Big TECHs vs. Frenchie, who would you take??

As an avid Mets fan, I often contemplate during games which player on the opposing team I would least like to see with the bases loaded and the game on the line. Recently this situation came up, not exactly but close, during the Mets-Braves series over the weekend. At first thought names like Larry Jones (b/c that's his real name) and Jeff Francoeur come to mind but after watching Georgia Tech's own Mark Teixeira he is clearly enemy #1. The numbers back it up too, last season Teixeira had a .600 slugging percentage along with a .400 OBP. Larry is nipping right on Mark's heels, while in those stats Francoeur's numbers fall to the wayside. Most Braves fans wouldn't probably think these thoughts are crazy because Jeff is such a godly figure in the area, but it really makes sense when you analyze it at a further level. Frenchie came out of Parkview High as one of the most highly recruited athletes, not only in baseball, but also in football. Fans and Braves personnel couldn't wait to get him to the major league level and were just looking for a reason to. Because of this Jeff was more than willing to swing for a homer with every at bat, instead of playing an intelligent form of baseball that helps out the team in the long run. On the other side, Mark Teixeira, who played here at Tech, learned to play the game of baseball and played to win in his years on The Flats. Throughout the game, more examples of this selfish mentality of high school vs. college players. While most still agree that going right out of high school and facing professional baseball talent, along with learning to swing a wood bat early is a must to make it into the majors, think about who you think is a better asset to the team. Forever will there be a stigma on players who opt for the college experience instead of jumping straight into the minors, but should their really be when a case can be made that three years of school against possibly lower talent is more beneficial to someone as a team player? Next time you're at a game of your favorite team think about who you'd like to have up there with the game on the line, and why? Then check out their bio, and see if they spent that extra year for calculus class or opted straight for the business of baseball, you might be surprised.

~Jason Boral

RWR Show Highlights (Apr. 23)

Did you miss this week's Ramblin WREK Report, well you're in luck because here are some highlights from Wednesday's show. Listen as we discuss the possibility of a shake up in the starting rotation for the Georgia Tech Baseball team. If you want to hear the entire show check out the 7-Day archive at wrek.org.

RWR Highlights Apr. 23.mp3

What to do now...

As of today four days have past since the T-Day Spring Game, and I want to stay excited for the upcoming season, but seemingly the glow is slowly wearing off this season. With two and half months until we see this team again, I still don't feel like I got enough football to hold me over. I had hoped that the Spring Game would spark the interest of the fans, which it seemingly did, as the game brought in one of the highest attendance numbers ever, but how many people are in my boat and will slowly lose interest until things get started again in July, where the school will have to start over to peak people's interest. Unfortunately the people promoting the team are forced to fight with so many other entertainment options here in the city of Atlanta. Unfortunately the uniform unveiling was postponed, rightfully so, due to the pitcher of GT pitcher Michael Hutts, but it has created an opportunity to keep everybody's interest peaked. A proper placement of the uniform unveiling can get everybody reinvigorated and the fringe fan back interested in GT Football. Let me know how you plan to keep things interested over the long summer?? Until then enjoy your Jackets playing well in the NBA, and just think they could've been playing for us...

~Jason Boral

Fumbles, a problem... Not so much

After watching Coach Johnson's new offense stumble & and more importantly fumble their way through the T-Day Spring Game, a lot of questions have arisen about the fumbling problems the team has suffered throughout spring practice. In my brief football playing career I am familiar with the option offense. It is a great test on the mental aptitude of your quarterback, not only to find the defender he has to read but then to read him and make the right play. All of these decisions have to be made in a split second leaving lots of pressure on the quarterback and plenty of wrong decisions early in the process. Now in terms of the fumble problems, the buck doesn't stop with the quarterbacks, the backs also have their own share of the blame. In my opinion though this is much less of a concern than made out to be, especially in a game that the players get to show the fans what they can do. These kids are still twenty somethings, and some part of their brain is conditioned to follow in the footsteps of their hardcourt And-1 peers, so the urge to show a little more than the offense asks for is expected. Jonathan Dwyer dropped perfect pitches due to the fact he was looking for the nearest defesnder, instead of looking the ball into his mitts and getting six or seven yards. However, not everything is so easily defending when talking about the team's performance. Where were the offensive line?!?! They protected the quarterback slightly better than a sieve holds water. I understand there's a change in blocking scheme, but it's still finding the person and hitting him. Especially in an offense where the O-line should never be noticed, the linemen made plenty of mistakes that stood out to me. Tech's frontline was made for this offense, slightly undersized and quick, the protypical building blocks of an option offense. The first team O-line made the second team defenders look like Reggie White and Albert Haynsworth. If you don't think this is Tech's biggest concern, just follow Coach Johnson. Even through all the fumble problems and turnovers, CPJ saved his intense dialogue for only one set of position players, the big hogs up front.

~Jason Boral

"When you're right you're right, and you you're always right!"

While this quote was made famous by one of the greatest movies in the history of man-kind, Spaceballs, sometimes in a self absorbed way I feel it sort of describes me. During last week's show we talked about the T-Day game coming up on Apr. 19 (I'll be there will you??). My argument was that the name should've been changed to something more exciting and less boring. The points were two fold:

1. It's dull: You're fighting for the attention of young adults across Atlanta & the name doesn't spark any interest.
   
2. Georgia has G-Day: Now you never want to take anything from Georgia, and although I am not fond of the Mutts there name falls of the tongue much easier (especially when its hanging out of their mouth)

Now during the show we had a caller call in and said that T-Day has been around forever (Thanks to the caller, hope you keep listening), but when people stopped going to the games they stopped calling it that and changed the format to a glorified practice session, instead of an all out scrimmage. At the time I felt silly because I have only been around the program for a few years and maybe I was just ignorant. But then came that glorious moment earlier this afternoon when I found out how right I was and NOBODY knows it was called T-Day and now it looks like we're just stealing things. On one of the local sports talk shows the T-Day spring game got mentioned. During the confused silence you could have heard the National Championship trophy drop. "T-Day what's that" remarked the host. "I guess that's what Georgia Tech is calling their spring game this year" retorted the other. "I've never heard it called that before" the response was. Now I will not give out which show it was, but let's just say one of this duo played for the Mutts themselves and has been around Atlanta and its sports scene ever since. Now we all know that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, so the fact that a UGA Football Player who has been around the block a few times didn't know about T-Day, then there isn't much more I can say. It's time to move out of the 1950's and into the 21st Century. This is a new era at Georgia Tech where the sports are competing with a million other entertainment attractions in the metro area. The average age of fans that Tech isn't attracted is 25-35 year old young professionals. They aren't going to know that T-Day was started way before color television, they are going to see exactly what I see, Georgia Tech is trying to steal from their neighbors to the East. Now if you are a child of World War II and you don't think that's fair well I think not getting a discount everywhere I go isn't fair, we win some and we lose some. So why don't we change the name. Appeasing the older generation may get you some extra booster money, but in the end you'll push away the younger generation and lose your money in the future. Just something to think about.

~Jason Boral

Miami Baseball Preview

An interview with Alex Kushel, the play by play voice of the Miami Hurricanes baseball team. Heard live on the Ramblin WREK Report, 6-7 pm on Wednesday.

Alex Kushel.mp3

Clemson's Man Crush

A weird answer from Clemson coach Tommy Bowden, when asked about one of his two-sport stars who is tearing up the baseball diamond. I hope Coach Johnson isn't checking out the tight pants on Derek Dietrich and Charlie Blackmon. Although they could be used as good A-Backs.

Georgia's Home Court??

Around Atlanta it's tough to NOT find yourself surrounded by the unfastidious person known as the Dawg fan. However for the longest time there was a small part of town between North & 16th of Midtown Atlanta that served as a refuge. However after the Women's tennis teams, still National Champions btw, won on the UGA campus the unbathed dogs have owned the GT campus. First, a victory at Bobby Dodd Stadium in what will be remembered as the bookend to a greatly mediocre coaching career. Then somehow UGA managed to send a tornado & won a SEC title right on top of Buzz (I want our nets back btw). This makes the game at Russ Chandler Stadium even more important. (The game can be heard on WREK-Atlanta 91.1 FM/wrek.org) The team has played the likes of Mercer & Kennesaw State in Non-conf leaving both mid week starters fairly untested, but by playing an almost certain tournament team. Look for the freshmen to be the key to victory, especially Nichola & Dietrich. And just hope the Dawgs haven't invaded the Flats as well.

~Jason Boral

North Carolina Preview

An interview with the color voice of the North Carolina Tar Heel baseball team, Adam Lucas.

Adam Lucas.mp3

Carolina Fans

With an upcoming trip to UNC-Chapel Hill, I'm reminded of the kind of athletic department that Dan Radakovich should be striving to build. Having grown up in Charlotte, NC it would be a lie for me to say I don't have partial affluent feelings for UNC still, but they really are the ideal athletic program if not the country but at least the Southeast. Rarely do you hear the threat of NCAA sanctions, or arrest of their players. In the last year the baseball team, mrn & womens basketball & multiple sports have won ACC championships. Although I don't expect the same number of fans on Sat. (there's a little thing called the Final Four) even the baseball games have been well attended. So as Dan continues his tenure at GT I will continue to look to the school of my childhood to compare our advancements, something I think were approaching faster than some think.