct “ethnicity”.

grumble grumble grumble

A vendor of our company’s has regular access to tickets for the Atlanta Braves.  He was able to secure 4 seats for my family for Tuesday’s match between the Chicago Cubs and the Braves.  They were great seats -  just below the press box behind the third-base side of home plate.  The view was awesome!  The noise was incredible!

Lori grew up in northern Illinois, and she listened to the Cubs on the radio as a little girl.  But as a 30-year resident of the South, she has also learned to follow Braves baseball.  So she was thrilled to have a chance to see her “two favorite teams” play ball.

Well, one of them did not remain a favorite team for very long.  On the 2nd pitch of the game, Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano belted a homer to right center field.  All pretense of sharing the joys of both teams went away.  She was a CUBS fan!!!

The game itself was great.  The Cubs’ rookie pitcher threw a no-hitter through 7-2/3 innings.  The Braves scored 3 runs in the 8th inning, then, with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, Jeff Francoeur nailed a 2-run homer to tie the game at 5 runs apiece.

We got extra baseball!!  Three extra innings!  And with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th inning, Chipper Jones managed to hit a single into left field that scored Yunel Escobar from 2nd base.  Game over!!! Braves win 6 to 5.

Lori was NOT happy.  She thought her team had it wrapped up, but Atlanta came back and pulled a miracle.

Still, she really enjoyed the game, as did the boys and I.  Will we go back? Absolutely!  But since this was the only time this year that the Cubbies traveled to Atlanta, the rematch will have to wait.

No, not the political kind, this time.

Last night I watched Florida finally beat Miami. Though I don’t care much for either team (Florida being an SEC rival to Auburn, and Miami being, well, Miami), I was rooting for Florida to do a number on the ‘Canes. And they did.

What bothered me was the announcing crew at ESPN. Now, I’m used to hearing announcers for teams being fully “in the bag” for their respective teams. Who would expect anything less from someone on the payroll? Auburn’s announcers scream triumphantly when the team scores. The great crew for the Atlanta Braves obviously cares for their team, as well they should. I happened to catch the end of the extra-innings game between the White Sox and Angels Saturday night, and Chicago’s announcers were yelling at opposing players to miss catches! But, again, you expect that from the crew that is employed by the team.

I though ESPN’s announcers, though, were supposed to be relatively neutral. I did not sense that last night. Every hop, skip, and jump by a Miami player was breathlessly lauded as “incredible”, “fantastic”, or “brilliant” (or some similar words), while Florida’s successes were reported in more subdued tones. I noticed the same the previous week in the Alabama-Clemson matchup (BTW, someone needs to seriously slap Tommy Bowden for having such an underprepared and overconfident team. Bama should not have even scored, much less embarrassed the Tigers.)

I could have sworn I was watching the Democratic Convention again with all of the “reporting” that went on. To me, it was sickening.

Whatever happened to the Keith Jackson style? I grew up listening to him call games on TV, and I cannot recall him seeming to favor either side in any contest.

I guess we need to start letting the sports guys tell us how to cheer, just like we are supposed to let the “journalists” tell us how to vote.

Maybe so, but I’ll NEVER be a Bama or Yankees or Mets or Phillies (or a number of other teams) fan!  NEVER!!!

Skip Caray, who for 33 years was one of the primary voices of the Atlanta Braves, passed away at his home last Sunday afternoon. He was 68.

Being from the South, the only baseball team I really ever followed was the Braves. This was long before the golden years of the ’90’s when they were repeatedly championship material. And for all the years I listened on the radio (we didn’t have cable, so I couldn’t watch them regularly), Skip was one of the more recognizable voices.

And what a unique voice! His nasal tones, his excited calls, and his ever-present sarcastic wit were a much-anticipated treat. Victories were always sealed with “Braves win!!” I have a sound file on my computer of his voice screaming, “YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! The Atlanta Braves have given you a championship” from the year that Atlanta won the World Series.

Let me recount a recent humorous example from a radio broadcast. Chipper Jones was batting earlier this season, and his league-leading average was beginning to slip slightly. Skip mentioned that he had spoken with Chipper before the game, and Jones said that he had discovered something in his swing that was making him more likely to hit short line drives or ground balls, and that he was changing his swing to compensate. Skip’s play-by-play then continued something like this (please note that this is NOT verbatim, but a close approximation): “I hope he doesn’t change anything. I think he’s doing just fine. [[CRACK!!!!]] AND THERE’S A DRIVE, DEEP RIGHT FIELD!! Boy, I’m glad he changed it!! That ball’s out of here!”

It was funny at the time!

So Skip is finally quiet. If there is any justice in Major League Baseball, Skip will soon be stationed in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, right next to his daddy, Harry “Holy Cow!!!” Caray, long-time Cubs announcer. And someday his son Chip should join them there. He is extremely talented in his own rights.

My sympathies to the Caray family, the Atlanta Braves organization, and to Braves fans everywhere.