*Shakin the Southland* with their in-depth preview of the game tomorrow.
*See also:* [Orange and White’s Preview](http://www.orangeandwhite.com/news/2012/sep/21/breaking-down-clemson-florida-state/?partner=RSS).
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Category: Sports
What a stand up guy[^fn1].
[^fn1]: I mean, other than the whole “cheating” and “taking steroids” thing.
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The Future of Wes Welker in New England
> After being unwilling to commit to a 31-year-old Welker during this past offseason, it would be a surprise if the Patriots showed a willingness to do so next offseason. Bedard suggests that between a reduced role on offense, and the emergence of Edelman, Welker could be traded before the October 30 trade deadline, a scenario repeated by Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com. A trade could be considered even more of a possibility now that the Patriots have re-signed Deion Branch and added tight end Kellen Winslow to the roster, but would team would consider trading for Welker?
I cannot imagine Welker leaving the Patriots, but he seems to want the kind of deal that he simply will not get from the Pats.
The nightmare has ended. RedZone comes to Time Warner. Let me be the first to say “We’re going double box!”
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This Will Fix the Ref Problems
> [T]he NFL has issued a warning to all 32 NFL teams insisting that the behavior seen from coaches such as Atlanta’s Mike Smith, Denver’s John Fox, and San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh will no longer be tolerated. Those coaches, who were reacting to ridiculous mishandlings of in-game situations by unqualified refs, have been told in no uncertain terms to cut it out.
That will make things better[^fn1].
[^fn1]: By “better,” I mean players will continue to push the limits until a brawl breaks out or someone gets seriously injured.
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The Drive of Dabo Swinney
Dan Wetzel writing for *Yahoo Sports*:
> There are no obstacles in Dabo Swinney’s mind, just opportunities. There are no excuses. There is little sympathy. Faced with wallowing in perceived reality or driving forward to a path in which he controlled his future, there was never a bit of hesitation.
> There still isn’t.
> So what if he was the poor son of a drunk, a statistic waiting to slip through the cracks of society? He studied so hard he got into the University of Alabama and walked onto the vaunted football program as a wide receiver.
This article by Mr. Wetzel is fantastic. I did not know Coach Swinny’s background before—but now that I do—I respect him even more.
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Vince Young has Run Out of Money
> On July 30, 2006, Vince Young, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, signed a six-year contract with the Tennessee Titans that was worth just over $48 million, had a maximum value of $57.79 million, and contained $25.74 million in guaranteed money.
> Just over six years later, Young is not on the NFL radar screen and has run out of money, the Associated Press reports
I hate these stories. The amount of people who take advantage of these young athletes seems off the charts.
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Coach Williams Undergoes Kidney Surgery
Best wishes to Coach Roy. Hopefully things go well.
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Will Middlebrooks Plays Catch!
Spring Training 2013 cannot come soon enough.
Amy Adams was afraid of the ball, so
> they used a double, a 15-year-old girl who could catch 80-miles-an-hour heat
So awesome.
I had dinner with President Barker once[^fn1] and he left me with a positive impression. I never would have guessed he would be doing pushups on the sidelines of a football game though.
[^fn1]: Humblebrag? I guess.
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Shutting Down Strasburg
Rob Neyer:
> One thing I keep noticing, though, is this bizarre belief that if only Stephen Strasburg is allowed to pitch, the Nationals will win the World Series, or probably win the World Series, or maybe they won’t win the World Series but they’ll have a lot better chance with Strasburg than without him.
> It’s just not true. With Strasburg, the Nationals’ chances of winning the World Series are somewhere between 10 and 15 percent. Without Strasburg, the Nationals’ chances of winning the World Series are somewhere between 10 and 15 percent. With him, maybe it’s 12.8 percent. Without him, maybe it’s 10.6 percent.
I guess I had not been looking at the numbers that way. I feel better about the Nationals shutting hum down after seeing that[^f4056].
[^f4056]: I would probably feel even better if [the Nationals actually discussed it with Strasburg’s surgeon](http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/9/13/3326738/nationals-didnt-consult-strasburgs-surgeon).
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Clemson Beats Furman
The run defense still scares me going into next week.
It would be nice to at least be able to tweet in a stadium. AT&T is horrific in places with that many people.
I still have fears that Will Middlebrooks will never be the same. I just hate wrist injuries for baseball players. Hopefully, early in 2013, Middlebrooks will show that I am overreacting.
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MLB End-of-Year Awards Preview
If Mike Trout does **not** win the MVP award, baseball writers might as well just say the award is a farce and stop giving it.
What? They offloaded a ton of contracts and are now looking to sell the team? Shocking[^f2044].
[^f2044]: Seriously, who did *not* see this coming?
Most ejections for a Red Sox manager in a single season. Good job, I guess?
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Carpenter Gets the Win
Hopefully he can become more than just “the guy they got for Theo Epstein.”
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It is like a Wrestling Storyline
Jerry Meals, the umpire who goes out of his way to make sure the evil Yankees do not win.