There is a lot to talk about in the sports world this week, here are a few things that caught my attention.
Hurricane Matthew had its effect on sports around the south. The soap opera surrounding the postponement of the Florida-LSU game is almost comical. I do not know what conversations took place between Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley and the SEC commissioner’s office but I have to assume that Commissioner Gregg Sankey did not postpone the game without good reason. It is worth noting that UCF also postponed its game in Orlando. The question now is when or if the game will be rescheduled.
If the game is not played there is the potential that it will affect the outcome of the SEC division races. Sankey says the game needs to be played and that he is counting on the two schools to cooperate in the process. Good luck with that Mr. Sankey. LSU athletic director Joe Alleva sounds more bizarre every time he gets behind a microphone. First he wanted Florida to move the game to Baton Rouge on Saturday. LSU was able to get South Carolina to do that a year ago but Gamecock coach Steve Spurrier said later that it was a mistake on South Carolina’s part. Spurrier is now with the Florida athletic department and I am sure he was advising Foley against the idea. Alleva keeps stating adamantly that any solution that means LSU losing a home game is unacceptable yet EVERY solution he suggests means Florida losing a home game. The latest was a suggestion that the SEC move the championship game back a week and Florida playing LSU in the Georgia Dome. If he had a reason in mind as to why Florida shouldn’t just host that game in Gainesville, he failed to mention it. I think the man is delusional.
If Alabama beats Tennessee Saturday, or LSU wins out, not playing the Florida-LSU game would be extremely problematic for the SEC. Pop some popcorn, grab a beer and sit back to watch this play out. It should be quite entertaining.
Georgia and South Carolina moved their game to Sunday. Georgia won handily. South Carolina has the 128th ranked offense out of 128 teams. I have said it before and I will say it again. Will Muschamp is such a good defensive coordinator that he shuts down his own offense as well.
How about those Falcons? After a 3-1 start everyone was pointing to their trip to Denver as the game that would show what Atlanta is capable of accomplishing. All the Falcons did was go to one of the most difficult venues to win in on the road and manhandle the reigning Super Bowl champs. In fact, in the last two week Atlanta has whipped up on both participants in the most recent Super Bowl. Next up is a road game at Seattle. If the Falcons win that game the entire nation will watching them closely down the stretch. Matt Ryan and the offense is performing at a record pace. As leery as Georgia sports fans are about jumping on the bandwagon these days (and understandably so) this might be the year to pay attention.
What must it be like to be Cubs fan right now? I am pulling for Chicago in the postseason. Poor Cubs fans have languished in futility for over a hundred years. Their beloved Cubs last won a World Series in 1908 and haven’t even appeared in a World Series since 1945. In 2003 Chicago came within five outs of making the World Series in game six of the NLCS only to have a fan, Steve Bartman, deflect a foul ball out of the glove of Cubs outfielder Moises Alou. The inning finished with the Marlins scoring eight runs and winning game six. The Marlins would go on to win game seven and send the Cubs home for the offseason. Bartman ended up facing a torrent of angry Cubs fans. You have to imagine that Cubs fans everywhere watch these games wondering when the inevitable collapse will occur. I hope for their sake that it never comes this postseason. Go Cubs.
