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Thursday, November 10, 2005
College picks: So help me God, Dogs will cover
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
OK. So let me see if I’ve got this straight. Rafael Palmeiro was not found of guilty of perjury for claiming — while pointing his finger, which by the way is very rude — he never (“NEVER!â€?) took steroids, even though he tested positive for steroids, I think five minutes after his testimony.
But a real live U.S. congressman says he can’t conclude whether Palmeiro ever used steroids, while acknowledging that he tested positive for steroids, which reasonable humanoids would conclude contradicts any contention that he never took steroids. Because, like, duh.
“This is not a finding of innocence,� quoth Tom Davis. “It’s a finding that we could not substantiate perjury.�
Ah-HA!
Wait.
What?
And we pay these guys? I’ve seen Shaggy and Scooby-Doo solve tougher cases. In a half-hour! (The only thing that could make this more obvious is if Palmeiro was the old hotel owner who was trying to scare off the guests with those cool ghost sounds.)
Watch me.
Palmeiro tested positive? He said he’s clean? He lied. Next.
Oil companies claim they didn’t price gouge? They made record profits? They lied. Next.
Mark Richt needs to hire an offensive coordinator? Why, because he lost to Florida with his backup quarterback?
Scooby? “Rut-roh.�
You moron. He had his backup quarterback! Mr. Richt, you’re free to go. Next. (Aspiring journalists: It’s all about transitions).
Richt caught flak because of some lame third-and-a-mile call against Florida. But Georgia didn’t lose because of that call. Georgia lost because D.J. Shockley was out and Joe Tereshinski was in. It’s called being limited. Even Congressman Yahoo could figure that out.
Two weeks later, Shockley is back. The Doggies are healthier and coming off a bye week. Auburn is rolling, but not to the degree people think. You get limited credit for pounding Mississippi and Kentucky. It’s also the week before the Alabama game.
The line says Georgia by 3. This, I can substantiate. Dogs cover.
Georgia Tech at Virginia: Saw a salary chart the other day and couldn’t help but notice Cadavers coach Al Groh is pulling in $1.7 million per year. I could lose to North Carolina for a lot less than that. Meantime, the Jackets have won three straight but are staring at Miami and Georgia after this one. Gravity’s a bummer. Virginia wins, but take Tech and 5.
LSU at Alabama: So the Tide is unbeaten and a home underdog. It feels disrespected. Which means what exactly? Great defense, yeah. But the offense has been anemic: 0 touchdowns the last two games, 1 in the last 13 quarters. That works against Old Ms., Tennessee (now anyway) and Missy St. LSU-Miles may not be LSU-Saban but it won’t take much. LSU wins. But take Bammy and 3 because a 5-3 final won’t cover.
Past-Present? Perfect: If Georgia trembled at the thought of losing to Steve Spurrier in September, what’s Florida thinking? The over/under on athletics director Jeremy Foley’s sleep tonight: 6 (lithium, not hours). Forget history (South Carolina hasn’t beaten the Gators since 1939). Florida had to go overtime to beat Vanderbilt last week. Maybe it’s just the storyline in my head talking but: Take Poultry and 4¸. And in a straight upset.
Miami at Wake Forest: Last week the ’Canes pounded Virginia Tech, which means they’ve now won seven straight since opening with the loss to FSU. So what’s the average Miami fan saying? Probably, “Yeah, but Larry Coker is no Butch Davis.� Geraniums. ’Canes cover 16 1/2.
FSU at Clemson: Two years ago it took Tommy Bowden beating Bobby Bowden to get a contract extension, not that we’re suggesting anything, mind you, because the last thing a father would want to do is help his son keep his job. Wait. That didn’t come out right. Bobby’s biggest concern now should be rescuing his other son (play-caller Jeff). Pops covers 1 1/2.
Memphis at Tennessee: Memphis is catching a lot of flak for scheduling these soft little in-state opponents. The Vowels have lost four straight, a wonderful segue to this homecoming game. But there is good news: If they win, they’ll still be eligible for the Independence Bowl! (Note to Phil Fulmer defenders: UT’s last SEC title was seven years ago.) Knoxville wins, but take Memphis and 18 1/2.
Kentucky at Vanderbilt: Rich Brooks gets a vote of confidence the same week Kentucky is a two-touchdown underdog to Vanderbilt. And they wonder why Bear Bryant left. Vandy covers 11 1/2.
Accounts receivable
Last week: 7-2 straight up, 5-4 against the line.
Fiscal season: 55-13 straight up, 42-25-1 against the line.
Permalink | Comments (74) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
Vick not so different from a young Favre
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
The Falcons have had two defining trades in the franchise history.
Brett Favre wrecked it. Michael Vick is starting to make up for it.
Vick hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet. He doesn’t have Favre’s Hall of Fame credentials yet. Largely because he’s viewed as some alien life form that the NFL hadn’t seen before, he’s certainly not as widely revered as Favre, despite a 68.6 winning percentage and coming within one game of the Super Bowl in only his second postseason.
But it’s with some irony that Favre and Vick will meet again Sunday for likely the final time.
Green Bay is 1-7. Favre is on pace to throw more interceptions than at any point in his career (he has 14 in eight games) and it seems unlikely he can rationalize it’s worth coming back for another year of Packer misery.
The Falcons are 6-2. Vick is coming off an I’ve-got-your-efficiency-rating-right-here performance against Miami, and the franchise is set up for the future.
Three years ago, we could see both coming. Three years ago in Green Bay is when it all turned. The Packers had never lost a playoff game at Lambeau Field. Vick had never started a playoff game. But he threw a touchdown pass, ran for 64 yards and the Falcons buried the Packers 27-7.
Favre was intercepted twice, sacked twice.
Vick: zero, zero.
After that game, the two quarterbacks spoke, and it’s a conversation Vick hasn’t forgotten. “He told me that I was going to be a great player in this league and that I was going to have a great career,� Vick said Thursday through a team spokesman. “That meant a lot to me, a 22-year-old quarterback, hearing those kinds of comments from a guy who had won the MVP award three times and a guy who had won a Super Bowl.�
It has been an interesting season for Vick. He has evolved from a nightly SportsCenter highlight into a polarizing figure with the public. Depending on what side you’re on, he’s either a player to embrace with awe or an abomination for all that is holy about the quarterback position, so help me Peyton Manning.
Favre would be the first to tell you he often ran around and did stupid things in his career. Of course, he usually came through in the clutch and he won. So people just looked at the stupid stuff with amusement.
Vick runs around and sometimes misreads a defense or misfires with his arm. Of course, he usually comes through in the clutch and he wins. For whatever reason, not everybody views his flaws with amusement.
After the Miami game, Vick sounded off. You know what? He had a right to. Maybe it didn’t come out the right way. Maybe he went a little over the line. But if ever an athlete deserved a platform to vent after completing 22 of 31 attempts, it was Vick.
“I knew he needed to get that off his chest,� tight end Alge Crumpler said. “He had a point to prove and he proved it, and he damn sure looked good doing it. But he’s not just going to cater to what other people want. I know that the thing Mike cares most about is winning, and he does that.
“If you go back since he’s been here, when the game is on the line, Mike usually comes through, no matter what his stats are. He loves those situations. He shines better than anybody else on the field when the pressure’s on.�
Used to say that about Favre.
Vick admitted this week he was motivated by the criticism of his passing skills. Asked about perceptions of his style, he said, “I don’t know — whatever they want to say. Whatever they want to perceive me as. Running quarterback, just a runner — it doesn’t matter. [I’m] a winner.â€?
When quizzed about far-fetched suggestions of Terrell Owens joining the Falcons, he said, “I could play with anybody. It’s all if they could play with me.�
Because Owens would have to understand, as Vick said: “This is my team.�
It is his team. If that wasn’t clear before that night in Green Bay three years ago, it was after. It doesn’t matter how Vick makes it go. As long as he makes it go.
Permalink | Comments (23) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Jeff Schultz, Jeff Schultz
New NBA rule will rekindle fire for college game
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
I still love college basketball, but I’ve come to love it differently. I used to track it year-round. I used to get excited about recruiting and who signed whom. I used to compose a different preseason Top 25 every month of the summer. Now I just wait until November to see who shows up where.
The wave of early entry to the NBA chilled my ardor. I stopped taking recruiting seriously because all the big-name recruits were going pro anyway. The college game became, for me and for I’m guessing more than a few other folks, a seasonal thing. I loved it when it was actually being played, but I didn’t obsess on it when it wasn’t.
That could be subject to further change. The NBA’s new age limit — it’s 19, though I can’t imagine it will stand up in court when the inevitable challenge comes — will drive recruits back to campus. Already I’m looking forward to Greg Oden playing at Ohio State in a way I never looked forward to Dwight Howard or LeBron James or Louis Williams playing for any school. And Oden won’t be a Buckeye until next fall.
College basketball has taken a huge hit the last decade. There was a time when we looked forward to great regular-season matchups — Alcindor against Hayes in the Astrodome, Walton against Thompson in St. Louis, Sampson against Ewing in the Capital Centre — the way we anticipated the USC-Notre Dame football game a month ago. Early entry rendered the regular season almost a moot point. How do you look forward to something if you can’t name any of the participants?
The NCAA tournament never ceased being a Great Event, but the age limit — however long it holds up — figures to give college basketball a boost at a most significant moment. The 2006-07 regular season could be the one that makes us remember that there’s basketball being played before March.
Permalink | Comments (16) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Quick Hit
