Owl Season

Looking at my picks for the first week of SEC football left some of you confused by at least one prediction. And, I could be the only person not decked out in the Red,White,and Blue of an FAU uniform, who believes they can App State the Mighty Gators in Gainesville. But I don't mind.

"Man, how you gonna do my team like that?" responded one reader via email.
"Have you lost your mind? I know you love them Dogs but Florida ain't losing to FAU!" replied another.

Guess we'll have to wait until Saturday to find out. So, here's what I do know. Florida Atlantic returns 5 starters from an offensive line, that did underachieve at times in 2009. Led by senior center, Jimmy Colley, this unit needs to play at a very high level, if the Owls are gonna have any chance of making me look less silly.

I'll also be keeping a close eye on senior running back, Alfred Morris. The Pensacola native has rushed for 2,343 yards and 18 touchdown during his FAU career and averages 4.7 yards per carry. At 5'11 and 220 pounds, Morris has the size and talent to wear a defense down, throughout the course of a four quarter affair.

In 2009, to say the FAU offense was anemic might be an insult to the term. Despite a 928 yard effort by Morris, the Owls averaged a lowly 16.8 points per game. That won't get it done this Saturday. However, this is a different season. As a matter of fact, it just might be Owl season in the sunshine state.

Click on the title of this post.

Matt Wauchope Trio

If you missed the Matt Wauchope Trio performing last Tuesday evening at Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint, you missed one helluva show. All is forgiven, but I urge you not to make the same mistake twice.

Wednesday night at 9:30, the crew will be entertaining the patrons at Blind Willie's, with their unmistakable talent. Bassist Melvin Zachary skillfully provides chest thumping beats behind the vocals of Matt Wauchope and Terrence Prather on drums.

Beware fellas...the charismatic Prather may take your girl for a dance around the floor, but he'll return her when he's needed back on stage.

For more details, click on the title of this post.

September 3rd in the SEC

Vanderbilt- Home vs Elon. Commodores crush 'em by 17.
Tennessee- Home vs Montana. UT wins by at least 20.
South Carolina- Neutral site vs East Carolina. Lattimore leads visors to victory.
Kentucky- plays on Thursday vs Western Kentucky. Kats destroy Hill Toppers.
Ole Miss-Home vs BYU. Mormons win. Shout out to Braves' great, Dale Murphy.
Mississippi State- Also on Thursday At Memphis. Dogs get it done.
Auburn- Home vs Utah State. War Eagle/Tigers start the season 1-0.
Arkansas- Home vs Missouri State. Show me a loss for "MSU."
Alabama- Home vs Kent State. UGLY. Bama by at least 35.
LSU- neutral site vs Oregon. Ducks get quacked.
Georgia- "neutral site" vs Boise State. Dawgs drag Broncos through the Junk Yard.
Florida- Home vs Florida Atlantic. Upset of the SEC season. FAU shocks the swamp men in Gainesville.

You've seen my picks, what do ya'll predict?

Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint

Placing sports talk on hold for just a moment, I hope to see ya'll tomorrow night at Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint. The Matt Wauchope Band will be playing some New Orleans style blues at 7:30. I'm looking forward to some great southern food and watching Melvin Zachary throw down on bass guitar.

Click on the title of this post for more info.

Braves Sweep Snakes

Sunday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves completed a 3 game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks at Turner Field. Tomahawk shortstop, Alex Gonzalez, provided the game's only offense, with a third inning solo shot to left field. The 1-0 victory pushed Atlanta's wild card lead to 8 games over San Francisco and 8.5 ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Tonight, the Braves will be in Wrigley Field, as they take on Chicago's most disappointing ball club. Scuffling toward a 56-71 record can't be any fun for Cubs players and fans. Throw into the mix, a half azzed "retirement" of Carlos Zambrano and the firing of GM Jim Hendry, and I think it's safe to say this has been another weird season in the Windy City.

On the mound for the visiting Braves will be Jair Jurrjens. J.J. is making his second consecutive start after returning from a 15 day stint on the DL. Dude is 12-4 with an ERA of 2.84.

As for Chicago, Ryan Dempster gets the rock. The Canadian born pitcher is currently 10-8 with an ERA of 4.61. Throughout his 13 year career, Ryan is credited with 112 wins alongside 110 losses and an ERA of 4.39.

Hopefully, there will be no "sunflower seed" incidents in this series. For more on that, check out Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. You can click on the title of this post for a direct link.

Fried Hot Dogs, Cheese Grits, and Atlanta Braves Baseball

Woke up this morning in need of a little B & B...breakfast and baseball. Now that I've gotten a few bites in, let's talk about them Braves.

Friday night, Atlanta opened a 3 game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, with Derek Lowe on the mound. And, the 14 year veteran did something new...he pitched like he used to. Lowe struck out seven snakes in 5 innings and blanked the visiting squad in a short but effective start. Rookie reliever, Aroyds Vizcaino allowed 2 runs in the seventh, but that was the only noise Arizona could make against Braves pitching.

New Atlien, Michael Bourn started the scoring for Atlanta with a solo homerun in the first inning off DBack, Daniel Hudson. In the 3rd, All Star Brian McCann said "hello," with a 425 foot blast to right. The Braves would lead 3-0, until a rejuvenated Larry Jones stepped into the batter's box during the 6th. With 2 outs, Chipper connected on a solo shot to left field, giving the Braves a 4-0 lead.

Friday's 4-2 victory increases Atlanta's advantage to 7 games over Arizona in the Wild Card race and 7.5 over struggling San Francisco.

The Braves and Snakes square off again at 7:10 tonight. Brandon Beachy will take the mound for the home team. He is 5-2 with an ERA of 3.43 in 2011. Meanwhile, Arizona will call upon Louisiana native, Wade Miley. The 24 year old lefty will be making his Major League debut, after cruising to a 4-1 record with an ERA of 3.64 at the Triple A level.

Almost forgot to mention, this is Kennesaw State Alumni night at Turner Field. Ya'll get to "parade around the outfield," if you purchase tickets for the event.

Braves Vs Frisco

Here's the skinny on Atlanta Braves baseball...

America's favorite tomahawkers are 72-51 after 123 games. That ain't a bad mark, unless the seemingly flawless Phillies reside within your division. In this case, they do. And that might be a problem. With a 7.5 game lead, Philadelphia has just about locked the division down, en route to claiming another NL East pennant.

Now for the good news... Atlanta created a little breathing room in the race for the NL Wild Card, by taking the first 2 games in a 4 game series vs San Francisco. With a 6 game lead over the champs, tonight's contest could be pivotal for either side. If the Braves can squeak out another victory, the lead expands to 7. If not, it shrinks back to 5 with 39 regular season games remaining.

The first pitch is slated for 7:10, as Jair Jurrjens returns to Atlanta's rotation after spending 15 days on the disabled list with a strained right knee. Dude is 12-4 with an ERA of 2.63 in 2011. Meanwhile, Matt Cain will take the mound for the World Series Champion, San Francisco Giants. Cain has posted a 9-9 record with an ERA of 3.00.

WaShaun Ealey...My bad

Two years ago, I wrote an article proclaiming WaShaun Ealey to be "The future of Georgia football." Dude brought his A game against GT in 2009, but failed to be the unstoppable force I expected to see versus foes from the SEC. And, considering the fact he'll lace 'em up for Jacksonville State next season, I think it's safe to say I missed the mark on that one.

In my mind, Ealey was destined for greatness. And, he still may be. It just won't happen in Red and Black. And that sucks.

But, the arrival of heralded freshman, Isaiah "The Funk" Crowell, outta soften the blow a bit. And now that WaShaun and Caleb King are gone, Richard Samuel rejoins the Georgia Bulldog backfield.

Maybe I should have learned some kind of lesson by now. But, I expect both Samuel and Crowell to destroy opposing defenses between the hedges. In order to re-emerge as a factor in the SEC East, the Dawgs will need to do this...

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Braves vs Rocks

Last night, the Atlanta Braves played like a team I might ask to kick rocks. But, the 12-3 whoopin' Colorado laid upon 'em accounts for just one L in the loss column. And, the first place phils are just 4 games better than the dudes from ATL. So, I'm gonna let that one ride.

Tim Hudson will be looking for his tenth victory tonight, as he squares off against rookie hurler, Juan Nicasio. In his first MLB season, the 24 year old Dominican Republican has posted a respectable 4-2 record, including a 4.24 ERA for Colorado.

Jason Heyward will be back in the Braves lineup, after sitting out the last 2 games with a boo boo on his foot. First pitch is scheduled for 8:40 eastern.

Sounds like somethin' funky is 'bout to go down. Click on the title of this post.

Feeling Left Behind?

About that apocalypse thang...I'm still here. Doomsday drama set aside, do any of ya'll care if the Atlanta Thrashers relocate?

Last season, some really good friends of mine scored some unbelievable tickets to see the New York Rangers take on the currently local hockey club. In one of the coolest gestures of all time, they decided to take yours truly.

It was a nasty night in Atlanta, as heavy rains began to pour. Walking from the parking lot to Philips Arena, we got SOAKED. I dried out my raggedy azz Hawks cap underneath one of those hand drying machines in the water closet. But, I still felt like a half frozen tinsel of ice inside the building.

It was cold, but I had one of the greatest times of my life at a sporting event. The folks at Philips Arena were absolutely world class and continue to create an electrifying atmosphere, even when the home team ain't lookin' so good. To say that I became a fan of the sport would be a bold faced lie. So, I ain't typin' that. But, Philips Arena is a great place to be, even if you're there to watch hockey.

With rumors of a relocation to Winnipeg starting to spill out across local sports radio stations and newspapers, I've started to wonder this...
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