Soft Drinks

Some people call soft drinks soda or pop, I just call everything coke. Maybe it's because I'm from the south or maybe it's because soda or pop sounds dumb. Here is my list of my favorite soft drinks.

1. Dr. Pepper

2. Cherry Coke

3. Coca-Cola

4. Wild Cherry Pepsi

5. Sunkist

6. Cream Soda (all taste the same)

7. Root Beer (all taste the same)

8. Sprite

9. Code Red

10. Mountain Dew

11. Grape Soda (all taste the same)

12. 7 Up


JB

College Football - Week 9

October, what a great month... 5 Saturdays! There are plenty of big games this week and nationally I'm expecting the pretenders to fall back where they belong. I'm not expecting too much out of this weekend in the SEC, although you never know when upsets and great games are going to happen.

South Carolina has played very well at home all season and I don't expect much to chance this week vs. Tennessee. The Vols just have no depth at all and can't stick with anyone in the second half. Hopefully for them they will just come away injury free so they can make a legit run at a bowl game starting next week at Memphis. South Carolina wins by 3 touchdowns.

The Georgia/Florida game is a really hard one to predict, maybe the hardest all season. Coming off a bye week one would think Urban Meyer will be able to assemble all his talent into a good team but who knows. Florida has shown no signs of life on offense all year except against Kentucky. Aaron Murrey, Washaun Ealey, and A.J. Green are rolling right now and that is no good at all against a Florida defense that mediocre at best. Florida has lost three in a row, Georgia has won three in a row. All the momentum is with the Dawgs but Florida has won 17 of 20 and I think Georgia has a mental block with this game every year. I could go either way, I just don't know what to expect out of the Gators. But I'm going to pick Georgia to win, 27-24.

Vanderbilt is going to Arkansas in what should be a blowout game. After this game Arkansas is going to South Carolina and Mississippi State and hosting LSU. They need this one to be easy, and they need to find a way to run the ball before they go to Columbia. Vanderbilt has absolutely no offense unless Warren Norman can somehow bust a run against the odds. Arkansas wins big. LSU and Alabama have a bye week to prepare for each other.

Mississippi State is hosting Kentucky in what is a big game for both teams. Both of these schools are at about the same level within the SEC, and the winner will have a big advantage when it comes to bowl positioning later in the year. Kentucky is giving up 193 yards rushing per game, 10th in the SEC. Mississippi State runs the ball, and then runs some more. Kentucky has the 2nd best passing offense in the league, Mississippi State has the 3rd best passing defense. In Kentucky's 4 losses they are -7 in turnover margin, in their 4 wins they are +8. Mississippi State is tied for 5th in the SEC in most forced turnovers. All these things benefit State, and it's in Starkville. Bulldogs win, 38-27.

Auburn at Ole Miss is a trap game, there's no doubt about it. Jeramiah Masoli had his best game at Arkansas last week throwing for over 300 yards and that is exactly what Auburn's mediocre secondary doesn't want to see. With the game being in Oxford this one is going to be back and forth the whole game, much like most of Ole Miss and Auburn's games this year. Being in Oxford, if Ole Miss can jump out to a 14+ point lead in the first half I think they win the game. But if Auburn can keep the game in front of them and either maintain a small lead or only be trailing by a small margin they will be able to win because there is no way Ole Miss stops Cam Newton on the ground. Auburn wins, 31-24.

I am picking the pretenders, Missouri and Michigan State to fall this weekend at Nebraska and at Iowa respectively. I am also going to go 4 weeks in a row on the #1 team being upset (AP this time).. USC beats Oregon at home. I really am not just picking upsets for the sake of upsets...going on the road is tough, and all these top ranked teams have flaws and certainly Missouri and Michigan State have really done nothing to prove they are elite teams. Oklahoma State over Kansas State, Oregon State over Cal, and Air Force over Utah.

JB

Unemployment

Right now the unemployment rate in America is at 9.6%. That is very high, but in reality is 17%. It is 17% because of all the people getting out of college but can't find a job, people who've had to trade their full time job for a part time job, and people who have been laid off and gone on to take a less paying job. So it is definitely a big issue, and we've got to find a way to kick-start the economy so people and get back to work.

The unemployment numbers are taken from people drawing unemployment insurance...something that just keeps going and going and going....for 99 weeks. I guess people don't have to get jobs anymore because taxpayers will just foot the bill while they sit at home and draw a check each week. I know they may be looking for a job to meet their qualifications but at some point don't you have to take the hit and get a job at Lowe's or Back Yard Burgers?

If you don't want to get a job flipping burgers then start your own company. Find a way to make money instead of living off the taxpayers. Basically all the government is doing by allowing people to draw unemployment for so long is creating a welfare state. If you don't force them to get to work then they will never do it. And it's unfair for companies who will be paying high unemployment insurance for years to come because the government keeps extending it. When the benefits finally end, how do we get their butts back to work after lazing around for 2 years?

JB

P.C.

I am not P.C., I don't not practice political correctness, I think it is a stupid practice, and in the end it just gives everyone thin skin and I'm not in favor of a country full of pansies.

When I hear white people say "African Americans" when there are no black people around I have to wonder why. Why go through the extra effort to say seven syllables when you can say one syllable? Are you going to hurt the feelings of a white person in the room by referring to a black person as black?

The government and liberals everywhere want us all to tip-toe around people and not say anything that might offend them. Well, I get offended all the time by these nancies who use political correctness but you don't see me running off in the corner to cry, and then find a way to press charges because someone hurt my feelings. We cannot have discussions because political correctness gets in the way. We can't further civil rights because we are afraid of offending blacks. We can't talk about immigration because we might offend Mexicans. Please, give me a break..

JB

Week Eight

LSU at Auburn: Cam Newton. Enough said. The guy is absolutely incredible. I can't wait to watch him each week. Based on the schedule they have played and the increble athlete he is, Auburn is my new #1 team...and I'm starting to think that if he's healthy by the Iron Bowl they have a great shot to go undefeated and roll into the BCS Title Game.

I didn't think at home vs. UAB was a trap game, and maybe it wasn't...more like a let-down game. But let-down pretty much is the same thing as trap game. Perhaps there should be two different types of upset alerts: trap and let-down. On one hand you have the trap game where you are facing a team who isn't as good but they've got some skilled players who will take advantage of you if you're not alert. Then the let-down game is just coming out lethargic and not playing well at all. That's what happened to Mississippi State this week, luckily a new field goal kicker stepped up with 5 nice kicks. Auburn at Ole Miss next week is a trap game.

I'm 3 for 3 the last 3 weeks on my upset picks for #1 teams, however, I'm missing plenty of other picks like how I picked Air Force over TCU. My Northwestern pick looked great as they were up 17-0, and they had even fumbled inside the 5, but they couldn't hold on. Oh well, I was 3-3 nationally in a big weekend which gave a little bit of clarity to the national picture. Still, I think there are some pretenders in the Top 10 -- Michigan State and Missouri at the top of the list. I am now 28-20 on my predictions on the national games. Pretty awful, although I don't do much research for those games.


I think this week is the first time I've got all the SEC games right, 6-0. I'm 50-12 for the year. Here are my power rankings:

1. Auburn, 8-0 (5-0) - Don't mark the Tigers 11-0 going into the Iron Bowl just yet. Classic trap game in Oxford next week and then at home vs. a surging Georgia team in three weeks.

2. Alabama, 7-1 (4-1) - The Tide easily took care of the Vols and now they've got a week off to heal some injuries and prepare to play at LSU.

3. LSU, 7-1 (4-1) - Even though they gave up over 400 yards rushing to Auburn, I think they proved a lot in that loss. Mostly, that they are an elite team, and their matchup in two weeks vs. Alabama is still a really big game.

4. Mississippi State, 6-2 (2-2) - It was ugly but the Bulldogs are bowl eligible. 4 SEC games to end the season, we'll see if they can make some noise down the stretch.

5. South Carolina, 5-2 (3-2) - They finally won a road win and maintained their position in the driver's seat of the SEC East, they just need to continue taking care of business.

6. Arkansas, 5-2 (2-2) - Ryan Mallett seems to be very injury proned. They've got a difficult stretch down the road, they've got to find a running game so they can milk the clock and hold onto leads in the second half.

7. Georgia, 4-4 (3-3)/Florida, 4-3 (2-3) - These two meet in the world's largest outdoor cocktail party next week for the right to be #7. They've had similar seasons although they are headed in opposite directions. They've both beaten Tennessee and Kenucky and both lost to Mississippi State.

9. Kentucky, 4-4 (1-4) - The Wildcats just can't get over the hump. This is the fifth year in a row they have won all their nonconference games only to struggle in the SEC, but win a couple games including one their non supposed to (South Carolina this year).

10. Ole Miss, 3-4 (1-3) - Those early season upsets are really starting to take their toll in terms of getting bowl eligible. But they've got a shot to make up for those losses by beating Auburn at home next week.

11. Tennessee, 2-5 (0-4)/Vanderbilt, 2-5 (1-3) - Both of these teams are pathetic. Vandy's offense is awful and UT's isn't much better. When these teams meet in a few weeks the score might be 0-0 at the end of regulation.

My Top 5:

1. Auburn, 8-0
2. Boise State, 6-0/Oregon, 7-0
4. TCU, 8-0
5. Alabama, 7-1

Auburn is my #1 because they have played the toughest schedule of all the undefeated teams. Oregon looks like a really awesome team but still they really haven't played anyone other than Stanford. I know it was last season, but Boise State beat Oregon and both those teams pretty much have the same players this year. TCU remains consistant, and Alabama is everybody's top 1-loss team including mine.

Roddy White made 4 or 5 incredible catches Sunday and showed up Chad Johnson and T.O. with over 200 yards. I know I'm a Falcons fan, but they are legit.

JB

Hard Hits in the NFL

Helmet to helmet blows and hard hits seem to be a real big topic for the NFL this week. They have stiffened the penalties for these hits and are even considering suspensions starting this week. There has been a backlash by the players and fans who say it is a necessary part of the game and if you take it away it will cheapen the NFL and there will be less interest. I disagree with that, and I don't really have any problems with the NFL being stricter on penalties.

On one hand you have all these past and present players wanting a new collective bargaining agreement that will allow players to be covered for their medical expenses due to injuries on the football field for the rest of their life. Then on the other hand they still want to bust heads and let the injuries fall where they may. But why do players need to use the helmet as a weapon and risk getting concussions and even possible spinal injuries? I understand that when a receiver catches the ball the defender wants to make a crushing blow to knock the ball out, but is giving him brain trauma really worth getting a fumble? It is just a game, I'm okay with just making an arm tackle on the guy.

Lots of players and fans say that all the people that watch the NFL only do so because of big hits. I have a hard time believing that's true because then there wouldn't be people rooting so hard for their favorite team. I know that when I watch the NFL it's to see a good game, or to watch great athletes play football. If there's a big hit then I say "Wow, what a hit", but if I watch an entire game and there are no big hits, in no way am I disappointed.

Plenty of players have voiced their opinions on how this will change football and if they can't hit hard they don't want to play. This goes along with the macho, violent attitude of football players, period. How many baseball players do you hear about getting arrested? Do basketball players get arrested for anything other than smoking dope? Football players are constantly getting arrested on gun charges, domestic abuse, confrontations at nightclubs, and all of the violent, reckless things that they let loose on the football field.

Have some self control, just make a tackle instead of delivering a punishing blow. The NFL should suspend players for purposefully using their helmet to make a hit. I don't have a problem with it, and neither should anyone who is a football fan. There is no reason an ambulance should have to come out onto the field because of a vicious hit made by a player who wanted to get their picture in the paper.

JB

NBA Predictions

Who cares about the NBA? I'm not sure. And I certainly don't care about it while football season is still going on. And even when it's over February and March belong to college basketball. But I do like the NBA Playoffs, perhaps mostly because April-June are some pretty boring sports months. I've never thought to predict what would happen in the NBA mostly because I forget it's even starting what with baseball playoffs and football in full swing. But I'll predict playoff seeding and the Finals.

Western Conference

1. Lakers
2. Thunder
3. Blazers
4. Mavericks
5. Suns
6. Nuggets
7. Spurs
8. Rockets


Eastern Conference

1. Heat
2. Magic
3. Celtics
4. Hawks
5. Bulls
6. Bucks
7. Wizards
8. Knicks


Heat over Lakers for the NBA title (6 games).

JB

College Football - Week 8

In the national scope of college football, week 8 might be the biggest weekend yet of 2010. You've got #14 Nebraska at undefeated #17 Oklahoma State, #10 Wisconsin at #13 Iowa, undefeated #3 Oklahoma at undefeated #18 Missouri, and the biggest game of all undefeated #6 LSU at undefeated #5 Auburn. It should be a great weekend of games.

Ole Miss at Arkansas should be a good game. Ryan Mallett's status is uncertain but after watching Tyler Wilson play I'm not sure it matters that much. After throwing for 300+ yards and four touchdowns he did throw a couple picks to seal the game for Auburn, but if he does have to start I think the Hogs will have enough to beat Ole Miss. Fayetteville is a tough place to play, and I think everyone is downgrading Arkansas' stock a little too much. They are still a good team and they win by 10 points. In the only nonconference SEC game of the week Mississippi State is hosting UAB as 20 point favorites. I like State to take care of business, 35-14. Florida is off this week.

Alabama at Tennessee has diminished into just another game on the schedule. Although last year's matchup was a really great game and if Cody wouldn't have blocked either one of those two field goals Alabama probably doesn't win the national championship. Nevertheless, I expect more of the same from Tennessee as we have seen so far this year. They are coming off a bye so they should have rebounded from the Georgia debacle, but the Tide have too much talent. I wouldn't be surprised if Tennessee jumped out to an early lead because they will be so pumped up, but in the end they don't have enough depth to complete for 4 quarters.

If South Carolina doesn't bounce back at Vanderbilt I don't know what to say about that program. It would be funny to see Vandy win and be in first place in the East but in all seriousness South Carolina needs to win this game to get some momentum back. Amazingly, the Cocks could lose this game and most likely control their own destiny (assuming Vanderbilt doesn't go on a tear to end the season). They have yet to win on the road this year and this is the perfect opportunity to. After getting thrashed 43-0 I'm not sure the Commodores are holding onto much confidence right now...27-13 Gamecocks.

I think the Georgia at Kentucky game is very interesting. You've got Georgia, who is coming off two impressive wins at home and Kentucky who just got Joker Philips his first big win vs. South Carolina. Both team's bowl status is up in the air, and this game could propel this to reaching that goal and in Kentucky's case set them into a position for a middle-tier bowl. Kentucky has played great at home this year also taking Auburn to the brink. I'm not sure if Derrick Locke will be back for this game or not, but they will probably need him because Georgia's defense is starting to come together. I'm about to jump on bandwagon with Georgia, they have the potential to really turn this season around, I think it continues this week...they win a close one in Lexington.

The biggest game of all is LSU at Auburn. I am excited to watch this one for sure. My initial reaction is to pick Auburn hands down, but there could be a few things Patrick Peterson and Drake Nevis have to say about that. This will be the toughest defense Cam Newton has faced since the Mississippi State game...a game where Auburn's vaunted offense was held to only 17 points. LSU offense is improving, and I definitely think they need to stick with Jerrett Lee at quarterback. Terrance Toliver is a great WR and I think he will come up big in this game just as many other wideouts have against the Auburn secondary this year. Still, I think Auburn has just enough defense and several good wide receivers which will allow them to throw away from Peterson effectively. I have a feeling Fairley will be in the backfield all game long and I look for Auburn to take the home field advantage to a victory, 24-16.

Elsewhere across the country there are actually some interesting games as I mentioned before. I like Northwestern to upset Michigan State in Chicago. I picked Iowa to end up at #4 in the country, I still think they are capable of that so I am sticking with them this week to hold off Wisconsin at home. That is enough about the Big Ten...the Big 12 also has some big games. I honestly know nothing about Missouri or Oklahoma State but they are both undefeated. I'm not really sure Nebraska is as good as I thought, even with Taylor Martinez who I didn't know about in the preseason...but I think they can bounce back from the loss last week and get a much needed win on the road in Stillwater. As far as Missouri goes, I am going to pick them to upset Oklahoma at home...Gary Pinkal has something going up there and I don't think Oklahoma is really an elite team. In what is always a good game to watch, I like Clemson over Georgia Tech. I've already picked two upsets but my biggest upset special of the week is Air Force over TCU. TCU does have a stout defense but let's face it, they have been playing absolute patsies. The only two times this year they have played good offenses they have given up 21 points to Oregon State and 24 points to SMU. Air Force has been lighting the scoreboard up, and I think last week's loss at San Diego State was due more to TCU coming up this week than anything. I think this is TCU's only loss of the season...at home they lose to Air Force, 24-21.

JB

Clint Eastwood

There are many actors whose presence in a movie will make you want to watch the film. There are several of these actors for me, but tops on the list is Clint Eastwood. And even though he's pretty much just directing now at 80 years old, he's still putting out great films. He's had a ton of movies over the last 50 years, and I've probably seen 75-80% of them. He has a new movie coming out tomorrow, "Thereafter", and I'm sure it will be good. Over the past three months I've watched many of these again or for the first time so I feel as though this list is accurate and I'm not relying too much on distant memory. Here is the list of my top 25 Clint Eastwood movies (whether director, actor, or both).


25. Every Which Way But Loose (1978) - This is what you'd call a guy's movie, a kind of staple you would've seen on 'Movie for Guys Who Like Movies', back in the day when TBS was the superstation. I think this may be Clint Eastwood's only comedy and it's an entertaining film.

24. Invictus (2009) - I'm not into Rugby and I don't really know what's going on so maybe that contributes to it being this low. It's a good story, and certainly an important one for South Africa.

23. Flags of Our Fathers (2006) - I was really excited to see this film because Clint Eastwood had made a war film but it was a letdown considering my high expectations. The battle scenes were good but from there the story is mediocre and it just was an okay movie.

22. Play Misty For Me (1971) - This film is very dated but it's a pretty good thriller. I don't think it's a very good role for Clint Eastwood (radio D.J.), but it's a pretty good flick. It's the first film he ever directed.

21. Sudden Impact (1983) - This Dirty Harry movie isn't nearly as good as the first two but it's much better than The Enforcer and The Dead Pool. Of course it's got the classic line, "go ahead, make my day".

20. Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil (1997) - This movie has an all-star cast and is pretty good. It's almost like a tribute to the oddness that is Savannah, Georgia as much as a murder mystery.

19. Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) - You wouldn't think this movie was any good based on it's title but it's pretty entertaining and funny. Eastwood's character and a nun have common interest and travel across Mexico to get what they want from the French Garrison.

18. Heartbreak Ridge (1986) - Eastwood always has a gun but in this is a military movie and I don't think he ever holds a real one. It's got his classic tough guy character; good story, but not for everyone.

17. Pale Rider (1985) - TBS used to show this movie all the time after the Braves game when I was a kid. It's a good movie, nothing too special...just a good western.

16. In The Line of Fire (1993) - Solid movie, very entertaining.

15. Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) - This is the companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers. While I will agree it is better than 'Flags' I didn't think it was so much better to deserve award nominations. Perhaps since the movie is 99% in Japanese I couldn't get into it as much. There is no doubt it is a well made film, but the foreign language doesn't do it for me, which is okay because it was made for Japanese audiences.

14. For a Few Dollars More (1965) - Good movie, good music. More interesting story than Fistful of Dollars but not quite as good as the first movie.

13. Fistful of Dollars (1964) - Great music, it's a little slow but it's classic action scenes when it stuff does happen.

12. Escape From Alcatraz (1979) - This is a great story, with interesting characters. You really don't know much about the characters but that's not important...it keeps you entertained to whole way through.

11. Mystic River (2003) - The story in this one is pretty good, but the supreme acting is what makes it great. It's a good movie.

10. Hang 'Em High (1968) - The music in this film really does a lot to make it dramatic. It's a great movie, very entertaining...in the same mold as the 'Dollars' trilogy.

9. Million Dollar Baby (2004) - This won Best Picture, and it is a really good film. It moves pretty slow but the acting is great and it's a pretty good story.

8. Changling (2008) - This is one of his more recent films that I thought didn't get enough critical acclaim especially considering how his other recent films have. But it's really suspenseful and very good.

7. Dirty Harry (1971)- This is a great movie and of course has the classic line, "I know what you're thinking, did he fire 6 shots or was it only 5? Well to tell you the truth I kind of lost track myself with all this excitement. But with this being a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question, do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?"

6. Gran Torino (2008) - This, like Changling, is a great recent movie from Eastwood that got less notoriety and was better than the movies that were nominated for awards. It is a great film which is entertaining throughout, I highly recommend it.

5. High Plains Drifter (1973) - This is a great western, one that I think gets lost in the shuffle. The town marshal dies and they are being terrorized so they hire a drifter with no name to protect them....awesome movie.

4. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) - This is the third movie in the 'Dollars trilogy' and probably the most famous and for good reason because it is the best. It's got tons of action, great music and acting. I would have to say it's my favorite pre-1970 film and it holds up well over time.

3. Magnum Force (1973) - Another great Dirty Harry movie. Clint Eastwood is great in this movie, maybe my favorite role of his. I like this one better than the original because it is more entertaining, and a better story.

2. Unforgiven (1992) - This is a great film and I would agree with most people to say it is his best, I just like Josey Wales a little better. It is an absolute must see even if you don't like westerns.

1. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) - This film has everything that makes a great western. It's funny and serious, and very entertaining. I've probably seen it a dozen times and I like it more every time I watch it.


I would say that the Top 9 movies are must see films....you would be hard pressed to find an actor/director who has this caliber of Top 10 movies. Numbers 10-16 are really good movies that are well worth your time. The rest are good to watch if they're on TV, but I wouldn't give great anticipation to watching them.

JB

Mid-Season Grades

Ranking the defenses:

1. LSU
2. Mississippi State
3. South Carolina
4. Alabama
5. Florida
6. Auburn
7. Georgia
8. Arkansas
9. Tennessee
10. Ole Miss
11. Vanderbilt
12. Kentucky

Offenses:

1. Auburn
2. Arkansas
3. Alabama
4. South Carolina
5. Kentucky
6. Mississippi State
7. Florida
8. Ole Miss
9. Georgia
10. LSU
11. Tennessee
12. Vanderbilt


Coaching Jobs:

1. Dan Mullen
2. Gene Chizik
3. Steve Spurrier
4. Nick Saban
5. Joker Philips
6. Derek Dooley
7. Bobby Petrino
8. Robbie Caldwell
9. Les Miles
10. Urban Meyer
11. Houston Nutt
12. Mark Richt


Top 10 players:

1. Cam Newton
2. Patrick Peterson
3. Randall Cobb
4. A.J. Green
5. Drake Nevis
6. Mark Ingram
7. Nick Fairley
8. Marcus Lattimore
9. Ryan Mallett
10.Alshon Jeffrey


QBs 1-12:

1. Cam Newton
2. Ryan Mallett
3. Greg McElroy
4. Mike Hartline
5. Stephen Garcia
6. Aaron Murrey
7. Jeremiah Masoli
8. Chris Relf
9. John Brantley
10. Matt Sims
11. Jordan Jefferson
12. Larry Smith


Looking forward...

Best games of the 2nd half:

1. Auburn at Alabama
2. LSU at Auburn
3. Alabama at LSU
4. South Carolina at Florida
5. Mississippi State at Alabama
6. LSU at Arkansas
7. Arkansas at South Carolina
8. Arkansas at Mississippi State
9. Florida at Florida State
10.Kentucky at Tennessee


Bowl projections:

Auburn - Sugar Bowl
Alabama - National Championship Game
LSU - Gator Bowl
Mississippi State - Chick-Fil-A Bowl
South Carolina - Capitol One Bowl
Arkansas - Cotton Bowl
Florida - Outback Bowl
Kentucky - Birmingham Bowl
Georgia - Music City Bowl

JB

The National Deficit

It is estimated that the United States is over $13 trillion in debt right now and it is rising at over $4 billion per day. If you split the debt to each person in the country it's roughly $45,000 each. That is a ton of debt and all of the out of control spending the federal government has exhibited has gotten us into a huge hole that will take years to get out of.

All of these ridiculous stimulus packages that have done next to nothing except increase our debt have been some of the stupidest things our government has ever done. Back-door deals, corruption, and greed have swirled and while politicians get rich the American people are left with the bill. We have got to throw these bums out of office and get some new blood in there to change this 'spending is the way to go' attitude in Washington right now.

The danger of maintaining a democrat controlled majority in congress is that taxes will continue to rise. All of this debt has to be paid off at some point and once our economy corrects itself and heads back on the right track they are going to stick us with more taxes and we're going to fall right back down into the same hole. We need to get fiscally conservative people elected to office so that we can lower taxes and cut spending to create more jobs and get the economy rolling enough that the taxes that come in will drastically reduce the deficit. Then after years of chipping away at it we need to stick to our plans and use the model of the Republicans of 2000-2006 as what not to do.

JB

Week Seven

Pretty great weekend of college football if you ask me. I know I picked Mississippi State to beat Florida but I don't really know if I truly believed it would happen. As I was watching in the 4th quarter I couldn't believe we are actually dominating the line of scrimmage against "better athletes" and about to pull the upset. What a great win for Mississippi State! Dan Mullen is an excellent coach and I'm glad he's at State. Now the athletic department needs to begin preparations for his raise. Even if we fall flat on our face and go 6-6 he should go from $1.2 to 1.5, win 7 raise it to 1.75, win 8 then 2 mil, 9 games go to 2.5 mil. And if he does the unthinkable and goes 10-2 then go all the way to $3 million because there will be head hunters from all over the country attacking Starkville. But before I start talking about how we finish I'm so happy we beat Florida, on the road especially, and it gives validity to the program and sets up the potential for a very memorable season.

In other news, I have to say that there is no doubt right now that Cameron Newton is far and away the best player in the country. It is not even close. The much heralded Terrelle Pryor, who has the game size and tools as Newton is soft, while Newton is tough..running over defensive backs like they are nothing. I'm not willing to say he is as tough as Tebow was or has the leadership qualities, be he is faster and more lethal of a weapon with his elusiveness.

I should have gone with my gut on the Kentucky pick, I knew that would happen...I just thought losing Derrick Locke would hurt too bad, but it didn't and Joker Philips got his first big win. I still think South Carolina will win the east and they will probably win the rest of their games to end 10-2. I knew Ohio State would lose because they are soft, they play like Jim Tressel looks...nice and they don't want to get dirty. After Nebraska said all offseason they were going to pound Texas they come out with that poor performance at home? What a joke. I went 5-1 in the SEC and 3-3 nationally. So that's 44-12 in the SEC and 25-17 nationally so far this year. Week 7 Power Poll:

1. Auburn, 7-0 (4-0) - I don't think anyone right now would argue with this. There are some major questions for their defense but I don't think that should affect them next week with LSU's mediocre offense coming to town. But that game will be HUGE nationally and in the SEC West race.

2. Alabama, 6-1 (3-1) - They got the job done against Ole Miss but they weren't overly impressive. They don't seem like the hunted anymore but they are very very dangerous there lurking in the bushes.

3. LSU, 7-0 (4-0) - After week 5 Les Miles is an idiot, then after week 6 he's a genius, so after a week 7 where he struggled vs. McNeese State and Mississippi State beat Florida in the Swamp as well, I'm sure he's back to being an idiot in the national view. All I know is they keep winning, we'll see if they can do it on the Plains next week.

4. Mississippi State, 5-2 (2-2) - Woohoo! That's right, #4! And I'm completely justified in this because State's only two losses are to undefeated Top 10 teams and they have won on the road twice and one of those wins was against Florida. Something neither South Carolina nor Arkansas has done so far this year.

5. South Carolina, 4-2 (2-2) - They fell into the trap at Kentucky but they are still a good team, just need to take care of business next week at Vanderbilt...the SEC East is still at hand.

6. Arkansas, 4-2 (1-2) - I thought Tyler Wilson's performance stepping in for Ryan Mallett was phenomenal. I was wondering why Bobby Petrino was smiling in his interview coming out of halftime, but I know now he knew he had a great backup quarterback. The Hogs are in good shape still to make a run at a Cotton Bowl bid.

7. Florida, 4-3 (2-3) - The Gators couldn't have an off week at a better time. They are a very talented team but they aren't playing up to their potential. We'll see how they bounce back in two weeks for the world's largest outdoor cocktail party.

8. Kentucky, 4-3 (1-3) - Beating South Carolina was a nice win for the Wildcats, battle for the 8th position next week hosting UGA. Great clutch play on 4th down for the go-ahead score. Mike Hartline is the most underrated player in the SEC this year.

9. Georgia, 3-4 (2-3) - After demolishing Vandy I move them down one spot, but that is because Kentucky deserves to be ahead right now with a win over a good team. They've got two straight beatdowns of opponents between the Hedges. It looks like they have regrouped and if they can string some wins together their season will be saved.

10. Ole Miss, 3-4 (1-2) - The Black Bears have an average team this year and will have to scratch, fight and claw their way to 6 wins if they want to get to a bowl. That should be easy for a bear to do but since they are really an old man at heart I'm not sure they can get it done.

11. Tennessee, 2-4 (0-3) - Good week for Tennessee, no loss and Vandy got beat so bad they were knocked out of the cellar.

12. Vanderbilt, 2-4 (1-2) - They looked pretty bad in Athens on Saturday. Anytime you get beat 43-0 you don't deserve much other than last place.

My Top 5:

1. Boise State, 6-0
2. Oregon, 6-0
3. Auburn, 7-0
4. TCU, 7-0
5. Alabama, 6-1/Oklahoma, 6-0

Oregon doesn't get my top spot because they have played one tough game and one kind of tough game...same as Boise State, and since I think Boise is better plus they beat Oregon in '08 and '09 I give them the edge. Auburn has played 5 good teams, they have the best player in the nation and would be #1 except that all their games have been very close and could've gone either way and I'm not sure they could beat the Top 2 teams, but if they beat LSU they will likely be #1 for their ability to consistently beat really good teams. TCU has been crushing teams but none of them are very good, it will take another absolutely dominate performance vs. Air Force next week for me to move them up. Alabama still makes the Top 5 because I think they are just as good as anyone and their only loss came on the road vs. their 3rd straight ranked conference opponent. Oklahoma is #1 in the BCS but barely crack my Top 5 because they barely escaped Utah State, Air Force, Cincinnati, and Texas...which are much less teams than the ones Auburn is escaping from.

I'm sad the Falcons lost, but oh well, I almost expected it. In the NFL the difference between physical skills is so small that is comes down to who wants it more. The Falcons were on the road, and being 4-1 they had some cause to relax. The Eagles are a good team who needed a win to stay with the Giants. The good news is 6 of the last 10 games are at home where I believe Matt Ryan is 14-1 in his career.

Too bad the Braves had to lose in the first round of the playoffs. But I will take Mississippi State winning at the Swamp in lieu of that every time! I am rooting for the Rangers the rest of the way out since they have Mitch Moreland and Jeff Franceour. I was 3 of 4 on my first round predictions...if I wouldn't have gone with my heart I would've been 4 of 4.

JB

Letter from the Editor II

I used to have these blog posts done two weeks in advance but I've been really busy at work the last month or so, so that last week I've only been getting to them the night before. I haven't had the down time at the office so no blogging there. It's good to have work, because without it I have no money...but the blogging will suffer. So there's a chance I might start skipping a day or two between posts. I can't believe I've been about to keep up this steak of over two months without missing a day but I can see it coming to an end soon. Eventually I will be too tired or forget and it will be snapped. Hopefully this blog is enjoyable and I aim to keep it that way.

JB

College Football - Week 7

Another week of college football is upon us. I can't believe it is already week 7, this is the middle of the season already. You wait all summer long for it to be football season and when it gets here you snap your fingers and it's mid-season and your wanting it to slow down so that you can enjoy it more. And it always seems like fall is busier than any other time of year. You want to enjoy the nice weather, watch football, go here, do that, work picks up, school is back in session. Then you put off the honey-do list on Saturdays because you want to watch football and the list of stuff to do grows longer. It's a great time of year, but it is fast-paced to me.

I'm glad the schedule makers kind of staggered the starts of the SEC games this week. Still, it starts out with Vanderbilt at Georgia with no other games on. This is my #8 vs. #10 so I'm not anticipating much unless Vanderbilt plays great and is in contention for the upset late in the 4th quarter. I don't really think that will happen with the game in Athens, I expect Georgia to win by two touchdowns and a field goal. LSU is playing McNeese State so that's a win. And Tennessee has a bye when they should be playing Alabama since it's the third Saturday in October.

The big game for me is Mississippi State at Florida. There are a ton of variables in this game but the bottom line is State has a chance to win. I fully expect that the game will be in doubt with 5 minutes to play in the 4th quarter. Florida's offense and defense has been suspect the entire season. They are sorely missing Dan Mullen and Tim Tebow as well as a host of players that left for the NFL. Mississippi State isn't going to blow anybody's socks off and they are far from dynamic on offense or stifling on D, but what I can say is they play to their potential and they are solid. Coming off a 3 game win streak the Dawgs are confident and I know they know they can win the game in the Swamp. Florida is coming off two straight losses and so it will be real interesting to see how they respond. I never thought I would do this, but I'm going to predict Mississippi State to go into the Swamp and pull out an ugly, hard fought victory...21-20.

Alabama seems to always struggle with Ole Miss and the new Black Bears are obviously coming off a bye. It will certainly be interesting to see how Alabama's players respond to Nick Saban's ridiculous expectations. If I was a player at Alabama I would be pissed that he is so mad at them for losing one game after winning 29 consecutive regular season game and 19 straight overall. Winning coming off two tough games against ranked opponents and going on the road to face another ranked team is a feat that only one other team has accomplished so I am anxious to see how well they play after being lambasted for Saban's unrealistic goals. All that said about Bama I expect Ole Miss to come out and probably take a lead, maybe into halftime. In the end I Bama will win but the 21 point spread is too much. Should be 10-14 on the spread.

South Carolina is going to Kentucky in what has trap written all over it. All the South Carolina players are hearing how great they are this week and they are high as a kite and now they have to travel to Lexington to face a talented team who is hungry for a win. The cards are heavily stacked against the Gamecocks for this game. They are 5 point favorites which tells you Vegas is seeing this game similar to how I'm viewing it. If Steve Spurrier can get his offense geared up like they need to be to run with the Wildcats then I give him more props than I do for beating Bama. I was all prepared to pick South Carolina to lose this game 31-20 until I heard that Locke isn't going to play due to injury, without that key weapon I don't see UK being nearly as effective on offense and they will ultimately come up short in what Spurrier is called the most important game in South Carolina history, 24-21.

The biggest game of the weekend is Arkansas at Auburn. Think about this: if Arkansas wins then they will have beaten Auburn, who beat South Carolina, who beat Alabama, who beat Arkansas...so all four of those teams which are now ranked around the top 10 will have all played a round robin and beaten each other leaving LSU as the top dog in the SEC for at least a week. But of course there will be many more games to play to sort it all out. In this game I would say it is sort of a trap game since if they win the game next week vs. LSU will be much bigger than this, but Arkansas is ranked in the Top 10 and so I think maybe last week's game at Kentucky was the 'trap' Auburn escaped. Ryan Mallett is still throwing a lot of interceptions and I don't expect him to be without any in this game. Auburn being at home and hungry to make a statement that they are the best team in the SEC will give them the motivation to play mentally tough and stick it to the Hogs. I think Auburn gets out to an early lead, Arkansas comes back, Auburn extends the lead, and it goes like that all day with plenty of scoring. 34-28, Auburn.

I don't even know why I pick 6 national games, who cares about these other worthless conferences and they're unexciting football? Oh well, I throw out some picks for this week. Nebraska over Texas, Wisconsin over Ohio State, Colorado over Baylor, UNC over Virginia, Iowa over Michigan, and Texas A&M over Missouri.

JB

View of America

In today's American culture there seems to be three prevailing views of the image of America people have. The first group sees America as a flawed nation, and apologize for it. The second group see America as a nation that has gotten off the tracks, but they believe we once had it right and so they want to restore America. The third group doesn't really care about where we are, they are only concerned with their own lives, and those are usually the people that don't vote.

If you've read any of my blog then you probably would hypothesize that I am in the second group of people. And while I disagree with the first group, I'd rather you be in that one than the third group.

President Obama falls into the first group...that is why he has gone around the world apologizing for our actions. His view of America is that we don't take care of the poor well enough, we impose military action on other countries too often, and the base of our country needs to be changed so that we can be more like Europe.

I am in favor of the second group because I believe in capitalism, democracy, smaller government, and the ability for people to be free and make their own path in life through hard work and perseverance just like our founding fathers set it up.

There is nothing wrong with America! We are still the greatest country in the world. There have always been, and will always be room for improvement but we have flourished to become a great nation by sticking to our founding principals. We don't want to change this successful formula because we make some mistakes and we are down in the dumps. If Americans will take care of their own business and unite to tackle the issues we face we will continue our reign as the most powerful, most giving, most influential, and best country in the history of mankind.

JB

Cow, Chicken, or Pig?

Cow, chicken, or pig, which is the most useful animal? I mean, we eat or drink something that comes from these animals almost everyday! I've always wondered about it, so let me put my weary wondering mind to rest.

Cow:

Of course we get milk from a cow, and then that contributes to cheese and ice cream. The ground chuck you buy to make hamburgers, spaghetti, tacos, etc. Then there's all the cuts of beef: round, sirloin, rib, tenderloin, brisket (corned beef) and so forth. You've got your roast beef, beef jerky, and then you can get into your different types of meat based on the type of cow, Angus, Kobe beef, etc.

Chicken:

Chicken produces an egg and we all know about the incredible edible egg. Then there's chicken which almost everyone likes, it's the easiest thing to put in anything. You can fry it, broil it, bake it, boil it, anything you want to do with it. There dark meat and white meat on a chicken, I prefer the white but I like the dark too. There's more chickens in the world than people so there's plenty to go around.

Pigs:

Pigs don't produce anything for vegetarians other than an oink but there's a laundry list of foods that come from this disgusting animal. Baby back ribs, ham, bacon, hot dogs, bologna, pork chops, Boston butts, tenderloin, trotters (pig's feet), and you can eat the tail and ears if you want but that's just gross.

So as you can see these three are very useful and are staples of the American diet. I have to rank them as follows:

3. Chicken - While you can do a lot with chicken there isn't much in the way of different tastes. The egg is good but not good enough to make it out of the 3rd spot.

2. Pig - You can pretty much eat every part of a pig and that certainly makes it useful. Although almost none if it is good for you, it is quite a tasty animal that can be used for a lot of different meals.

1. Cow - There are two distinctly different but equally as useful things coming from a cow in beef and dairy. Those two things just make the cow far and away the most useful animal in this debate I'm having with myself.

So that does it, the cow is the most useful.

JB

The Trickle Down Effect

I am a proponent of 'the trickle down effect'. It's really a simple concept, or theory to understand. I think it makes perfect sense, and then there are those who think it's stupid or greedy. But you either agree with the theory or you don't, and whether or not you agree with it should determine whether you are fiscally conservative or liberal in the political sense.

The basic idea of the the trickle down effect is that when corporations and/or wealthy people have more money in their pockets it is better for the middle and lower class than when they are heavily taxed. When a business is being heavily taxed they have less money to spend, therefore, they can afford to have less employees, so there are fewer jobs.

Say a mid-sized business brings in $5 million a year. If they are being taxed at 45% then they pay $2.25 million in taxes. So that means they have $2.75 million to cover their cost of operating. After paying all the bills and insurances associated with running a business they also have to match the social security each employee puts in, and pay unemployment insurance. So while employee Bob who is making $50,000 at that company views $2.75 million as a huge sum, after all these overhead cost the amount of money left to pay the employee's salary is probably going to fall around $2 million. Say there are 40 employees making an average salary of $40,000 at this company, that leaves only $400,000 for the owner. Now you may say that that is a ton of money, but for someone who most likely started the business, has all the headache of running it, and is your employer that is nothing to gripe about...they are not running the business so that you can have a job. And don't forget that the withholding that comes out of your check is not in that $2.25 milliion, it is in addition to that. Corporations get taxed at an alarming rate. Just imagine if there was another $1 million for the owner to spend, employees could make more money, more people could be hired to share the workload, the facilities could be upgraded creating more jobs in the construction of the facility.

For another example say a billionaire is getting taxed 50% so he doesn't really want to spend $300 million on the yacht he wants. Well if he was only taxed 35% then he would buy that yacht and the manufacturer and all the people who built the boat would have work and he would hire 10 people to work on the boat, he would buy gas and have ridiculous parties ordering expensive foods and all the money he would spend would circulate through to the people in the middle and lower class.

Now say the government continues to tax heavily and increases taxes on corporations and the wealthy. Do they use those dollars creating government jobs, sure. But are government workers efficient at all? Is government spending necessary or even justified most of the time? Do we want the government taking our money and using it how they see fit without any regard for cost and value?

When a company has more money, there are more jobs period. When you cut taxes you free up tons of cash that was being sent to the government so companies can buy more, spend more, hire more. Not only that but it makes it easier for people to start a business. A business right now basically has to make 35-40% more money than they need to pay salaries because they have to pay taxes. So next time you think paying a mechanic $75/hour is ridiculous, think about how $20 of that is going to the government. So when you pay sales tax that is just a tax on top of the tax that the mechanic is charging because he knows he has to pay taxes on whatever you pay him. That is the way you have to think about it because it is true. If you want to hate taxes, own a business.

The bottom line of the trickle down effect is that we need to always try to cut taxes and not raise them. There are certain times when the country is in debt or we need money for military action that taxes should be raised. But there is no need for spiking taxes so the government can have more money. And just remember that when sticking it to the rich with more taxes for them and less for you sounds nice, that really just means there's a chance you're out of a job because they've got more taxes to pay and believe you me they aren't going to fire themselves so that you can have a job.

JB

Week Six

Wow, what a weekend of sports! Where do I begin? I can start out by saying Game 2 of the Braves/Giants series was one of the best baseball games I've seen in a really long time....it was really exciting the Braves won. It was so exciting that after about 6 hours sleep the night before because I stayed up to watch Game 1 and woke up for work Friday, I was able to stay up until 1:30 to watch an extra inning game on the west coast. I'll admit that I had pretty much given up hope on the game around the 7th inning and I was dozing off but the Braves 8th inning rally got me stirred up and all the events that followed that were awesome. Great game.

Then came a Saturday filled with great games. As I predicted before the season and again on Friday, South Carolina beat Alabama. I really don't hold this one against Alabama too much, coming off two emotional games, going on the road against a really tough team they lost the game. This is why people don't think Boise State should be in the national championship game, they don't have to face this type of competition every week. It is too hard to get yourself fully prepared and motivated to play at a top level week in and week out with no breathers. And when the team you are playing is coming off a bye week it is very hard to match their intensity, and then compound that it's on the road...let's face it that the cards were stacked against them. That is why I picked South Carolina to win the game, it had to do as much with Alabama's schedule as the Gamecocks ability to beat them. Now I'm not trying to defend the Tide because I hate them, but I don't think they should have been dropped to 8th in the polls for that loss.

LSU's offense finally played decent and they deserved to win the game because of it but how lucky can Les Miles be? I thought for sure his nine lives had run out after the Tennessee game but no, the ball bounces perfectly off the grass on that fake punt and they go on to score a touchdown and win the game! It is unbelievable how lucky this guy is! I don't know if he's into voodoo down there in Louisiana or what is going on, the guy has the cahonies of a horse. After I watched that I flipped back over to the Mississippi State game, and Mike Leach, who was announcing the game, said, "I'd like to be in Baton Rouge during a lightning storm". Another great line from Leach, LSU is so lucky to be 6-0 but after that win I've got to throw my hands up and just say they are good and find ways to win.

Mississippi State played pretty well this weekend running all over Houston, they've got a shot next week at Florida. I'm glad USC lost again, I hope they lose every week...and it makes Gary Danielson's idiotic pick of them going 13-0 look even more dumb. I was amazed at Florida State dismantling of Miami. You've got to give Michigan State credit, they are 6-0 and might be the best story in college football this year. I was very surprised Kentucky was able to shut down Auburn in the 2nd half, especially the 3rd quarter and make it a close game. Auburn has had some problems during full halves of games this year...the 2nd half at Miss. St., 1st half vs. Clemson, and 2nd half at Kentucky. I was 6-1 for my SEC picks and 3-3 around the country this week. So my total is 39-11 in the SEC and 22-14 nationally. Here this weeks power poll:

1. Auburn, 6-0 (3-0) - They had some trouble with Kentucky but they won the game which is what they seem to do this year. Cam Newton was two rushing yards away from a "Denard Robinson 200-200" game and I think right now he should be the front-runner for the Heisman. I don't think based on whose beaten who and records you can have anyone else at the top right now. Huge game next week vs. Arkansas, and if they can win it sets up the biggest game of the year in the SEC vs. LSU.

2. South Carolina, 4-1 (2-1) - In the end I don't really believe South Carolina is better than Alabama, they caught them at the right time and they played the best game they will probably play all year, but they did beat them so they get to be ahead of them here. They are a solid team and now they are in great position to win the SEC East...just have to avoid the stumbling blocks like Kentucky next week.

3. Alabama, 5-1 (2-1) - Bama is still a great team and I believe they still have a great shot at all their goals including the national championship. As I predicted before the year they would lose vs. USC and come back to win it all. But they will have to rebound this week because Ole Miss always plays Bama tough.

4. LSU, 6-0 (4-0) - Raise your hand if you thought LSU would be the first SEC team to 4 wins. There isn't much you can say here, they are entertaining to watch I guess. Now they basically have a bye week hosting McNese state before going to Auburn.

5. Arkansas, 4-1 (1-1) - After going to Dallas and beating a pretty good Texas A&M team I'm dropping the Hogs two spots, but their just a victim of circumstance because I have to move South Carolina and LSU up. They are a good football team but it is all about Ryan Mallett right now, and he is still throwing picks. Big time matchup at Auburn next week, we'll see what Arkansas' really got.

6. Florida, 4-2 (2-2) - I know Demps was out but what is wrong with their offense? It hasn't been right all year long and I never thought they'd be reduced to #6 and playing Mississippi State for the right to stay in the top half of the SEC. They've got some issues, let's see how they respond to back-to-back losses.

7. Mississippi State, 4-2 (1-2) - I would be tempted to put State over Florida but they'll have a chance to earn it playing them next week. The running game is doing well, they make just enough passes to keep the defense honest and the defense is very good, however, the special teams might be the worst in the SEC and needs a lot of work. Going to Florida has the potential to turn this into a special season if they can pull out a win in the swamp.

8. Georgia, 2-4 (1-3) - Out of the cluster of teams I had last week UGA emerged as the best of the bunch. They finally put it all together and if they can play like that going down the stretch they've got a shot at salvaging the season. Now they've got to continue to take care of business hosting Vanderbilt.

9. Kentucky, 3-3 (0-3) - The Wildcats played pretty well against Auburn, I was especially impressed with their ability to stop Auburn's offense in the 3rd quarter after giving up the world in the 1st half. If the D can play like that against South Carolina they've got a real shot in a classic trap game.

10. Vanderbilt, 2-3 (1-1) - Nice job obliterating Eastern Michigan, I did not know Vandy could score 52 points in a game. How could I put Vandy this high? Well, they beat Ole Miss in Oxford and they look better than Tennessee right now.

11. Ole Miss, 3-2 (1-1) - They didn't play this week and so now they are next up on Alabama's list of opponents with a bye week before playing them. We'll see if they have anything up their sleeve, it will be the best competition they've faced this year by a moonshot.

12. Tennessee, 2-4 (0-3) - I think Derek Dooley has done about all he can with this team so far, and they really stood no chance against Georgia on the road if the Dawgs were hungry for a win at all after coming off what happened in Baton Rouge. They almost lost to UAB, just can't do much of anything...it's rough in Knoxville.

I am about to put Boise State as my #1 team, but before I do, let me preface it with some thoughts about it. They do not play the same schedule as the highly ranked BCS teams but I think they are as good as the highly ranked BCS teams. I think the BCS teams should be given an advantage over them at the end of the season if they do only have one loss because of the example Alabama just gave us...having to play top competition week after week wears on a team mentally and they are not able to be where they need to be to win the game. But if Oregon plays Stanford, then plays Washington State, then an off week, then UCLA, that is not too hard and so I'm not going to give Oregon credit over Boise State at the end of the year. Same goes for Oklahoma, Ohio State and all the other teams in the Top 5. They may play a tougher schedule but if the tough games are 3 and 4 weeks apart then I don't think there is that much difference between what Boise has done and what they have done. I think the polls should be based on what you see right now and then in the final poll you should sit down and look at what all the teams have faced and compare it and factor in how good they are, etc. and determine the top teams. So here is my Top 5:

1. Boise State, 5-0
2. Nebraska, 5-0
3. Oregon, 6-0
4. Auburn, 6-0/TCU, 6-0
5. Alabama, 5-1

I was 6-7 on the NFL games I predicted, that is pretty terrible. Oh well, I don't claim to know that much about it. I was pleased to see the Falcons get a road win against the Browns, who I thought looked like a good team despite their 1-4 record. The Falcons are a solid NFL team and I think they are capable of winning it all if they don't get another rash of injuries like they did last year. I can't believe the Saints lost the Arizona and their rookie quarterback, now Atlanta is in the driver's seat.

The Yankees swept the Twins and the Phillies swept the Reds so those two series winners followed my predictions. I had the Rangers moving on and it looked like a sure thing up 2-0 and going home but now the Rays have tied it 2-2 and playing tomorrow in Tampa Bay. Luckily for the Rangers they have Cliff Lee going, but Tampa has David Price so it should be a classic game.

So it was all such a great weekend for me, everything was going right after the Falcons won Sunday afternoon, then the Braves couldn't hit a lick and Tim Hudson had to break up a no-hitter being thrown by Jonathon Sanchez in the 6th inning. It all looked bleak because Brooks Conrad had committed two errors at the beginning of the game and one of them allowed a run to score. Then Eric Hinske came through huge with a pinch-hit two run homer in the bottom of the 8th, I thought the Braves had won it, Kimbrel was throwing gas in the 9th, then we change pitchers, give up the lead, and Conrad makes another horrible error and the Braves lose. Unbelievable. Brooksy or "raw dog" has been one of my favorite players all year if not my favorite player because he plays hard and sometimes above his abilities, and he's been clutch all regular season. Everyone is down on him and wanting him to be cut from the team and all this but I know he didn't do it on purpose, he just choked. He's a 30-year-old rookie whose never been in anything like this, starting only because Chipper Jones and Martin Prado have gone down, and he's had a bad two weeks fielding and he just choked. It reminds be of Chuck Knobloch when he couldn't throw the ball to first base accurately, it's all in his head. After making bad throws from 3rd base last week Bobby moved him to second, then he'd already made 3 errors in the series so you know he was thinking, 'I hope they don't hit it to me', he just doesn't have it right now. So I don't know if Bobby can start him tonight, I would think he's got to put Diory Hernadez in there at 2nd base...Brooksy has got a better bat but the Braves just can't afford any defensive mistakes in a series like this. I hope they can win it tonight and bring it back to San Fran where all bets would be off in a Game 5.

JB

Thoughts on the NFL

There is one undefeated team left in the NFL and it's Kansas City, I don't think anyone saw that one coming. And after 4 games the 49ers are winless, I think it's time to fire Mike Singletary...I guess I'm going to get that pick wrong. It doesn't look like the Vikings will go 12-4 like I predicted but getting Randy Moss will get them into the playoffs I think. I will admit Mark Sanchez is better than I anticipated but I still think the Jets are overrated and will lose plenty of games this year even after a 3-1 start.

The Falcons are 3-1 which I am very pleased with and well on their way to the 12-4 finish I predicted. I know I'm a Falcons fan but I think Matt Ryan has taken it to the next level and is now entering into the Pro-bowl level. I also think Roddy White is the best wide receiver in the NFL right now, he catches everything.

As of right now I'd say the Steelers should be the favorite to win the Superbowl, a team I didn't even have going to the playoffs. They are 3-1 and now have their quarterback for the first time.

Here are my week 5 picks:

Atlanta over Cleveland
Baltimore over Denver
Buffalo over Jacksonville
Chicago over Carolina
Cincinnati over Tampa Bay
St. Louis over Detroit
Indianapolis over Kansas City
NY Giants over Houston
New Orleans over Arizona
Washington over Green Bay
Oakland over San Diego
Dallas over Tennessee
San Francisco over Philadelphia
Minnesota over NY Jets

JB

Instant Replay in Baseball

With all the bad calls in baseball how can they not take advantage of the technology and use instant replay? I'm writing this on Friday morning so I don't know what happened in Friday's games but so far through the first two days of the playoffs there has been 4 horrible calls, 3 of which impacted the game in a huge way. The Yankees should have ended Game 1 of their series with a catch that was ruled a trap, luckily for them the final out, Jim Thome, was retired but he is an all-time great home run hitter who could have easily tied it up due to that bad call. It looked like Michael Young swung at strike 3 but it was ruled no swing and then he hits a 3-run homer and the Rays go on to lose game 2 6-0. The Twins were throwing Lance Berkman strikes down the middle and it would have stuck him out but they were called balls and he goes on to drive in the go-ahead run and the Twins lose game 2. And the one that infuriates me the most is Buster Posey obviously out trying to steal second base which would have ended the inning but he goes on to score the only run of the game. After the game he said, "I'm glad we don't have instant replay".

Not having instant replay is so stupid. I know there are people who say they don't want to slow up an already slow game, but I've got the perfect solution. I can solve all the problems with bad calls...it's so easy, and the thing is I haven't heard anyone talking about doing it this way.

It goes like this: you have 6 umpires at a game, 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, home plate, in the umpires dugout behind the backstop, and in the booth. If you've got HD you've seen how TBS displays where every pitch is located both high and low and side to side. This technology has been there for years just like how tennis uses computers to determine if a ball is in or out. All you have to do is use that computer and if it is a strike the scoreboard states that it's a strike. You put a scoreboard behind the backstop so the pitcher can see it and then the hitter and catcher can look at the ones in the outfield. The home plate umpire can just stand a couple feet behind the catcher so it won't look weird to watch baseball and his only duty is to make out or safe calls at home plate, and hit by pitch or did he foul it off his foot, etc. This is so easy, why have to suffer through bad ball and strike calls, use the computer!!

Then there's the calls like is he out at first or second, did he tag up, or did he catch the ball. For those the human umpires make the call. If there is a dispute about that call then the manager comes out to argue like he always has and while he is arguing the umpire in the booth is reviewing the replay, if it needs to be overturned then he calls the umpire located behind the backstop and he runs out onto the field to tell them to reverse it. This is so simple, you don't hold up the game and you still have arguing which a lot of people like in baseball. If in the umpires judgment the manager is coming out to argue to much with no results then throw him out of the game.

My solution is so simple if the morons running the game of baseball would just listen. There is no need to suffer through bad calls especially when everyone knows its a bad call. If this was the 1960s and no one really knew because there wasn't the right camera angle then who cares but today we've got all the cameras, all the technology, just get it right.

JB

College Football - Week 6

This looks like another huge weekend in college football. The last few weekends have been void of major upsets and a bunch of really close games but that is bound to happen and it may be this weekend. There seems to always be a couple Saturdays when the whole landscape of the Top 25 is destroyed beyond recognition. For all the people that don't see how anyone in the Top 5 is going to lose the rest of the year...it will happen eventually, it always does.

In a battle of defeated superheros Tennessee is playing at Georgia at 12:30. This particular Saturday used to always be special because of this game, the LSU/Florida game, Red River Shootout and lots of playoff baseball. Well now all those games have lost their luster and baseball is only playing 2 games tomorrow instead of 4. Oh well. Somehow someway Georgia is favored by 11 points in this game. What have they done to deserve this? I guess you could say since they are going home where they played Arkansas tough they should play better, but I don't know about 11 points better than a team that hung with Oregon for a half, Florida for 3 quarters, and should have beaten LSU. Tennessee always plays well in Athens so whoever wins this game I think it will be in the last minute of the game. I'll give the edge to Georgia in this game, they absolutely have to have this one...this game could determine which one of these teams ends up making a bowl this year.

Mississippi State is going to Houston to play them without Case Keenum. The Cougars have beaten State 3 in a row including 2003, 2005, and last year so hopefully the Dawgs will have some revenge on their minds and pound a lesser team. Houston is good but without Kennum I don't think they will be able to get much going against a hungry State D. I'm predicting a blowout, 38-10 State. Auburn is visiting Kentucky, these teams are headed in opposite directions. Auburn has played 3 tough games, two of them against tough defenses so the games have been close and their offense has struggled at times in those games. But Kentucky's D is awful and I expect Auburn to crush them in Lexington....which maybe UK's only saving grace that they are at home, 35-20 Auburn.

LSU at Florida still has the great rankings but it just doesn't feel like the huge matchup it has been the last few years. Florida has a lot to prove after being dismantled last week and I think Les Miles' 9 lives are up and this is the week things start to unravel for him. LSU's defense is good and that will keep them in this game but in the end Florida will be too focused and ready to play to be beaten by a mediocre (for LSU) team. 21-13 Florida.

The big game of the week is Alabama at South Carolina and I think it will live up to expectations a lot more than the Florida/Bama game did. There are still a lot of questions about the Gamecock's quarterback situation but if Spurrier will leave Garcia in the game I think they are much much better off. There was no reason to take him out of the Auburn game and he needs to stay in there if they want to have a chance against the Tide. Alabama has only faced one team (Arkansas) with a good passing attack, but the Hogs didn't have a running game. South Carolina, while not as good as Arkansas though the air, is pretty good and they have big, tall, physical receivers. Plus they have Marcus Lattimore and a solid run game, much more than Arkansas had to offer. I think Garcia's ability to throw the ball against Alabama still young secondary and their ability to run the ball and control the clock will be what gives them a chance. Don't forget that Ryan Mallett threw 3 INT's in that game and that is what got Bama the victory, not that their defense stopped Arkansas. All of that plus Alabama is coming off two emotionally charged games in back to back weeks and I am going to stick with my preseason pick of South Carolina beating Alabama at home. I think their defense is just good enough to stop Bama a few times and stay in the game. South Carolina wins 24-17.

Arkansas has had a week to think about how they almost beat Alabama. It will be interesting to see how they come out. They should win the game vs. Texas A&M and that could propel them into a really solid year. Vanderbilt is playing Eastern Michigan and this is definitely a game they need to win and I think they will. Ole Miss has got the week off.

I'll pick Michigan State over Michigan, Pittsburgh over Notre Dame and Miami, FL over Florida State. Stanford's PAC 10 hopes may have been dashed last week so it will be interesting to see how they play this week vs. USC, they are smart kids so I think they bounce back and win. Southern Miss over East Carolina and SMU over Tulsa for some CUSA love. Looks like a great week of football.

JB

NFL Developmental League

There are a lot of problems these days with college players violating NCAA rules. I have a solution to this problem, and it's not more rules and regulation by the NCAA. It's for the NFL to step up and create a developmental league.

First off, the NCAA has too many rules and they are an anti-democracy gestapo that should be done away with, but that is another issue. 95% of all scholarship college football players will never play in the NFL or even get to an NFL training camp. So that 95% is happy with the free education they receive, but the other 5% that make it to the NFL are not in college for the education, they are there to prepare for the NFL. For about 80% of that elite 5% group college serves its purpose just like it does for a regular business major looking to get a job in corporate America. But for that top 1%, the ones that go pro after their junior year, those guys know they are the best...they always have been, and they are only in college because the NFL won't let them go pro until they are 3 years removed from high school.

That top 1% of college football players are the ones going to agent parties and receiving benefits from boosters. They are the ones that don't really care that much about the rules because they want something for their talent, for the use of their abilities by the school on the football field. They are not loyal to any school, they are just waiting until they can enter the draft and make millions. So what can be done to fix this problem? Well, in my post, "The NCAA, Agents, and College Football" on July 23rd I gave my solution for allowing players to sign with agents while they are still in college. But I know that will never happen so now I am offering a solution that could actually happen...an NFL Developmental League.

The NBA has a Developmental League, one that no one watches. Well, no one would watch this one either. The concept is simple, 16 teams - unaffiliated with any NFL teams but funded by the NFL, have a draft around January 15th of each year (just before national college signing day) to draft 3 rounds of high school seniors. So 16 teams x 3 rounds = 48 players. To be a 5-star player you have to be in the top 50 in the country, so there you go...5-star players will get drafted. These players will be required to play in the NFDL for 3 years before they can be drafted just like they do in college, the only difference is they get paid $50,000 per year instead of having to go to college. To fill out the rosters the NFDL teams use the 27 players that got cut in training camp plus about 12-15 other players who would like to someday play in the NFL.

So what your left with is college players that don't have certain NFL careers. You have college players that will probably all need to stay all 4 years before they are ready to be drafted. Sure, you'll still have some players who can leave after their junior years, but those are the ones that made strides in college and weren't banking on 1st round money so they disregarded the rulebook in college.

I'd like for the NBA to do a similar type of thing with basketball players. What they should do is have NBDL teams connected with NBA teams like the minor leagues in baseball. Then, in their regular draft, they can pick players directly from high school and if they're ready, bring them up to the NBA or send them to the NBDL for a couple years. And if you're not drafted into the NBA then you have to stay in college for 3 years...so I'm basically saying they should make the model like baseball has it; but of course if you're drafted in basketball you're not going to want to go to college.

I think developmental leagues would solve most of the issues colleges have with athletes interacting with agents and accepting money and other items from boosters. College coaches have enough to worry about and they aren't baby sitters, give them half a chance with players that want to be in college because they know that is where they belong.

JB

Global Warming

The word 'green' does not mean the same color as grass anymore, it means conservation and saving the planet. There is a huge push by the government and many businesses for the American public to 'go green', and if you aren't buying into then you are criticized for it. The reason for all this green-ness is global warming, which is supposedly destroying our planet. I think people need to find out the real reasons why all this green advocacy is going on and not just take the scientist word for it.

First off, unless scientist invent or create something they earn a paycheck either through the government or they are funded by a corperation or some type of organization. The people paying them those checks have a specific goal in mind and they want the scientist to 'prove' it correct through experiments and data. So when scientist come up a bunch of findings don't think they are bystanders who stumbled upon it, they were steered in that direction by the people with money who are paying them. When they don't get the results that organiztion wants, believe you me it doesn't get published.

The reason organizations have funded scientist to gather all this information and data to support global warming is because 'green' is a big time business. Have you ever noticed how much NBC emphasizes going green and taking care of the enviroment? Well, I have sad news for those who think they just love the planet. NBC is owned by General Electric who has made billions and billions of dollars off people purchasing 'green' items. Tons of companies are producing green items so that the people who are buying into all this will go the extra mile and purchase this unnecessary item, or many replace something they have with a more expensive, but green, item. 'Green' business nearly doubles every year...it produces billions of dollars!

The idea of 'carbon footprint' is a model to live by for the enviromentalist. Supposedly, if we all reduce our carbon footprint then global warming will stop and mankind will be able to save the planet. So in order to maintain a proper footprint people will buy expensive items to protect the enviroment, or they will only buy recycled material, etc. and maybe they'll bike to work. You can even buy 'carbon credits', so if you have to drive a car to work you can make up for it by purchasing a tree to be planted in the Amazon within the next 5 years. Excuse me, but that is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard...that is what I call swindling the consumer. Al Gore is the king of carbon credits, he drives around in jets and fuel guzzling vehicles but donates some money to plant trees so it's all ok, right?

Well I don't really believe Al Gore is all that concerned about global warming. I think he's more concerned about making money for the companies that fund him and the democratic party. Republican's are controlled by corporations? How about democrats are controlled by producers of 'green' products and advocating it under the guise of it being good for the environment.

I'm not against recycling and conservation. I don't think we should slash and burn everything we have and not care about pollution. I think that when possible we should try to reuse things and take care of our natural resources. But I certainly don't think we should go out of our way to buy things because they are 'green', and we certainly shouldn't change our lifesytle because a bunch of enviromentalist say we should.

For years Hollywood, tv shows, and popular culture have made fun of people who are vigins at age 20, in the movies the guy who's a Christian is always stupid and square. Going 'green' is cut out of the same mold. If you don't believe in it or buy into then you are a fool...what is wrong with you? Well, it still hasn't been proven that humans even cause global warming. There really isn't even enough data to conclude the earth is actually warming that much. Have you ever watched the news and they say, 'once thought to cause __________, turns out that's not accurate'....well that is because it is all theory and with more experiments and data differenct results can be found.

I don't go around believing everything I'm told. Instead, I question the validity of it and find the answer on my own. I challege you to investigate global warming and all other things you believe and find the true answers. As for the global warming issue itself, I'll go on living my life as I have without concern for being 'green' and let God worry about the planet HE created. If He wants to correct the problem then it will be corrected, if not then let it be.

JB

MLB Playoffs

The playoffs for baseball start tomorrow so I might as well give my predictions as to how I think they will transpire. I don't really know much about any of the teams other than the Braves. I know who their star players are but I don't know who the 2nd and 3rd guy is in their rotation, do they hit well with runners in scoring position, are they a good road or home team, etc. I don't know those things but in listening to the pundits talk about it Sunday and Monday I've come up with how I think people view the teams one through eight:

1. Phillies
2. Yankees
3. Rays
4. Twins
5. Giants
6. Rangers
7. Reds
8. Braves

One of the reasons I don't think it's such a big deal that Bobby Cox and the Braves only won one championship in their string of 14 division titles is because the baseball playoffs are flawed and the best team only wins half the time...as you can read about in September 29th's blog post. So I don't think it matters whether or not you are the #1, 3, 6 or whatever best team....it's all about how you hit and pitch on a given night which in baseball unlike any other sport is a huge variable.

National League

The Phillies are dominate and if they don't sweep the Reds I will be surprised. The Reds might sneak in Game 3 at home against Cole Hamels but I'll take the Phils in 3.

I heard Buster Olney on the radio Monday morning comparing the Giants to the Braves by saying it's like a heavy weight fighter taking on a featherwieght. I don't think there's that much of a difference and the Braves have almost as good of starting pitchers as San Fran does. Obviously I going with the Braves, in 5 games.

Braves vs. Phillies in the NLCS, I'm talking the Braves in 7...got to. There is no reason for me to make this pick other than with my heart but there is a small part of my brain that thinks it's possible too. If someone the Bravos can steal one in Philadelphia and then take 2 of 3 in Atlanta they can win Game 7, probably against Hamels.

American League

I'll take the Yankees over the Twins because New York usually wins in the postseason...that's about it...in 4 games.

The Rays made it to the World Series in 2008 so they've had their turn and I was born in Dallas, Rangers in 5.

I know these picks sound like a woman picking college basketball teams in a March Madness tournment because she likes their colors or mascot but like I said it's a crapshoot.

Rangers vs. Yankees in the ALCS, I think the Rangers will battle them tooth and nail but the Yanks have too much fire power, they win in 6 games.

WORLD SERIES

Yankees vs. Braves...you could say I'm picking this because I would like the Braves to exact some revenge for 1996 and 1999 and you'd be right. The Braves win in 7 games....making the Braves 11-8 in the playoffs and playing the maximum amount of games which sounds about right for this year.

I hope I'm right, don't you?

JB

Week Five

While I was watching the clock run down to the final seconds and Jordan Jefferson was lost and had no clue what to do I couldn't help but think how dumb he is and how awful a coach Les Miles is. How do you send a player on the field to run the ball and not have him prepared in case you don't get in the endzone? Les Miles is a terrible coach but his clock management skills aren't even good enough for pee wee football. In 2007 against Auburn he let the clock go down to nothing and they got totally lucky when Matt Flynn threw a touchdown as time ran out when all they needed was a field goal and if they don't score that touchdown the game is over. I don't know if Miles doesn't ever practice this stuff or just doesn't care because he's so cocky they will make it. LSU has boatloads of talent and that is the only reason that win any games, and right now they may be the worst 5-0 team ever. I fully expect LSU to lose 4 of their last 7 games and Les Miles to lose his job.

Florida has taken a big step back from where they were the last two years. Alabama is a great team and that game was in Tuscaloosa but the Gators did not play well at all...I guess that offensive explosion against Kentucky was really due to UK's poor defense than Florida getting back on track. Next week's LSU at Florida game looks to be a battle of most talented yet inept offenses in the country. Ohio State almost lost, and they don't impress me so I'm moving them out of my top 5. Oregon does impress me, Chip Kelly is a solid coach. I think Michigan State has to be commended as well for beating a good team without their head coach. And I've got to laugh at Colorado fans for storming the field after beating a 1-4 Georgia team...seriously? I had a mediocre week with the picks going 4-3 in the SEC and 4-2 nationally. So that's 33-10 in the SEC and 19-11 nationally. Here's my SEC power rankings Week 5:

1. Alabama, 5-0 (2-0) - Not much needs to be said about Bama, they are solid to the core.

2. Auburn, 5-0 (2-0) - Auburn is hard nosed, battle-tested, senior-laden, and they have a favorable schedule down the stretch leading up to the iron bowl. Things are looking really good on the plains right now.

3. Arkansas, 3-1 (1-1) - I'm moving them up one spot even though they didn't play because they are a good team and Alabama creaming Florida makes the tough test they game them look more impressive.

4. Florida, 4-1 (1-1) - What is Florida right now? Are they even a top 20 team? I'm not sure and I don't know if they'll ever get it together. Huge game vs. LSU next week which could determine the path of their season.

5. LSU, 5-0 (3-0) - I don't truly believe they are the 5th best team in the SEC but they beat Mississippi State and they have played and beaten better competition than South Carolina so here they are. Somehow they have survived to this point and actually have the best SEC record. It's just a matter of time before everything crumbles.

6. South Carolina, 3-1 (1-1) - I hope they settled things at quarterback during this off week because they are going to need stability and turnover free football to upset Alabama next week. Huge game.

7. Mississippi State, 3-2 (1-2) - I feel great about the position State is in right now, they have positioned themselves well for a good bowl game and there is potential for a great season. They are a very solid #7.

8 - 12. Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Vanderbilt - This entire group is a mess of teams that hasn't been able to prove anything. Georgia is having a terrible season and way underperforming. Tennessee has played good and bad but they make tons of mistakes and aren't a very good football team. Kentucky has the worst defense in the SEC and after a promising start are playing terrible in the SEC. Vanderbilt is just Vanderbilt, they're not that good but playing hard. Ole Miss has bounced back pretty well the last two weeks but still hasn't really played anyone and has two bad losses on their record. This whole group is very distant from everyone else right now.

My national Top 5 looks like this:

1. Alabama, 5-0
2. Boise State, 4-0
3. Nebraska, 4-0
4. Oregon, 5-0
5. TCU, 5-0/Auburn, 5-0

Three weeks ago I thought the Braves would have to go 12-6 in the final 18 games to make the playoffs but they managed to go 9-9 and still make it in! I'm really happy they are in and they think they stand a great chance to make it past the Giants. It is quite a different feeling to watch the baseball playoffs when the Braves are involved, one I haven't felt since 2005 and I'm looking forward to Thursday.

JB

Bobby Cox

Bobby Cox's final regular season game is today. It is a sad day as a Braves fan because he has been the coach for so long, and he has been incredibly successful. Right now he is the longest tenured manager, and the 4th winning-est manager of all time. He holds the all-time record for most ejections and has been a major league manager for 29 season plus 5 years as a general manager. He's been the manager of the Braves since I was 6 years old, and it will be very weird to see someone else in the Braves dugout next year.

Cox first took over as the manager of the Braves in 1978, but Ted Turner fired him in 1981. Joe Torre took Bobby's team to the playoffs the next year, 1982, and Cox went on to coach the Blue Jays. He took Toronto to the playoffs in 1985, then resigned to become the general manager of the Braves in 1986. From '86-'90 he assembled tons of talent for Atlanta, but since they weren't winning he fired Russ Nixon and appointed himself manager in June of 1990...John Schuerholz took over as GM in 1991. From 1991-2005 Bobby led the Braves to 14 consecutive division titles including winning the 1995 World Series. Undoubtedly he will go into the Braves Hall of Fame, have his number retired, go into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and be remember forever as one of the greatest managers of all-time.

Cox's took over as manager in June 1990. Since his first full year as the manager, 1991, here are the major players who have passed through.

RF
David Justice, '91-'96
Michael Tucker, '97-'98
Brian Jordan, '99-'01
Gary Sheffield, '02-'03
J.D. Drew, '04
Jeff Francouer, '05-'09
Jason Heyward, '10

CF
Otis Nixon, '91-'93
Deion Sanders, '94
Marquis Grisson, '95-'96
Kenny Lofton, '97
Andruw Jones, '98-'07
Mark Kotsay, '08
Nate McClouth, '09
(Platoon), '10

LF
Ron Gant, '91-'93
Ryan Klesko, '94-'98
(Platoon), '99
Reggie Sanders, '00
B.J. Surhoff, '01
(Platoon), '02
Chipper Jones, '03-'04
(Platoon), '05-'08
Garrett Anderson, '09
(Platoon), '10

1B
Sid Bream, '91-'92
Fred McGriff, '93-'97
Andres Galaraga, '98, '00
Ryan Klesko, '99
(Platoon), '00-'02
Robert Fick, '03
Adam LaRoche, '04-'06
Mark Texiera, '07
Casey Kotchman, '08
Adam LaRoche, '09
Troy Glaus, '10

2B
Mark Lempke, '91-'96
(Platoon), '97-'98
Bret Boone, '99
(Platoon), '00
Marcus Giles, '01-'06
Kelly Johnson, '07-'08
Martin Prado, '09-'10

SS
Jeff Blouser, '91-'97
Walt Weiss, '98-'99
Rafael Furcal, '00-'05
Edgar Rentaria, '06-'07
Yunel Escobar, '08-'09
Alex Gonzalez, '10

3B
Terry Pendleton, '91-'94
Chipper Jones, '95-'02
Vinny Castilla, '03-'04
Chipper Jones, '05-'10

C
Greg Olson, '91-'93
Javy Lopez, '94-'03
Johnny Estrada, '04
Brian McCann, '05-'10

Starting Pitchers
Tom Glavine, '91-'02
John Smoltz, '91-'99, '05-'08
Greg Maddux, '93-'03
Tim Hudson, '05-'10
Kevin Millwood
Denny Neagle
Mike Hampton
Derek Lowe

....and I don't know all of the other pitchers and I don't feel like finding it all out so that is where I stop. Bobby Cox has gone through all of that turnover year after year and still produced winning ball clubs. He is without a doubt the best regular season manager of all time for his ability to produce winning teams on a budget year after years with tons of turnover.

I think he should get his 5th manager of the year award for 2010 because the Braves have battled injuries and poor play all year. Jason Heyward and Brian McCann are the only two players who were starters at the beginning of the year and are still starting now. Troy Glaus lost his job to bad play, Martin Prado was injured in August and this past week went down for the remainder of the season. Yunel Escobar was playing poorly so he was traded for Alex Gonzalez. Chipper Jones tore his ACL and is out for the year. Nate McClouth has hit under .200 all year and lost his job in center field. And the Braves have rotated about 5 left fielders in and out trying to find someone who can hit. The Braves have only 2 players with 20+ home runs (Alex Gonzalez with 23 and Brian McCann with 21) and Gonzalez hit 17 of them with the Blue Jays! They got Derrek Lee in a trade in August but he's hitting nearly 30 points below his career average. Chipper Jones, Troy Glaus, Derrek Lee, Matt Diaz, Rick Ankiel, and Nate McClouth are all having down years....and those are all major contributors. Jair Jurrjiens is one of the Braves best pitchers and he's been hurt for half the year. Kenshin Kawakami has been awful and so he doesn't pitch anymore. The Braves most effective starter during the summer was Kris Medlen and he went down in August needing Tommy John's surgury, Mike Minor stepped in for him but started fading the last few weeks because he's never pitched this much in a season and is too tired. So in the heat of a pennet race Brandon Beachy, a rookie with no big league experience has made 3 starts in September! The Braves have had setback after setback on a team that really doesn't have any star players, just a bunch of C+ and B- guys who grit it out to win. If that doesn't say what Bobby Cox means to this mold this team into playoff caliber then I don't know what being manager of the year is about.

Bobby will be sorely missed by Atlanta Braves fans. I'm glad the Braves were able to have a winning season this year, and I hope they can pull out a win to day and end up in the playoffs for Bobby!

JB

Music Genres

I do not have obsessive-compulsive disorder, however I am OCD about some stuff. One of these is iTunes. I feel the need to have the proper letters capitalized on each artist and song. Also, I want to have the correct album labeled on there. And then I want to have the album artwork (which I just do about 20 a day...it may take me 5 years), then when I listen to a song I rate it 1-5 stars. And then I have to have the music genre listed. Why I do this I have no idea, but in doing this I have come up with criteria for music genres and how I determine which one each song is labeled. This is boring, so you are free to move on in cyberspace...but if you're interested here it is...

Soft Rock - I define soft rock as music which the instruments are only to accompany and create a melody. They are toned down to clear the way for the understanding of the vocals, or at least to put the vocals as the centerpiece of the song. Ex. Coldplay, Jack Johnson

Pop/Rock - To me this is a category that when the artist was creating the song, they designed it so it would be popular and fit into the mainstream. It may be loud or soft, but the bottom line is they are going for record sales. Ex. Nickelback, Matchbox 20

Rock - This is just a step away of soft rock in that it has more of an emphasis on the instruments. The artist is trying to create a good song number one, and is focusing on being a musician, which separates it from pop/rock. Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam

Hard Rock - The point of hard rock is to be loud. Because of this, the instruments don't usually tone done for the vocals...so it's the opposite of soft rock in those terms. Ex. AC/DC, Gun's 'N Roses

Alternative - This is something within Rock that is unusual or off on it's own. They have created a sound that is unique to them and it is usually well off the mainstream scene. Ex. 311, Radiohead

Country - Uses a steel guitar and/or a fiddle and sings about country music themes: living in the country, drinking, trains, heartbreak, being country, etc. Ex. Toby Keith, Lee Ann Womack

Alternative Country - Uses country themes but presents them in a different style that isn't used by the mainstream. Ex. Neko Case, Colt Ford

Christian - All songs by the artist are about Christianity. The music can span across any other genre but since the artist only sings within this topic, it is a genre unto itself. Ex. Casting Crowns, Hillsong United

Blues - Strictly using slide guitar techniques. Sometimes using drawn-out solos on the guitar with no regard for the sound. Usually sung in short fragments to emphasize the guitar. Ex. Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King

Blues Rock - Based in blues but accompanied by other instruments as a rock artist would use. Ex. ZZ Top, The Black Crowes

Disco - A genre that has now burned-out. Dance music from the 70s. Ex. BeeGees, Donna Summer.

Folk - Basically just using an acoustic guitar and singing politically charges songs. Ex. Bob Dylan

Folk Rock - Base of the folk sound with acoustic guitar and adding a few other instruments and expanding the themes of folk. Electric guitar can be used also in a toned-down form. Ex. Neil Young, Joni Mitchell

Gulf & Western - Music inspired musically by country and reggae and lyrically by the islands or beach. Ex. Jimmy Buffett

Rap - Yelling about some girl he wants to do or money or whatever crap..I don't like rap. Ex. Tupac

Hip-hop - Rap that doesn't totally suck and actually has some musical qualities. Outkast, Q-Tip

Jam - Music that uses saxophones, piano, violin, and other instruments in addition to the usual guitar, bass, and drums. The main concentration is on the music rather than the vocals, and they have improvisations during concerts which make them actually worth attending. Ex. Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band

New Wave - Cheesy, synthesized 80s pop and soft rock. Ex. Tears for Fears, Duran Duran

Pop - Anything that has one goal in mind--selling records. Ex. Britney Spears, Celine Dion

Reggae - Steel drums, soft beats, relaxing...the music Bob Marley made famous

Psychedelic Rock - Music that is designed specifically with the drug user in mind. Although you don't have to be on drugs to enjoy it. It may get weird, but it's something different and can be enjoyable. Ex. Pink Floyd, The Doors

R&B - It really doesn't have much to do with the blues, but mostly rhythm since you can dance to it...but it may be slow and you can't dance, it's just sung by a black person. Ex. Usher

Southern Rock - A fusion of rock, jam, blues, and country. Ex. Lynyrd Skynyrd and Marshall Tucker Band

JB