The Game Is On

It is being reported by USC that Garcia is returning to the gamecock football team and will join the rest of the team on friday for first preseason practice.

Thoughts? Garcia is our willie korn and is going to be the 'great white hope.". From this moment forward USC football will never be the same and the point that we all remember as the turning point. Not saying SEC champs this year but USC will be the SEC Champs by the time Garcia graduates.
Question is will beecher still be the starter for the NCSU game? I can see him starting but garcia will get majority of snaps.....

Did anyone see this???!!!

"Caught On Tape": Video of a New York City policeman striking an unprovoked bicyclist is raising concerns about police brutality. The officer has since been placed on desk duty.

Wow!!! This is ridiculous.

http://video.aol.com/partner/cbs/cop-strikes-bicyclist-on-tape/_NdLc10z7j1zqReaiXrDFk6RzTHMCefs?icid=100214839x1206833815x1200362304

Fulmer cup favorite

I saw this story on Gamecockcentral and figured I would share it with the LOHD. I have never been to Charlottesville, VA so I don't know how true this is.

UVA Junior offensive lineman Will Barker and redshirt freshman lineman Dave Roberts were picked up at Club 216 on Water Street at 3:45 Saturday morning. Police say both men admitted to stealing beer from a cooler at the nightclub. Both face larceny charges. Roberts, who is 19 years old, is also charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol and with using a fake ID

"Wait...it get worst..."Club 216 is "Charlottesville, Virginia's only gay and lesbian bar and dance club.""

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

2009 EASPORTS NCAA Gamecock Football

Calling out Clemson

Spurrier referenced two Clemson internet writers yesterday in his news conference, saying after a gamecock player gets in trouble with the law, they forward the reports to recruits thru out the state. He was referring to Cris Ard, the publisher of TigerIllustrated.com, and Roy Philpott, publisher of CUTigers.com. When asked about the allegations yesterday, both denied any involvement. Spurrier opened a news conference by pointing out that marijuana possession charges against Dion LeCorn were dropped on Monday. Ard and Philpott will probably forget to forward this story to all the instate recruits.

LOHD's Hidden Gem on Offense

LOHD is going to share with you who we feel is the "hidden gem" on offense in 2008.


First, let's take a quick glance at what we got on offense.
Whoever the quarterback is will have wide receiver Kenny McKinley to look for down the field. McKinley compiled 968 yards and 9 touchdowns on a school record 77 catches last season and has a good shot at breaking every South Carolina receiving record this season. He didn't participate in the Gamecocks' spring game, but is expected to return in time for fall practices. Dion Lecorn will also return at receiver as the Gamecocks look for more consistency from their offensive line, which returns three starters. Senior tailback Mike Davis, who rushed for 518 yards and 5 touchdowns last season, will probably get the go-ahead at tailback in replacement of Boyd. The running game was ranked No. 101 in the nation last season with an average of 113. 7 yards per game, while the passing offense ranked No. 37 at 258. 2 yards per game. We know the two weapons at TE so who does LOHD think is the sleeper impact player on offense?

By now you are saying...get to the point...well here is who we think will be a "hidden gem" in 08 -

Eric Baker.......Baker, in 2007, was at Fork Union Military Academy where he played on both sides of the ball... rushed for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns despite battling an ankle injury... a four-star prospect, was considered the eighth-best prep schooler in the nation by Rivals.com. Check out these two videos - 1 and 2.

Look for Baker to emerge as the season progresses. I know he could face a redshirt but we are holding out hope for him. And Yes Maddox, Davis and Wallace are good backs but look for Baker to add that much needed spark on offense. Heck give him a screen pass and let him work some magic.

Cocktail's drink of the week

Foothills Hoppyum IPA

It pleases me very much that Columbia now has a market for great beer. Back in my CU days, I was surrounded by great microbreweries and was introduced to a huge variety of brews at a young age. Boulder breweries are on every corner and a large majority of restaurants have their own breweries as well. 10 years ago, Columbia had the brewery/restaurant Hop's, which was okay, but now the typical microbrewery has shifted gears and distribution is as much a part of business as a macrobrew. Meaning we don't have to go to the brewery, the brewery can come to us. Beer gardens, tap rooms and mega chains such as Flying Saucer have introduced the typical Bud Light supply and demand towns to great beers from all over the US and world. Alcohol distribution chains like Green's, Total Wine and McDougal's have spread and allow the consumer to purchase beers that we could otherwise only get on vacation.

Here's one to try: Foothills Hoppyum I.P.A. Foothills is a brewery based in downtown Winston Salem, NC. I have heard of this brewery before, but only until recently have the moved forward with distribution.

IPA's, which are my favorite, were created in the 18th century when beers would not keep over long sea travel. Especially in hot climates, which in turn would make the beer flat. Alcohol and hops were the only things that would prevent the beer from going sour. By the early 1700s, the British East India Company had established itself in India. It had a large number of troops and civilians demanding beer. The answer to the great beer problem finally came from a recipe created by George Hodgson at the Bow Brewery in East London. India ale was a variation of his pale ale, which Londoners had been drinking since the mid-1750s. Hodgson took his pale ale recipe, increased the hop content considerably, and raised the alcohol content. The result was a very bitter, alcoholic, and sparkling pale ale that could survive the challenges of travel and shelf life in India. IPA reached India in an enjoyable condition and Hodgson's success became legendary.

This particular IPA has a distinct citrusy hop and good ole Simcoe hop which gives a very pungent taste resulting in a great, dry brew. Word on the street is that it is arriving at Flying Saucer next week.

LOHD thinks Spurrier is just warming up...

I know after reading about the gamecocks are picked to finish 4th again in the SEC East and that the Spurrier Experiment needs to pick up steam....blah blah. USC fans have some patience! I too want 9 wins in a season on a consistent basis and yes a SEC crown would be nice. And LOHD feels we are getting there just give the man some time to get his players in there and correct some of the thinking that goes on....including the fans. Trust me a 5 game losing streak hurts but keep the faith in the gamecocks!

With the season a little over a month away it is important to look at where you have been and where are we headed. As a football program we are inching oh so close...

Just to show you guys exactly how close we are...Spurrier's record at South Carolina is 21-16. At first glance, not overly impressive right? Particularly not to someone unaware of the state our program was in when SOS took the reigns and/or the difficulty of our schedule year in and year out.

Well of those 16 losses, 9 of them are by 7 points or less.

Spurrier ALWAYS preaches the importance of winning the close games and that being the mark of a good team. Let's just assume we were able to win 4 of those 9 games mentioned above. Several games come to mind that could easily comprise these 4 (Mizzou in the Independence Bowl, @ Florida in 2006, either of the 2 Clemson losses that we led in the 4th quarter, UT last year, Auburn at home in 2006, etc etc).

IF we had won 4 or those 9 7pt or less losses, Spurrier's record would be 25-12, a winning percentage of 67%, and an average record of 8-4 over 3 years. I know I'm really playing the what-if game here so shoot me down if you must, but I think that really illustrates just how close we are to where we want to be!

Hopefully this year is the year that our boys get it together and win a few of those oh so important close games! GO COCKS!

Gamecock Weekend News Thread

Here are some good reads on da 'cocks -

-Mediocrity challenges Spurrier
-Morris: Spurrier uses caution as precaution
-For McKinley, no bunnies or Heffner
-Seems Fighting on the job does not help - Cory Boyd waived by Buccaneers
-Bengals waive ex-USC RB Irons
-Gamecock Showcase recap
-Media pick Gamecocks to finish fourth