Things are pretty dull when it comes to sports right now, isn’t it? I mean, watching Jabari Smith in the NBA Summer League fills a little bit of a hole that is lacking in the world right now. There isn’t that much to turn on the television besides the now-over Wimbledon, which was fantastic.
Looking at the schedule, we have The Open coming up this week for all you golf lovers, which I am. But after that, oh man, after that, comes the five-ring circus called SEC Media Days. There will be so many juicy headlines and controversies going into the event in Atlanta that not even Bones can keep up with the deliciousness.
While we will have a lot of previews of media days in the coming, well, days, right now, I figured it was an excellent time to get more random thoughts off my chest as we all still try to recover from the long holiday weekend. Are you ready? Giddy up, then!
- I’m sitting down with Butch Thompson on Monday afternoon to discuss some of the newcomers to the baseball program, what he would like to see from some veterans during the offseason and the future of the Tigers. Most important question: How did you get the name Butch?
- It’s only been 15 years or so since R. Kelly went from notable rapper to creepy pervert, and, with it playing on the radio the other day, it finally hit me why he wrote a song titled “Down Low.” He didn’t want anyone to know, which makes total sense.
- It’s the recruiting dead period, so football coaches are all on vacation enjoying themselves before the start of fall camp starts kicking into gear. What do you think each coach is doing with their time off? I’ll make some guesses.
Roc Bellantoni: watching his kids play baseball. (This one was a gimme as he has posted pictures.)
Jeff Schmedding: water skiing down the Colorado River while listening to the theme from Last of the Mohicans.
Ike Hilliard: taking part in pickup games to show he’s still got the moves.
Eric Kiesau: hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Brad Bedell: napping in a hammock, dreaming of the plethora of talent he has at the tight end position.
Will Friend: hunting. Just hunting.
Bryan Harsin: enjoying the latest John Grisham novel beachside while sipping a virgin pina colada.
- Facebook is a dangerous place, and not just for obvious reasons. Yours truly was scrolling through it recently when I saw the name of someone I went to high school with and clicked “Add Friend.” Or so I thought they went to high school with me. No, it was someone with the same name that resides in Auburn and, get this, I ran into that exact person the very next day. Quite embarrassing, but he took it well.
- You might be watching (or not since the Ricketts family has turned the Chicago Cubs into a complete joke), but Keegan Thompson is pitching extremely well for them this season. He leads the club with a 7-3 record while posting a 3.16 ERA in 19 games. Now imagine if he had talent around him.
- Speaking of baseball, if you want to feel old, this year’s No. 1 pick in the MLB draft is the son of Andruw Jones. Yes, that Andruw Jones. Apparently, his kid is incredible. But yeah, that makes me feel ancient.
- Southern Living just published a feature on the food scene in Auburn and how it has burst onto the scene. This is a far cry from when Niffer’s was one of the top places to dine, which is no disrespect to that establishment.
- If I played doubles tennis, there is no way I would trust my partner not to hit me in the back of the head with a serve if we were arguing.
- A friend attended the opening of the World Games in Birmingham and showed me videos of how they used drones to make figures and words in the sky. This would be amazing for a night game at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and now I am begging for it to happen.
- Many football players responded to a poll conducted by “Sports Illustrated” that predicted the Tigers will finish 4-8 and last in the SEC West. Sure, it was just a poll thrown together by a Mississippi State site connected to SI, but it’s nice to give the Tigers some early bulletin board material. I’m predicting it won’t be the last.
- Finally, is anyone interested in playing a game of softball every now and then in the Auburn area? I think it would be a fun way to get Bunker members together. We can drink afterward. Let me know. I’m game.