Last Week of Preseason--Sunday Thoughts

This is the last Sunday before football season starts. That means a couple things. (A) FOOTBALL and (B) FIGUREFOUR will get loose each and every Sunday henceforth. The amount of profanity is solely dictated by Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football team. That means that if you have any complaints about my articles, direct them to Coach Dabo and not me. He/the team can fix the problem so I don't have to complain about it.

I was out and about last night doing some market research on this football team (nice way of saying out on the town) and I think that average Clemson fan underestimates the issues we have up front, both on the offensive and defensive side of the football. Clemson fan was also flabbergasted when wanting to bet on the SCar game. Of course with no points at this time of the year I'll take the Gamecocks. They whipped our ass up front the past two seasons and I have no reason to believe the same won't happen again this year. When money is involved, you cannot make bets with your heart...And while I am talking bets, there is a Carolina fan out there who owes me some cheddar. I won on the '07 Clemson/Carolina game and bet that Alabama would win a NATIONAL Championship before his Gamecocks won the East. That's two bills, Cockfan.

Anyway, to get back on the path started, I think that we as a fanbase don't look at things as objectively as we should. Along those same lines, I have tried to avoid publicly prognosticating this season for a couple reasons. The first includes the unknowns we have up front. We could win 6 games or we could win 11. It all depends on how our offensive and defensive lines perform. There is no doubt that we are loaded at many offensive skill positions but without blocking up front, we cannot win. The second is that I view this year as a springboard season and 2013 is the year that I have my eyes on. Long and short, I am not as focused on results this year as I will be next. I think next season is the one in which all should fall together. I don't think Clemson fans have had a season circled on their calenders like '13 since Danny Ford's crew whipped West Virginia's ass in December of 1989 and we should have won it all in '90.

So, anyway, I have family issues, particularly with the first born (yet to be born), I have decided that we'll have twins. Danny Ford FIGUREFOUR and Dale Earnhardt FIGUREFOUR will be their names (if they are girls, Daniella Ford and Daletta Earnhardt are the proposed names). I am pretty sure my kid will be born with a kickass mustache as well and his first sentence will be "Run the fucking ISO, again." The sticking point is where the kid will go to school. Unbelievably, FIGUREFOUR married a Carolina graduate and FIGUREFOUR's in-laws are Georgia Graduates (yes, I am a sucker for pain). As you know, I never have hated SCar but I hate UGa. This sets up well for the '13 season. Wife brought up a wager that the winner of the '13 season (Georgia, Clemson, and SCar all play each other) should be where we insist our (unborn) first child will go to school. Correct me if I am wrong, but I see this as an opportunity to push all the chips onto the table. Dr. B (I think from the tweet response) prognosticates little Dale ending up in Athens. I point to '13 as the year it should all come together. I'll make the final decision (hence no blog poll on this item) but this seems to be a fun topic to talk about this week and we'll continue the conversation in the offseason...If the kid ends up in Athens I'll never forgive Swinney and will refer to him as the "Jimmy Carter of Clemson football coaches" (that title is currently held by one Kenny Hatfield).

Onto this season. We'll get "into the weeds" surrounding the season this week. As you know, I'll spew opinions that won't be seen in this article.

Clemson's defensive line got an early boost as Auburn Center Reese Dismukes was arrested Friday for being an idiot. I suspect he'll sit for some period of time but, with Auburn, you never know. Those sons of bitches have no issue with morality or with cheating. Pat Dye, Bobby Lowder, Uncle Milty and crew make the folks at SMU look like saints. The fact that the NCAA did not shut that program down (because they were making too much money) shows you how fucked up the system really is. That Scam Newton's father propositioned him and, according to conference rules. make Newton ineligible yet the NCAA turned a blind eye to make more money is bullshit.

We'll get into our season groove starting tomorrow. The routine should be consistent with previous years but if there is something that you think we could add, let us know and we'll see if we can't mix it in. I can't promise anything because the articles we already put out take a tremendous amount of time/effort but we will try and want input on how to get better.

I was a little distraught today...the NASCAR race was last night. The fall race at Bristol was moved up (to which I am very happy because the old date conflicted with football season) and the race was full of action, something that the Spring race lacked. Things are getting dicey for the bast drivers in the world as playoff racing quickly approaches. Should be a great fall for racing.

What's up with Sergio Garcia these days. Dude is ripping it up without a "regular tour caddie." What you should watch with Garcia is his swing. He takes an upright backswing but gets back on the shaft plane going through the ball. That is not the swing of most professionals but is a common for the amateurs. Think about your swing plane when you record the backswing. Ideally the plane goes from the club face through the neckline but most of us try to generate more clubhead spead (particularly with the driver) by flattening out the swing plane. I've found increased accuracy (with decreased distance, though) by assuring my long irons follow a higher swing plane through the neckline and consistent with the natural impact club position. I am by no means a golf expert...just an experimenter.

Last but not least, we all need to set back and reflect on the life of one Neil Armstrong. Armstrong is a hero for all Americans and people across the globe. To have the sack he had to go where no other man has ever gone says it all. the man was extremely intelligent and heeded the call when his country needed him. Props to Neil Armstrong, thank you for everything you've done for humanity.