Live, from Orlando, it's apathetic bowl showing!

Hello again faithful readers, and thank you for continuing to peruse this blog after a lackluster holiday season where we accomplished no more than a quarter of our usual monthly allotment of sporting pieces.    Fear not though, for as the new year cometh, we have vowed to bring you bigger and better things as reimbursement for continuously hitting that F5 button anxiously awaiting the new update that seemingly would never come.

As the one member of the OTR staff who desired to come out to Orlando (a fact that I am still needlessly bitter about), my initial impression:  This year's class of students at Georgia is extraordinarily weak-spirited.  While I will never cease to be amused by the same scalpers who gouged the price of such high-demand tickets as Georgia Southern to be over $100 now frantically attempting to sell off their $80 bowl ticket for $15 "OBO," I grew somewhat disenchanted with the formerly ravenous fan-base suddenly turning apathetic.  However, on the car-shuttle/plane ride down here, I met a number of alumni, many of which were only subway alumni, who were not only excited about the game but were unable to understand why anybody would not be.  So credit to all of you out there who made the trip to Orlando, or at least would have if you had the opportunity.

The most pressing matter for the Georgia football team right now (aside from such trivial matters as getting the victory) is going to be the status of the NFL Draft.  Sadly, as the bowl game nears, I see an increasing number of articles focused not on the team game plan and anecdotal stories about Vince Vance in Disneyworld, but instead geared towards the depressing matter of draft talk.  

Matthew Stafford's stock seemingly took a dip with Sam Bradford's Heisman Ceremony, but as time passes the margin between the two quarterbacks is fluctuating back to it's normal degree.  The only question for him is whether or not it is worth abandoning his reverence and the obscene amount of college tail for an abundance of "Welcome to the NFL" moments courtesy of the offensive lines of either Detroit or Kansas City.  Oddly enough, I think Stafford would prefer to play for the "worse" of the those two teams, as playing for Detroit would enable him to play with two offensively gifted players in Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith, whereas a trip to the midwest would force the rookie quarterback to be in a locker room with the perpetually embittered Larry Johnson and the increasingly-creaky, increasingly-cranky veteran Tony Gonzalez. 

Aside from Seattle, Kansas City may be one of the worst situations for Stafford, which may be enough for him to stay, now that the rookie salary cap is no longer a factor.  Fortunately for the Bulldogs, Quarterback is the one position I never worry about for the team.  Despite four unspectacular games from Joe Tereshinski III two years ago, Mark Richt is the man who developed college football players like Ward, Weinke, Greene, and Shockley, all of whom had little difficulty with the NCAA game despite not having the raw talent for the NFL.  With a plethora of options to choose from (incumbent backup Joe Cox, punt returner Logan Gray, or the Richt-preferred method of rookie quarterback in Aaron Murray or Zach Mettenberger), Georgia should worry about quarterback being a detriment to the team next year, Stafford or no.

Moreno's draft stock is somewhat less clear.  Whereas Stafford is a consensus top-3 pick right now, the explosive running back has been projected to go anywhere from the Browns at #7 to the Patriots (Please God No) at #24.  Personally, I forsee him going to the Broncos at #21, now that Mike Shanahan is no longer there to run his crazy running-back schemes. 

Moreno is more likely to leave given the shelf life of running backs, which spells bad news for the Dawgs.  While Georgia certainly has the talent to replace him with highly-touted freshmen Caleb King and Richard Samuel, neither of the two proved that they were capable of shouldering the full load this season, with Samuel showing explosiveness but fumble-happiness, and King appearing apathetic to his blocking assignment leading to a share of hard hits for Stafford.

I do believe both players when they say that they haven't given too much thought to declaring early, though not because I think the decision to stay in school is pressing to them.  Rather, I think each of them knows that if the other declares without them, their stock will likely take a fall next year.  If one or both of them has a strong enough game to boost their stock significantly, both are gone.  Likewise, if one of them performs poorly enough that their stock takes a hit, both will return.  While the shame of never winning any sort of championship has probably been on both players minds, it is certainly not going to be the deciding factor when millions of dollars are on the table.

Neither of their decisions are truly the most pressing matter for Georgia, however.  Both players were at their finest for the last few games of the season, and Georgia looked increasingly beatable.  This will also likely weigh heavily on their decision for next year, as both players performing near their peak was not enough for Georgia to beat Tech this year, so why would next year be any different?  It's going to take a very strong showing from Willie Martinez's defensive unit against the very talented Javon Ringer to convince anybody that this team is worth giving anything up for.

For now, however, the draft is almost five months away.  To all of you out there, I implore you to have a good time tonight, and be safe.  Tomorrows a fresh new year for everyone, whether it be you or me or Willie Martinez, and there's no better way to start off a new year the a decisive victory by Georgia.  I'm going to refrain from predicting a score here, as my Big-10 bias is going to sway the spread significantly, but I'm fairly confident that Georgia will at least cover the spread, for what seems to be the first time this season.  It will certainly be the first time of the year.

Until next time...

Lowdown on the NFL Showdowns

CANANDAIGUA, NY -- While attending to a golf ball-sized blister on the bottom of my right foot, your trusty OTR Sports correspondent got to thinking about the NFL playoffs. And in particular, what teams are limping into this weekend’s Wild Card matchups.

That’s easy: The Cardinals, who conveniently host the hometown Falcons on Saturday afternoon.

Despite beating the hapless Seahawks, 34-21, on Sunday, the Cardinals have dropped four of their last six games, and all four losses came against eventual playoff teams.

They are looking for some consistency offensively, outside bona fide MVP candidate Kurt Warner, who has made everyone except your noteworthy scribe forget about wunderkind Matt Leinart, who could be shotguning beers and making sweet love to Kristin from Laguna Beach and it wouldn’t even draw a look from coach Ken Whisenhunt.

Anyway, the Cardinals were a chic pick for the Super Bowl two months ago, when their fancy forward pass was all the rage with those hip college kids. It’s still impressive, but they also lead the playoff teams in two dubious categories: Greatest disparity in offensive playcalling and most points allowed.

The Cardinals’ leading rusher was Edgerrin James -- yes, he’s still alive -- with 514 yards. Michael Turner, who leads the Falcons in rushing, has 1,699, more than three times James’ total.

Edge went over 100 yards Sunday for just the second time this season. In seven games prior, the Cardinals’ rushing yards read like this: 22, 40, 21, 10, 32, 23, 19.

Those are yards. Not points.

The Falcons haven’t exactly been stylish in winning their past three games, but there’s some cliché about not awarding style points that you can insert here.

Since passing for a career-high 315 yards on Dec. 7 against the Saints, freshly-minted AP offensive rookie of the year Matt Ryan’s numbers in his last three games have been modest: 400 yards, two TDs, four INTs.

But if Ryan needs to pass 40 times on Saturday -- and he shouldn’t -- the Falcons will lose.

Turner needs 150 yards. Ryan needs 200 against one of the most porous defenses in the NFL. Jason Elam, why couldn’t you lead Bauer Football to the Fantasy Football Promise Land??

You know we’ve all entered an alternate universe when the Falcons, predicted by The Sporting News to finish 1-15, are favored by 2.5 to win in Glendale. And it should be noted that your interested observer predicted the Falcons to finish with six or seven wins when he boldly stated as much Oct. 18 on the now-defunct 2 Guys, 1 Blog. Sure do miss that template.

Final score: Falcons 24, Cardinals 20.

Pick to win the NFC: Eagles. Just watch. Colts will win the AFC.


More Grumblings from around the NFL:

-- After getting thoroughly embarrassed in a 44-6 loss in Philadelphia, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips -- he retains that title for now -- vowed to get tougher with his players. Sounds eerily familiar to four weeks before he was canned in Buffalo for lacking intensity on the sidelines.

He’s a great defensive coordinator -- note his work with the Bills and Chargers -- but he just doesn’t have the demeanor to galvanize a locker room -- particularly a locker room with the most egos in sports.


-- Say what you will about the despised Hoodie, but this was Bill Belichick’s most impressive coaching job of his career. It far surpasses the 16-0 regular season or any of the three Super Bowls he won with a bevy of talent.

When prized QB Tom Brady went down Week 1, Belichick was forced to mold a talent, Matt Cassell, who hadn’t thrown a pass since high school. Eleven wins and one uplifting Miami victory later, the Pats are, alas, left out of this year’s playoffs.

If not for rousing coaching debuts by first-year coaches Mike Smith, John Harbaugh and Tony Sparano, Belichick would be my humble pick for Coach of the Year.


-- According to published reports late Tuesday afternoon, the Bills will retain embattled coach Dick Jauron for another season. As has been reported all fall, Jauron signed a contract extension earlier this season through 2011, though it is highly unlikely he’ll make it that far.

The question now is whether 90-year-old owner Ralph Wilson will keep his coach, who has infuriated the fan base with his error-prone playcalling and nonexistent second-half adjustments. Should Jauron have been fired? Eh, probably. The Bills are the perennial underachievers, settling for a 7-9 season -- again.

Jauron now has the shortest leash in the NFL, and if he were to be fired, it’s a rather appealing position. The Bills have a solid run game with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, who came on strong the last three weeks of the season while Lynch was injured. And they have a progressing quarterback in Trent Edwards, who is still a few years away from reaching his full potential.

The biggest need for the Bills, however, is acquiring an offensive lineman and a playmaking outside linebacker to compliment Kamika Mitchell.


-- Detroit’s perfectly imperfect season may have impacted one impressionable observer: Matthew Stafford.

Stafford, projected as a top-3 pick by several draft gurus if he decides to forgo his senior season, could be selected first by the Lions if they aren’t swayed by Heisman winner and Oklahoma sophomore Sam Bradford’s dizzying passing numbers.

Would you want to play for the Lions, who on Sunday became the first NFL team to go 0-16 in a season?

Well, yes and no.

Yes: You’d get an opportunity to play right away, knowing the champion from the Punt, Pass and Kick competition could likely beat out incumbent Dan Orklovsky for the starting job. You have two dynamic playmakers on offense, WR Calvin Johnson and RB Kevin Smith. Everyone will be starting fresh under a new coach, after Rod Marinelli was fired on Black Monday. And you get to play your home games inside, a quarterback’s dream.

No: You get an opportunity to play right away. With a team that just finished 0-16, the rookie season could be filled with several Welcome to the NFL Moments. Never good for the psyche. Either is losing 11 games, which the Lions will do unless they significantly shore up the most defenseless defense in the league. And you may be playing under the most dysfunctional front office in sports.


-- Said it around this time last year, and this year we’ll say it even more vehemently: Brett Favre needs to retire.

An MRI on Favre’s ailing right arm showed a torn biceps tendon, which may have been the result of too many curls with the Big Guy. Nonetheless, the injury won’t require “major” surgery, meaning Favre should ready for training camp, which is a must for a 38-year-old quarterback who was downright horrible during the latter stages of the season, surely the main contributor to the Jets’ implosion.


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They can have whatever they like

From a young age, we are taught that the Holiday season is kinder to some than others. While many children run down the stairs and see a mountain of presents under the tree, others are treated to a rusty bike and an alcoholic uncle. You get the idea.

Undoubtedly, the New York Yankees are the rich kids with the pile of video games while the Atlanta Braves got nothing but a Festivus beatdown from drunk Uncle Randall.

I don't mean to be a Scrooge. The Yankees are well within their rights to pay their players more than the GDP of several countries. There is no salary cap in baseball. This is well known. The Steinbrenner clan has more money than they know what to do with, aparently.

Well, they found something to do with it. They showered C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira with gigantic contracts to try to once again buy a championship.

If this sounds like sour grapes, I assure you that it isn't. The Braves' lack of recent success has nothing to do with payroll. Atlanta ranked a respectable 10th in the league in payroll last season. Tampa won the AL East and the American League pennant with a payroll that ranked 29th in the league. The only team that paid their players less was their Sunshine State neighbors the Florida Marlins.

Within the world of baseball, the Yankees are the equivalent Pacman Jones walking into the strip club, making it rain, and making all the dancers forget that you have 20 bucks worth of singles in the corner trying to get a dance. It's perfectly legal, but something just doesn't sit right.

First off, the Yankees better win the World Series this year. No excuses. They have spent money at such a mind-boggling rate, that there is no possible justification for ending the year without a title. Unless, of course, there are catastrophic injuries.

Last year's Rays won 97 ballgames with a payroll just over $43 million per year. That comes out to about $448,000 paid per win. The Yankees' payroll in 2009 figures to be at least $210 million. In order for the Yankees to get the kind of value per win that the Rays got, they would have to win 469 games in 2009. I think you see my point.

Now of course, not every team will get the bank for their buck that the Rays got. It's very rare for a team like the Rays to succeed. But the Yankees have outspent everyone by miles.

Despite the on-field issues of expectations due to such a payroll, here's what really gets my blood boiling about the Yankees spending spree. The Yankees demanded that the city of New York pitch in substantially for the construction of the new Yankee Stadium. With an economy on life support and millions without jobs, the Yankees thought that Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett were worth more than the money of their fans.

Not only that, but "ticket license" packages at Yankee Stadium start at $350 per seat...per game. Not a typo. Read it again.

I'm not asking the Yankees to become a charity. I'm not asking them to stop being the biggest spenders in all of sports. But for goodness sakes close the gap a little bit. Bring some perspective back to the game. Does a guy like Teixeira, who has never finished in the top 6 of an MVP vote, really need a $180 million contract?

Don't you think you would be better served to, I don't know, develop a pitcher or two instead of blindly gobbling up whatever big name is on the market?

We all know how bad the Ian Kennedy debacle was but don't give up yet. I'm not a Yankee fan. I don't know what it's like to be a Yankee fan. But I do know that a big part of my enjoyment of the Braves' success during their 14-year run was the fact that Atlanta developed those players themselves.

Glavine, Smoltz, Chipper, Andruw, Furcal and Justice were all homegrown. Every once in a while we got a huge free agent or trade like Maddux and McGriff. But we didn't live and die buy it.

Personally, I'm not convinced the Yanks will be any better equipped to take on the Rays this year than the Red Sox were last year. No doubt, the Yankees have talent. But at what cost?

If you have the money to spend almost half a BILLION dollars on three contracts in one offseason, you should probably build your own damn stadium. I'm sure the city of New York has plenty of use for that money.

I won't get into the supposed sweetheart deals between Mayor Bloomberg's office and the Yankees for luxury box rights. Although it does reek of scandal.

If the Yanks win the title this year, they will most certainly have earned it with their wallets. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer a franchise that earns in with shrewd management and talent development.

But what do I know? I'm just a Braves fan. At least we re-signed Greg Norton!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from OTR sports. We're glad you guys have kept reading. We know things have gotten a little slow, but we promist to get back on track shortly. Hope you guys have had as much fun reading as we have writing! Have a safe holiday.

Madness in the Mile High Club

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. -- Buried under four comforters, warmed by a third glass of Glenlivet and still shocked that 8-degree temperatures can actually send a scalding-hot jolt through various appendages, your trusty OTR correspondent has braved the elements and is back to serve the loyal masses a hearty dish of bloggage.

Before exploring the week's activities -- or inactivity, if you're the Braves -- how about a refresher course in meteorology?

In the Western part of New York, the Finger Lakes if you're looking at a map, there tends to be significant snowfall in the winter because of the "lake effect," or the weather phenomenon that occurs when a cold front crosses over a body of water. Any city or region on the eastern side of the lake is hit hardest.

My parents attended Oswego College, literally crawling distance from Lake Ontario, and they told me horror stories about their adventures in getting to class. There were underground tunnels. There was a pulley system that would guide students around campus because the wind gusts would occasionally knock girls, or extraordinarily scrawny guys, to the ground. And there was the snow, the sometimes 2-3-foot squalls that would accumulate within hours and engulf the front half of the car.

Anyway, the first big snowstorm of the year hit the Northeast on Friday, which just so happened to be the busiest travel day of the year, with many getting Monday and Tuesday off next week for an extended holiday break.

More than half of the planes that were supposed to land at Rochester International Airport were cancelled, wreaking havoc for a certain OTR scribe and his family, and clouding what was supposed to be a holly, jolly Christmas of family portraits and award-winning theatrical productions. No joke.

Brother 1, who flew out of L.A.X at 4 a.m. Friday morning, is stranded in Chicago until Sunday, after having three flights and two standby flights delayed, then cancelled.

Save a potentially career-ending run-in with the law six years ago, this afternoon's flight into
Rochester, with Radiohead's "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" pumping through the iPod headphones, was the most harrowing experience of your young author's life. It was snowing so hard it drifted sideways. The runway already had 10 inches of snow on it when we landed, which drew a sarcastic and relieved round of applause from the 80 passengers.

"Welcome to Cancun," the captain said.

And then the trip got fun, because the snow plows had yet to, you know, clear the white stuff from an already slick driving surface.

Estimated driving distance between Rochester and Canandaigua: 35 miles, or about 40 minutes.

Leave baggage claim: 5:21 p.m.

Open the door of my house: 8:11 p.m., our trip prolonged by a Saab that had been jackknifed into a snowdrift at least a foot high, blocking our exit, a snow plow that decided to do donuts near the median and a pick-up of two beer-battered fish fries for two hungry voyagers.

Frustration level: 8.

Not too bad considering the frustration level and current mental state of Frank Wren and the rest of the Braves brass.

The second-year general manager was duped earlier this week into believing free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal was headed back to Atlanta to create a formidable double-play duo in the middle of the Braves infield. The reports are mixed, but Wren was told by Furcal's agent Monday night to send over a term sheet -- the final step in the negotiating process. It was never returned.

Instead, the Dodgers re-entered the bidding war for the 31-year-old's services, and offered him a three-year, $30M offer that he accepted Wednesday, prompting former Braves GM and current team president John Schuerholz to characterize the dealings as "despicable."

In the past two months, Wren and the Braves have...

• Been forced to mash together a multi-prospect, Yunel Escobar-cornerstone package to appease the unappeasable and slightly insane Padres GM Kevin Towers, only to see the negotiations die a slow and public death after six weeks.
  
• Been outbid for All-Star right-hander A.J. Burnett, who signed a hefty contract late last week with the New York Yankees. A source told OTR Sports that although Burnett seriously considered joining the Braves, he wanted to focus solely on pitching -- in the National League, pitchers also must bat -- and be closer to his wife, who does not fly.
  
• Been publicly embarrassed by the Furcal fallout. The move to land the former NL Rookie of the Year seemed ideal: Get the tablesetter that had been lacking last year, keep Escobar, whom many believe is one of the slickest-fielding shortstops in baseball, move the error-prone Kelly Johnson into left field and give Furcal, who missed most of last season with a back injury, some relief and prolong his stay in Atlanta, where he has a home and developed a strong relationship with manager Bobby Cox.

The result: If the season started tomorrow, the Braves would finish -- at best -- in third place, 10 or 15 games behind the Mets and Phillies. And if the Nationals are able to entice first baseman Mark Teixeira with their reported eight-year, $180M offer, they could legitimately finish ahead of the once-proud Braves franchise.

There's still time before spring training, and after having three promising deals fall through because of miscalculation, misguidance or the misdeeds of a particular agent, the Braves should be more determined than ever to make substantial overtures to pitchers Derek Lowe and Ben Sheets, and maybe even reignite the flickering Jake Peavy trade talks.

Their 2009 season, and their quest to again become of baseball's most appealing destinations, likely depends on it.


Other Week-long Grumblings

-- Full disclosure: Never truly been a fan of Teixeira, the former Georgia Tech and Braves standout who epitomized the team's seismic shift last season from preseason World Series favorites to a 90-loss squad with no identity. And if the reports that surfaced Thursday are true, that the Red Sox "are not going to be a factor" in the Teixeira derby, as the Red Sox team president said in an e-mail to The Associated Press, it reaffirms the previously held notion that Tex doesn't want to win a championship.

If he rejects the Red Sox deal, which was reportedly somewhere between $160-$184M over eight seasons, he'll likely wind up with the lowly, hometown Nationals (he grew up in Maryland) or back with the Angels, who made the initial offer of $160M two weeks ago.

He would be hilariously foolish to turn down the Red Sox, who desperately need a bat to protect David Ortiz and could easily move Kevin Youkilis over to third base to accommodate the switch-hitting robot. And just imagine the AL East, with the upstart Rays, the reloaded Yankees and the Tex-powered Bo Sox. What intrigue.

-- There is no team in the NBA that matches up favorably against the streaking Celtics, who claimed their 17th consecutive victory Friday night over the Bulls. No team except the Hawks, who had several chances to secure their signature victory Wednesday night against the defending world champs, but fell in the final seconds after All-Star Joe Johnson missed the second of two free throws with less than 3 seconds remaining.

Deranged power forward Kevin Garnett was quoted in Thursday's editions of the AJC as saying, "For the record, this is not a rivalry. You have to win some games for it to be a rivalry."

Hm. Last year the would-be champs needed seven games to fend off a pesky and inexperienced Hawks team. And this season, the soon-to-be champs have won both games, but by a total of four points. The Hawks are the last team Boston wants to see in the playoffs come spring, rivalry or not.

-- This just in to OTR Headquarters: The Braves made their second splash of the offseason, resigning utilityman Greg Norton to a one-year deal. Hey, if nothing else, the best quote on the team is back, and so is the most unorthodox and clumsy left fielder in the major leagues.


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They always come back. Sooner or later...

We're bound to crawl back, over the shame of 45-42, over the disappointment of the Capital One Bowl, and over the outrage of Arn Tellem and his merry bunch of heinous crooks.  Also, finals are over, so I can once again resume such luxuries as blogging and sleep.  Not necessarily in that order.

One thing that should be noted is that, in our week and a half absence, we gained 2 new followers.  I don't know if it was my lack of posting that interested people, or the inevitable media curiosity following the new contract of "trusty correspondent" Ryan Lavner, but it's interesting nonetheless.  And if you are still with us after we failed to keep you up to date for near two weeks, then hats off to you.

The most important thing that has happened this week in the realm of Atlanta is the juke by Rafael Furcal's agent that shattered the ankles of Frank Wren.  Wren, who is already under heavy criticism for doing his job properly and not following the George Steinbrenner business model, believed he had a 3 year contract in place for Rafael Furcal.  Furcal's agent reportedly called him up, quoted as "Furkie is excited.  Send me the paperwork."  Said paperwork, used in baseball as a handshake agreement, was then shopped to the Dodgers to wrangle out an extra .667 million dollars per year.  Not to understate the value of the average yearly salary of a good doctor, but it seems kind of insignificant in baseball terms to declare yourself as someone who is actually slimier than Scott Boras.  JJ at You Are Looking Live pretty much summarizes my feelings on the entire matter.

Meanwhile, the Braves have ceased all negotiations with Tellem's agency, which means that they won't sign such notable free agents as Randy Wolf and Sammy Sosa.  It should also be noted that they do represent Pete Moylan, who I actually like.  Fortunately for Atlanta, it does not appear that they will be signing anybody this offseason, thus following my backup plan.  They had rumored interest in Oliver Perez, who I can be quoted on liking, but I've grown a bit more tedious about him after reading the interesting tidbit that David O'Brien pulled up.

"Get this:  Perez is 5-2 with a 3.39 ERA in 10 starts against the Braves since the beginning of the 2006 season.  Against everyone else in that period, he's 23-28 with a 4.70 ERA in 75 starts"

Woof.

In more upbeat news, Jeff Owens wisely decided to stay in school for one more year, allowing the Georgia D-Line to look somewhat more competent going into next year.  With solid verbals from Owens and Atkins for next year, and Asher Allen not likely to leave, Georgia only has to wait (and dream) that Stafford and Moreno aren't going anywhere.  Emphasis on the dreaming.

Also in upbeat news, the Hawks are miraculously still good.  For all the praise that I have lavished on this team over the past four years, I still refuse to accept their competency, and can show no emotion save stunned silence every time the phrase "Coach of the Year candidate Mike Woodson" is uttered.  Woodson, I maintain, is a worse coach than either Dennis Felton or Paul Hewitt.  And I fully understand how inept both of those coaches are, but nobody has traditionally done less with more than Woodson's last few years with the Hawks.

In closing, as you all know, Christmas is in less than a week.  I've never asked for much, but I was informed earlier this week that I have really good karma and am going to have good stuff coming to me later on in life.  So if anybody feels the need to share, I would like...

1)  A playoff appearance for the Falcons

2) A solid front of the line starter for Atlanta

3) A good pair of contacts for Jeff Francoeur

4) An opportunity to not get shafted in fantasy sports

5) A girlfriend

6) A letter of acceptance from Pharmacy School.

These are ordered from likeliest at the top to most unrealistic at the bottom.  

Until next time...

Who Throws a Shoe? Honestly!

Apparently, I run a blog. It appears as if I have been neglecting my duties as blogmaster general, mostly due to the hectic end of a semester. But I'm back, and rest assured, OTR is still going strong.

Since we've been gone, AJ Burnett has signed with the Yankees, Sam Bradford has won the Heisman, Auburn has hired Gene Chizik, and an Iraqi journalist hurled a size-10 wingtip at the President of the United States.

To quote Austin Powers, who throws a shoe? I mean, obviously people hate George Bush. A lot of people. But aren't there more effective ways of expressing your hatred of someone? Best case scenario for this guy, he hits Bush between the eyes. Maybe he makes his nose bleed. Meanwhile, the Secret Service makes him and his family disappear by the time Air Force One leaves the tarmac.

As Tony Kornheiser quipped the other day, it's surprising the Yankees haven't offered this rubber-armed Iraqi a five-year deal at $50 million. It's getting a little silly. Of course, Major League Baseball doesn't have a salary cap so the Evil Empire is well within its rights in spending like crazy this offseason. It was only a matter of time before the Steinbrenner clan got an itchy trigger finger and started collecting All-Stars for their army.

Realistically, I'm glad the Yanks got Burnett. The Braves were going to overpay for him and at least he's not on a National League squad. The only problem is, now the Braves are going to be hard pressed to find the ace they've been looking for this offseason. They could revive the Peavy talks. Derek Lowe and Ben Sheets (one's old and one's a walking blob of tendonitis) are still out there. Anyone have Danny Almonte's number?

Regardless, not even a top-of-the-line starter would save the Braves this year. There's still a gaping hole where their outfield's offensive production used to be, and the bullpen is still...interesting.

Then we have Rafael Furcal returning to Atlanta. Or not? Yes, he is! Oh, nevermind, he's staying. Apparently, Furcal is represented by Ari Gold. Paul Kinzer, Furcal's shark...er...I mean agent, basically pulled the old okie-doke on the Braves, using the Atlanta offer as leverage to sweeten the pot for Los Angeles.

Braves president John Schuerholz is less than amused about the whole turn of events. He basically said Kinzer and his partner Arn Tellem they can sit on it, saying that all of their clients are dead to the Braves (kind of like that studio head that died on Entourage).

I never really understood the Furcal deal in the first place, unless they were planning on using Yunel Escobar as trade bait for Jake Peavy with Furcal's arrival. Still, the Braves feel like they got hosed.

Essentially, the Braves are swimming in a sea of failure this offseason. Whether you agree with the proposed moves or not, Atlanta has went after three players this offseason (Peavy, Burnett and Furcal) and came up empty (much like Jeff Francoeur). A team that used to have free agents lining up down Hank Aaron Drive to play for Bobby Cox now can't get anyone to play in Atlanta. It's not the players that the Braves lost that hurts, it's the fact that they cant get players that they agressively went after.

Speaking of frustrating, how about that Gene Chizik hiring on The Plains. I, for one, feel bad for the guy. He has already been given no chance by the Auburn fan base. Next year was going to be a rebuilding effort of sorts anyway. Recruits began to jump ship as soon as Tubberville packed up the U-Haul. In short, it was going to be a tough year regardless of the coach.

Now, the guy already has everyone from Charles Barkley to Auburn boosters calling for his head and he hasn't even picked out an orange-and-blue golf shirt yet. Granted, the guy was 5-19 at Iowa State, which isn't exactly a gold star on the resume.

He's following a very well-liked guy in Tommy Tubberville so there's bound to be sour grapes. All I know is that the dude better be ready for a battle going up against Saban in a recruiting war. He's going to have a tough sell trying to tell some kid he should come to The Plains and play for a 5-19 coach as opposed to moving into Sabanation.

Loathing the Loved in More Ways than One

With a lawsuit for wrongful termination still pending in district court, your trusty correspondent has returned to his blogging birthplace -- Off the Record.

Oh, what a feeling it is to be back, pounding away in this sophisticated HTML format and again seeing the barely discernible graphic and title in the header. You may be asking yourself what sparked the merger of OTR and 2 Guys, 1 Blog -- and if you're not, you probably should -- and it was quite simple: Eight readers is a lot more appealing than four!

Although the run of 2 Guys, 1 Blog was valiant -- it existed for two months without the contributions from second guy on the one blog, Jordan Backs -- every blogger of import must advance his career.

So advance we must.

As did the Florida Gators -- to the BCS National Championship Game.

Can't say your noteworthy scribe is shocked -- it was written in a similar space about five weeks ago that the Gators would be co-participants in the sport's grandest game -- and there certainly cannot be any qualms about their position in the final BCS standings released Sunday.

Saturday's SEC championship game against Alabama lived up to its billing, and although the 11-point margin of victory was one more than originally predicted here, it was close throughout.

Love him or loathe him, Gators quarterback Tim Tebow probably won himself another Heisman Trophy, and rightfully so. Since that now-famous apology after the shocking loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 27 -- and hey, Houston Nutt's bunch didn't turn out to be so bad this season, huh? -- Tebow has been sensational.

The dude makes very few mistakes -- he's thrown only two interceptions this season -- and with speedster Percy Harvin held out because of an ankle injury, Tebow reverted to his 2007 Heisman-winning form, when the entire offense ran through him.

Because OTR Sports was not officially founded until late August, we did not qualify to submit a Heisman vote this season. So this year's decision-makers will have wrestle with this question: Does Tim Tebow deserve to become the second player in college football history to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies?

If you listened to the talkingheads before and after the Gators' win on Saturday, they were elevating Tebow to elite status, calling him one of the best college football players of all-time. And you can make all the jokes you want about his affinity for circumcisions and social work, but there's no denying he's been great for the game -- a genuine kid who plays with so much emotion that he's bumping into the kickoff unit and chomping, clapping and flailing the entire fourth quarter.

The belief here is that he will win the Heisman on Saturday, joining Archie Griffin as the only players to win back-to-back trophies in sports' most prestigious club. And he will do so not only because of his incredible statistics -- and the Gators' nine-game win streak and second BCS title-game appearance in three years helps -- but because of the intangibles and his leadership ability. No player is more important to his team's success than Tebow.

This prediction is subject to change, but right now, with Harvin expected to be at full speed in exactly one month: Florida 38, Oklahoma 34.


Impulsive Thoughts on the BCS

-- There's no complaining here about the BCS title game matchup. We know the Blatantly Corrupt System is unfair, and the Longhorns and seething coach Mack Brown are this year's victims. We know Texas defeated eventual Big 12 champ Oklahoma 45-35 on a neutral field a month and a half ago. But we also know that, unfortunately, this is the system we have, and that this is the tiebreaking mechanism the Big 12 has (although it immediately began revising the process). Looking for justice in this system? Not happening, especially with ESPN's recent contract to televise BCS games dashing hopes for a playoff until at least the 2014 season.

-- Alabama did expose a weakness that Oklahoma and stud running back DeMarco Murray could exploit: Florida appeared somewhat soft against a power run game. Glen Coffee ran between the tackles and through the Gators' defense with great success Saturday, but when the Tide was forced into a downfield passing game, quarterback John Parker Wilson was -- predictably -- unable to move the ball. Wilson was also pummeled by a strong Gators pass rush, something Georgia couldn't provide when the otherwise unspectacular senior torched the secondary during the since-forgotten -- haha, yeah right! -- beating Between the Hedges.

-- After a quick perusal of this year's bowl games, here are five that your trusty observer is interested in watching:

1. BCS National Championship, Florida/Oklahoma: Duh.
2. BCS Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State/Texas: The feeling here is that Ohio State will upset the Longhorns, who will still be filing complaints into the Big 12 commissioner's office about their conference championship-game snub. Look for Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryer to put on a Youngian performance in one of the postseason's most intriguing matchups. Or they could epically flop, like they did the past two seasons.
3. Cotton Bowl, Ole Miss/Texas Tech: TT coach Mike Leach already has one foot out the door, and that could only further the legend of first-year Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, whose reclamation project is surely one of this season's feel-good stories.
4. Chick-fil-A Bowl, Georgia Tech/LSU: Georgia Tech will drive only two miles to put on a unmatched rushing display that will garner nationwide attention. Seriously: Tech will rush for 500 yards against LSU's beleaguered defense.
5. Capital One Bowl, Georgia/Michigan State: To avoid a public backlash, we put this on the list. The game will feature two of the best running backs in the nation, Georgia's Knowshon Moreno and Michigan State's Javon Ringer, although we wholeheartedly disagree with the Red and Black's assertion last Friday that Moreno is the best back in the nation. (Iowa's Shonn Greene is.)


More Weekend Grumblings

-- Rehabbing pitcher John Smoltz reportedly threw off the mound for the first time Friday and impressed both manager Bobby Cox and pitching coach Roger McDowell. That, of course, is a good sign for Braves fans who predicted that Smoltz's shoulder surgery in June was career-ending. He is apparently about a month ahead of schedule, and should be ready when the Braves start Spring Training. After watching the fallout from October's Atlanta Magazine article in which Smoltz was quoted as saying he will pitch elsewhere if the Braves don't offer him a contract -- duh! -- general manager Frank Wren will likely offer the veteran hurler a one-year, incentives-laden deal sometime in the next two months. Whether he will start or pitch out of the bullpen is unclear.

-- There was great satisfaction Friday night in watching Buffalo terminate Ball State's perfect season, and thereby ending quarterback Nate Davis' slim chances of winning the Heisman. An unnamed source told OTR Sports that Buffalo coach Turner Gill is a finalist to fill the head-coaching vacancy at Syracuse -- is that really an upgrade? -- along with East Carolina's Skip Holtthhss. Gill will reportedly meet with Auburn officials early this week to discuss that opening as well.

His revival of once-downtrodden Buffalo has been remarkable, though, and a similar transformation at either Auburn or Syracuse will happen -- in three or four years.


-- Team Buckiiiiits began its earnest march toward a championship Sunday with a 65-15 beatdown of Ain't Got a Clue, which truly did not. The game was called with 11 minutes remaining because of the 50-point margin of victory. (See photo right for visual representation.)

Besides obvious contributions from yours truly -- five points and immeasurable statistics, such as team-morale boosting and mistake-free ball-handling (a miracle) -- OTR Sports chairman Adam Rosenberg scored a team-high 18 points, and Jordan Backs added 15 points and 11 assists.

The game was, however, marred by some very disturbing and unsportsmanlike behavior.

Disturbing: Big Guy, the recipient of a beautiful outlet pass by a certain blogger, airmailed a layup attempt and went tumbling into the sparse crowd. Luckily Kiel was there to clean up the mess, but the world's least intimidating player -- at 6-foot-3, Big Guy is taller than everyone else in the league -- finished with two points, a few steals and even more boneheaded plays. (Notice awkward landing and the ball's position, on the other side of the basket.)

Unsportsmanlike behavior: Team captain Mayonnaise, obviously thinking we were playing in a high school game where blowouts draw headlines on p. 5 of the Athens Banner-Herald, decided a full-court press was necessary when Buckiiiits was up by 44 with 15 minutes to play in the second half. For those who weren't in attendance -- and that's not many of you -- this team had obvious difficulties handling, passing and, most critical to the game of basketball, shooting the ball.

But was that any reason to exacerbate their miscues, further humiliate a team that was already down by more than 40 and show blatant disrespect in a league that is supposed to be about having fun with your friends? No. It's understood that points allowed makes a difference in playoff seeding, but let the darn kids shoot the ball on their side of the floor, at the very least. If they miss -- and by god they did! -- so be it. To be honest, it was disheartening to be on a team that exhibited such poor sportsmanship. Here's to hoping Buuckkiiits can play with a little more class in four weeks.

<3 187

Good Day For Golf If You're a Dawg Fan

For those of you (us) who asked off work this weekend or planned trips around it because you expected to be in Atlanta decked out in red and black, you may want to avert your eyes.

Of course, Georgia Tech resides in Georgia's capital city fresh off their first state championship this decade. The Jacket Nation is rightfully enjoying their victory, complete with Keith Brooking forcing D.J. Shockley to wear Tech gear into the locker room.

However, the real stomach-turner for Georgia fans is happening a few miles away from North Avenue at the Georgia Dome. Alabama and Florida, two teams that beat Georgia by a combined score of 467-31, are locking up in "the biggest SEC title game in history."

We all know Georgia's season of destiny turned into a Donnanesque disaster, but this weekend is the personification of that disaster.

The Dome with Georgia in its name is hosting Georgia's most hated rival and a team that handed the Dawgs an epic beating Between the Hedges. Nick Saban and Urban Meyer in the same place at the same time has to have those little machines the Ghostbusters use to detect evil in a frenzy. Has there ever been more concentrated scumbaggery in one building?

Most Georgia fans will tell you the only way this game will be satisfying is if the Dome collapses at halftime. While I won't go that far, I will see either team winning this game would be unsettling.

However, as both SEC Championship Game participants already proved this year, they don't care what Georgia or their fans think. It will come down to play on the field, and these two teams present an interesting matchup.

Bama's defense is absolutley brutal, with guys like Mt. Cody demanding double teams and Rolando McClain waiting behind him to gobble up the leftovers. If there's any defense in the SEC, or maybe the nation, that matches up with the Gators, it has to be the Crimson Tide's. They pressure quarterbacks and the secondary has been opportunistic. All of these things are necessary to defend Florida.

Meanwhile, the Tide's offense isn't a world-beater by any means. Of course, the plowed through Georgia's defense. So did Kentucky. John Parker Wilson and his feathered bangs could be in for a painful day against a lightning-fast Gator defense. Alabama needs to just run it down Florida's throat, because I don't see JPW beating anyone with his arm (except Georgia...notice a trend?).

We all know about the Gators' offense. Sometimes, I think Meyer just throws a dart at his offensive depth chart to decide who's getting the ball on each play. However, Percy Harvin most certainly won't be 100% healthy. Neither will Chris Rainey. In their absence, Tebow is going to try to put the offense on his shoulders. Needless to say, it's worked in the past. With or without Harvin and Rainey, the Florida offense is seemingly averaging 60 points per game this season. The Georgia Dome hasn't seen offense like that since the Rams brought the Greatest Show on Turf to town.

The uncertainty on offense for the Gators puts pressure on the defense. That's fine for Brandon Spikes and company. The Florida defense has been devestating offenses all season, and they're scary-young. Janoris Jenkins is a freshman. Major Wright and Ahmad Black are sophomores. Ruh Roh. The Gators should feast on JPW, but the Bama rushing attack is effective enough to temper the pass rush a little.

Florida is 10-point favorites heading into this game. They also have been obliterating the competition for two months, so it doesn't seem like a bad spread. But Alabama hasn't lost a game, and they're extremely well-coached. They also have a large chip on their shoulder.

Prepare to have your jaws dropped. I'm following the lead of Georgia-grad and ESPN.com writer Mark Schlabach. I'm picking the Tide in the upset special, and not because I hate Florida. I really think the Red Elephants take home the trophy as Saban begins his reign of terror. To make matters worse, he'll leave Atlanta with four or five more top-10 recruits for next year's class.

Tide 31-Gators 28

Apparently, there's some sort of championship game in Tampa on Saturday as well. Boston College and Virginia Tech will entertain the masses with a thrilling showdown in Raymond James Stadium. I posed this question earlier in the season and I ask it again. If someone wins the ACC title, and nobody is there to see it, does it make a sound?

I don't know or care about either of these teams. The fact that they are in this game speaks to the fact that every other ACC team wanted it less. I have seen Va Tech's offense this year, and it looked terrible. I'll go off that.

BC 17-VT 10

The most deserving team in the Big 12 will spend Saturday on the couch dowining nachos, as Texas can only watch and root for Mizzou as they take on Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. Sure, beating a team on a neutral site sounds like a good tiebreaker, but going by BCS standings is much more logical. Do you think that OU fans even feel like they deserve this one?

Imagine being a Texas fan or player right now. It would be like if Georgia and Florida each had one loss (ah, that would be nice), and Georgia had beaten Florida in Jacksonville by 10 points. Yet, inexplicably, the Gators go to the Dome. We would all be rightfully livid. I feel your pain Longhorn fans.

Anyway, the Missouri Paper Tigers have a chance against the Sooners. Just not a good one. OU is hot right now and they will complete their bizzare torment of the Horns. OU punches their ticket to Miami in this one.

Sooners 42-Tigers 31

Enjoy the day of football. And if you're a Georgia fan, try not to think of what could have been.

Breaking News

Athens--During the week, the Off the Record Board of Directors conducted its year-end meetings at the Sandals Beach Resort in Jamaica. In addition to enjoying the robust buffet and numerous on-site watersports opportunities, Off the Record left the meeting with some big news to report.

If you'll remember back to OTR's infancy, we had a promising young writer named Ryan Lavner on staff. Due to creative differences (I was creative, he wasn't), Lavner and OTR agreed to part ways. Lavner went on to co-found Two Guys, One Blog with Jordan Backs. After Backs opted out of the blog for a career in modeling, Lavner was left to fend for himself.

However, we here at OTR thoroughly enjoy Lavner's analysis and writing ability. He is a talented writer and a half-decent human.

With that being said, we are pleased to announce that Lavner will be rejoining the OTR team, effective immediately. Lavner's new contract is good through 2011, paying him $2.4 million per year with incentives for good columns.

Along with the phenom that is Bill Kitson, OTR looks to be formidable for years to come.

Lavner will be issuing a press release through his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, some time during the weekend.

Please, if you think Lavner sucks, tell us. We will be glad to kick him back out on his backside.

Stay tuned for more on this late-breaking development.

All I want for christmas is a starting rotation

Now that Georgia has managed it's semi-annual tradition of ripping out and stomping on my heart, it is now once again time for me to turn my attention towards the most important thing going on in December for fans of football teams that can't manage championship bowls:  The Winter Meetings.

Starting next Tuesday, MLB representatives for each team will all do everything they possibly can to ingratiate themselves to Scott Boras and his ilk, hoping to not make the signing that every other team laughs at for being abused.  In the past, such notable contracts as Barry Zito and Alfonso Soriano have egregiously been agreed on to the horror of one fanbase and the general amusement of 29 others.  This year, it looked like the Braves were going to be the one to set the laughably high standard, with leaked reports indicating that they were offering A.J. Burnett some absurdly high amount of money that would pay him on the level that C.C. Sabathia is likely going to make.  It appears that the offer made towards Burnett was overblown, but it's nice to see that the Braves are willing to make a splash on the free agent market for the first time in ages.

For those of you who remembered the Bill Kitson offseason plan, I supported one of two methods.  Option One, which is the preferred method, involved trading for Jake Peavy and reworking the entire structure of the team around him.  Option two was standing pat and letting the kids play.  It appears that Jake Peavy will probably not be coming to Atlanta, which is unfortunate for a team so desperate for pitching.  However, I will give credit to Frank Wren for a) Not Giving In, and b) Not Giving Up.

When it was reported that the Braves and White Sox were close to a deal, I assumed it was going to be for former Atlanta prospect Jermaine Dye, who had been rumored to be on the market.  To my surprise, however, the Braves obtained fantasy baseball all-star Javier Vasquez, who makes up for his poor ratios with a high amount of strikeouts.  Personally, I'm quite fine with the trade.  I've coveted Vasquez for quite some time, since he and Bartolo Colon made up a temporary one two punch for the Montreal Expos that rivaled any other team in the league.  While that Javier Vasquez is not who Atlanta acquired this week, they did obtain a pitcher who is capable of pitching a lot of innings and striking out a lot of batters.  The former is incredibly important, as right now the Braves rotation could very possibly include Jair Jurrjens, Charlie Morton, and Tommy Hanson next year, who would have a combined year and a half of big league experience among them.  As we all witnessed with Jurrjens (and to a lesser amount Jorge Campillo) this year, there reaches a point in the year where a young arm can no longer pitch effectively.  We'll call this the "Blaine Boyer point."  The strikeouts are important because, quite frankly, I've watched Martin Prado and Kelly Johnson play second base, and I've watched this Braves team find ways to lose.

Some pundits have criticized Atlanta for giving up highly regarded prospect Tyler Flowers in the deal.  While I was certainly not thrilled to see his inclusion, I was also not particularly upset.  As was pointed out on 2G1B earlier in the week, Flowers is blocked at every angle in the big leagues.  With Brian McCann and Casey Kotchman firmly entrenched at catcher and first base, respectively, Flowers was destined to languish in AAA long after he had progressed past that level, or to piddle on the bench hoping for an injury.  He was inevitably going to be traded for something, and since his value is currently at an all-time high after a torrid season in the Arizona Fall League, Frank Wren was wise to shop him around.  What people don't seem to recall is that Flowers was, at best, Atlanta's fifth best non-pitching prospect in the minor league system.  To get an above average pitcher (even on an off-year, his ERA+ was 98 and his stat-neutralized ERA was 4.02) without including a single big league player is a coup for Frank Wren, and I say this as a self-proclaimed "prospects" guy.  On that note, I'm more upset about Atlanta including third base prospect Jon Gilmore in the trade, as the organization is painfully thin at third base behind Eric Campbell, who may never reach AA, and Van Pope, who will likely perennially disappoint after a promising start.

What is interesting about the acquisition of Vasquez in addition to the pursuit of Burnett, however, is the change in mindset of the Braves pitching gurus.  After a decade of Leo Mazzone preaching low and away, the Braves are suddenly targeting strikeout pitchers.  A rotation with those two and a returning John Smoltz would likely set strikeout records for Atlanta.  While I am dubious about this method after a decade of Maddux and Glavine, I do trust Roger McDowell, whose performance has been a pleasant surprise.  If McDowell thinks he can work with A.J. Burnett, who may have the best pure stuff in the major leagues without the mindset to work it, then I would not hesitate to give him the rumored 16 or 17 million dollars a year that he is looking for.  

So we've deviated away from my recommendation of Peavy/Jurrjens/Perez and are instead looking at a still-formidable rotation of Burnett/Jurrjens/Vasquez.  While it's not as sexy of a rotation for a pitching nerd, it's easily good enough to compete in the National League East, as long as the offense can perform as expected.  Unfortunately, the Braves still have holes in the outfield (and Jeff Francoeur's head) that need to be filled, and the money that could have been used is quickly disappearing.  Adam Dunn's price has supposedly taken a dive, and he is rumored to be available at 10-12 million a year.  As much as Adam (and Joe Simpson!) would loathe this move, it would put a formidable power bat in the outfield that Atlanta has lacked since Andruw Jones's 50 HR season.  Unfortunately, between Dunn and Frenchy the Atlanta Lineup would be able to match the new Atlanta Rotation strikeout for strikeout over the regular season.

It has been indicated that the Braves are going to give Jordan Schafer every opportunity to win the center field job this spring.  Likewise, common sense indicates that Jeff Francoeur is not going anywhere.  So if Atlanta truly intends to raise payroll this year, they'll have about 28 million dollars a year to fill left field, resign Will Ohman, and maybe sign a fourth starter.  While it would be fun to go for broke and sign Manny Ramirez for the comedy gold that would involve him in Bobby Cox's clubhouse, I'm starting to like the thought of a high-dollar, 2 year contract to either Bobby Abreu or Garrett Anderson.  Neither was offered arbitration, so Atlanta wouldn't lose any supplemental round draft picks, and both still have the ability to mash.  The money left over could go towards a project, be it a pitcher who's coming of surgery such as Mark Mulder or Kris Benson, or just one who wouldn't be expected to do anything other than eat innings (Mark Hendrickson).  Or they could make a run at creating the all-time Expos rotation with Pedro Martinez, Bartolo Colon, and Randy Johnson all free agents.

Unlike Adam, I don't feel as if Frank Wren has done something to lose my trust.  This offseason has been no different, unless that absurd 5 year, 140 million dollar contract was close to accurate.  If nothing else, I appreciate the fact that the free agent market is once again a resource, allowing Atlanta to add to the list of notable free agents who signed here (Greg Maddux, Andres Galarraga, and Brian Jordan.  From there, you drop off to Walt Weiss, and then drop off to Rico Brogna).

I'm not going to go into predictions this week, as the only game I truly care about is the one where the ideal outcome would be the stadium blowing up.  However, I'll go ahead and predict that Florida wins by two touchdowns at least.  However, it needs to be said:  Now that Tuberville is gone from Auburn, the SEC is in HUGE trouble.  Not because Tuberville was not a good coach, because that is incredibly untrue, but now Nick Saban essentially has free reign over the state of Alabama for recruiting, and that's quite scary.

Until next time.

Tackling 101

Well, it had to happen sometime. I could use all sorts of cute sayings about blind squirrels and broken clocks, but it wouldn't do the 2008 installment of Clean, Old Fashioned Hate any justice.

Georgia Tech marched between the rain-soaked hedges and handed the Bulldogs' defense an embarrassing beating. Apparently, having two weeks to prepare and superior athletes isn't enough to put together a coherent defensive effort. Neither is facing the most unbalanced offense in recent BCS conference history.

I have been more reluctant than just about anyone I know to jump on the "fire Willie Martinez" bandwagon, but if this season's consistent defensive problems aren't his fault, who's are they?

I'm not going to spend too much time talking about our defensive woes because they have been the same woes all year. They don't tackle well. They don't stay on their assignments. They don't take good angles.

They gave up 38 points (the Tech defense scored 7) to a team that completed one pass for 19 yards. Yep, one pass. That's the kind of stuff I put in my box scores on Friday nights.

If Reshad Jones were honorable, he would give up his scholarship to someone that is actually interested in tackling someone. Watch Roddy Jones' game-sealing touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Reshad has a chance to bring Roddy down. Instead, he gives him a playful chest bump before he trots into the end zone.

Obviously, Jones wasn't the only one to miss a tackle.

If I'm Matthew Stafford or Knowshon Moreno, I start thinking about which NFL city I want to live in. Because I definitley don't want to come back and play another year with a defense like this.

As badly as the Tech option attack embarrassed the Georgia defense, the Georgia offense was even more effective against the Tech defense. Stafford topped 400 yards and threw for 5 touchdowns. Mohamed Massaquoui caught three of those TDs. Moreno rushed for 97 yards and a score.

Yet, it wasn't enough. All that offense couldn't overcome the worst defensive showing I've ever seen in person by a Georgia team. It couldn't overcome Blair Walsh failing to kick the ball inbounds on a kickoff. It couldn't overcome one errant Stafford pass. And finally, it couldn't overcome Richard Samuel continuing to prove he has no business returning kicks. His fumble was the death penalty for the Dawgs.

However well Paul Johnson motivated his team at halftime, Richt did the opposite. If there was ever a time for some kind of outward display of bravado, this was it. Tech is a scrappy team with a chip on its shoulder, and Georgia let them gain confidence.

There's a big difference between scoring on the opening drive of the second half and scoring on the opening play of the second half. When Jonathan Dwyer went 60 yards to the house on the second half's first play, Tech had the new life it needed.

Suddenly, Georgia found itself on the ropes. They would never recover.

First off, let me give credit to the Bulldogs that actually showed up. Mohamed Massaquoi is a damn good Dawg if there ever was one. He virtually carried the team on his back, emotionally and with his performance on the field. It's a shame he had to go out like this.

Stafford probably heard a "cha-ching" with each pass he completed, but he showed up and played his best game of the season. However, his interception that Morgan Burnett returned for a touchdown was a major blow.

Moreno continued to make something out of nothing. He almost broke 100 yards against one of the nation's best defensive fronts.

I'll address Willie Martinez in another post. It's too big of a subject to mention in passing.

Adam Krohn of the Daily Citizen has an interesting take on Coach Richt and Coach Johnson in this column.It's worth a read and I plan on addressing it some time this week.

Also, a congratulations to Tech. Not the fat moron team manager that spent the whole game taunting the crowd as if his team hadn't lost for the past seven years. But everyone else. Tech came to play and were 3 points better on this day.

I still think when you literally run one play over and over again, you're asking for trouble. They won't have the element of surprise much longer.

To all you Georgia fans that are salty over the Tech players taking a piece of the hedges with them, get over it. At least we have something at our stadium worth taking. Hopefully some Georgia defensive players took a mental picture.

I'm not buying any of this "it's a rivalry again" talk either. To me it's always been a rivalry. Whether it has balanced itself out again remains to be seen. Remember how Georgia fans thought we had turned the rivalry with Florida after last year? I still don't think they've found all the remains and scattered limbs from the beating that took place in Jacksonville this year.

If the Bugs beat us gain next year, things could get interesting.

As for me, it was my last game as a student in Sanford Stadium. I'm going to miss it immensely. Despite games like this, there's nowhere I would rather be on a Saturday. Certainly not the Joke by Coke.

Forget the thumb...fear the other hand

Auburn coach Tommy Tubberville made waves when he endorsed Auburn's "Fear the Thumb" campaign. I believe the campaign was referencing when Auburn was going for the fifth win in a row over Alabama, although it may have been their sixth. I tried to figure it out, but it depends on how you count on your fingers.

Regardless, the most hate-filled rivalry of rivalry week figures to be the end of a winning streak for the Tigers. Their offense stinks something awful and they are playing in Tuscaloosa. Although Auburn stunning Alabama is second on my wish list this weekend, there's not a snowball's chance in South Beach of that happening in my mind. The Tigers will pick up a couple late scores in garbage time.

Alabama 38-Auburn 21

Bad news Gator fans: backup QB Cam Newton was arrested for stealing a laptop and then throwing it out a window. Don't know if the Gators can overcome that one. Meanwhile, Rhodes Scholar nominee and Florida State safety Myron Rolle was named to the Academic All-American second team. What does a guy have to do to get named to the first team? Apparently, cracking 1000 on the SAT is not one of them. St. Tebow got first-team honors despite getting somewhere around a 900 on the SAT. He did ace his third-world circumcision midterm though.

The Sunshine State's biggest rivalry has more luster than it has in years. The Gators and Seminoles are both ranked. The Doak should be rocking, but that won't do much good in stopping the circus act that is the Florida offense. I don't think the Gators are going to break 50 again, but you never know. I think the Noles will keep it close for a quarter or two. Then the floodgates open.

Florida 35-Florida State 21

The Big-12 quagmire looks to get slightly clearer this weekend. If Oklahoma State can knock off the Sooners, Texas goes to the Big-12 title game. If not...things will get interesting. Oklahoma absolutely demolished Texas Tech last weekend. Mike Gundy probably saw it on TV. He also probably feels like less of a man for doing so. That Sooner offense was scary. In fact, so was the defense. Let the debate begin.

Oklahoma 45-Oklahoma State 31

Alright Peach State residents (I believe the entire readership of this blog). It's finally time for some Clean Old Fashioned Hate. Apparently, the Dawgs don't even need to bother playing this one. The AJC gave Georgia the triple kiss of death, with Barnhart, Schultz and Moore all going with the North Avenue Trade School.

I can't say I blame Schultz or Barnhart. They have picked Georgia to be dominant all year and the Dawgs have made them look like fools. However, I do believe this perpetuates the stereotype that sports pundits have dangerously short memories.

Yeah, the Jackets plowed through Miami last week. But yeah, the got crushed by UNC the week before. They also beat Gardner-Webb by 3 and lost to Virginia. They needed a miraculous fumble to beat FSU. The pundits point to Tech "wanting it more" as reason for this one. How many points do you get in the scoreboard for "wanting it more?"

I got news for you. I guarantee you that The Citadel wanted to beat Florida more than the Gators wanted to win that one. No doubt in my mind. Didn't turn out too well for the Citadel. I'm not saying the talent disparity is anywhere near that level for this game. But, the "wanting it more" argument is ridiculous.

If you want to talk about mental aspects of this game, talk about seven in a row. Talk about most of these players being in sixth grade the last time Georgia lost.

More importantly, talk about talent and ability. The Tech option attack looked nice last week. Dwyer is a heck of a running back. Their defensive line is extremely talented.

But despite Georgia's disappointing (read 9-2) season so far, the Dawgs are not exactly chopped liver. This is still the preseason No. 1 team in the land (which, along with 5 bucks gets you a latte at Starbucks) but no one seems to think Georgia has a shot.

Georgia's offense is still pretty good. Make that very good. The defense, to my surprise, is still in the top-25 in total defense nationally. And Mark Richt has still never lost to Tech, and has a handful of losses to out of conference opponents.

So, I'm going out on a limb here. Conventional wisdom says that this is a rivalry game and it's going to be close. Also, every time I pick Tech to lose, they win. Well, I don't care.

The Georgia team that graced Sports Illustrated covers and had me dreaming of Miami in January is finally going to show up. Stafford is going to put on a show that ensures he is a top-5 draft pick and Moreno is going to do what he always does. The defense is going to play smart for once.

Then, the UGA cheerleaders are going to carry me out of the stadium on one of those big chairs that sultans sit in. They will fan me with palm leaves and feed me grapes.

Shhh...don't ruin my dream.





Dawgs 42-Jackets 24

The little things in life.

Greetings and Happy Thanksgiving to all. After a day of stuffing your faces full of turkey and watching some ugly football games, I hope you've all given yourself the opportunity to give thanks. I know I had an entire post planned out, but it appears that Adam read my mind and took it all last night, so I'm going to change course a little bit. Obviously, sports fans in the greater Atlanta area have plenty to be thankful for in sports. Brian McCann, Joe Johnson, Matt Ryan, Reggie Ball...You can't crack open a sports page without seeing their latest accomplishments. Unfortunately, for every great thing that they do, it takes setting up from an assortment of other people. Plenty of people do their jobs extraordinarily well, but nobody ever stops to give them recognition, even the effort to learn their names, until they screw up. So I'm here to sing the praises of the little man.

1) Ben Jones, C, UGA. Well, maybe not little in the sense of size, but certainly in the sense of notoriety. In the complete catastrophe that has been the UGA offensive line, Jones, a manchild who is starting as a true freshman, has protected Matthew Stafford against some of the roughest D-Lines in college football. For all the criticism that was poured on the line after the Alabama game, Jones still shone in his performance, doing everything he could to stop the monster that was Mt. Cody. The future NFL draft pick was notably impressed by the true freshman's performance, going out of his way to shake his hand post game. Jones never gave up, and for a freshman to have the kind of year he is having with the expectations Georgia had preseason is phenomenal. Losing a senior in Fernando Velasco last year should have been a tremendous blow to the team's cohesion, but Jones has stepped it up on the field, and I'm thankful for that.

2) Paul Snyder, director of scouting, Atlanta Braves. Quick, name me five prospects the Braves have traded away in the past fifteen years that have gone on to be successful. If you made it past two, I would be impressed. Adam Wainwright, Jason Schmidt, Jermaine Dye, and Odalis Perez are, to my knowledge, the only prospects that had sustatines success in their post Atlanta years, and that's because the Atlanta Braves system knows their prospects. So much of John Schuerholz's success as a general manager can be attributed to knowing his prospects better than the other team did. Players such as Bruce Chen, Jung Bong, Andy Marte, and Melvin Nieves have been cornerstones in trades for crucial parts of pennant-winning teams, where Atlanta ultimately got star players for free. Even now, with the Braves at potentially the lowest point in 20 years, the farm system is still absolutely stacked, to the point where we can consider trading three prospects rated B+ or higher by John Sickels and still not even touch our top three prospects. Snyder is supposedly retiring soon, and I would just assume the Braves retire his jacket size in lieu of a jersey, because he has contributed every bit as much of the franchise's historical run as Bobby Cox or John Schuerholz. That is not a slight to either of them, but a tribute to Snyder.

3) Billy Knight, former GM, Atlanta Hawks. Yes, he was highly criticized for taking Marvin Williams over Chris Paul. Yes, he resigned rather than get fired. But you know that somewhere, he is bitterly laughing to himself, because he knew this team could do it. Three years later, Marvin Williams is blossoming into the second scoring threat we needed him to be. Josh Smith was looking to be dominant before he hurt his ankle, and Joe Johnson has become the superstar Knight envisioned, though not at the PG position he expected. Looking back on Knight's track record, his biggest mistake was passing on a great player at a position we needed to select a good player at a position we didn't. While some critics will never forgive him for that, I know that if Babcock was still running Atlanta, the Knicks would be our best case scenario.

4) The underdogs of the SEC. And that is with no pun intended. The wonderful thing about teams like Vandy, Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Mississippi State is that, with the abundance of talent flourishing in the southeastern area, inevitably one of them is going to get enough second tier prospect to turn the team into a contender. They won't all be able to do it at once, but without these teams, the SEC is a joke. Even this year, I here college football fans proclaiming the SEC as a two, maybe three team conference. (Granted, these are the same fans that proclaim that the ACC is the hardest conference as stated by the Sagarin rankings, but I digress...) This year, with Tennessee and Auburn at new lows and LSU looking to be above average at best, the SEC needs someone to pick up the slack. The last thing we need is for the nerds to match up against some bottom tier team in the SEC and win, thus proclaiming their superiority. For those of you who trudged through my last post, it's quite evident that we can't take solace in the head-to-head victory, as the fighting Paul Johnson's have the greater tally of moral victories over us. Fortunately, there is little doubt in my mind that they'll come across a Kentucky team that will play them just as hard as they played us, and make the conference look all the more stronger. Remember, a OOC win for the SEC is a stepping stone in the BCS ladder for next year.

I'm also thankful for Adam typing stuff that actually has literary merit on here. I'm well aware that my insightful posts come maybe once a month, and the lackluster ones have become overbearingly predominant as of late. Fortunately, someone who actually knows what he is doing is able to pick up for my slack.

And finally, as cliched as it is, I'm thankful for the handful of you that take the time to read my ramblings every week. Because without you guys I'm just talking to myself, and seeing OTR quoted in a facebook status last week was quite possibly the most exciting thing that could have happened on a Georgia bye week short of Tim Tebow being declared academically ineligible. (For those of you who didn't know, he didn't crack 1000 on his SAT. I don't remember the exact number, but it wasn't even close).

Good luck to any of you who are crazy enough to brave the cold weather and rabid shoppers tomorrow morning.

Gobble Gobble

Besides the Fourth of July, is there a bigger slice of Americana than Thanksgiving? What better way to show how thankful we are than to stuff ourselves full of food (and in my case Gentleman Jack) and lay around on our couches all day?

With that in mind, let me engage in the tried and true (and hopefully not played out) tradition of listing what I am thankful for. Of course, I hope to hear what you guys are thankful for as well.

-I am thankful for Bobby Cox. I hope he continues to smoke cigars and drink scotch until the sad day when he passes away while managing a game. He is irreplacable.

-I am thankful for Larry Munson and the pessimistic brand of homerism he brought to radio broadcasting. I'd like to think that Larry calls games the way I would, only much better. I'm that guy that always thinks the other team "is driving on us" and that "they are much bigger and faster." We miss you Larry.

-I am thankful for Chipper Jones and Brian McCann for being the only good offensive players the Braves had over the course of the summer. I am also thankful that it is November and I don't have to watch Jeff Francoeur swing a bat for four months.

-I am thankful for Mark Richt patrolling the Sanford Stadium sidelines. Despite my constant pessimism about my beloved Bulldogs, I wouldn't trade Richt for any coach in the country. Seeing guys like Saban and Meyer winning titles while making my stomach churn with their sleaziness makes me glad we have a guy like Richt.

-I am thankful for Paul Johnson coming to Tech and making Clean Old Fashioned Hate more exciting than leftover turkey sandwiches for once. Granted, I'm still not worried about the Dawgs losing, but Johnson has the mustard nation pumped up and out of excuses. When Richt makes it eight in a row, Georgia's JV team won't have Chan Gailey to blame anymore.

-I am thankful for Friday nights under the lights. Believe me, on almost any of the Friday's I spent in northeast Georgia press boxes there were about 203 places I would rather have been. But with my time covering high school football for the Athens Banner-Herald now behind me, I must say I have a special place in my heart for Friday night football. A special thanks to all the people who made the experience fun, although I'm sure none are reading.

-I'm thankful for Sundiata Gaines, Dave Bliss, Corey Butler and the rest of the 2007-2008 Georgia Bulldog basketball team. As absolutely horrible and nauseating they were to watch for most of the year, they were that much more awe-inspiring in March. The Hoop Dawgs overcame tornadoes, venue changes, and a lack of talent to run through the SEC Tournament and win themselves a ring. Then, they almost upset Xavier in the big dance. To make things even better, Felton and friends cut down the nets in Tech's arena. As usual, the Nerds were nowhere to be found. That run through March is what college hoops is all about.

-I'm thankful for Matt Ryan. Enough said.

-I'm thankful that I have gotten to watch a player like Knowshon Moreno put on clinics Between the Hedges, even if Saturday's extermination of the Bees is his last hurrah. Special K has never had anything resembling a coherent offensive line to run behind, yet still dominates.

-I'm thankful that the Atlanta Hawks gave the Bahston Celtics all they wanted and then some in the NBA Playoffs. It was a rare thing to sit in Phillips Arena with a packed, pro-Atlanta crowd there with me. Plus, you can't overstate the comedic value of Zaza Pachulia and Kevin Garnett going at it.

-I am thankful for that U.S. Olympic Swimming relay team that came back to beat the French after they talked all that garbage. There I was, in my living room with a few friends, screaming at the TV like I was watching the Dawgs play. But no, it was swimming.

-I am thankful that I got to cover the Atlanta Braves this year. Watching batting practice from the dugout bench with Bobby Cox isn't a bad way to get ready for a baseball game. Plus, the Braves' season didn't collapse until after I stopped covering them.

-I am thankful for Bucky F-ing Dent and his baseball school in Florida. While it was about as hot as the surface of the sun, spending my summer coaching baseball was a blast. It was also a very effective form of birth control.

-I am thankful the Dawgs had Marcus Howard. Apparently, he was the difference between our defense being dominant and it being invisible. What happened to being "D-End U?"

-I am thankful that Georgia Tech hasn't beat the Dawgs in seven years (about to be eight). I'm also thankful for the fact that this is always the refs' faults, or Chan's, or Reggie's.

-I am also thankful that those same Tech fans choose to forget about Joe Hamilton's "non fumble," Jasper Sanks' fumble, or the fact that all three of Tech's wins in the late 1998, 1999, and 2000 were accomplished using ineligible players (including Smoking Joe Hamilton).

-I am thankful that recently, Georgia has dominated Tech in "Tech sports" such as baseball and basketball.

-I am thankful that overall, Tech provides endless fodder for me to use against them.

-Finally, I'm thankful for my family and my friends. Thanks for all you do. I am thankful for you, the readers of OTR. It's been a fun few months and I hope you've enjoyed it.

Happy Thanksgiving!