Friday Email Bag
Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions please email me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.
Mickey,
I read your blog today, "Regaining Momentum." Let me offer a different perspective. I think many of us, including me, got caught up in the great record the Tigers put up in the second half of the baseball season. They almost reached 40 wins, a symbolic achievement. However, the five straight losses brought us all back to earth.
I looked back at our record and it shows a significant pattern. In simple terms, we beat up on bad teams, but had a losing record against teams that were really good. I think the young players on this team show great potential and a promise of better things, but this year's team is likely going to go 1-2 in the Columbia regional.
Best,
Kirk
Kirk,
Hope you are wrong about the regional. This team went 2-2 against NC State. They beat Georgia Tech two out of three. They had 13 wins over top 50 RPI teams. This is a young team and mistakes were expected but I am extremely excited about the future, especially when you add this next recruiting class.
Mickey,
I read in the paper today that Saban supports more conference games in the schedule and it struck a chord with me. With league expansion comes potentially better football games for the fans, but who really takes the hit. To me it is the smaller schools who rely on playing the bigger schools to fill their athletic budgets. By adding more conference games teams like The Citadel will be the victims. It will be more and more challenging to get on the bigger schools schedules which ultimately could lead to these schools having to cut sports for lack of funds. It is a delicate balance and not sure what the right solution is, but the NCAA should have a voice. We all know what drives them and should not expect their influence. The smaller schools provide the same opportunity for an athlete to get an education and we should not waylay the pleasure of a better game and sacrifice the opportunity for all student athletes.
YABBA DABO DOO
Stuart
Stuart,
I think you are exactly right on this one. Television pays a lot of money to these schools and they will want more conference games. I think we will see a wider gap between the haves and the have nots. I also agree that this will hurt the smaller schools' budgets.
Mickey,
Today was a great day to be a Tiger! How are we able to get these type of prospects committed in a short window like this? Is it coordinated by our staff or the players themselves? Let's keep it up?
James
James,
The staff has worked countless hours building relationships with these prospects. They started recruiting these guys a couple of years ago. They have gone out and worked the high schools in the Carolinas and Georgia hard. This is a good recruiting staff that works hard. As far as coordinating this, that does happen in some cases but I am not sure if that was the case here.
Mick,
This recruits class is really shaping up. Do we have the potential to sign a top ten class? Also, who is still left on the big board? Thanks.
Dwayne
Dwayne,
One of the the few downsides to this class will be the numbers. Clemson will have a top class in terms quality but I am not sure if the have the quantity to have a top ten class. The staff is limited in the numbers and this could hold the ranking down. They currently have ten commitments and I think they are more than two-thirds of the way finished. It would be difficult to sign a top ten class with only 15 signees.
They are finished at quarterback and running back. I think they could grab one more wide receiver with Trey Quinn and maybe at the top of the board. They are finished offensive end and on the offensive line. The numbers are tight on the defensive line as well. At linebacker they will take one or two more with Kendall Joseph leaning to Clemson. Raekwon McMillon is atop the list at linebacker. The numbers in the secondary are also tight with Wesley Green near the top of the board.
The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency
Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
If you would like to add someone to the list please email me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list.
Those who need our prayers include:Finn Brookover, Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Daniel Rosborough, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs,Perrin Seigler, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, the Nicolopulos family, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle family, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, the Thomas. V Family, Emary Claire Young, Kitty Bowers,Julie Locke, the Scheider family, Lauren Kittles' family, Frank Gentry, Joyce Bussey, Stacey McKeown, Dale Childs, Larry Lentz, Jr, Carl Sharperson, Scott Hannon, William Perry, Tyler Swaney, Lillian, Mark Feit, David Frame, Chad Berry, the family of Matthew M. Watson, the Dowis family, Shervin Messer, Alan Putnam, the Olivers, Lee Tate, Ronnie Abrams, Eddie Greene, the Jackson family, Bill Vader, Jim Taylor, Tina DeWitt, Rock Horne, Christopher Tuten, Bobby Wayne Thomas, Emma and Danielle Carothers, Robert Ditty, Mr. and Mrs. Murray Smith, Dot Cartee, Ayden Mills, Millie Heatley, Lynn Martin and family, Michael Pinson, Jake David family, Angie Crowley, Ira, Mike Tolson, Poly Wells, Dr. Muriel Bishop, Jack Cunningham, Emily Jefford Meister, Zachary Stoller, Aaron Clackum, Pat James, Cortney Moore, William Moore, Angelia and Savannah Anderson, William Ross, Meredith Legg, Scott Johns, Frank Carroll, Brandon Thompson, Alvin Sammons, Georgine McAlhaney, Glen Davis, Mike Price, Clay Childers, Aaron Knight, Danielle Johnston and family, Nicholas Abrams, Lana Kuykendall, Gary, Gary G, William Huggins, Jim Bennett, Chantz Fowler, Ethel McElveen, Michele Gurganus, William Gentry, Lewis Usher and Tanya Sanders, Shon Cooper, Nick Collins, Travis Patterson, Amanda Peake, Danny Hammond, Chip Turner, Nick Collins, Allen Steen, The Sturkey Family, Lance family, Marcus Lattimore, Nick Chrisley's family, Allison Williams, Lt. Kyle Walker, Summer and Joel Johnson, Nicole O'Donnell, James O. Johnson, Joy Pruett and family, Patrick Heher, Bill Schmidt, Jack Bailey, Bill Early, Gardner Family, Charles Turner, Kathy Bartholomew, Ray Sanders, David and Robin Blocker, J.R. Ray, Kenneth Kowe, Lauren Sielicki, Doug bailey and family, Johnnie Walker, Jenna Phipps, Mark Lawrence, Harlan Sullins, Peter Laboy, Kat and Carlisle Jones, Elizabeth Galloway and family, Anita McDonald, Willard Harryman, Liz Surratt, Molly Senn, Jackie Shearer, Richard Sellers, Tim Drisdelle, our great country and the men and women in uniform that protect and serve it every day plus their families.