Wednesday March 17, 2010

Thoughts on a St. Patrick's Day

Thoughts on a St. Patrick’s Day
I was sitting at the computer this morning with a few thoughts that I wanted to share concerning Clemson athletics.

*I understand Oliver Purnell has never won an NCAA tournament game but that is not a huge deal for me. I am more concerned for Clemson breaking a four game losing streak in the NCAA tournament instead of breaking Purnell’s personal deal. I love Coach Purnell but I could not care less about his NCAA appearances at other schools. My concerns are for this program and this team.

*Clemson got a pretty good draw in this year’s tournament in my opinion. Missouri is banged up and has not played well as of late. Clemson may have gotten a bad draw in recent years but I like this year’s matchup.

*I am glad I am not the President of the United States this week. Most people are probably glad I am not the President every week but I am especially thankful this week. Obama suffered this week from one of the worst cases of political correctness I have seen recently. Like many of us, he is a college basketball fan and picked a bracket. Unlike any of us though, the media gets a hold of it and publishes his bracket. But thankfully we did not fall victim to PC world we live in now and have to pick the women’s bracket like Obama had to. Just in case, I will go out on a limb, give me UConn to win it all.

*I wonder when the next time we will see two players make as big of an impact in our football and basketball programs the way C.J. Spiller and Trevor Booker have at Clemson? I don’t see anyone currently on campus that has that kind of potential. Maybe J.L. Mann High School’s Damien Leonard might be that kind of player in hoops. I am sure Dabo is recruiting with the hopes of signing the next Spiller-type of player too, but I have just enjoyed watching these two Tigers and witnessing their impact on our programs.

*If you are going to criticize then you must also praise. I have been critical about the lack of championships in recent years at Clemson but several of the programs seem like they have improved. Football won an Atlantic Division title. Men’s basketball will play in its third consecutive NCAA tournament Friday. The baseball team is ranked in the top ten. Clemson’s women’s indoor track team won the ACC and finished tied for seventh in the country. The women’s tennis team is ranked in the top ten in the country. The men’s tennis team is off to the second best start in school history. The women’s rowing team won the ACC last year is a title contender this year. The Tigers’ golf program and women’s volleyball program are on solid footing and are conference title contenders.

The men’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field squads are rebuilding under Lawrence Johnson’s direction and did not have Spiller or Jacoby Ford this year so they get a pass. I always give a pass to men’s and women’s swimming and diving because of the lack of a facility.

That leaves only three teams that have to pick it up soon. I would still classify the men’s and women’s soccer program and the women’s basketball program as embarrassing. Hopefully new coaches and renewed emphasis will help get these programs out of the ACC’s lower divisions.

*I wonder how many times a day Clemson golfer Ben Martin thinks about the Masters? The Greenwood, SC native will play in the Masters next month and has been down to Augusta many times in the past month or two. This weekend Martin tees it up for the Tigers at Furman’s tournament and I wonder how much he has to be distracted with the Masters coming up in 22 days?

*Maybe I am softening in my old age but I am not too concerned by the 11-10 loss to Charlotte in baseball last night. Mid-week games are tough on pitching staffs. Justin Surratt seems throw batting practice so far this year and bullpens get taxed in these mid week games. It seems like every week top ten teams are beaten by mid-majors in mid-week games, so when it happens to Clemson, I am not terribly disappointed. If the Tigers lose two of three to Virginia Tech this weekend then I will get concerned.

*Spring break makes this sleepy little town sleepier. The folks that live in Atlanta or Charlotte don’t want me to complain about traffic but that is always relative. So it is nice to see little traffic here this week. I will admit that by the end of the week I do miss spring football. The players and coaches need to recharge their batteries but I will be ready for spring football to return next week.

I want to hear more from the staff about Tajh Boyd’s progress. I need a little news on the offensive line depth. Give me some information about Bryce McNeal’s development. How is Kourtnei Brown’s battle for more playing time? How have the two newcomers (Kalon Davis and Josh Watson) progressed? I am in need of a little linebacker news.

It is not at the critical level yet but I am excited to get back out to practice next week.

*I was talking to a Clemson football coach yesterday and was reminded they have lives outside of football. Sometimes we tend to forget that they have other things in their lives. A couple of the guys are building houses and dealing with those headaches. Several of the coaches have children that are playing other sports and they are getting caught up a little with that. Cell phone plans, taxes, recitals, painting, yard work, in-laws, etc. They have the same things we deal with and some of the guys spend a couple of hours this week taking care of those types of things before practice gets back under way next week.

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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 e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*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, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs, Mike Kingsmore,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, Steve Cato, the Nicolopulos family, Cason Palmer, Candace Fallaw, Scott Jackson, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle familty, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee.