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Return
of the Swagger I've missed Steve Spurrier. The guy that has been hanging out in Columbia the past few years has been kind of mellow and relaxed. Now, don't get me wrong; he's still a great football coach and he can diagram an offensive game plan with the best of them.....but the Head Ball Coach hasn't really been himself since showcasing his new SEC colors. All that changed, this past week. Something is in the water in Columbia....and I like it. It's the return of the Steve Spurrier that we all know and love.....the one that takes backhanded shots at anybody.....regardless of their place in the college football food chain. Man, the HBC must love what he sees in his team this Spring, because he called out everybody.....from Mark Richt and Georgia all the way to the top with Nick Saban and the defending champion Alabama Crimson Tide. HBC discussed the schedule change with Georgia which traditionally has been played in September and is now pushed back to October. Spurrier claimed that he liked playing the Dawgs early because "you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended". No word from Mark Richt....and I don't expect to hear a peep out of him. It's not only not his style, but it should be noted that the Cocks have won the last two and host Georgia this year. It's one thing to pick on Georgia; it's another to jump on Saban and the Tide. But the HBC is feeling it again like he did in the 90s with his powerful Gator teams. As for Nick Saban's coaching status, Spurrier chimed in....."He's got a nice little gig going....a little bit like John Calipari. He tells guys, 'Hey, three years from now you're going to be a 1st round draft pick and go.' .....It's one thing to compare Saban and Calipari without raising an eyebrow, but Spurrier even took it to a new level when directing his focus on Saban. Spurrier claimed, "That if he (Saban) wants to be the greatest coach or one of the great coaches in college football, then he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they've always won there at Alabama." I love Spurrier....even when he's wrong....and believe me, he is so off-base about the Nick Saban comment that it's laughable, but that's ok....that's Steve being Steve. For the record, it should be noted that Saban has been pretty good in locales other than Tuscaloosa.....he did win a national title at LSU and his last team at Michigan State was 9-2 and ranked in the Top 10. Shoot, Nick Saban even had a better record than Spurrier in their short stays in the NFL, too. But don't let a Spurrier sound bite get in the way of the facts. I's one of the things that I love most about the HBC. Can you imagine Bama and South Carolina in the SEC title game in December? It could happen...and if it does, I have a funny feeling that we'll be rehashing these quotes one more time. But in the meantime, it's good to have the HBC in his "Mid-90's brash" mode. I'll stay in the Palmetto state for a moment.... I really enjoyed being a part of Dabo Swinney's "All In Team Foundation" event this past weekend. The Clemson coach and his staff were able to generate over $185,000 for multiple charities and it was a blast. In addition to seeing a number of old friends and players, I also had the chance to share the stage with ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit as we did our "dog and pony" show promoting college football and the efforts of Swinney and his organization to spread the wealth and good cheer to others in need. It was an awesome night, and it was an honor to be a part of the festivities. In a college football world dominated by morons like Bobby Petrino, it's stories like this one that sometimes get pushed to the back-burner. All around the country, schools and coaches are doing great things that don't get the headlines, but in this case....it deserves some attention. I loved it. As a huge fan of the San Francisco Giants.....this was a miserable week. Not only are my boys off to a slow start, but the news of ace closer Brian Wilson's potential season-ending surgery was a huge blow. The Giants couldn't stay clear of the injury bug last season, and now it looks like Wilson is shelved for the remainder of the year. What makes matters worse is that the arch-rival LA Dodgers are red-hot....their best start since 1981. Granted, they still play in front of thousands of empty seats, including the one usually occupied by broadcaster Vin Scully. The legendary broadcaster has had some health issues as of late. Either way, you gotta give those guys credit....but it will only be sweeter to watch them come back down to Earth. Thank goodness we still have a long way to go. As of this blog entry, the Charlotte Bobcats are 7-51. They host Boston on Sunday night and the newly bought New Orleans Hornets on Monday. With only 8 games to go in this waste of a season.....the Bobcats are riding a 15-game losing streak and they still have a chance to go down as the worst NBA team in history....percentage-wise. All they have to do is lose out. And if you've seen them play at any point in time this season, then you know that is definitely a possibility. A 7-59 record would give the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats their place in history as having the worst winning percentage the league has ever seen. Congrats, Michael Jordan. Nice plan. Somebody recently asked me if Jordan's legacy was being tarnished by the Bobcats' ability to suck out loud? The answer is "no". We all know that MJ is one of the greatest to play the game.....he's also one of the worst NBA executives of all-time, too. Maybe that's the way it has to be.....it certainly looks that way in Charlotte. |
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