Damn it, Houston. You had one job.

The proposed buyout provision must have been a monster.

“I’m not going to get into why who left where, who went with Sally.”

I tell you what — whoever Sally is, she sure gets around at Georgia Tech.

Dawgs and Gators, living together

Steve Spurrier, aging mellow like a fine wine?

The irony of Steve Spurrier, noted tormentor of the Georgia Bulldogs as an opposing coach, accepting an award in Georgia didn’t escape notice Thursday night.

Spurrier received an award for career-long contributions to the sport during the College Football Awards show, held at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta and televised nationally on ESPN.

Afterward, a reporter asked Spurrier if he had been tempted to mark the occasion and location by taking one more dig at the Dogs during his in-show remarks.

“I hope me and the Bulldogs are buddies a little bit,” Spurrier replied. “Can’t ever be too big a buddies, though. I’m back working at Florida.”

A buddy?  Oh, hells no.  Where’s the fun in that?

Advertisement

Friday morning buffet

A few scraps rounded up for the buffet line…

• The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled collegiate athletes cannot be considered university employees and, thus, are not eligible for minimum wage pay.  The reasoning was circular, but interestingly, the case didn’t involve athletes in a revenue producing sport and one of the appellate judges appeared to indicate his decision might have been different in that setting.
• Larry Scott isn’t happy with ESPN’s attempt to create a little drama with the fourth spot in the CFP.
• Back up quarterbacks ain’t played (f0r) Alabama, PAWWWLLL.
• Meanwhile, Nick’s gonna check out playing a little Second Chance U for another former Georgia player.
• Tony Barnhart manages to boil playoff expansion down to a simple question:  “What’s worse – leaving out one deserving team or putting an undeserving team (or two) in?”
• Schools crapping all over former coaches seems to be a real thing now.
• Two Georgia freshmen make the Freshman All-SEC team.  Nauta was an obvious candidate before the season started.  Blankenship wasn’t obvious a quarter of the way into the season.

And… a pony

Wistful Bob Bowlsby is the best Bob Bowlsby.

Bowlsby says he wants 2017 to involve no new lawsuits. #sbjiaf

— Andy (((Schwarz))) (@andyhre) December 8, 2016

Not gonna happen, Bob.

Evidence in a defamation lawsuit “clearly indicates” the NCAA disregarded the truth to reach a “predetermined conclusion” that former USC assistant coach Todd McNair knew of Reggie Bush’s NCAA violations, according to a ruling Monday by a California appeals court.

The decision from McNair’s defamation lawsuit against the NCAA casts further doubt about whether the Trojans should have been hit with extensive penalties in 2010…

I’m sure a finding like that will discourage anyone from going after the NCAA ever again.

In a related note, it looks like Art Briles has concluded his coaching career is over.

Former Baylor football coach Art Briles sued three school regents and a vice president for libel and slander Thursday, accusing them of falsely stating he knew of reported assaults and alleged gang rapes by players and didn’t report them.

The lawsuit also asserts that Baylor officials conspired to damage his reputation and keep him from getting another coaching job. The lawsuit additionally seeks damages for emotional distress and likely ending his career as a coach “on any level.”

“Some people think themselves above the law, but the laws of Texas establish accountability for everyone, even renegade, self-dealing regents of a Christian university,” Briles’ lawsuit states.

The odds on this one ever seeing the light of day in open court are minuscule, of course, but Briles didn’t file suit to get his day there.  He’s just looking for a little more retirement money.

Even though the four defendants are poised to defeat Briles’s lawsuit, Briles can inflict a good deal of harm on the university before the case is resolved. This is mainly through pretrial discovery. If Briles’s lawsuit advances past an early dismissal, the lawsuit would proceed to pretrial discovery. During discovery, both sides would be required to share sensitive information and also answer difficult and invasive questions while under oath.

Yeah, like that’s ever gonna happen.  Neither side wants its dirty laundry aired in public.  Too bad; I’ve stocked up on popcorn.

Musical palate cleanser, 2016 ain’t over yet edition

Greg Lake, RIP.

“I know people think we’re pretentious, but it’s really a product of sophistication,” Mr. Lake told New Musical Express in 1973. “To judge pretentiousness, I think you must look at the people behind it and their motives. As a band we’re into trying to advance our instruments — sometimes to a bizarre degree — which obviously puts some people off.”

I say this as someone who went through an ELP phase in high school — sorry, Greg, but you guys were pretentious.  Doesn’t mean I didn’t buy my share of King Crimson…

… and ELP albums, though.

The man did have some pipes.

Man, that whole progressive rock thing seems so long ago now.  Probably because it was.