5-at-10: Harrison Ford, College football insider - Georgia edition, SEC hoops MVP

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

photo Actor Harrison Ford

You know who is pretty sharp? Harrison Ford. Dude is in the twilight of a Hall of Fame acting career. He has played the widest array of characters - from iconic action heroes (Han Solo, Jack Ryan and Indiana Jones) to comedies to dramas. From thrillers (The Fugitive, Presumed Innocent) to stinkers (Cowboys and Aliens? Ouch-standing).

Even his upcoming '42' - the story of Jackie Robinson, which was filmed in part in Chattanooga's Engel Stadium; and no Ford is not playing the part of Robinson (he's good, but he's not THAT good) - is generating some early Oscar buzz. Now word comes that Indiana Jack Solo has signed on for Anchorman 2. Well-played sir, well-played indeed.

And looking at Ford's supremely deep career, there's an argument to be made that Ford is in as many good movies as any actor of his generation. So in honor of that - and the glorious news that Anchorman 2 will be out this Christmas - let's have a theme show. Deal? Deal.

Third act

Jack Nicklaus said that Tiger Woods "better get going" if Woods is going to catch Nicklaus' all-time mark of 18 career majors.

Nicklaus has been steadfast in his belief that Woods, who has 14 major championships, will break the record. And he's spot on that Tiger better get his Nike ball rolling if he's going to get there.

So how does this connect to Harrison Ford?

Ford was part of two mega-trilogies (and even grew beyond three). In Indiana Jones, the second movie was arguably the worst sequel this side of CaddyShack 2. In Star Wars, there's a real argument that Empire Strikes Back is right there with Godfather II as the best sequel of all time.

It's fair to say that if part one of Tiger's career was his domination of golf - and in a lot of ways the sports scene - and his sequel is everything that happened after the Thanksgiving-week revelation of his personal ordeals, that the second act was way more Temple of Doom.

photo Tiger Woods

But what now? What will the third part hold, and when will it be released. If you had to tag a favorite right now for the Masters, there is no wrong answer. It's a wide open sport right now and that's not a terrible thing for golf fans. It's not an ideal situation for the sport, though, because golf, like all individual sports like NASCAR, boxing and tennis, needs a heavy. Those sports need the 'IT' guy that everyone has an opinion about and whether your favorite wins or is out of contention, the 'IT' guy keeps your interest.

Dale Earnhardt was one of those guys. So was Tyson. So was Federer. So was Tiger Woods. Now, we're waiting for the Return of the Jedi.

And Jack's spot-on, if Tiger is going to get five more majors, he better start soon.

---

College football Insider: Georgia edition

If you were going to cast an SEC football movie, Harrison Ford could so play Spurrier. Or even coach Mark Richt. Of course Les Miles is playing Les Miles, Cousin Eddie will be Dan Mullen and whoever plays Saban will be contractually obligated to mention the process in every other line. So it goes.

(And yes, that was a cheap hook to the spring football primer that was promised Monday. So it goes.)

We're going to submit three questions to our UGA beat ace David Paschall and post the answers around lunch.

Here's what we want to know about the Bulldogs' spring drills:

Who is the next star on defense?

Who will be the go-to receiver on an offense loaded with options?

Who is the one player that was not involved last year that will be a primary piece this season?

We're going to do this with UTC and John Frierson in Wednesday's 5-at-10 and with Downtown Patrick Brown and the Vols in Thursday's 5-at-10.

Check back for Paschall's answers. Here's our responses:

We'll go with Damian Swann as the next star on a defense looking to replace a lot of contributors.

We'll take Malcolm Mitchell as the go-to pass-catcher.

And we'll take Ray Drew as the emerging star. Not sure how Paschall will answer, but we know he'll share his insight.

----

Picking the best

If you were forced to pick the best Harrison Ford movie, whatcha got?

There are tons of them to be sure, and there are really no wrong answers.

That's how the SEC men's basketball player of the year race is shaping up.

As our ace Downtown Patrick Brown details here UT's Jordan McRae has as good a case as anyone.

In fact, if Tennessee wins its last two and stays in bubble discussions, we think McRae deserves it.

Consider that UT: a) lost its best player before the season started; b) had its experienced point guard vanish so completely that his picture was on milk cartons in and around the 865 area code for most of January; c) lost track of its five-star post player... and is still in the hunt for an NCAA tournament bid.

Know why? Jordan McRae.

He's 'The Fugitive' in that the more you watch, the more you like the finished product.

-----

This and that

- Congrats to Howard for advancing to the boys state basketball tournament with a come-from-behind win over DeKalb County.

- Golf news of note: The Golf Boys - Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan and Ben Crane - have released another video. It's here and it's entertaining. The 5-at-10 overwhelmingly endorses this. We need more professional athletes - especially stars and budding superstars - willing to laugh at themselves. Good times and well-played indeed.

- J.R. Ewing died in the final scene of the TV show Dallas in Monday's episode and the funeral is next Monday. Of course, this story arc was created by actor Larry Hagman's real-life death and they were forced to call an audible - Re-route Orange Barrels, 0-60 Outlaw. It's hard to know what to expect from next week, but it's curiously griping if that makes sense.

- Louisville and Kansas held serve last night and held on to outside shots at a No. 1 seed. Tonight, as our man StuckinKent shared yesterday, picks up speed in regard to bubble teams in action. Enjoy, and enjoy the madness.

- Joe Flacco's deal is just as stinky and hard to believe today as it was Monday. And yes, the cap restructuring will be an every-other-year event with this contract, but still. Money talks and the money says Joe Flacco is the best quarterback in the NFL. Money talks? Money lies.

----

Today's question

It's fair to say our man Harrison Ford was one of the most bankable movie star ever. Whether it was picking roles or good luck, Ford was money and a key player in two of the top-15 grossing movie franchises of all-time.

So with that as a back drop - Ford is money, money is Ford - what's the surest bet in sports right now?

Is it Brittany Griner and the Baylor Bears? Is it Miami Heat and King James? Is the most certain fact in sports the guaranteed uncertainty of the NCAA tournament?

Discuss, and remember Friday's mailbag.