5-at-10: Hudson's place, SEC QBs, a Derby contest to win stuff

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Hey, gang, remember the Friday mailbag and we have anew contest below. Check it out - it don't cost nothin' to enter. Well, you know what we mean.

Also, where did April go? Seriously.

Braves roll

The Braves thumped Gio Gonzalez and the Nationals 8-1 on Tuesday.

Freddie Freeman got three hits and three RBIs and Andrelton Simmons had three hits, including a lead-off homer.

photo Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Washington.

The big story, though, was Tim Hudson. The Braves' right-hander - and former SEC baseball player of the year as an outfielder/pitcher for the Auburn Tigers - hit a homer and got the win. It was the 200th of his big-league career.

Which begs the following questions:

a) Since there are all of three guys in baseball - Andy Pettitte (248), Roy Halladay (201) and Hudson (200) - with 200 wins and the way the game has changed with pitch counts and specialist relievers and five-man rotations, will we ever see another 300-game winner?

b) and if we never see another pitcher win 300 - one of those baseball bench marks that has always secured a Hall of Fame invite - does that make 200 the new 300?

c) and if 200 - or say 250 even - is the new 300, does that make Tim Hudson a Hall of Famer?

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The Derby contest

We have been so covered up in the hits and misses and the turns and tails of the craziest spring in recent memory we have completely lost track that this is Derby week.

OK, the contest is simple: The Roller Derby Special: First in, Last in.

Send in the horse that you think will win and the horse that you think will finish last. Scratches are not last; they are scratches. (Side note: The worst made for radio remix ever was 2 Live Crew changing the lyrics of one of their more obscene songs to "Somebody say heeeeyyyyyy, we want some... Scratching." That is all. And yes, the inner workings and random references that pop out of the 5-at-10's melon can be a touch scary at times.)

Whatcha' got?

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SEC football spring recap

Our SEC football ace David Paschall reviews the spring drills of every SEC team in today's TFP. You can also see it here.

The thing that we couldn't help but notice is that just about every team this side of Tennessee and Auburn would count quarterback as a strength coming into the season. That's not a good thing for the Vols and Tigers.

Look at the top of the league: Alabama, Texas A&M and Georgia have legit All-American candidates taking snaps.

The next group of SEC teams: Florida, LSU and South Carolina have veterans returning.

Heck, two of the trio Mississippi State's Tyler Wilson, Missouri's James Franklin and Ole Miss's Bo Wallace are not even in the top half of the league's QBs. That's a deep QB class.

You're going to have to be able to score to contend in the SEC this fall.

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This and that

- The Memphis Grizzlies were efficient and thorough in a 103-93 win over the L.A. Clippers. It gives the Grizz a chance to close out the series in Game 6 in Memphis. Good times.

- One more Girzz note: Is Memphis frontcourt warrior Zach Randolph the most underrated player in the league right now? We think he's in the discussion.

- Vijay Singh will not be suspended from the PGA Tour for using deer antler spray. OK. Who's the guy that discovered that deer antler spray actually helped the body, and what other formulas did they try that were not as successful? Hey, use this turkey beak spray and see what happens. Here, try this skunk tail cream for that rash. No thanks.

photo In this fie photo, Tim Tebow holds his first news conference with the New York Jets on March 26, 2012, in Florham Park, N.J.

- The Omaha Beef indoor football team offered Tim Tebow a spot. The deal would have been for the standard $75 a game. That said, the Beef's current QB - James McNear - has completed 70 percent of his throws for 21 TDs and just two picks in Omaha's 5-1 start. Maybe the Jets should have traded Tebow for McNear?

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Today's question

Is Tim Hudson a Hall of Famer?

The more we think about this, the more interesting we think it is.

Discuss, and remember Friday's mailbag and the Derby contest.