Author: lawdawg3

Hawks: First of the Worst

I thought that we had witnessed the most Atlanta Hawks feat of all time when the Hawks won the lottery with only a 3% chance of doing so. Of course they did in the worst draft in the past decade. No, the Hawks couldn’t have possibly been given the number one pick in the Wemby draft or the Ant draft or the Zion draft. That wouldn’t be allowed in Atlanta. Hell, Adam Silver is even shutting down the best NBA team in Atlanta, Inside the NBA. Never forget that Zion wanted to be a Hawk:

Even still, I was excited that the Hawks would have the first pick in the draft for the first time ever. I wasn’t too concerned with the relative weakness of the draft pool, because as a Hawks fan any type of victory is exciting. We are so rarely ever in the national spotlight that I thought any positive attention is good attention. Even Jason Pierre-Paul can count on his fingers (and maybe a couple toes) the amount of national TV games the Hawks have participated in. Although, he’d need to give up fireworks to count the amount of times we’ve all been subjected to a Heat-Celtics and Lakers-Warriors double-header.

However, the Hawks are always going to out-Hawk even your wildest dreams. Not only did the Hawks manage to win the lottery in the one year it wouldn’t be a franchise altering moment, they also have somehow managed to alienate the consensus top-prospect into not wanting to join their team, Eli Manning style. Alex Sarr, you’re dead to me. Sarr is so repulsed by the idea of playing with Trae Young that he’s actively choosing to go and play with Jordan Poole (possibly the most unserious player in the NBA) in Washington DC. Yet, I’m supposed to believe that Trae is a player that is going to attract superstars to Atlanta and win us a championship. Trae can’t even convince a guy to come be drafted first-overall. Maybe Trae and Geoff Collins can hangout and brainstorm ideas on how to recruit teenagers to Atlanta. It clearly worked out for Coach Waffle House!

So, what do we do? The franchise that has been so prolific in drafting superstars such as Pau Gasol and Luka Doncic. Ah, shit we traded them. Never mind, the franchise that has drafted NBA-ish players such as Marvin Williams, Sheldon Williams, Cam Reddish, Deandre Hunter, and John Jenkins does not inspire any confidence. Not even a little bit of maybe this time it’ll be better confidence like we’ve had with every Deandre Hunter off-season. Or like Georgia Basketball (unfortunately more on that later this year). No, the Hawks being on the clock on draft night is like watching Josh Smith take a 3. The whole arena boos as he lines it up and then boos again when the airball happens.

With that being said, I guess I can speak into the ether what I want the Hawks to do. First, forget Sarr. If he wants to be a diva and go and watch Jordan Poole take 35 fadeaway 30-footers a game and pass up the chance to watch Trae Young shoot 10 40-footers a game, his loss. This leaves the Hawks with three options. Well, maybe four options but I have very little hope that the Hawks would actually do what they need to do and trade both Dejounte Murray AND Trae Young, so we’ll stick with three options.

First, draft Zach Risacher. The 19-year old frenchman is a fluid athlete with room to grow into his 6-9 frame. Many draft experts project him as a 3 and D player, but his 3-point shot isn’t as consistent as I’d like to see from a potential number one pick. The last time we drafted a top-5 player to be a 3 and D specialist we quickly realized he didn’t know how to dribble or pass. Thanks, Tony Bennett. We’re about to be in year six and Deandre Hunter still doesn’t know how to do these things so don’t get any big ideas about the Hawks being able to teach Risacher anything other than how to stand around and watch Trae dribble.

But, in a draft that is going to see two bench guards from Kentucky go in the top-5 (Rob Dillingham could be the best player in this draft but please Hawks do not draft another small guard). Risacher might be the best of bad options. Like the movie you finally choose on Netflix at 10:30 after starting to scroll at 8:30. And, like that Netflix movie there’s little chance he’s any good.

When the Hawks got the first pick, I thought to myself at least we’ll get to be on TV more (thanks Bally, you idiots), but then I realized I should lower my expectations to be that hopefully people know who Risacher is by the end of the 2024-25 season. For those of you who don’t, here’s some video:

Because, as we all know, Europeans could never be the face of the Hawks franchise (or Luka would be a Hawk apparently), the second option for the Hawks would be to take Uconn’s two-time national champion (we like those around here, Go Dawgs) center Donovan Clingan with the first pick. As a player, Clingan makes a lot of sense for the Hawks as someone that can clean up Trae’s lack, void, black hole, etc. of defense and be an athletic lob threat for what Trae does better than anyone in the NBA, pick and roll. But as a number one pick? That would be truly Hawksian. Clingan is seen as a late top-10 pick and taking him number one overall would be a huge stretch. Some “experts” claim that if you know who your guy is you should take him no matter the pick. Those “experts” probably still think that Ben Simmons can make a three in an NBA game.

Instead, let’s go to option three, which is my preferred option for the Hawks. That is to trade the number 1 pick, move down in the first round, and get Clingan. I know, trusting the Hawks to trade effectively is a big ask. This is the franchise that thought they were geniuses because they turned Luka Doncic into Trae Young and Cam Reddish (that’s AAU hall of famer Cam Reddish to y’all). This is also the franchise that traded Kevin Huerter because they forgot how to count their own payroll. Red velvet, I miss you come back pls. So, bear with me here. The Hawks (due to another ridiculous trade for Dejounte Murray) don’t own their first round pick next season. By trading the number one pick to San Antonio, and allowing them to create a French embassy in Texas (you like that Ted Cruz?), the Hawks could re-coup next year’s pick and gain the #4 pick in this year’s draft to use on Clingan.

If you made it this far, why? But also, I know deeply your pain and suffering with the incompetence of this organization. It won’t get any better, but at least ESPN has been forced to talk about us! Kind of, at least. I think I still saw several what if Bronny and Lebron ate Cherrios instead of Frosted Mini-Wheats for breakfast segments today.

Go Hawks.

4-Feet and 10 years ago

We just watched Rory lose complete belief in himself over the span of 4 holes. Staring his first major in 10 years right in the face, he putted like it. As invincible to pressure athletes seem these days, especially the elite golfers, Rory crumbled for the whole world to see. It’d be more acceptable if he had hit it out of bounds or had to take an unplayable from the wire grass. In that case, there would still be a question of whether he truly was affected by pressure or just hit a bad shot. The way this played out left no doubt. A major right there for the taking was too much for him. He choked.

I’ll be very interested to see where things go from here for Rory. On one hand, he’s as close as he’s been in years to finally breaking through and still has one more chance in a relative home game at The Open. On the other, he just stared down the only thing he’s wanted to do for a decade and let Rory McIlroy beat Rory McIlroy. If Rory makes both of those putts, he’s a major champion again and the release of pressure probably wins him a couple more. Instead, golf is cruel.

The other side of Rory’s misses is Bryson. Is he likable now? Why do I find myself cheering for him? How has this happened so quick? For years Bryson was an insufferable presence at tournaments, and he did himself no favors off the course with his long-drive phase. But, since Bryson has left for LIV he’s toned that stuff down and focused a lot on building his off the course presence mostly through Youtube. It’s working. Bryson might be the only person alive who has taken Saudi money and become more likable. Yeah, Bryson is odd and does weird things, but that’s what makes him hilarious. (It also very, very much helps that the majority of fans only seem him on the course 4-times a year.) Bryson is the TV Show Outer Banks. At first, you can’t believe you’re watching the show and can’t stand the terrible acting/absurd plot. Then, the insane amount of cliffhangers have you hooked and you can’t stop watching. And, by the end you realize maybe it wasn’t that bad after all. Keep going Bryson, you’re good for golf.

Euro 2024: Group F Preview

Lastly, we have Group F. Home of Portugal, Turkey, Czech Republic, and Georgia. Welcome to the SEC fellas.

As much as I want to go all in on this Georgia team (for obvious reasons) we’ll have to stick with moral support as it’s incredible they’ve made it to their first major tournament in the first place. Georgia’s roster reads more like Georgia State than UGA, but they do have one of the best players in the world and someone that on his day could be the best player on the field. This is more than most countries at this competition can say and gives the Georgians a chance. About as much chance as Georgia State beating UGA, but a chance nonetheless (we must not forget the Georgia Southern overtime game, thank you Sony). This player is Khvicha Kvarataskhlia or Kvaradona as Napoli’s fans affectionately call him. If anyone wants to go viral this summer, a video of Georgia football fans pronouncing the name of Georgia football star Kvaradona would do quite well. Here’s a taste of what he can do:

Georgia have also called up an Atlanta United player to their roster, which seems like it may have been a mandatory rule. Typically, players from Atlanta playing for Georgia has turned out well. From one Georgian to another, best of luck.

Now, if you have ever come across a soccer post on any social media site you’re already well acquainted with Turkish soccer fans. If you haven’t, imagine a post about a player going into the transfer portal and the comments consisting of hopeful (and annoying) fans posting their team’s corresponding emoji or slogan to convince the player to transfer their school. Now imagine that for every single player that has so much as looked at your school x10000, that is Turkish soccer fandom. “Come to Fenerbache” is definitely in the top-10 of most common instagram comments of all time.

Although, Turkey’s hopes rest on a player who recently left Fenerbache for Real Madrid, Arda Guler. At only 19 years old, there’s a lot of pressure and hype surrounding Guler to lead Turkey past the group stage. Luckily for Guler, and his Instagram comments, he has a partner in crime in Inter Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu who is among the world’s best and most underrated midfielders. Turkey finishes second in this group.

Perhaps the forgotten team of this group is the Czech Republic. Despite not having qualified for the World Cup since 2006, the Czechs have qualified for every Euro since their break-up with Slovakia in 1996. They’ve also made it out of the group stage every other tournament since they’ve competed as Czechia. Unfortunately, they qualified for the knockout stages in 2020(1), so they’re not allowed to make it out of the group stage this time around. West Ham’s Tomas Soucek and Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick are the main men for the Czech Republic. Schick scored an incredible goal at the last Euro, but a pattern is a pattern and the Czechs won’t get out of the group. Here’s the goal though, sorry Scotland:

Okay, let’s talk about Portugal. Perhaps the most unlikable of the big teams at this tournament, the conversation still starts with Ronaldo. At 39-years old Ronaldo led the Portuguese in goals in qualifying and was scoring goals for fun in Saudi Arabia this season. However, it’s possible (maybe even likely) Ronaldo negotiated a contract with the Saudis that required them to let him score a certain amount of goals. Ronald probably has a similar agreement in place with UEFA, and I fully expect him to get several penalties in this tournament. But even if Ronaldo (Homelander) stops taking “Compound V”, Portugal might have the best roster at this year’s tournament. Fulham’s Joao Palhinha led the Premier League in successful tackles this season, and he is joined by Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes who despite being among the most annoying players in the world is undoubtedly talented. Up front, AC Milan’s Rafael Leao is electric and should shine in Germany.

We can just get to the point now, Portugal is my pick to win the whole thing. Not only do they have one of the best, if not the best, rosters, they also have the easiest path through to the semi-finals. Plus, if y’all think UEFA is letting Ronaldo lose in his final Euros then you haven’t been paying attention. Corruption always wins, just ask Argentina about Qatar.

Prediction: 1) Portugal 2) Turkey 3) Czech Republic 4) Georgia (But a proud 4th)

Best Bet: Portugal to win the Euros (+650)

Euro 2024: Group E Preview

Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine welcome you to Group E, probably the most boring group at this year’s tournament. It should play out similarly to the ACC circa 2016-2021. Belgium (Clemson) and a whole lot of nothing else. Unlike those Clemson teams, Belgium doesn’t have Dabo Swinney as their coach (although Dabo is the most likely college football coach to actually try and be Ted Lasso). Belgium itself is more similar to 2022-present Clemson. Name recognition for a golden generation, but a shell of its former self. At least Belgium has the excuse that there’s no transfer portal for your native country.

Belgium are anchored by two United Emirates of Manchester stars, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku. Doku in particular could become the star of the tournament, as he was arguably Man City’s best player down the stretch of their 4th consecutive Premier League title. But, there’s a sense that Belgium missed its chance to win a major tournament.

Slovakia are a surprisingly exciting team. They were rather free-scoring during their qualifying run into the Euros and scored 4 goals in each of their warmup matches earlier this month. Including a 4-0 win over Wales. No need to remind everyone that Gareth Bale has retired to the golf course, and Wales recently drew with Gibraltar which is literally a rock. Instead, let’s focus on the fact that Slovakia might produce some of excitement in this nondescript group. Anchored by Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, Slovakia are sneaky contenders to make it out of the group stage and into the slaughter. Use this as a warm-up for the upcoming 12-team college football playoff. A whole lot of teams that don’t deserve it getting blown out.

Romania is back in the tournament after missing out on Euro 2020(1). I would try and give y’all an in-depth analysis of Romania, but I haven’t watched a second of the Romanian national team. That’s probably a good thing. The Romanians haven’t won a match since 2023, and they didn’t score a goal in either of their two warm-up matches. Romania’s best player is Radu Dragusin who plays for Tottenham in England. Your best player coming from Tottenham is a bad sign. Romania will win as many games as Spurs have trophies in these player’s lifetimes. 0. Plus, these kits are as bland as the soccer they play:

Lastly, the biggest threat to Belgium in this group is Ukraine. If Belgium can’t win a group where their biggest threat is currently at war, then maybe they’ll take Romania’s title as the Spurs of the group. Unlike Slovakia and Romania, Ukraine have real threats up front in Girona’s Artem Dovbyk and Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk. Dovbyk scored 24 goals for Girona this season as they shocked La Liga and qualified for the Champions League. Please ignore the fact that they are one of the wings of City Football Group and therefore an oil club at heart. Dovbyk though just gets paid by the UAE and typically that means you’re pretty good. Here’s a taste of what he could bring to Ukraine:

Mudryk on the other hand has been much less impressive since his move to Chelsea. You could copy and paste that sentence with any number of names since Todd Bohely took over the club. Nobody told Chelsea that the Dodgers only win in shortened seasons. Despite his spursy-ness at Chelseas, Mudryk typically puts on a show for the Ukrainian national team and expect more of the same in this weak group. Ukranians give their country something to smile about and finish second with ease in this group (possibly first).

Prediction: 1) Belgium 2) Ukraine 3) Slovakia 4) Romania

Best Bet: Romania bottom of the group (+175)

Euro 2024: Group D Preview

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming. Group D, home to France, The Netherlands, Poland, and Austria should be the most free-flowing of the groups at this edition of the Euros (now you can all lock-in 0-0 draws for every game in Group D).

If England to win wasn’t the most profitable bet of all time for sportsbooks all around the world, the French would be the favorites to win it all. Still, as long as they don’t let Rudy Gobert or Adrien Rabiot’s mom within 10-miles of the team they should cruise into the semi-finals of this tournament.

Despite wasting his club career to this point at PSG, Kylian Mbappe is the best player in the world. In Germany, he’s going to put on a preview of what’s to come next season at his new up and coming club, Real Madrid. Mbappe’s Kevin Durant-impression aside, France will have the deepest squad in Germany this summer. Antoine Griezmann might be the most underrated player in the world, and he will be able to roam free in the French midfield to dictate play and create chances for Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and likely Bradley Barcola. The French defense is just as strong, although coach Didier Deschamps’s insistence on playing Dayot Umpamecano over Arsenal’s William Saliba is Tom Crean-esque. Chelsea and Leicester City legend N’golo Kante’s return to the national team also gives us an excuse to re-listen to this banger from the 2018 World Cup:

Next, the Dutch come limping into this tournament after their two best midfielders, Frenkie De Jong and Teun Koopmeiners, both were injured in pre-tournament practice. Since finishing in third-place in the 2014 World Cup, Holland’s best win was against Gregg Berhalter and the United States in the round of 16 in Qatar. Considering my golden retriever could come up with better tactics than coach double G, that’s a resume that would get you sent to the NIT. Still, the Dutch have plenty of pedigree and their defense is strong with a center back pairing of Liverpool’s Virgil Van Djik and light-blue oil club’s Nathan Ake. Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries and Bayer Leverkusen breakout star Jeremie Frimpong round out the defense and should cause problems for teams.

But, as is the issue with 99% of other teams in this tournament the Netherlands lack a true goal scorer. When Memphis Depay chooses to play, he is among the most talented players in the world. Unfortunately, Depay plays like the Memphis Grizzlies the majority of the time (the Morant-less Grizzlies to be clear). If Cody Gakpo can find some of his tournament magic he had in Qatar this team could reach the quarterfinals.

A wildcard in this tournament is Austria. They have only lost one match in the past calendar year, including an impressive 2-0 win against Germany last November. Still, most people would struggle to name more than 2 or 3 players in this squad. Long-time Austrian captain David Alaba is injured and won’t play in this year’s tournament, so maybe the Austrians should consider getting back together with their old pals Hungary. Even still, former Stoke City striker Marko Arnautovic is capable of magic on his day, and Austria may surprise a few in this group. Plus, there are rumors that Manchester United want to sign Arnautovic, which as we all know players that sign for Ten Haag’s Manchester United are always destined for success. RIP to your career if you go to Old Trafford sir, but at least he’s already done it on a rainy night in Stoke:

Poland may very well be the worst team in Euro 2024. Robert Lewandowski is the name everyone knows, but he’s unquestionably in decline at this stage of his career. MLS beckons Robert. Beyond Lewandowski, the Polish side reads like a mid-level MAC school. Kent State isn’t winning too many games in the SEC, and neither is Poland in the Euros. Atlanta United’s Bartosz Slisz is in the Polish squad for this year’s tournament, that is not good. Even Gregg Berhalter isn’t calling up Atlanta United players anymore. Enjoy Lewandowski’s last major tournament. It will probably be Poland’s last for awhile as well.

Prediction: 1) France 2) Netherlands 3) Austria 4) Poland

Best Bet: Poland to lose all group games (+400)

AllGreed Conference

I wasn’t really joking about the possibility of Zaxby’s Stadium at Sanford field the other day. Now, hopefully y’all see the path we are heading down. A conference being named by a corporate sponsor is beyond even my pessimistic outlook on the extent of greed in college football. Although, the first time a Big 12 (sorry Big Allstate) receiver drops a pass Twitter will have some fun with Allstate’s “You’re in Good Hands” slogan. But seriously, come on. I understand that this is a direct result of the Big 12 trying to find ways to catch-up financially with the SEC and Big Ten, but $30-50 million a) isn’t getting you there and b) is a complete loss of self-respect. I know we lost that a long time ago, but this is just so in your face. Oh well, they know we’re all addicts and that we will continue to consume whatever the product is that’s in front of us as long as it’s two schools and a football.

It’s only a matter of time before ESPN is promo’ing two Duke’s Mayo Conference teams, the Truist Georgia Bulldogs presented by Racetrack v. the Yellawood Auburn Tigers, in the Belk Championship Game. And yes, we’ll all watch that shit. Blame it on the Kentucky Krogers.

Cry Luka Cry

Oh man, there might not be a better feeling in sports than petty vindication. The NBA media has finally turned on its savior, Luka Doncic. I could not be happier.

Not only is Luka not going to win a championship this year, but people are finally choosing to criticize him. He is no doubt a very talented player, but the free pass he continued to get from the media for whining after every-single-play and not even attempting to play defense was infuriating. We’re still a couple steps away from them realizing maybe he’s just a Westbrookian stat stuffer and not actually a winning player, but I have renewed faith we might just get there one day. Sometimes hope is all you have in sports. Trust me I’m a Hawks fan. For those that might say “you’re just bitter”. Duh. Check back in with me when Luka Donbrick is in the nickname hall of fame with Mr. Westbrick.

Brian Windhorst, thank you for your brave words. I hope the Bill Simmons-led Luka mafia doesn’t have you disappear Boeing-style. In the meantime, please also look at this stat:

Trae Rings: 0 Luka Rings: 0. “Hawks win 0-0” tomorrow’s headline in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

TBT: Plays, Games, Players you Forgot

On this week’s edition of TBT we have AJ Green’s catch against Colorado in 2010 (please disregard the final score of this game). After being suspended for 4-games to start his junior season for selling autographs, AJ came back and made a catch as ridiculous as the suspension. Throw from a freshman Aaron Murray:

Insane to think what college football is allowing today and what warranted being suspended for a 1/3 of the season just 14 years ago. The NCAA would suspend an athlete for even thinking about money back then. Now, they can’t even cobble together one sentence of guidelines for NIL. Go figure.

Now that everyone is reminded of upsetting things, let’s bring up another great AJ Green catch that was followed by utter incompetence by the SEC refs. I remember being at this game back in 2009 when AJ caught what at the time seemed like a game-winning catch only to be flagged for excessive celebration. This video shows the celebration in full, you tell me:

As much as I love George Pickens, AJ is the most talented receiver to ever play at UGA (sorry Hines Ward), and it would be a shame to end this on all negatives. So, here’s probably the best high school catch of all-time:

Euro 2024: Group C Preview

Football’s Coming Home. Wait, sorry England, was just reading ESPN’s new promo for the SEC deal, this is the Group C preview. For our third preview, we have England, Denmark, Slovenia, and Serbia. Not quite the flashiest group on paper, but anytime the English media is involved it’s guaranteed to be entertaining. If the English press and SEC message boards ever joined forces we’d solve world hunger. Or more likely create a transatlantic terror organization.

This group is all about the English. The three lions have never won a European Championship and have only won one World Cup all the way back in 1966. Yet, despite having the trophy cabinet of Texas A&M, they are consistently among the favorites at tournaments. Some years it hasn’t been warranted, but this year it is. The English definitely have the best group of attacking talent in Europe at this year’s tournament. With many teams lacking options up front, the English could field three sets of attackers that would start at 90% of other Euros participants. (Side note: Crystal Palace getting 4 players into the best England squad in years warms the heart).

The question is what does manager Gareth Southgate do with all these options and is it too much of a good thing? Does he start Chelsea breakout star and Trae Young celebration thief Cole Palmer or does he stick with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Manchester City’s Phil Foden on the wings? England’s best team is likely with La Liga player of the year Jude Bellingham playing alongside Declan Rice in midfield with Foden in the number 10 position. This would allow for Southgate to have (still trophy-less) Harry Kane, Saka, and one of Palmer/Eberechi Eze/Anthony Gordon all in the same team. Lastly, despite their endless options in attack, injuries have left England very vulnerable in defense. Despite my soft spot for Crystal Palace, I’m unsure about relying on Marc Guehi to stop Mbappe later in the tournament. Whether football comes home is down to whether Jimbo Southgate can get out of his own way and let the talent play. England lose another heartbreaker in the final, and twitter has an all-time content day.

Slovenia may ring a bell for NBA fans as the home of the world’s whiniest basketball player. It also might ring a bell for US Men’s National Team fans for the classic match they played against the United States in the 2010 World Cup. A refresher:

It’s not the best sign for Slovenia that their most famous player of this generation is a goalkeeper, Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak. Particularly, not a great sign that Oblak is also inching past his prime in a tournament where they’re desperately going to need him. Slovenia have one thing going for them, they can always place a call to the Dallas Mavericks for tips on how to manipulate the refs to get their way. Unfortunately, you can only do so much when you’re down 2-0, which the Mavs and Slovenia are both going to be experienced with this summer.

While the English make themselves at home in the biergartens, and likely with the German police, they would be wise to be wary of their first match against Serbia. Fulham-legend Aleksander Mitrovic has been dominant since moving to the Saudi league with 28 goals in 28 games (maybe Jon Rahm should make a call on how to take oil money and still be good at your sport). Mitrovic won’t be scared in the slightest by the English or the other teams in this group as he played and scored against them for Fulham in the Premier League. Serbia also has depth in attack in Juventus’s Dusan Vlahovic and Mitrovic’s Al-Hilal teammate attacking-midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Unfortunately, the Serbian squad is a case of a Ferrari parked outside a trailer. They are severely lacking in defense, although Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic could impress.

Lastly, the Danes. Unfortunately for them it is no longer the year 1000 and the vikings don’t control England. Unless Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojland does his best Uhtred of Bebbanburg impression (check out Last Kingdom on Netflix), the Danes are in trouble. I would not recommend relying on Brentford’s midfield to try and win a European trophy, but Denmark is going to try with Matihas Jensen and Christian Norgaard. Similar to Mark Richt trying to win the Florida game with Faton Bauta, it sounds as bad on paper as it is in real life. Lastly, big respect to Christian Eriksen for making it back to the tournament he literally died in last go around. Sports.

Prediction: 1) England 2) Serbia 3) Denmark 4) Slovenia

Best Bet: England first in group C, Serbia second (+275)

Adios Gary

I’m nostalgic for the CBS theme-song already, and it’ll pain me to hear it being played over a Rutgers-Michigan State game that’s 3-0 in the Third Quarter (and not Alabama-LSU 3-0 but 6.5 second 40 3-0). Even still, I speak for a lot of people when I say I’m glad that’s what Gary Danielson is going to be forced to watch now. I’m sure ESPN will have their fair share of shilling for Alabama, but nobody knew how to do it better than Gary. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts off every CBS broadcast this year with a monologue about Nick Saban before realizing he’s in Piscataway. Have fun with that B10 y’all are a match of pretentiousness made in heaven.

I’m not a fan of ESPN, but I will admit that having full media rights to the SEC allows them flexibility that should make for some good changes to the Dawgs schedule. The Tech game being played on Black Friday, for example, is a good thing and should become a yearly staple of our schedule. Now, if ESPN starts making us play conference games on Thursday night like a 2-4 ACC team my opinion may change. For now though I’ll give Mickey the benefit of the doubt. At least until the first Dawgrading of the year when we beat Clemson and Kirk tells us they’re actually no better than Tech anymore.

P.S.: Knowing the game times this far in advance is great for those having to deal with the sinners who choose to get married in the fall. Makes it easy to plan how to find a TV, stream, or other means to watch the Dawgs.