Out of Bounds

List is Growing of Colleges Where Mettenberger WON’T be Playing Football

Of course UGA was the first. Coach Mark Richt felt he had no choice. The trust had been broken, Zach Mettenberger had to go. Now the question is, where will Mett continue, rather begin, his football career?

Zach Mettenberger

Looks like Valdosta State may be out of the question. It’s not that Mettenberger wouldn’t consider the Blazers or the Blazers wouldn’t consider Mettenberger. But the 18 year old may not have the option to continue his education there. He’s been banished from the town of Valdosta for a year.

Banished?  Banishment is still a punishment? From the entire town? Considering he was arrested by the REMERTON Police Department in REMERTON, Ga, makes the punishment seem even a little more strange.

But alas, it’s part of a plea bargain. The charges of  underage possession, disorderly conduct, obstruction and two counts of having a fake ID were dismissed due to the deal after the more serious sexual battery charges surfaced. Mett will serve 12 months of probation and pay a $2000 fine, and of course, stay the hell away from Valdosta!

Oh, and he’s not allowed to contact either directly or indirectly the victim. Who, by the way, Mettenberger apologized to in a statement after his sentencing. He must either get a mulligan on that one, or apologies don’t count as contact.

He is also not allowed during the term of his probation to visit ANY establishment that serves alcohol. Party’s over for you Mett; no more bars, significantly less choices of resturants, and, worst of all, no more Chuck E. Cheese!

Zach Mettenberger was  a few weeks away from potentially being named the starting quarterback at a major university, and couldn’t contain his ego and feelings of being above the law.  I do hope the fine, the 80 hours of community service, and the banishment (still sounds weird) teach him that he’s not, and keeps him from becoming one of those guys who consistently get their name in the news for these types of situations (*cough* Roethlisberger *cough*).

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.

Just a Few Amusing Videos from the Week

From the amazing to the funny to the just plain entertaining, here are a few videos from around the web for you to enjoy this morning.

I know it’s not sports related, but this is unusal so I have to share.  Behold! The Sheeppig!

Now on to the sports -

Baserunner goes airborne…Willie Mays Hays style! 

“I’ll take fun things to do during a rain delay, Alex”

And the Braves won in walk off fashion 2 games in a row. On Sunday, Jason Heyward was mobbed by teammates after he singled in the winning run in Atlanta’s win over Colorado. Tuesday, the dugout had a slightly different response to Nate McClouth’s walk off winner

Enjoy your Thursday. Don’t forget the NFL draft starts tonight!

Video of the All Americans

*chronicle.augusta.com*

The ASU disc golf team captured the national championship over the weekend by a Tiger Woods-esque 16 shots. I was there with a video camera on Saturday to record the record setting performance by the three Jags named All Americans – Lee Jones, Patrick May, and Out of Bounds’ own Jason Lynn.

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? – USC 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.

Actually, South Carolina should be the easiest to peg. Stephen Garcia is the only QB returning in the SEC East that started last year. He’s entering his 4th year in Steve Spurrier’s “Cock ‘N Fire” offense. Two potential players thought to at least make somewhat of a push are no longer with the team.

So why is there a question mark regarding who starts for the Cocks in September? Steve Spurrier.

An old pic, but I love the way his hair flows

Spurrier has been known in the past to use the media to motivate his stars or potential stars. He’s tried this tactic on Garcia in the past, which makes me wonder why he would resort to this method again. Is there no other way Garcia will get the message? Does Spurrier really think Garcia can be “a great quarterback”? Does all the Evil Genius mean when he says “he just doesn’t do anything extra” that he simply wants Garcia to do something extra?

Or, is there someone on his heels, pushing for playing time? I think this could have something to do with it.

Many reports out of winter workouts and spring practice have noted the quality play of freshman Connor Shaw.

Connor Shaw

Shaw has impressed teammates and coaches alike with his work ethic, mechanics, and understanding of what is going on with the offense. While it is unlikely for a rookie to come in and unseat a 4th year player, it is possible for said rookie to push the veteran to play better.

Whatever the case may be, Stephen Garcia does need an extra push to improve. I have no doubt #5 will be lined up behind center the first weekend in September.

 His will to be great, and a hot shot freshmen itching to play will determine how long he stays there.

NCAA Rules on Archie

It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t unusual. It wasn’t uncalled for.

But it effectively ended Dominique Archie’s playing career at South Carolina.

Archie injured his knee the 5th game into his senior season by landing awkwardly after a dunk. The school petitioned for a 6th year of eligibility, but the appeal was denied by the NCAA. It was deemed the former Josey standout redshirted his freshman year due to roster depth, not injuries, therefore he will not be allowed to play an extra year.

It’s not terribly shocking that he was denied, but it is unfortunate. Archie was moving his way up several of the school’s career leaders lists. He finishes his career with 1013 points, 562 rebounds, and 90 blocked shots. His value on the court was evident – the Gamecocks only won 11 of 27 games after Archie’s injury.

It’s unknown at this point what Archie’s next move will be. He still isn’t fully recovered from the knee injury, so he can’t fully train to further his basketball career. 

However, he is on schedule to graduate from USC next month…so not all is lost for Archie.

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.