๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐งโ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐ค: ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ #๐๐
Welcome to this weekโs Six Pack! Each week, Iโll share a mix of thoughts – some sports-related, some not – and Iโd love for you to jump in with your reactions, ideas, or recommendations in the comments. Hereโs whatโs on my mind this week.
๐. ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ญ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง
Back in the fall, I talked on the podcast about the emotional tribute ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ put together for Lee Corso when the show visited Bloomington for the Indiana-Washington game. It was touching to see the city honor him with ๐ณ๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐, and it felt like a not-so-subtle sign that we were nearing the end of an era.
Now itโs official: ESPN has confirmed that Corso will appear on just one more episode of College GameDay this fall before stepping away for good. Itโs hard to overstate what heโs meant to college football. A former head coach at Louisville, Indiana, Northern Illinois, and even a short stint in the USFL, Corso didnโt make his mark on the sidelines as his coaching record was modest (and thatโs being kind). But his second act in front of the camera became legendary.
Since 1987, heโs been a central figure on ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐, helping build it into one of the most beloved pregame shows in sports. And of course, he made the headgear pick – which started in 1996 – an institution everyone knows about and looks forward to.
Corso is 89 now, and his presence on the show in recent years has been limited due to health issues, but every time heโs on screen, it still feels special. There will never be another Lee Corso. He helped define the tone, energy, and fun of college football Saturdays for generations of fans. So thank you sir for all youโve done for the game and all the enjoyment and smiles youโve brought to countless football fans over the years.
๐. ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ
I listen to a ton of sports talk radio and always have. Locally, I gotta give a big shoutout to ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐ here in Cincy. The guy is a total pro and one of the best to ever do it. Consistent, informed, and just gets it.
Nationally, I was a big ๐ด๐๐๐ & ๐ด๐๐๐ guy back in the day and still enjoy a lot of the voices out there now. But one dude Iโve never been able to stand – not back then, not now, not ever – is Jim Rome.
His whole act has always rubbed me the wrong way. The tone, the delivery, the way he talks to his listeners. The โclones,โ the โtour stops,โ the weird pauses followed by โout.โ It all just seems very pompous and arrogant to me.
But the thing that really sealed it for me and that Iโve never been able to get past was the mid-90s interview with Rams QB Jim Everett – when Rome kept calling him โChrisโ over and over again, even after Everett warned him to stop. Eventually Everett finally snapped, threw over a table, rushed Rome, and people intervened. Honestly I wanted to punch Rome myself watching him instigate that way. Zero class. And to this day, he still seems to lean on that edgy, self-righteous style and I canโt stand it.
I know some people love him, and great for them. But I donโt get it and never will. Give me smart, steady, and respectful over whatever that is any day of the week.
๐. ๐๐จ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ซ๐?
I spent last week down in The Villages visiting my in-laws – itโs about 90 minutes north of Orlando. If youโve never been, itโs a pretty neat town for retirees. Golf courses everywhere, restaurants, rec centers, live music every night, and the part Iโve always loved – you can pretty much go anywhere in a golf cart. (and yes, Iโve heard the rumors so I always bring plenty of hand sanitizer).
Theyโve been down there a few years now, and every time I visit, I like it a little more. Itโs got a good vibe, nice people, lots to do. That said, Iโm still not sure where I want to end up someday. Iโm in my early 50s, so Iโve got some time to figure it out. My wife loves it down there, but Iโm still on the fence.
My parents retired in Tennessee and were really happy. I know a lot of people who swear by South Carolina. Arizonaโs obviously a popular spot too. But part of me doesnโt want to go anywhere. I really like Cincinnati, I donโt want to be far from my kids, and the Southern Ohio weather doesnโt bother me ๐กโ๐๐ก much.
Either way I know Iโd always want to keep a place in Ohio so maybe a January-May place somewhere warmer. Or maybe even just take a few longer vacations every year and skip the second house hassle altogether.
But what do you think, Sandman Nation? Anyone got a retirement spot they love? Or should I just keep holding it down in Ohio and call it good?
๐. ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ค ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ-๐๐๐๐๐ฒ
The NFL Draft is this week, and Iโve always liked it. I wonโt watch every second, but Iโll definitely be glued to the first round on Thursday, probably catch parts of Friday, and Iโll absolutely be reading every draft grade and analysis I can find – including our first-ever Sandman Sports draft grades, which weโll be publishing next week!
Does the draft determine how this season will go? No. But it ๐๐๐๐ add new pieces that can (and should) make an impact.
And all this draft buzz reminded me how much I enjoy the movie ๐ซ๐๐f๐ ๐ซ๐๐. No, itโs not a cinematic masterpiece, and some people might argue itโs not even a good movie, but Iโm pretty sure itโs the only movie ever made specifically about the draft. (I know Jerry Maguire has a draft plotline, but thatโs certainly not the focus.)
Iโve always loved Kevin Costner, and while my least favorite part of the movie is the romantic subplot with Jennifer Garner, the movie does a great job building suspense and intrigue without a single game being played. It somehow makes the wheeling and dealing of draft day feel like high-stakes action. And I still laugh every time I hear the line: โ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐กโ๐๐ fโ๐๐.โ
Yes, itโs about my despised rival, the Browns. But that doesnโt bother me – after all, itโs fiction, and we know they still wonโt be good.
So if youโre looking for a fun little escape to get you in the mood for the draft, give ๐ซ๐๐f๐ ๐ซ๐๐ a watch. Whether youโve never seen it or itโs been a while, itโs a solid way to kill two hours and get a little hyped for Thursday night.
๐. ๐๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฒ!
While I was down in Florida, my mother-in-law dropped a classic I hadnโt heard in ages – โHeavens to Betsy!โ – and later that same day, I heard someone at the grocery store say โOopsy daisy.โ And I couldnโt help but laughโฆ not ๐๐ก them, but at how rare it is to hear those old-timey phrases anymore.
So naturally, I started making a list in my head. Hereโs a few that came to mind:
โข Hold your horses
โข More than you can shake a stick at
โข Hogwash
โข Well Iโll be a monkeyโs uncle
โข Holy mackerel
โข Slow as molasses
These kinds of sayings feel like they came straight out of a 1950โs sitcom or my grandparentโs front porch – and honestly, I love it!
What about you, Sandman Nation? Got any old-school gems you still use or remember hearing growing up? Whatโd I miss?
๐. ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐
Just when you think youโve seen it all in baseball…
The Diamondbacks and Cubs gave us a bonkers, beautifully crazy game – and somehow, in a sport thatโs been around for over 150 years, we still get firsts.
Hereโs the quick rundown from that 12โ11 Cubs win:
o The D-backs scored 10 runs in the 8th inningโฆ and lost.
o The Cubs became the first team in 113 years to give up 10 runs in a single inning after the 3rd and still win the game.
o The two teams combined for 16 runs in the 8th, making it the highest-scoring inning in the history of Wrigley Field, which opened in 1914.
o The teams combined for 23 runs, 23 hitsโฆ and 25 walks.
o The D-backs drew 16 walks, a new franchise record.
o The Cubs issued 5 bases-loaded walks – in one game.
o The D-backs scored 7 runs without a single hit during that rally.
o There were 8 total pitching changes in just the final 3 innings.
This game had a lot of chaos and comedy, and somehow, a Cubs win. Iโm not a Cubs fan and could have cared less who won, but I do love seeing โnewโ things in our sports.
On a random Tuesday in April, we got to see the wildest inning in 110+ years at Wrigley field. Baseball can still be fresh, and thatโs pretty cool.
๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ค๐ฌ f๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐๐คโ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐ค, ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง! Iโd love to hear your thoughts: what resonated with you, what you disagree with, or your own takes on these topics. Drop your comments and letโs keep the conversation going.
If you liked this, here are a few of the other recent Six-Packs:
