Egad! It's the weekend already! There's no time to lose, so here's what it will take to get you up to speed:
- As I continue to wrestle with my love-hate relationship with the national pastime, I find reminders of the beauty of baseball in such places as the discussion of the strategic wisdom, vel non, of bunting to the third baseman with a runner on third and fewer than two outs. The comments make for a smart, fun read.
- I'm pretty sure that, if you're reading Dawg Sports, you're also reading Every Day Should Be Saturday, but a couple of recent items deserved special notation: Steve Spurrier, not hitherto known as a poor-mouther, held "a midsummer media briefing" to castigate the Gamecocks for their poor work ethic, while Orson provoked a predictable yet entertaining comment thread by needling the aficionados of "Offensive Chic."
Auburn's offense averaged 13.7 points per game in the Tigers' three losses last season. Vive la revolucion!
- Like me, Doug went to see the movie "Cars" last weekend. Susan and I took Thomas to see the latest Pixar release, which we all enjoyed . . . but Owen Wilson simply wasn't actor enough to pull off a role as challenging as Lightning McQueen.
- After discussing the N.H.L. draft (something it had never before occurred to me even existed), The Lawgiver offered the first encouraging sign of impending autumn:
I am out for the rest of the day, but fear not. We near July. The NHL and NBA are done. The US is out of the World Cup. Monday we put away all childish leagues, start in with the Big Ten Season Preview, and start screaming "FOOTBALL!" at friend, acquaintance, and total stranger alike.
Sweet!
- The polls remain open for the current Dawg Sports survey question, but it strikes me as noteworthy that, of the first 46 votes cast, not one picked Notre Dame to win the national title in football. Meanwhile, in baseball, I indicated earlier that I hoped Oregon State would go on to win the College World Series. Well, they just might, as the best-of-three championship series between the Beavers and the Tar Heels gets underway on Saturday.
- On Friday morning, I mentioned that it was high time Georgia and Michigan met on the gridiron. Not only did Dawgnoxious pick up the story, but universally beloved prognosticator Phil Steele evidently agrees with me, as his college football preview magazine predicts that the 2007 Outback Bowl will feature the Bulldogs and the Wolverines. Sign me up, pal.
The M Zone provided the helmet graphic . . . Phil Steele provided the VHT MOST ACCURATE PRESEASON MAGAZINE L7Y!
That's pretty much everything you need to know heading into the weekend. I'll touch base with you on Monday morning, if not before.
Go 'Dawgs!