Monday Sports Talk...

Here are a few Sports stories to get your week off to a good start.....

Here is a "feel good story"...An 83-year-old becomes oldest professional ballplayer, check out story here. This story gives all of us hope that one day we can make it. Also should give Jarod Reed more hope that one day his glory in the pee wee football leagues, the tape everyone has seen, can someday be given the opportunity to prove himself even if he has to wait until he is 83 yrs old. Look out panthers...

The ACC is expected to announce a new bowl order, since BC got the shaft last year the ACC is looking to make things a little better. Read more here. This change makes sense.

I looked over the "post-Spring" rankings the other day since college football is 38 days away. It was interesting to see Clemson ranked number 11, to there credit they did finish the 2005 campaign at number 21. So will this be the year of the tiger or just anther "what could have been" story from the CU faithful. I must say that Tommy Bowden has all the pieces of the puzzle in place (recruits, upper classmen, favorable schedule, new seats in the stadium) for this year and if he can not win big this year (better than the 8-4, 7-5, 6-5 season records of the past) it may be time for Klempson to re-think their coaching staff and find some money to do a little 'buy out.' If CU wants to win the ACC which it has not done in 15 years then they may need a new coach to get it done. Rankings can be seen here.

Lastly, Allow me to mention a few of the Gamecock successes over the past year (from USC Athletics Dept.):

---South Carolina was the only school in the Southeastern Conference and just one of 11 schools in the country to have its football team play in a bowl game, have both its men's and women's basketball teams compete in post-season play and have its baseball team advance to the NCAA Regionals.
---The equestrian team captured the national hunt seat crown, its second consecutive national title.
---Our men's soccer team won the conference championship and automatically qualified for the NCAA post-season, while both our men's and women's tennis and golf teams advanced to NCAA post-season play.
---The baseball team has advanced to the Super Regionals six of the past seven years, one of only three schools in the nation to do so.
---Our men's basketball squad became the first team since 1944 to win back-to-back NIT championships.

Until next time and please let's here those comments...