Tuesday Grab Bag: I got a fever, and the only prescription is the start of football.

With disgusting amounts of fluids flowing out of my body yesterday, I thought it best to seal myself off from the world.  While I may not be completely healthy yet, I can't stay away forever.  Good thing, 'cause there's a lot of goings on to discuss this fine morning.

Today in the bag I'll discuss the seemingly imminent move by A&M to the SEC that still hasn't happened, the eerily positive Buffs camp, and a gentle giant punching his ticket to the hall of fame.

Click below for today's bag...




Texas A&M still in Big XII... for now - I have never seen a group so antsy to leave a seemingly good situation in my life.  Aggie Nation is acting like a kid holding back a piss as they wait to see if they'll actually be able to leave the UT dominated Big XII landscape for the seemingly greener pastures of the SEC.  While the SEC hasn't extended an invite to A&M just yet, I'm all but convinced that it's a done deal sometime in the foreseeable future.

Once the SEC figures out who that 14th team will be (and it won't be FSU, Clemson, or Georgia Tech) then A&M is as good as gone.  If that 14th team is Missouri, then the Big XII is as good as dead.  That sure as hell didn't take long.

No one doubts that the Big XII isn't long for this world.  As if the mere presence of the Longhorn Network wasn't bad enough, the 'Horns went and put independent status language in the network contract with ESPN, all but thumbing their nose at the 9 hangers-on who remained on Dan Beebe's magical ride through HubrisLand.  The conference was doomed to failure the moment CU and Nebraska began inching towards the door (not that CU and the Nubs are so special, just that they acted like the canaries in a mine shaft).  I'm only surprised that last call has come upon us so quickly.


Would A&M actually be better served in the SEC? - I honestly don't think so.  In the shrinking Big XII pond, while UT certainly dominates the financial landscape, the Aggies are still a pretty big fish.  Should they end up in the SEC, the Aggies would just be another pretty good football school, roughly on par with colorimetric brother Mississippi State or South Carolina.  Does anyone, even Aggie fans, really expect A&M to move into the SEC West and start pushing around the LSU's and Alabama's of the world?  While a SEC move would be a bump in conference prestige, I believe the Aggies would just become lost in the SEC shuffle.  The sad thing is that wouldn't necessarily be any different from their current position in the Big XII, where, outside of a seemingly random 1st place tie last season, they haven't come close to a divisional title in the past decade.

Is playing second fiddle to UT so intolerable to A&M?  I had always perceived UT to be the dominant school in the Lone Star state, both academically and athletically, so the reaction in Aggieland to the financial realities inherent to the creation of the Longhorn Network is a little off-putting.  Did they not realize that this was possible?  Additionally, that one of the most conservative schools in the nation is running around whining about the unjust nature of a capitalistic money-grab, and even going so far as to pine for economic equality, is hypocritically delicious.


Fall practice is winding down - Only 2 1/2 weeks remain until the opener in Hawaii.  The Buffs made it through the first scrimmage without injuring themselves, and even find recently injured players such as Parker Orms and Chidera Uzo-Diribe back on the field.  Hell, the coaches even seem to be finding a way to see through the mess at cornerback to find a contingent of starters.  Whether it be news that the walk-on QB from Kansas City might actually be sorta good, positive reports from the D-Line, or glowing reviews of offensive stars Paul Richardson and Speedy Stewart, the fact of the matter is that news out of camp has been mostly positive (*knocking on wood repeatedly*).

The play in camp has been aggressive, but so far the Buffs have avoided any major setbacks.  From the BDC.

This seemingly endless string of good news, or lack of bad news as the case may be, has me starting to believe that this team may actually be something.  I had previously assumed that 5 wins was the ceiling for this fall.  Maybe I was wrong and the '11 Buffs can actually compete for a winning record and a bowl trip for the first time since '07.

Then I look at the schedule again, and reality slaps me in the face.  Still, the season should be interesting.


Jim Thome knocks out #600 - The gentleman masher Jim Thome cranked out career home run #600 last night, all but ensuring his eventual enshrinement in Cooperstown.  He became only the 8th player ever to reach that milestone.  He may not have ever been the best at his position, and he may never have even been the most feared part of the lineup in any of his 5 team, but he was consistently a powerful producer.  Sure, he compiled his stats during the cynical time of the steroid era, but I would challenge you to find anyone who would attempt to pin an asterisk on any of the big guy's 600 bombs.

Kudos to the Big Man.  He's done Central Illinois proud.

I couldn't be happier for the guy, and I eagerly await his placement in the Hall of Fame.  Congrats, Jim!


Happy Monday Tuesday!