I'm not going to lie to you...

I would love for Clemson to be a dominant team in college football.  Heck, the painful truth is I would love for Clemson to be a dominant team in our own conference.  But, despite any frustration I feel toward the football team over performance on the field, I am always proud to be a Clemson alumnus.  It is letters like the one below that give me this pride.

For background, Mark Herzlich is a linebacker for Boston College (Clemson's opponent from this past weekend) that won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award last season.  In the offseason, he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.  This letter is from his dad after his visit to Clemson on Saturday.

Sept. 22, 2009

Dear Clemson Fans:

First - My son is Mark Herzlich, the BC linebacker recovering from Cancer. The entire Tiger Nation should be proud of the complete class your entire program carries itself with. I wear a copy of Mark's jersey to games and I lost track of the number of Clemson fans who approached me to wish him well and to say that they were praying for him. These are people who don't know me, don't know Mark and have little reason to even be aware of his situation yet were both aware and involved enough to say some kind words. Thank you.

Second, for those who missed it, prior to the game Coach Swinney presented Mark with a Clemson jersey signed by the whole team with Mark's #94 on it. I've never seen such an outstanding and unsolicited display of sportsmanship.

Finally, throughout the weekend the major topic of conversation outside football was the graciousness of the Clemson fan base. All of us commented on how welcoming everyone was, both before and after the game. I've been to Clemson before and interacted with Clemson fans in Boston so I wasn't suprised any more but I was glad to see my friends get the message too. There was absolutely no lack of support or fanatacism for Clemson football but it was all wrapped up in an understanding that competing doesn't mean hating, that you need an opponent to play a game and that there's a difference between an opponent and an enemy. My younger son, who's used to the whole us versus them attitude in a lot of fan bases turned to me at one point and said, "you just can't hate these guys!"

Clemson continues to be my favorite road trip. I always root for Boston College to go undefeated and win the ACC, but in the years that it can't be us, I hope it's you.

If you're going to be a bear - be a grizzly!

-Sandon Herzlich


I take no credit for this as I never saw this man and wouldn't recognize him if I saw him.  Having seen his son play in person (in Boston last year, a great trip), I knew him and I certainly was saddened to learn he had cancer and I do wish him the best and I have prayed for him (though I confess it wasn't until after reading this letter that I thought to do that).  But it makes me proud to be a Clemson man when I hear of how well we treated this man and how well our football team treated his son.  


This is not an isolated case as I've heard from many opposing team's fans during tailgates and read on other team's message boards on the internet about the unique atmosphere at Clemson where the passion for the team is undeniable but so is the hospitality shown toward visiting fans.  Clemson hasn't cornered the market on good fans, and we have our share of idiots, but I still love that people come to visit our campus and leave with such great memories (along with a loss, hopefully).

Wow, just wow

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/post/190257091/worlds-largest-burger-a-185-pound-burger-is-the


this is a 185 pound burger... wonder if that is pre-cooked weight, because you know, it loses weight while it cooks








largest burger i've ever had was the one pound (post cooked weight) burger from Cheeburger! Cheeburger! in Auburn, AL. (www.cheeburger.com)


Cost me (well, the church as I was on a road trip with the utes, that's me, suffering for the Kingdom) over $12.00.   But I got my picture on the wall, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

Week 3

Several interesting games this weekend...

Does Anybody Really Care Game:  GT @ Miami
I know a couple of GT fans, but really, other than them, is there a lot of interest in this game?  Judging from attendance down there at the game... no.  Come on, combine The Office season premiere with the game being played in the outfield of a baseball field and these announcers (and ESPN's insistence on breaking into coverage every 15 minutes to tell us what is going on everywhere except for the game we tuned in to watch).  Anyway, GT ran over, around, through and maybe even under Miami last year en route to a rout... so I'll say GT wins.  (Note: The game just started and I paused it on my DVR so the opening kickoff is in the air, so I don't think it is too late to make the call.)

Revenge is a Dish Best Served... with Brisket?:  Texas Tech @ Texas
Last year, on their way to a Big 12 and possible national championship game appearance, Texas ran into a problem, they had to go to Lubbock where they were shocked by Crabtree, Harrell and the video game offense of Mike Leach.  This year, they play in Austin and Crabtree and Harrell are gone.  Texas wins this one, but everybody gets some great brisket and then they all go to Dallas to see if one of the punters hits the scoreboard in Sunday's game.

Shut Yo Mouf Game:  UT @ UF
Loud mouth Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin commented that he would enjoy singing "Rocky Top" all night after beating Florida this season.  Not sure if he said this before or after he accused Meyer of breaking NCAA rules (turns out he did what Lane accused him of doing, but it was legal, whoops).  Not much to see here, except maybe Lane crying on his daddy's shoulder.  Tennessee is just not that good this year (maybe they'll get better, time will tell).  Florida will win this one big and Tebow may actually beg Meyer to show mercy.

North vs. South, Part 5 Game: BC @ Clemson
This has become a very good series with 4 very close games (BC leading the series 3-1).  There is even a trophy, the O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy, now for the winning team and an MVP award for the player of the game (http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102908aac.html).  Clemson has much more talent and the Eagles are going with their 3rd coach in 4 years and have lost key players on both sides of the ball over the last two years... Clemson normally finds a way to keep this game close, often with BC finding a way to win it at the end or in OT, but this year is different - Clemson wins this one.

Can you blame one team when the other just does nothing to stop them?

Poor sportsmanship or poor defense?

Apparently, a Florida high school football team has come under fire for beating another team 83-0.  At first glance, this seems a clear cut case of "running the score up".  Now, many will rightly say, it is the defense's job to stop the offense, but at some point, to score 83 points, you assume the offense had to be doing something, right?  I mean, it is certainly the defense's job to stop the other team from scoring, but that doesn't give the offense carte blanche to run trick plays and leave the starters in and go deep ever series and call timeouts throughout the game.  Now, when you look at the details of this game (in the link above), several factors lean me to believe that Chaminade-Madonna didn't do anything wrong.

1. They lost to this team the year before.  It is not a case of an inferior team just being outclassed and a game that should never have been scheduled.
2. Chaminade-Madonna lost 5 games in which they gave up more than 40 points last year.  They are not some historical powerhouse with a history of blowing teams out.
3. They scored on a blocked punt and a kickoff return (to open the second half) and had two interceptions that set up short TDs.  They forced four other turnovers that led to quick scores.
4. The starters did not play in the second half.
5. You cannot ask the backups, who practice just as hard as the starters (and often serve as tackling dummies to prepare the starters for the game), to not try to perform to their best.  That being said, they only threw one pass in the second half.
6. The entire second half was played with a running clock (the clock didn't stop for anything - not incomplete passes, not turnovers nor even going out of bounds).

And yet, the team is having to answer questions about what they did and the parents talked of being embarrassed as they scored in the 4th quarter... can't imagine a mom of a second stringer being made to feel embarrassed that her son scored a TD.  The coach of the losing team won't talk about it and the AD won't return phone calls.  I hope they are using this opportunity as a teaching point for their team.  If this is the worst thing that ever happens to these players, then they are very blessed.  Teach them to use it to grow.

I've read stories in years past where states such as Connecticut and maybe New York state were imposing penalties on teams that won by too many points as it was deemed poor sportsmanship... give me a break.  There are youth leagues in baseball (not talking about T-Ball, but 12 and 13 year old kids) nowadays where they don't keep score and everybody bats every inning so that nobody loses and nobody feels left out.  Ummm, losses happen in life, what's wrong with teaching kids how to deal with it?  I think we are teaching a dangerous lesson to kids when we tell them that there are no losers because this means there are no winners, and no matter what effort we put into it, we are all guaranteed the same result...

The next step...

Yeah, so I got my Ministry Data Form (form used by the PCA to let prospective churches know more about you as they seek to fill pastoral positions, rather exhaustive with questions about your views and preferences, big city vs suburbs vs rural and so on, and where you rank certain aspects of ministry... how do you rate missions versus small group ministry, etc.?) filled out and submitted to the denomination.  Even applied for two positions.  One was more of an inquiring email to a church in Scotland seeking a youth minister.  I'm not too sure what they are looking for or if it would be even close to a good fit for me and the church, but asking for information never hurts (unless you are asking questions of a big guy with little patience that doesn't like to be asked questions).

The one I am really excited about is a church in Mauldin, SC (near where I used to live in Greenville).  I know the pastor and know the church and their vision.  I, personally, think it is a great fit.  They just started their search so I am not sure what their time frame is, but they have my resume and my MDF... I'll just keep praying and seeking God's direction.

Ever since beginning to help teach Sunday school at my current church, I started to feel that tug to go back into youth ministry.  Then, helping run the ministry over the summer between interns for the church really began to confirm for me that God created me to be a youth minister, not an engineer.  I resisted this call for several months,  because I didn't want to go changing careers again at age 35.  But I am now convinced that I can do no other than follow Him where He leads me.  I would rather follow what I believe is His leading and make a mistake than ignore Him and do my own thing.

I covet your prayers as I journey on the road to find God's specific call for me.

A trip inside my mind while running...

I thought you might like to know what goes on in my head while I am running... be warned, you may want to turn back now...

First 5 minutes -  this is a nice day to be running

6:00 - I love running on the greenway, families out biking and walking their dogs, it's beautiful.

10:00 - Wow, no leg pain, only supposed to go 28 minutes for the training plan but maybe I'll just stretch it to 30, feeling pretty good.

11:00 - Sweet, beautiful springer spaniel.

12:00 - Oh, she's  cute, try to collect your breath big guy and smile, look like you have it under control.

14:30 - Hmmm, that ankle I twisted a couple of weeks ago is started to hurt a little.

15:00 - Wow, that last 5 minutes felt like 10 minutes, that's weird.  Hey there's Bama Bangs with his dog and his two cans of beer.

15:30 - Okay, this stinkin' watch is broken, it can't have only been 30 seconds.

17:00 - Come on, these stupid families need to get off the greenway, this is what I hate about running on the greenway.

18:30 - I think the ginger ale at the coffee shop is really just coke and sprite mixed together.  How can I prove it?  Aggh, I can't.

19:00 - Whatever, little guy running by me so fast, what are you, training for a marathon, makes me sick, if I only weighed 100 pounds, I could run that fast, too.

19:45 - Another cute woman coming... forget it, no way I can stop breathing like a fat, asthmatic Darth Vader.

21:00 - Look, a dead cicada, I wish I could lie down on the sidewalk right now.

22:30 - she blinded me... with science!

23:00 - we went this way and he went that way and i said hollywood, where'd he go and hollywood said where'd WHO go?!

24:00 - Are you kidding me?  Does that joker think he is in the Tour de France with his fancy sponsor covered cycling outfit?  Oh whoops, that's a woman.

26:00 - Sidewalk closed????  Stupid construction, oh look, those windows are going to leak, tsk.

28:30 - Oh sweet, it's been over 28 minutes, I can stop now.  Now how do I get home after that detour?




Just imagine what I could have thought about if I had headphones for my iPod.

And don't think I didn't notice

I went 3-0 in predictions for games this past week.  Sure I was way off in how the UGa-usc and OSU-USC games would go, but I just picked a winner, I didn't pick a score.

To borrow a page from Leonard Postosties ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard%27s_Losers ), looks like I got the Smart Pill Machine working this weekend.

Mom jeans... the rare funny SNL skit

Week 2

You are not crazy, I didn't write anything about Week 1 (and if you are a college football fan, you understand what Weeks 1 and 2 refer to...)

Week 2 began with a crazy game in Atlanta.  I talked about in the previous post, refer to it for any comments.  There are some intriguing games this weekend, and some that are just funny.  Please don't look for breakdowns or anything that might resemble opinions gleaned from watching film, that ain't going to happen here.

The Funny I - UNC at UConn

The Wine and Cheese Tour 2009 packs up all 15 fans of the baby blue for the trip to Connecticut to take on the Huskies.  I kid, UNC might have more than 15 fans show up for the game, only if they trick some of them into thinking it is a basketball game.  Seriously, Skip Holtz built a pretty good program up there in Storrs before moving to be assistant  coach for his father at South Carolina with an apparent understanding that he would become head coach.  He coached their offense to some of their best years, but was scapegoated after a bad season in 2003 and resigned before his old man fired him (who later stepped down after another year of futility) and left to got to ECU as head coach.  Anyway, UConn was not very good last year, but they did go 8-5 and won some bowl in Toronto against Buffalo (the college not the pro team).  UNC expects to be good and needs to win this game if they hope to be... we'll say they win and all 20 of their fans are excited and break out the good glasses for their wine after the game (even though 5 of them are still wondering when the basketball game is going to start).

The Funny II - Notre Dame at Michigan

Wake up the echoes, Notre Dame goes to the Big House to play football in front of the quietest 104,000 people you will ever hear (as quiet as the library at the University of Tennessee, all of the books have been colored so no need for the students to go in there anymore).  Does anybody really care about this slap and tickle fight?

Always Intriguing Regional Match-Up - South Carolina at Georgia

No matter how bad USC is (and they've been really bad some years) or how good UGa is... this game is almost always tight.  UGa is trying to replace a #1 draft pick in Stafford (starting on Sunday for the Lions, poor guy, never had a chance at a pro career) at QB, a great RB in Moreno and a great WR in Mossaquai (I would ask for spelling help from Independence High grads, but please, like they would know how to spell) and they didn't seem to find anybody against Ok. State last week.  Let's just say USC may have the worst offense they've had under Spurrier this year, and that is saying something.  First team to 14 (heck, first team to 10, probably) wins... let's say UGa.

Big Show Saturday Night - USC at Ohio State

Southern Cal comes to the Horeshoe (is it still a horse shoe when the end zone is filled in?) to take on Ohio State in another chance for the Buckeyes to redeem themselves for their poor showings against big teams from outside the Big 10/11.  The game was ugly in LA last year and I don't see it being much different this year, though maybe a bit closer... USC wins.

Aftermath of the GT game...

Well, there are things to be encouraged about from the Clemson-GT game last night...

1. Kyle Parker had a very good game and seemed to cme of age, it seemed, showing off his talent and not looking like a total freshman in his first road game in college.
2. Our offense found creative ways to get the ball into the hands of Spiller and Ford (something we didn't always do under the previous OC).
3. Our defense rebounded from a horrendous start to play very well.

However, since "you play to win the game, hello" (thank you Coach Edwards...

There are things to be discouraged about...

1. You cannot give up an 82 yard TD run to an option team when the back is not touched. It appeared to start when the DE pinched on the B-back (Dwyer) causing the LB to have to take the QB, leaving the CB and safety to take the A-back. The safety got lit up from a tremendous block by the A-back from that side and the CB got blocked by the WR and there goes Allen down the sideline untouched for 82 yards. Again... the defense made adjustments (DE getting up field to take QB out of it) and stepped up their game tremendously after this, but the damage was done.
2. I have no problem with the play call for the pooch punt from the FG formation (Jackson did punt in high school), but it was executed poorly as Jackson cannot punt it to the hashmark when there is a return guy there. As Dabo said forcefully and colorfully... punt the "flipping" ball out of bounds. Note to Jesse Palmer - the GT returner may be athletic, but juking two offensive linemen does not prove that.
3. The fake FG was a taste of our own medicine. As the offense for GT left the field, 10 members of the FG team ran to the ball and the 11th guy stopped at the sideline, very similar to a play we ran on South Carolina last year for a TD (we had two guys run to the sideline, one stopped at the sideline still on the field and one guy came from the bench to the huddle). Somebody has to count to find all 11 guys and not assume the other team does not have enough guys on the field.
4. We have to find a way to convert 3rd and 2 from the 5 yard line. The way things were going, if we get a TD there to go up 28-24 in the 4th, it might have really deflated GT and forced them to try to throw more, and throwing when they have to and not when they want to is not their strong suit. Who knows, they may still have won, but we have to convert that short yardage anyway.

Well, the team showed heart, but we have a lot of work left to do. That was not a pushover team that beat us and we made a strong showing. But it is football and the 1st quarter counts just as much as the other three. Congratulations to GT and let's go beat BC, Tigers.

P.S. Dear ESPN, I do not know if they were telling limericks or reading Mad Libs in the booth or what last night, but what was the deal with the giggling in the first half from Craig "I helped bring the death penalty to SMU" James and Jesse "Big Freakin' Tie" Palmer? Are these the most professional announcers you can find, ESPN? Well, considering you have Lou "I've put EVERY team I've ever coached on probation" Holtz as an analyst and let him talk about running a clean program during the shows, they might be.

And Erin Andrews... please use names and quit calling the guys "CF" and "CJ" (why did you never talk to Jesse?). I blame Kirk Herbstreit, this all started when he called you "Pookie" on the air.

Just a test...

Trying to add a video... PLEASE BE WARNED, THE MAN GETS UPSET AND LETS THE OBSCENITIES FLY AT THE END...

Clemson vs GT 2009

The Clemson football team traveled to its own little house of horrors, Atlanta, tonight to prepare to take on the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. Not since beating GT 39-3 in 2003 and Tennessee at the end of that season in the 2004 Peach Bowl 27-14, have the Tigers had anything close to success in Atlanta.

Losing heartbreakers to GT in 2005 (10-3 after having a TD called back due to not enough men on the line of scrimmage - TE FORGOT to go into the game and the tackle apparently didn’t notice his absence) and 2007 (13-3 with another TD called back, this time due to tackle ripping the helmet off a defender, whoops, and a WR dropping a TD pass, along with 4 missed field goals - including one each on those two drives).

And, of course, an OT loss to the Tigers of Auburn in the 2007 Peach Bowl and a shellacking from Alabama to open the 2008 season in the Georgia Dome. And, let’s not forget a heartbreaking loss to GT in Clemson 2004 at home, in which our brilliant DC tried to guard a 6’-5” stud wide receiver with our rather short CB in tight man coverage, which, with the help of a botched punt snap with less than two minutes to play, led to an improbable come from behind win for GT in Clemson.

At least Clemson fans can hang their hat on a national TV drubbing of GT in 2006 in the Valley when Spiller and Davis went berzerk running all over the vaunted Tech defense (before our right guard and leader of the offensive line went down with a season ending injury and causing a lot of trouble for our offense the rest of the year).

Of course, let’s not forget about last season, with our 6 turnovers against GT while facing them 4 days after firing our coach... this led to a frustrating close loss to them again.

Will this year be different? Clemson is a whopping 2-8 on Thursday nights... one of the wins coming over Temple (the other NCSU). Clemson struggles in Atlanta for whatever reason. Clemson has weird games with GT that end in GT winning close games or Clemson blowing out GT in a shocking fashion (GT was favored in 2003 and 2006). All that ultimately means nothing. It will come down to Clemson preparing to stop a difficult offense that they do not prepare to face other than this one time a year and that forces the defense to rethink what it is they are doing on every snap. It will come down to Clemson’s freshman QB being able to handle his first game on the road. It will come down to GT preparing for an offense they have never seen and have game film of one game in which Clemson ran basic plays and showed nothing.

I don’t make predictions... I just watch games and try to enjoy them. But I will say Clemson has a great shot to win this game.

P.S. I had pictures to put in here... but no matter what I did to add them, they were all put at the beginning and when I started trying to move them, the font size got all changed up (size going to super big in the middle of a paragraph, etc.) and even when it looked normal here, it would be crazy spacing on the preview, so there are no pictures. I cannot figure out how to easily add pictures, I'm a moron, I apologize.

Fall Saturdays... beautiful.

Yesterday was the first football game of the season for Clemson. I had a wonderful day. Clemson is a special place for me and I relish any opportunity to get back there and soak it in. Especially now that I am looking to move into a new career (or back into an old career) that may take me out of the southeast and will severely limit my ability to go to games and be out late on Saturdays, no matter where I live, I am looking to relish every moment I am there.

Yesterday was a 6:00 kickoff, which is wonderful as it gives plenty of time to hang out before the game and walk around to visit other tailgate spots to see old friends. We arrived to our parking lot (the grass intramural fields in front of Fike and across Hwy 93 from the Pi Kappa Phi house if you are familiar with the campus) around 8:30. We were soon set up (we only bring a tent, a grill if needed, a table and some chairs) and helped our neighbors (friends we tailgate with) set up their Taj Mahal of a tailgate setup - 4 tents, astroturf carpet, Directv, stereo and 32” LCD TV). When that was complete, I ventured downtown to do some shopping as I like to do the first game of each year. I bought my nephew a birthday present (it’s too big, going to have to go back and exchange it - another trip to Clemson, schucks) and a hat for myself. Later in the day, I ventured over to a tailgate with some folks I met in Boston for the BC game last year. I stayed there a while, then grew hungry and headed back to my spot for lunch, which folks were bringing around 12:30 - chicken fingers from Zaxby’s (no Guthries, but hey, chicken fingers are good for tailgating).

After lunch, while just sitting around... got a phone call from my former roommate, who now lives in Charlotte and he was in town with his son, so he stopped by and we hung out a while before he continued his tour of the campus with his son. Shortly, another friend, this one lives in Clemson still, came by with one of his daughters and his son. Didn’t know I was going to be there, but just walked by.

Anyway, let’s move on to the game... I wasn’t sure what to expect from the game as Middle Tennessee State is not a horrible team, despite people not knowing the name. Anyway, with many new coaches, I was a tad nervous as MTSU kicked off to get the game going... nerves were soothed quite a bit as Spiller fielded the kick at the 3, headed upfield, sprinted through a cavernous hole in the coverage unit, cut right across the field and was gone, except for Jacoby Ford who ran with him and blocked the safety man who had taken an angle on Spiller. So, 15 seconds into the 2009 season and Spiller had a 97 yard kickoff return for a TD.

From that point, things looked pretty good. MTSU does some things on offense to negate the talent gap along the lines that they have and accentuate the skills of their QB. This gained them yardage and a TD (also had a TD on an INT return, but more on that later), but overall, the defense looked much more aggressive than last year and showed much better tackling. The secondary played tight coverage much of the game and the TD actually came with the freshman DB in position, but just didn’t make the play on the ball, but he did come back later in the game and looked much improved.

The offense was hit or miss, the receivers dropped way too many passes, perhaps 6 or 7 with what seemed like the first 3 passes being dropped. Kyle Parker made his first career start in college and looked pretty good, He had good speed on the ball, made good decisions, and avoided sacks and threw the ball away when he had the chance. Korn, on the other hand, was snakebitten. His first series, he raised his arm to throw the ball and it popped out of his hand into the air and right into the arms of the defender who ran it back for a TD. He came back in the third quarter and threw a pass to the RB, it went through his hands, hit his facemask and bounced right into the defender’s hands for an INT. He saw no more action until the 4th quarter, a drive that saw him hand off several times to Ellington and then take a knee. I hope he gets another opportunity this season to gain some confidence, but I don’t really want to see him in a close game, things are going wrong around him, for some reason. Once we went up 37-14 in the third quarter and our defense showed no signs of giving it up, it was good to see our coaches working on situations, like running the short yardage team for a whole drive.

The most encouraging sign of the game was the intensity on the field and the crispness between the coaches and players. What I mean is that the plays got into the players early in the play clock and there was seemingly no confusion. I do not remember a time when the defense had to call a timeout due to confusion, either. These are unusual things for the first game of the year and I hope this sort of efficiency and communication and getting the players in their position and letting them play continues.

Alright, sorry for the long post, but I sometimes can’t stop talking about things I’m passionate about.