Welcome to the the Friday mailbag. Let's stop all the small talk.
From the "(Soon to be renamed - you'll see) Studios," here we go...
From PDavi
Georgia running back Herschel Walker (34) is seen in action, 1982. (AP Photo)Herschel Walker said in a t.v. special earlier this week that he ran a 4.39 forty a couple months ago. Now, I don't mean to tell tales out of school but I'm having a hard time believing this actually took place. Thoughts? Oh, and I did the math for you, he's 49 years old.
PDavi,
Great question, and before we respond let's remind folks that the two biggest myths/lies/hyperboles/exaggerations in sports are 90-mph fastballs and 4.4-second times in the 40-yard dash. You hear about the kid around the corner who's throwing in the low 90s or the guy at the rival school that's running a sub-4.4 40 and it's just not that common. It's the "We caught a fish THIS big" tale.
That said, there are certain people - regardless of age - that can make that claim and the 5-at-10 will just take them at their word.
If we hear Herschel, Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders clocked a 4.4 or better last week, because of their history, we must accept it. Period. Same goes if Nolan Ryan throws out the first pitch at Rangers game next week and hits 91 on the gun. That's OK by us.
Side note about Herschel: We saw parts of the ESPN special on Herschel the other night, and dude is still ripped up. He may be 49, but he's bad mamma-jamma 49.
Maryland running back Davin Meggett (8) tries to outrun Miami linebacker James Gaines in the first half of an NCAA football game in College Park, Md., Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)From Football Follower
The first week of college football is in the books. Did anything happen to make you want to change your preseason predictions?
If not, what was the most surprising thing from last week?
FF,
Thanks for the question and feel free to stop by and comment any time.
As far as the overall predictions, those can't change. As Uncle Buck would say, "They're in the books." That said, we'll add this prediction to the list: The bad uniform backlash is coming. Wait and see. That's not to say they won't keep making "big-game" alterations - hey, the 17-year-old boys that college programs are trying to recruit like new, shiny things - but these over-the-top, tradition-bending duds that annoy fan bases to no end will be fewer and farther between.
After having some time to review, the three things from the last week that surprised us most are:
- How ugly Georgia looked (in every way) against Boise State
- How we always seem to under-estimate Les Miles. Does he eat grass on national TV? Yes. Does he run to the wrong sideline before the season opener? You bet. Does his team play hard every week and find ways to win big games? Absolutely.
- How this story did not receive more attention. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44431492/ns/world_news-weird_news/#.TmnyrM2BgbF. Yes, a drunken moose got stuck in a tree and had to be freed. And then de-toxed. Wonder if this little episode started with this moose looking at his buddies and saying "Watch this." It happened in Sweden, but it had to be in Southern Sweden, because that is definitely a Redneck Moose who is more than welcome to join the 5-at-10 wolfpack. In fact, we have the new name of our studio. As Uncle Buck would say, "It's in the books."
From scole023
Staff Photo by Danielle Moore
Chattanooga fans celebrate with the team after Saturday night's win against the Wofford Terriers. The game's final score was 38-9.When's the next contest? I like to win stuff.
Scole023,
We knew when we saw your e-mail is was going to be something along these lines.
OK, here's what we're thinking: Starting next week, we're looking for college football upset specials. Pick the biggest upset (by point spread) in the next two weeks, and we'll cough up some tickets to something. Could be Disney's Phineas and Ferb when they come to McKenzie Arena in February (hey, the little 5-at-10 is a pretty big fan of Phineas and Ferb - "Where's Perry?") or maybe a UTC game and maybe even Braves playoff baseball. Limit one pick per week per entry. Thoughts? Interested? Feedback? Bueller?
If this draws some interest, and we have a little fun with it, we'll do it every two weeks from now to the end of the college season. Deal?
Mississippi football coach Houston Nutt celebrating his team's victory over then No. 10 LSU in their NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)From ThatIDoKnow
Who's seat is hotter, Richt's or Houston Nutt's? And if either coach is fired, who are some targets?
Thanks, and thanks for the 5at10, it's a great way to pass the morning. (You do write kind of a lot, though.)
TIDK,
Thanks for the kind words and for reading. All of it, and yes, we tend to get wordy.
The temperature gauge on Nutt and Richt is probably close to equal right now. But if Richt's team loses to South Carolina at home Saturday to drop to 0-2, well, the buzzards go from circling to asking for landing vectors and flight paths.
Despite the Rebels' recent struggles - and Mississippi State's recent surge - Nutt does not seem to have the same heat on him that Richt does. Maybe that's because the administration knows it's paying its penance for firing David Cutcliffe and replacing him with Ed Orgeron. Maybe it's because the administration knows that changing the mascot to the Rebel Black Bears is enough controversy for a five-year period so the football thing can wait. Maybe it's simple indifference. Who knows.
As for targets, Georgia is one of college football big-boy jobs, so just about everyone is in play. And since Florida - another of the big-boy jobs - hired a defensive coordinator with no head coaching experience, who's to say that the Bulldogs wouldn't consider doing the same thing. That's right, if Richt gets run off, we can see Georgia alum and current Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart being a name routinely mentioned.
As for Ole Miss, if they don't care, why should we care? Go Black Bears and pass the Jack Daniels.
From McPell
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) talks to coaches during the second half of an NFL pre season football game against the Miami Dolphins, Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, in Miami. The Dolphins defeated the Panthers 20-10. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)How about a prediction on NFL Rookie of the year? Julio Jones? Mark Ingram? Or in an upset, Cam Newton who wins 5 to 6 games?
McPell,
Thanks for the question and for following the show.
As for rookie of the year, we'll go Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals with a close second to Von Miller, the Denver Broncos defensive end from Texas A&M (Which means the SEC can claim him sooner rather than later).
We think Julio will have a good year and a Hall of Fame career. We think Ingram will be a good player for a lot of years. We think anything's possible with Cam Newton - he could be Ben Roethlisberger 2.0 or he could be Daunte Culpepper-light.
That said, as far as rookie of the year stuff, Peterson and Miller have a huge edge this season over their offensive counterparts because of the limited amount of offseason work the rookies got because of labor issues.
That leads us to the rest of the NFL awards, and if the 5-at-10 loves anything (besides the draft, of course, but you know this) it's making predictions:
MVP - Tom Brady, Patriots
Offensive player of the year - Adrian Peterson, Vikings
Defensive player of the year - Ndamukong Suh, Lions
Coach of the year - Gary Kubiak, Texans
Comeback player of the year - Chad Ochocinco, Patriots or Reggie Bush, Dolphins
The Drunken Moose award for the story that will be too much fun to not follow - The Eagles' dream team: Super Bowl bound or super bust?