The weight of that Southern Cross: The flag came down, so now what?

The Confederate battle flag came down in South Carolina. I was moved. I assume most of the South was, if not the entire nation. I wrote a long form essay on this that I have submitted elsewhere and am awaiting word back on. Still, I don’t know if people outside the South realize how much that flag and Southern iconography is not just part of the Southern landscape but of Southern consciousness. Often viewed as the nation’s tumor in polls and data about poverty, low education, and obesity, the region has carved itself in the image of strange and oppressive gods. This has been both a blessing and a curse. The Drive-by Truckers often sing about this duality, its pride and its shame.

SEC Week 14

Rivalry week is here. Well, it actually started on Thursday with LSU beating Texas A&M and continued yesterday with Arkansas losing to the new power from the East, Mizzou. But anyways, let's start with the SEC-ACC Challenge and make our way to the two games everyone is waiting for.

South Carolina v Clemson

The Gamecocks try to extend their streak to six over the Tigers in (the other) Death Valley against the top rated defense in the country. Deshaun Watson is back for the best ACC team outside of Florida, making this a much tougher game for SC. Take the home team by 10.

Georgia Tech v Georgia

The combined 18-4 record for the schools is the best in this series since 1966. This clean, old fashioned hate game has changed quite a bit since Dooley and Dodd were patrolling the sidelines, but the hate remains. GT's option offense has been unstoppable, but UGA has been playing its best ball of the season. And though they won't have their bell cow, Todd Gurley, handling the rock, Nick Chubb is about as good of a back as you can ask for. I like the Dawgs by 7. And you should too; last season a 20 point lead wasn't enough for GT to win this game.

Kentucky v Louisville

Since basketball season has started, UK's defense has given up 56 points per game. Calipari's team has only given up more than 56 points once this season in their 6 wins. The Cats faithful have moved on to basketball season, and, apparently, so too has their defense. Louisville wins easily.

Florida v Florida State

Everyone is rooting for Muschamp and his Gators to win this, right? But what's more likely: the Seminoles go through the motions for the first 3 1/2 quarters to wake up and win on their final drive. FSU by 3.

Tennessee v Vanderbilt

All week long Derek Mason, the Commodore head coach, has refused to say Tennessee. Instead, he continually refers to them as the "Team out East". This isn't Michigan-Ohio State, Derek. And you don't have a chance in this one. Tennessee will remind Vandy and all their fans of their place in the state. They don't call it the Volunteer state for nothing. Vols by a lot.

Mississippi State v Ole Miss

Just a few weeks ago this seemed like it would decide the SEC Championship. Now that the Bulldogs need an Auburn win to get in and the Rebels are reeling (losing three straight in the SEC), the Egg Bowl has lost a little luster. Still, this is the most important one in a long time and is a must watch game. I like State to win, but I think the Rebs remind us why they were ranked third at one point. State by 3.

Auburn v Alabama
This game has the chance to be either dismal or amazing. If the Iron Bowl is as good as last year's, the edge goes to Auburn. In their two wins over the last four games in the series, they've won by 1 and 6 points respectively. If the game is a blowout, it means Bama wins handily. In their two wins over the last four games in the series, they've won by 49 and 28 respectively. I'll give the edge to the Crimson Tide. While they aren't as dominant as Tide teams of recent memory, their defense is still the best in the country. They are stout enough to allow their offense time to find a groove. Something I'm not sure the Tigers will be able to do. They will need to be at the top of their game to win this and maybe have a miracle or two to extend their Iron Bowl streak to two. Alabama by 13.

SEC Week 3 Preview

The SEC moves into its second week of the SEC-G5 Challenge, meaning we have another week filled with yawners, leaving one potentially awesome game and another that should have been an awesome game. First, let's tackle the latter.

Link Scrap

Matt Holliday has been traded to the Oakland Athletics, the players the Colorado Rockies will receive are not yet known.

NFL cannot continue to ignore one of its biggest markets and Los Angeles needs a professional football team, but who would be willing to let their team leave? hmmm?!?

What do you have in common with freshman football players from Harvard-Westlake? You both think their assistant coach Ashton Kutcher is the duke of douchebaggery

Gilbert Arenas got two tattoos to celebrate Barack Obama's win in the election... Etan Thomas does not approve

Jevon Kearse wants to show you what 9-0 looks like

In a surprising turn of events, a chair-throwing brawl breaks out after Australian boxing match

Time Waster: Redskins Fantasy Draft

The Redskins players may be the most fan friendly in the league. This fact has become even more apparent since Cooley started his own blog. He has started beard growing contests, offers his readers opportunities to ask questions, answers them, and now this. Cooley and some of his fellow Skins started their own fantasy football league, with Captain Chaos as the commish. Cooley with help from ComcastSportsNet, decided to film the draft and post the highlights onto his site.


If you are interested in following the league, you can do so on Cooleys blog.

Video courtesy of Cooley

The number of the day is:

2, just two more days until the official kickoff of the 2008 college football season. The picture of the scoreboard of the aftermath of Appy State vs. Michigan is because I really hope another power house goes down to one of the smaller schools. Is that the aroma of whiskey and Busch light I smell? I do believe it is.

Is Pro Football Becoming Too Popular?

I don't know why I'm posting this, but bare in mind that I am a huge football fan. I just had something pop in my head last night and I felt like I needed to question/rant about it for a little bit. It's kind of along the lines of my being troubled by all the Brett Favre coverage. But I had to ask myself that question,is Pro Football becoming too popular? I really am starting to like the NFL less and less each season, and I need to know why.


The NFL has clearly become easily the most popular sport in America. But with this, I feel like there are way too many people who buy the jerseys, and gather around the tv on Sundays, yet when questioned about whether they can name 10 players on their favorite team, they would maybe be able to pull out 3 or 4 names. It's like the new band when you're in middle school that you're required to like so you can look cool, but you really can't make an informed decision about whether you truly enjoy the music on your own. I don't know if enough people are informed enough to truly enjoy the music of football.

Now to go against myself, I think maybe I'm being a little bit snobbish on this. I watch ESPN religiously, and probably know way too much about the big 5. (NFL,MLB,NBA, College Football and Basketball). I can't help myself though, I've been raised on sports and I've been reading the sports page cover to cover since I was in kindergarten. I used to cut out box scores so I could keep my own stats of all the pro and college teams. I am a huge sports geek, and I do not apologize for this. So for me to hold it against someone for not knowing as much as me probably is not fair. However, all of these people who think they are football fanatics need to look in the mirror and ask themselves whether or not they are true fans. Or are they watching simply because they don't want to look like an idiot on Sundays when all of their friends are out watching the games and they don't want to look stupid, or even worse if you're a guy, not wanting to look like a wuss. For people to emerge from the woodwork simply to either hype up the Redskins because they won a meaningless game, or to come out simply to cheer against the Redskins seems a little fake to me.

So these people are making me like football less and less. Now granted, I didn't grow up playing football, and I did play varsity basketball and more than likely would have played varsity baseball if I didn't get scarred for life by a terrible coach in 7th grade. So these sports will always have a soft spot in my heart, making me a little biased. But to go back to that same analogy from before, if you're just watching football becasue its the cool thing to do, please stop yourselves. You're ruining it for this once diehard football fan. Now, please leave me so I can check what time the Cubs are playing today, because it actually counts in the standings.

Meet Josh Jarboe

Meet Josh Jarboe, incoming freshman wide receiver at Oklahoma. Jarboe was arrested in March for receiving stolen property and having a weapon on school property — both felony charges. The charges were reduced to misdemeanors and Jarboe, despite being on two years probation, was allowed to keep his scholarship to Oklahoma. Well now he shows us his rhyme skills, actually he is pretty bad. All he talks about is shooting people, guns, ak-47s, and women.

Heres the video(absolutely Not Safe For Work) and viewer discretion is advised.



Someone obviously did not learn from their run-in with the police, and the fact they were easy on him makes it worse. Just another story of someone who could throw a lot down the drain at the drop of a hat. As for the rapping, that repeating thing he did bothered me a lot. He finished strong though "She is like a barbecue, I put my meat upon her grill"

The number of the day is:

35, as in thirty-five more days until UCLA and UT play in Los Angeles. In my mind the college football season doesn't start until I hear "Rocky Top" play 35 times a half.

What signifies the start of college football for you?

A Brett Favre Breakup Letter

Dear Brett,

I was hoping we would be able to say good bye without it coming to this. I didn't want to write you a letter stained with tears and the sweat of a beer bottle, but you've left me no choice. We've had some great times. I'll give you that, and no one can take those away from us; but I think it's time we both move on. I mean, ownership already cleaned out your locker, so you really shouldn't be stopping by "just to pick up a few things." I know it's rough, but you wanted it this way. I'm just trying to give you what you asked for. Maybe, in a few years, we can meet up for some brats or something, but right now is just too early. I don't want to go through this all over again (and again and again and again and again).

You will always mean a lot to me. I feel like I grew up with you. I remember when John Madden couldn't pronounce your name, and winning nine games felt like a championship year. You always made me laugh with your crazy antics, playing hungover, drawing plays in the dirt, joking with Warren Sapp, and zipping the ball sidearmed. I probably won't see a quarterback like you ever again, and that's why this is so hard for me to write. I know what we had was special. I mean great loves like this only come around once, maybe twice, a generation. I know that, but the truth is I'm trying to move on.

For the last few years, you kind of hinted that you wanted out of this relationship, so I've been preparing myself. I knew this day was coming, especially when the team went 4-12 a couple years ago. Then, at the end of 2006, things started to feel like they did back in the '90s, and last year made me think maybe you should stay on the field forever, even if that meant taking snaps in a wheelchair. I was wrong though.

I let the records, the snow in hi-def against Seattle, and the memories go to my head. I started feeling like it was 1996. I started listening to my heart instead of my brain. I started believing in destiny and happily ever after's again, especially when the temperature was zero degrees against the Giants. I really started thinking we were going to go all the way. Beat the Giants. Beat the Patriots. We were like Antony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, or Rhett and Scarlet. The thing is, Brett, four of those six people die before their story ends and the other two wind up miserable. We don't want to wind up like those great love affairs, drinking poison and stabbing ourselves. We don't need to put ourselves through anymore overtimes where interceptions bite us like asps held to our breasts.

It's time we move on. You asked for it, and while I didn't like the news at first, I'm really trying to make it work with this Aaron kid now, and in the words of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young: "Do not let the past remind us of what we are not now." Brett, it's just time. Time for us to start new chapters with different characters.

I will always love you Brett, but I'm not in love with you.

Sincerely,
a Packers fan

P.S. At your age, the Madden Curse might kill you, so really, I'm just looking out for your well-being. It's for the better.

Time Wasters: Lonesome Kicker Shaun Suisham

So Shaun Suisham is a decent kicker, he made 29 of his 35 attempts last year with a long of 50 yards (career best is 52 yards). He also did kickoffs netting 6 touchbacks and a 58.4 average on 76 kickoffs. All in all he is a reliable kicker for only being 26 years-old. So why am I telling you all of this about Suisham? There is this video all over youtube of Suisham making a 110 yard field goal at redskins park from this past weekend. Here is the video, judge for yourself and let us know if you think its real or not:



Personally I would love to believe it, but with the trajectory I dont see that thing making 65 yards let alone 110. If he did or not he is still a lonesome kicker.



UPDATE:
Brett Haber of WUSA-9 released the information on the field goal and how it is fake:

"We've had a ton of e-mail on this, and about 30 percent of people think it's real, which is frightening," Haber said. "Yes it's real, and so is the Easter Bunny. Our marketing department put it together in the spirit of the Kobe video to promote our Redskins preseason football package. I think the phrase they're using upstairs for the video is "summer fun." I didn't have anything to do with it, but I don't think it was ever meant to be taken seriously."

Illegal Use of the Hands

Is a touching story about not fitting in, struggling to find a place you belong, redemption, and sexual offenders. I just saw this fake movie preview on The VisitorsLockerRoom.com, and if they had a category at the Academy Awards for fake movie previews this would definately win or atleast get nominated.