John Smoltz to the Red Sox

Alrighty, I'm a Braves fan. Always have been. I remember when they beat the Indians in '95, a triumphant day in this city. It almost felt like getting the Olympics. "The Games of the 26th Olympiad are awarded to...the city of...Atlanta." I remember watching that on TV and I remember Marquis Grissom catching the fly ball that ended the '95 World Series. I remember Sid Bream limping to home plate in '92 "Braves win, Braves win!" God bless you Skip...

John Smoltz was instrumental in giving this city some respectability in terms of sporting achievement. He was there for all of it. Worst to first, a title, he won a Cy Young in '96, became a near Hall of Fame closer when he was needed in the bullpen, all of it! You can tell how little we've done ANYTHING by who my teams are...The Lakers, The 49ers, and The Braves. I don't know why I didn't cast them out with the Hawks and the Falcons, but I stuck with them. Probably my Dad. "You gotta root for the ome team son" For the record, I have stuck with the 49ers (who suck right now) and the Lakers (even when Kurt Rambus was the coach) (Although, I did take great pleasure in hearing some Pacers fans tell me they were going to kill us in the Finals, only to see their cute little Pacers get torched by my beloved Lakers.) (And, for the record, yes, I hate the Celtics. It's a requirement. What can I say.)

So, John Smoltz, a surefire Hall of Famer and beloved Brave wo ahs the most wins in the postseason in the history of Baseball, finally had to go. I can't blame him for taking a 1 year contract that has a total worth of $10 million (w/incentives). Plus, I can't blame Frank Wren for saying no to that when John's 42 and has a bad shoulder. But come on. Couldn't he have just retired. That's what I wish. Heather even said so. Coming from a fan of another club (the Reds) that says alot.

Now, we move on. Apparently, Derek Lowe's in town looking for a 4th year on his current contract offer. If the Braves give it to him he'll be a great addition, but he's not John Smoltz. It's almost like Smoltzy belongs to Atlanta...*sigh*

Since I'll be watching the BCS "title" game I should comment on it. This is pretty simple stuff. Oklahoma has 1 loss. Florida has 1 loss. Utah has none. Boom! Your National Champions are the 13-0 Utah Utes. Records don't lie. No amount of arguing about who plays in what conference and blah, blah negates the fact that Utah didn't lose any games. Period. Plus, this is the 2nd time this has happened to THIS program under this system. They went 13-0 under, yep, Urban Meyer...who coaches Florida. What a tangled web they weave! So, enjoy the game if you're gonna watch it. I have this to say to you...don't be surprised if some AP writers get a brain and vote Utah #1. That would make my college football year. Seriously, just one person smart enough to give them a first place vote.

Oh, Florida 35 Oklahoma 13, Florida will cover the spread, but make no mistake, that does not make Florida the National Champ. Runner-up for sure.