Out of Bounds

New Stadium for the Falcons?

House Bill 903 details taxes to be levied on hotels and motels in an unspecified county in Georgia to help fund a brand new “multi purpose domed facility”, i.e. a new stadium for the Falcons.

The bill was introduced in January by Rep. Mark Burkhalter. Burkhalter is the District 50 representative from Johns Creek, Ga., a district that happens to include parts of Fulton County. Needless to say, his district has a lot to gain if a new structure is built – Fulton County would most likely be the home of the new facility, meaning a substantial portion of the hotel and motel tax money would be generated through the Red Roofs and Super 8′s of Fulton County.

But the rest of Georgia loses. We all get caught up in the hoopla of “new, state of the art” stadiums. Retractable roofs, super mega jumbotrons, and ergonomic seating seem on the surface to be a major upgrade from what is now, apparently in some eyes, relic of a stadium in the Georgia Dome. We, the Georgia tax payer, will be footing the bill for what would range anywhere from a quarter billion dollars to possibly $1 1/2 billion. The Georgia Dome cost a shade under $250 billion when you factor in the improvements from the past few years.  If you compare that to the newest two football homes in the NFL, it is but a drop in the bucket.

The Dallas Cowboys new facility opened in 2009 sporting a cost of $1.3 BILLION. That pales in comparison to the new Meadowlands, with a price tag of a whopping $1.6 BILLION!

You could build a new Georgia Dome inside Cowboys Stadium, and still have $50 million in the bank before you matched the Meadlowlands cost!

Suprisingly, the bill was met with very little opposition in either the House or the Senate, garnering over 70% at each read through. These men and women who respresent us must see the Georgia Dome every once in a while during their trips to A-town for legislative sessions. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT! In fact, in the few times I’ve seen games inside the Dome, from lower level to up in the rafters, I haven’t had a bad seat.

The Georgia Dome is fine. It works. It still looks good. It’s hard to believe it’s almost 20 years old – a testament to the fact that a new facility is NOT needed!

“If you build it they will come”. Thanks Kevin Costner. That line of thought has deterred Georgia Legislators from figuring out a way to lower the unemployment rate or improve education, cut down crime or feed the hungry. Instead, taxing Georgians (the base of the Falcon’s fans), and building a new Dome that is nowhere near needed.

That is, unless they write a bill stating the Georgia Dome be turned into an unemployment office/charter school/jail house/soup kitchen.

Read the bill HERE

Has Talent in the Big 12 Surpassed That of the SEC?

If you watched the 1st round of the NFL draft, or even just read about it, you’ve heard several Big 12 draftees talk confidently how it means the conference is vastly underrated, and should be considered the best in college football. Five of the first six selected yesterday were from the conference, with two of the 1st three coming from Oklahoma. That must mean their conference is the best right?

Absolutely NOT!

#1 Overall Pick Sam Bradford

“I know the Big 12 has been getting a lot of slack lately,” Number 1 overall pick Sam Bradford said. “People for some reason didn’t think that we played much football in the Big 12 and sure didn’t think we played much defense, so for two defensive tackles to go in the first three picks is a credit to the Big 12.”

Sorry Sammy, it’s a credit to those players. Said two defensive tackles came from OU and Nebraska, teams which were a combined 18-11 last season.

McCoy Taken 3rd

“It’s insane isn’t it?” Gerald McCoy said with a huge smile. “We can’t play football in the Big 12, but the first four picks went out the Big 12? Mmmmm — three of ‘em from Oklahoma, by the way.”

Yeah, Ger, crazy. Oh yeah, and Oklahoma went 8 and 5 last year. Great players, but not a great team.

Nebraska’s out of conference games last year featured powerhouses FAU and Arkansas St. Their lone out of conference game during the regular season against another BCS conference school was against Virginia Tech. Anyone remember who won that game?

Oklahoma split their out of conference games, 2 wins to 2 losses. The wins came against Idaho St. and Tulsa. The losses? ACC team Miami, and BYU. So, once again, winless against BCS conference schools.

The point is, this was a great draft year for individual players from the Big 12. It’s not indicative of the overall team play of the conference. Three other Big 12 teams with players drafted in the 1st frame -  Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Texas. The Longhorns were conference champs last year, and only had one (1) player drafted in the first round.

More proof that there were some great football players in the Big 12, but not necessarily great football.

Decision Time for Thompkins

The time is finally here when Georgia basketball fans will be able to let out a collective sigh of relief…or groan of disappointment.

Trey Thompkins is close to making his announcement on whether he’s decided to hang around Athens for another year, or bolt early  for the NBA draft. Thompkins is reportedly making his announcement Friday. I don’t expect anything flashy, just a “here’s what I’ve decided”.  Will his decision be a wise one?

I have no doubt that whatever he decides, he will be successful. There are a few factors I do hope he’s considering though throughout this process. No doubt he’s an NBA talent, but no doubt, there are several others with more NBA talent.

I’m no draft expert, but at this point, I would have Thompkins going somewhere in 2nd round, which is quite an accomplishment. If he decides to stay in college for another year, I could see him moving into the 1st, possibly as high as a lottery pick, which will mean millions more on his contract.

I think there are just too many players as talented, or moreso, in this years draft. With other early defections such as DeMarcus Cousins from Kentucky and Derrick Favors from Georgia Tech are sure to be more coveted than Thompkins. More underclassmen who will rate around or above Thompkins include Wesley Johnson from Syracuse, Al-Farouq Aminu from Wake Forest, and Patrick Patterson from Kentucky. That’s FIVE players at the same position that could go ahead of Thompkins in the draft. There are probably more.

On top of that, he must also consider the other players in the draft that are just too good to pass up if available. John Wall and Evan Turner would almost assuredly be picked before Trey Thompkins if he were to decide to jump ship early.

It’s a story similar to former UGA safety Rashad Jones – lots of talent, but not the most talented. Jones opted out of his senior year of football for the NFL draft. He will be drafted in a couple of weeks, but not as high as he could have been if he stayed in school another year. And that’s simply because of more talented players leaving college early.

Thomkins is in the same situation. He’ll do himself a huge favor by staying for his Junior year at Georgia.

He’ll be doing the Dawgs a favor as well.

“What are you gonna do now that you’ve won the Masters?”

The common response is “Disneyland”. Not the case with Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson packed up the kids, donned his brand new Green Jacket, and stopped off at the Krispy Kreme on Washington road.

A “Tweeter” even got a snapshot –

Priceless pic, considering how Phil has always seems to be battling his weight. This would be like getting a shot of Tiger at a brothel, or a pic of John Daly leaving the Highlander!

And to think, I always thought Phil just had a glandular problem.

Click here for more!!!

Who Will Be Your QB? – CU Edition

After watching and reading and listening to three different spring football games this weekend, I’ve got more questions than answers regarding who will open the 2010 season at quarterback for Clemson, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Clemson’s QB situation shouldn’t even qualify as a situation. But, when you are as good of an athlete as Kyle Parker, these kinds of things happen.

Parker throwing passes

Not only does Parker take snaps for the Tigers on fall Saturdays, he also fields fly balls in the Clemson outfield in the Spring. And he’s good. Really good.

Good enough to be mentioned as a high round draft pick in the upcoming June Major League Baseball draft. That’s where the questions begin.

Swingin' for the fences

Will Parker stick around for football, or take the money and run towards the dream of playing in the majors? That’s a question we don’t know the answer to. And, we probably won’t know the answer to that until we find exactly how high Kyle Parker is drafted.

So, let’s get plan B ready, just in case. There’s Willy Korn…no, not anymore. Korn transferred out of Clemson in the winter. I’m sure he’s kicking himself for that one right now.

Like their arch rival in Columbia, Clemson doesn’t have any proven depth on their roster at the most important position on the field. That’s why it is paramount the Tigers know at least which way Parker is leaning from moment to moment. Literally, if KP decides one morning over breakfast he wants to play football, then change his mind after lunch, he should call Dabo at the second he has those feelings.

Clemson's next QB...Your guess is as good as mine

Unfortunately, though, for the Tigers, they won’t know anything for sure until Parker takes the first snap this fall. It is also unfortunate for Clemson that Parker won’t have to make a decision immediately regarding baseball. Contract negotiations could buy him weeks to hash out what he wants to do.

Hopefully Dabo is being proactive and getting someone ready to fill Kyle Parker’s cleats (the football ones). If not, it could be a long season in Tiger Town.

The Circus is in Town….First Show – 2 p.m.

The most gentlmenly of games, the most pristine of courses. The most frenzied media since Buckwheat got shot. Unless Tiger Woods can pull of the improbable victory after his four-month hiatus from golf, that’s what will be remembered most. 

Tiger made his way onto the practice range Sunday at the Augusta National; his every move recorded by cameras from around the world. Every move the four time Masters champ made yesterday has been dissected and disseminated across the world by various news and media outlets. He wore a lavender colored shirt. He has grown a goatee. He shook hands with other golfers. Et cetera.  

Not once have I heard how he hit the ball on the range. Is there any rust showing in his game? Did he practice his putting? I really don’t have a clue. 

Thanks to the media, this Masters Tournament has the beginnings of being nothing short of an absolute circus. The first show will be at 2pm today, when Tiger holds his press conference. It will undoubtedly be a session consisting of the same question and answers we’ve all heard already, and for the majority of the questions Woods will give the same answer – “no comment”. 

But the media isn’t totally to blame. We, the fans, are just as guilty as making this a bigger spectacle than it should be. We won’t follow our usual favorite golfer, or even the leader for that matter. No, we will be like the circus lions, with every swing of Tiger’s club acting as a trainers whip demanding we follow his every move. And like a well-trained beast, we will obey. 

The only thing I can think of that will make this media/fan fanatical display even more over the top would be if Tiger is in contention on Sunday. As always with Tiger Woods, you never count him out until the final putt on the final hole. 

Masters Week in Augusta has officially begun. Excitement is in the air, but for the wrong reasons. Usually, the circus is held at the James Brown Arena. This week, the host is the Augusta National Golf Club. 

Time to send in the clowns.

Don’t muff it!

Even the best coaches are prone to making bad mistakes from time to time. Pete Carroll’s 4th and one with Reggie Bush on the sideline against Texas in 2005 jumps out as one of those “what was he thinking” moments. Georgia coach Mark Richt is not immune to these types of  mistakes either.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Richt has been questioned about quite a few things during his tenure at UGA. Directional kickoffs, loyalty to older players ,and being more of a friend than a boss to assistant coaches are a few flaws fans have pointed out over the years. But coach Richt could be on the verge of making one of the most colossial gaffes of his career – naming A.J. Green the starting punt returner.

Green has been working out in spring practice fielding punts, along with several other players. With only one returning player with return experience (Logan Grey, who’s battling for the starting quarterback job), the race is wide open.

There is almost no argument against Green being the most dynamic player for the Bulldogs in the last 27 years. Coincidentally, proponents of the move will point to the early 80′s and Herschel Walker as proof that it’s not a bad idea. While that may be agreeable to some extent, you have to remember the person you’re referring to. Herschel Walker was the biggest, strongest, and fastest player on the field everytime he walked into a stadium. He didn’t absorb a lot of the punishment today’s players do, basically, because he was the big kid on the block who dished it out.

Make no mistake, A.J. Green is a phenom, but nowhere in the same stratosphere physically as Walker.

Is it worth risking the health of your best player to gain 14 or 15 yards on a punt return? He averages more per reception. What if he returned three punts for td’s during the season? Well, he could catch that many in one game. Really the only logical excuse to have A.J. Green returning punts this season would be if it were guaranteed he would take every returnable punt to the house.

A. J. Green as the primary punt returner for 2010 season would be nothing short of a head scratcher.

But don’t be surprised if it happens, these are the same coaches who had their backup QB fielding punts for the past two years.

Green should be catches passes, not punts

Enough to Make You Mad!

March Madness – one of the greatest sporting events of the year. Take a deep breath, for if the NCAA tournament games continue to be as exciting as they were on day 1, we may not be able to exhale until a champ is crowned!

Almost half of the first 16 games were decided by one (1!) basket. A couple of those on a last second shot. Those shots could have busted your bracket (i.e. Murray State; as it did mine), but the stage has been set for a phenomenal finish to the college basketball season. Eleven (11!) of the 1st 16 games were decided by less than 10 points – definitely close enough to keep you at the edge of your seat!

We’ve seen three games go into overtime on day one, including a double overtime game between BYU and Florida. 

And of course there have been upsets, some big some small. Third seeded Georgetown was the biggest to fall. The Hoyas lost to Ohio. Notre Dame fell to the underdog Old Dominion. And Vanderbilt lost to Murray State. For the record, that’s three teams I had picked to be in the sweet 16 gone in the 1st day.

No need for you or I to trash our bracket just yet; there’s plenty of basketball to be played. And those of you gloating after 1st day success probably need to temper that enthusiam just a bit. Anything can happen on Day 2.

I just hope it’s as exciting as the opening day was.

GT, Phone Home

It’s no secret that from time to time, I give Georgia Tech basketball coach Paul Hewitt a hard time. He doesn’t seem to me like he’s that good of an in-game coach. But, after hearing his strategy for the ACC tournament and the Big Dance, I may start to come around. Hardly.

You see, some coaches will pour over extra game film when they know they have to win to save their job. Others may hold extra practices. Then there’s the group of coaches that will rely on gimmicks. No offense to Georgia fans, but you know what I’m talking about!

Hewitt’s big idea for the tournament: no cell phones. To Coach Hewitt, this is the key to Yellow Jackets success. He feels his players needed an extra level of focus, as opposed to constant distractions of talking and texting. Surprisingly, without too much of a battle, the players agreed.

Granted, Tech did make the ACC tournament championship game. And they are matched up with an opponent they can defeat in the first round in Oklahoma State. But it undoubtedly won’t be because they can’t call their “boos” before the game.

These types of gimmicks can backfire on a coach. Once again, no offense Georgia fans, but remember the “black out” in ’08 against Alabama? Coach Richt tried to recapture the magic of the Auburn blackout from the year before. But when you rely less on actual game planning and fundamentals and start trying to uncap the “fake juice”, chances are your success will run out quickly. The Dawgs learned this in less than a half of football. How long until the Jacket hoopsters figure this out?

I must admit, I think it’s admirable that Coach Hewitt will suggest something like this to keep his teams focus. The part that lost me is the fact that they went to the media and made this a news story.

My advice? Just coach, Coach.

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