Baseball + B-squared = Moneyball

October 14, 1992 – My family and I sit huddled around the TV, watching the National League Championship Series. It was pushing midnight(on a school night – gasp!) when my hometown Atlanta Braves came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth, trailing the hated Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0.

The entire season came down to this half-inning of play. The Braves had been to the World Series the year before, and a return trip had seemed all but certain when they took a 3-games-to-1 lead on Pittsburgh. But the Pirates had stormed back and now stood on the brink of their first World Series berth in a long time.

Pirates ace Doug Drabek took the mound to try and close out the Braves, facing down the middle of the order. Third baseman Terry Pendleton hit a double, followed by outfielder David Justice grounding to second baseman Jose Lind. Lind misplayed the grounder, leaving the Braves with runners on the corners and no outs. First baseman Sid Bream strode to the plate and was promptly walked by Drabek.

After the walk, Drabek was pulled from the game and set-up man Stan Belinda was called into action. Braves outfielder Ron Gant hit a deep sacrifice fly, caught by pre-muscle Barry Bonds. Terry Pendleton scored from third, cutting the Pirates lead in half. Braves catcher Damon Berryhill drew a walk that reloaded the bases, leaving Justice on third, Bream on second, and Berryhill at first.

Brian Hunter then pinch hit for Rafael Belliard, a man not exactly known for his offensive prowess. Hunter popped out. A second pinch hitter stepped to the plat with two outs and the bases loaded. His name? Francisco Cabrera, a man that had played in only 12 big league games that year.

Belinda threw two straight balls to Cabrera. After fouling off the third pitch, Cabrera made some baseball history on the fourth. He cracked a line drive into left field that fell in front of Barry Bonds. Justice had scored, tying the game. Sid Bream, the slowest man on the team, was lumbering home from second base. Bonds throw raced towards home, trying to beat the plodding first baseman.

Bream slid into home, narrowly avoiding the tag, and giving the Braves one of the most monumental moments in their history. The home television broadcast relayed one of the most famous calls in all of Georgia sports history. “Here’s the throw to the plate. He is……..safe! Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win!”

It was a simpler time. Baseball was…well, not pure, by any means, but it was easier. You got up to hit. The pitcher threw the ball. You either hit it or you didn’t. Moneyball hadn’t been dreamed up yet. That concept was still ten years from seeing the light of day.

Now, in 2014, the truth is this: Analytics are smothering the life out of baseball. What was once a fun game to read about and watch on TV is now an endless parade of statistics and numbers. We used to joke about the stats becoming more and more specific, to the point that eventually a hitter would step to the plate and the announcer would say “Here’s Joe Smith, he’s batting .317 on the year, but thankfully it’s a Tuesday afternoon with a temperature between 77 and 81 Fahrenheit, the wind is blowing out of the southwest, there are only three birds in the sky over the stadium at the moment, and the pitcher is blonde right-hander with green eyes, standing less than six-foot-two, and there is a runner on second who is from the Dominican Republic. Smith is hitting a whopping .554 in that situation. Thank goodness that runner on second isn't from Puerto Rico. Smith is 0-for-his-last-24 in that situation.”

The one that pushed me over the edge on this is an article from ESPN (who else, right?) talking about the Marlins walk-off win over the Nationals on 28 July.

One line in particular pushed me over the proverbial edge: “But maybe a night like this goes some way toward explaining why the Nationals aren’t performing as well as their expected record, which is four wins better than their current 57, and five wins ahead of the Braves’ expected record.” The Nationals are currently 57-46. The Braves are 58-48. But that’s not what the author is talking about. She wrote about the teams’ “expected record.” What is that? As Lewis Black once said, in reference to weather reports, “I don’t need to know what the temperature would be if conditions were perfect.” Same goes here. Expected record is, and I quote Wikipedia, a “formula invented…to estimate how many games a baseball team should have won based on the number of runs they scored and allowed.”

In other words..meaningless. There is no point to this statistic, other than to simply make up another statistic. We’re going to eventually reach a point where the games are no longer played; they’re just projected on a spreadsheet and a trophy is handed out to the team that should win.

The fact is the Nationals are 57-46. They are not 61-42, which is their expected record. So why bother talking about their expected record.

This scene, from Clint Eastwood's Trouble with the Curve, illustrates the moneyball philosophy, albeit from a generalized perspective. Even though Eastwood's character is portrayed as a wizened baseball scout who understands the game, and has brought in several of the best players in Atlanta Braves history, he is mocked by younger scouts, given voice by Matthew Lilliard, for his luddite demeanor and unwillingness to look at statistics.

Moneyball as a philosophy is responsible for lowering payrolls around the league, which is arguably a good thing. But it also proposes that statistics, those little numbers on a piece of paper, are more valuable than actually watching a person play. The philosophy no longer exists solely in baseball, though it is most closely tied to the national pastime more than any other organized sport.

At some point, this:

Became more important than this:

And it's slowly killing baseball.

Formula 1: A Mid-season Review

The Summer Break

Half of the Formula 1 season has been run. Now that the Hungarian Grand Prix has wrapped up, the teams are headed home. The factories will close up shop for a mandatory two week break period. Drivers will go on vacation. Team principals will look over the books before stepping out of the office for a while.

When the teams return to action, we’re going to have one heck of a season to close out. And the first race back is at my favorite track: Spa-Francorchamps.

Mercedes Dominance

The Mercedes AMG Petronas factory team is, far and away, the most dominant team in F1 this season. Nico Rosberg currently leads the Driver’s Championship standings by 11 points over teammate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg has been, undoubtedly, the most consistent driver all year. Only twice in 11 races has he failed to reach the podium, and one of those two times he finished 4th, right behind Hamilton.

Lewis, meanwhile, has finished on the podium in every race since the disaster that was Montreal. He has one win, one second place, and two third places. I argue, however, that those third place finishes are more impressive. In Germany, Hamilton’s brakes exploded, slamming him into the wall during qualifying. He started from the back of the grid and, within 16 laps, was in second place. He finished third. In Hungary, at the outset of Q1, Hamilton’s entire car basically exploded. Back to back qualifying disasters would set anyone on edge. Hamilton started from the pit lane, since his Silver Arrow had to be rebuilt. He began slicing his way through the field and soon found himself running second and involved in a tight battle with Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo. Lewis finished third. In neither race should he have had a chance, but this shows the dominance of the Mercedes chassis.

The race to open the second “half” of the season, the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, is a race Hamilton always runs well. The wide open nature of the track (and the next race at Monza) will greatly benefit the Mercedes team.

A Star Is Born

Red Bull Renault is, for all intents and purposes, “captained” by Sebastian Vettel. He is the four time defend World Driver’s Champion. His team is the four time defending Constructor’s Champion. (And yes, all of those titles will be leaving the Milton Keynes outfit this year, heading most likely to Brackley.) So whenever someone talks about Red Bull Renault, thoughts typically go to Vettel.

But not this year. No, this year Vettel has been outshined at every turn by his teammate, Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo. The younger RBR driver currently has a 43 point advantage over the veteran Vettel. Ricciardo is the only non-Mercedes driver to stand on the top step of the podium this season.

At the Hockenheimring, Ricciardo and double World Champion Fernando Alonso locked horns for an epic multi-lap battle around the neutered circuit (thanks, Tilke). A week later, in the weather-troubled Hungarian Grand Prix, Ricciardo once again found himself in battle with Alonso, only this time he had another World Champion to contend with, as Lewis Hamilton’s epic drive placed him in the scrap for the top spot.

If this had been a year in which one team wasn’t so overly dominant, we’d be speaking of Ricciardo as a Driver’s Championship contender. He’s currently about three race-wins off the lead (Rosberg leads him by 73), but the Mercedes duo is going to be difficult to leapfrog in the standings.

Predictions Revisited

Earlier this year I made a series of predictions about the upcoming season. Now that half the season is gone, let’s look back and see just how right or wrong I’ve been:

Driver’s Championship:

On February 27, I wrote: “…there was one [driver] I kept coming back to. He’s been on the rise the last two seasons, is a proven race winner, and is partnered with a previous Driver’s Champion, so he has a brain to pick when trying to figure things out. His car looks to be one of the best on the grid this year, which can’t hurt. For Driver’s Champion of 2014, I’m picking Nico Rosberg.”

Today, I think: “Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. Lewis is a more aggressive driver than Rosberg, so he’s more prone to mistakes. So long as the reliability issues of Montreal and Silverstone stay away, Rosberg should be champion. He’ll have to fight for it, as Lewis definitely will not go gently into the night, but he should win. Rosberg leads Hamilton 202-191. Ricciardo is in third, with 131.”

Top 5 Driver’s Championship:

On February 27, I wrote: “Obviously I’ve got Rosberg at the top, and I think Hamilton will be highly placed, as well. When it’s all said and done, I think the driver’s top five will look like this: Rosberg, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Vettel, Hulkenberg.”

Today, I think: “Wow, that was a bit off. The current standings are:
1. Rosberg – 202
2. Hamilton – 191
3. Ricciardo – 131
4. Alonso – 115
5. Bottas – 95
Vettel is currently sixth (88) and Hulkenberg is seventh (69). Raikkonen is way down in 12th, with only 27 points.”

Constructor’s Championship:

On February 27, I wrote: “I think Mercedes will double up this year. I’ve pegged Rosberg for the Driver’s Title, and I think Lewis Hamilton will return to form and pick up two or three wins. Silver Arrows wrap up the Constructor’s Title.”

Today, I think: “Again, pretty much spot on. Lewis actually has more wins already than Rosberg (5 to 4), but Rosberg is more consistent. Mercedes currently leads Red Bull 393-219. Ferrari is a distant third with 142.”

Top 5 Constructor’s Championship:

On February 27, I wrote: “As I said earlier, I think the Mercedes factory teams pulls the double this year. But I also think Force India will have a strong year and McLaren will bounce back from the god-awful 2013 campaign. I see the Constructor’s Standings playing out like this: Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Force India, Red Bull Renault.”

Today, I think: “My pick here is closer than the Driver’s pick. The current standings are:
1. Mercedes - 393
2. Red Bull Renault - 219
3. Ferrari - 142
4. Williams - 135
5. Force India - 98
McLaren is sixth (97) and Toro Rosso is eighth, with 17 points. Sauber and Caterham have zero points between them. Even Marussia has scored, this year, with Bianchi picking up 2 points at Monaco.”

A Most Welcome Surprise

The Williams Martini Racing team has been quite good this year. Sure, Felipe Massa has been caught up in some ugly accidents (Melbourne, Montreal, Hockenheim), but his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, has placed on the podium fairly regularly. I won’t be surprised at all to see Bottas win a race this year. It’s good to see Williams back near the top.

F1 Goes To Azerbaijan

When you read the word “Europe,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

The Alps? Sure, they’re beautiful. The rolling hills of Germany and Austria? Yeah, those, too. The winter wonderland that is Scandinavia? Uh-huh. The lake districts of England? The Scottish highlands? Tuscany? The Vatican? Yes, to all.

Azerbaijan?

Wait, what? Huh? Azerbaijan?

That’s right, Azerbaijan. According to F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone, Azerbaijan is so distinctly European that, starting in 2016, a street circuit in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku will host the Grand Prix of Europe. According to Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sport, Azad Rahimov, “Azerbaijan is a modern European country that has established a reputation as a center of sporting excellence. The deal to bring Formula 1 racing to Baku is a very significant new chapter in our ongoing success to attract the world's largest sporting events to our country.”

Baku is located 1000 miles East of the easternmost “European” F1 circuit, Istanbul Park. As for circuits currently on the calendar, the closest European circuit to Baku is the Hungaroring, which is only 1500 miles away, straight-line distance.

A Tickling of the Ears

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears" -2 Timothy 4:3

The Prosperity Gospel, as held up by so many mega-churches, is an awful thing. Hate me for saying it if you want to, but the Prosperity Gospel is not good for Christians. It's especially not good for people young in the faith. The mega-church has latched firmly on to the Prosperity Gospel, which is a falsehood of gospel teaching. It teaches that material gain is a desire that God has for his people. If that were true, why would God, in the form of Jesus, the Son of God, say "Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 19:23)

The fact is, the Prosperity Gospel does not offer the wealth that God would have us seek, which is spiritual. Instead, it offers the very outcome that fallen man seeks, which is material gain. The biblical account of the wealthy man that owned a vineyard details how that man did well, gaining more and more material wealth, to the point that he said he would pull down the barns and storehouses he had and build greater ones and he would tell himself that he had done well. And according to the secular point of view, things couldn't have been better. God has obviously blessed the man by giving him so much wealth, right? Well, that story ends with the line "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." (Luke 12:16-20)

Our culture, our world, as settled upon material gain as the signs of blessing from God, so this Gospel has been created to justify that exercise.  But the Bible tells us that, where our treasure is, there will our heart be. If our treasure is laid up on Earth, in material wealth and in the size of our bank accounts, then our heart is here as well, and we've wandered from God. The god (note the lowercase "g") of this world has blinded the eyes of people. Material wealth has been touted as the measure of God's blessing; as something worthy to be desired. One of the commandments relates that man should not covet his neighbor's wife, his neighbor's possessions...but a New Testament writer said we should "covet earnestly" the best gifts of God, meaning spiritual blessing. These worldly things...you're not taking them with you. Ever seen a body laying in a coffin in a funeral home, and someone puts a box of golf balls in the casket, since the guy loved golf? Those golf balls aren't going to Heaven or Hell. Our material possessions will be left here, and, as Peter wrote in his second epistle, those possessions will burn and melt with a fervent heat.

So people are led to believe that material riches, these things shunned by the prophets, denied by the apostles, and preached against by the Lord himself, are nothing but the greatest blessings God desires to pour out on us. Guess what? Satan himself is capable of looking desirable. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says Satan is transformed into an angel of light. He can make himself, and the things of the world, look so tempting and desirable. And he'll twist the scripture within the mind of man to justify whatever means man wants.


The Gospel of Prosperity is, simply put, an invention of the world to twist the doctrine of God to justify their worldly desires. It is the embodiment of Philippians 3:18-19, saying: "(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)" These followers of the Prosperity Gospel have found their God in their belly, lusting after worldly things, heaping unto themselves teachers who will spout off the doctrines that tickle their ears instead of telling them the truths of the Gospel.

So why do I say that it is bad for those young in the faith? Because it absolutely leads people away from God. It is a theology that allows people to seek the carnal desires of the flesh, to hold up their hand as a member of a prestigious church, and to never once have to deal with God. They can avoid the hardships of being a Christian. The Bible pretty explicitly tells us that a Christian life will not be easy. We're going to be beset by fiery trials, by tribulations. They're taught these things by people who are not really Christian in anything other than name.

Sadly, many of them have been led astray by pastors who embrace Prosperity teachings while shunning the necessity of true gospel teaching and preaching, which involves reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with all long-suffering to bring people into the righteous will of God. They sit unknowingly in spiritually dry places, where the "gospel" is artificially sweetened with nothing more than spiritual milk. They never move beyond the simplest issues of doctrine. They never move to the place of taking in spiritual meat, or heavier things, and seeking the deeper mysteries of God. Why should they? Their church teaches them that so long as they give their weekly tithe and offer their first fruits offering then God will bless them however many fold.

I can't even begin to describe how
horrifying this image is...

They are tricked into tithing by instigators of the Prosperity Gospel who purposefully twist the scripture of Malachi 3. This chapter reveals how God told the Israelites to bring FOOD unto the storehouses of the house of God. This was a time when the Levites still maintained the House of God. When the tribes of Israel entered the promised land, only one tribe was not granted land: Levi. The Levites were set aside, ordained to watch the House of God. So the remaining tribes paid a tithe to the Levities in order to keep them up. Whenever those overseers broke the rules of God, such as the sons of Eli (Hophni and Phinehas) taking more than they should have taken, bad things happened to Israel (see the beginning of I Samuel). Why do these so-called preachers think that taking more from the people will not result in bad things now? After all, God is the same today, yesterday, and forever more. He even said in the scripture, in the same chapter that these tithe-teachers willfully twist, that "I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."

Well, today there are no Levites overseeing the churches. Frankly, I don't see a necessity in tithing. God has given me all I have, and he can take it back at any moment. Or he could give me more. Or he could teach me that I really don't need all that I have. I could latch on to the Prosperity Gospel, but the truth is, that would drag me away from God and plant me fully in the service of Mammon, and set me on a course of desiring nothing more than worldly gain.

The outflow of the Prosperity Gospel is a change in church function that is rippling across all denominations. Since we've decided within ourselves that worldly gain is more important, then we no longer need the Holy Spirit in our worship services. If the spirit is not required, then man dictates how the service within the church should be carried out.

The early church, those meetings that took place in the first century, were small. Basically, they were a couple of families and some friends meeting in the home-place of one of the elder members and having worship. Now, though, in this era of mega-churches and what has lovingly been called "McWorship," the sincerity is gone out of the church for the sake of timed meetings. We have an 9:00am service and an 11:00am service. Boy, I sure hope God doesn't start moving in the 9am service, otherwise we won't have time to clean up and get everything in order for the 11am service.

Man has begun placing restrictions on God like during no other time in our history. But wait, God is God, he cannot be restricted by man...he'd bigger than us. Yes, God is much bigger than us. His thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are so much higher than our ways. That said, the Bible explicitly tells us not to "quench the Spirit." What does that mean? It means we can stop the movement of God within the church. God uses the members of a church to exercise his will in the church, and if a member moves against the will of God, then the movement of the Spirit can be stopped dead in its tracks.

To create a false limitation on the possible dealings of the Spirit of God by placing arbitrary stop-times on your services is an absolute disservice to not only God, but to the people who come into your church, and may need to hear the unadulterated word of God.

And at every step this false practice of so-called Christianity is doing nothing but harming the young believer by leading them away from God and it is a false front to the lost, those still seeking the Lord. It teaches the lost that God's blessing is carnal, and not spiritual. Because one thing you rarely, if ever, hear from teachers of the Prosperity Gospel is the necessity of the blood of Christ to cover the sin of fallen man. The preaching of Christ crucified, resurrected, and ascended to the right hand of the throne of God is shifted to the wayside in order to teach that God will show his mercy by expanding your wallet. The Prosperity Gospel is leading people down the wide way that leads unto destruction, and these "teachers" and "preachers" will boast about how much they preach love, to the point of not performing the necessities of the Gospel, reproving, rebuking, and frankly calling out sin for what it is and teaching people that the only way to find forgiveness and salvation is through Christ Jesus.

There is a way that seems right unto man, but the end of that way is death. The Spirit is what gives life. There is no promise in the Bible of great earthly wealth coming from following Christ. In fact, a follower of the Lord should constantly be looking unto Heaven, where your treasure should be laid up. If you have set up your treasure in Heaven, then you are already rich beyond imagination. Earthly wealth can be gone before tomorrow. Consider the wealthy man building up his barns. Then consider the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. When death visited both men, the rich man lifted his eyes in Hell. Lazarus, though, was borne of the angels into Abraham's bosom, Paradise.

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6) and "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). Christ told a young rich man that he had to sell his possession and give unto the poor. The rich man went away sorrowful, because he did not want to part with his wealth. The Prosperity Gospel is nothing more than a means of promoting a lavish lifestyle that God's word tells us to avoid, while masquerading as the very word of God that it so willfully distorts.

Examining the Schedules of Georgia’s Two Biggest College Football Programs

With the college football season rapidly approaching (Division I-A kicks off 35 days from today) I’ve begun the groundwork for this season’s series of my weekly game prediction articles, loving titled Football Future-see. Someone else was already using Pigskin Prognostication, so I went with a similarly alliterative title.

As an added bonus, this year I’m going to take an in-depth look at the two primary collegiate football programs here in the state of Georgia: The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, in Atlanta, and the University of Georgia Bulldogs, in Athens.

Let’s look at the major differences between the two.

Georgia plays in the SEC, which has, for the last decade, been touted as the best conference in all of college football. The SEC consistently produces the most NFL talent. Prior to last season, in which Florida State barely bested Auburn for the final BCS National Championship, the SEC won every college football national title from 2005 to 2013.

Georgia Tech plays in the ACC, which has struggled on the national stage lately. Florida State reversed that stance, winning the 2014 BCS National Championship. The ACC, though, is usually ranked behind at least the SEC and PAC-12, and often behind both the Big Ten and Big XII, when it comes to overall conference rankings.

To push these comparisons closer to home, let’s look at their respective records. Last season, the Bulldogs faced injury like almost no other team in the nation. The Tennessee game was particularly painful, as several key players went down to knee injuries. At the time, I placed the blame squarely on the targeting rule, which is still a confusing rule. The NCAA was attempting to make football safer by forcing tacklers to aim lower, but what actually happened was defenders began going for the knees. Football players have basically no padding or protection around their knees. All the padding is around their head and shoulders, exactly where the NCAA does not want people getting hit.

So Georgia was banged up almost all season. The schedule began brutally, with a road trip to #8 Clemson, a home game with #6 South Carolina, and home game with Conference USA stalwart North Texas, and a home tilt with #6 LSU. Most prognosticators said if Georgia went 2-2 in that stretch they’d be doing well. They went 3-1, losing at Clemson and then handily defeating South Carolina. The LSU game was probably the most exciting SEC game of the year, until Auburn decided to invoke miracle after miracle on their run to Pasadena. Georgia would finish the season 8-5 after watching the SEC’s most prolific QB, Aaron Murray, go down with a torn ACL, and a bowl game rematch with Nebraska that featured some of the worst play-calling in my experience as a UGA fan.

Georgia Tech, on the other hand, opened the season by winning three games, losing three games, then winning three games. While Georgia was busy in an absolute battle with Clemson, Georgia Tech was tying up a 70-0 victory over tiny Elon College. They would also beat Duke and North Carolina before dropping three straight to Virginia Tech, Miami, and BYU. Clemson would embarrass the Jackets on a Thursday night in Death Valley.

Georgia Tech had to wrap up the regular season, by facing off against Georgia, who was lacking Aaron Murray and a host of other players. Tech went up 20-0 before the Georgia offense got on the same page and even scored. Georgia RB Todd Gurley would go on to score 4 total TDs as the Dawgs disposed of the Jackets 41-34 in double overtime. It was an exhilarating win if you were a Georgia fan and a heartbreaking loss if you support Tech. This was truly “the one that got away.”

Since the 2004 season, Georgia Tech has an overall record of 78-53, with only one season in which they recorded double-digit wins. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are 94-37 over that same time span, with 6 seasons of double-digit wins. As you can see, the Dawgs are a full 16 games better than Tech over the last ten years.

So how will they do this year?

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Honestly, it’s not looking so hot for Georgia Tech this year. In fact, I dare say that Head Coach Paul Johnson’s seat has to be getting warm in Atlanta. The Jackets need a big season, but I just don’t see it happening this year.

The schedule leaves them with only one back-to-back home stretch and a single back-to-back away stretch. Otherwise, they alternate home and away games. Two of their three toughest conference games are at home: Miami and Clemson. Of course, they end the season with a likely punishing trip to Athens.

I’m currently projecting Georgia Tech to start the season 3-0, and probably to look good doing it, but consider the competition: Wofford, Tulane, and Georgia Southern, who is making the jump to Division I-A football. I look for Tech to go 4-2 at home and 2-4 on the road, leading to a final record of 6-6. That might not be good enough to justify Paul Johnson hanging around the sideline too much longer.

Date	Home/Away	Opponent	Projected Outcome	Projected Record
Aug 30	H	Wofford Terriers	W	1-0
Sept 6	A	Tulane Green Wave	W	2-0
Sept 13	H	Georgia Southern Eagles	W	3-0
Sept 20	A	Virginia Tech Hokies	L	3-1
Oct 4	H	Miami Hurricanes	L	3-2
Oct 11	H	Duke Blue Devils	W	4-2
Oct 18	A	North Carolina Tar Heels	L	4-3
Oct 25	A	Pittsburgh Panthers	L	4-4
Nov 1	H	Virginia Cavaliers	W	5-4
Nov 8	A	NC State Wolfpack	W	6-4
Nov 15	H	Clemson Tigers	L	6-5
Nov 29	A	Georgia Bulldogs	L	6-6
		Final Projected Record =		6-6

Georgia Bulldogs

Now, at first glance, you’re going to say that this is the homer call to end all homer calls. Yes, I’m looking for big things from Georgia this year. The schedule shapes up well, with only one truly challenging road game in Columbia, SC, against Spurrier and the Gamecocks. Georgia plays out the finale of the home-and-home with Clemson in week one. The entire state of Tennessee will visit Athens from September 27 to October 4. The road game in Columbia, MO might be tricky, but Missouri will basically be breaking in a new QB, and they’re without their most dangerous offensive weapon, as Dorial Green-Beckham was dismissed from the team.

The yearly dance with Florida takes place November 1, but Florida is still down. If the Gators can’t top 7 wins this year, which is a possibility, then Will Muschamp may be looking for a job. Looking at the schedule, the lone rough spot I see is that November 15 date with Auburn. The Tigers got lucky last year, with the Prayer in Jordan-Hare winning them the game. (Of course, they would call forth another miracle in the Iron Bowl two weeks later before going to the Georgia Dome to run roughshod over Missouri.) Auburn is a good team, and the road team often plays well in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

I look for Georgia to knock off Tech when the Ramblin’ Wreck rambles into Athens. Georgia, under my calculations, finishes the season with 11 wins to 1 loss, advancing to the SEC Championship Game and a potential berth in the College Football Playoff.

Date	Home/Away	Opponent	Projected Outcome	Projected Record
Aug 30	H	Clemson Tigers	W	1-0
Sept 13	A	South Carolina Gamecocks	W	2-0
Sept 20	H	Troy Trojans	W	3-0
Sept 27	H	Tennessee Volunteers	W	4-0
Oct 4	H	Vanderbilt Commodores	W	5-0
Oct 11	A	Missouri Tigers	W	6-0
Oct 18	A	Arkansas Razorbacks	W	7-0
Nov 1	N*	Florida Gators	W	8-0
Nov 8	A	Kentucky Wildcats	W	9-0
Nov 15	H	Auburn Tigers	L	9-1
Nov 22	H	Charleston Southern Buccaneers	W	10-1
Nov 29	H	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	W	11-1
		Final Projected Record =		11-1

*Neutral site

Of course, these predictions are worth about as much as the paper they’re written on (and unless you’ve printed out this article, then these predictions aren’t even written on paper.

The Mystery Box: It Could Be a Boat!

All right, people, strap yourselves in, this is going to be an outrageously random mixed bag of blogging. I've got a lot of thoughts on my mind at the moment and very few of them are sports related. I'm going to dive off the deep end of my Libertarian philosophy for a bit and show you just how screwed up a mind can be when it's tired.

Airplanes, Russia, and Separatist Rebels

As you should all know by now, Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine recently, killing nearly 300 people. Conspiracy theory abounds as to what actually happened to this plane. The best I can gather, it appears as if Russian-backed separatist rebels had possession of a missile launcher and used it to bring down the plane. It's possible they thought they were bringing down a Ukrainian military plane. Reportedly, intelligence agencies intercepted telephone communications from a Russian separatist claiming that they shot down a plane, though they later backtracked on that statement.

However, Russian troops were relatively close to the area, and it looks like they, along with some of the separatist rebels were able to gain control of the crash site before the Ukraine could. Per international law, the Ukraine has priority rights to the site, and should lead the investigation. If Russia took control first, knowing that rebels backed by their government were the ones who brought the plane down, then the site is fully compromised, and likely the black boxes have been confiscated and destroyed.

Meanwhile, the Russian government is basically thumbing its nose at the rest of the world. As a friend of mine wrote on Facebook the other day: Vladimir Putin is the best James Bond villain since Dr. No.

Elizabeth Warren: Progressive Beacon

Please note, for my liberal readers, what you are about to read contains satire, cynicism, sarcasm, and blatant attempts at humor. It is also a serious opinion about Elizabeth Warren's socio-political positions.

It looks as though Elizabeth Warren is positioning herself for a presidential run in 2016. This is the same woman whose claim to a mixed racial heritage including Native American came down to stories her grandmother told and her own high cheekbones. But I digress...

Warren recently published her "11 Commandments of Progressivism." Eleven. Just like a dyed-in-the-wool progressive to have to try and upstage the Lord. More on that in a moment. I thought it would be nice to copy Ms. Warren's 'commandments' here, and offer a conservative-libertarian rebuttal. These are basically my thoughts from initially reading the list.

1. We believe that Wall Street needs stronger rules and tougher enforcement, and we're willing to fight for it.

It is a well known ideology of those who believe statism to be effective that, in order to either disprove or deconstruct capitalism, it is necessary to tie the hands of an industry through regulation to the point that the marketplace of the industry cannot effectively solve its own problems, and then claim that freedom of the marketplace has failed, and thus stronger regulations and stronger means of enforcement are needed. Wrapping more and more regulations on the economy will not help. If anything, you stifle the opportunities for future growth. Is a type of regulation required? Yes, I don't doubt that. But when Reagan inherited a poor economy from Carter, he deregulated and the economy began growing. Find a happy balance between Reagan and this liberal desire to hyper-regulate, and we can probably start improving the economy. The federal government is not the only entity strong enough to stimulate the economy. The American people are stronger, so long as that same government leaves them alone.

2. We believe in science, and that means that we have a responsibility to protect this Earth.

Of course we have a responsibility to protect the Earth. Even those who "don't believe in science" [read: those crazy, backwards theists, especially the Christians] know that, from our own holy scriptures, God set up man to be a steward of the Earth. And, just as man feel from grace, we also failed at taking care of our planet. But we have a chance to work toward making things better, unless you buy the hysteria that says the ice caps are mere minutes from total collapse, the earth will be flooded to the top of Mt. Everest and we'll all have to live on boats and drink our own urine from a Mr. Coffee.

The answers to environmental issues tend to trip up the conservative side of the aisle because, more often than not, they involve some means of tearing down developed economies at the expense of their people. There is no overnight solution to oil usage. Ethanol is, at best, a stop-gap measure. The future of energy production is obviously in renewable source. But right now the methods of renewable production are still a bit cost-prohibitive to the average person. And it scares us when our own president is on record saying his policies would necessarily make energy rates skyrocket, and his own Energy Secretary (at the time) stated that the US had to get gasoline prices to European levels.

We'll work with you to make energy production better and to conserve the planet. But we don't have to destroy countries to do it.

3. We believe that the Internet shouldn't be rigged to benefit big corporations, and that means real net neutrality.

I struggle with internet issues, mainly because I'm not sure that the internet is a right. By that logic, television is a right. Having a set of encyclopedias is a right. Is it? I wasn't handed those books when I was born. According to the United Nations (and we all know how effective and important the UN is), having access to the internet is a basic human right.

That said, if the internet is a human right, then I completely agree that it should not be controlled by massive corporations. Nor should it be controlled by governments (the world is looking at you North Korea, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Libya!). It might just be me, but I trust the government less than I trust corporations.

4. We believe that no one should work full-time and still live in poverty, and that means raising the minimum wage.

My biggest issue with this philosophy is the threat of escalation. Where does it stop? The whole point of a minimum wage job was for low-skilled workers and teenagers just entering the workforce. No one is meant to try to raise a family on a minimum wage job. Now, if you absolutely want to get the government involved in this one, then try instituting some entitlement programs that will actually get people off the government dole and into a level of personal responsibility. Create some government sponsored classes to train workers for new skills.

This is also where churches, synagogues, and mosques should be stepping up and helping those in need instead of the government doing it. Try all you want to justify it, but using the police power of government to take wealth from one person in order to supply it to another is not charity.

5. We believe that fast-food workers deserve a livable wage, and that means that when they take to the picket line, we are proud to fight alongside them.

See the response above. Regardless what some of these companies think, you really shouldn't be making a career with McDonald's. I know what it's like. I was looking for a part time job a few years back and went to a local restaurant. I won't say the name, but let's just say there were lots of crackers in a barrel. I asked for an application and actually met the manager right then and had an impromptu interview. I told her that I was needing a part time job for some extra cash to make ends meet. She told me that they were only hiring career-oriented individuals.

I am career-oriented, just not with a restaurant. And that's the deal. People no longer seem to have the drive or the desire to better themselves, but rather seem to fall into this trap of waiting for someone in a position of authority to come by and save their day. Jacking up the minimum wage won't help them. Better training and getting a generation of young people to give two craps about their education might actually make a difference.

6. We believe that students are entitled to get an education without being crushed by debt.

Okay, that's fair. But that begs a question: is an education beyond high school a right, or a privilege? If it were a right, then everyone would go, but college deny students all the time. I've yet to be denied my right to free speech, because it is a right. I was privileged to go to college. I can understand the argument against collegiate debt, but at the same time, how do you solve this issue?

7. We believe that after a lifetime of work, people are entitled to retire with dignity, and that means protecting Social Security, Medicare, and pensions.

I have a right to retirement!? Really? So I don't really have to work for it. Yay, government will help me.

Sorry, this is dumb. You have a right to retire so long as you properly plan for it. If you think retiring from McDonald's is going to last you through your golden years then go own a gobble down the Big Macs so you head out early and get to enjoy that money for the six months that it lasts.

(See, kids, angry sarcasm!)

8. We believe—I can't believe I have to say this in 2014—we believe in equal pay for equal work.

Sure. Define "equal." Is "equal" working the same number of hours? Is "equal" accomplishing the same tasks? Look, I'm all for equality in the workplace, sure. But if we want equality then let's look at what this blog is best at: sports. If men and women should have equality in the workplace then why do female tennis players only have to play three sets while male tennis players have to play five? Why are the tees for female golfers so much closer to the hole than the tees for male golfers?

I'm not saying this to be a jerk. Just pointing out a stark inconsistency in the drive for equality. If two people of opposite sexes can perform the same task, then yes, they should be equally paid...assuming you remove all caveats for seniority, levels of prior training, and field experience. And assuming the tasks can be accomplished within a reasonably-same amount of time.

I would love to discuss this one...

9. We believe that equal means equal, and that's true in marriage, it's true in the workplace, it's true in all of America.

I'll just cut to the core here, this is a statement about gay marriage. And here's the thing: from a theological perspective, I don't agree with gay marriage. But theology is not politics. If we were a Christian nation, meaning if the Christian religion ran the government, then that would give the right to Muslim governments, Hindu governments, and Jewish governments could be formed in this nation. And truthfully, I know a lot of Christians that I would not want to see running the government.

From a political point of view, I don't understand what the government has to do with marriage. I don't understand why your marital status should have any bearing on your tax status. I can see it for benefits when it comes to insurance, which used to be an issue between you and your employer. If the government is overseeing insurance, then the government has, by default, made this a political issue.

10. We believe that immigration has made this country strong and vibrant, and that means reform.

...and that means amnesty...and it just so happens that those being amnestied tend to vote Democrat. Convenient. I don't understand this mentality that wants to amnesty people who broke our laws by sneaking into the country, and continue to break our laws by being here and not being productive members of the government's war chest, I mean, tax base. It would be like me moving onto my neighbor's property, and instead of being charged with trespassing or breaking & entering, I was given a free pass, and basically allowed to stay on his land.

Yes, immigration built this country. And yes, immigration can be a boon for this nation. But if there is anything that needs close monitoring and regulation, it's immigration. Instead, the current administration is basically turning a blind eye to the issue and forcing border patrol to cease enforcing the laws of the country because they're too busy issuing humanitarian aid. All the while, a criminal element is encroaching. The immigration issue is couched as this overflow of children into the nation. Children should be helped, no doubt. But children make up only about 15-20% of the influx of immigrants at the moment.

This is where government should be stepping up, instead of trying to cater to criminals. Sorry, but that's just how I feel about it. What good are our laws if they are not enforced?

11. And we believe that corporations are not people, that women have a right to their bodies. We will overturn Hobby Lobby and we will fight for it. We will fight for it!

Ahh, abortion. Yes, that's what this is about. "Women have a right to their bodies" is progressive codespeak for "abortion" and typically for "abortion on demand." I'll be honest with you; I don't like abortion. I think it's wrong. It definitely should not be used as a means of birth control simply because someone is inconvenienced by a pregnancy. I read a liberal blogger opine that he was glad his girlfriend got an abortion because a child would've been a huge inconvenience in his life. That made me sick.

But I also understand that outlawing abortion will do nothing but push the practice underground and lead to unsafe conditions in non-sterile environments. I suppose, then, that something would have to be done to stem the tide of abortions.

Invoking the name Hobby Lobby is just a means of enraging a base. The fact is, of 20 forms of contraceptive offered under the ObamaCare legislation, Hobby Lobby provides 16 of them. Only four forms of contraceptive are not covered by Hobby Lobby. To hear liberal pundits talk, you would think Hobby Lobby has placed an executive in every female employee's bedroom to monitor their...ummm..."activities." You would think a Hobby Lobby executive follows each female employee to the doctor to make sure they don't get these contraceptives.

No, female employee's of Hobby Lobby can still get these contraceptives, they just can't count on their boss to pay for it.

The American Lannisters

Look at this poster! Look at it! It's the Clintons photoshopped as the Lannisters from Game of Thrones.
Ha!