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Here we are
Happy Tuesday, friends. Man, football season makes all of us feel better, no?
The smells. The sights. The knowledge of your fantasy football draft being right around the corner?
Good times. Strike that; great times.
So we will have a football talking point every day moving forward. So we sayeth, so shall it be done.
Let's start here today:
Will the Falcons regret drafting Bijan Robinson?
That question is open-ended considering the number of future stars who went after Robinson in the draft.
It is a question that has even more weight with the news that the Colts are now looking to deal Jonathan Taylor.
What?
In truth I hope Bijan Robinson becomes LaDainian Tomlinson 2.0. I hope the Falcons offense scores 30-plus every Sunday. I hope he is an easy choice for rookie of the year and is even whispered as a non-QB option for offensive player of the year.
But, Jalen Carter is going to be a future Hall of Famer at defensive tackle, and with the knowledge we have now that Jonathan Taylor could be had for a second-rounder plus other picks, well buckle.
Here's to you Mr. Robinson.
Question for the group
So I do a lot of Mr. Mom duties in the a.m.
"You want a beer?"
"It's 8 o'clock in the morning."
"Scotch?"
I make a bunch of meals and get the household up and running.
"220, 221, whatever it takes."
This morning I fired up Willie Nelson on the Alexa. Willie Nelson is one of my all-time favorites, and there are few artists who have a hit-filled collection that has almost no skip songs like Willie.
So I started thinking, could Willie make it as a country music artists today?
Sure, Willie is an all-timer as a song writer. He wrote "Crazy" for Patsy Cline for Patsy's sake.
But in this realm of Luke Bryan and all the other bro-country clowns, would Willie have a place? Discuss.
Don't touch that dial
So yeah, we have discussed this before. The final straw that caused me to get a pink slip at ESPN Radio locally was something I wrote criticizing the then-new national ESPN Radio morning show of Zubin, Keyshawn and J-Will.
Of course that show has since been blown up multiple times as Zubin is back on SportsCenter. Keyshawn Johnson sadly was part of the mass layoffs, and who knows what Jay Williams' future holds.
But it's discussion-worthy this morning because ESPN announced Monday its lineup of national radio shows.
Here's the big-picture programming:
— 6-10 a.m.: Evan Cohen, Michelle Smallmon and Chris Canty.
— 10 a.m.-12 p.m.: Mike Greenberg.
— 12-3 p.m.: Chris Carlin and Joe Fortenbaugh.
— 3-7 p.m.: Freddie Coleman and Harry Douglas.
— 7-10 p.m.: Amber Wilson and Ian Fitzsimmons.
— 10 p.m.-1 a.m.: DJ Q Myers.
Curious as to why they broke up Canty and Carlin.
That said, I think Joe Fortenbaugh is a rising star. Same with Ian Fitzsimmons.
But the pairings seem strange to me, but what do I know.
Still, I can't help but wonder how much the Mike and Mike divorce — and even the Dan Le Batard break-up — has forever changed this lineup.
For Pete's sake, this used to be the home of super talents like Cowherd, Kornheiser, Dan Patrick, SVP, Mike and Mike and of course my personal fav the Le Batard Show.
Wow.
This and that
— You know the rules. Here's Paschall on UT coach Josh Heupel approving of bobbleheads. Yep, we need to get to game week.
— Braves played. Braves won. Wait. What? Braves lost? Hey, who knew?
— Here are the eight GOP candidates who will be in Wednesday night's debate. Donald Trump is not among them. Thankfully. But God knows he will be a central talking point.
— So the Ravens finally lost a preseason game. And yes, I needed them to continue the strangest streak in sports.
Today's questions
True or false, I was too harsh on UTC in regard to football Monday.
True or false, Willie Nelson would not make it as a singer in today's Hick-Hop country music genre.
True or false, the Bijan Robinson will be rookie of the year.
True or false, the Braves are the team to beat.
True or false, you listen to ESPN National radio shows regularly.
You know the drill.
Answer some T or Fs, ask some T or Fs.
As for today, Aug. 22, let's review.
Carl Yastrzemski is 84 today.
I know it's not as difficult as say, the Yankees Rushmore, but who would be on the Rushmore of Boston Red Sox.
Go, and yes, you're welcome, Spy.