Out of Bounds

New Stadium for the Falcons?

House Bill 903 details taxes to be levied on hotels and motels in an unspecified county in Georgia to help fund a brand new “multi purpose domed facility”, i.e. a new stadium for the Falcons.

The bill was introduced in January by Rep. Mark Burkhalter. Burkhalter is the District 50 representative from Johns Creek, Ga., a district that happens to include parts of Fulton County. Needless to say, his district has a lot to gain if a new structure is built – Fulton County would most likely be the home of the new facility, meaning a substantial portion of the hotel and motel tax money would be generated through the Red Roofs and Super 8′s of Fulton County.

But the rest of Georgia loses. We all get caught up in the hoopla of “new, state of the art” stadiums. Retractable roofs, super mega jumbotrons, and ergonomic seating seem on the surface to be a major upgrade from what is now, apparently in some eyes, relic of a stadium in the Georgia Dome. We, the Georgia tax payer, will be footing the bill for what would range anywhere from a quarter billion dollars to possibly $1 1/2 billion. The Georgia Dome cost a shade under $250 billion when you factor in the improvements from the past few years.  If you compare that to the newest two football homes in the NFL, it is but a drop in the bucket.

The Dallas Cowboys new facility opened in 2009 sporting a cost of $1.3 BILLION. That pales in comparison to the new Meadowlands, with a price tag of a whopping $1.6 BILLION!

You could build a new Georgia Dome inside Cowboys Stadium, and still have $50 million in the bank before you matched the Meadlowlands cost!

Suprisingly, the bill was met with very little opposition in either the House or the Senate, garnering over 70% at each read through. These men and women who respresent us must see the Georgia Dome every once in a while during their trips to A-town for legislative sessions. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT! In fact, in the few times I’ve seen games inside the Dome, from lower level to up in the rafters, I haven’t had a bad seat.

The Georgia Dome is fine. It works. It still looks good. It’s hard to believe it’s almost 20 years old – a testament to the fact that a new facility is NOT needed!

“If you build it they will come”. Thanks Kevin Costner. That line of thought has deterred Georgia Legislators from figuring out a way to lower the unemployment rate or improve education, cut down crime or feed the hungry. Instead, taxing Georgians (the base of the Falcon’s fans), and building a new Dome that is nowhere near needed.

That is, unless they write a bill stating the Georgia Dome be turned into an unemployment office/charter school/jail house/soup kitchen.

Read the bill HERE

Has Talent in the Big 12 Surpassed That of the SEC?

If you watched the 1st round of the NFL draft, or even just read about it, you’ve heard several Big 12 draftees talk confidently how it means the conference is vastly underrated, and should be considered the best in college football. Five of the first six selected yesterday were from the conference, with two of the 1st three coming from Oklahoma. That must mean their conference is the best right?

Absolutely NOT!

#1 Overall Pick Sam Bradford

“I know the Big 12 has been getting a lot of slack lately,” Number 1 overall pick Sam Bradford said. “People for some reason didn’t think that we played much football in the Big 12 and sure didn’t think we played much defense, so for two defensive tackles to go in the first three picks is a credit to the Big 12.”

Sorry Sammy, it’s a credit to those players. Said two defensive tackles came from OU and Nebraska, teams which were a combined 18-11 last season.

McCoy Taken 3rd

“It’s insane isn’t it?” Gerald McCoy said with a huge smile. “We can’t play football in the Big 12, but the first four picks went out the Big 12? Mmmmm — three of ‘em from Oklahoma, by the way.”

Yeah, Ger, crazy. Oh yeah, and Oklahoma went 8 and 5 last year. Great players, but not a great team.

Nebraska’s out of conference games last year featured powerhouses FAU and Arkansas St. Their lone out of conference game during the regular season against another BCS conference school was against Virginia Tech. Anyone remember who won that game?

Oklahoma split their out of conference games, 2 wins to 2 losses. The wins came against Idaho St. and Tulsa. The losses? ACC team Miami, and BYU. So, once again, winless against BCS conference schools.

The point is, this was a great draft year for individual players from the Big 12. It’s not indicative of the overall team play of the conference. Three other Big 12 teams with players drafted in the 1st frame -  Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Texas. The Longhorns were conference champs last year, and only had one (1) player drafted in the first round.

More proof that there were some great football players in the Big 12, but not necessarily great football.

Just a Few Amusing Videos from the Week

From the amazing to the funny to the just plain entertaining, here are a few videos from around the web for you to enjoy this morning.

I know it’s not sports related, but this is unusal so I have to share.  Behold! The Sheeppig!

Now on to the sports -

Baserunner goes airborne…Willie Mays Hays style! 

“I’ll take fun things to do during a rain delay, Alex”

And the Braves won in walk off fashion 2 games in a row. On Sunday, Jason Heyward was mobbed by teammates after he singled in the winning run in Atlanta’s win over Colorado. Tuesday, the dugout had a slightly different response to Nate McClouth’s walk off winner

Enjoy your Thursday. Don’t forget the NFL draft starts tonight!

4 – 6 Games for B. Roth…Just Punishment?

I guess now we know why the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up Byron Leftwich yesterday. The front office must have been preparing for Ben Roethlisberger’s impending suspension.

Big Ben will miss the Steeler’s  first 4 to 6 games while serving his suspension for a crime he was never charged for. That’s the fact, whether you believe there was any wrongdoing or not. Roethlisberger will miss the 1st month and a half of the season for NOT committing a crime in the eyes of the law.

The alleged rape was investigated by the G.B.I. The District Attorney decided there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest the QB. Why does Roger

Big Ben out first 4 to 6 games

Goodell and the NFL think he should be suspended? Is his presumed innocence until proven guilty (which will never happen now, because of not being charged) tarnishing the reputation of the league that has let other proven egregious behavior continue in front of blind eyes.

Everyone knows Michael Vick fought dogs. He was arrested, tried, and convicted. He served his time, and has returned to the game after serving his suspension from the league. He was rightfully suspended for that. But what about his other transgressions? Remember water bottlegate? Vick at the airport with the secret compartment in his water bottle. We all know what the compartment was for, just like we “know” Rothleisberger must have done something wrong. What was his punishment? Suspension? No, it wasn’t.

That slid by. Just as his giving the fans the finger fiasco and who could forget the Ron Mexico incident?

I’m simply using Vick as an example, not to make this a Mike vs. Ben thing. My point is, the punishment should fit the crime, and said punishment should be just – BUT FAIR. In the case of Big Ben, it’s neither.

I could see the NFL levying a fine for causing such a media stir, but he shouldn’t miss games. There’s no actual proof he did anything wrong. We all have our opinions about the case. I, in fact, think he’s guilty as hell; of something, just not sure what.

Apparently all it takes now is an accusation, and you will miss up to a quarter of a season. I think the league is setting a bad precedent with this one.

Bobby Cox – Take Advantage of the Off Day; Practice Writing the Name “Heyward” Higher in the Lineup

Celebrating Sunday's game winner

Jason Heyward proved once again yesterday that he is ready for the big time. With the bases loaded and two outs, the rookie phenom rifled a full count pitch to left field, scoring two runs and giving the Braves the 4 to 3 win over the Rockies. So why, Bobby Cox, is Jason Heyward still batting 7th in the lineup?

I understand we’re only a few weeks into the season, but the time has come to shake things up. The Braves have run into some of the same problems they had last season – trouble producing runs. That’s why they got Troy Glaus. That’s why they got Melky Cabrera.

But those two aren’t getting the job done. Glaus is batting a paltry .195 through the first 12 games, with Cabrera hitting well below that with an abysmal .119.

I’m sure at some point the two new pick ups will come around, but the time is now to take advantage of what IS working for you – Jason Heyward.

Chipper scowls at his lack of run production

The rookie leads the team in homers (3) and RBI (15), and is batting at over a .300 clip. Yet, Cox still has him hitting in the 7 hole, while Glaus and Chipper Jones (a combined 10 RBI) still occupy the three and four slots.

I imagine Bobby is hesitant to move J-Hey up in the order for a couple of reasons. One, he believes Chipper and Glaus will be on the upswing soon. Two, and more importantly, he doesn’t want to push the rook Heyward too quickly. Well, in my opinion, if there ever were anyone ready at 20 years old for that kind of pressure, it undoubtedly is Jason Heyward.

Take a look at what has probably been the two most pressure filled at bats in this infancy stage of his career – his first, and his last. In his first Major League at bat, Heyward sent a Carlos Zambrano fastball 450 feet away from home plate for his 1st homer of his career. His last at bat? He worked the Rockies pitcher to a 3-2 count before lining a 98mph fastball through the gap to score two and win the game in the bottom of the ninth.

He’s ready.

What Cox should do, is act on how the guys are playing now, not what he feels they’re capable of doing. I’m going to give him a little help with that, in hopes that Cox will practice filling out his lineup card differently during today’s day off.

Martin Prado should bat leadoff. He’s hitting over .400, and has decent speed. Next, Yunel Escobar. His average is a little low right now, but his 8 RBI show he has the penchant for moving runners around. Brian McCann to the three spot. He’s a great combination of power and average. Plus, he’s a doubles machine. Cleanup would be Heyward. This is the best place to take advantage of his hitting prowess. Chipper Jones would be next. As a switch hitter, he’ll keep the lineup from featuring three straight left handers. Matt Diaz would bat 6th. Diaz doesn’t do too much that wows you, but he definitely gets the job done. Troy Glaus would drop to 7th. Of course, if his bat comes around, he’ll move up. And 8th would be a platoon of Melky Cabrerra and Nate McClouth. Both of these guys offer great defense and excellent speed, and would make those sac bunts by the pitchers more successful.

I guess the bottom line is - If Bobby Cox thinks Heyward is ready for the rigors of a 162 game schedule in the majors, why wouldn’t he think he’s ready for the spotlight of the lineup position carrying the most pressure?

This fan believes he is.

Video of the All Americans

*chronicle.augusta.com*

The ASU disc golf team captured the national championship over the weekend by a Tiger Woods-esque 16 shots. I was there with a video camera on Saturday to record the record setting performance by the three Jags named All Americans – Lee Jones, Patrick May, and Out of Bounds’ own Jason Lynn.

Mettenberger Gone

Zach Mettenberger

I’ve said ever since it was announced that Zach Mettenberger would be suspended the first game of the season for his arrest on spring break. Looks like I’m right, although not how I predicted. Coach Mark Richt dismissed Mett from the team earlier today.

Apparently, there is more to the story from Remerton, Ga., the town Mettenberger was arrested in last month. He was cited for underage drinking, and possession of two fake id’s.

Something happened that night that brought the attention to Mettenberger, although that something hasn’t been made public yet.

Georgia’s quarterback race now consists of only Logan Gray and Aaron Murray. Incoming Freshman Hutson Mason will have his chance to impress coaches in August.

Richt has now dismissed two players this offseason. Defensive End Montez Robinson was let  go just a couple of weeks ago.

Brace yourself Bulldog fans. This offseason is starting to feel a lot like the one before the 2008 season.

Decision Time for Thompkins

The time is finally here when Georgia basketball fans will be able to let out a collective sigh of relief…or groan of disappointment.

Trey Thompkins is close to making his announcement on whether he’s decided to hang around Athens for another year, or bolt early  for the NBA draft. Thompkins is reportedly making his announcement Friday. I don’t expect anything flashy, just a “here’s what I’ve decided”.  Will his decision be a wise one?

I have no doubt that whatever he decides, he will be successful. There are a few factors I do hope he’s considering though throughout this process. No doubt he’s an NBA talent, but no doubt, there are several others with more NBA talent.

I’m no draft expert, but at this point, I would have Thompkins going somewhere in 2nd round, which is quite an accomplishment. If he decides to stay in college for another year, I could see him moving into the 1st, possibly as high as a lottery pick, which will mean millions more on his contract.

I think there are just too many players as talented, or moreso, in this years draft. With other early defections such as DeMarcus Cousins from Kentucky and Derrick Favors from Georgia Tech are sure to be more coveted than Thompkins. More underclassmen who will rate around or above Thompkins include Wesley Johnson from Syracuse, Al-Farouq Aminu from Wake Forest, and Patrick Patterson from Kentucky. That’s FIVE players at the same position that could go ahead of Thompkins in the draft. There are probably more.

On top of that, he must also consider the other players in the draft that are just too good to pass up if available. John Wall and Evan Turner would almost assuredly be picked before Trey Thompkins if he were to decide to jump ship early.

It’s a story similar to former UGA safety Rashad Jones – lots of talent, but not the most talented. Jones opted out of his senior year of football for the NFL draft. He will be drafted in a couple of weeks, but not as high as he could have been if he stayed in school another year. And that’s simply because of more talented players leaving college early.

Thomkins is in the same situation. He’ll do himself a huge favor by staying for his Junior year at Georgia.

He’ll be doing the Dawgs a favor as well.

“What are you gonna do now that you’ve won the Masters?”

The common response is “Disneyland”. Not the case with Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson packed up the kids, donned his brand new Green Jacket, and stopped off at the Krispy Kreme on Washington road.

A “Tweeter” even got a snapshot –

Priceless pic, considering how Phil has always seems to be battling his weight. This would be like getting a shot of Tiger at a brothel, or a pic of John Daly leaving the Highlander!

And to think, I always thought Phil just had a glandular problem.

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