Bobby Bowden: "I Was Pushed Out..."

Bobby Bowden did not resign as head coach of the Florida State Seminoles. But on the other hand he states, being fired might be too strong a term. So therefore, we arrive at "pushed out". Not wanted, washed up, and pushed out. Such is the business of big time college athletics. You know, what have you done for me lately? In Bowden's case, he got it through the back by a university president he used to coach. They were close and Ole Bobby thought he was safe for one more year. He was wrong and now he's gone. End of story. For what it's worth, Opinion On Sports believes there should be a mandatory retirement age at colleges and universities, and that college football should ban the term "coach in waiting".

Ryan Mallett: This Year's Jevan Sneed?

Last year, Ole Miss and quarterback Jevan Sneed were proclaimed to be the toast of the SEC. Only problem was, the toaster never got hot enough. Sneed and his Rebels ended up being a bust in the SEC West, as is the case with most of Houstin Nutt's teams.. This year, that proclamation sits on the shoulders of Arkansas' 6'7" Ryan Mallett, if not so much on his bunch of Razorbacks. Mallett is a bona fide big-time quarterback. Twice in his career, he has thrown for more than 400 yards in a game. Just last year he had three 5-touchdown games. Can he have that kind of season in this his last hurrah for the Hogs? As the season begins to unfold, the rangy signal caller himself will provide the answer to that question. He might indeed throw up some gaudy numbers this season, but I wouldn't count on Arkansas being a threat to anyone in the SEC West. Anyone except Ole Miss of course.

Aaron Murray: It's All Right, So Have a Good Time

Aaron Murray, Georgia's redshirt freshman quarterback, doesn't have to do everything, or be everything, for the Bulldogs to be successful this year. He'll have a veteran, experienced line in front of him. He'll have two outstanding, experienced tailbacks behind him. He'll have two proven fullbacks to not only assist in protecting him, but also providing senior leadership. He will have a stable of tight ends at his disposal to rival any in the conference. On the other side of the ball, he can count on a Georgia defense that will be its most aggressive since the days of the old "Junkyard Dawgs". This defense can be counted on to create turnovers by the opposition, thus putting the ball back in Murray's hands. Not to mention how much assistance he will receive from Georgia's special teams that will feature the south's most prolific punter/placekicker combination as well. Don't forget that Aaron Murray is very capable of being the starting quarterback at the University of Georgia. His pedigree as an Elite 11 quarterback out of Plant High in Tampa is legitimate. The kid can play, he's just been waiting for his opportunity. Nevertheless, he will make his share of rookie mistakes. This is a tough conference for a quarterback to break in on, and there is no substitute for experience. But he will recover from, and overcome, his mistakes. Georgia is the dark horse of the SEC East, and they will have a good season, as will Murray. Yea, it's gonna be all right!

Georgia: How Crucial is Crucial?

Georgia's second game of the season is a conference encounter with South Carolina on the road. The Bulldogs will venture into one of the many loud, hostile environments that are so prevalent in college football with a rookie at the quarterback position and with one heck of a lot on the line. To me, the Carolina game is the most crucial game of the SEC season for Georgia. The winner of this game is set to face the hunk of the conference schedule with a huge first win under its belt. The loser now has no margin for error the rest of the way, and the season is only two weeks old. The Georgia vs Carolina game can either leave a very bad taste in your mouth, or leave you thinking you are a legitimate contender for the SEC East title. This goes without saying that every conference game is crucial, and none more crucial than the next one coming up each week. However, this game really does set the tone for the remainder of the season. For a team like the Dawgs who are trying to gain confidence in not only a new leader behind center, but also trying to get confidence in a completely new defensive scheme, a road win against a formidable foe could make their season. It certainly would make that late October trek to Jacksonville look a lot more inviting. The Carolina game is already "looming large" folks!

Tiger and Elin: The Split is Official

Tiger Woods had it all. He had the world by its proverbial tail. Now he's lost a lot of it. Some of "it" he will reclaim, and some of "it" he won't. At some point, he will play the high caliber of golf he once did, and he will continue to add to his monetary fortune. However, he will not recoup the high level of integrity he was once regarded with. Nor will he get his family back. His divorce with Elin Nordegren became final today. He can sign that scorecard. No championship title for him as a husband. And that's one title he can't buy. I just wonder...if he knew Elin was going to divorce him over his transgressions, do you think he wishes he hadn't wasted his time going to sex therapy? He obviously doesn't need it now.

Cox & Piniella: The Game Won't Be The Same...

Bobby Cox and Lou Piniella have known each other since 1977 when they were both with the Yankees. Sunday, they gave each other a good-bye hug as they both prepared to manage their last game in Wrigley Field. Sunday was "Sweet Lou's" last game with the Cubs, and Cox won't return to Chicago in this, his last, season with the Braves. There's a lot of water under the bridge with these two career baseball men, and they leave behind two of the more sought after managerial jobs in baseball. Atlanta, of course because they are a perennial contender, and Chicago because of the challenge to finally make it a winner after all the years of futility. It will be interesting to see who gets named to fill these two vacancies before next spring. They will have some big shoes to fill, especially in Atlanta.

Cub Fans: Showing a Little Class

Derrek Lee has been a Chicago Cub for the past seven years. He has given the fans of Wrigley Field complete professionalism throughout all of those seven years. Today, as a member of the visiting Atlanta Braves, the Wrigley faithful gave back to D-Lee. Before his first at bat, he received a much deserved standing ovation from the appreciative and understanding fans in attendance. Although Lee went hitless in his Atlanta debut, his Braves defeated his former team 5-3 to maintain their lead over Philadelphia in the National League East.

Troy Glaus: No 'I' in Team for Him...

Yesterday I wrote that I had not completely bought in to the Braves acquisition of Derrek Lee. I was in favor of it only if it was a player for player deal, as in Lee for Troy Glaus. As you know by now, the trade didn't go down like that. Now Glaus and Lee are both Braves. Atlanta gave up three young pitching prospects to bring the veteran Lee to Turner Field, and I know nothing about any of the three. I hope we gave up quantity as opposed to substance. As for Glaus, he handled the situation with nothing but professional class. He accepted the trade as a good move for the team, agreed to go on the Disabled List to help his gimpy knees, and volunteered to go to AAA Gwinnett to work at his more natural position of third base. Keep in mind, Glaus could have asked the Braves for an outright release. Also remember, he literally carried Atlanta for almost two months earlier in the season. I know he hasn't carried anything but dead weight recently, but I am impressed by this attitude of "Big Team, Little Me" displayed by Glaus. I now hope this works out good for both he and the Braves, because I'm back in Troy Glaus' corner again.

Derrek Lee to the Braves? I Don't Get It...

The rumor mill is swirling that the Atlanta Braves are trying to acquire first baseman Derrek Lee from the Chicago Cubs. If this is true, then I don't get it. Derrick Lee has had an outstanding major league career, but if he was going to be playing for Atlanta, he should have been here years ago. We already have one hobbling first baseman in Troy Glaus, so why would we pick up one with an ailing back? Furthermore, the numbers for Glaus and Lee are very close to the same this season. They both have hit 16 home runs, and both have less than 75 RBIs. The only way this would make sense to me is if you traded the two straight up for each other. That might work for the Cubs simply because Lee is a free agent after this season and they aren't going to be willing to pay him any huge salary numbers on the open market at this stage in his career. This would also wash with the Braves who are just biding time for their future first baseman, Freddie Freeman, to get ready for the big show. If all Glaus and Lee do is exchange uniforms, it might be worth a try for the Braves. On the other hand, if anymore Braves are involved, I say no deal. Unless of course Chicago wants to take Nate McClouth as well.

Arkansas Razorbacks: 100% Hog!

KAKS, a northwest Arkansas radio station, calls itself Hog Sports radio. They are definitely all Razorback, definitely "all in" for the Hawgs. To illustrate this fully, they fired a broadcaster who wore a Florida Gator cap to a Arkansas Razorback new conference. Renee Gork, a Florida graduate, inexplicably had a brain lapse and wore her Alma mater's colors deep into the heart of "Woo pig sooie" country. Not smart, not tolerated, Gator gone.

The PGA Championship: What A Tough Call...

I would venture to say all professional golfers know the complete rules of golf, just as I expect that Amy Vanderbilt knows the complete rules of etiquette, and the way Nancy Pelosi exhibits a comprehensive acquaintance with the complete rules of stupidity. Having said that, I believe that Dustin Johnson never considered he was hitting a ball out of a sand trap due to the location and condition of the hazard. I understand the tournament officials explaining that all golfers had been warned all week that all sand traps , regardless of their location on the course, were to be considered and played as 'regular' sand traps. This fact would thus mean that a golfer is not allowed to ground his club is a sand trap without incurring a two shot penalty. To make the long story short, Johnson grounded his club in a rough patch of sand and was denied entrance into a playoff for the PGA Championship. That was a tough pill to swallow for Johnson, and it had to be a tough call for PGA officials. After all, TV commentators said there were more than 1200 sand traps around the Whispering Straits layout. That is formidable task for the PGA to keep that many bunkers, but if they designate them bunkers, it is their job to keep them up. Even the ones that are 'outside the ropes' as Johnson's was. Golf is a gentleman's game of sportsmanship and honor, and there is no way Dustin Johnson violated either one of those characteristics.It seems that there possibly could have been some gray area in this ruling, and the PGA has to share some of the responsibility on this one.

Major League Baseball Umpires: 20% Wrong

ESPN did a random two week study on the calls made by Major League Baseball umpires. The study revealed that the umpires missed 20% of their calls. That percentage is much higher than I would have thought. I had given umpires far too much credit for being much more accurate than they actually are. As you might imagine, the study was conducted to substantiate the argument of instant replay in baseball. There are so many bang-bang plays in baseball in so many crucial situations, this study might just reinforce the push for additional technology in the game. I like baseball, but I admit it is a slow game already. If replay can be added as a part of the game without slowing it down further, I'm on board with giving it a try. If not, let's just continue to put up with the ineptitude of the umps like we always have.