153 thoughts on “Christmas Open Thread”

  4. Merry Christmas from France to all Braves fans. Thanks Mac for feeding us with all these great articles I’ve been reading for one year now.

  5. Merry Christmas to Mac, all Braves Journal readers and, of course, the Braves themselves. *Chops festively*

  9. Happy Holiday to all. Hope you all get what you asked for (I put a power hitting LF on my list).

  10. Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes
    for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress,
    non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice
    holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious
    persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with
    respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of
    others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions
    at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling
    and medically uncomplicated recognition in the generally accepted
    world calendar period.

  12. Merry Christmas from anniston Al. May your 07 be truly blessed
    Thanks Mac for a great site and all who contribute to it
    Go Bravos – Roll Tide

  15. merry christmas to the dysfunctional family that is the braves journal bloggers. may we stay that way.

  17. Merry Christmas from Madison, WI. All Best in the New Year to you and all those whom we love – including the Braves.

  18. Merry Christmas from New York, NY.

    May your family be as dysfunctional as the Braves’ future business plan is.

    I’m sorry, “small-market” is still fresh on my brain guys, lol.

  21. De France également : Je vous souhaite une bonne fête et une bonne année. Mac, merci toujours pour ce site internet très génial ! Et allez les Braves en 2007 !

    Signer de nouveau Andruw !!

  22. M Diehl, je voudrais que tu sois d’accord et il y a des nouveaux Andruws. Mais j’ai le peur, que il est seul dans le monde. Peut-etre le Signeur va le nous donner a le prochain Noel. Peut-etre.

    Excusez-moi, j’ai le francais d’un lyceen, et il y a longtemps que je ne le parlais pas.

  25. Merry Christmas from B’ham. Pitchers and Catchers reporting for early workouts can’t get here soon enough.

  28. Wait #21 so I’m not the only Braves fan lost in France. Woah so that’s 2 braves fans for roughly 60 millions bread eaters, great !

  29. Merry Christmas from Athens, GA, because I’m apparently the only local on this blog:) May all your favorite journeymen be blessed with the pictures.

  30. Merry Christmas from Burbank!

    Braves Opening Day Lineup 2008

    2B KJ
    3B Aybar
    1B Chipper
    RF Frenchy
    C McCann
    CF Melky C
    LF Diaz
    SS Renteria

    Starter – Hampton

    ——————————————-

    Also, look for Andruw to dominate in a contract year (55 HRs and 145 RBIs) and finish 2nd in MVP vote again…behind Pujols.

  31. Malone,

    Intresting lineup…the only thing I disagree with you is the starter…I doubt it’s going to be Hampton…I would think Smoltz or Hudson…but I guess ya never know….

  34. While we are all sitting around, waiting for the Braves to do something, I highly recommend you all pay attention to the first place Atlanta Thrashers. With a high powered offense and great, but young, goalie, this team is very exciting. And for all those people who just went “Atlanta has a hockey team?” this is for you

  35. Tonight I finally realized that Nick Saban needs Bama as much as they need him.

    I’ve watched every game he’s coached in the NFL… the man is clearly in over his head.

  36. Lee,

    I’ve been paying attention to Montreal more (I’ve rooted for them for 11 years running) and I HAVE noticed Atlanta is very good. About time, I say.

  37. Merry belated Christmas from Rockville, MD, everyone, where I am being attacked from all sides, especially in my eardrums, by my 17-year-old brother’s new remote-controlled toy helicopter. I hope you all are having as much fun as I am!

  39. Big Jets win! I hope the Dolphins loss doesn’t bring Saban back to the SEC! A belated Merry Christmas from Charlotte, NC. Though, I still consider Athens, GA home.

  40. “And a correction. Dan, that was a Happy Holidays card, not a Christmas card.”

    Same difference.

    Malone, Chipper Jones is not moving to first base, or left field. It’s becoming like the Braves during their division run streak, every year someone predicting they’d lose, every year (except this most recent one obviously) they were wrong. Every year everyone seems to have Chipper off of third, and every year there he is.

  41. Hoped everyone had a Merry Christmas!!!!

    Bama nation still waiting on a coach and Braves fans waiting on a trade, maybe a New Years present!!

  43. Merry belated Christmas as my family insists I spend ONE day a year with them!
    reaganman:
    Ditto

    jenny:
    Duck!

  44. Every year everyone seems to have Chipper off of third, and every year there he is.

    Vinny Castilla says Feliz Navidad.

  46. Any news on the LaRoche trade front? Baseball Primer’s Zips projections predicts .295/.355/.445 for Melky Cabrera, which is pretty good for a 22 year old.

  47. A belated Merry Christmas to everyone from Washington (state). Mac, thanks for hosting this great forum.

  49. From MLB Rumors…

    Giants Offered Zito Four Years?
    “Will Carroll posted yesterday at BP Unfiltered with some info from the rumor mill.

    Carroll confirms that growing sentiment that the Rangers are out on Barry Zito. He also volunteers some new info: the Giants offered a four-year deal to the southpaw. That would have to be at least $70MM. Carroll expects a decision from Zito next week.

    He also hints at a big three-team deal with three major players involved. Will cruelly decided not to name names.”

    Could you imagine Zito in San Fran – with that terrible outfield!!

  51. BP:

    “While I can’t give specifics on the deal, there are still at least six teams involved in some discussions centering on Atlanta. The Braves are in full dump mode, trying to get something for Andruw Jones, trying to find Jones’ replacement on the cheap, and working more on the bullpen. Leo Mazzone isn’t there to build a bullpen out of dreck anymore. So how does this all work together? Why trade a young player like Andy LaRoche if they’re trying to control the payroll? Why deal Jones right now rather than at the deadline? The team is determined to find a solid bullpen and think they can do it with a series of deals that include LaRoche, Mike Gonzalez, Andruw Jones, and several CF candidates that I’m told include Rocco Baldelli, Curtis Granderson, and Nick Markakis.

    The deals appear to also have some other big names like Tim Hudson, Mark Teixeira, and Dontrelle Willis on the periphery. The three team deal that seemed close over the weekend doesn’t seem so close now as the complexity has increased. Remember that John Schuerholz is normally a slow worker, so quiet on this front doesn’t mean that nothing is happening.”

  53. Hillenbrand signs with the Angels…

    Angels Sign Shea Hillenbrand
    Ken Rosenthal reports that the Angels have signed Shea Hillenbrand to a one-year deal. ESPN adds that the contract includes an option for 2008. Should the Halos use him at first base, it could indicate a trade of Casey Kotchman is on the horizon.

    Hillenbrand, 31, hit .277/.313/.451 in 530 ABs between the Blue Jays and Giants this year. His 21 homers were a career high. By comparison, the average American League first baseman hit .280/.352/.467 in 2006.

    Hillenbrand’s reunion with John Gibbons won’t occur until the Angels face the Blue Jays on August 14th.

    I guess there goes one suitor for the LaRoche trade….

  54. Good riddance. I didn’t want Chone Figgins and Casey Kotchman (spelled right?) for Adam LaRoche. I’m at the point I think it’s best to keep, but if he is traded, I want a Mike Gonzalez or a Chris Ray, not a Chone Figgins or a Melky Cabrera.

  57. “That Kragthorpe Guy” made me laugh out loud. Mac, all kidding aside, the Alabama/Auburn rift between us is hilarious.

  58. Just bumping this thread. We had 57 comments for way too long, and 57 reminds me of how long it’s been..

    Carry on.

  59. On the Bama coaching odds; I agree with them except for two. I still say Kines (at 62 yo) is a huge longshot – I would put him at 30:1. I believe Paul Jonson is the most likely candidate – make it 3:1 for him.

    I still say Mal is making a huge mistake by limiting his search to only proven hc’s. Another reason JK has very little chance of getting it.

    Anyone have the odds for LaRoche starting in Atlanta on opening day?

  60. BTW, if the Yankees trade Randy Johnson, that opens up room for Zito. So, now the Mets might find themselves bidding against the Yankees and, guess who is likely to win that one? Of course, it means Zito might make enough to buy a small country.

  61. From AJC…

    When Braves 1B Adam LaRoche says he’s oblivious regarding the many trade rumors swirling around him since early December, he’s not kidding. “I don’t have cable or Internet, so I really don’t know what all’s going on,” LaRoche said Tuesday by telephone from his home near Fort Scott, Kan. Welcome to the world of the blissfully uninformed, 27-year-old, part-time Kansas rancher. The message on his cell phone says: “Hello, it’s hunting season and I don’t get any service, so I’ll talk to you next summer.” But he has a land line at the farm — and apparently no caller ID. LaRoche wouldn’t say what Christmas presents he got from wife Jenn or their two children. “But I bought myself a new tractor and 500 acres,” he said, which grew the family homestead to 2,100 acres. Now about those trade rumors. He was nearly dealt to Baltimore during baseball’s winter meetings in the first week of December, was close to being dealt to Pittsburgh at least once, and still might be. The Braves discussed a proposal with the Los Angeles Angels. LaRoche doesn’t check internet rumor-mill sites, but hears bits of information here and there. “Chip’s called a couple times,” he said, referring to third baseman Chipper Jones. “And guys around here [Fort Scott] keep up with it and mention things to me.

  64. If Dodgers are looking to trade Andy LaRoche, I think we should figure out a way to get him. He’d be a good replacement for Chipper.

    Oh… nevermind.

  67. why do you think they would prefer to go for clemens over zito? what do the yankees want with a part time pitcher who can make just as much in houston? i know the yanks like older stars but it seems like zito would make more since, barring the impending “meltdown” issue

  69. I remember the Cotton Bowl being a big deal. Since they got left out of the BCS, no one seems to care about it anymore. The Gator bowl seems to have downgraded a bit too.

  71. Re: baseball, the Hardball Times has an article up on the ERA you can expect from each slot in the starting rotation. The Braves were roughly average for Nos. 1-4, but took a huge hit with their No. 5 starters (6.88 Era, I think). That could improve this year, but more depth would be nice to cover injuries.

    I just bought the HBT book last night with a gift card I got for Christmas. I’m looking forward to reading Mac’s article soon.

  72. The Yanks have had their eye on Zito for several years now. As they say in YankeeLand, you can’t win it all in The Bronx without lefthanded power & lefthanded pitching. (Those people are always talking about the legacy of Ford, Guidry, Pettitte, etc.) I’m sure Zito would fit in fine with them & he’d win big.

    Of course, I’d still rather see him stay in the Bay Area. But if and when they cut The Big Unit loose, expect a full-frontal money assault on Zito.

  73. How long before all teams stp trying to negotiate with Boras? Lets face it, he’s the best in the business as far as getting teams to overpay. If he’s not returning phone calls like he did with Boston and now with the Rangers, he may be doing some long term damage to himself and his clients. If Theo and others hadn’t of traveled to his house Matsuzaka would probably be back in Japan.

  75. I doubt many of you care, but saying the low ticket sales for the Cotton Bowl does not “say much about the two teams playing” isn’t entirely accurate. Nebraska had over 60,000 fans in the Big XII championship, around 30,000 to Southern Cal earlier this year, and although I can’t find a picture, its hard to forget the 2000 Notre Dame game in South Bend that was around 75% red. Not to mention Nebraska sells out their Spring Game. I would say a 10:30am start on New Year’s Day in an unattractive Dallas site has a lot more to do with low attendance than the team’s fans.

  76. That’s how the market works; Boras represents a scarce commodity. The GMs, especially for the Yanks and Red Sox, can’t simply refuse to deal with him because he has the best players and their fan bases expect the teams to spend money.

    According to Steve Phillips (yes, I know), the Yankees would go after both Zito and Clemens. But Torre has said he would not allow Clemens to skip road games that he is not pitching.

  78. I am pretty sure Texas Tech fans were enamored with the chance of playing in the Cotton Bowl.

    I am also pretty sure most Auburn and Nebraska fans could care less about that game. We have beaten LSU, Florida, and Alabama in the last three months. Why in the crap should I care about going halfway across the country to pay $90 to see my team play Nebraska at 10:30 on a Monday morning?

    I mean, I don’t wanna hear Pat Summerall call the game either, but still..

  80. While returning gifts and using gift cards, I started on my New Year’s resolutions. As usual, my first resolution is to raise a grassroots campaign to oust Bud Selig.
    But he swears he’s retiring soon and that will last until the owners think about the obscene amounts of money he’s made them and how much their franchises are worth.
    What would you do if you had Bud’s job for a day?
    I’d name Smitty’s cousin’s barber an official media source!

  81. Alabama fans were pretty happy, too. I expect that the Cotton will in future try to invite only teams from Texas, plus OU, to play Arkansas, LSU, or Alabama.

  82. A Cotton Bowl Story:
    When I was at UGA, I recall winning the student lottery for Cotton Bowl tickets for New Year’s Day 1984. We were 9-1-1 going in (a late-season loss to Auburn, an early-season tie with Clemson), to play undefeated and No. 2-ranked Texas (Auburn’s lone 1983 conquerers).

    But after three consecutive years of SEC titles, trips to New Orleans & Sugar Bowl appearances, the idea of going to Dallas did nothing for me. I passed my tickets on.

    We ruined the Longhorns’ championship dreams with a 10-9 win, but I was all too happy to watch it on TV and not have to drive back to Georgia from Texas. I kinda understand…

  84. In Columbus, Ga., at the liquor store up the street from my house, the owner (an Auburn grad) had a laminated Columbus Ledger-Enquirer sports page from the 1972 “Punt Bama Punt” game stationed above his register. You couldn’t miss the thing. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punt_Bama_Punt)

    For years, Bama people used to come in there & say, “You know, that paper’s getting mighty old,” or, “I see you still haven’t got anything to put up there since then.”

    Not ’til Bo showed up, anyway…

  86. Remember, Tom, those 60,000 Nebraska fans left Kansas City pretty disappointed. Maybe Nebraskans don’t want to pay out the wazoo again just to see another loss and Dealey Plaza.

  91. Great Fouts joke beedee.

    I haven’t heard anything official. My guess would be alcohol, although others in their classes say the players in question missed final exams.

    You have to applaud Tuberville for laying down the gauntlet though. To punish your guys (and possibly yourself since your rewards go hand-in-hand with their performance) takes cojones.

    From what I am hearing, expect Brad Lester (RB) to be back – for Kevin Sears, his career at AU is over with graduation. And don’t be surprised if you never see Blackmon in an AU uniform again.

  92. well i have to say that they all are amzing to watch…not that i know any of them personally but Lester and Blackmon are studs. i hope Blackmon pulls it together, he’s certainly destiined for the next level if he can mature.

    Is it just me or mas the whole Tanyon Sturtze pick up a reach, why would we go for a right hander that’s injured with his stats?

  94. Giants Willing To Spend $100 Mil For Zito?
    According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Giants are the frontrunners for Barry Zito and are willing to give him a $100MM contract. The Yankees, Mets, and Rangers aren’t expected to be in that ballpark and don’t want to give him six years. Seattle, however, could get crazy and make such a bid. That would cap a terrible offseason for Bill Bavasi in grand fashion.

    The Yankees talked to the Giants about Randy Johnson, but Brian Sabean was not interested. Word is that Johnson is not old enough for San Francisco.

    One more note from the column – Sherman mentions Tomo Ohka as a lesser option for Texas. Whether that’s purely speculation is unclear.

  95. I’m not a big Selig fan either, but he did manage to bring a semblance of labor peace to the sport–largely because the new revenue gave everyone a lot more money–and you can’t dismiss that. I hear a lot of people bashing Selig but he has certainly been more effective than a lot of commissioners. I don’t like some of his ideas–having the All Star Game determine home field in the World Series is incredibly stupid–but others, like the Wild Card have really given baseball a boost. And given the innate conservatism of baseball over the years, I think he has generally been a positive force, albeit annoying at times. The things that bother me the most about baseball (and pro sports in general) involve extorting ing cities into building new stadiums but that is not specifically Bud’s fault and it’s not unique to baseball. Everyone holds up the NFL as the apotheosis of a well-run league, but really, all the NFL is about is being a monopoly and behaving like a monopolist. The NFL screws fans royally (e.g., requiring season ticket holders to buy tickets for preseason games) because it can yet few people complain, but they complain to high heaven about baseball.

    I think it’s sad what has happened to the Cotton Bowl. It used to be a great bowl and there were some great games. I mean, at least it has a real name. How can you get excited about the Capitol One Bowl?

  96. Whats more surprising?

    1. Mike Shula got fired
    2. 1 month later they dont have a replacement
    3. Kenneth Darby still looking for his 1st rushing TD

    I vote – #3

  97. update on Zito, from MLB rumors

    Giants To Sign Zito?
    UPDATE: T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Rangers have been told Zito has rejected their six-year, $80MM offer. A source told Sullivan that the Rangers expect Zito to sign with San Francisco.

  98. Mets’ blogs are in full melt-down mode. If Zito does indeed sign with the San Francisco Giants, they’ll have to be on suicide watch.

  99. mark,
    I agree the cotton bowl is an institution that has lost its luster since the BCS was introduced. I’m not sure how they got hosed on the kick off time, but there are simply too many bowls now that offer up the same package. I hope we see a great game monday morning from both teams, but as a fan who lives in Tennessee there was no way i was gonna drive to a game that i have to get up at the crack of dawn for. I think Tiger Walk is scheduled for 8:30 local time…I’m on vacation man.

    csg,
    I vote #3, but have to say that while i wasn’t completely shocked that Shula was sacked, he’s still better than most…we loved him on the plains…he will be missed.

  104. And yet most publications will still pick the Mets to win the division with their awesome rotation of Glavine, El Duque, and Pedro on the DL likely for the first half of the season. It really is kind of amazing how little New York has done this offseason. No Schmidt. No Zito. No Soriano. No Lee. I guess they expect to win the division automatically just because they are a New York team. It should be a highly entertaining 4 way fight all season.

  105. beedee,
    After I heard about the cheap tix for the Cotton bowl I seriously considered going but it’s a 10 hour drive from Nashville or a $400 plane ticket. It is kind of sad to see such a great bowl slip like it has though.

  107. A Report from MetLand: There’s no joy in MetLand.

    It’s tight lips and mutterings of “Now, what are we going to do?”

    Hello….John Maine!

    Hello…Philip Humber!

  110. according to the associated press this is the highest package ever offered to a pitcher. I bet St Louis is glad they locked down Carpenter for a while. I wonder if we try to get more years out of Smoltz?

  112. Alright, just call me Lord Schadenfreude…

    I just went up to the deli—owned by a Braves fan, a Clemson grad who has a sandwich called “The Chipper.” Nonetheless, 90-percent of the employees are hardcore Mets fans. I couldn’t help myself.

    “Hey, you hear about Zito?”
    “No, what happened?”
    “Oh, they signed him…7 years, a lotta money.”
    “Awesome! Zito, Glavine…”
    “Hey, since when are you guys Giants fans?”
    “Huh?”

    One guy said, “You’re postitive, right?” Another guy just put his head on the counter.

    Alright. I’ll keep my mouth shut now.

  113. I thought Hampton got something bigger from the Rockies.

    I’m enjoying the Mets’ blogs right now. It’s amazing how arrogant some of these people are. “So I guess Zito didn’t want to pitch for a contender”, ” Looks like no World Series ring for Barry” and comments like “how dare he defy New York” are everywhere.

  114. I am not the most baseball-savvy person in the world, nor do I pretend to be. But this huge fuss (and huge contract) over Barry Zito? I just don’t see it. I know he has been a very durable pitcher, and I’m not trying to downplay his ability. But when it comes to starting pitchers, Barry Zito would not exactly be at the top of my list.

  115. He was the “best” pitcher in a ridiculously thin pitching market, and he has an agent who can make Travis Smith look like Cy Young.

  117. Ububba, you’re a jerk, but I love ya. Lord knows those Mets fans deserve it.

    But, for crying out loud, 7 years, $126 million? This is a guy who convinced a lot of people that he was washed up WHEN HE WAS 26. The Giants are probably a perfect fit: a nice, mellow, positive fan base just across the Bay in another extreme pitchers’ park. But still, this guy is barely even a number one pitcher. He’s more like a lefthanded Livan Hernandez.

  119. I think Hampton was a 10 yr / 100 mil deal, could be wrong. $18 mil per year for Zito is a chunk of change. I dont think SF is a good fit for him unless they plan on trading for a better outfield. Avg age of their outfield is something like 80 or so and Barry Bonds might end up in jail before the season is over…

  120. AAR,

    With these people, it’s all in the presentation. They didn’t even know I was giving them the needle. They actually thanked me (sarcastically) for the “good news.” I giggled all the way back to the office.

  122. does anyone know if Braves radio will do all the regular season games or will FOX/ESPN do radio broadcast for their games? the thought ofnot getting a regular dose of Skip kills me

    CHill,
    I scored Titan’s tickets so it was a no brainer.

  123. Guys I was just on my way back to work when I passed a local Goodwill store. They had a sign out front that read “Bargain Galore.” Can someone tell me what 25% off of 20 cents is?

  124. Ububba, I’m not saying I wouldn’t do the same thing. In fact, I probably would have said something like, “Well, at least you guys picked up Ambiorix Burgos.”

  126. from MLB Rumors.

    Barry Zito Giants Projections
    Check out my new Barry Zito Giants projection over at RotoAuthority.com.

    ZiPS projected Zito as an Athletic and assigned him a 4.37 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 214 innings. That should change in the NL though.

    Haven’t seen Zito’s PECOTA quote yet but I’m sure it’s forthcoming

    That seems really high doesnt it….

  127. time for us to offer Thomson a little less than he was making last year and hope he can turn out to be a decent #5 guy.

  128. AAR,

    It’s better to toss out the chum & watch ’em go for it, rather than start clucking about their misfortune. Up here, if you’re gonna feed the animals, it’s better to be creative about it.

  130. Do you think Smoltz is dying when he thinks about what he could be getting on the open market. John Smoltz will be making less than Ted Lilly and Gil Meche. Something is wrong with this picture!

  131. I dont think he cares, if he did he wouldnt be in ATL. I guess he’s figured out that he can live off of $8mil per year

  132. csg,
    i agree, for what ever reason i thought he’d signed with another team. it would be great to get something out of him. I mean he’s no Ablie Lopez but he’ll do.

  134. This also has the bonus of keeping alive Boras’ “talking to another team” negotiating leverage for a few more years. I hadn’t heard anything about the Giants being in the mix until just now. Coverage was all:

    Mets, Mets, Mets, Rangers, Rangers, Mets, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers, Giants?

    In Boras’ world, there’s always another team, and this time the other team blew away the offers of the two known to be bidding. I want Scott Boras in the room next time I ask my boss for a raise.

  135. You guys do realize how much money this opens up for the Mets over the next 7 years, now that they won’t be overpaying Zito by about 11 million a year?

  136. Scott Boras could sell his own daughter a candy bar for $5 because “his son’s willing to buy it for $6.”

  138. Good signs and bad signs from today’s game. Was really impressed with Kines and Radar’s game plan. 31 points with a worthless Darby today is very impressive. The defense just needed to step up a little more. Special teams looked better than they had all year. I have a lot of respect for the Tide staff for sticking together and putting a lot of time and effort into this game under the circumstances. Hope Kines stays or even gets the temp. job if no one else will take it.

    On a side note, he doesnt need to yell at the halftime reporters so much. Also, its time for the SEC to step up…..

  141. Whenever I play that old Charlie Daniels song on a jukebox up here, I do it to get a reaction and it never fails. The reaction is always the same:

    “The South’s gonna do what again? Lose?

    I must admit, I do chuckle at that.

  142. I missed most of the Alabama/OK State game for doing PA for a local high school basketball tournament. It was fun though, seconds after the GW-field goal, to announce “Your attention, fans. Updating a previous score – final, Oklahoma State 34, Alabama 31” to a mix of cheers and jeers.

    I’m in the middle of doing 15 games in 36 hours – I’ve seen a girl drop 20 in the first quarter, a technical foul called AFTER the game was completed, and just really really good basketball (aside from the one game that ended 81-31) – I digress.

    Facts and Figures about Alabama of Note:
    Of teams that have played 13 games in a season, Bama is the only team to have losing seasons in 13 games twice (2006, 2003). This feat has only been done 10 other times, most notably by UCLA in 2003.

    With their 7 losses in 2006, the Alabama loss total has exclipsed Auburn’s loss total dating back to October 26, 2003. Over that same time period, Auburn has lost only 6 games.

  143. I’ll have to say that I think Kines did a very good job with the defense this year, but the magic seemed to have run out. I just don’t think Bama was very talented defensively, but got the most possible out of their personnel. Since Bama had 6 senior starters and not much depth, next year will be tough unless we get 3-4 jucos to fill key positions. Ironically, I think Bama’s offense is pretty talented, but didn’t do much with the players they had.

    On a another note, Rader says he got the pass play to Andre Smith from Tedford at Cal.

  145. Several of the guys were saying while watching Bama last night, that SEC teams really don’t have a reason to play hard in bowl games. Our teams have to play with such intensity during the season that what’s the big deal playing a #1 or #2 seed from another conference? I look at the cotton bowl and basicly see it as a way to help our recruiting and that’s it.
    Let’s face it , it’s time for a play off. the bowls are joke, i think UTC went to Krystal Chili Cheese Pup Bowl in sunny Albany.
    Is it true the the SEC is pulling out of the BCS after the contract expires in 08?

    ububba,
    I have to chuckle at that song period.

  146. Wryn. when you note teams that had losing records in 13-game seasons, did you include Louisiana Tech (3-10 this season)? The season didn’t just seem to last forever.

    The good thing about Schuerholz’ inactivity this offseason is that he hasn’t mortgaged the future for a free agent today.

  151. from Mlb rumors….

    Plan E For The Mets
    Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kei Igawa, Barry Zito and Jeff Suppan are off the board. The Mets want one more solid starter, but don’t need to do anything desperate.

    One option is to hit up Billy Beane for Rich Harden or Danny Haren. Bob Klapisch reports that Omar Minaya spoke to Beane ten days ago, hoping for a deal of Aaron Heilman and Lastings Milledge for Harden. Beane countered with Carlos Gomez and one of Milledge/Philip Humber/Mike Pelfrey. Those talks are proposals are pretty far apart.

    There’s speculation the Mets could trade for Jake Peavy, Dontrelle Willis, Brad Penny, Jon Lieber, Rodrigo Lopez, Javier Vazquez, or Jon Garland. Right now that appears to be pure speculation. It’s doubtful that the White Sox would deal yet another starter, though Mike Pelfrey could convince Kenny Williams to continue dismantling.

    John Delcos says Jeff Weaver wants a four-year, $40MM deal. Taking a one-year deal last winter was a wise choice for Weaver despite his lousy 2006. If the Mets do that, it would be a desperation move.

  153. Kines, nothing but class

    “You know, I would give anything to be the head coach at Alabama. Anything,” Kines said. “I’ve also got enough common sense to realize where this thing is at this time.

    “This is not an election. I don’t know where it’ll go from here. I’ve got no clue.”

    Kines sounded resolved to seeing another coach taking over, and he did not hide his emotions.

    “You know Moses wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. He didn’t make it to the Promised Land but he did get on top of the mountain and got to see it,” Kines said. “It was a pretty nice view.”

    “Coach Kines simply could not have done a better job of preparing our kids,” Moore said. “Our coaching staff and their families have done a tremendous job representing Alabama football.

    “Our kids have conducted themselves very well, and that is a reflection of the job our coaching staff, and coach Kines in particular, have done.”

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