Sunday 7s: Oct 25

1) One nine weeks down. Proud of a lot of things that are happening. Need to do some things better. Teach smarter, not harder. Blessed to be part of a great school. Here's our social studies department showing our support for cancer awareness. Haake didn't get the memo :)

2) I wonder if in a decade whether we'll look at the Bengazi hearings the way we view the McCarthy hearings of the 1941? Will Trey Gowdy be the modern McCarthy? If the goal is find Hillary of criminal charges, it seems that they are far from it. If their goal is to hurt her presidential campaign and smear her, they've seemingly failed there too.

3) World Series Prediction- Royals in 6. I've been way off on all my baseball stuff, so don't quote me on that.

4) a) Congratulations to my friends Emily and Aaron of Alaska and the birth of their new baby boy.

    b) Godspeed to my brother who left on Tuesday for a six month deployment to the Middle East.

5) Friday was a teacher workday for us. I went in at 5:30 and worked so I could leave early and take advantage of a beautiful fall afternoon and hit some trails before wrestling started. Hit some great Pisgah singletrack: Cove Creek, Daniel Ridge, Butter Gap. They had done some work at the top of Cove Creek and it's a great little change. Now you can ride a lot of it instead of dismounting for the creek crossings. Butter was so fun and we had a blast on Cat Gap trail. But my favorite part was stopping for a break and watching the leaves fall around us. It was tranquil and magical. Pisgah is a special place.

6) I've long said that Georgia Tech-Clemson in 2004 was the most improbable win I've ever witnessed live. Teams scored 5 touchdowns in the last 8 minutes. GT had 3 in the last four and half minutes. But all Clemson had to do, up by 3 points, was get a punt off with 23 seconds left and Tech having no time outs. But they didn't and the legend of Calvin Johnson was born:

   

Saturday was one of the most surreal sports moments of my fandom and may have topped 2004. Georgia Tech beat FSU on a miracle play. This GT team has gotten no breaks or balls bounce their way this season. But it finally happened last night. The place went crazy. When FSU lined up to kick, I figured we would lose then or lose in overtime. But crazy things happen in sports and this was one of the best. They're calling it the "Miracle on Techwood Drive":

It reminded me of the last time Georgia Tech hosted Florida State in 2008, a game I was also at. Down by 3, the Noles had the ball on the Tech 3 and looked sure to score. But Cooper Taylor was having none of it, stuck a helmet on the ball and caused a fumble. I remember screaming at the defense to fall on the ball because it looked like they were trying to pick it up. Thus the "Miracle on North Ave" was born:


And just because it's Florida State week and it's a great play from one of my all time favorite players, here's Josh Nesbitt fumbling the ball and stealing it back from the defense.

And since yesterday was a top 10 team coming to the Flats and a night game, it was a fantastic day of tailgating, including some friendly FSU fans joining us. I even got a nap in.

7) Apparently, there were other games played yesterday besides the GT one:

• Polls are starting to shape out better now that we've seen a body of work from teams, so I won't post an under rated or overrated opinion this week. I will say I feel vindicated. I've long said FSU is not a top ten team. Even if they won yesterday, I would have stood by that statement. 
• Top Seven: 1) Clemson 2) Ohio State 3) Baylor 4) TCU 5) LSU 6) Michigan State 7) Notre Dame

Sunday 7s: 9/20

1) Congratulations to my dear friend, colleague and former assistant track coach Audra King for being named Henderson County Public School's Exceptional Children's Educator of Excellence. It is a well deserved honor for someone who is humble, kind hearted and gracious at all times.

2) I did not see the Republican debate on CNN last Wednesday, but I read enough on it to know that I didn't learn a whole lot more about the front runners. They spent a lot of time criticizing the present administration, each other and repeating talking points. Nobody said anything that really made them stand out or I found informative. I have yet to hear, nor have they been pushed to present, their positions on education or foreign policy (building a wall is not foreign policy).

3) I saw something earlier this week on whether robots, as we improve artificial intelligence, deserve to be protected certain rights as all individuals. I still worry about a Terminator scenario where robots take over, but beyond that I worry for humanity. Technology has already detached us from each other in so many ways. We're on our screens more than we are having real interactions. Will people of the future choose robots for friends over having human friends?

4) Japan moving to remilitarization. It was kind of lost in the shuffle of events of the past week. It's not a done deal yet and passions are high on both sides, but this is kind of a big deal. This is the country that truly made World War II a global war, the world's third largest economy (prior to 2009, it was the world's second) and for over 70 years has taken a pacifist stance in a part of the world that includes Russia, North Korea and China. We'll see how this one plays out.

5) I had gate duty at the North Henderson Soccer game on Wednesday. It's a fierce rivalry and there's no love lost between the two schools in soccer.

• The good: Both teams played hard. It was a fundraiser night for FBLA and they were selling homemade tamales and horchata. Fantastic idea!
• The bad: We lost in overtime. We had to call the cops. The East fans got a unruly. Both sides were passionate and emotions high. Both schools had large students sections that went back and forth. The students were spirited and respectful on both sides. The coaches were classy. The parents, however, put a damper on the night. Be a fan, don't be obnoxious and disrespectful. 

6) Ride of the week: Dan Ruiz and I rode from Corn Mill Shoals parking lot, down US 276 past Ceasar's Head to HWY 11 and back. A total of 27 miles with about 3200 ft of total climbing. The descent from Ceasar's Head is one of my favorites. Almost 7 miles, nice sweepers with a few sharp switchbacks. The climb is long but never gets too steep or grueling. As a matter of fact, there is a part that "levels" out and lets you recover about halfway up. Surely, one of my favorite rides. I chose to ride back to my house from the car, adding another 33 miles to my day. Long day, good for my soul. We took a break at Bald Rock, where I got to take this picture of me messing around.

7) College Football thoughts:

• Notre Dame outclassed my Jackets in every way yesterday. It was an ugly showing for Tech fans. Notre Dame gets credit for being resilient, well coached and more emotional. That was a good football team who lost their original starters at QB and RB in the first two games of the season.
• Bad week to be Heang Uy: GT lost by 8, Elon lost 7-14 and the Dolphins lost by a field goal. At least the Panthers won. North Henderson had a bye week. The previous week, everyone of these teams won.
• When's the last time an Alabama team had 5 turnovers? Credit to Ole Miss, but even Alabama can't win by coughing up the ball that often. And the gods were on the Rebel's side. This play shows that:

• Overrated in this week's AP Poll: 
• FSU, 10- You can't tell me you watched FSU-BC on Friday or FSU the week before and thought you were watching the number 10 team in the country
• Missouri, 25- Sure they didn't lose, but narrowly beating Arkansas State and UConn doesn't cut it for me.
• Underrated:
• Alabama, 12- They did lose at home. But Ole Miss may be really, really good. They should stay in the top 10 and be ahead of both Florida State and Clemson
• BYU, 22- They lost by one point, on the road against a top 10 UCLA team and they drop three places. That makes no sense to me. 
• I have long said that preseason polls are stupid. I mean, Auburn was #6 preseason and those same polls are the only reason FSU and Mizzou are ranked where they are. Three weeks is about right to start having polls. That said, and based on what I've seen so far, here's how I'd rank the top 7: 1) Michigan State 2) Ole Miss 3) TCU 4) Ohio St 5) LSU 6) Notre Dame 7) Baylor 

Sunday Sevens

I'm going to try to to blog more so I'm starting what I'll call "Sunday Sevens". I used to do Sunday Observations, so this is not something totally new to the blog. Having something regular will help me get to the computer more. I'll miss weeks, but my goal is to blog at least weekly. It will be somewhat random, where I write some thoughts on what's going on in my life and the world around me that week. There are really no rules or format, I'll highlight some thoughts on work, church, play, sports, politics and the interesting things I read and see throughout the week.

So, here's the first ever "Sunday Sevens":

1) School year is off to a fantastic start. We had a great pep rally on Friday. There's a lot of spirit and great things happening at North Henderson. Even the freshmen got involved. Here they are, facing off with our seniors for the "Spirit Stick". The freshman are always so lame at pep rallies and this year's group is different. I love it.

2) Tuesday, I'll go to the funeral of a former student and athlete. Earlier this summer, I attended one for another student. People need to know they are loved.

3) September 11 is not in my curriculum, but we spent a class talking about it on Friday. It's amazing, because the kids I'm teaching don't really recall the day as they were 1-2 years old when it happened. Beginning next year, I'll be teaching students that were born after the event.

4) It's football season, and I went down to watch GT-Tulane yesterday. This Tech team is exciting. In the past, we'd play down to our opponents. So far, we've outscored inferior opponents 134-17 and had a chance to play lots of back ups. Lots of football to be played, but the Tech fans are hopeful. Here's the obligatory me sleeping at tailgate pics. There's literally a decade worth of these somewhere.

5) Speaking of football, here are this week's thoughts on today's AP rankings. It's too early for me to rank teams, but I can tell you who I think is overranked and underranked:

• Overranked: Georgia (7) and FSU (10)- these teams have done nothing to show me that they belong in the top ten. FSU's offense is a mess outside of Cook. UGa's QB looked shaky yesterday. They may end up fine, but based on two weeks I think they are more mid teens than top ten.
• Underranked: Northwestern (23) and Duke (NR). Shout out to the nerds. Northwestern only blanked Eastern Illinois yesterday 41-0 to follow their upset of Stanford. I'd have Northwestern just inside the top 20. I get that Duke has played patsies, but they've handled them well, Cutcliffe can coach and they have some players. I don't see how they've only got one vote. That's the disrespect these schools get since they are not traditional powers or in the SEC.

6) Two close brushes that fortunately turned out okay for me:

• Friday, I was riding down Laurel Park Highway from Jump Off Rock on my bike. Was looking at something left and next thing I know, I'm off the road into the grass. All that mountain biking I've done helped, even though I was on my road bike. I balanced the bike with my body while I slowed the bike, kept everything upright and hopped back onto the pavement. I was shaken up because I knew, at the speeds I was at, that had there been a mailbox or fence there, it could have really ruined my weekend.
• Today, coming back from Atlanta, I was passing a tractor trailer. Next thing I know, it's coming left, into my lane. I can't believe it. I steer left and honk, but it doesn't hear me. It comes all the way into my lane. I was pushed off the road, since the left side didn't have a very wide shoulder. I slowed down, but was still driving in the grass at 50-60 MPH. Again, fortunately, there not a barrier or fence there. I'm glad I didn't panic and swerve hard or brake hard, I think that would have had worse results. I got off at the next exit and checked out my tires and suspension. All seems well, but could have been worse. Thank the Lord I wasn't on the motorcycle.

7) When I arrived at Paul's house in Atlanta on Friday, he turned on the old Nintendo and we played some Super Mario 3. We died pretty quickly in Giant Land. Forgot how hard some levels were on that game. Then I read that today is the 30th birthday of Super Mario Bros. Between this and the fact that my students don't remember 9/11, I'm feeling old.

Snow Image/"Good Word"

I stumbled across this on the Georgia Tech message board and had to share:

College Football

Quick thoughts on college football now that the season is over:

- Alabama is really good. Could be better next year. But there will always be the "what if" Colt McCoy did not get hurt.

- Georgia Tech laid another egg in the bowl. Last year, LSU just ran off lots of points and forced them into a different gameplan. This year, Iowa did a wonderful job on defense avoiding the cut blocks and staying on their feet. Iowa with a healthy Ricky Stanzi plays in the Rose Bowl.

- Losing their top receiver (Demaryius Thomas), best running back (Jonathan Dwyer), best defensive player (Derrick Morgan) and best defensive back (Morgan Burnett) as juniors to the NFL really hurts Tech. We'll see what kind of coach Paul Johnson is.

- I want Tim Tebow to be successful in the NFL. His throwing motion is horribly inefficient, but the knock on Phillip Rivers when he came out of NC State is that he had terrible form too. Now he is an All-Pro.

- Lots of people thought that Boise State vs TCU was boring. I did not watch the game, but if the uniforms said Florida and Alabama instead of Boise State and TCU, everyone would be raving about what a great SEC defensive struggle it was.

- If you are against a playoff in college football, please do not ever say that the regular season is the playoff or that a playoff diminishes the regular season. If every game mattered, then undefeated TCU, Boise State or Cincinnati would have had a shot. Tell me strength of schedule matters and common opponents matter, but every game does not matter. Otherwise, a team that wins every game would get a chance to compete for a national championship.

Can't wait until next season. Go Jackets!

Josh Nesbitt II

Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published this piece today. Since I beat him to the piece with my previous blog entry, perhaps the AJC will consider putting me on their payroll. He even used my adjective "warrior":

Josh Nesbitt: ‘Warrior’ quarterback becomes Tech folk hero

Actually, it's a good read.

Josh Nesbitt

Josh Nesbitt will not win the Heisman trophy. He is not going to garner lots of accolades for his passing skills. When talking about great college quarterbacks this year, his name will probably not come up. As a matter of fact, he spent the early part of the season being ripped by Georgia Tech fans for being inadequate as a passer.

Josh Nesbitt is a warrior. He is a great leader. He plays quarterback in an offense where quarterbacks take a beating. He gets hit a lot. He is tough. Josh almost single handledly beat Boston College last year. He was one of the main reasons Georgia Tech nearly beat Virginia Tech last season. And this year, he put the Yellow Jackets on his back and helped carry the team to victory over a very emotion Florida State team.
This clip exemplies the competitor that Josh Nesbitt is. After Florida State picks up the fumbled pitch, Nesbitt rips the ball back in perhaps the most important play of the game. It's incredible. It's very gutsy. But gutsy is Josh Nesbitt.

A few plays later, he scores on this 22 yard touchdown run: a run that would not have existed had he not stripped the ball from the FSU defender.

Football Notes

Georgia Tech vs Clemson was another amazing game in the rivalry. When Tech got up 24-0, the game should have been over. But this is Tech-Clemson and we have to play a close game. Lots of credit goes to the Tigers for not backing down and quitting. Good game, glad we came out on top.

Tech's 30-27 win continues a long streak of close and exciting games. Clemson did blow Tech out 39-3 in 2003 and 31-7 in 2006, but here are the margins of victory in the series since 1996: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (OT in 2001), 5, 36 in '03, 4, 1, the 24 debacle in 2006, 10, 4, 3.

Besides 2003, 06 and 07, 11 of the 14 games have been decided by less than 5 points. The total margin of victory in those 11 games was 35 points. Let me say that again, 11 games decided by a combined 35 points. If there is a series that has been tighter and more exciting that Tech-Clemson in the past 15 years, I want to see it.

It's always the game I circle on my calendar, I would have gone if it were not a Thursday nighter. Last year, after we left with an ugly 4 point victory, my friend Paul said anytime Tech leaves Clemson with a win is a good day. Same for last Thursday, I'll take it.

Scott Blair was the hero of the game with this great play call and later the game winning field goal. Watch it if you haven't seen it:


Read my Tech-Clemson blog entries from last year:

Clemson
Death Valley Memories
Georgia Tech-Clemson

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I think I am going to try out for the Panther's quarterback job. The travesty is that Carolina extended Jake Delhomme's contract and did not bring in a bonifide challenger to force Delhomme to be better or be benched. Three quarterbacks-- Jason Campbell (Redskins), Kerry Collins (Titans) and Chad Pennington (Dolphins)-- had fewer turnovers in a SEASON starting EVERY game for their team last year than Delhomme's 9 in his last two games. [Thanks to Peter King for that tidbit of informtaion]

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Who would you rather quarterback your team: Jake Delhomme or Univ or Tennessee's Jonathan Crompton?
Combined stats this weekend: 20/43, 172 yds, 0 TD, 7 INT, 1 fumble lost.
New Orleans Saint Drew Brees stats (all by himself): 26/34, 358 yds, 6 TD, 1 INT.

It's like asking which leg would you rather cut off or which of your children is prettier? You can't win either way.

Gameday Kickoff

At long last, college football has arrived. What a great weekend. My friend Paul was driving home from the Georgia Tech-Jacksonville State game and, since I could not make the game, was giving me his take. Well, he took a wrong turn and ended up downtown. There were a lot of people there for both the Alabama-Virginia Tech game and the 2009 version of Dragon*con.

"It's a real freak show down here", Paul said over the phone. My mind started racing as I processed what was the freak show:

Dragon*con-


Virginia Tech-


Alabama-


I vote Alabama fans. And I'm not changing my vote.

Other college football observations:

- I hate it for Sam Bradford. Good kid who came back to school rather than be a top 10 NFL Draft pick. Hope he heals quickly.

- NC State-South Carolina made me want to gouge my eyes out. Miami-Florida State had me glued to the screen.

- I was very impressed by the quarterback from Baylor, Robert Griffin.

- I hope Boise State and BYU both go undefeated.

- I still think they are the best team and should be ranked #1, but Florida's nonconference schedule includes the likes of Charleston Southern, Troy, Florida International (and Florida State). I used to diss Virginia Tech for their easy out of conference schedule, but now they are scheduling Alabama and Nebraska. Come on Gators, play some real schools.

- Georgia Tech is good, but we are going to need to be really, really good and at the top of our game every week to beat Clemson, Miami, UNC, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Georgia. Despite their mediocre showing last week, the ACC has several good teams (and a few really, really bad ones).

Sunday Observations - Apr 19

- Spring Break is over. It was low key, but it was good. I mean, I got in 3 bicycle rides, 2 motorcycle rides, 2 rounds of golf, 1 night of Quizzo, 1 College Football Spring Game, 2 pounds of crawfish, a great cookout and 1/2 of my house cleaner than it was before.

- Speaking of the Spring Game, made it to Atlanta for Tech's T-Day game. Gold defeated White 31-28. It was a sloppy game. First play was a fumble. It kinda of set the tone for the rest of the game.Offense made some good plays, even without Josh Nesbitt playing and Jonathan Dwyer Demaryius Thomas getting limited reps. Defense was okay. Special teams atrocious. The Spring Game is just a glorified scrimmage, but for a fanatic like me, it's a fabulous football fix in between the bowl games and the start of the season in August.
- Part of my weekend in Atlanta entailed going to the High Museum and seeing the First Emperor exhibit. China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, was a brutal tyrant who basically conscripted an entire nation to either work on his Great Wall, his Burial Tomb inside manmade Mount Li, or a vast army of clay that were to guard his tomb in the afterlife.
Despite being a ruthless despot, Qin managed to unify feudal China, standardize writing, weights, and measure. Qin (pronounced chin) left a lasting legacy through his unfication of China and this incredible terra cotta army.

- If you are in Midtown Atlanta, you have to eat at the Flying Biscuit. It has been a longtime favorite of mine.
- I sat at the bar in the Flying Biscuit and talked to a guy from Colorado named Richard. He worked in the tea industry was in Atlanta for a coffee convention. How do you get a job where you fly around the world tasting coffee? Sign me up!

- Did you know that the NBA is having a playoff? It's dumb that their first round games are best of 7 series. The whole thing takes to long. Make the first round best of 3. Then it would be more interesting!

Crush of the Week:
Read this entry from my friend Kate. I agree. Michelle Obama does the whole role of first lady well. She's classy, smart and was a hit with the Queen Mum. I like her. She's this week's crush.

Sunday Observations - Nov 30

Today is the last day of November. Here are my observations this Sunday:

1) Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I have a lot to be thankful for.

2) This story made me sad. What have we come to?

3) To each their own, but two things you will not find me doing: 1) Getting up at 2:00 in the morning to stand in line for sales on Black Friday and 2) Getting up at 2:00 in the morning to go into the woods and sit in a tree.

4) Georgia Tech broke their 7 year losing streak to rival Georgia yesterday. What a great victory for the White and Gold. The Triple Option is back. Georgia had two weeks to prepare and still gave up 409 yards on the ground.

5) Speaking of rivalries and since this was rivalry week in college football, here are my favorite rivalry games:
- Army-Navy: No BCS implications, but I do love the tradition and gallantry of this game. And try telling anyone from West Point or Annapolis that this game doesn't matter...
- Oklahoma-Texas: Neutral site every year (Cotton Bowl during Texas State Fair), cool name (Red River Shootout) and long tradition make this a great rivalry.
- Georgia Tech-Georgia: To Hell With Georgia!
- Michigan-Ohio State: Another great interstate rivalry. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, this one has recently been dominated by the Buckeyes.
- Harvard-Yale: Again, not a game with National Championship implications, but it's a big game for these two storied universities and, dating to 1875, the oldest rivalry in college football.

6) I slept through church today. It was the second week in a row. Wrestling season takes a physical toll on me. It's pretty exhausting. Last Saturday, I was up at 3:30, our bus left at 5:00 to be in Boone by 7:30 for weigh-ins. Tournament over about 8:30 and we were home around 11:30. Yesterday, I was up at 5:44, to the school a little before 7:00 to get ready for the North Knight Invitation that we host every year. The tournament ran smooth because there were lots of amazing people who helped, but I'm not sure I sat more than 15 minutes total the entire day. After closing up, home around 11:00.

7) Speaking of which, I would be remiss if I did not mention all the people who helped make the tournament run so well. I get lots of compliments on how well things run, but I'm not sure people notice all the great help that's around me:

John Williams threw together the JV tournament with no practice; Jason Joyce running the computer; Ivy Ducker put together the best hospitality room around (no joke, that's from other coaches and officials); David and Linda Bradley running the concession stand; former wrestlers like Mikey, Larry and Wayn-O coming back to help; former scorekeeper Stacey filling out the wall charts; current team members helping at tables running a clock or scoring; various parents asking where they can be of assistance. Once again, I am full of thanks.

Man-Crush of the Week:
Paul Johnson, Head Football Coach, Georgia Institute of Technology. He's converted me. I wasn't sure of his ability to win or be the right guy for the job, but the man can coach. And I think I am in love. He did something Chan Gailey (another coach I have tremendous respect for) never did in seven years: beat Georgia. Gailey's 0-7 record against their rival probably sealed his fate more than anything.

Tech this year looks well coached, makes good adjustments and is the youngest team in the ACC. The losses were not a product of the system or the coaching, it was GT shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers. The Triple Option has yielded success against good defenses and there is still more to be revealed. The future looks bright and Coach Johnson is leading the Jackets there.

Sunday Observations - Nov 22

1) Wrestling season kicked off for the Knights. We travelled to Boone for the Old Appalachian Invitational at Watauga High School. Knights finished 15th, but I was really proud of the effort by my young kids. We were missing a few key individuals, so when we get to full strength, I'll be really excited.


2) Did anyone see Georgia Tech annihilate Miami on Thursday night? What an amazing display of offense. Over 500 yards total offense and we only passed 7 times! Jonathan Dwyer (#21 below, on his 58 yard TD run) ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on only one half of play. 9 Jackets had carries, the top 4 were Dwyer, QB Josh Nesbitt (93 yds), RB Roddy Jones (97) and RB Lucas Cox (78). Even the backup QB had 45 yards rushing.
The only way we can get to the ACC Championship game is for Virginia to lose (thanks Clemson), North Carolina to lose (I love NC State!) and Virginia Tech to lose (come on, Duke). Needless to say, I'll be cheering for the Cavaliers against the Hokies on Saturday.

3) Today was the 2nd Annual Turkey Bowl. The frisbee crew that I play with gets together and plays flag football right before Thanksgiving. It was good times. The final score was 44-44. Really, it ended in a tie! Good times! Jennifer Pharr Davis, to go with her Person of the Year Award, was also selected Turkey Bowl MVP and gets to keep the sweet trophy until next year.


4) One of the most overlooked parts of football is the extra point/field goal. In the Turkey Bowl, we kicked PATs with no rush and made less than half the attempts. The idea of kicking the football through the uprights with the game on the line has new meaning and respect. The snap, catch, hold and kick have to be perfect... all with 11 very large and angry guys trying to block it. Next time you see that in a football game, have respect. It's hard.

Crush of the Week: Josh Nesbitt, QB Georgia Tech. Dwyer ran for all the yards and he's the best running back in the ACC, but Nesbitt is the catalyst that makes the triple option work. And he's a warrior. The guy always falls forward when he gets hit, plays injured and displays a tremendous amount of heart. He just guts and wills his way to yards. His legs defeated Boston College and almost beat Virginia Tech. Look up warrior in the dictionary and there's a picture of Nesbitt.

If I were president

President-elect Obama wants College Football to institute a playoff to replace the flawed BCS. I would like to see that happen. I would also pass a new law that no more teams can do white-outs/black-out/whatever-color-outs.

Georgia Tech Athletics is pushing for a white-out against Miami tonight. All fans wear white. Some are against it, even though white is one of Tech's school colors (if I had a daughter, sir, I dress her in white and gold/And put her on the campus To cheer the brave and bold).

I just think the idea is stupid. It's gotten out of hand too. Too many schools are doing it and it's not cool. Georgia got hammered by Alabama when they had their "blackout" and Florida State always plays like they are a JV team when they do a blackout (see the Boston College game last Saturday).

My legislation would say: No more color outs except:
Penn State, the originator of the white-out. Few things are more amazing than to see Beaver Stadium at capacity (107,282), all their fans in white.

Texas Tech, if they can blackout like they did against Texas, are good to go (sorry, no good pics to be found).

Texas A&M can do their red, white and blue-out.

Everthing else is off limits. No more blackouts at Doak Campbell or Stanford Stadium. No white outs at Bobby Dodd, Kenan Memorial or Bryant-Denny. No orange outs at Clemson Memorial or Neyland. I'm the president and I say so.

Georgia Tech-FSU Highlights

Georgia Tech versu Florida State on November 1 was exciting to the finish. Tech had lost the previous 12 games against the Seminoles and when the Noles converted 4th and 6, down by 3 points, I thought we were going to lose another one. When FSU marched to the redzone, I was sure that the game was over. When Marcus Sims took the handoff on 2nd and Goal from the 3 yard line, I wanted to close my eyes. Instead of a defensive stop or a touchdown, I saw the ball come flying into the air-- it was a FUMBLE! You gotta hear Wes Durham call it and see it replayed if you missed it the first time (watch it just to see the stunned reactions of the FSU fans).

Never too young to tailgate: the Forstner twins

Too much garnet in the North Endzone

Go Jackets!

Rushing the field: Tech's first defeat of FSU since 1975.

Atlanta Skyline from East Stands


Celebrating on the field and "Budweiser Song"

Final Score!

Man-Crush of the Week: Mains

When I looked over the Georgia Tech football schedule this summer, I was not really impressed with our home slate. But I did see Florida State and thought that would be a great game, especially if one of my favorite persons would make the drive to Atlanta with me. Dave was raised a Seminole in Tallahassee and even tried out for the football team at FSU. His wife, Candi, is awesome and his son, Walker, is one of my buddies, so I am a fan of the Mains household.

We had a great time. Tailgate was fun, Dave even bought a Tech shirt because he was paranoid about being "that guy". No decent person wants to be a guest and be a jerk at the same time. It was a close and exciting game that was not decided until Seminole fullback Marcus Sim's fumble on the Tech goal line with 45 seconds left was recovered by the Jackets to preserve a 3 point victory.

Dave's this week's crush. One of the most dependable and nicest guys you'll ever meet. Great football coach and wrestling coach (though retired from wrestling) and a superb math teacher (Apple Valley teacher of the year a few years ago). Two words for Mains: "Go Jackets!"

The bad: When I committed to this weekend, I didn't check my calendar. I double booked on top of the wedding of my dear friends Jeff and Anna Plack and also missed the State Cross Country meet for the first time in 6 years. The Lady Knights finished 4th in the state despite not having their best day of racing.

Georgia Tech-Clemson

My dear Alaska friend Emily, a Clemson fan, commented in response to the "Death Valley Memories" post that I should talk about the Tech-Clemson series in Atlanta. While I have only missed one Tech-Clemson game in Clemson over the last 10 years, I've made far fewer games in Atlanta (just 2005 and 2007). But the rivalry is still great and the games close and exciting. Whether the games are played at Howard Field in Memorial Stadium or at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Grant Field, you are going to get some awesome football!

A few notes on what I consider to be the most competitive rivalry in the ACC:

- Georgia Tech leads the overall series 42-24-2

- The last 10 years, Tech leads 6-4. GT has won won 4 of the last 5 (including last Saturday's game)

- There have only been two blowouts in the series in the past 10 years and Clemson won both: 39-3 on 2003 and 31-7 in 2006

- Besides the two games above and Tech's 13-3 victory in 2007, all games since 1996 have been decided by 5 or fewer points.

Here's a summary of the series (thanks to Ken Sugiura and Larry Hartstein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution):

2007: Tech 13, Clemson 3 (at Tech)—- Tech hands No. 13 Tigers their first loss; Clemson misses four field goals.

2006: Clemson 31, Tech 7 —- Doug-lass High grad James Davis has 216 rushing yards, two touchdowns in meeting of top 15 teams.

2005: Tech 10, Clemson 9 —- The Jackets twice deny Clemson deep in their own territory in the fourth quarter.

2004: Tech 28, Clemson 24 —- Calvin Johnson’s two touchdown catches in final two minutes erase 10-point deficit.

2003: Clemson 39, Tech 3 —- Largest margin in the series since 1944.

2002: Clemson 24, Tech 19 —- Late interception of A.J. Suggs spoils comeback try.

2001: Clemson 47, Tech 44 (OT) —- Woody Dantzler’s touchdown run ends it as Tigers upset No. 9 Jackets.

2000: Tech 31, Clemson 28 —- Kerry Watkins makes one-handed TD grab with 7 seconds left in upset of No. 4 Tigers.

1999: Tech 45, Clemson 42 —- Joe Hamilton smokes Tigers for 410 yards of offense, five touchdown passes.

1998: Tech 24, Clemson 21 —- Hamilton leads last-minute comeback capped by Joe Burns’ touchdown run.

1997: Tech 23, Clemson 20 —- Harvey Middleton’s diving 39-yard catch sets up Brad Chambers’ game-winning kick.

1996: Clemson 28, Tech 25 —- Raymond Priester’s 175 rushing yards lift Clemson.

Death Valley Memories

As stated in my previous post, games at Clemson Memorial Stadium (aka Death Valley) against Tech are usually memorable. Here is a rundown of the games I've attended over the last 10 years, almost all remarkable:

1998:
Tigers up 21-17 in 4th quarter. Tech gets ball back with two and a half minutes left. Joe Hamilton gets Tech to the Clemson 4 on two big passes and then Joe Burns runs it in and breaks Clemson heart. Tech 24, Clemson 21.

2000:
Clemson is ranked #4 in the country. They took a 24-28 lead off a Willie Simmons TD pass with 1:52 left and seemingly putting the game out of reach. With only 7 seconds left, Geroge Godsey threw a 16 yard pass that Kerry Watkins acrobatically caught with ONE hand to ruin Clemson's national title hopes. Final 31-28 TECH.

2002:
The "Monsoon" game. It rained the whole game. Not just any rain, but torrential and persistent. I was in the upper deck with nowhere to hide and loving football too much to seek shelter. I've never been wetter in my life. Add to that a 24-19 loss, it was not my favorite night in Clemson.

2004:
Calvin's coming out party. Unranked Tech is making a visit to #18 Clemson. 5 touchdowns in the last 8:19, lots of huge plays and one of the most exciting and unpredictable games I've ever witnessed live. Check this breakdown:
8:19 remaining - Reggie Merriweather runs from 62 yards out to give Clemson a 17-7 lead. Still time though...
4:36 - Reggie Ball finds Levon Thomas for a 19 yard touchdown pass and now Tech is only down by a field goal.
3:18 - The Jackets defense allows Kyle Browning to run from 54 yards out and Clemson is up by 10 again.
1:50 - Reggie Ball caps a 8 play drive with a 8 yard pass to freshman phenom Calvin Johnson, his second TD reception of the night.
:23 seconds left - Clemson, up by 3 just has to punt and play prevent defense. They botch the punt!!! Tech gets the ball at the Clemson 10 with a chance to score or kick a field goal to send the game into overtime.
:11 seconds left - Calvin Johnson catches his THIRD touchdown of the night!! The legend is born, Tech wins 28-24 and I witnessed one of the most amazing games ever.


2006:
I missed this game because I was at my 10 year high school reunion. Good thing, Tech got creamed 31-7.

2008:
See previous post.

Looking forward to 2010...

Clemson

Clemson Memorial Stadium and Howard's Rock

Our prime tailgating spot

The view from the Upper Deck

Perhaps my favorite game every year is Georgia Tech-Clemson. Rankings don't matter because when these two teams play, it is often entertaining and memorable. I was at Clemson Memorial Stadium today for another game. Though Clemson is going through a lot of turmoil with this week's firing of Tommy Bowden, an interim coach and new quarterback, the game was not decided until Clemson's final pass was intercepted by Morgan Burnett to end the game and secure Tech's 21-17 victory.

I love coming to Death Valley because I know it's going to be good, competitive football. Sure, the orange annoys me and so does the "C-L-E-M-S-O----N" chant (my least favorite chant in the world), but the tailgating is always good, the girls pretty and the games sometimes amazing. Even today's game, though Tech forced 6 turnovers and Clemson had all the off field distractions was much closer than I would of liked it to be. It was an ugly victory, but as my friend Paul wisely said, "Anytime you leave Clemson with a win, it's a good day."

I was sitting beside this kid (Tech fan from Gwinnett) and he was cracking me up with his sarcasm and annoyance at all things Clemson. He told me he learned two things today: what a tiger sounds like (in reference to the Tiger growl/purr/meow that incessantly gets played during the games) and how to spell Clemson (see previous paragraph referencing my least favorite chant).

Crush of the Week: Bay-Bay

So Georgia Tech quarterback Jaybo Shaw completed 9 out of 13 passes for 230 yards in GT's 27-0 shutout of Duke. Tech redshirt sophomore receiver Demaryius (Bay-Bay) Thomas caught 9 passes for 230 yards. In other words, all the passes caught and receiving yards gained by the Yellow Jackets was by one player. I cannot think of a time when one player accounted for all his team's receiving yards. It wasn't just his stats either, the 6-3 receiver showed great hands, leaping abilities and speed. He made a great leaping catch between two defenders that reminded me of the days Calvin Johnson was on the Flats, his screen pass from the Tech 2 yard line should have been tackled for a loss, and then there was the wide open 88 yard touchdown reception that put the game further out of reach. Remember Bay-Bay, because he has great potential, even in Paul Johnson's option offense and because he's this week's crush.

Near Crushes:
Sarah Palin: I sure do like the way she winks at me and talks like she knows me. Doesn't mean I'll necessarily vote for the vice presidential nominee's ticket, but sure can crush on her.
Barack Obama: the presidential candidate stumped in Asheville today. ASHEVILLE, NC!! Like it or not, North Carolina matters. I'm not telling you how to vote, I'm just asking that you vote-- your vote matters!