tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:35:07 +0000http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/index.htmnoreply@blogger.com (Brian Shoemaker)Blogger511125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-8930817400949610083Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:59:00 +00002010-04-30T08:35:07.503-04:00Paul Finebaum is one of the most prominent, controversial figures in Alabama. And that's quite an accomplishment these days for a guy who works at a newspaper.He can be a real, uh, rear end, and I have the personal experience to verify it.Quick story:In December of 2002, Dennis Franchione basically left Alabama in the middle of the night for a job at Texas A&M.Crimson Tide fans were enraged. And http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/texas-and-sec-some-history.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-2104182730788333272Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:11:00 +00002010-04-30T08:29:56.647-04:00The NFL has a great database detailing its draft history, creating the opportunity to dig into various trends and statistics.We did a lot of that last week, and even though the draft is long gone we'll touch on some more stuff to lead today's blog.I was interested to know how Clemson fared position-by-position in the last 11 drafts.Defensive line racked up the most draftees, with eight players http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/some-clemson-draft-leftovers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-6036963983133741699Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:29:00 +00002010-04-28T09:33:51.845-04:00If you blink, you risk missing the addition of another bowl game. So it's probably forgivable that the latest additions flew under the radar of our large, highly-trained blog staff.So now we're up to 35 bowl games, and the latest two are the Dallas Football Classic and the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.Love Noo Yawk and all, but how much interest is a Dec. 30 bowl game in the Bronx going to generate? http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/bowling-in-bronx.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-2598048504510112558Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:49:00 +00002010-04-28T09:33:27.627-04:00The sports world basically stops for three days as everyone breathlessly analyzes seven rounds worth of draft picks. Now we begin the months-long wait to see if these guys can actually play.The NFL's process for talent acquisition isn't nearly as inexact a science as college football's process, but it's still a crap shoot in a lot of ways.But just like the obsession with recruiting, the obsessionhttp://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/draft-hangover.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-7674956963342321679Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:34:00 +00002010-04-26T09:26:05.558-04:00Was talking with NFL Draft guru Mike Detillier the other day when the topic of Clemson's offensive line drought in the draft came up.Detillier has some crazy knowledge and recall, and he knew off the top of his head how long it's been since the Tigers had an offensive lineman taken in the first three rounds."Joe Bostic, 1979," he said. "Amazing, isn't it?"Amazing indeed.We've covered this topic http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/ol-draft-drought.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-2179514157433643059Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:31:00 +00002010-04-26T09:25:45.011-04:00When C.J. Spiller is selected tonight in the first round of the NFL Draft, it'll break a dubious drought for the ACC.The last ACC running back to be taken in the first round? Thomas Jones of Virginia, in 2000.That's a long, long time. And it illustrates one of the main areas where the ACC has lagged behind the powerful SEC.In recent years, the ACC has more than held its own with the SEC in http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/inside-draft-skill-sets.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-6320553524278335766Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:32:00 +00002010-04-22T09:05:20.947-04:00We're gonna spend the next three mornings writing some draft-centric blogs, but we're not going to insult your intelligence by pretending we know what we're talking about regarding this year's draft.Honestly, I have no clue and will defer to the experts. So if you want mock drafts and the like, you can consult Mel Kiper, Todd McShay or Ryan Bartow.There are some interesting historical draft http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/inside-draft-part-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-9013527976871141706Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:21:00 +00002010-04-21T14:03:00.706-04:00This expansion stuff has a Wild Wild West feel to it.(No, I wasn't just looking for an excuse to post another picture from the movie "Tombstone." But I'm constantly looking for opportunities, and expansion talk provides a nice opening for the analogy.)Dennis Dodd of CBS Sportsline is doing a really nice job of tackling the topic, and it helps make up for his woefully inaccurate reporting on Tubbyhttp://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/expansion-buzz.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-3327228770065491813Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:23:00 +00002010-04-21T14:02:38.879-04:00Never too early to talk about football, is it?Didn't think so.Auburn played its spring game over the weekend, and get this:Attendance at Jordan-Hare Stadium was 63,217.That's a monstrous crowd, and the number should hold some amusing relevance for you folks.The big story for those Tigers is QB Cameron Newton (pictured), who apparently has all but wrapped up the starting job.This columnist says http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/look-at-auburn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-2633876063809776151Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:25:00 +00002010-04-20T09:18:25.812-04:00The following question might be insignificant to some, because I'm not sure how many of you care about women's basketball.But as I read this colorful column by Bart Wright on Itoro Coleman, I wondered:Has Clemson ever had three coaches who were cut from the same emotional cloth as Dabo Swinney, Brad Brownell and Coleman?Check out this passage from Wright's column:You want passion in your http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/cut-from-same-cloth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-7759628827066116938Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:42:00 +00002010-04-19T09:57:54.248-04:00There is this thing called football, and rumor is some of you might care about it.We've been sidetracked with that basketball thing since Oliver Purnell decided to leave for DePaul, so today we'll play a little catchup on football stuff you might've missed.One of the most intriguing spring story lines was Jimbo Fisher's first spring in charge of Florida State.Here's an update on Christian Ponder,http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/playing-catchup.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-8285808920971039244Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:25:00 +00002010-04-14T08:42:54.077-04:00If you’re a Clemson fan and you witnessed Brad Brownell’s introductory press conference in person or through other means, the guess here is that you walked away thinking all is right with the Tigers’ basketball world for now.The point of this is not to say that by "winning" the press conference (whatever that means) Brownell is destined to guide Clemson even higher than Oliver Purnell managed to http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/brownell-brings-closure.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-1774237503459051392Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:57:00 +00002010-04-14T08:42:06.013-04:00The above image is a picture of Oliver Purnell rappelling into Littlejohn Coliseum last year for the annual "Rock The John" festivities.Wonder if he saved his grappling hook and is going to do the special-forces thing when he returns to his (former) office to get his stuff?Doubt he'd do that. He's always been a classy guy, so you'd think he'd properly address his former teammates and coaches the http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/man-on-mission.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-7317977411408948664Tue, 06 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +00002010-04-14T08:41:47.685-04:00A little less than a year ago, I had a lengthy, pleasant conversation with Oliver Purnell in his office.We discussed a cross-section of topics, including his happiness at Clemson.Very convincingly, he said he was content here. He and his wife loved the area, loved the people, loved living on Lake Keowee.More important, he said there was sufficient commitment from an administration that had poniedhttp://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/ops-disappearing-act.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-1386446904450645972Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:59:00 +00002010-04-14T08:41:24.176-04:00I don't know where I'll be today at 1:30, or 2, or whenever Tiger Woods takes the podium at Augusta National for his ballyhooed press conference.Woods' first three media appearances to respond to his escapades have been tightly-controlled affairs that didn't allow the masses to ask questions (with the exception of six-minute segments with a dude from ESPN and a chick from the Golf Channel).So http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/boycotting-madness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-1281514427046075568Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:46:00 +00002010-04-05T09:40:42.978-04:00So you might've heard that the NCAA Tournament is on the verge of expanding to 96 teams, a decision that ranks right up there with New Coke in the 80's.I've made my position on this clear: Don't mess with an exquisitely good thing.But man, just how awful are the pre-conference schedules gonna be now? They're already pretty bad. But now, with almost zero incentive to make an impression on the NCAAhttp://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/beating-dead-horse-and-links.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-2470089614077413177Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:47:00 +00002010-04-02T10:02:15.056-04:00At least once a season, you can count on Jack Leggett immediately following a game by calling his players into the locker room and delivering a lengthy, stern tongue-lashing.He did it after last night's extra-inning loss to Coastal Carolina, and I'm thinking it was a first on the season.I'm also thinking it was well-deserved, and possibly overdue.So that's five of six losses now, and this is a http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/04/baseball-unraveling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-6992381331392801734Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:01:00 +00002010-04-02T10:01:53.408-04:00One of the cool things about Paul Johnson is that he doesn't give a darn who watches his practices.Some folks would say it's yet another example of his arrogance, and you could make that case. But you have to admit his approach is pretty neat in the age of paranoia from coaches regarding every little detail that seeps out of their practices.It's also good for intelligence purposes, because you http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/03/paul-johnson-goes-conventional-sort-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-7350442208498901924Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:32:00 +00002010-04-01T08:55:28.164-04:00Two quick anecdotes:1) My friend Ken Burger, former sports columnist at The Post and Courier in Charleston, once wrote the following immortal words about women's basketball:I love women.I love basketball.But I hate women's basketball.2) A few weeks ago, upon hearing Cristy McKinney resigned (was forced out), I texted a friend who passionately follows Clemson sports to tell him the news.His http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/03/righting-wrong.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-96401079007518893Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:42:00 +00002010-03-31T08:55:39.681-04:00I have some doubts that Mike Krzyzewski is on Tigerillustrated this morning, repeatedly refreshing the West End Zone message board to see if I'm eating some crow in the wake of his team's trip to the Final Four.Krzyzewski probably doesn't know who I am (actually, he definitely doesn't know who I am).But the criticisms I've leveled against him and his program the past two years or so are pretty http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/03/theyre-back.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-5245826656008269232Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:08:00 +00002010-03-29T09:17:27.473-04:00Apparently Paul Blewitt's daughter has some serious clout.Blewitt, if you believe the reports out of New York, was all set to take the St. John's job.Then he returned home and ...Paul Hewitt walked in the door Tuesday night after meeting with the athletics director from St. John's and got "the look" from his oldest daughter.The look that said, "don't you even think of moving us to New York."You http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/03/blewitt-stays-and-other-friday-links.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-773491533770190831Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:36:00 +00002010-03-26T08:41:33.068-04:00Whenever Clemson squanders a big lead and loses, a colleague in the region (who shall remain nameless) calls or texts and says some variation of the following:"Leave it to Oliver Purnell to give up a (insert deficit squandered here)-point lead."As we discussed yesterday, and have discussed plenty before, the Tigers have squandered some huge leads in the last few years. I don't need to recount http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/03/in-all-fairness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-7011049540134016889Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:55:00 +00002010-03-26T08:40:58.823-04:00Good column today by Ron Morris, who explores whether the pressing, running philosophies of Oliver Purnell and Darrin Horn end up being more hindrance than help late in the season.The supposition with this criticism is that players are too worn down by that time, and Purnell doesn't agree with that."One of the toughest things you face sometimes is kids reading so much about being tired and worn http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/03/freedom-of-full-court-press.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-4187391974496347270Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:47:00 +00002010-03-24T09:22:06.084-04:00Above is a photo of your intrepid correspondent covering yesterday's football practice.Well, not really. But it was pretty darn cold. Cold enough for me to be thankful that my back seat, a disaster area featuring about two years' worth of junk, included an extra jacket (thanks ACC!) and a toboggan (thanks Reserve on Lake Keowee--wait, I actually paid money for that).Jotting down practice http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/03/few-practice-observations.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141084364198193729.post-548320420248550672Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:10:00 +00002010-03-24T09:21:45.771-04:00This is where the monkey-on-the-back thing takes on a life of its own.For a while, Oliver Purnell tended to downplay his lack of success in the NCAA Tournament.Losing to Villanova two years ago was no great sin (the Wildcats ended up being pretty good last year, by the way).And though last year's defeat to Michigan was embarrassing because of Terrence Oglesby acting like a big baby, you could http://larry.tigerillustrated.com/2010/03/basketball-postmortem.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LW)