Thursday, June 29, 2006

Blog Poll Roundtable: Like Friday Five, but cooler!!

I saw this thingee on Every Day Should Be Saturday, and I guess I can participate. Here goes:

1. Education. List the region of the country you were born in, what universities you attended and at least one other you would have attended if your alma mater didn't exist.
I was born in S.C. but raised in N.C., and I graduated from Appalachian State University (yes, the same school with the crappy promotional video -- also the same school that reigns as I-AA football champs, so bite me). Obviously, I would have attended Clemson, but the out-of-state tuition was a killer for my family at that time. That, and the fact that I was a lazy, no-school-applying-to bastard my senior year of high school.

2. Sports Affiliations. List your top 10 favorite teams in all of sports in descending order. For instance, your alma mater's football team may be number 1, but perhaps there is a professional team that squeezes in before you get to your alma mater's lacrosse team.

Clemson, Carolina Panthers, Appalachian State, Pittsburgh Steelers, Alabama, Charlotte Bobcats (I know), Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, U.S. national soccer team, my high school.

3. Movies. List the movie you've watched the most, your favorite sports-related movie, the movie you secretly love but don't like to admit it (possibly a chick flick or b film), and the movie you were (or still are) most looking forward to from this summer's season.

Most? Probably Caddyshack. Favorite sports film? I gotta go with Rudy. Secret love? Clueless. Looking forward to? Talladega Nights.

4. Music. List your favorite band from middle school, high school, college and today. Also, as with the movies, include the song you secretly love but don't like to admit. If Nickleback is involved in any of these responses, please give a detailed explanation as to why, god, why.

Middle School: The Beatles or Lynyrd Skynyrd. High school? The Who. College? Still The Who. Today? I really like Fountains of Wayne. Song I secretly love? Rihanna's SOS.

5. Books. Favorite book you've finished, worst book you've finished and the book you really should read but haven't gotten around to it.

Favorite? Bonfire of the Vanities.  Worst? Probably The Confessions of Nat Turner. One I should read? Confederacy of Dunces. Heard it's great, I've actually read a couple of chapters and enjoyed it, but it's one of many that I set down and, for whatever reason, failed to pick back up. Maybe I'll do that on vacation.

6. Travel. Favorite city you've every been to and the one place you still must visit before you shuffle off this mortal coil.

Close call between New York and Las Vegas. I'll give the edge to Vegas, because I've been there many more times than NYC. Still must visit? Tokyo. It just seems so crazy.

7. What do you love most about college football in 20 words or less?

Pageantry, tradition, youthful imperfection, fan involvement, tailgating, drinking.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

SI caught up with 'The Fridge' in 2000 ...

And they're re-running the story about former Clemson great William "Refrigerator" Perry here.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Hershel Walker wanted to be a Tiger?

Strangely enough, that's also the headline of this fascinating piece from Scout.com. I'd always heard that Clemson had come close to signing the future UGA Heisman winner, but I never knew it came down to a coin flip.

Of course, there's also a longstanding rumor (I believe first aired in a Sports Illustrated article from the early 1980s) about a midnight meeting in a cemetery with a booster from an unnamed school in which a grocery bag stuffed with cash was offered to Walker in exchange for his signature on a letter of intent.

* Best ACC stadiums: Clemson ranks No. 2. Frankly, I think we're No. 1, and I would rank UNC's Kenan Stadium higher, too. Yeah, it's the wine-and-cheese crowd, but it is a beautiful setting for football.

* Yes, us and the Gamecocks really are trailer trash: EDSBS takes taunting to a whole new level by applying actual Census-type statistics. Clemson and USC don't fare too well.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

AD Phillips receives national recognition

Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips has been named AD of the year for the Southeastern region by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Congratulations, Terry Don. What do you get, another orange blazer?

* TeamXbox, Tiger fans: The software developers behind NCAA Football 2007 for Xbox give Clemson much love in this press release touting their video game. It seems we are their "signature squad." Be sure to check out the video clips that show the virtual Tigers taking it to the virtual Gamecocks.

* Korn to rock Tigertown early: Clemson commitment Willy Korn, considered one of the top prep quarterbacks in the nation, has announced that he will graduate from high school in December and enroll at Clemson in January. That's awesome.

* More commitments: Speaking of prep stars, Clemson has grabbed a couple more in-state commitments: wide receiver Marquan Jones and linebacker Scotty Cooper.

* Preseason awards roundup: Running back James Davis is up for the Maxwell Award, Gaines Adams and Anthony Waters are up for the Bronco Nagursky Award, and Roman Fry is up for the Outland Trophy. Congratulations, guys.

* And finally: I was sorry to see that the Tiger baseball team was upended in the College World Series. Congratulations for your successful season.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Don't worry, I'm still here ...

I've just been taking some time off to enjoy the other football, the World Cup. And please, don't try to drag me into any "why soccer sucks" arguments. If you don't like it, that's fine. Me? I love it. I spent a couple of summers at Coach Ibrahim M. Ibrahim's soccer camp in the early 1980s, and I was tickled to death when Clemson won national championships in the sport in 1984 and 1987. And heck, there's even a Tiger on the national team: Oguchi Onyewu.

Anyway, I wanted to post something that longtime Tigerpundit reader Pink Lemonade Diva (she's a Clemson grad) sent me the other day. It's The Simpsons Cavalcade of College Football.

Enjoy.

In other news, I again want to wish Clemson's baseball team the best of luck in Omaha this coming week. Again, you won't read a whole lot about it on this site, except in the news feed on the left side of this page, but if something special happens, I'm sure I'll post something.

OK, back to the futbol.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

ACC: Football super-conference?

There have been a few articles recently discussing the ACC's newfound status as one of the premiere football conferences in the country. Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel seems to think the league is just OK. As for myself, I don't think you can judge the league by last year's performances. Let's give it a few years and see how things are then, because the potential for greatness is certainly there. Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech are clearly the league's elite, but programs such as Clemson, N.C. State, Georgia Tech and Boston College have tremendous potential to break through.

* Crosby waived: Former Clemson received Roscoe Crosby, who has been dogged by difficult times since he left Clemson, has been released by the Indianapolis Colts. Good luck, Roscoe. Hope you land on your feet somewhere.

* A team to watch: College Football Resource rates Clemson a team to watch. I'd go along with that assessment, too.