Georgia vs. South Carolina Implications, Williams-Brice, and Visor Throwing

Georgia vs. South Carolina, a cross state rivalry game that has grown from a regional rivalry to a rivalry with national implications on it year in and year out. Typically the first SEC slotted game on each schools schedule, this game puts the winner in the drivers seat to win the SEC East. This year will be no different.

Two years ago Georgia rolled in to Columbia, SC as the fifth ranked team in the country, South Carolina ranked number six. A highly touted showdown turned out to be no contest what so ever. The game was over mid-way through the first quarter as USC jumped out to a 21-0 lead. Aaron Murray and the Georgia offense turned in a dismal performance and might as well have just stayed on the bus.  Something about Georgia playing in Williams-Brice has always given them issues. This series has historically been a battle and Georgia's historically had trouble putting up offense and points in Columbia. Their point totals for their last six trips tell that story:

2012 - 7
2010 - 6
2008 -14
2006- 18
2004 - 20
2002 -13

 Saturday's game is a really intriguing matchup. I think it's going to be a battle as usual and has the potential to swing either way.  South Carolina is going to come in with a chip on their shoulder after an opening embarrassment to Texas A&M, but Georgia comes in with a lot to prove as well. It's going to be interesting to watch the game develop. I think the key player to watch is Hutson Mason. Mason wasn't asked to do much in week one as Georgia's four deep running attack wore down Clemson's defense. Georgia comes in missing their top two deep threat receivers so they don't bring anything intimidating in the downfield passing game. But, with the early issues shown by the USC secondary I think Georgia at least takes a few shots down field early. Georgia presents issues in their secondary as well, but I was impressed with the halftime adjustments they made against Clemson. Dumping Granthem and hiring Pruitt was a smart coaching decision.  If Mason were to come out and make a few early mistakes, I think that would put UGA in a position where it would be difficult to win the game.  Mason gained some experience in a few starts last year, but this is the highest pressure start he has had in his career and will certainly be the toughest environment he has every played in.

  Interestingly enough, Georgia and South Carolina both play the same SEC teams on their remaining schedule: Auburn, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and Missouri. Both teams lucked out and  as they don't play any powerhouses from the West outside of Auburn (LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M). Again, this just sets this game for huge implications on who wins the east.

I think Georgia wins a close battle, but it wouldn't surprise me if they come out flat and have to fight from behind to do it based off their recent history in Columbia. If your Georgia, give the ball to #3 until South Carolina proves they can stop you.  When healthy, Gurley is the best running back in college football. If they are in a lot of third and longs, they won't win this game. I think if South Carolina's Mike Davis stays healthy he could be in for a big game as well.

On a separate note, I have always wished they would come out with a line for how many times Spurrier will throw his visor over the course of a game. Though Spurrier doesn't look it, he is aging. Thus I think there could be a drop in visor throws over the course of this season compared to previous years. However looking at this game and the potential of frustration that Georgia's running attack presents, I think the spread for visor throwing would come in at 2*

*Visor throwing point system
 1 point for visor off the head, makes contact with the ground.

Might be a good week to take the over.



-PAM

Snapping The Streak

The Braves snapped a seven game losing streak with a 2-1 win last night over the St. Louis Cardinals .  Gavin Floyd pitched really well in his first start since tommy john surgery, and the offense did just enough to get us back in the win column.

Cardinals starter Tyler Lyons had a solid start giving up only one run in six innings.

Freeman and Simmons turned a slick 3-6-3 double play.

BJ Upton striking out. As a Braves fan, we are all to accustomed to seeing this.

Gavin Floyd pitched seven strong innings in his first Major League start since having Tommy John Surgery. 

Justin Upton is greeted by Freddie Freeman after his fourth inning moon shot home run.

What We Called, You Saw

With The Braves season opener just three days away, it's time to relive one of the great moments of the 2013 season. With the Braves trailing the Dodgers 4-2 on May 17th, Justin Upton hit a Grand Slam to put the Braves in front 6-4. Drew Milton and I predicted the grand slam would happen and caught the experience on video. You only have so many Justin Upton grand slam predictions that you catch on video in your life:


Here's what we called:

Here's what you saw:

See you at the Ted.

Heli Ski Picture Highlights March 2014

6 days of helicopter skiing in Blue River, British Columbia.

One of my favorite shots.

Glacier Skiing in the Monashee Mountains. 

Perfection.

Hard to see, but that's my Dad skiing down that chute. 

The most unique Canadian take away.

View from the back of the Heli.

Avalanche run out.

Untouched tree skiing. About 110,000 feet of it to be exact.

Action Dust

Our lead guide cold rip it.

Great shot, my Dad ripping through the trees.

Defining Moments

For the past year I have spent hours dreaming of what the experience of helicopter skiing would be like. Envisioning the process, the views of the mountains, and the untracked turns to be had.  Over the course of the last week that, dream became real. It was an incredibly exhilarating experience that etched my mind with never ending memories. Majestic views, untracked powder runs all day long, a helicopter for a chair lift, and most importantly a experience that I was able to take in with my Dad. As I sift through the pictures, stories and memories from the trip, I keep coming back to  three pictures that define why my main passion has always been on a pair of snow skis.  Three frames of one powder turn in the Cariboo Mountains in Blue River, Canada, defining my every thought, dream and desire.

Par Save Glory

Today I played 16 holes of golf, not 18. Due to the recent snowstorm that hit Atlanta the course that I played had two holes closed because of the snow and ice.  This was a first that I had seen; snow on a golf course in Atlanta. Due to the cold weather and flux of people teeing off at Marietta City Club, my friend and I teed off on the  10^th hole and ran played through 16 holes (not 18) in a swift three hours and 15 minutes.

I bogeyed 10, 11 skipped 12 due to snow; looked like a typical round at this point; I am a decent golfer at best. I work hard at it, but it’s a frustrating sport. I teed off on 13, a par 4 dog leg left that when played correctly the green can and should be easily reach in 2 shots.  I pulled my drive hard right. I was able to punch out back into the fairway leaving me about a 95-100 yard shot to the green. My third shot was a total fluke; I topped it and the ball rolled about 10 yards. In frustration I setup for my fourth shot; setup wouldn’t even be the most accurate term as  I grabbed my 9 iron and was ready to put this hole behind me. Before I hit, the one thing I did take into consideration was that the pin was way back. With a wet ground, I figured I wouldn’t over hit my target. No practice swing or thought process, I swung. As I watched the ball take flight I was thinking: this thing is heading on a straight line towards the hole (a thought process that rarely comes to my mind). The ball landed and bounced in line towards the pin. I realized it was a good shot, but I didn’t realize how good of a shot it was. My buddy was up in front of me and had a really good angle on the ball and at that point let me know it had a shot to fall in the hole. I remember seeing the ball rolling and then disappear. I threw my hat and club and found myself briefly in a state of delusion.

 

A view from where my par save shot was hit.

I did not hit a hole in one. What I did do what save par. Save par from a distance I never thought was possible. I will never forget hitting that shot and watching the ball disappear into the hole; walking 80 yards and retrieving the ball out of the hole was quite a treat. Seeing that ball disappear into the hole was such a surreal feeling.  I play golf almost every weekend and having something like this happen was quite the experience, something I had never experienced on a golf course; something I might not ever get to experience again. 

I teed off on 14 and pulled my ball  way right onto the fairway of the next hole. It only seemed appropriate. 

80 to 8: One Year to the Next

When you can’t count the days that you snow ski in a season on two hands, you’re probably sitting pretty good. I lived in Jackson, Wyoming from August 2012 to April 2013, thus I was sitting pretty good. I worked four days a week; typically short workdays with skiing built into the afternoon. I would try to ski on my three off days as well. It was a incredible lifestyle and I look back at it as a experience that I cherish and will never forget. I now currently work and reside in Atlanta, Georgia. If you are reading this you are probably thinking: You lived in Jackson Hole and you moved to Atlanta? I think the same thing at times, but my goal was to spend ONE winter in the Hole and then start my career. 

 I skied just about 80 days in the winter of 2011-2012. Unfortunately, on day number 80 (ish) I was hiking the elevator shaft on a pretty big powder day where I lost my footing in the bootpack. To make a long story short I tore my meniscus. I would easily classify that as one of the worst days of my life, but at the same time it could have been a blessing in disguise (that’s some nice optimism right?). I was initially told by the clinic at the base of the mountain that I had torn my ACL. For someone as active as myself, who’s passionate about outdoor exploration, activity, and exercise it seemed like the end of the world at the time. An ACL tear is easily 10 months of rehab. Fortunately it was a miscues tear and not a torn ACL. A meniscus tear didn’t sound so bad at the time, but the road to recovery has been a long one and still continues to this day.

After my initial diagnosis I started physical therapy in Jackson Hole. It was difficult to accept the fact that my ski season was over. I spent the duration of my time in Jackson working hard at rehab trying to strengthen my knee to ski again that season. With the mountain open jut a few more days, I convinced myself I had worked hard enough to be able to ski again. I took one run and knew something was still not right. I skied one more day after that and closed the books on the 2011-2012 ski season and ended my winter in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

After leaving Jackson I moved back to Birmingham, Alabama in pursuit of a job. I eventually revisited an orthopedic surgeon because my knee still didn’t feel right; there I found out I would need outpatient orthoscopic surgery. I had my surgery on June 19^th, 2012; today is March 3, 2013. I initially thought after a few weeks of rehab I would be back doing what I really love: slalom skiing, snow skiing, biking, running etc. Not so fast. The road to recovery has been a long one. After surgery, months of rehab followed trying to build my knee and leg back to the strength it once was. These were long summer days of unemployment, grinding with the image of a slalom course and untracked line of powder in the back of my head. Thankfully the hard work paid off. I was able to make two trips out west this winter, one to Snowbird, Utah and one to Jackson, Wyoming. While I skied 80 days in 2011-2012 I skied 8 days in 2012-2013. It’s an interesting, quite staggering number to contrast and compare. While 8 days is far from 80, I am thankful to be healthy enough to have knees that allow me to snow ski. One day I hope to have the opportunity to ski 80 plus days again.

Braze. 

The Improper Use of a Snow Ski

I spent a few hours last night writing a pretty thorough post of the past year and half of my life. I depicted from a higher level, my time in Jackson Hole, a serious injury I suffered and the road to recovery until today. I will post this soon, but lets put that story aside for a minute. I was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming last week shredding the gnarr (skiing) and had the opportunity to buy a new pair of skis. I spent the whole week demoing skis, and finally closed on a great all mountain ski, the K2 Coomback’s (honoring Doug Coombs, one of the greatest). The skis were purchased the second to last day of the trip, so to this day these skis have been skied on ONE day. Here’s a picture of these bad boys in Jackson. Not only are they a great all mountain ski, but they have a pretty sick skin with a picture of the tram connecting across both skis.

 

 Now here’s a picture of these same skis sitting in my apartment in Atlanta, Georgia.

 After a long week of work I really can’t think of anything worse than a brand new pair of skis leaning against a wall of an apartment in Atlanta. Even worse, these skis will more than likely not be used again until 2014. At least I have a great all mountain ski to collect dust, look at frequently after long days of work, and help me realize that eight days in a year of skiing is simply is not enough. I leave you with a view of one of the greatest playgrounds in the world: Jackson Hole. Braze.

 

Rise and Shine: Jackson Style

It was a beautiful Easter morning today in Jackson, Wyoming. What a better way to reflect, praise, and worship at 10,450 feet.

Easter morning in the Tetons.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort hides in the early morning darkness.


The Grand in fine form.


Despite a cold morning a big crowd showed up for the sunrise service at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.





HE HAS RISEN.

CONGRADULATIONS BUBBA A GREAT WIN FOR A GREAT MAN YOU ARE A MASTERS CHAMPION!