Michael Sam

Former University of Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam found it necessary yesterday to tell the entire country about his specific sexual preferences.  Apparently, this is something we should all be concerned with since all sports and mainstream media outlets have been discussing it incessantly since the news broke.

However, I do not believe that any person's particular sexual quirks are actually newsworthy.

In any way.

At all.

The media is droning on about this because they wish to portray Michael Sam as some sort of groundbreaking hero who is risking everything to make this announcement.

I disagree.  Michael Sam is not breaking any sort of barrier here.

In fact, I would argue that he actually has more to gain than lose in this scenario. If Kobe Bryant or Derek Jeter decided to make their sexual preferences a matter of public commentary, they would be ridiculed for discussing such personal and private matters so openly.  However, Michael Sam is encouraged to do so and has hundreds to thousands of people in the media defending his decision to make this a national topic.

Reportedly, he was already quickly dropping down draft boards as news of his sexuality had long ago permeated the offices of NFL scouts and general managers AND based on a thorough assessment of his collegiate career and lack of size.  For example, 9 of his conference-leading 11.5 sacks came against the weakest opponents on his team's schedule.  Some projections had him going late in the draft, where many players eventually get cut and never actually land a roster spot.  Even assuming he would be selected in a later round of the draft, the money guaranteed to those players would probably be far less lucrative than the money to be made by writing a book and making television appearances discussing the scorn and judgment he has suffered.  TV appearances are also far less laborious.  I'm not entirely sure about that last point, but I think it is safe to assume there is considerably less work involved in putting on a suit and make-up than there is in the routine grind of an NFL career.

Let's look at some numbers, though.  Josh Evans was the first selection in the sixth round of the 2013 draft.  He signed a 4-year contract and made $405,000 last year.  Josh Evans also had to work for that income by showing up to meetings, practices, games, and any other obligations placed on him by the Jaguars organization.  A book deal can certainly reach higher figures than that and would simply require Michael Sam to choose an author to tell his story.  Former NBA player and recently announced homosexual Jason Collins was a speaker at a Democratic National Committee gala last year where tickets cost as much as $32,400!  I'm willing to bet he received a nice piece of that just for reading a few notecards.  Gay activist Anderson Cooper charges $40,000+ for a speaking fee.  Even if Sam is not drafted at all, he has plenty of potential for a financially rewarding career of just getting on a stage and talking about himself based on his newfound adoration from the media.

As I mentioned, most NFL executives already were aware of Sam's sexuality and had already factored it into their potential ranking of the lineman.  Granted anonymity, a few were willing to express the issues that his sexuality would bring to an NFL squad, and none of them were positive.  (Click that last link, it's a good read.)  The overwhelming, non-football-related media coverage would overshadow anything positive that was done on the field by their team and would constantly be an unwanted distraction.  Furthermore, if a team drafts Sam but then later cuts him based on his actual performance, the team would be labeled homophobic for making such a move.  Unless he is Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, that is simply not a risk worth taking.

The whole "macho NFL environment" being tough for a gay man to navigate is also an invalid argument.  He is not entitled to an NFL career.  Nobody is.  It is a privilege.  If he doesn't like the landscape there, he can always seek employment elsewhere, possibly using the knowledge he obtained with all that free tuition from the University of Missouri.

I also need to mention the bravery that has been bestowed to Sam's "coming out" announcement.  I can't help but believe this point is being drastically overplayed.  Admittedly, he had informed his entire team of his lifestyle choices last year so it wasn't ever a secret to begin with.  I haven't researched it, but do you really think that information about one of Missouri's most high-profile players being a homosexual was never leaked and not already rampantly discussed on internet message boards?  That's a hard pill to swallow.  Additionally, it is an insult to actual courageous people, like soldiers and police officers, to label Michael Sam as such since he only appeared on television to share news that anyone who was concerned with already knew.  I would be just as bold to obtain national coverage for an announcement that I like to eat pizza.

Whether you agree or disagree with Michael Sam's choices, I'm aware that there is very little anyone could say to change your view.  It is nearly futile to just say it is wrong or right and expect to change someone's mind.  What really bothers me is that our society has changed to one in which I'm considered the bigot and homophobe if I do not immediately embrace this man's actions.  If he had come out and said that cows or donkeys are what he prefers, would the media still be singing his praises?

I disagree with Sam's lifestyle and I have the right to do so.  His sexual choices should stay behind closed doors just like those of everyone else.  If he doesn't want to be judged for his personal activities, then he shouldn't bring up the topic.

College Football Review and Preview

With considerably less free time for watching television due to a wacky work schedule and family obligations, college football has become the only sport I actually have any time to follow.  And of the college games I see, 97.3%* of those involve my alma mater, Auburn University.  Thus, I consider myself at least as qualified to publicly share my views as the legendary Lou Holtz (and he gets paid to do whatever it is he does).

The 2013-2014 college football season came to a dramatic end last week culminating with the Florida State University Seminoles being crowned the final champions of the Bowl Championship Series.  My inspiring Auburn Tigers came up just a bit short and finished the season at no. 2 in the final rankings.

Congratulations, Florida State.

None of the experts ever came close to predicting this matchup for the championship game, yet Auburn was able to prove they were the best team in the Southeastern Conference and earn a spot in Pasadena.  Florida State proved to be a dominant force as the only football team in a basketball conference that I believe is geographically somewhere along the Atlantic Coast.  (Maybe I'm still getting over the loss.)

The Auburn Tigers definitely did surprise a lot of people who follow the sport and this was in large part due to having the two best skill position players in the state of Alabama in their backfield with Tre Mason and Nick Marshall.

Did your head just explode?

Of course Tre is a given, but 83% of you reading this probably don't like my assessment that Nick Marshall is a better quarterback than the Chest Tat King who holds court over in west Alabama.  If so, just ask ESPN.  They have numbers to prove it and numbers don't lie.  My belief is that Nick Saban will not have any trouble at all replacing his 3-year starter because any young man on the depth chart will be more than capable of throwing screen passes to future NFL running backs and letting them run for 20+ yards.

And with that, I just lost nearly 83% of my readers.

For the 17% of you still here, the season as a whole was pretty exciting and produced some intriguing bowl games to end the year.  Central Florida was able to do a great impression of Boise State's 2007 Fiesta Bowl performance and knock off a Baylor team that supposedly should have had no trouble with a team from the American Athletic Conference. And, yes, I had to google UCF's conference affiliation; don't act like you knew it.  In the Chick-fil-A Bowl, we got one last glimpse of Johnny Manziel and the amazing things he can do on a football field as his Aggies pulled out a close call over the Duke Blue Devils led by J.J. Reddick**.

Despite what would have been my preferred outcome, the BCS Championship game turned out to possibly be the most exciting finale to a season since the system's inception in 1998.  Through all its flaws and warts (e.g. Auburn 2004), the BCS was actually pretty good at placing the two best teams in its final game, and that was what it was designed to do.  Remember USC-Texas in 2006?  That was high quality sports viewing.

The new playoff system will have some chinks, though, and some of these are already being discussed.

For example, I as a fan will not have the vacation time nor the financial backing to travel across the country and watch my team play in TWO postseason games.  Who really does?  Therefore, I would be stuck trying to decide if I want to stay home for the semifinal game and risk my team losing and not advancing to the championship, thus seeing no live postseason play, OR attending the first game and witnessing my team in victory,  but then having no money left to go see them play in the championship.  I know these are just horrible, awful, despicable first-world problems, but I do think it has the potential to turn the championship game into a Super Bowl-ish*** atmosphere in that most people in attendance will not actually be fans of either team.

I do, in fact, like the aspect that the playoff participants will be chosen by a committee.  It is my hope that a committee, as opposed to computers, will reward conference champions for accomplishing such a feat.  I'm not in any way into the SEC pride thing like many fans, and I believe if you're not the best in your league then you don't deserve a shot in the finals.  I suppose I'm also progressive enough that I don't have any qualms with the recent appointment of Condoleezza Rice to this group.  Who do you think is a more qualified decision maker, an Ivy League educated former United States Republican National Security Advisor or an aging Pat Dye?  Sorry, Pat, but I think you are more useful shooting dove in Notasulga than expressing opinions on this topic.

Time will tell, but I think the best option would be to institute a 16-team playoff and allowing the higher ranked teams to play at home until the championship.  But you know what they say about bowl prestige, bowl revenue, blah, blah, blah...  I guess that's why I am just a lowly pharmacist and not the NCAA president.

To conclude my 2014 season preview, here is my (somewhat biased and hastily prepared) too-early top 10:

1. Florida State
2. Stanford
3. Auburn
4. Oregon
5. Michigan State
6. South Carolina
7. Alabama
8. Oklahoma
9. LSU
10. Baylor

War Eagle!



*This is a made up statistic.
**This may or may not be their star player's name, although I think his eligibility should have run out by now.
***Am I allowed to use that term?

Heisman Trophy

Tonight, we will learn who has won "the most prestigious award in college football," the Heisman Trophy. The finalists the 2009 season are Toby Gerhart, Mark Ingram, Colt McCoy, Ndamukong Suh, and previous winer Tim Tebow.

At this point, there doesn't appear to be a clear leader for the award, although Gerhart and Ingram seem to be battling it out for the top position.

Fortunately for you, I do have an opinion about who I think should win the award, and I will share my thoughts with you today.

Let's discuss the top candidates:

Colt McCoy: The Texas QB had pretty impressive number overall for the season, but unfortunately not even the best of his career. For 2009, he had 27 TD's and 12 Int's with a passer rating of 147.46. In 2008, those numbers were 34, 8, and 173.75, respectively. If he wasn't good enough to get it last year, he's still not good enough this year.

Note: I will still be pulling for him to have a career game in January, though.

Mark Ingram: Again, we have a candidate with very strong numbers on the year. Running the ball, he amassed 1542 yards on 249 carries. He also plays in what is generally considered to be the premier conference in the country, however the competition this year wasn't quite what we've become accustomed to in the SEC. His 18 total touchdowns for the year are quite remarkable, but I feel they are more a product of the system he runs. His statistics most likely could have just as easily been produced by his backup Trent Richardson if given the same opportunity.

Ndamukong Suh: Being the only defensive candidate in the group (and the first in a while), it is a bit difficult to compare him to the other candidates since his play on the field doesn't ultimately put points on the scoreboard. However, he may be drafted higher than any of the other players in the upcoming NFL draft. Although, he is a dominant force on the field and his individual presence forces offensive coordinators to make constant adjustments, his numbers still aren't quite what needs to be seen for a defensive player to win the award.

Tim Tebow: While easily possessing the best body of work for a career among all the candidates, the Florida quarterback may ultimately fall behind because of his less than "Tebow-esque" performance in the SEC conference game last week. His numbers for the year also aren't quite what we all expected to see from one of college football's greats in his Senior year. Statistically, he is somewhat similar to Colt McCoy in that both players had better numbers last year and still fell short in the final Heisman vote count. His selling point remains, however, that he is still able to make plays at the quarterback position that no other quarterbacks in the country even contemplate.

Toby Gerhart: The Stanford running back proves to be a strong candidate as he leads the entire country in both rushing yards and touchdowns for the 2009 season. While his numbers may have been put up primarily against less than noteworthy Pac-10 defenses, he still did it with a Stanford offensive line blocking for him. Since when has a school more known for its academics been able to claim a player who turns out 1,736 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns? In this aspect, he also possesses the same quality as Tim Tebow in that he is able to make plays that not many other running backs could do in the same situation.

Conclusion: If I had a vote, it would ultimately come down to Tim Tebow and Toby Gerhart due to their abitlities to make the unique and special plays that I mentioned above. When I get this far, I am somewhat conflicted, though. Gerhart was pivotal in leading his team to an 8-4 record with victories over Notre Dame, USC, Oregon, and Washington. This was also Stanford's first winning season in maybe... forever! Tebow also led a team that probably wouldn't have been nearly as good without his presence. However, Florida most likely still could have put out about 10 wins at the end of the regular season without their star. That is why, if I did have a Heisman vote, I would have to check the box next to Toby Gerhart's name. In my opinion, he in undoubtedly the best running back in the country. The main factor going against him is that he performed without all the media adoration that players like McCoy, Tebow, and Ingram received all year long. Hopefully, the Heisman voters can see past this in the end.

Tickets and Pharmacy Remarks

I'm trying something a little bit different today by bringing you a blog post in high quality video.  I assumed that since everyone was so awestruck by my appearance on News 2 last week, you would enjoy seeing more video footage of your favorite blogger.  Enjoy!

Some Sports Stuff

College Football

Okay, so Florida won the national championship game last night, but are they undoubtedly the best team in the country and most deserving of this reward?  I honestly don't know, and I don't think anyone can say for sure.

I'm well aware of the fact that I'm not making some remarkable revelation here by saying that the BCS is flawed, but something has really got to change with the way it all works.  This year laid out an ideal scenario to show just how weak it really is.  With an undefeated Utah and three more one-loss teams, it can in no way be truly stated who is the best team in the country.  USC and Texas both have legitimate arguments as to why they could claim the title of number one, and Utah may have an even more valid point since they never lost a single game.

Unfortunately, it still looks like things won't be changing anytime soon because this system makes the NCAA a whole lot of money and we know that's all that really matters.  

My thoughts on this issue do at least give me one thing in common with PEBO.  However, I think his comments are only being made in an effort to make him look more like a guy and not such a little girl.  (I've decided to use the term PEBO for the nomenclature of B. Hussein Obama until he is actually inaugurated later this month.  Why?  I just think it sounds funny.)

There are a couple of things that I do think are irrefutable as the football season comes to a close this year.  1)  Tim Tebow is one of the best college football players of all time.  Two National Championships and a Heisman Trophy (should also have two of those) look pretty impressive on a player's record.  2)  Both Oklahoma and Ohio State were again overrated by the media, and it was proven so as they both lost their respective bowl games again this year.

Now, I'm just wondering when Alabama will claim another national championship from this season as they so love to do when other teams finish with better records and higher rankings.

Major League Baseball

On a disappointing note, it looks like John Smoltz (probably my favorite baseball player of all time) will no longer be playing for the team I've pulled for since childhood.  The Atlanta Braves ultimately decided not to offer him a contract that was comparable to other offers he received, so he signed a 1-year deal to become a member of the Boston Red Sox, yesterday.  Chipper Jones was also a bit frustrated when he heard the news.  Here's a quite from the interview in the link.  

We've made so many gambles on players that haven't panned out over the past few years and if there was one guy in that clubhouse that I'm going to gamble a couple of million dollars on, it's going to be that guy.

I can't help but agree with Chipper on that one.

Barkley the Bum

This guy makes a good point... click here.

Coming Around a Bit

After letting it sink in for a while, I am beginning to warm up to the idea of Gene Chizik being the new head coach at Auburn. One comment in particular from one of his former players has helped influence my feelings.

Carlos Rogers, winner of the Jim Thorpe award in 2004, recently said about Coach Chizik,

"With his passion for the game and his commitment to football and his job, I
thought he was the best guy."

That's a pretty strong statement from a guy who probably knows a thing or two about football himself. Apparently, Rogers's time spent as a player under Chizik has convinced him that he is quite capable of being the new leader of the program.

I've also become a little less critical when examining his 5-19 record at Iowa State University. Since ISU is far from being one of the more highly regarded programs in the country, recruiting the most talented kids to play there was probably fairly difficult...especially when you're competing with big names like Texas and Oklahoma. Would Pete Carroll or Urban Meyer have done much better in that situation?

Though his 5-19 record is definitely hard to excuse, he does have the honor of owning both an SEC and a National Championship ring. That alone is pretty admirable. And, yes, I know little Nicky has the same hardware, but he's still suffering from short-man syndrome. Maybe one day, the amazing miracles being produced by stem-cell research will help cure his condition.

Chizik also plans to hit the ground running when it comes to recruiting at Auburn, which is clearly a postive attribute. This should most certainly be a top priority since we have already had several recruits back away from their commitments (seven, I think). Hopefully, his vigor and enthusiasm for this aspect of the job will help encourage other athletes around the South that Auburn will be the best place to go to school and play football.

I understand that I am probably still in the minority with my feelings, but I think once fans realize that players themselves are pleased with his hiring, attitudes may begin to change. I sure hope so, though, because the negative sentiment being broadcast by the fans right now is surely not helping the program.

Side Note: Stem-cell research has never produced a cure for any disease, nor has it ever even come close. Unfortunately for little Nicky, it appears he will have to suffer for many years to come.

Some News

Today, we had to make our way down to Alabama again for another wedding. One of Betty Clair's sorority sisters, Cassi Rhodes (now Cassi Smola), was getting married during her Christmas break from medical school at UAB. The ceremony took place in Birmingham, so the dirve actually wasn't too terrible.

Right before walking in the church, I also learned that Auburn has now hired Gene Chizik as the new football coach. Although I'm honestly not very excited about the move, I am relieved to see this process at last come to an end. While Chizik was successful during his previous years spent in Auburn as the defensive coordinator, he has run into tougher times as the head coach at Iowa State. In his two years there, the team has posted an abysmal overall record of 5-19. In my opinion, there were several other candidates with better resumes (Turner Gill), but I will try not to complain and support the path that our athletic department has decided to follow. I'm not sure how easy that will be though.

The most exciting part of the day happened during the ride back to Nashville tonight. We had the pleasure of seeing seven, yes seven, shooting stars! I had only seen three in my life before tonight, so it was an amazing thing to see seven of them in such a short span. I'm pretty sure I actually saw ten, but some of them were not quite as clear. I guess this is what would technically be called a "meteor shower," but my astronomy knowledge is not sufficient enough to know for sure. Nevertheless, it was a pretty impressive thing to witness.

Got to sleep now. Early service and work tomorrow.

Coach __________

It is actually comical how many and how quickly rumors have spread about who the new head coach at Auburn will be. Currently, I think there have been 7 candidates interviewed for the position, and many more have been identified in various news stories.

I just read on a website where reporters were waiting at the small airport in Auburn tonight to see who got off a plane that came from Texas. There have been stories that Steve Spurrier was spotted on campus by students several times. I'm just waiting on the next tale to be that the legendary Vince Lombardi has been reincarnated and wants to lead our team.

Over the past week, I've probably spent way too much of my own time keeping up with all the updates. Unfortunately, we are still without a coach, but it appears that may be changing soon. I sure hope so. This needs to come to an end so I can do more productive things with my time.

Getting Priorities Straight

As you may know, the Auburn University football program is currently without a head coach. After a fairly successful 10-year stint on the Plains, Coach Tuberville decided to resign after posting a disappointing 5-7 record this season. There were also several other coaches in the country who either resigned or were terminated at the end of the season including, most notably, Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom.

The reason Croom's termination is worth mentioning specifically is that his firing caused some in the media to reignite the "controversy" over the insufficient number of blacks who are employed as head coaches at major collegiate programs.

When I first saw the announcement being made on tv, the commentators were becoming hysterical and nearly foaming at the mouth as they threw out statistics about how few black coaches there are compared to black players. Their indignation over this apparently tragic dilemma was made obvious by their gross displays of pity being laid on the black man for not having the same advantages as the white man does in this job market.

Their assumption, however, is completely untrue.

This issue is something that should never even be mentioned in the first place due to the baseless reasoning used to support it. It's not as if any program is intentionally avoiding hiring a black guy to lead their team. If a coach could win games and be a good ambassador for the program, most institutions wouldn't care if he was black, white, green or even polka-dotted. Of course the media is fully aware of this fact, but they wouldn't have any pot to stir if they were to just admit this.

As a matter of fact, the black head coach at Buffalo, Turner Gill, has won games and made considerable improvements to the program he inherited at that school. As a result, he is receiving vast amounts of interest from other more historically prestigious schools around the country, including Auburn University. These schools don't seem to care what color his skin is. They just want a good coach, and he has proven to be just that so far.

Would I have a problem with Auburn hiring a black guy as the head football coach? Not at all! Would most football fans have a problem with a black man holding this position? I seriously doubt it. Would they or I have drawbacks if he didn't win games or run a clean program? Of course we would. I wouldn't care if E.T. was our coach if he produced results in the win column and encouraged kids to graduate. I can't help but feel most fans, alumni, and administrators feel the same way on this issue.

Side Note: Turner Gill is currently my personal favorite to fill the vacancy at Auburn. His record at Buffalo is probably proof enough, but I also like his comments in this video (especially at 2:13).

Random Thoughts of the Day

If you didn't already know, yesterday was World AIDS Day. Personally, I think this is a very unfair way to treat all the other sexually transmitted diseases in the world. If we are going to celebrate AIDS, I feel that we should also celebrate chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and syphilis. Liberals should really want to jump on board with this cause since it shows equal treatment to all. Otherwise, people may begin to view AIDS as the "white man" of the STD's.

Who would have thought that poor, little Rosie O'Donnell would have her new vairety show cancelled after just one episode? I'll tell you who should have seen it coming...NBC! Will they ever get the picture? People do not like Rosie O'Donnell! They particularly don't want to see her sing and dance on stage with Alec Baldwin and other clowns. This is not the sort of thing people relate to very well. If it didn't work with Nick and Jessica, it should have been obvious that Rosie couldn't pull it off. To put it simply...duh!

Okay, I'll suck it up and mention the Auburn game this past weekend. First of all, I was WAY off with my prediction. I was just being a good fan and hoping for the best. I did think we could score at least once, though. Oh well! We were just not very good this year. Hopefully, we can make some strides in the offseason with our quarterback production, offensive playcalling, and overall consistency. There will be plenty of time for that since we won't be preoccupied with any thoughts of a bowl game.

Betty Clair and I put up our first Christmas tree on Sunday afternoon after getting back in town from Tallassee. It is relatively large (and heavy) for our modest apartment, but I think it is a good thing when your tree-topper nearly touches the roof. We only had to move a couple pieces of furniture to make it fit. There is also already one present underneath it since William and Sarah are way ahead of the game and have graciously sent out their gifts early.

And, yes, we call it a Christmas tree! Show me a Kwanzaa tree, and I'll think about changing my mind.

Iron Bowl

Unless you've been locked in a basement for 20 years, you know what is going on today in the state of Alabama. For those who are unaware, today is the Iron Bowl - the annual meeting of the two powerhouse football programs in the state. As a hardcore Auburn fan, I'm really hoping my struggling tigers can pull out some tricks today. Last time I checked, though, Vegas had the spread at +14.5. Personally, I think that's a bit much. UAT probably is actually that much better than us this year, but those setting the line in Vegas have failed to recognize how big of a rivalry this game really is. This game is very rarely a blowout for either side. That being said, Auburn has been so inconsistent all year that we could easily fall behind very early to the Crimson Tide who also seem to score a lot of their points early. That has seemed to be their mode of attack for the entire season. However, they also tend to let up some after gaining early leads. Hopefully, we can find some way to take advantage of this today.

It's not as if I really know enough to make an accurate assessment of how the game will be played out today, so I will stop trying. I will leave you with my prediction, though:

Auburn - 23

Alabama - 20

War Eagle!!!

Nothing Too Serious

First of all, I just want to apologize for not blogging in nearly a week. (Don't even try to pretend that my absence has not deeply saddened you). I've had computer problems, was out of town for the weekend, and spent 15 hours at CVS on both Monday and Tuesday. Therefore, my blogging time has been severely limited. I know many of you have been disappointed to not hear what is going on with the Hatchers or to know how I feel about any current events, and for this, I am deeply sorry.

Anyway, Betty Clair and I went to Auburn for the football game this past weekend. Our alma mater was almost able to get away with a surprising win over the top-10 ranked Georgia Bulldogs but came up a little bit short in the end. I wasn't too surprised by the result, but we still had a lot of fun. Nevertheless, the team does finally seem to be showing signs of improvement. Hopefully, they have just been saving their best performance of the season for the final game of the year. I also must use this space to give thanks to John Aldridge, my brother-in-law, for providing us with the tickets for the game. This was very kind of him.

Today was my first day off of three in a row, which will be very relaxing. I almost feel a bit lazy about it, though. I did, however, call our district office and try to see if there were any open shifts I could pick up at other stores. That gave me somewhat of a clear conscience about it. Betty Clair and I also found out earlier that I will be working on Thanksgiving Day and she will be off. We were originally told that we would both be able to work on Thanksgiving (and get holiday pay), but CVS has decided to close more stores than previously planned in an effort to produce better fourth quarter earnings. They have also cut employee hours for all stores, so the next couple of months should be really exciting...but not in a good way.

Just an Update

Betty Clair and I are in Grand Bay this weekend for Neely's (cousin) wedding. We left Nashville around five o'clock yesterday and got here around 1:00 a.m. The rehearsal dinner was tonight, and we are scheduled to play golf early tomorrow morning. I'm not sure the golf outing will occur, though. The weather here is horrible. It has been raining extremely hard for the past several hours, and it doesn't appear to be letting up anytime soon. I'll let you know how that plays out later.

On another note, I just finished watching Auburn lose their third consecutive game to West Virginia. It kind of makes me sick to my stomach. Our team is atrocious this year. I have no idea what happened to make them fall this far. There have been some unique and unfortuante circumstances this year, but it's hard to see how previous events could have led to a demise of these proportions. I'll be over it in the morning, but it is definitely pretty frustrating right now.

Update: Just got word that golf has been postponed. That kind of stinks!

Today actually was a really good day overall, regardless of the football game. It was nice to be around the family again. Hannah, our niece, is walking and talking now. She wasn't able to do that when we last saw her which was at our wedding. She's really changed a lot. I also got to hang out with my dog, Leroy. I've really missed him. Betty Clair even had him obeying her commands and fetching sticks for her. He really is an amazing dog. I think even BC started to realize that today. Maybe she'll be okay with him living with us one day!

Taboo Topic

Auburn just lost to another football team with far less talent. This deeply saddens me. Therefore, I will not be posting about football for a while. This topic has just become too painful recently.

On another note, I have had really good days at work the past two days. The number of disgruntled, snotty customers has been drastically low this weekend. Hopefully, they haven't just been saving it all up for Sunday, since I'll be there again for 8 more hours tomorrow. The wife and I both have Monday off, though. That's a good thing because my feet are really starting to hurt. Both of us bought lunch for our technicians today, which seemed to be greatly appreciated. The girls at my store chose Ruby Tuesday. I had to spend a little bit of money, but sometimes it just feels good to do something nice like that for your fellow workers.

We have some fun plans scheduled for Monday. We plan to take the bikes to this park to go for a little ride. If she allows it, I'd really like to spend some time here, too. Another thing we've been planning to do is see this movie. If you've seen it already, let me know what you thought about it. The previews make it out to be really funny. We'll try to squeeze it in on Monday if we can.

Betty Clair also cooked a very nice meal tonight (and this was after working all day). I came home to the refreshing aroma of spaghetti and garlic bread that filled our quaint, little home. I think she's back in the cooking mode again, so I better not mention any more on fears of jinxing it. If any of you talk to her, though, be sure to encourage these habits. Thank you in advance for your help.

Who Cares?

This has to be a joke. Now, Rush Propst is putting down Tommy Tuberville based on his recent decision to fire Tony Franklin. If anyone at all takes this seriously, you need to wake up and realize who is spouting this garbage. Why do we even care what Rush Propst has to say about this? Isn't this the same guy who misled his own teams and his own family for years about his own laundry list of indiscretions? Isn't this the same guy that mysteriously left debt at every sports program (including girl's soccer) at Bryant High School when he left there? There's no telling how much money he ripped off the rich folks in Hoover before his past finally caught up with him there. This guy has no credibility whatsoever. He is definitely one of the least moral men on the face of the earth. But now just because his buddy got fired due to poor performance on the job, we run to this jerk looking for his reaction. WHY? Franklin was not coaching high school football anymore. He wasn't simply running camps to teach the latest trend in offense. Lots of people have a lot at stake at the level where he most recently coached. If Franklin didn't understand that being fired one day was a possibility, then he was very foolish. When you're at the higher levels in any line of work, you naturally have higher expectations put on you. This is the highest level of college football. He promised a lot but was unable to deliver. Whether he had enough time is definitely a debatable point, and Propst may be correct in his opinion there. But, when this moron throws out quotes like, "Why would you want to go there?", he is stepping over the line. It is not his place to push his agenda like that just because Auburn didn't kiss his butt for years like other programs just to get players. Maybe a kid would want to go here because it is a program that doesn't lose scholarships. Maybe it's because we have a coach who doesn't cheat on his wife (i.e. Propst). Maybe it's because our program instills discipline in the players instead of suspending them but then lifting the supspension when it looks like we might lose a game (i.e. D.J. Hall). Maybe it's because we're not one of the national leaders in player arrests (Bama).It is just appalling that a reporter even gave this joke of a coach any time at all to share his opinion on the topic. Do they really have nothing better to do?

Wise Move?

The experiment did not work. I just got done talking to my friend Eric, and he informed me of the coaching changes taking place down in Auburn. Apparently, our offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has just been fired. This news is a bit surprising but not totally unexpected. Our total offense is currently ranked 104th in the nation along with some pretty disgraceful passing statistics. These numbers don't bode too well when you have a widely acclaimed offensive "guru" at the helm. Do I agree with the decision to can the OC? Not completely. While we weren't producing on the field at all, this change doesn't send a very good message to all our potential recruits. It's hard to say where the blame for our lackluster play should be placed. I would guess that it can be shared by many people (players and coaches). There also seemed to be some internal conflicts with the coaching staff that could have lead to this move. Maybe Tuberville didn't let Franklin have total control of the offense and this caused sturggles between the two. Who's to know for sure?

I have no idea what effects this will have on the rest of Auburn's season. Maybe things will improve. It's not as if the offensive production could actually get any worse. Well, we could fall 15 spots in offensive production and be ranked dead last in that category. If you remember, I mentioned in an earlier post that this could be a long season, and it sure seems to be headed that way. Wish us luck.

Boy, Was I Wrong

As most of you probably know by now, the Auburn game didn't exactly go as I had planned. I am actually already over it, althought some of you may not believe that. Hopefully, we can figure out something in the coming week to help our offense get it together. If not, we are in for a long season that will, at best, end in a 7-5 record. The Georgia Bulldogs and the almighty Crimson Tide (who I think has already claimed this year's national championship) will beat us with considerable ease to end this miserable season.

We did, however, get to enjoy the company of several of our friends this weekend. It's fun to see how the lives of all the other newlyweds are going, too. This morning, we were able to get up and eat breakfast at the Pancake Pantry. This place had some pretty good pancakes, but they were still nowhere close to rivaling those of the famous Jeff Westbrook. Those are still the best ones I've ever had the pleasure of eating, and I doubt they will ever be beat.

Today is Game Day

Saturdays in the Fall are great! ESPN GameDay came to Nashville this morning for the Auburn-Vandy game, but we didn't get up in time to make it down there. We have several friends who stayed with us last night, and a couple more are on the way. All the girls are getting ready, so it will still be a while before we get to head to town. We're going to try to scalp some tickets for the game while we're there. Hopefully, we can find something rather affordable. If not, we'll probably just come back home to use the big screen and watch it or go to a restaurant in town. My prediction for the game is that Auburn will win 31-10. That may seem bold, but I'm feeling pretty confident in my team today. The new offensive changes should be beneficial, and our defense is usually pretty dependable. On GameDay, Corso picked us to win, but Kenny Chesney (who was given Kirk Herbstreit's pick) said he thought Vandy would win the game. I think he was just trying to make friends, though. Corso repeatedly informed him that he didn't know anything about football. Well, I guess I'll go put on my orange t-shirt now because we'll probably be leaving pretty soon. War Eagle!!!

Just a Daily Update

I introduced Betty Clair to "sausage and eggs" today. This was a meal I learned about from dear old Dad during the hunting trips to Newton. I was pleased to see that she rather enjoyed what I prepared since it is a family tradition similar to those of the Hank Williams family, only more socially acceptable. We also got to see Auburn beat Tennessee in a restaurant where every other customer was donning the inappropriate shade of orange. Well, there was one other Auburn fan, but he wasn't showing it by his choice of clothing. All this considered, it was a pretty decent and relaxing day. Check back later and maybe I'll have something interesting to say