Saturday, October 6, 2007
Oh, my...
28-0 - who is this team I am watching right now?!? Minus two stupid penalties, have we done anything wrong?
Friday, October 5, 2007
What a Night
I'm going to bed & playing golf in the morning, so no blogging until later tomorrow. Too bad too - the Indians beat the Yanks in extras, McCallie beat Baylor in OT and Manny just crushed a homerun to beat K-Rod & the Angels.
More tomorrow.
More tomorrow.
Baseball Blogging
I'd love some help in the comments section here because I missed most of the baseball yesterday. Disney on Ice picked a lousy weekend to come to Chattanooga.
Rockies 10 Phillies 5
I did see most of this one. The Rockies look fantastic right now. Matsui's grand slam was a back-breaker - I'm surprised there isn't some national talk about Manuel's decision to go to the bullpen so early and bring in Lohse with the bases loaded. That seems like a tough spot to me, and it wasn't like Kendrick was getting hammered.
On a side note, I am loving TBS's coverage of the playoffs so far. Joe Simpson is a solid color man - he doesn't say stupid things, doesn't fake excitement and has a dry wit that usually makes me laugh once or twice a game. The best moment of the game was when he warned Lohse not to miss down and in to Matsui because, "he can hit it out." Next pitch - gone. Where was the pitch? Down and in.
Even better, Cal Ripken explained how Lohse missed his spot by a good foot on the pitch as it was supposed to be a waste pitch up in the zone. Ernie Johnson, Frank Thomas and Cal Ripken are actually interesting to listen to in-between innings because they break down the game. Ripken broke down Tim McClellan's strike zone during Game 1 of the Rox/Phils game - it was excellent. There is a big part of me that wants to hate this coverage because TBS has turned its back on the Braves, but so far it has been great.
Cleveland 12 NY Yankees 3
Didn't see any of it, but it sounds bad. Sabathia was hittable, but Wang was worse. If you watched the game, please comment on it.
D-Backs 8 Cubs 4
Latimer - you go to this one? I didn't see a single pitch, but I'm shocked that the Cubs are already on the brink of elimination.
Rockies 10 Phillies 5
I did see most of this one. The Rockies look fantastic right now. Matsui's grand slam was a back-breaker - I'm surprised there isn't some national talk about Manuel's decision to go to the bullpen so early and bring in Lohse with the bases loaded. That seems like a tough spot to me, and it wasn't like Kendrick was getting hammered.
On a side note, I am loving TBS's coverage of the playoffs so far. Joe Simpson is a solid color man - he doesn't say stupid things, doesn't fake excitement and has a dry wit that usually makes me laugh once or twice a game. The best moment of the game was when he warned Lohse not to miss down and in to Matsui because, "he can hit it out." Next pitch - gone. Where was the pitch? Down and in.
Even better, Cal Ripken explained how Lohse missed his spot by a good foot on the pitch as it was supposed to be a waste pitch up in the zone. Ernie Johnson, Frank Thomas and Cal Ripken are actually interesting to listen to in-between innings because they break down the game. Ripken broke down Tim McClellan's strike zone during Game 1 of the Rox/Phils game - it was excellent. There is a big part of me that wants to hate this coverage because TBS has turned its back on the Braves, but so far it has been great.
Cleveland 12 NY Yankees 3
Didn't see any of it, but it sounds bad. Sabathia was hittable, but Wang was worse. If you watched the game, please comment on it.
D-Backs 8 Cubs 4
Latimer - you go to this one? I didn't see a single pitch, but I'm shocked that the Cubs are already on the brink of elimination.
Friday Scenic City Sports Update
Friday is here & we have an amazing sports weekend in front of us. I mentioned some of the fun games yesterday, but do you realize there are 7(!) college football games between ranked teams this weekend? I guess only 6 now after USC took care of Kentucky last night. I saw just enough of the game to convince me I was right about it pre-game - the Gamecocks are really good and Kentucky is improved, but not great. Seriously, how sad will it be when Kentucky finishes in 5th once again in the SEC East? This is the best Kentucky team I can remember, but they are still the 5th best team in the division, probably the 8th best team in the SEC. That must be frustrating.
FRIDAY UPDATE!!!
Tennessee Vols
Before we get to Saturday's game, bad news from the NFL as former Vol Travis Henry failed another drug test and will be suspended for a year. There is some discussion about a 'B' test and court appeal, but it does not look good for Henry. You have to shake your head at this - the guy seems to have found the perfect home in Denver, but still cannot avoid the weed? My wife asked me why the Titans let Henry go and I didn't have a good answer. Maybe this is it.
UGA game - again, very little news going into the game. I guess that is what a bye week will do for you. Fulmer has bragged about some excellent practices this week with the focus on tackling. Sounds like a good idea to me. I have no idea what to think about Saturday. I thought we could compete with Florida, but we couldn't. After watching them against Auburn, I am not sure they are even that good (though, in UF's defense, they are really banged up). I hate to think what the Vol Nation is going do if we get whipped at home tomorrow - this really might be a make-or-break game for Fulmer. Here's hoping he gets the job done - I'm going 27-20 Vols.
Next game - vs. Georgia 3:30 pm
Tennessee Titans & Atlanta Falcons
Interesting article from USAToday comparing the way the Titans have moved forward without Pacman Jones versus how the Falcons have moved forward without Michael Vick. Sure, it is a corner vs. a quarterback, but it is a fascinating angle on the game. I think Jeff Fisher deserves a ton of credit for how the Titans have moved beyond the Pacman mess. Don't forget how the Titans moved past the Albert Haynesworth mess last year (and Haynesworth is having a dominant year right now). Next to Belichick, is there a better coach in football? I don't think so.
High School Football
I covered the McCallie/Baylor game in yesterday's article. The big public school battle tonight is Red Bank at Brainerd. The Panthers are having a great season, but Red Bank is Red Bank. I imagine they will dominate the line of scrimmage and take care of Brainerd. Bradley Central at Ooltewah ought to be a good game as well. Ooltewah has been somewhat of a disappointment this year, but may have righted things last Friday against Maplewood.
Nashville Predators
The Preds get off to a great start to the 2007-08 season with a 4-0 win over Colorado. Does it matter?
Next game - Saturday vs. Dallas 7:00 pm
Disney Princesses on Ice
Speaking of ice sports, last night I witnessed a Yamaguchi-esque performance from Cinderella at the UTC Arena. She had power. She had grace. She had my heart by the end of it. There was an odd moment during the show, however, when Ariel clubbed Snow White in the knee before her long program. Seemed to be in bad taste to me. The highlight was seeing Abby's face when it all started - eyeballs as big as baseballs - and her dancing to the 7 dwarfs songs. Abby does an arm move that can best be described as a cross between a symphony conductor's instructions and someone trying to "raise the roof." It is mildy violent, but totally adorable.
Have a great weekend. Play some golf, watch some baseball and football, and GO BLUE TORNADO!
FRIDAY UPDATE!!!
Tennessee Vols
Before we get to Saturday's game, bad news from the NFL as former Vol Travis Henry failed another drug test and will be suspended for a year. There is some discussion about a 'B' test and court appeal, but it does not look good for Henry. You have to shake your head at this - the guy seems to have found the perfect home in Denver, but still cannot avoid the weed? My wife asked me why the Titans let Henry go and I didn't have a good answer. Maybe this is it.
UGA game - again, very little news going into the game. I guess that is what a bye week will do for you. Fulmer has bragged about some excellent practices this week with the focus on tackling. Sounds like a good idea to me. I have no idea what to think about Saturday. I thought we could compete with Florida, but we couldn't. After watching them against Auburn, I am not sure they are even that good (though, in UF's defense, they are really banged up). I hate to think what the Vol Nation is going do if we get whipped at home tomorrow - this really might be a make-or-break game for Fulmer. Here's hoping he gets the job done - I'm going 27-20 Vols.
Next game - vs. Georgia 3:30 pm
Tennessee Titans & Atlanta Falcons
Interesting article from USAToday comparing the way the Titans have moved forward without Pacman Jones versus how the Falcons have moved forward without Michael Vick. Sure, it is a corner vs. a quarterback, but it is a fascinating angle on the game. I think Jeff Fisher deserves a ton of credit for how the Titans have moved beyond the Pacman mess. Don't forget how the Titans moved past the Albert Haynesworth mess last year (and Haynesworth is having a dominant year right now). Next to Belichick, is there a better coach in football? I don't think so.
High School Football
I covered the McCallie/Baylor game in yesterday's article. The big public school battle tonight is Red Bank at Brainerd. The Panthers are having a great season, but Red Bank is Red Bank. I imagine they will dominate the line of scrimmage and take care of Brainerd. Bradley Central at Ooltewah ought to be a good game as well. Ooltewah has been somewhat of a disappointment this year, but may have righted things last Friday against Maplewood.
Nashville Predators
The Preds get off to a great start to the 2007-08 season with a 4-0 win over Colorado. Does it matter?
Next game - Saturday vs. Dallas 7:00 pm
Disney Princesses on Ice
Speaking of ice sports, last night I witnessed a Yamaguchi-esque performance from Cinderella at the UTC Arena. She had power. She had grace. She had my heart by the end of it. There was an odd moment during the show, however, when Ariel clubbed Snow White in the knee before her long program. Seemed to be in bad taste to me. The highlight was seeing Abby's face when it all started - eyeballs as big as baseballs - and her dancing to the 7 dwarfs songs. Abby does an arm move that can best be described as a cross between a symphony conductor's instructions and someone trying to "raise the roof." It is mildy violent, but totally adorable.
Have a great weekend. Play some golf, watch some baseball and football, and GO BLUE TORNADO!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Baylor's Blunder
There are three elite private high schools in Chattanooga, TN - The McCallie School, Girls Preparatory School and The Baylor School. McCallie and GPS are both single-sex schools with a brother/sister school relationship. Baylor used to be an all-boys school, but today is co-educational.
For the purposes of full disclosure, I am a McCallie graduate and currently teach at GPS.
McCallie and Baylor have a heated rivalry in all areas, from academics to athletics. There is no one event that epitomizes this rivalry more than the annual football game between the two. Unfortunately for fans of the Baylor Red Raiders, the rivalry has been a one-sided one for the past nine years as McCallie has owned its rival.
Who can say why this has happened? Maybe it was the brilliant coaching of the now-departed Ralph Potter? Maybe it was the arm of B.J. Coleman? Maybe it has been a fluke of good fortune for the Blue Tornado?
Baylor has decided it is the location of the game. For the past few years, the annual football game has not been played at either McCallie or Baylor, but at Finley Stadium, the home of the Chattanooga Mocs. The reason for moving the game was to accommodate the many fans who wished to watch it but could not fit in the high school bleachers of either campus.
This year, Baylor decided to move the game back onto its campus. Baylor is the home team and has this right, but it is an impossible decision to defend. Baylor Athletic Director Thad Lepcio attempted to explain it this way:
"We've decided to change the location of the Baylor vs. McCallie rivalry from Finley to Baylor because we feel the emphasis should be on the fact that it is a high school game and we feel very strongly that the best atmosphere for high school games take place on campuses."
In a word - garbage.
First, Mr. Lepcio fails to mention that "the best atmosphere" will exclude about 8,000 people who want to see the game. Last year, 13,000 people went to Finley Stadium to see the ballgame, but Baylor can only hold 5,500. For the kids on the field, that means "the best atmosphere" is playing in front of half the crowd they did last year. How many chances does a high school kid have to play in front of 13,000 fans? Why take that away?
Who are those 8,000 people? They are Baylor students, McCallie students and GPS students. McCallie was given 2,500 tickets for students and parents of players. GPS was given zero tickets by Baylor. "The best atmosphere" excludes an entire school. It also excludes alumni from the two schools that want to support their alma mater. "The best atmosphere" excludes the entire Chattanooga community who might want to see one of the most exciting prep sporting events of the year. What, exactly, does the word "best" mean over at Baylor?
Second, the explanation is not honest. As McCallie AD Bill Cherry alluded in this article, the Baylor folk are convinced that Finley Stadium is a home-field advantage for the Blue Tornado.
Um, what?
Finley Stadium is not on McCallie's campus. It is not even that close to McCallie's campus. McCallie does not practice there. It has no locker room there. In short, it has no advantage there.
The only reason Baylor feels this way is because McCallie has won nine games in a row. There is no logic whatsoever to the idea that Finley Stadium gives McCallie the slightest advantage, which is why Baylor won't publicly say it as a reason for the move.
Finally, Baylor has become obsessed with this one game. McCallie knows it. GPS knows it. Baylor knows it. There is no better evidence for this than the 2006 Austin Clark debacle when Baylor was willing to lose its athletic director and head basketball coach because he was not willing to fire the football coach for losing to McCallie. Clark had recently been lauded by Sports Illustrated for running one of the best athletic departments in the country, yet the higher-ups at Baylor were willing to lose him in order to find an answer to Ralph Potter. This obsession is why so many students and fans won't be attending tomorrow night's game.
Even before the opening kickoff, there have been problems with Baylor's plan. Students from both Baylor and McCallie are scalping their tickets to students not lucky enough to get them. There are also rumors of over 2,000 counterfeit tickets swirling around the city. Without excusing the people who did these wrong actions, some of the blame goes back to Baylor. This is the "atmosphere" you created. Just as they are responsible for making bad and illegal decisions, you are responsible for creating the environment that inspired them.
Like many McCallie and Baylor fans, I will be watching the game on a giant screen at AT&T park, the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts. It will be fun, but not as much fun as it would have been to see the game live. I'm sure the game itself will be fun for the players and coaches, but they are being cheated out of a once-in-a-lifetime experience of competing in front of over 10,000 people. I'm sure the game will be a blast for those who do attend, even if their friends and parents are left out of the experience.
There is no way Baylor could ruin the game, but it sure did its best.
For the purposes of full disclosure, I am a McCallie graduate and currently teach at GPS.
McCallie and Baylor have a heated rivalry in all areas, from academics to athletics. There is no one event that epitomizes this rivalry more than the annual football game between the two. Unfortunately for fans of the Baylor Red Raiders, the rivalry has been a one-sided one for the past nine years as McCallie has owned its rival.
Who can say why this has happened? Maybe it was the brilliant coaching of the now-departed Ralph Potter? Maybe it was the arm of B.J. Coleman? Maybe it has been a fluke of good fortune for the Blue Tornado?
Baylor has decided it is the location of the game. For the past few years, the annual football game has not been played at either McCallie or Baylor, but at Finley Stadium, the home of the Chattanooga Mocs. The reason for moving the game was to accommodate the many fans who wished to watch it but could not fit in the high school bleachers of either campus.
This year, Baylor decided to move the game back onto its campus. Baylor is the home team and has this right, but it is an impossible decision to defend. Baylor Athletic Director Thad Lepcio attempted to explain it this way:
"We've decided to change the location of the Baylor vs. McCallie rivalry from Finley to Baylor because we feel the emphasis should be on the fact that it is a high school game and we feel very strongly that the best atmosphere for high school games take place on campuses."
In a word - garbage.
First, Mr. Lepcio fails to mention that "the best atmosphere" will exclude about 8,000 people who want to see the game. Last year, 13,000 people went to Finley Stadium to see the ballgame, but Baylor can only hold 5,500. For the kids on the field, that means "the best atmosphere" is playing in front of half the crowd they did last year. How many chances does a high school kid have to play in front of 13,000 fans? Why take that away?
Who are those 8,000 people? They are Baylor students, McCallie students and GPS students. McCallie was given 2,500 tickets for students and parents of players. GPS was given zero tickets by Baylor. "The best atmosphere" excludes an entire school. It also excludes alumni from the two schools that want to support their alma mater. "The best atmosphere" excludes the entire Chattanooga community who might want to see one of the most exciting prep sporting events of the year. What, exactly, does the word "best" mean over at Baylor?
Second, the explanation is not honest. As McCallie AD Bill Cherry alluded in this article, the Baylor folk are convinced that Finley Stadium is a home-field advantage for the Blue Tornado.
Um, what?
Finley Stadium is not on McCallie's campus. It is not even that close to McCallie's campus. McCallie does not practice there. It has no locker room there. In short, it has no advantage there.
The only reason Baylor feels this way is because McCallie has won nine games in a row. There is no logic whatsoever to the idea that Finley Stadium gives McCallie the slightest advantage, which is why Baylor won't publicly say it as a reason for the move.
Finally, Baylor has become obsessed with this one game. McCallie knows it. GPS knows it. Baylor knows it. There is no better evidence for this than the 2006 Austin Clark debacle when Baylor was willing to lose its athletic director and head basketball coach because he was not willing to fire the football coach for losing to McCallie. Clark had recently been lauded by Sports Illustrated for running one of the best athletic departments in the country, yet the higher-ups at Baylor were willing to lose him in order to find an answer to Ralph Potter. This obsession is why so many students and fans won't be attending tomorrow night's game.
Even before the opening kickoff, there have been problems with Baylor's plan. Students from both Baylor and McCallie are scalping their tickets to students not lucky enough to get them. There are also rumors of over 2,000 counterfeit tickets swirling around the city. Without excusing the people who did these wrong actions, some of the blame goes back to Baylor. This is the "atmosphere" you created. Just as they are responsible for making bad and illegal decisions, you are responsible for creating the environment that inspired them.
Like many McCallie and Baylor fans, I will be watching the game on a giant screen at AT&T park, the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts. It will be fun, but not as much fun as it would have been to see the game live. I'm sure the game itself will be fun for the players and coaches, but they are being cheated out of a once-in-a-lifetime experience of competing in front of over 10,000 people. I'm sure the game will be a blast for those who do attend, even if their friends and parents are left out of the experience.
There is no way Baylor could ruin the game, but it sure did its best.
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