Weekend Prognosticator

Well, folks -- it's that time again.

That's right, as another Saturday rolls around, we gear up for another weekend of DIVISION ONE FOOTBALL. USC will be taking on the task of digging deep to find something after a huge win over Ole Miss, while Clemson tries to get fired up for what should be a walkover. In deference to the grandest of sports commentator traditions, I will now pick results against the spread.

Please do not, under any circumstances, take this as advice.

First, the games I'll be playing:

Florida State -4.5 @ Boston College -- This was a late addition for me, the fourth of four picks. I can't see Boston College scoring more than 10 points, which means Florida State need score only 17 for the cover. Don't forget how crap Boston College looked against Clemson, and FSU has a defense that is as quick, if not as big. The only roadbump here is FSU's performance last week, losing to USF at home. Hopefully they will rally back and come up with the win.

Last Word: FSU 28-BC 13
Relevant YouTube video: Mash Here


Michigan +2 at Michigan State(I know!) -- Not even close in my eyes. I almost broke my keyboard rushing to this one. Michigan was scoring at will against Indiana. Their defense was concerning, but Michigan State hasn't been lighting things up so far this year, losing three straight coming in. My motto is any time you can get the team with a better record and a dominant history in the series getting points, you should do that.

Last Word: Michigan 42-Michigan State 41
Relevant YouTube video: Mash Here


Texas A&M +1 vs. Arkansas (in Cowboys Stadium) -- This should be a home game for the Aggies who I know nothing about, except that their offense is performing just as well as Arkansas' has been so far this year. I like that combination, not to mention the Hogs' shambolic defense (who is slightly worse, statistically, than the Aggies').

Last Word: Texas A&M 44-Arkansas 38
Relevant YouTube video: Mash Here

Auburn +1.5 @ Tennessee -- This appears to be another toss-up. Tennessee hasn't shown the capability to score more than 14 points or so consistently. Their defense is amazing, but allowed Ohio to stay close last week. Auburn hasn't faced anyone yet, except West Virginia -- and hasn't played on the road yet. Their defense has looked good at times, as well -- and their offense is miles better than Tennessee.

Last Word: Tennessee 17-Auburn 16
Relevant YouTube video: Mash Here

Other Games:
Purdue -8 vs. Northwestern -- but will anyone care?
Duke +17 vs. Virginia Tech -- no they wont
Ole Miss -10 @ Vanderbilt -- Rebels bounce back
Cal +4.5 vs. USC -- Trying to create a snappy "will crush throats" joke. Oh well.

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Listen to the Sept. 13, 2009 Show

Listen to the September 13 show right here, right now!

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Listen to the Sept. 6, 2009 Show

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Season Opener 2009 -- USC at NC State

South Carolina leads 7-0 over NC State at the half. Offense has been at a real premium. USC has run the ball better than they did all last year, it seems, but QB Stephen Garcia has yet to impress tremendously.

And Now It's Gotten Ugly

Ooof. Things have gotten out of hand at Carolina Stadium.

Two home runs and a triple have contributed to a 12-2 Clemson lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.

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Ah Well

Westmoreland loses his perfect game on the first batter of the 6th (walk) and the no-hitter on the next (single to left).

Oh well, gave the sellout crowd a thrill while it lasted.

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USC vs. Clemson Update

Adam Westmoreland is perfect through 5 innings with 6 strikeouts. Against a Clemson team batting .291, no less.

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Download the 4/20 Show

A real monster of a show today. We opened talking about this past weekend's Verizon Heritage PGA tournament on Hilton Head Island, and played some interviews we had conducted there with Sen. Lindsey Graham and CBS/Golf Channel analyst Peter Oosterhuis. Then we were joined by Scott Hamilton of the Beaufort Gazette to wrap up our tournament talk. Whew!

We then moved on to USC baseball (big series win over Auburn this past weekend) before touching on the upcoming NFL draft (Joe Person of The State joined us to talk about Gamecocks' draft-day prospects) and a host of other topics.

Click here to download the 4/20/2009 show in MP3 format.

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USC vs. Auburn 4-17-09

Pregame warmups

Grant Dayton pitches to Andrew Crisp, 4th inning.
Crisp would strike out looking.

Sam Dyson opens the top of the 9th with Carolina leading 8-3.

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Ignorant Typo or Nuanced Knowledge of the English Language?

These signs are seen around the new Carolina Stadium, home of USC baseball. Note the use of insure where most would use ensure. Many dictionaries acknowledge that while insure primarily means "to arrange for compensation in the event of damage, loss, death et cetera," the two words are frequently used interchangeably to mean "make certain that something shall occur or be the case."

Insofar as this interpretation could be the result of rampant misuse forcing dictionaries to simply acknowledge reality, might not an institute of higher learning hold the line and insist on using the "right" word in this case?


Maybe USC is actually meaning to tell us we're responsible for having health insurance – insuring our own safety – before entering the ballpark.

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Download the 4/6 Show

Whew. What a big week in sports. We kicked it off by talking Major League Baseball Opening Day, NCAA National Championship and Masters.

Joe and Brad made their MLB picks (Kasko couldn't bring himself to believe the hype over his Cubbies) and predicted a potential UNC drubbing over Michigan State.

Click here to download the 4/6/2009 show in MP3 format.

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Downey to the NBA?

Gamecocks star basketballer Devan Downey has announced he'll submit his name for consideration in the 2009 NBA draft – but the junior point guard will not hire an agent, indicating that Downey might not have played his last game at South Carolina.

Downey will participate in predraft workouts and, in all likelihood, be told by scouts that he's not quite lottery-pick material at this time in his career. No surprise there – though he averaged 19.8 points per game this year, the 5'9" Downey is at a decided disadvantage when it comes to NBA readiness. Another season of conditioning, and lighting up the SEC, would only cause Downey's stock to rise. By not hiring an agent, the door for a return next year remains wide open.

Official USC announcement.

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Download the 3/23 Show

Today we had David Cloninger from Gamecockcentral.com in-studio for the first hour, and the result was a lot of very un-Foolish talk about NCAA basketball and Gamecock pigskin, hoops and baseball. Later, Joe and Brad talked World Baseball Classic, the latest Alex Rodriguez stuff, and whatever other silliness popped into our heads.

Click here to download the March 23 show in MP3 format.

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Funny

Someone is lampooning Rick Reilly on Twitter.

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Opening Weekend at Carolina Stadium

The Gamecocks opened their brand new, $35.6 million jewel of a baseball stadium Saturday with a 13-0 win over Duquesne. The standing room-only crown of 8,153 yesterday was the largest in Gamecock baseball history.

Right now, Carolina leads the Dukes 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth.

Enjoy some shots of the new digs:



More photos.

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In Case You Care

Barack Obama's Super Bowl rager. Guess who wasn't at this "bipartisan" blowout featuring pols from both teams' states?

Wonder if there was at least more beer on hand than the last eight such parties...

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Today's Show Now Available

Great show today. Chock full of guests as we talked Super Bowl, Steelers, Cards, USC football recruiting and Michael Phelps' misadventures in MJ land.

Click here to download the Feb. 2, 2009 show in MP3 format.

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1-29-2009 Show Available

Click here to download the show from Jan. 26. We talked with The State's Seth Emmerson about USC basketball, previewed the Super Bowl, and had a grand old time.

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David Wells Hits Torre Back

The Joe Torre myth continues to unravel. David Wells has recently taken to the airwaves to trash Torre's managerial style and accuse him of, among other things, favoritism and being "a punk." Click here for the gory details.

So the luster is starting to fade from Torre's heretofore gilded persona...

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Coach Canned After Beating Special Needs B-ball Team 100-0

Tip courtesy of Sports Fool emeritus Chris Rodgers.

Check it out.

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In Case You Missed It

Check out the miraculous Holmes-to-Fredrick buzzer beater against Florida last night. What an exciting moment to end a great game.



You can click here to listen to Mike Morgan's radio call (scroll to the bottom of the story).

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01/12 and 01/19 Shows Now Available

The airwaves in and around Columbia, S.C., got a little less boring on Jan. 12 when The Sports Fools made their triumphant return from a long, miserable winter hiatus.

Yet it was bittersweet: Sports Fool emeritus Chris Rodgers has moved on to Birmingham, Ala., to make his name in the radio business. We wish him all the best.

Note the time change. The Sports Fools have shifted one time slot and are now on from 2-4 p.m. Mondays.

The Jan. 12 show featured a special appearance by Joseph Person from The State newspaper. Person, who is The State's Gamecock football beat writer, commiserated with us about USC's woeful performance in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day. Click here to download the Jan. 12, 2009 show in MP3 format.

Jan. 19 was another big show, as we welcomed Philadelphia-area freelance journalist and former radio broadcaster Pat Wilberham to talk about the Eagles' loss to Kurt "Joe Kasko Loves Me" Warner's Arizona Cardinals the day before. Later in the program we were honored to be joined in studio by USC professor Dr. Mark Nagel, an expert on sports law, to discuss possible legislative efforts to force a playoff system onto college football. You don't want to miss this great conversation. We also talked NFL, MLB (Hall of Fame and steroids) and USC basketball. Click here to download the Jan. 19, 2009 show in MP3 format.

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Outback Bowl 2009

South Carolina looked terrible. Iowa looked every bit like a team that showed up to play. But still, we have to hand it to intrepid Sports Fool Chris Rodgers, who went to the fiasco down in Tampa and sent along these great photos of the game.

Fans milling about behind the pirate ship. Is this a football stadium or Disneyland?

The Mighty Sound of the Southeast, the Gamecock Marching Band! Well I'm sure they at least did a fine job.

Looks like someone setting up to throw a pick.

No idea what just happened that would excite these Carolina fans. Must be pregame introductions.

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