Years before I was born, my mom adopted a dog named Emily. She (my mom) was young, naïve and had no intentions of owning a pet, until one day her neighbor stopped by with the cruelest of ultimatums: he was moving, and couldn’t take a pet with him. If my mom didn’t take the dog, the neighbor would have no choice but to put it down. Given that my mom has a heart the size of Madagascar, the decision was a no-brainer. Within hours, she was a first-time pet owner.
Admittedly, I don’t remember all that much about Emily. By the time I was born her best days were behind her, and by the time I was a cognizant, functioning tiny human, she was down to her final months and days. When we did finally put her down, I remember being upset (any kid that age would be), but for my mom it was a cataclysmic event. When you’re that young, you just don’t realize the hold a good dog can have you.
Fast-forward a few years, and my sister and I got the urge to have a dog again. We begged and pleaded and pulled out the little kid heavy artillery of “We’ll feed him, and we’ll walk him and you’ll never even know he’s there.” That’s what little kids do, but my mom wasn’t convinced. Either that or she simply wasn’t ready for another dog.
We went to the pound a few times and came back empty-handed, before one day, we eventually met Oscar.
If I had to describe Oscar that day, the best I could come up with was that “He was half German Shepherd, half Australian Cattle Dog, and 100 percent personality.” All these years later I still can’t totally put my finger on it, but from the moment we walked in, something was distinctly different about him. He didn’t look different, he didn’t sound different, he didn’t move different, but he was different. All the other dogs in the pound were saying “Pick me!! Pick me!!” He was saying “You’re going to pick me, let’s go outside and I’ll show you what you’re getting.” To quote Les Miles Oscar definitely had “swag” and an hour later our family had a dog. I’ve heard many times that in life our pets choose us, we don’t choose them, and there may not be a better example of that anywhere than Oscar. He decided we were the family for him the second we walked in the door. We never stood a chance.
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If you’ve read my work over time, chances are pretty good you know I’m not a huge fan of college football’s conference commissioners. Like, at all. Like, I’m pretty sure they’re the bane of our existence of humans and the lowest rung our society’s totem pole. The way I feel about college football commissioners is the way that George Bailey feels about himself in It’s a Wonderful Life; essentially the world would be a better place without them. And in this case, there is no angel to save Mike Slive, Jim Delany and Co.
Since I really started covering college football back in 2009 (the following summer is when the current realignment craze really got going in full-swing), the commissioners who run the sport have proven to be vindictive, self-serving and egotistical. They’ve stabbed each other in the back of pursuit of more teams for their conferences and more money for their Bank of America accounts, and in the process taken away so much of what we love about college sports. Texas and Texas A&M may never play in football again, and it’s the same with Syracuse-UConn and Kansas-Missouri in basketball, thanks to conference commissioners. I’m not saying they’re entirely to blame (they do need co-conspirators in the presidents and AD’s of these schools after all), but the commissioners are the ones who are driving the bus, the ones moving the biggest chess pieces.
Frankly, I still don’t like them. Doubt I ever will. But at the same time I do have to admit one thing: With the announcement Wednesday night that they (along with Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick) have agreed in principle to a four-team college football playoff beginning in the 2014 season, I can’t do anything other than to say, “Bravo, men. You did well for yourselves.” For once, the conference commissioners got things right.
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Entering the 2012 college football season, there might not be a single more fascinating program in the country than Texas A&M. The Aggies are changing conferences, head coaches, and seemingly the attitude around their program, as Kevin Sumlin takes the reigns of the program from previous head coach Mike Sherman.
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Well on Tuesday, a man who knows this program well, Brandon Leone stopped by the show. Brandon is an ex-Aggies running back and current analyst for TexAgs.com, and we broke down all things A&M football, starting with:
- Brandon’s role at TexAgs. How did he get started, why did he get involved and the ironic timing of his hiring, which came just days before Texas A&M officially began their transition to the SEC last summer.
- Why Texas A&M’s decision to leave for the SEC really was a “100 year” decision. And why in a lot of ways, geographically and culturally, the SEC is a better fit for the program than the Big XII was (Aaron’s note: It took some convincing on Brandon’s end, but as time goes on, I really am starting to like the decision more and more for the school).
- How Kevin Sumlin’s arrival on campus has changed the entire culture around the program. And why, from booster club meetings, to recruiting, to the practice field, there is a completely different vibe around A&M now.
- Briefly going back to the 2011 season, what went wrong exactly for the Aggies? Was it talent? Scheme? Coaching? Some combination of all three? Also, why Brandon believes losing all those close games can help Texas A&M in 2012.
- Speaking of 2012, why Brandon believes the real questions come on defense. Even as they transition to Sumlin's spread offense, Texas A&M will be able to score points. But will they be able to stop the ground and pound offenses of LSU, Alabama and some of the conference's other elite teams?
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The idea for this column came on Saturday during the U.S. Open. It was about 7 p.m. EST, Tiger Woods was wearing a shade of green that could best be described as "blinding," and just as he was following through on his backswing on the third or fourth tee…
…some obnoxious guy screamed out at the top of his lungs “Get In the Hole!!!!!” You know, just like some obnoxious guy does on every hole, at every golf tournament played on tour all season.
And it was at that moment that I realized something: I really, really don’t like “Get In The Hole Guy.” At all. And apparently I’m not alone, since right after I tweeted about it, my timeline filled up, with folks either agreeing with me, and some actually wishing bodily harm against him. That may be a bit a much for me personally, but hey, to each their own, right?
Really though, it got me thinking: Is “Get In The Hole Guy” the most annoying fan in sports? If not, is anyone worse than him?
Well, after taking some time and jotting some notes, as well as soliciting advice on Twitter, I have come up with a list of the folks that I consider to be the 10 most annoying in sports. Your list may be a bit different, and if you think I missed someone, by all means, please feel free to share in the comments section below, or on Twitter @Aaron_Torres.
As a matter of fact, before we get to the list, here are a few submissions from Twitter that just barely missed the cut:
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One of the biggest stories in the lead-up to the 2012 college football season is the excitement surrounding the launch of the Pac-12 Network. What will it look like? How will it operate? These are all questions that most college football fans and Pac-12 fans in general are asking, with the network set to debut in the middle of August.
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And on Tuesday some of those questions were answered, as one of the Pac-12 Network’s first hires, Summer Sanders, joined the podcast to discuss her new role at the network. Summer is a former Stanford and Olympic swimmer, and will take on a multi-purpose role with the network.
Amongst the topics that we talked about, included:
- What her reaction was when she heard about the new Pac-12 Network last year, and why she actually reached out to Pac-12 officials about getting involved.
- Why working for the Pac-12 Network is a lot like “coming home” for Sanders, who is originally from Walnut Creek, CA, and swam at Stanford. Walnut Creek is the home of the network’s headquarters.
- All the “mysterious” things going on around the Pac-12 Network as they get set to launch in a month.
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As we get set for one of the most anticipated NBA Finals in decades, for Heat vs. Thunder, LeBron vs. KD, the 20-something’s taking over the league from the 30-something’s, ironically, it’s Wilt Chamberlain that I’m thinking about this morning. Yes, that Wilt Chamberlain. For a man best known for both his basketball prowess, and his ahem, social prowess too, Chamberlain was actually an incredibly well-educated, well-spoken and intelligent guy. And as we get set for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, I can’t help but think about one of Chamberlain’s most famous quotes as it pertains to the game today. The quote:
“Nobody ever rooted for Goliath.”
So simple, so to the point, so applicable even now in 2012, 50 years after Chamberlain first uttered the words.
Nobody ever rooted for Goliath.
And there certainly aren’t many folks rooting for 2012’s Goliath, the Miami Heat in the lead-up the NBA Finals. As a matter of fact, with Game 1 now hours away, I’m stunned at how much of the chatter surrounding Miami sounds almost exactly identical to what everyone has been saying about them for the last two years. You know the storylines, but in essence, they all boil down to some variation of the following: Nobody likes the Heat. Everybody hates LeBron. Miami has no heart. They’re not tough. LeBron is a choker. Wade is a whiner. Bosh is an ostrich (ok, so maybe I just threw that last one in there for good measure). The Thunder are more of a “team.” Oklahoma City is more likeable. Blah, blah, blah. At this point, it really is all white noise.
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Unless you’re a college football junkie, a high school football coach in Southern California, or one of those weirdos who spends entirely too much on Rivals.com’s message boards, chances are pretty good you’ve probably never heard of S’ua Cravens. It’s ok, you’re hardly alone; only the junkiest of all college football junkies knows of Cravens, the top high school safety recruit in the class of 2013, who committed to play at USC this week.
Given Cravens’ stature as an elite prospect, his commitment is plenty newsworthy in its own right, but the real story is what his verbal means to USC “big picture,” where Lane Kiffin is in the process of putting together a class for the ages. Limited to just 15 scholarships because of NCAA sanctions (although you figure Lane Kiffin and Co. will figure out a way to finagle a few more by Signing Day), USC has accumulated so much talent so quickly, that by the time they all sign on the dotted line in February it could down as one of the best classes, player-for-player in the history of recruiting.
As things stand the Trojans have eight total commitments, all of them four-star or above, six who are in ESPNU’s top 80 players, and three of which are ranked as Rivals.com’s Top 10 players in the country nationally. Those three are Cravens, Washington quarterback Max Browne (generally regarded as the best quarterback in the country), and Maryland’s Kenny Bigelow (the best defensive end in the country), and when you factor in two of the top running backs in high school football in Ty Isaac of Illinois and Justin Davis, from Stockton, CA, and elite cornerback Chris Hawkins, it’s easy to see why everyone around the program is excited for the future. And the scary thing is the Trojans are hardly done, and are still involved with a handful of other elite recruits.
Safe to say, it’s a good to Lane Kiffin. And he’s hardly the only one cleaning up early.
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It’s been awhile since we podcasted here at Aaron Torres Sports, but it only seems appropriate that with my return, I make it for a special occasion. Well, that is exactly what we have today, as our old friend Barrett Sallee from the Bleacher Report talks about his interview from earlier this week with the nation’s No. 1 high school recruit in the class of 2013, Georgia defensive end Robert Nkemdiche (you can watch the interview here).
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This is a bit of a shorter podcast than usual, but Barrett brings the goods as always, discussing Nkemdiche, his college choice and more, starting with:
- After originally stating that he’d commit this spring, Nkemdiche decided to put things off until the fall. Why was that? And what does it say about the character of Nkemdiche to wait?
- Why the most important variable in his college decision could have nothing to do with college at all, but instead with how pro scouts project Nkemdiche at the next level. Will he be a 3-4 linebacker or a 4-3 defensive end? And how the answer to that question, may decide his college fate.
- If he is projected as a 4-3 defensive end, does that mean that Alabama is out of the mix completely? And if so, is there anything Nick Saban can do- using his wealth of NFL knowledge- to help sway the kid the other way?
- After saying that he’d like to visit a couple schools outside of SEC country, is there any chance Nkemdiche could end up going far away from home? Do schools like Texas, USC or Oregon stand a chance in landing him?
- With his brother already on the roster, could Ole Miss potentially land the No. 1 recruit in the country?
- And finally, where does Barrett think Nkemdiche will end up after making his decision a year from now?
Folks, over the next nine or so months you’re going to hear a lot about the recruitment of high school football superstar Robert Nkemdiche, but why listen to others when you can instead get information straight from someone who talked to him earlier this week? Barrett Sallee is that guy, and if you’re a fan of a school recruiting Nkemdiche, this is worth a listen.
Speaking of which, as always you can access this interview in any number of ways. If you can’t listen to the show live here, you can always download it straight from iTunes, just by searching for the “Aaron Torres Sports Podcast.” You can also subscribe to the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast by clicking here.
Also for updates on the show, my writing and much more, be sure to follow on Twitter @Aaron_Torres. Make sure and give Barrett a follow as well @BarrettSallee.
And finally, please remember that Exclusiv Vodka is now an official sponsor of the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast. And as a thank you for listening, they want to give you a free bottle of their product.
To be entered all you’ve got to do is go to Exclusiv’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/ExclusivVodka. From there, be sure to “Like” their product, and then tag yourself with Exclusiv and the phrase “Aaron Torres Sports Podcast.” Do that, and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free bottle.
Regardless, I want to quickly thank Barrett again for joining the show, and thank you for taking the time to listen.
Until next time…
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A few months ago here at Aaron Torres Sports, I decided to start a new interview series called “How It All Started.”
The premise was simple: With so many people in high school and college looking to get into the sports media field, and so few resources out there on how to do so, I thought it might be a good idea to track down some of my favorite writers, radio hosts and TV personalities to see how their careers started, and what advice they’d give to young people trying to reach the same level of success. And it’s safe to say that the series was itself a success early on, as I interviewed New York Times best-selling author Jeff Pearlman and Yahoo Sports Columnist Dan Wetzel within the first few weeks, and they shared lots of great information.
Well after a short hiatus, “How It All Started” is back, as earlier this week I had the opportunity to interview ESPN Radio’s Freddie Coleman. Coleman was incredibly gracious with his time sharing his road from college football player, to Top 40 radio host and the blind luck that brought him to ESPN Radio in 2004.
So how did it all start for Freddie Coleman? Let’s take a look…
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So seriously, who would ever complain about having nothing to do on a Monday night? Me, that’s who.
While most of you would love the downtime, love go see a movie with your wife, play with your kids, take one of your 11 cats to the vet, whatever, I’m not that kinda guy. For one, I have no wife and am fundamentally opposed to both kids and cats (in that order), which certainly doesn’t help the process. And even when I do get a little downtime, I usually just end up pacing around, freaking out and asking myself asinine questions like, What am I going to do? How am I going to spend this time? Why doesn’t anyone ever respond to my texts? Is it something I said? I can change, I swear!! I’ll tell ya one thing: No one ever said it’s glamorous to be a sports blogger.
And sadly, by late afternoon Monday, it appeared to be one of those nights. By about 6:30 I was done with all kinds of real responsibility for the day, and had two hours to burn before the start of Thunder-Spurs at 9pm. Please excuse me while I commence my freak out.
Well thankfully, just as I was settling in for a miserable two hours of Jeopardy and Two and a Half Men reruns, a miracle happened: I stumbled across the MLB Draft; an event which I barely knew existed, let alone was ever televised. After all, everything I know about baseball scouting and drafting I learned from the movie “Moneyball,” and even then it was mostly just fat guys in stained shirts, sitting around in a dim room and swearing at each other. So when I found out the MLB Draft was on TV, I flipped the channel faster than a 14-year-old boy after finding out he’s got free Cinemax for a month. The MLB Draft is on TV? What an event!
Oh, it certainly was. And I kept a running diary to commemorate it all…
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