“Some people…”

In this week’s Mailbag, Stewart Mandel takes a page out of the George Bush debate playbook.

You know how the Prez likes to take that whole straw man approach to justify some grossly unpopular stand or policy he wants to push – “Some people…” W will say, “some people think it’s OK if the Jihadis take over the entire world… but I say that’s wrong and that’s why I’ve got to be allowed to spy on anybody I want to without a court looking over my shoulder…” [Ed. note – It seems it’s necessary to point out that this “quote” is presented as a rhetorical device and doesn’t represent an actual statement by GWB.  Please see the links in the comments for actual straw man arguments made by the President.  Sheesh.]  Never mind that these “some people” only exist in the mind of his speechwriters, he’s gonna roll with it regardless.

Well in much the same way, here’s what ol’ Stew’s got to say about Georgia’s opening game:

Having heard non-stop for the past eight months how undeniably superior their conference is to all others, it’s time for the Southern powers to back it up. In addition to Cal-Tennessee, the conference hosts two other high-profile matchups in Week 1: Kansas State-Auburn and Oklahoma State-Georgia. After all that bragging, I’m going to be highly disappointed if I don’t see at least three-touchdown margins in both.

Er, um, pardon me, but exactly who has been bragging? Mark Richt? Damon? Matt Stafford? (We know it’s not the offensive linemen – Searels has them under a gag order.) Not that it matters; this is just a convenient excuse for Mandel to write about the Dawgs any way he feels is justified should they win by a margin he finds insufficient.

This is what passes for expertise from college football pundits these days, I suppose…

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Jerrell Powe’s desperate race against time

The Jerrell Powe saga continues with the NCAA ruling that Powe can remain in school at Ole Miss,  and receive financial aid for that – but is not eligible to play football this season.

Needless to say, those with a vested interest in seeing Mr. Powe on the field for the Rebs this year are wondering what’s the point in letting him attend but not play:

… in a statement released by Ole Miss, athletic director Pete Boone said the university is appealing because Powe has a better chance of acclimating to college if he is allowed to play.

“We think it’s important for Jerrell to be a part of the team,” Boone said in the release. “In our experience, the support that Jerrell would receive from teammates and coaches would help him succeed in the classroom.”

Now there’s a novel concept.  One wonders if it’s just the case with Powe, or if Pete Boone – another AD channeling Albert Schweitzer – believes it’s a more universal rule of thumb.  I have to think it’s more a case of the latter, because the school doesn’t have any real experience with Powe (what’s he been there, a week?) to base that conclusion on.

But if that’s the case, why would the University of Mississippi ever suspend or expel a kid from the team?  In Boone’s experience, all that would do would be to hurt the kid’s chances to get an education.  Extending the logic further, wouldn’t it be a good idea for the school to insist that all of its at risk students play sports to get that same valuable support?

Rhetorically speaking, of course.

Sunday Morning Quarterback has the last word on this:

Such pure humanitarianism is only possible motivating factor for the university, which has obviously admitted a student whose qualifications – the ones entirely invalidated by the NCAA – are woefully inadequate; according to the Association, Powe’s coursework verges on non-existent, but he apparently will remain at Ole Miss until he finds a way onto the field, come hell or high water, or, I dunno, bad knees. This is the kind of academic environment Steve Spurrier can appreciate.

Man, I hope those knees hold up.  Powe may never get the education he’s after otherwise.

Don’t let the smooth taste fool you.

With the first game comes the first tailgate.

With the first tailgate comes the first cold beer of the season.

Which brings me to a brief plug that ESPN’s Pat Forde made in his column for a microbrewed beer called Old Chub. His description of it as “a revelatory Scottish Ale brewed in Lyons, Colo., and, heretically, distributed in cans. But don’t let the aluminum fool you: It’s a fabulously rich ale that would make great tailgate consumption…” is spot on, although I don’t think you have to wait until October to enjoy it.

One other notable point about Old Chub: it’s a high gravity beer, with an alcohol content of 8%.

If you prefer hoppier tasting brews, that’s OK. The same brewery has the answer for that in Dale’s Pale Ale.

I’ll usually bring a six-pack of each to Athens. (No, I don’t drink by myself.) Between the taste and the convenience of cans – don’t be a snob about that – they’re the best tailgaiting beverages I’ve consumed. Highly recommended.

Old Chub, the beer… as opposed to old chub, the beer drinker

Cajun Steeleoid

The big early matchup for the conference is on September 8, when Virginia Tech travels to LSU. The Hokies will be running into a big streak:

Coming into 2007, LSU has won 18 straight non-conference home games.