Thursday August 24, 2006

Comparing Apples To Citrus?; Its Almost Here; Baseball Note; Tough Road Ahead

Comparing Apples To Citrus?
I had another great dinner at Mac’s Drive In last night but maybe last night was better than usual. First, Mac and Pat have upgraded to a 42-inch wide screen, flat-screen, Plasma, LCD, V-8, 100 Gig, Hemi-powered Rocket ship of a television set. This is right above the high-speed internet hook up. Technology at Mac’s who would have thought it? Good thing the cheeseburgers have not changed.

Anyway, the best part of the night was watching the replay of the 1989 Citrus Bowl win over Oklahoma. The game, played on January 1, 1989, ended a great 10-2 campaign for the 1988 squad. Clemson’s 13-6 win over ninth-ranked Oklahoma sent the Tigers into an eighth place finish according to UPI, ninth according to AP and 10th according to USA Today.

I know it has been 18 years but boy the game has changed. That contest featured Barry Switzer as the Sooners’ head coach and Dick Vermeil as the color analyst. Both men went on the win Super Bowls later in their careers. Oklahoma did not have any passing yards until the last eight minutes of the game. The players were big but not as big as today. They were fast but not as fast as today. However, I thought the fundamentals then were as good if not better.

The two things that make me believe the 1988 team could beat the current Tiger squad. First, this defense was awesome. Richard McCullough, Raymond Chavous, Mark Drag, Vance Hammond, Otis Moore, Mervin Green, John Johnson, Levon Kirkland, Jesse Hatcher, Doug Brewster, Ed McDaniel, Donnell Woolford, James Lott, Gene Beasley and Dexter Davis could play. They were intense. Perhaps the biggest surprise from watching the game is how well they tackled. I saw very few missed tackles in that contest.

Second, I believe that team could compete today because of how tough they were and how hard they worked. Coach Ford had two-a-days that sometimes turned into three-a-days. The offense only ran about 10 different plays a game but they were well drilled.

Long-time NFL talent Chris Gardocki manned the special teams. Woolford was a terrific punt returner also.

That team was special. Like the others of that era, they had enough offense from Terry Allen and his cast of solid supporters like Rodney Williams and Tracey Johnson. The offensive line was solid.

It was typical Ford-ball--a great defense and special teams and an offense that would not lose it for you. If I could take one ingredient from that team it would be hard to choose. I know a Gardocki would make a difference today. It would be nice to have Woolford and Davis manning your corner in 2006. But perhaps the most impressive thing that I would take from that team and put it with this squad was their ability to tackle.

Its Almost Here
I had a great evening last night even before the trips to Mac’s. After work I took my 10-month old lab down to the lake and let her enjoy retrieving sticks from the warm waters of Hartwell. Only a few minutes into our fun, I heard it for the first time. Tiger Band was practicing and let out the first Tiger Rag I had heard this year. How good is life when you can watch your lab diving into Lake Hartwell and hear Tiger Band’s echo ringing in front of another great Clemson sunset? I knew it was the first day of class and I knew two-a-days were over but it took the first Tiger Rag of the year to make me realize just how close we are to the Tigers touching the Rock and pouring down the Hill into Death Valley.

Baseball Note
The third thing that made Wednesday so great was the e-mail I received from Brian Hennessey, assistant SID at Clemson. He informed us that Andy D’Alessio and Marquez Smith had attended their first classes of the Fall semester and thus were ineligible to sign professional contracts until after the 2007 baseball season.

Fall baseball will start in September but the infield returns intact with D’Alessio at first, Taylor Harbin at second, Stan Widmann at short and Smith at third. D.J. Mitchell returns in right field and Brad Chalk will once again roam center field. The left field battle should be between red shirt freshman Wilson Boyd and true freshman Addison Johnson. One of those two could also join the battle with Alex Burg and a few incoming freshmen for the DH role. True freshman Buddy Munroe might be the first catcher the staff will look at in the Fall.

The starting weekend rotation will include Sean Clark if things get worked out with his employment situation. Other starters should come from P.J. Zocchi, Ryan Hinson and David Kopp. Daniel Moskos will be the closer again and the solid bullpen should include Stephen Clyne, Chris Fidrych, Alex Martin, Matt Vaughn and a couple of true freshmen.

Tough Road Ahead
I received Florida Atlantic’s Press Guide today and it reminded me of how difficult their schedule can be this season. The Owls’ first five games are on the road with the first four coming at Clemson, at Kansas State, at Oklahoma State and at South Carolina. I think Howard Schnellenberger may have a drink or two after that opening.

Mickey's Blog also brought to you by:

864-834-6060

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency