Sad Sunday in sports; Weekend football picks
Sad Day in Sports
This past Sunday was one of those days in sports that you never want to come around, but unfortunately, they come all too often.
The day started with the news that Marlins ace pitcher Jose Fernandez had died in a boating accident early Sunday morning in Miami. Then the day ended with news that the legendary Arnold Palmer had also passed away.
Both deaths hit the sports world hard. Palmer was simply a larger-than-life figure in golf, and as great as he was on the course, from everything I’ve read and heard on TV and the radio, he was even greater off the course. Palmer was one of those guys that never met a stranger and had time to talk with everyone.
I’m not the biggest golf fan in the world by any stretch of the imagination. I watch bits and pieces of the Major tournaments here and there, but I’m not a diehard follower of the sport like others. But I’ve heard stories from my dad and granddad about how incredible it was to watch Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in their prime. They battled each other at the highest level in the biggest tournaments, and it was thrilling golf to watch.
While Palmer got the chance to live out his full career and life and his greatness was clearly seen and known to this day, the death of Fernandez leaves everyone wondering what could have been. The young starter had clearly shown over the first few years of his career that he had the potential to be an all-time great on the mound. He had the stuff to baffle batters and a competitive fire that showed clearly when he was playing.
He also played with a pure joy (that some players and teams took the wrong way as showing them up) and had a smile that lit up the field and dugout. Even sadder is that Fernandez and his girlfriend were expecting their first child early next year.
Like I said earlier, these are the days in sports news that nobody wants to happen. Both will be missed greatly. RIP Arnie and Jose.
Weekend football picks
The college football Saturday doesn’t disappoint this week with several good matchups, including a couple big ones for Georgia and Georgia Tech as they both look to bounce back.
Here are some college football picks as well as a look-ahead at the Falcons-Panthers showdown on Sunday:
Tennessee at Georgia
Many people circled this game on their calendar before the season even started as a de facto SEC East Championship Game, but the teams enter on different paths.
Tennessee got their biggest win of the Butch Jones era last Saturday when they snapped an 11-game losing streak to Florida with an incredible second-half comeback. Georgia, on the other hand, is re-evaluating themselves as a team after a 45-14 loss at Ole Miss.
If the Volunteers can take the momentum they built in the second half last week into Athens, they should be able to get a pretty comfortable win. But after they got so high following the Florida win, you have to worry about a letdown.
Georgia could be without Nick Chubb, which puts more pressure on the freshman quarterback Jacob Eason. That doesn’t sound like a great recipe against a big-time SEC opponent.
I think this will be a close game up until the fourth quarter, but the deeper, more talented team will pull it out.
Score: Tennessee wins, 28-21.
Miami at Georgia Tech
The Jackets laid an egg last Thursday in their biggest test of the season against Clemson, but the Tigers aren’t exactly a bad team. They’ll get a shot at another ranked squad on Saturday against the Canes, now led by Mark Richt, who owned Georgia Tech in his time in Athens.
Last year not withstanding, Paul Johnson’s teams usually come back with a great effort following a loss. But they have to find a way to run the option offense smoothly against a talented defense, something they didn’t do at all last week.
Miami has a big game next week against Florida State so looking ahead could be a factor. But I think they’ll be able to pull out an ugly road win in Atlanta.
Score: Miami wins, 23-21.
Louisville at Clemson
Louisville’s Lamar Jackson has stolen a lot of thunder from the preseason Heisman favorite Deshaun Watson with his unbelievable start to the season. The Cardinals quarterback has been unstoppable and is currently on pace for over 90 touchdowns this season.
As easily as Louisville handled Florida State, that leads me to believe they should be the favorite against Clemson. Death Valley is a tough environment, but I just believe the Cardinals are the cream of the crop in the ACC this season. The Lamar Jackson train rolls on.
Score: wins, 31-24. Louisville
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
Don’t look now, but the Falcons are in first place in the NFC South and have a chance to kick the Panthers even further down than they already are following a 1-2 start.
The Panthers are struggling offensively, and Cam Newton is taking a lot of hits, but the Falcons have still shown no real ability to consistently get to the quarterback despite their wins.
Atlanta needs to lean on the running game to help out Matt Ryan against a great Carolina defense. The Georgia Dome will be rocking on Sunday, and that should help the Falcons pull out a close division win.
Score: Atlanta wins, 33-30.