Gang, remember Friday's mailbag - we need a couple more - and remember that Press Row will not be on 105.1 FM today because of the Lookouts' day game.
From the "Talks too much" studio, let's run the Picket Fence at them... and boys, don't get caught watching the paint dry.
Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates a home run against the Colorado Rockies in a baseball game in Atlanta.Braves bloom
Atlanta hammered the Rockies on Tuesday, getting two homers from Freddie Freeman and a solid seven innings from Alex Wood in an 11-3 romp.
This Braves team is fun to watch. Here are but three examples:
• Andrelton Simmons is a joy at shortstop. Dude delivered a rocket throw to the plate to cut down Michael Cuddyer on a play that seemed over as soon as the ball was hit. It happened with the Braves comfortably in control with an 8-3 lead, yet still Simmons refused to quit on the play and ripped any life out of a Rockies rallying. Good times.
• It's fun to watch Freddie Freeman hit. You know how Danny Struggla swings and misses at good pitches (and bad pitches and balls and, well you get the idea)? Freeman has an old-school approach at the plate, routinely fouling off good pitches and seldom missing mistakes or pitches in his zone. Dude fouled of several good pitches in the high 90s from Edgmer Escalona before turning on a fastball up in the zone for a three-run homer that closed the scoring. Side note: Freeman is a stud duck with two outs, and all four of his RBIs Tuesday were with two outs.
• Todd Cunningham got his first big-league hit in his first big-league at-bat Tuesday night. If you watched it and didn't smile, well, tough break on losing your soul and all.
On a serious note the Braves now have a 10-game lead - the biggest in baseball. Yes, they are going to whiff too much, but this bunch is clicking right now and have played themselves into a spot where they do not have reach for a starting pitcher before this afternoon's trade deadline.
Good times.
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Biogenesis update
As baseball deals with a slew of great storylines - the Pirates leading the Cnetral, the battle royale in the AL East, the Dodgers surging behind Ramirez and Puig, the trade deadline, et al. - the Biogenesis nightmare continues.
Ryan Braun was suspended for the rest of the season. There are reports that baseball has shared its punishment plans with the MLB players' union.
Most of the players appear ready to accept these penalties that certainly will be leaked soon.
Of course the exception is Alex Rodriguez, the formal prodigy turned prodigal son who has become the disliked face of this entire mess.
If there was a Rushmore of steroids in baseball and its nastiness, would that Rushmore be A-Rod, Bonds, Clemens and Canseco?
A-Rod, for the first time in recent memory, man up and take the punishment. Heck, we'll even call Cameron Diaz and see if she'll bring the popcorn.
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UT depth chart/UTC starts
The TFP's UTC football ace Johnny Frierson/Ned Ryerson has the five questions facing the Mocs as they open practice in today's TFP. See the link here.
Good stuff, and the Mocs will be good stuff. In fact we have stated here and on Press Row that if the Mocs get a break or two, there's a real chance that two undefeated teams will meet in Tuscaloosa in November. You like apples? How about them apples?
Seriously, built around a defense that could be truly elite, the Mocs are structured for success.
Also in today's TFP as college football kickoff week approaches are UT's pre-practice depth chart and a look at Jadeveon Clowney, the full-grown monster defensive end at South Carolina.
As for the UT depth chart, that means little. The quarterback spot listed Nathan Peterman or Justin Worley at quarterback. The rest was mirror-imagined from the spring.
Yep, we're ready. It's here; it's all happening.
Good times.
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This and that
- Tony Stewart flipped a sprint car on a dirt track five times and walked away. Here's link with video at the bottom. Smoke Stewart has long been one of our favorite NASCAR drivers, and we dig the fact that he's spending this week running on dirt. We think Smoke is in the top five NASCAR drivers of all-time as far as skills. Thoughts?
- There's a report out there that an Idaho State professor will use a drone to find Big Foot. Wow. OK, we'll play along: Do you think Big Foot sees reports like this and complains about Big Brother and his civil liberties? Does he prefer Big Foot or Bigfoot, and is the entire family Big Feet or the Big Foots? You stay classy Idaho.
- Boston landed Jake Peavy, who appears to the be the top piece moving before today's trade deadline.
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Today's question
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, right, runs from Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, left, during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012, in Minneapolis.Adrian Peterson told the Star-Tribune that he would break Emmitt Smith's NFL career rushing record in 2017.
To be fair, All-Day Adrian's interview was mostly tongue-in-cheek. And dude has every reason to be confident considering he was a few feet of setting the NFL single-season rushing mark last year.
Still, Smith's 18,355 yards - yes, that's more than 10 miles rushing - is a sneaky unbreakable record. Situations have changed - five starting pitchers in a rotation, injuries and big money to NFL running backs, etc. - and forced some career records in sports to be all-but untouchable.
Considering Peterson is one of the lone NFL every-down backs anymore and he'd have to average more than 1,900 yards a season for the next five years. The odds are unlikely.
If we assume Cy Young's 511 wins is a safe pick on the Rushmore of unbreakable records, what else is there? Smith's rushing total is a contender. So is Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak and Byron Nelson winning 11 consecutive PGA tournaments. (Heck, Nelson's streak is definitely there.)
What is on your Mount Rushmore of unbreakable records?