A Sign From God?

Today I was rummaging through the bookbag I take every day to work, when I found this at the bottom:

In case you have Mr. Magoo eyes like TC, it's a woman (possibly Mary) holding some roses and a crucifix with Jesus on it. There's also a rosary dangling from one arm.

How did this little statue end up in my bookbag? Did a stranger attempt a good deed by placing Mary and Jesus on my person, so that I may dwell upon the uncleanliness of my life? Or did God put it there? Either way, mission accomplished. I'm spooked. I think I may start believing what the Bible says. No, wait, God didn't write that. It was just some guys, same as the Qur'an or any other religious text. Nevermind.

More Updates

For whatever reason, we've just been in a hot news cycle lately.

1. The Search Continues. Coach Walsh's lips remain sealed on who he's leaning towards hiring in a town that cares even more about BC's head coach than Mark Richt himself. Read here.

2. Goodbye Greenspan. Today marks the end of the chairman's prosperous 18-year tenure at the Fed. Greenspan did an outstanding job of keeping the money supply sound during the good times and providing excess liquidity during the rough ones (namely, the Asian financial crisis in 1997). While we didn't go back to the gold standard, the Greenspan standard was almost as good as gold. My only criticism is when he kept rates artificially low well after the crisis was resolved, fueling the "irrational exuberance" of the late 90's, which ultimately caused the 2000-2001 recession.

3. State of Our Union. Tonight, the president is expected to "push" for ethanol fuel and other alternative energy sources. What does that mean? Did Harry Truman "push" for the invention of the television in the late 1940s? No, the market did that. Did George Bush Sr. "push" for the invention of CDs in the late 80s? No, the market did. Leave things alone, let the price system do its job. Please stop getting in the way of things.

Ryan's Superbowl Report

Like all of you, I will be watching the Superbowl this Sunday. It'll be a nice send-off for me, because personally, I have had my year's fill of football. So I'll be watching with some beer, pizza, and lots of fervor.

I'm going with Pittsburgh to win by 10. I like their offense matched up against Seattle's defense, which, let's be honest, has shown some holes over the course of this season. Also overlooked is Pittsburgh's special teams, which have really been clutch in pressure situations these past few games. The Seahawks are a good match, no doubt about that, but their run game won't have as much of its late season success against Pittsburgh's formidable line.

That whole last paragraph was made up. I know nothing about these two teams, but you probably believed me since football is an inferior sport to baseball, henceforth, dumber fans. But I will actually be watching since they show funny commercials and brand new movie trailers. I guess I'll root for Seattle since grunge came from there.

Good Job, Exxon

Exxon Mobile reported earnings of $10.7 billion last quarter, the largest of any company in history.

Awesome. They deserve it.

Kerry is at it again...

By Zach Brissett

Will Somebody Please Tell Me

...just what the hell is going on in this article.

Amazing what you can find when you google BC.

In Praise of Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is bad for America, right? 25,000 people in Illinois don't seem to think so. That's how many people lined up to apply for 325 openings at a new store in Evergreen Park, Illinois. Apparently 25,000 people think they will be made better off working at Wal-Mart than at whatever job, if any, they currently hold.

It's amazing how the largest retailer in America, which continues to provide opportunity for hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers whom otherwise would have lower-paying jobs or no jobs at all, gets bashed on a daily basis by countless politicians, interest groups, and "journalists" in the mainstream media, all of whom have never picked up an economics book in their lives and never think to ask the all-important question: "what's the alternative?"

Canada's Right Face

I know, I can't believe it either. Our friends to the north have elected a conservative. Prime minister-elect Stephen Harper, a free-market economist, is pro-America, pro-gun rights, pro-Iraq invasion, anti-Kyoto protocol, anti-socialist healthcare, and anti-abortion. Sorry Kelly.

Harper stupified the Canadian press during the final months of the campaign when he openly admitted that:
1) He thinks there might be a God
2) He thinks Canada should have its own military.

Shocking.

The Interview Proccess Begins

Unconfirmed reports from the AAA message board at GAVSV have Paul Standard, head coach at St. Pius X in Atlanta, interviewing today for the Benedictine job. You can find his resume here.

In five seasons at St. Pius, Standard has compiled a record of 35-20, with three state playoff births. His 2003 squad advanced to the state quartefinals. The Golden Lions finished the 2005 season with a 5-5 mark.

Standard is a St. Pius alum ('80) and attended The Citadel. The experiences of attending a Catholic school and a military school make him a natural fit for BC. He is also a young guy who could commit several years to the job. I am suspicious, though, of why he would want to leave his alma mater.

I would be content if BC went with Standard. He is not my first choice, but he does have an awesome mustache.


The same unconfirmed source reports that former Statesboro coach, Buzz Busby, will interview later this week. Busby's tenure with the Blue Devils ended prematurely and on bad terms after the 2003 season. This article explains what happened. Busby was 55-11-1 in five seasons at Statesboro. His 2001 team won the state championship, his 2000 and 2003 squads finished as runners-up.

Busby has the most impressive resume of the alleged applicant pool. He is a little old, though. Can he give BC a 7-10 year committment? Will his hardnosed style attract more kids to the team or drive them away? Will he be able to recruit the public schools? Those are my concerns.

Not so fast my friend.....

It seems that Valdosta has hired themselves a new football coach, and quite a successful one at that. Rick Tomberlin was named head coach of the 'Cats on Monday. He has been at Washington County since 1991, playing in 5 state championship games, winning 3. The interesting part is that he was at Lowndes for 3 years before being fired and heading upstate to WC. But this quote in the AJC aricle kind of got to me: "This is about getting an invitation to go to the winningest high school football program in the United States. It's the Notre Dame of high school football," Tomberlin said Monday night. That's like saying Stephen A. Smith is the Howard Cossell of broadcasting. Not quite.....

Wallace Rulz!!

Skimming the headlines on Savannahnow.com yesterday, I found this gem:

Benedictine LB Wallace Pooling His Options.

The article is about Anthony Wallace, brother to one our own BMBS bloggers, and his conundrum. Anthony was receiving interest from major D1 programs as a junior, before tearing his ACL. To expedite the rehab process, Anthony turned to swimming, a sport he participated in competitively as youngster but abandoned to focus on football. One year later, Anthony is being recruited as one of the top swimmers in the area, in addition to receiving offers to play football at Air Force, Columbia, Harvard, and Yale.

What really makes this article stand out, though, is the accompanying photograph of a bare-chested Wallace fresh out of the pool.




















To get the point across, the editor felt the need to post the picture not once...



















...but twice!

I'm disappointed that it took a day and a half for someone to comment about this. Our blog is getting lazy. St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner. We need to step it up.

Inaugurated on this date in 1981...

Read his speech here.

Read today's WSJ editorial here (no subscription required).

Born on this date in 1807....

Robert Edward Lee. Southerners used to celebrate this as a holiday before MLK came along.
Educate yourself here
"If you rely on the mainstream media for your news, you probably do not know that January 19, is the 199th anniversary of the birth of Robert E. Lee. Nor would you know that numerous celebrations will be held to honor the General on that day. I am not sure why the mainstream media ignores Lee. It is certainly not because he isn’t newsworthy. Lee is immensely popular not only throughout America but also in Europe. And when any organization compiles a listing of famous Americans, General Lee is always ranked near the top. ."

Two Months Left

Self-explanatory.

Statesboro Blues

STATESBORO, Ga. — A lawyer was taken hostage in his office near City Hall on Monday, and police cordoned off part of downtown as they tried to negotiate for the man's release.

The two suspects, a man and a woman, told police they were armed with a homemade explosive device, authorities said.

More than 11 hours into the standoff, police were still negotiating with the pair, said Trooper Larry Schnall, a spokesman for the Georgia State Patrol, which was sending a SWAT team to the scene.

A woman who answered the phone Monday at the office where the lawyer works said the office was closed and hung up.

Three people were initially taken hostage, but two were released unharmed, said Maggie Fitzgerald, a city spokeswoman. She said the remaining hostage had also not been harmed.

The suspects were "upset with some legal issues within the recent past and want to get those issues resolved," she said.

The man and woman said they were armed with an improvised explosive device, Fitzgerald said.

Statesboro, a city of 22,000 that is home to Georgia Southern University, is 225 miles southeast of Atlanta. The community's Martin Luther King Day parade, which was to pass by the county courthouse near the scene, was canceled because of the standoff.

5,000 and Counting

It's official. Since October, we've had over 5,000 visitors. Sure, most of this is due to recurring visits by people like us who go on a few times a day, but still, you have to remember we started this thing back in winter of last year, and I didn't put the counter on until October, so I think it's a fair assumption that we've had over 10,000 visits. Also, according to these people, the site itself is valued at over $2k. This means nothing, because 1. Google owns the webspace and 2. the valuation is probably fake anyway, because it's based on a "fantasy blog stock market" thing, whatever that means. But still, we've come a long way since that cold, blustery February day on the 3rd floor of the Student Learning Center when I didn't feel like studying.

Next month we'll celebrate 1 year. Good work ya'll.

Disappointing

This weekend, Officers found 34 grams of marijuana, 2.1 grams of powdered cocaine, prescription pills and drug paraphernalia at 124 ½ W. Perry Lane, according to a Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police report.

The discovery resulted in the arrest of Tony Brian Aliotta, 19 ( a former BC student; but not sure if he graduated from BC.) Police are now questioning Aliotta's roommate, Brannen C. Miles, along with two friends at the residence.

Officers also found a Savannah College of Art Design bookbag containing marijuana, a digital scale and Ziploc bags, the report says. Aliotta told officers the drugs belonged to him. He had the scale "to make sure (he) doesn't get ripped off," he told officers.

This arrest shouldn't be asurprisee for those who knew about Tony's circle friends. But this story has another plot to it. You see, Brannen C. Miles was with Jennifer Ross when she was shot be armed robbers, Christmas Eve night on Orleans Square. Miles and Ross were on their way to Aliotta's Perry Lane apartment, adjacent to Orleans Square, when the robbery and shooting took place.

Police are still searching for suspects in the Ross case, no arrests have yet been made. Police have said Tony's arrest was a result of an increase of patrol officers started after the Dec. 24th shooting of Jennifer Ross. Aliotta is being held at the Chatham County jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana more than an ounce and possession of drug-related objects.

Happy Birthday Pat!

Today is the birthday of all birthdays. One John Patrick Holland was born today, 23 years ago in a little town north, north-west of Savannah.

This man would grow up to be one of the most feared UGA Law School Students of all time. Why? BECAUSE HE'S NOT LIBERAL!

We solute you John Patrick, for all the smart ass sarcastic puns that very few outside of BC understand. May the Beatles and 60's beach music echo in eternity.

Below is a picture of Pat starting his first day of Law School. Courtesy of Mrs. Holland, Pat's loving mother.

I'm sure everyone has read this before...

but i figure yall might want to read this again.

If your from Atlanta, you'll like this:



ATLANTA, GEORGIA



This is for anyone who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, has ever lived in

Atlanta, has ever visited Atlanta, ever plans to visit Atlanta,

knows anyone who already lives in Atlanta, or knows anyone who has

ever heard of Atlanta. Atlanta is composed mostly of one-way

streets. The only way to get out of downtown Atlanta is to turn

around and start over when you reach Greenville, South Carolina.



All directions start with, "Go down Peachtree" and include the

phrase, "When you see the Waffle House." Except that in Cobb County,

where all directions begin with, "Go to the Big Chicken."



Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end and is not to be

confused with:



Peachtree Circle
Peachtree Battle
Peachtree Place
Peachtree Corners
Peachtree Lane
New Peachtree
Peachtree Road
Old Peachtree
Peachtree Parkway
West Peachtree
Peachtree Run
Peachtree-Dunwoody
Peachtree Terrace
Peachtree-Chamblee
Peachtree Avenue
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
Peachtree Commons



Atlantan's only know their way to work and their way home. If you

ask anyone for directions, they will always send you down Peachtree.



Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola. Coke's all they drink there, so

don't ask for any other soft drink unless it's made by Coca-Cola.



The gates at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport are about 32

miles away from the Main Concourse, so wear sneakers and pack a

lunch.



The 8a.m. rush hour is from 6:30 to 10:30 AM. The 5pm rush hour is

from 3:00 to 7:30 PM. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday afternoon

and lasts through 2am Saturday.



Only a native can pronounce Ponce De Leon Avenue, so do not attempt

the Spanish pronunciation. People will simply tilt their heads to

the right and stare at you. The Atlanta pronunciation is "pawntz duh

LEE-awn."



And yes, they have a street named simply, "Boulevard."



The falling of one raindrop causes all drivers to immediately

forget all traffic rules. If a single snowflake falls, the city is

paralyzed for three days and it's on all the channels as a news

flash every 15 minutes for a week. Overnight, all grocery stores

will be sold out of milk, bread, bottled water, toilet paper, and

beer.



I-285, the loop that encircles Atlanta, which has a posted speed

limit of 55 mph (but you have to maintain 80 mph just to keep from

getting run over), is known to truckers as "The Watermelon 500."



Don't believe the directional markers on highways. I-285 is marked



"East" and "West" but you may be going North or South. The

locals identify the direction by referring to the "Inner Loop" and

the "Outer Loop." If you travel on Hwy 92 North, you will actually

be going southeast.



Never buy a ladder or mattress in Atlanta. Just go to one of the

interstates and you will soon find one in the middle of the road.



The last thing you want to do is give another driver the finger,

unless your car is armored, your trigger finger is itchy and your

AK-47 has a full clip.



Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.



There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Georgia.



There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia, plus

a couple no one has seen before.



If it grows, it sticks. If it crawls, it bites. If you notice a vine

trying to wrap itself around your leg, you have about 20 seconds to

escape, before you are completely captured and covered with Kudzu,



another ill-advised "import," like the carp, starling, English sparrow,



and other "exotic wonders."



It's not a shopping cart, it's a buggy. "Fixinto" is one word (I'm

fixinto go to the store).



Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it

when you're 2 years old.



"Jeet?" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"



If you understand these jokes, forward them to your friends from

Atlanta, Georgia and those who just wish they were.



Lordy, I love Jawja.

It's Time...

...to play America's new fastest-growing game show: "Who Will BC Hire?"

Here's how it works: everyone submits who they think will be hired as the Cadets' new head football coach. Winner gets a free trip to Summer Waves in Valdosta, a gift certificate for a free order of Wing-Zings at Carey Hilliards, and an autographed picture of O.C. Welch.

Since this is my idea, I have the luxury of making the first pick. Drum roll please....

I think BC will hire Bob Herndon, currently head coach at South Effingham. He's a BC grad, and was sitting next to Coach Walsh at the last home basketball game.

Somehow I have the feeling I'm the only person who will be playing this game. Whatever, more wing-zings for me.

Brackett resigns as Benedictine coach

Jim Thomas
SavannahNow.com

Benedictine football coach Tommy Brackett unexpectedly announced his resignation Sunday night at the school's fall sports banquet, saying he felt it was "just time to move on'' after 11 years.

Brackett, who posted a 79-39 overall record with the Cadets, said he informed Benedictine athletic director Jim Walsh, Sr., and principal Kelly Burke of his decision on Wednesday.

"I've been thinking about it since the end of the season,'' Brackett said. "It was a tough decision. I've been blessed to have been given the opportunity to have the best job in the city, if not in southeast Georgia. Right now, I just felt it was the best thing for me and the best thing for the school.''

He said Walsh and Burke were the only two people who knew he had decided to step down until he made the announcement. Even his coaching staff didn't know.

"We kind of kept it quiet until (Sunday),'' he said. "I thought it was important for the players to hear it from me. I didn't want any kind of false rumors circulating.

"I think they were kind of shocked. But they were all gentlemen about it. They came back and wished me the best and thanked me for all of our time together. I was really touched by the kids.''

Benedictine, traditionally one of the city's strongest programs, has been down the last three years. The Cadets have gone only 11-19 during that span, including 5-5 this season. But Brackett said that had nothing to do with his decision to step down.

"That wasn't a factor at all,'' he said. "If you look at the season this year, we played six teams with winning records and five went to the playoffs. We went 2-3 against those teams. We battled injuries toward the end. I was really proud of the team. We have a pretty good sophomore class waiting to step up next year.''
There had been speculation that Brackett would be fired after BC suffered back-to-back losing seasons in going 4-6 in 2003 and 2-8 in 2004. But he said he was not under any pressure to resign.

"Those kinds of rumors always happen when you're losing,'' Brackett said. "I just think the program needs a little jolt, some new blood. I go back to when Coach Walsh stepped down and I took over. There was some excitement and some enthusiasm. I'd like to see that for the school again.''

Prior to coming to BC in 1995, Brackett had a 40-16 record in five years as head coach at Southeast Bulloch from 1990-1994. His overall career record was 119-55 in 16 years.

Brackett, 49, said he plans to stay on at the school until the end of the year and fulfill his teaching duties. But he said he wasn't thought about coaching anywhere else.

"I haven't talked to anyone,'' Brackett said. "I'm not seeking a job and nobody's talked to me about a job.''

Walsh, who coached BC for 25 years before retiring in 1994, said Brackett's decision didn't surprise him.

"I thought he was getting restless,'' Walsh said. "His leaving didn't have anything to do with the last couple of years. That's going to happen. He was very successful here. I just think it was kind of a family thing. He has some things he wants to accomplish.''

Walsh said he had no timetable as to when Benedictine would hire a new coach.
"We know of a couple of people who might be interested,'' he said. "But we haven't really talked to anybody about it because it was so recent that (Brackett) said he wasn't coming back.''

Pass in Review: 2005

A new pope, a new chief justice, a new soft drink, a new fed chairman, a new James Bond, a new presidential term....where do we begin?

POLITICS:
Rough times for W. After being reinaugurated, he fails to get anything from his second-term agenda passed. Partially his fault, but mostly a corrupt congress headed by RINOs. His approval rating bottomed in late November, due to Katrina and the Scooter Libby mess, but I think things are beginning to turn around. Troop withdrawals and a robust economy should help him this year.

MUSIC:
Two words: Kelly Clarkson. She had 3 hit songs, all which hit #1.

MOVIES:
Most would put "Wedding Crashers" here, but I just can't. Got too serious towards the end. I'm sticking with Episode III.

SPORTS:
Georgia, picked to finish 3rd in the SEC East, suprises everyone with a conference championship.
BC improves to a 5-5 season, but most fans remain disappointed. As I type this post, reliable sources confirm that Brackett has resigned. More to come.

Additional thoughts? Please post.

We're Number Nine!

The 2006 Economic Freedom Index was released earlier this week by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal. Here's the top ten:

1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. Ireland
4. Luxembourg
5. United Kingdom
6. Iceland
7. Estonia
8. Denmark
9. United States
10. Australia

We're not doing too bad, but we can do better. How can we move up the chart? Five simple steps: 1) cut taxes, 2) cut spending, 3) keep the money supply sound, 4) deregulate, 5) support free trade.

Congress, unfortunately, is more concerned with regulating major league baseball (still trying to find out where this is allowed in the Constitution) than expanding liberty. This is a problem, in a time when voters constantly ask "what is government going to do for me?" instead of "what is government going to do to get out of my way?"

"Why should I worry about one tyrant 3,000 miles away, when I should be more worried about 3,000 tyrants one mile away? A legislature can trample a man's rights as easily as a king can." -- Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) in The Patriot

Signs of Georgia

There's a barn about midway between Savannah and Athens on Highway 15 that has this painted on its side:

WE DON'T REBUILD
WE RELOAD

A reference to the terrorist attacks of September 11th? Nah. It just means the UGA football team. The big G gives that away. Anyway, you would figure these people to be huge Georgia fans, full of knowledge and devotion. Well, on my trip back on Monday, I saw their new display of informed fandom:

Ho-ho-Who's 10 - 1?
#1 UGA, that's who! Beat WVU!

Nevermind the fact that Georgia was ranked #7 and had a record of 10-2 before they, in fact, did not beat WVU.

While I was driving through that town with the railroad tracks that make your car fly like a DeLorean and the big Wal-Mart that you know everyone goes to on Sunday, I saw a billboard that wanted you to know:

Abstinence.

It's not easy...and neither are you.

Vegas Baby......Vegas

This is an open invitation to all BMBS bloggers to join me and a few of my ATLiens on a trip to beautiful Las Vegas. We would be leaving late Thursday, March 9th, returning Sunday, March 12. The conference basketball tournaments are that weekend, so there will be plenty of basketball to lose money on. If you've never been, I highly recommend you make the trip while you're still single and young. Inquire with me for further details.