Check out my latest product. It's my very own series of Under Armour shirts. They are in all the bookstores, and at Jewelry Warehouse. I know my signature is a little bit hard to read, but if you look closely you should be able to make out the M a r t y  S i m p s o n.

I know what you're all thinking. How did Marty get his own autographed series of Under Armour shirts? Well it's really simple. Just have an autograph that is fancy-smancy enough to be mistaken for Steve Spurrier's autograph... that's how.

After I published the previous "Thank You, Marcus Lattimore" blog post, I assumed it would add some form of closure to this ordeal for me emotionally. I was wrong. The first five hours it was on the internet it got read by over ten thousand different people. To no one's surprise, many folks shared my feelings about Marcus.

If you haven't read that first blog you need to do that in order to put this one in the proper context. Do that by following this link.

I wrote the piece not knowing whether Marcus or his family would ever read it. I actually assumed they probably wouldn't, and haven't heard anything to lead me to believe they have, so that didn't affect me. I wrote the piece for my own pyscho-therapy. Part of me truly felt like if I put in writing my inner most feelings about Marcus Lattimore that it would somehow make my heart stop hurting for him and his family. It didn't. It did, however, create something all together different inside me. It created a mission!

A mission to organize the Gamecock fans into action. Here is what I am thinking.

For the sake of this article I will keep these numbers simple. Let's pretend there are 40 weeks worth of work outs between now and the next time Marcus Lattimore can actually practice football again at full-speed. I made these numbers up because no official report has been published as to the extent of Lattimore's injuries yet. But for the sake of this article let's assume 40 weeks.

With 40 weeks of work-outs, let's assume there are 10 rehab sessions a week. There may be more or less, I truly have no clue. I'm a former kicker and now comedian, remember? But let's assume 10 rehab sessions per week. Let's also assume that half of these will be sincerely grueling for Marcus and therefore need to be kept private. But that leaves 5 work-outs sessions per week for 40 weeks which could feasibly be witnessed by the public. Do you feel where I am going with this yet? I'm guessing you do. (If you read the first article like I said you should have this would make sense.)

Therefore, that leaves us 200 work-outs between now and the next time Marcus can actually practice full-speed. (Again, these are hypothetical numbers at this point, could be more could be less.) My thought is this. Can we divide these 200 work-outs between the 80 thousand some odd folks who regularly attend the games and help encourage Marcus by actually showing up and cheering him on?

My thought is if a church group can organize three full months of hot cooked dinners for parents of newborns, then certainly we can organize how to attend Marcus Lattimore's rehab sessions.

Here is what I am picturing. Each fan signs up well in advance for one appointed time. We cap each work-out at a maximum number of attendees based on feedback that we obtain from the training staff. (Meaning, if we can do a dozen fans we'll do a dozen fans, but if we have to only do one because of what the doctors say, we'll only do one.)

That fan, or group of fans, then makes a few posters and bakes some healthy protein cookies or something. They attend their workout in a small private group escorted to the rehab session by a University staffer. They spend five to ten minutes getting pictures with Marcus before and after the work-out. During the work-out they clap and cheer for his weight-lifting or his running. That's it. This happens five times a week for Marcus and he feels Gamecock Nation behind him during his recovery.

We then form a facebook page dedicated to only these visits so the pictures can be posted and comments placed on them to encourage his family back home. The facebook page could also serve as a reminder if Marcus ever gets frustrated.

Obviously, logistically, a few million things would have to happen between now and the first organized session, but what do you think?

My thought is the only problem we would face is that we would have far too many people wanting to do it than we could handle. If that is the only problem we would face, then I vote for trying to make this happen!

I will admit I have no connections that could pull this thing off, but you know what I do have? Zero pride or fear walking up into the offices and trying to talk to someone. Especially if I have the backing of my blog website with hundreds (or even better, thousands) of comments backing me up.

So what I need from you is for you to pass the article along to folks who you think would be interested in signing up for a work-out session. Get them to post a comment here about it. If enough folks post comments here, we might be able to build enough momentum to actually gain a meeting of some sort with the athletic department.

Who knows? All I know is the thought that Marcus would know he's not alone helps me start to see the horizon for him and his family and that makes me happy.

As I finished typing this blog post, I started thinking about the implications this would have on the other team members who were also going through rehab on their injuries.What I immediately thought was they could work out during the same sessions and therefore the audience in attendance would get to cheer on everyone who was doing rehab that session, and not just Marcus. Either way, I think it's a great idea and worth pursuing.

I am interested in your thoughts, so please leave comments below.

Thank You, Marcus Lattimore

February 3rd, 2010 is the day the Gamecock football program changed forever for the better. Many fans believe the red letter day for South Carolina was the day Coach Spurrier took the head coaching job, but it was actually a few years later when the real change happened. Coach Spurier has certainly been one of the driving forces for the upswing of Gamecock football, but history will look back to that winter day in 2010, when a young Marcus Lattimore put on that Gamecock baseball cap and announced he was going to be a Gamecock.

No other player has had the impact of Marcus Lattimore. In the movie Remember the Titans, Julius tells Gary that attitude reflects leadership. The day Marcus Lattimore stepped on campus this became obvious for the Gamecocks. I've heard from someone close to the program that Marcus Lattimore would show up at 5:45 a.m. and run the punishment with his teammates who missed breakfast check or study hall. Sometimes this punishment included running the entire Williams Brice stadium steps. Picture at one of the punishments, a teammate of Lattimore's looking at Marcus and saying,

"You didn't miss anything, why are you here?"

And Lattimore replying,

"Because you're here."

In all my years of playing, coaching, or watching athletics, I cannot think of a better example of leadership. (Or a better explanation of why Lattimore was capable of 40 carries in an SEC football game!) Marcus Lattimore is the single most influential force in South Carolina football history.

Lattimore reminds me of two leaders. One is from the Bible and one is from the movies. Those two leaders are Moses, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Lattimore led the Gamecock football nation out of a century of mediocrity. But like Moses, for reasons hard to comprehend, Lattimore himself may not actually be able to enter the Promised Land with the rest of his team. Gamecocks have certainly wandered in the desert for more than 40 years, but behind the unbelievable leadership of Lattimore have gotten to the door step of the Promised Land. As cliche and common as this sounds for a Gamecock fan to say, next year's schedule and returning roster lends itself to big things.

At the time of the publishing of this article, no official report has been given to the severity of Lattimore's injury, so it is not possible to conclude what the future holds for him. All I know is, he was the back bone of the largest culture change in college football history. South Carolina went from being a bottom dweller cast aside by the national media to being a yearly top ten program, all on the coat tails of the leadership of Marcus Lattimore.

He is also like Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. Obi-Wan delivers a famous line near the end of Star Wars, which is paraphrased as,

"If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

I truly believe Marcus Lattimore's leadership is so powerful that it could prove to be more potently effective to the current team and future teams if he is somehow not able to play.

The future of the Gamecock football program was strengthened the day Marcus Lattimore decided to play for the university. It may be part of the larger master plan for this young man to strengthen the program even more by not being able to play. I believe he will provide a lasting foundation at the university by inspiring a generation of young players to actually stay home and play for the Gamecocks.

Every Gamecock fan thought Lattimore's influence would be made by having a long and successful NFL career. And, of course, we all pray that this still happens. But if it doesn't, I truly believe Lattimore's influence on the future of Gamecock football will still be vast.

There are young boys all over the state of South Carolina who woke up this morning hearing stories about Marcus Lattimore. They are all hoping to one day make an impact on Gamecock football just like Marcus has and just like he will.

I pray that Marcus is able to play again and play fantastically. But if he's not, I want him to know what he has meant to this Gamecock fan. His leadership has been second to none. He has helped the Gamecock football program rise from the ashes like the phoenix. He has made every kid in South Carolina playing backyard football who has ever had fleeting thoughts about the Gamecock football program to conclude immediately that they want to go to South Carolina.

While Marcus may not actually get to enter the Promised Land when the Gamecocks go there, I want Marcus to truly realize, that every Gamecock fan across the world knows that it was his hand we held as he pulled us, it was his heart that guided us, and it was his feet that took us there. Every player and every fan simply followed their leader, Marcus Lattimore, to the door step of the Promised Land. We will be forever grateful.

February 3rd, 2010, Lattimore committed to South Carolina and changed the program forever. October 27th, 2012, Lattimore was stricken down by this awful injury. October 28th, 2012, I began looking forward to watching Lattimore become "more powerful than I can possibly imagine."

It is with a prayerful heart, and a joyful spirit that I sincerely say thank you to Marcus Lattimore for all he's done for the Gamecocks. I am currently looking forward to fighting the lump in my throat while watching an ESPN, 30 for 30 production 12 years from now recapping all the influence Marcus Lattimore had during his time at South Carolina and in the NFL.

I believe we as Gamecock fans should randomly show up during Lattimore's rehab workouts and cheer for him. When he says,

"You don't need rehab, why are you here?"

We simply respond,

"Because you're here, Marcus..."

Go Gamecocks. Go Marcus. We love you.

[ I invite you to leave any message for Marcus telling him what his leadership has meant to you over the years by posting a comment below. ]

This is my weekly Big-Play Breakdown for GamecockCentral.com for the Georgia game. This season, there will be two break-downs each week. This is part one.

Break-Down: Georgia 2012 Part #2 (of 2)



Nothing more to this post!

This is my weekly Big-Play Breakdown for GamecockCentral.com for the Georgia game. This season, there will be two break-downs each week. This is part one.

Break-Down: Georgia 2012 Part #1 (of 2)



Nothing more to this post!

Coach is sometimes grainy and out of focus to those who don't understand his mastermind ways.

Spurrier has duped the local and national media yet again. Why do the reporters all get tricked into this bait and switch every time it happens? I will tell you why. Because they are like sharks swimming around a bloody carcass, and cannot help themselves. It's in their nature to chomp on that carcass and they can't help but do it. Coach Spurrier knows this and uses it to his delight whenever he sees fit.

The latest version of Coach Spurrier's tactics revolve around local State Newspaper columnist, Ron Morris. Morris made some comments which allowed Spurrier to create his planned media diversion. Those comments were personal in nature about Spurrier. (You can google those and read ad nauseam. I am not concerned with those comments.)

What I am focusing on is how easily Spurrier is able to wield his jedi-mind trick powers over every single media outlet on the planet. Sports talk radio, newspapers, blogs, network television websites, national news organizations, are all buzzing this week about the "whiny Coach Spurrier needing thicker skin." Those media outlets can't get enough of it. They are all romantically united in this stance against the all-powerful Coach railing against one of their own.

And this is EXACTLY what Coach Spurrier wanted to happen.

We have seen these tactics before, and evidently, Coach Spurrier realizes they will always work, so he keeps using them. Coach Spurrier would rather the pundits talk about his need for "a thicker skin" than bombard his players or assistant coaches with questions about the upcoming opponent. He wants his team singularly focused on beating Georgia, while he diverts all the distractions upon himself.

If you don't believe Coach Spurrier picks and chooses when to do these types of things, just take a look at exactly when they have all happened in the past. "Free Shoes University" was just before the championship game against FSU. The "echo of the whistle comments" were before the same game. The Phil Fulmer comments were always before big games ("Can't spell Citrus without UT.) The last Ron Morris debacle was the week Garcia was kicked off the team. Spurrier creates these distractions on purpose when he chooses to. Why is it not obvious by now?

The extraordinarily entertaining part to me is how all the "media folks" are so up in arms about Spurrier's behavior. They are all crying about how Spurrier needs to grow up and treat this situation with more dignity and grace. They are clamoring about it all over the interwebs. All the while, failing to realize they are indeed acting exactly like that which they criticize, and are doing so at the beck and call of the mastermind himself.

Continuing the irony, the national media pundits are all saying Coach Spurrier needs "thicker skin." To that I say, THE NATIONAL MEDIA needs thicker skin. All the national media outlets who are publishing articles saying Coach Spurrier should just ignore Ron Morris' comments are all being giggled at behind closed doors by Spurrier. The truth is, THEY should be ignoring Spurrier's comments but they are physically incapable of doing so. Spurrier knows this!

If Spurrier hadn't pulled this stunt, every article would be headlined with something like, "Biggest Game Ever at Williams-Brice." Gamecock players would be reading those headlines and become distracted by them. Instead, they get to plan for Georgia like business as usual. Business as usual at South Carolina means their coach is ornery about some local media idiot as that same coach yells at them at practice. To all Gamecock players this just feels like a normal game week.

And one last note in regards to what Spurrier is pretending to be upset about in order to shield his team from getting distracted by the over hype.

I realize I am not a professional journalist, so I don't understand how all the ethics of journalism work. I am just a comedian. Can someone please explain the particulars of how it all works? Am I allowed to just say whatever I want to say, and then if it turns out to be a lie, apologize for it the next day? Is that how journalism works? Do "columnists" get to lie then apologize since they are not "reporters?" I am confused.

But unlike any media pundit who has published any article this week about Spurrier's comments instead of the magnitude of the upcoming game, I am NOT CONFUSED. Spurrier didn't dupe me. I saw it all happen first hand and loved it all. Just like I did all the other times.

And if you are not convinced Spurrier does these things on purpose effectively, ask yourself what you remember about the last twelve South Carolina games. Is it the fact that we are 11 and 1 during those twelve games, or is it that you remember Spurrier railing on Ron Morris the week Connor Shaw took over the Gamecock's starting job? Of course you don't remember that because nobody cares about that stuff later on. You remember the WINNING not the whining. Spurrier knows this and continues to WIN, while he continues to whine. Later this year after the Gamecocks have won more than ever before, no one will care that Spurrier was a little whiny after the Mizzou game. Those same reporters will vote him SEC Coach of the Year for the umpteenth time.

All the while, Coach Spurrier will know he did it all on purpose. Anyone who feels otherwise is just part of Spurrier's master plan.

Here is an excerpt from my blog article at GamecockCental.com dated September 7th, 2012.

Important note: I outline the three rules of etiquette for smack-talk on Facebook. In Rule No. 1, I establish what it means to be a "Facebook Jerk." This excerpt picks up at Rule No. 3.

...

Rule No. 3: Nothing posted counts towards a person's perceived integrity if posted on Facebook the week before or after the Carolina-Clemson game. (Or big rivalry game if you are not in South Carolina.)

Post anything you want, with whatever mean spirit you want, and it just doesn't count. But that statute of limitation runs out on the eighth day after the game has passed.

For example, when I set a Google Calendar alert on Jan. 20 to email me on July 4 to remind me to come to Facebook and post that West Virginia just scored again, that was outside the statute of limitation for reasonable smack talk on Facebook. This action made ME the Facebook jerk. Therefore, the proportionate response from any lunatic Clemson fan should be allowed by me on my Facebook page at that time (and it was and it was worth it. And oh, by the way, West Virginia just scored again.)

To read this article in its entirety, please visit the story's page at GamecockCentral.com here.

This is my weekly Big-Play Breakdown for GamecockCentral.com for the Vanderbilt game. This season, there will be two break-downs each week, one for defense and one for offense.

 Offensive Break-Down

Defensive Break-Down



Nothing more to this post!

This is my weekly Big-Play Breakdown for GamecockCentral.com for the Clemson game (which we won 34 to 13 in case you missed it.) (Click here to read it on their website.)



Nothing more to this post!

If Clemson loses to Virginia Tech by double digits Saturday, and then goes on to lose to Auburn in a bowl by double digits, I think it will mark the first time in college football history that a team defeated two opponents by double digits during the season and then went on to lose to those same two teams by double digits in the very same season.

Factinistas, get on your horses and help me verify this stat.

I don't even think the double digits part is necessary to make this a truly remarkable stat. Clemson beat Auburn and Virginia Tech this season by double digits. They could go on to lose to both of those two teams over the next six weeks.

How amazing would that be?

I'm All-in.

For those saying, "It won't happen, I am hearing differently," just check out this link to see where I am getting this information. And remember, unlike many journalists out there, I don't let simple things like "facts" affect my informed opinions.

Check out my next Columbia show (December 9th and 10th in the Vista) by clicking here.

One of my former quarterbacks from when I coached is an avid Clemson fan. He loves to rub in anything he can about Clemson to any South Carolina fan. One of his favorite things to do he did to me a while back and I have to admit I find great humor in it.

He waits until about two hours after South Carolina has lost a game (like the Auburn game this year) and then he sends you a text message with two simple words, "Y'all Win?"

The simplistic elegance of this is wonderful. He knows the outcome has already been decided and he knows you know too, but he pretends for the time being to have "not gotten the score" and texts you with the question, "Y'all Win?" The beauty of this is that I know full well he checks the South Carolina scores on his iPhone and keeps up with the Gamecock games to the minute. So getting a text from him two hours after the game that says, "Y'all win?" is like him saying to me, "I know you guys lost, but I am willing to be a complete jack-leg just to make you laugh."

If you are reading this and judging him for his jerkiness, I suggest you try it the next time Clemson loses and test how good it makes you feel. Maybe after the ACC Championship game. Wait about an hour or two after the results are in and then text your best Clemson friend with two simple words... "Y'all Win?" Thank me later.

I recently wrote an article for GamecockCentral.com discussing whether or not I hated Clemson enough. During that article I explained how I gathered my research using the email-list I was a part of during football season that included South Carolina supporters and Clemson supporters. I quoted that email list's responses several times in that article. It can be found at GamecockCentral.com.

Below are numerous email responses that didn't make it into the final article but are still very entertaining. Think of this article sort of like the DVD-extras on a movie-dvd. These are the "deleted scenes" or "bonus features."

These emails are all valid comments made in the email thread. I did not embellish or make up any comments to make Clemson look bad. Anything that makes a team look bad was truthfully said via email by that Gamecock or Tiger supporter. All I did was pose questions to the group for the purpose of publishing my story. Below are comments that didn't make it into the story, but I thought were worth posting to my blog.

(Before getting lost in this long post make sure to check out the famous "Y'all Win?" Text Message article here too.)

Why do you hate Clemson (or Carolina) ?

From a Carolina Supporter:
I hate Clemson because they are orange and smell like a mixture of gun-powder and Redman spittoons.

From Carolina supporter:
My hatred of Clemson is based on three things:
1. Clemson fans I know that are complete jerks.
2. Clemson fans I don't know that are complete jerks.
3. Clemson fans that will be born in the future and grow up to be complete jerks.



Marty's question to the group:
So if someone is taught by their parents the same in-born hatred of Carolina (as you have been taught to hate Clemson), and goes through life never changing that opinion, and thinks of you as less of a person for your love of Carolina ---- which one of you is wrong?

And to a larger point -- does this mean that half the people in the world are indeed less of a person for liking the wrong team in the mix? Is it the Michigan fans or the Ohio State fans that are less of a person for liking their team? I have already concluded it's the Auburn fans that are less of a person in that one.

Carolina supporter's response:
Neither. It's called a rivalry. I actually think less of those Clemson fans (and Carolina fans for that matter) that pull for the other school when they're not playing each other. It's a rivalry - hate each other dangit. It's not right vs. wrong. It's sports. It's not abortion or atheism. We all have our opinions, our backgrounds, our allegiances. Each of us can pull for, or hate, whoever we want to and I reserve my right to hate Clemson and everything orange.

I hate Clemson

(Noteworthy: This person signs all their emails with "I hate Clemson" even if those emails are not about football.)

Marty's Follow-Up Question:
So what about Wingo's dad? He's a traitor?

Carolina supporter's response (same guy as response above):
Yes!

Another response from someone else in the email thread about Wingo's dad:
I'm fine with Scott Wingo playing for Carolina. Leggett didnt recruit him. What I'm not fine with is Wingo's mom being all "They wanted him" on a Nationally Televised Interview spitting in Clemson's face. Yes, we didnt want your son and he's a good player. Clemson probably made a mistake but don't be talking crap so you can get pats on the back at Fountain Inn Baptist Church and at your local Fatz Cafe on Half Off Wings Night.



New Question From Marty
Would you say it's reasonable to assume, that as a child, you also thought that anyone that disagreed with you for hating Clemson was somehow less of a person?"

Carolina supporter's response:
I've never found any good reason NOT to hate Clemson. Yes, certainly less of a person. Not just sports, though mainly sports. I did have friends growing up that hated Carolina and loved Clemson, and yes, I do think less of them for that fact alone.


Question From Marty:
Why do Clemson folks act like they have had TOTAL DOMINATION over the years when the truth of the matter is Clemson has really only won about 2 for every 1 of Carolina's wins. USC is 35% or so over the last 100 years. That's not total domination like UT has over Vanderbilt. Clemson does have the upper-hand historically, but not total domination.

Clemson fan's response:
I will not sugarcoat it. These past 2 butt kickings have been beyond awful and unbearable. It feels like it's been 10 years since Clemson beat South Carolina. There is no rationalizing out of this total suckfest. And if I am around in 40 years and South Carolina has gone on a 28-12 run and I am saying things like "well at least it hasn't been 29 out 30", just end it for me. I will clearly have lost it.



New Question From Marty:
Do you hate the FANS of the rival more than the actual TEAM/Players/Coaches/School etc...?

Carolina supporter's response:
Kind of a mixed reaction here. I hated Danny Ford. I hated Tommy. Dabo is just annoying. I've never hated a Clemson player I don't think. I loved Jad Dean. It's hard to "hate" a college kid who's just out there playing ball. So, I guess it's just the fans. And it's not personal, it's just sports. But the disdain is real. Really real.

Carolina supporter #2's Response to the Same question:
I hated Reggie Bush, Scam Newton and Matt Leinert - because they were tools and got away with murder and they were just smug.

I actually was happy for Gaines Adams getting a big pay day and I pulled for him in the NFL before he died. I'd like to think most Clemson fans felt the same about Kenny Mckinley when he turned pro - then were genuinely sad when he died. This is because I liked the actual players. I think that clemson fans also probably would pull for Lattimore in the NFL because he's just a good guy.

I'm also sure clemson fans hated Tanneyhill and rightly so.

Clemson supporter #2's response to the same question:
I've actually got a story where I was treated poorly by a Carolina fan who was just plain angry about the score. I didn't do anything to him, yet he thought I did and tried to have me arrested. It was other Carolina fans who talked to the cops and convinced them I didn't do anything wrong. True story. End of story was Fletcher Anderson kicking our 63rd point.


New Question From Marty:
When is your first memory of losing to either Carolina or Clemson?

Clemson supporter's response:
1992 was my first real memory of Clemson losing to USC. I was 11 years old & I didn't think it was possible before that. My world was shattered. Then my uncle shows up at Thanksgiving in the Taneyhill fake pony tail dirt-neck hat. We still aren't on speaking terms.

Marty's comment back to this response:
Just to be clear.... Taneyhill hair is bad... Watkins hair is good?



Other Generally Funny Comments Made in the Email Thread

From Clemson Guy: (after the NC State game)
South Carolina will pillage Clemson. I will be there to witness.

From Clemson Guy:
Clemson also lost to Cremins in bball tonight. Dumpster fire on all fronts. Btw I am on the way to Clemson and am going to egg the ever living crap out of Tajh's house.






After the NC State Loss from a Clemson guy:
Here’s what’s going to happen:

USC’s front will DESTROY our OL, absolutely destroy. You’ll be able to drop everyone else back and do enough to disrupt routes. Taj will try to make something happen but be over aggressive and have 3 Ints (maybe one for 6)

Shaw will rush the ball for 106 yards and a score (see Maryland) he’ll also have two score’s through the air, One to Ace on a deep ball and one in the corner to Jeffrey.

The Blythewood kid will rush the ball 22 times for 125 and a score.

Final will be 28-3.

I am very confident in the coaches from the other side formulating a game plan (and working successfully) and have no confidence in our coaches formulating a game plan (see GT (Steele), see Maryland (Steele), See Wake (Steele, Morris), See NC State (Dabo (if you can call him a coach) (Morris) (this is one game I’ll give steele a pass bc our offense sucked a nasty one).

After this…Jonathon Bullard commits to USC. Marshall goes to ND. Gurley commits to GA. We go home to prepare for the ACC championship…get manhandled by VT…Dabo looks confused. And we go to Nashville for the Music City Bowl…




From a Carolina Guy:
I’ve thought about doing this on every South Carolina game where the line is less than a touchdown. I’ve never gambled money on a game and I have no idea how to do it (perhaps one of you could send a tutorial).

But I’ve often thought – hey, this is a game that I really want to win. I’ll bet 50 bucks that we won’t win, and if I’m right – at least I make some money – and if I’m wrong the gamecocks win and I’m glad to see that 50 bucks leave. The classic ‘hedge your bets’ scenario. Am I the only one?



From a Carolina Guy the Sunday after the NC State game:
So, this church my wife and I have been going to has a pastor who is a Clemson fan. Every week since football season started he has said something in his sermon about Clemson winning (and usually something about Carolina losing or almost losing), which I think is kind of annoying, but not a big deal. We were out of town the weekend of the GT game, so I don't know what he had to say about that. Yesterday, he got up and gave his sermon and didn't say anything at all about the game. I wanted to go up during the "response time" and tell him that he was remiss in not doing so, but I decided to stick with communion. But if you are going to talk smack to your congregation (which might just alienate half of them), you've got to be fair about it, don't you?




My response (Marty's response) to the question asked of the group, "Who makes a better Civil War General, Spurrier, Dabo, or Saban?"

Spurrier on why his troops lost the battle:
"We're just not that good a troop right now. We make stupid mistakes. Guess I gotta do a better job trainin' 'em up."

Dabo on why his troops lost the battle:
"Must not have been God's plan for us to win this bleeping thing... bleep! Whooooaaa!! I love my troops and I'll fight for 'em till they all are dead. Amen. (wipes a tear.)"

Sabon on why his troops lost the battle:
"Don't bleepin' talk to me right now, I got some butts to cut."


From a Carolina Guy:
My sister-in-law went to Clemson and graduated in 09. We try not to talk about her much. She and her boyfriend came over to our house for dinner last night along with the rest of my wife's family. He had on a Clemson hat when he walked in the door and immediately realized his mistake and threw it in the corner. As I was turning out the lights later I noticed he'd left it in the corner. I shot him a text that I'll give the hat quarter until sundown today. If it's still in my house at that time I'm going to burn it in my front yard. I don't even want it seen in my trash. Yes, I secretly hope he forgets it today.

I hate Clemson.


To all the Clemson fans that keep telling me that you guys never bad-mouth your own here is one response in the email thread after the Georgia Tech loss.
From Clemson supporter in email:
Steele sucks & I hate him. He will never beat Georgia Tech as long as he coaches.



On the topic of 30 Conference Championships AND 30 Losses to Clemson or vice versa.

From a Clemson supporter:
Best possible scenario for USC is for Clemson to be 0-12 every year. And vice versa. This cannot be disputed. That's not hate, that's just logic. That being said, there has never once been a second of my life that I did not hate with every fiber of my being the Raging Toilet Bowl Fire that is the University of South Carolina.


From Carolina supporter:
If we curb stomp Clemson and so does everyone else every year we get our pick of the best recruits in the state rather than split an already small state with another competitive school. So, it's not just hating Clemson, I mean that's part of it, but it's wanting there to be only one real choice to stay in state and play major college football... if in fact the ACC is "major."

From a Carolina Supporter:
If Clemson lost every game ever played from now till the end of time - All would be well. I will probably never go back up to Clemson for a game because I get physically Ill - I just do - I hate that place. While I wouldn't want to harm anyone - I wouldn't mind if that whole place burned to the ground.

From Carolina supporter discussing whether or not he wants Clemson to beat NC State and be ranked fifth playing USC:
Nope. Best thing is for Clemson to lose Saturday. And then lose to USC. And then lose in the ACC Championship game. And then to lose bowl game. And then to go 0-12. And then repeat this process for fifty years!

From a Clemson supporter before The Citadel game:
I don't care what USC is ranked when we play. Tomorrow, I want The Citadel to walk into that pathetic excuse of an adandoned crack whorehouse of a stadium, score 70, leave the entire football team in stretchers, then go into the stands and begin pillaging the fans.


From a Clemson Supporter during the second quarter of the NC State game:
My son is wearing a clemson shirt. He is still in diapers. Somehow the diaper didn't stop him from exploding his boopy all over his shirt. Maybe he understands what is happening to the Tigers right now. I am taking a picture of this and sending it to Steele.



From Clemson supporter near the end of the NC State game:
Anyone that thinks Clemson has any shot whatsoever against South Carolina is a raging idiot. I have never be more sure of anything. But the San Fran Bowl opponent better watch out.

Feel free to continue the discussion below!

Go Cocks!

This is my weekly Big-Play Breakdown for GamecockCentral.com for the Tennessee game. (Click here to read it on their website.)



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If Notre Dame has the luck of the Irish, then the Gamecocks have the fate of Odysseus. Often while traveling I will get asked, "Isn't pulling for the Gamecocks sad?" I always respond the same way. "No! Pulling for the Gamecocks is not sad, it's tragic."

There's a huge difference.

You see, pulling for Rutgers or Tulane is sad. The Gamecocks, on the other hand, always make their heroic rise to good fortune and give everyone hope that something great will happen. Then those same hopes and dreams are dashed by some cosmic outer force that is seemingly uncontrollable.

This year that would be the loss of Stephen Garcia, the loss of Kyle Nunn, and most devastating of all, the injury to Marcus Lattimore. Their response to that "fate," if you will, will determine their success or failure. In the past, they have usually brought about their own downfall. But this year's team is different.

What Homer would call fate, and what the Gamecock fans would call the chicken curse, this year's team calls bull malarkey!

The 2011 Gamecocks have quietly worked their way back into the top 10 in the polls after an early fall from grace delivered by their Achilles' heel, Auburn. No national media outlet has given these Gamecocks a chance. They have all ignored the fact that Arkansas was lucky to beat Vanderbilt and Ole Miss in back-to-back weeks, and in their usual biased, ridiculously incompetent ways, have all picked Arkansas to roll past the Gamecocks with ease.

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This is my weekly Big-Play Breakdown for GamecockCentral.com for the Tennessee game. (Click here to read it on their website.)






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It turns out the $10 I bid on a Fantasy Camp Training Week with SEC Football Officials paid off. That's right, I got to spend a "week in training" with the referees of the SEC. Oh boy!

I kept a journal of my experience, sort of a "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," except mine is called...

Diary of a Mad Black and Garnet Place-Kicker

Day 1: Check-In and Registration


As soon as I indicated I was from South Carolina, I was promptly told to wait in the back of the line with guys from Vanderbilt and Kentucky. They said they were getting Alabama, Florida and LSU checked in first.

I said, "Can't I register before the Ole Miss or Mississippi State guys?" The head of officials just shook his head and pointed to the back of the line.

At the welcome meeting the emcee had everyone from Alabama stand up and made us all applaud for them. Then he said, "And the rest of you, thanks for coming."

Day 2: Officiating 101: How to Throw the Flag

This morning we had a great speaker discuss in complete detail the fundamentals of how to make a call.

First rule of SEC officiating is to know the teams' records of the game we are calling. If we think there is a foul on a team, we reach for our flag and grab it, and have it "ready" to throw. Then we assess whether the team we are calling the foul against is undefeated, and if so, we wait two seconds.

During this two-second pause, we must decide beyond all fear of contradiction if this penalty would jeopardize the team's chances of playing for the BCS title. If we are in doubt, ... (Click here to read the rest on GC website.)



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After watching Clemson play Maryland, here is my complete, in-depth analysis of the upcoming South Carolina versus Clemson game (in a few weeks.)

If South Carolina voluntarily kicks the ball to Sammy Watkins,
I will never forgive the coaches and I will never pay for another game ticket - ever.

If South Carolina is obviously kicking the ball away from Watkins but he somehow still gets it, I will forgive the coaches, and will spend the following ten to twenty years praying for the constitution to attend another game at some point.

If we lose in a hard fought game in which we never kick the ball to Sammy Watkins, and it is obvious that we are actively trying to NOT kick it to Sammy Watkins, I will continue to support everything the University does whole-heartedly.

If South Carolina accidentally kicks the ball to Sammy Watkins, it won't matter what I decide about attending a future game because my head will have exploded.

But, PLEASE, Coaches, swallow your pride and don't kick the ball to Sammy Watkins.

I don't care how athletic you think our guys are. I don't care how we "should be able to make that tackle." (See C.J. Spiller 2009, Rocket vs Colorado 1990 [I know it was called back but still!], or SAMMY WATKINS vs Maryland 2011!)

I would like to clarify something that has been brought to my attention about this blog post sounding, "scared." I am not scared of Sammy Watkins. I simply want to have our Gamecocks be in the best position possible to win the game using all the strategy at our disposal.

Another way to look at this would be like this:

If we played the entire game and Clemson chose to NOT ever get the ball to Watkins we would all say,

"Wow, they were SO STUPID."

Right?

Well, if we WILLINGLY give it to him, what does that make us?

I think if we don't kick it to him, it makes us "NOT STUPID" as opposed to "scared."

Please click the like button below if you agree!




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This is my weekly Big-Play Breakdown for GamecockCentral.com for the Mississippi State game. (Click here to read it on their website.)


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The football program's state right now is not what some fans would have hoped for at this point in the season. We just lost a fifth-year senior quarterback after losing to a completely sub-par opponent in Auburn. However, I am here to say that the football program is in much better shape than it could be had events 20 some odd years ago turned out differently. But before I outline all of that I have something else to say.



I am officially banning one "commenter" from my blog website. It has been a few months coming now, but I felt like this was the right week to do it.

This has been weighing on my chest, and I'm getting it off my chest right here today.

As all of you know I've got a negative guy over here who tries to hurt my personal blog website. He's got a right to do that. The criticism he shows me is okay. I don't mind that. I just don't like comments that are posted to my blog about me or my career that aren't true.

That's the only thing I take exception to from a dedicated blog reader... is when they write stuff that isn't true.

In 3 years as a blogger, I've had two comment-posters that I have had to disassociate with. The first had a handle name of "Grammar_Cock" and kept incessantly posting comments pointing out all of my split infinitives. When I realized "Grammar_Cock" was my mom, an English teacher of 25 years, I got her to start sending me private emails instead.

The other comment-poster that I am banning from my website will go unnamed in this article, but he is over there (I am pointing to my left.)

(Before concluding anything from this "teaser" make sure to read the entire article over at GamecockCentral.com by clicking the picture of their logo below.)




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This is my weekly Big-Play Breakdown for GamecockCentral.com for the Kentucky game. (Click here to read it on their website.)


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