Bishop Media Sports Network
Blue Blooded
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Duke is one of the blue blood programs in college basketball. The Blue Devils have won five national championships under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. This year’s team might be the best he has ever coached.
They signed the top 3 players in the 2019 recruiting class which is something that has never been done before. Those players are R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish. They also snagged point guard Tre Jones. He was ranked No. 10 overall and the top point guard.
So far, the star freshmen have lived up to the hype. They opened the season pummeling No. 5 Kentucky 118 – 84.
Williamson looks like a lock to be the top pick in the 2019 draft. He’s one of the most explosive players I’ve ever seen. It seems like every game he has an amazing dunk or blocked shot. He averages 22 ppg, 9 rpg, 2 steals per game and 2 blocks.
Barrett leads the team in scoring with 23 ppg. He also gets 7 rpg and 4 assists per game. Reddish adds 14 ppg.
They are currently ranked second in the nation behind Tennessee. Their two loses came against No. 3 Gonzaga and unranked Syracuse. The Blue Devils have one loss in conference play and are first in the ACC.
The schedule consists of wins against several top 15 opponents like Kentucky, Auburn, Texas Tech, Florida State and Virginia. They swept both meetings against the No. 3 Cavaliers, which are their only losses of the season. They beat them over the weekend 81 – 71 in Charlottesville. LeBron James was there to watch the talented freshmen.
“We were just in our zone and it’s great to see when our team is like that,” Barrett said.
“It’s any given night for all of us,” Reddish said after finishing 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, with three coming in a span of less than three minutes.
The next game is at No. 16 Louisville. The remaining schedule has two games against arch rival No. 8 North Carolina, NC State, Miami, Wake Forest, No. 22 Virginia Tech and a rematch at home against Syracuse.
The only game I think they could be in danger of losing is one of the match ups with Carolina. I think it will be difficult to sweep the Tar Heels.
I expect Duke to finish as the best team in the ACC after the regular season and they should also win the conference tournament. I think they will be the top seed in the NCAA tournament.
Once March Madness begins anything can happen. There are always upsets so the most talented teams can get sent home. With a team led by freshmen they could struggle against an experienced team.
For instance, I think the best team at Duke was the 98-99 team. That team had four players drafted within the first fourteen picks of the 1999 draft. They were undefeated in the ACC and only lost one game during the season. They lost the national championship game to UConn by three points.
They will be the favorite to win it all but it’s not a sure thing. If this team can stay focused and win the championship, they will be the best team in program history.
The Big Fish
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Over the course of a few weeks in the winter of 2017 the Miami Marlins traded away Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, and Dee Gordon in a purge of talent and payroll the likes of which had not been seen since…well, since the last time the Marlins purged talent and payroll. So about four years.
Notably not traded, however, was JT Realmuto. The catcher who was suspected to be one of the league’s best and who proved it in 2018 with his first All-Star selection and Silver Slugger award.
The backstop made it clear he wasn’t happy being the only man left behind and rumors began to swirl and continued to do so for more than a year, until at long last he was traded to the division rival Philadelphia Phillies.
With Realmuto goes the final piece of the rebuild puzzle, as – despite reports that Miami wanted a Major League player a la Cody Bellinger or Ozzie Albies – the return was three prospects: Sixto Sanchez, Jorge Alfaro, Will Stewart, as well as international signing money.
While not getting a big leaguer in return might seem like the Marlins settled, that’s not necessarily true. While Albies and Bellinger have several years left on their respective contracts, I would wonder whether or not they (or similar players of their ilk that the Marlins could have received) would be wasted on bad teams for a few years before being unloaded just like Realmuto.
Miami is, as this moment, so far behind the rest of the National League East that they don’t have a chance of competing for at least the next two seasons. However, the rest of the division (the Braves and Phillies in particular) are only going to get better over the next several years. So perhaps a haul of prospects (and money for prospects) is the smart play for Derek Jeter and company.
Alfaro wasn’t the centerpiece of the trade, but he’ll have the most immediate impact, replacing Realmuto behind the plate. He is a downgrade, but literally every catcher in the league is a downgrade.
However, he has pop in his bat and a strong arm. He should make a reliable starter for the Fish going forward, even if he lacks the complete game that his predecessor will be displaying in the City of Brotherly Love.
Stewart isn’t likely to be a dominating hurler, but he has a fastball in the low 90s that he can locate. He’ll be a consistent Major Leaguer because of that control and since he’s only 21 there’s still time for him to develop more power and more pitches.
Sanchez is the prize for Miami here. He has the stuff to pitch at or near the top of the rotation and despite his small stature he can get his fastball into triple digits with some movement.
He also has a plus breaking ball and his change flashes above-average, although it’s the weakest of the three offerings. He should throw enough strikes to be a starter, but he’s battled injuries, and his size might suggest a move to the bullpen.
He could be dominant there, but the Marlins will give Sanchez every chance to develop into a well-above-average starter.
It was inevitable that Miami would trade JT Realmuto during this offseason. Although they cut it pretty close, as he’ll be reporting to Spring Training later this week.
While getting the Phillies’ number one prospect in return, along with two other players that will at least be decent long-term Major Leaguers, seems like good deal, it is questionable whether or not the best catcher in the game, under control for two more season, could have brought more back.
The Rich Get Richer
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Outside of the opening weekend of March Madness, I’m not sure there’s a weekday in college athletics that deserves to be labeled an “unofficial holiday” more than a college football signing day.
For all the buildup, all the phone alerts, all the sneaking away to the bathroom so you can see if your team signed that three-star backup punter, it always seems to end the same; with the SEC on top.
Once again college football’s best conference (according to those in the Southeast, at least) treated this year’s signing day like a sumo wrestler at a Chinese buffet. As soon as the doors opened, they bum rushed the buffet line, grabbed all the Sesame Chicken and General Tso’s they could get their hands on, leaving nothing for left for anyone else except the beef and broccoli that had been sitting under the heat lamp since early that morning.
And just like death and taxes, the one thing you can count on is Alabama bringing in a recruiting class rated either first or second. I would say they always finish first, much like this year according to most sites, but Georgia has become Alabama 2.0 in almost every facet of their program and I’m pretty sure they had the higher rated class last year. Either way, when it comes to recruiting it’s been Alabama, Georgia, and then everyone else.
Of the other three SEC teams that finished ranked in the top ten, one is a regular participant (LSU), one is a familiar face we haven’t seen for a couple of years (Florida), and the third, is a new addition thanks to a head coach going through his first full recruiting cycle with the program (Texas A&M).
Having said that, it’s very easy to speak rhapsodic about a program that brings in a top ten recruiting class- they’ve all brought in talented players that should help their team, that’s why they’re rated where they are.
There are three teams however, that stuck a little bit as I was reading over the final outcomes: Tennessee, Ohio State, and Florida State.
For Tennessee, they’ve been just good enough on the recruiting trail recently to be able to have the product they put on the field not live up to expectations. It’s been a few years since they were able to put together the type of class Jeremy Pruitt was able to this year, and it will be intriguing to see if that success translates onto the field.
Ohio State signed some of the blue-chip athletes you would expect (plus a particular transfer from Athens), but where they “struggled”, was with quality depth. It would’ve been unrealistic to expect them to do much better than they did with everything that has transpired over the past year, but when you have a new coach you have to wonder if it’s a blip on the radar, or the beginning of a trend?
As for Florida State they just lost their primary target at quarterback to a Maryland program so toxic Montgomery Burns wouldn’t even have Smithers touch it.
I have nothing against Willie Taggart and I know he says he has a plan, but unless it includes owning stock in U-Haul, I don’t have much faith in it.
To absolutely nobody’s surprise the SEC puffed out its chest and dominated signing day. The national title may reside in another conference, but when it comes to pure talent, the SEC is first in line, and they’re not leaving many leftovers.
A Plain Change?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Auburn started the 2018 season ranked in the top 10 and beat a ranked Washington team the opening weekend in Atlanta.
The Tigers went into a week 3 matchup with LSU and ended up being exposed on offense in a 22-21 loss.
Back to back losses to Mississippi State and a bad loss at home to rebuilding Tennessee started the rumblings on the plains and then another loss to UGA in Athens, and having 52 hung on them in the Iron Bowl has Malzahn’s future at Auburn being questioned by many around the SEC.
Malzahn’s overall record at Auburn now is 53-27 in six years. Outside of the miracle season of 2013 where Auburn went 12-2, won the SEC, and lost the National Title game to FSU, what have the Tigers done that is so special?
Yes, I know Auburn won the SEC West in 2017 and beat number one ranked Georgia and Alabama in a three week span that November. I get that, but this program turned around and lost to Georgia in the 2017 SEC Title game 28-7 and then lost to UCF in the Peach Bowl to finish 10-4 on that season.
Auburn is 41-25 over the past five seasons, the natives are getting restless in Auburn, Alabama. So basically, Auburn under Gus is a program that is going to lose 4 or 5 games a season.
That is not acceptable at Auburn and they are trying to stay in the same area code as rival Alabama. Alabama is winning 13-14 games a season now under Saban, while Auburn is an 8-5 type team.
Let’s take a look at reasons why Auburn is struggling right now:
Stubbornness: Gus always says the right things in the media and promises change, but nothing seems to change especially as it centers around play calling on offense.
This is Malzahn’s offense at Auburn and now that Chip Lindsey is gone the focus is squarely on Gus. That is all on Malzahn. The offense is his baby.
Jarret Stidham will have a successful pro career, but I don’t think Auburn knew how to use his skill set properly. The fan base turned on Stidham, but forgot that without Stidham Auburn doesn’t win the SEC West in 2017.
Running Back: How does a school that produced William Andrews, James Brooks, Bo Jackson, Brent Fullwood, Rudy Johnson, Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, and Kerryon Johnson, not have a big time running back? Auburn can’t run the football, and it’s because they don’t have a big time running back. This is squarely on Gus.
Player Development: If you look at five year recruiting ranking averages Auburn is in the top ten, but Auburn has lost, on average, 5 games per season in the same cycle. What is happening to all of that talent? Gus Malzahn is the head coach of Auburn University and the buck stops with him.
Auburn hung 63 on Purdue in the Music City Bowl and Gus was feeling really good about his play calling in that contest. Will that be enough to quiet down the critics on the plains?
If not for The Prayer at Jordan Hare against UGA, or the Kick Six against Alabama in 2013 would Gus still be the football coach at Auburn University?
Keep a close watch on this situation at Auburn. If Auburn struggles early in 2019 will Gus make it to October?
Auburn is a proud football program, but the Tigers have been losing to UGA and Alabama a lot lately. That will not cut it on The Plains.
Tiger fans are praying that incoming QB Bo Nix has the same impact that Jake Fromm has had at UGA. That may be what saves the Gus Bus at AU.
The New-Bees
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
National Signing Day is almost here. We will get a chance to see where each program ranks and get an idea of who will play next season. I’m going to take a look at Georgia Tech’s recruiting class.
Geoff Collins is entering his first season as the head coach in Atlanta. He has inherited a roster full of Paul Johnson recruits.
As you all know CPJ ran the triple option offense, which made it difficult to recruit top prospects. For many of the players he recruited Tech was the only Power 5 school that was interested in them.
The Yellow Jackets are switching to a pro-style offense, so they need athletes that fit that scheme.
One big boost came in the form of a transfer. Wide receiver Marquez Ezzard transferred from Miami. He was a four-star prospect and he signed with the Hurricanes in February 2018. He also had offers from Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, USC and Florida State.
Ezzard is from Stockbridge, GA so he’s coming home. He’s 6’2 and 210 pounds, so he has great size. He only played in three games this past season so that counts as being redshirted. By ACC rules, Ezzard would have to sit out a season at Tech and lose a season of eligibility, as he is transferring within the conference. That would mean he would sit out the 2019 season and have three seasons remaining.
The current 2019 class has 18 commits and all of them are three-star recruits. I’m a huge fan of quarterback Jordan Yates from Alpharetta, GA. He led Milton high school to the 7A state championship as a senior. He’s a very good dual threat QB. He passed for 2,590 yards and ran for 958 yards last season.
They signed another dual threat QB also, Demetrius Knight. He rushed for over 1,000 yards last season.
They have also signed a few receivers like Nazir Burnett, Zach Owens, Ahmarean Brown and Kalani Norris. Brown is from Tampa and as a senior he had 38 catches for 726 and 7 touchdowns. He’s small (5’9, 165 lbs.) but very fast.
Owens is the biggest receiver at 6’3 and 198 pounds. He’s from Marietta, GA and he averaged 105.7 all-purpose yards per game.
Tight end was a position Paul Johnson did not use at all. Collins plans on changing that and he signed Dylan Deveney from Princeton, New Jersey. He has prototypical size standing at 6’6 and 245 pounds.
They also added a pair of running backs; Devin Ellison and Tony Amerson. Ellison is from Jacksonville and he’s the epitome of a student athlete. He set school records with 3,345 rushing yards and 45 rushing TD’s during his high school career. He’s on course to graduate magna cum laude (4.1 GPA).
Defense has been a problem over the last decade. Tech is going to get talent at each level on defense. They signed several defensive backs; Wesley Walker, Jordan Huff, Kenan Johnson and Jeremiah Smith.
Defensive ends Sylvain Yondjouen and D’Quan Douse have also committed. Douse is from Savannah and he was a three-time all-region honoree.
Yondjouen is from Belgium and has only been playing football for 4 years. They signed one defensive tackle, Jamal Camp.
The linebackers consist of Chico Bennett Jr. and Cornelius Evans. Evans attends the school right by my house, Central Gwinnett. He’s 6’4 and 220 pounds so he has the frame of a pro outside linebacker.
I think this is a solid class that can get better once they arrive on campus and get coached up.
The Empire Strikes Back
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA had Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics. Major League Baseball has the New York Yankees. The NFL has the New England Patriots.
Now, before I get too deep into this rabbit hole I’m about to go down, let’s go ahead and get the obvious out the way. After five months and over a few hundred games played, that was the game that is supposed to get us through until September? The only thing less entertaining than the game itself was the halftime show, except for the Big Boi/Sleepy Brown appearance.
Now that those four hours I would’ve rather spent watching Wolf Blitzer doing “Breaking News” segments on Adam Levine’s tattoos have passed, what does it all mean for New England?
As much as it pains me to say, what the Patriots have accomplished over the past eighteen years has to be one of the most impressive feats in sports, if not the most impressive.
The run the Celtics had in the 60’s when they won eight NBA titles in a row, and ten in eleven years, is something I feel pretty confident won’t be happening again anytime soon.
However, it did take place in a period where the level of competition wasn’t quite like it is today. It’s similar to the dominance UCLA had over college basketball for all those years.
The Yankees have been the standard in baseball, but they have a number of advantages that have played in their favor, mainly the market they play in and the lack of a salary cap.
I’m not taking anything away from either of those franchises, but when you are talking about the greatest dynasty in sports history, those type of things matter.
In New England’s case they have achieved unrivaled success over the past two decades in a league that is set up specifically to prevent that type of dominance.
To have done what they have been able to do, with the cavalcade of players over that time frame just adds to the legacy.
Yes, the two constants just happen to the two people who are arguably the best at their respective titles, but it doesn’t dampen it any less.
And look, I get it, I have a hard time saying anything nice about the Patriots. They’re about the most pretentious franchise I’ve seen, and I’m Duke fan for crying out loud.
But if I’m being completely objective, this run they are on- no matter how much longer it lasts- is probably the most impressive run in professional sports history.
This particular victory wasn’t pretty by any means, but it was vintage Bill Belichick. Make no mistake about it, the Rams offensive struggles were not self-inflicted; the Patriots shut down the league’s second ranked offense and made it look easy.
Even though the game gave us all plenty of reasons to turn away, or turn the channel for that matter, New England was the better team, once again.
So here we are, six Super Bowl victories in nine appearances, over an eighteen-year span. As much as Tom Brady wanted to tell us the Patriots are “still here” and that nobody believed in them, are any of us really surprised with the outcome?
It may not have been the outcome most of us wanted to see, but based on history it was the outcome most of us predicted.
And much like the final score and the game itself, we may not be fans of the Patriots, but they are doing something we may not see again in our lifetime.
Braves Get Real-Muto?
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For what seems like the 15 gazillionith time this offseason, the trade market for Miami Marlins All-Star Catcher JT Realmuto has apparently started heating up.
The Padres, Dodgers, Reds and Braves are all in the mix to be Miami’s dance partner. He’s a hot commodity and it’s no surprise that he’s being highly sought after by teams looking to compete in 2019.
It’s also no surprise that trade talks have stretched into February, with less than two weeks remaining before Realmuto has to report…somewhere. After all, the top free agents – Bryce Harper and Manny Machado – have yet to land anywhere either.
Over the past several months, the Realmuto trade talk has been a roller coaster, with teams being reported as in, then out, then in again.
The Braves in particular have been linked to the catcher days before reportedly passing on him altogether. Now, the rumor is that they’re back in the mix, though the Padres and Dodgers are the strongest contenders.
But personally, I’m getting a little tired of hearing about him maybe or maybe not coming to Atlanta. Do I want the guy? Yes. Would he improve the team? Of course. But is he the last piece that makes the Braves a complete team and threat to Washington, Philadelphia, and New York? He is not.
It’s not that the Braves couldn’t use an upgrade at catcher. Brian McCann was a feel-good addition to the roster, but his days as an All-Star backstop are behind him.
Tyler Flowers signed a two-year deal signed after the 2017, but that was the Braves betting on the wrong horse (while Kurt Suzuki is now a National).
The excitement of Realmuto coming to Atlanta had a lot to do with his bat, along with his position. While his bat would still be a hell of an asset, when the Braves signed Josh Donaldson to a one-year deal they made Realmuto’s offensive skills redundant.
In fact, if Donaldson is healthy and produces up to his normal level, he’ll be a better bat than Realmuto would be, and he only costs the Braves cash. Realmuto would cost prospects. And that would be prospect capital that could be used elsewhere.
And that’s the real reason I’m getting tired of hearing about Realmuto. He fills a need the Braves don’t really need addressed at the moment.
The Braves biggest hole last year was their bullpen, and beyond that, the move that would make the biggest difference to their contender status is acquisition of a stud pitcher to either serve as the team’s ace or as a solid number two behind Mike Foltynewicz.
Despite those needs, the rumor mill about the Braves trading or otherwise acquiring pitching help has been nearly nonexistent over the past several months.
Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals picked up arguably the best free agent pitcher on the market in Patrick Corbin and the Mets shored up their bullpen by trading for Edwin Diaz (with a pinch of Robinson Cano). Dallas Keuchel is still available, but the Braves haven’t been linked to him in a substantial way; Cory Kluber hasn’t been traded, though the rumor mill surrounding him seems to have quieted altogether.
Relief pitchers are always available. Yet, Atlanta hasn’t picked up anyone to throw the ball.
Is there still time? Sure. But it is frustrating to hear constant rumors abound that the Braves might make a play for an unnecessary position player when it’s a pitcher or two that would keep them at the top of the pile.
With the improvements that other teams in the NL East have made, it’s easy to think that the Braves may have fallen back in the pack, despite winning the division last season.
If they can bolster their pitching staff, they might even be considered the favorites to win again.
Foles Flying To Jacksonville?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As we embark on Super Bowl weekend, I think back to just one calendar year ago when the Jacksonville Jaguars got “Bradyed” just like the Kansas City Chiefs did two short weeks ago.
Everyone was talking about how close Jacksonville was to being an elite team and many, including this writer picked them to go to the Super Bowl this past season. Unlike Jason Bishop this writer owns up to his bogus predictions.
After that playoff run the Jaguars gave Blake Bortles a contract extension through 2020, and banked their future on continuity with Bortles, instead of making an upgrade at the QB position at the time.
That move was a disaster as the Jaguars finished in last place in the AFC South. It got so bad the Jaguars benched Bortles at the end of miserable 5-11 season. Now, it appears almost certain that the Jaguars and Bortles will part ways.
Where do the Jags go at the QB position in 2019? There are rumors that Jacksonville is in talks with Philadelphia to acquire Nick Foles.
The Eagles confirmed that Carson Wentz will be the starting QB once he returns from the back issues he suffered in 2018.
Where does that leave Nick Foles? Apparently as a back-up in Philly, unless the Eagles make a trade. Foles makes perfect sense for the Jaguars. Foles is an instant upgrade at the position for Jacksonville and with the pieces in place already on defense the Jags become a playoff contender again in 2019.
Bringing in Foles could allow the Jaguars to draft a future QB like Drew Lock in the first round and have him learn and develop under a seasoned veteran like Foles. With Foles the team could win now and also be a bridge to the future until the future is ready. That proposition is a win-win for Jacksonville moving forward.
If you watched the Eagles last season you know that Foles was the best performing QB on that roster. Yes, we all know Wentz is the future in Philly, but Foles just has an “it” factor when he is inserted into a football game.
He started five games down the stretch for the Eagles, got them into the playoffs, beat the Bears on the road, and gave the Saints fits in the divisional playoff game. FYI, in case you forgot, Foles was the MVP of Super Bowl LII, as the Eagles upset the Patriots to win Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl.
What would the Jags have to give up to land Foles? Many are speculating that Leonard Fournette could be part of a deal to land Foles. Fournette appears to be on shaky ground in Jacksonville.
Fournette had an injury plagued 2018 season and some of his sideline antics appear to make him expendable at this time. Time will tell on how it will play out. The Eagles need help at running back.
One thing is for sure, if the Jaguars want to be a playoff team in 2019, they need to seriously address the QB position. Yes, I’m stating the obvious, but the obvious has been the obvious for three seasons now. The Jacksonville Jaguars need a playoff quality quarterback.
Make a deal Jags and bring in Nick Foles and trade Fournette if you have to. You can find a quality running back in this year’s draft. The NFL is a QB driven league.
The New Clubs
By: Rich Styles
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In January of every year, 40,000 people within the golf industry gather in Orlando, FL for the PGA Merchandise Show. I was one of those.
It is always amazing to me each year how many companies pay thousands of dollars to set up booths, bring in staff and products to show off what they have that is new for the year.
The audience walks around, when you can get through the crowds and lines, to look at all that is new in equipment, training aids, apparel, golf cars, snacks, etc. All related to golf. It is quite overwhelming to say the least.
After spending weeks setting appointments for interviews on the back9boys golf show, there are always a a few surprises. Here are a few….
I got to spend a few minutes talking with Sir Nick Faldo, Masters Champion and currently one of the best announcers on the Golf Channel. Sir Nick wanted to talk about a course, Bella Colina, he designed and will not make it easier to play through a renovation. Sir Nick called the course “a brut”.
He talked about the athletes that now play the game. They are all built, in shape, eat right, workout regularly, have great swings and are mentally tough. By the way, they can hit the ball a mile, sometimes more.
I asked Sir Nick why he wasn’t playing on the Champions Tour, he said he can’t play
like he did years ago, winning tournament on both continents. He would have to put in long hours practicing and basically get in “golf shape”.
He is grateful and blessed to be able to stay close to golf with his gig on the Golf Channel. He was a pleasure to spend a few minutes with but you go away with many more questions that you would have liked to ask. Next time.
Then I had another surprise….John O’Hurley, who played Mr. Peterman on
Seinfeld. Can you believe that was twenty years ago. He loves the game of golf and belongs to two country clubs in LA. He was there with his wife, who works with a travel golf company, Garmany Golf.
John was gracious to spend time with me to talk about his love for golf. He plays in a lot of Pro-Am Tournaments all over the world. He has seen good swings and I am sure not so good swings of the amateurs.
He said the Mr. Peterman role was incredible. He got to work with the staff who all were in their prime and loved being in a show about nothing. Many still call him, Mr. Peterman. He was delight and I hope we cross paths again, this time on a golf course.
Another surprise was having a few minutes with Lexi Thompson. Winner of many LPGA tournaments. She was much taller than I thought, but I guess that means I am shorter than I thought I was.
She was being asked by many to sign autographs, pose for pictures (yes, even with me) and do interviews. She visited several booths of which she endorses their clubs, apparel, product or service. Very nice lady who can hit the ball a mile.
By the way, now members of her family, now her brother, caddie for her on tour.
Yes, I did my seventeen miles of walking from one end of the convention center to the other doing interviews and taking in all that is new in golf equipment, apparel, golf cars, training aids, energy bars, etc.
Every year I say I will skip next year. But I have gone five years in a row so I guess I will be back in 2020. After all, there will be new stuff to see, feel and touch. Yes, samples are appreciated.
Bee Killer
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Josh Pastner era at Georgia Tech has not been successful thus far. Since taking over as head coach in 2016, he had his best record during his first season, going 21 – 16. The following 2017 – 18 season Tech was 13 – 19.
At this point it might be time for Tech (11–9, 3–4 ACC) to pull the plug. Judging from his previous track record the Yellow Jackets are in for diminishing returns. Pastner replaced John Calipari at Memphis in 2009 and he initially had success.
He led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament in four of the seven seasons he coached. In his final two seasons his teams went 18 – 14 (2014-15) and 19 – 15 (2015-16).
He has struggled to have consistent success in Atlanta and that has caused the program to accept mediocrity. He has a losing record against Clemson, only beating them once. Clemson is not a basketball powerhouse so that is alarming. The Tigers lost their first three ACC games going in to the Tech game and they won, 72 – 60.
The Ramblin’ Wreck has actually lost their last 14 games at Clemson. Tech has to win games against these types of opponents in order to have a chance at making it into the postseason. I can understand not having success against Duke and UNC but they have to beat the average ACC teams.
Before conference play began, they lost games against teams that are also struggling. In the ACC/Big Ten Challenge they lost to Northwestern. This is a program that just made their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017 and they are currently ninth in the Big Ten.
They also lost to St. John’s, Gardner-Webb and Georgia. St. John’s is sixth in the new Big East. A non-power five team like Gardner-Webb should not be able to come to Atlanta and win by ten points like they did. The Bulldogs (12-9) are seventh in the Big South so they are not one of the elite small school teams.
Losing to UGA is not acceptable because that’s obviously Tech’s biggest rival. It’s also alarming because the Dawgs (10-9) are struggling and are 11th in SEC play.
It’s going to be an uphill battle to have a winning record in conference play. They lost a close game to No. 12 Virginia Tech 52 – 49.
Georgia Tech beat Syracuse (14-6) on the road so that is a good win. The next game Syracuse beat No. 1 Duke. That gave fans hope that maybe they have a chance against the Blue Devils.
We saw that game this past weekend and Tech played much better than I expected. They played at Cameron Indoor Stadium, which is probably the toughest venue for road teams. They actually led No. 2 Duke at halftime by two points. They held the Blue Devils to a season-low 27 first-half points.
Then the Yellow Jackets extended the lead to eight points early in the second half. After that, Duke’s superior talent took over and they won 66 – 53.
“That’s our only way of survival in this league,” Pastner said. “We have to be really, really good defensively, and that’s who we’ve been in our time here. … That’s just kind of who we are and what we do, and if we don’t do that, we’re not going to have any chance of success.”
The next game is at home against No. 9 North Carolina. At this point we can almost guarantee another season without a tournament appearance. Once that happens, it’s time to make a coaching change.
