Seeing some really high-level folks at TOS are putting in predictions for Stewart at Ohio State.

Would this recruitment impact Eddrick Houston at all?

Let's bring some positivity to the board. I know there's been some members that have gone through some terrible things lately.

Anyone want to share any way that God has looked out for them or helped them in some awesome way.

Most of yall know, but it's been 5 years since cancer ripped Eliza Cait from us. God still gives us glimpses of her being with us. I don't know how to just post the pic so I'll just share the Facebook post. I'd love to hear some God wink stories from some of you.

Bless us with positivity.

After seeing a picture of Ronan Hanafin in another post- he looks like a monster.

That said, considering he was a big time recruit at a position of need, I feel like we don’t know anything about him.

I know he was hurt most of last year, but has anybody ever actually seen him play or does anybody have any inside information about how he looks so far?

I’m not asking to be critical, I just feel like the information we have about him and his potential has been limited. As a prospect, I find his versatility to be intriguing, but admit it’s all speculation based on what information I read about him more than a year ago (before his senior year even started).

Any thoughts or inside information?

My son deploys in 3 days to a location in/around the Middle East. Has been in a location for two weeks in the states, but will be flying out in the next few days. Will be his first deployment with the Army.

NASCAR getting serious blowback from Windy City
By: Nick Bromberg - Yahoo! Sports

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in downtown Chicago could be a one-and-done, mainly because some in the city don't want a street race on July 4th weekend.

The race is set to be the first time that NASCAR’s top series has raced on a temporary street course. While series like IndyCar and Formula 1 have regularly raced on downtown streets all across the globe, NASCAR has only ever raced at permanent road courses.

As F1’s popularity has grown over the past five years in the United States and road courses became some of the most entertaining tracks in NASCAR, a street race made logical sense. In addition to three races over two days across various series, the weekend’s event around Chicago’s Grant Park features concerts by The Chainsmokers, Miranda Lambert and others designed to attract attendees who wouldn’t otherwise go to a NASCAR race.

But pushback from local officials, a new mayor and logistical and traffic impacts to Chicago residents could put the race at risk of not completing the three-year contract between the city and sanctioning body.

The race itself is an ambitious play by a sanctioning that’s been making them recently. The preseason Busch Clash has been held on a temporary track inside the Los Angeles Coliseum for the past two years and NASCAR held its annual All-Star Race in May at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a track that had been shuttered for nearly three decades until a recent revitalization project.


Grant Park is the site of NASCAR's first Cup Series street race. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The Chicago race has been billed as NASCAR's newest July 4 anchor race with the goal of establishing the race as a signature midsummer event in the middle of a 36-race schedule that spans from February to November.

However, the excitement for the Chicago event isn’t shared by many prominent figures in the city thanks to the way the deal went down. And with former Mayor Lori Lightfoot now out of office, NASCAR could be facing an uphill battle to be back in downtown Chicago in 2024.

Lightfoot’s office announced its deal with NASCAR a year ago. The agreement was unveiled to the public without formal approval from Chicago’s City Council and immediately met with criticism from other politicians in the city.

From the Chicago Sun-Times in December:

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), whose ward includes part of the course, was among a few Council members summoned to meet NASCAR officials less than 24 hours before the announcement. The meeting “was a whopping 15 minutes and certainly didn’t go into any detail” about what Lightfoot would soon announce alongside NASCAR CEO Jim France and driver Bubba Wallace.

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“There was absolutely no transparency, whatsoever,” Reilly said. The meeting, he said, “was done simply so the mayor could check a box to say, ‘Well, the aldermen were aware.’ ” (In August Lightfoot told reporters “all” Council members “were briefed ahead of time.”)

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The three-year deal with the city and NASCAR allows NASCAR to use Grant Park from June 22-July 5 this year at a rate of $500,000 while Chicago receives $2 per ticket sold and a percentage of concession and souvenir sales. The base rental rate is a quarter of what the Lollapalooza music festival pays to rent out Grant Park and was immediately classified by one alderman as “highway robbery.” The cheapest ticket is $269 while reserved seats for the race weekend start at $465.

"This is a half-million dollar deal for 14 days of unfettered use of city property," Illinois Rep. Kam Buckner said last summer. "This is highway robbery.”

Parts of downtown and Grant Park have been closed to the public as NASCAR builds the 2.2-mile track for the weekend. Streets in and around the park have been closed for days. And the race also forced a date change for the iconic “Taste of Chicago.”

The Taste of Chicago food festival has been a summer staple for over 40 years and the event is typically held in Grant Park around the July 4 weekend. But with NASCAR using parts of Grant Park for the race, having the Taste at the same time in the same location was untenable.

At first, the city moved Taste of Chicago to Navy Pier and kept it on the same weekend as the NASCAR event. Once it became clear that plan wasn’t going to work for a variety of reasons, the Taste was moved to September.

The date move for the food festival came two weeks after Lightfoot lost her bid for re-election. Lightfoot placed third in Chicago’s Feb. 28 election and missed the April runoff election by 5%.

Former county commissioner Brandon Johnson won the April runoff to succeed Lightfoot as mayor. He said shortly after his election that the contracts between NASCAR and the city would be reviewed.

The event contract contains a 180-day termination clause that each side can activate. Johnson’s election win came well within that window ahead of the inaugural race weekend. If Chicago moved to cancel the 2023 race after Johnson was in office, the city would have likely triggered a legal battle for breaching the contract.

On the flipside, it also means the city has six months to review the pros and cons of what happens this weekend before deciding if the race should continue in 2024. NASCAR has promised a $100 million economic impact for the city from the event and put longtime executive Julie Giese in charge of the race weekend. She told the Athletic in April that NASCAR was committed to becoming a community partner with Chicago.

“Anytime you bring a new event to a community, it’s change,” she told the Athletic. “We’re making sure that we continue to over communicate and have any and all conversations that we need to have. The message that I’ve shared in every meeting, every conversation that I’ve had is that we are committed to putting on the most spectacular event for the city of Chicago and for our industry. And we are committed to making sure everyone knows what to expect. That’s a big reason why we’ve set up an office here, why we have a full-time staff here in Chicago that is dedicated to this event, that’s out and about talking to the community, being community partners, working on a lot of community giveback initiatives."

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That effort from NASCAR underscores how much the weekend needs to be a universal success to win over skeptics in Chicago and secure a sequel in 2024. Any hitch or failure could jeopardize the chances of the race fulfilling that three-year contract and leave NASCAR searching for a fifth location in less than a decade for its July 4 weekend race.

The Supreme Court found it unconstitutional to consider race in university admissions. Do you agree or disagree with the ruling?

“Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. “The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race."

and they are reducing capacity.

Make no mistake who is on what side. Biden admin refuses to accept any restraints on what is acceptable for minor children related to trans mutilation. They now are trying to use title 9 which was designed to protect womens rights to institutionalize this sick trans agenda. This is sick.

Too many OL recruiting rumors this weekend. Gonna need a Sunday Morning (Afternoon?) Insider from @Paul Strelow to clear it all up!

I have heard so many times how Georgia's OLine development and draft success far surpasses Clemson's. So I had to see what they've done, since most think Georgia is using that possible misinformation to recruit against us.

2013 through 2023 (11 years) Georgia had 12 Offensive Linemen drafted

2013-2015: none

2016: 1 5-star prospect drafted 5th round, no longer in NFL

2017: none

2018: 1 4-star prospect drafted 1st round.

2019: 1 3-star prospect drafted 6th round. no longer in NFL

2020: 3 drafted (2 1st R & 4th R) 2 first rounders were 5-star prospects, but one gone with only 4 plays from scrimmage. Considered one of biggest busts ever (drugs, DUI, 140 mph) 4th rounder also didn’t make it.

2021: 2 4-star prospects drafted, a 3rd rounder and 6th rounder

2022: 2 drafted in 6th round. One was 5-star prospect, the other a 3-star

2023: A 5-star went 1st R and another went 5th round. I’m guessing 5th rounder unlikely to make the team.


To summarize, in last eleven drafts, Georgia’s had four drafted in Round 1, with only three making it. One drafted in 3rd Round. The other seven were drafted in later rounds (a 4th R, two 5th R and 4 went 6th round)

What I haven't checked, but could find instructive, is how many 5-star O-Linemen they have signed over that same period. I'm just guessing our development success rate is not much different from theirs. It seems they have signed a much larger number of 5 -star linemen. Last Friday I posted that Georgia has 9 Off Linemen in the NFL, including the 2 just drafted, Clemson has 5 including McFadden.

Are going to be anything but 6-6 this year. So gamecocks play 3 good games offensively and now there are a dark horse for East. This is laughable. Maybe 6-6.

Florida takes first step in $400 million Swamp makeover​

By: Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Swamp is getting a makeover, a significant overhaul that's expected to cost at least $400 million and be a "multigenerational solution" for an aging and iconic stadium in the heart of Florida's campus.

The Gators announced plans Monday to hire an architect for the design of its revamped Florida Field, the first public step in a process that's been ruminating for years. The school will open a formal selection window in July.

Athletic director Scott Stricklin said it's "premature to speculate" on the final cost, seating capacity and a specific timeline. But he made it clear the project's main goal will be to transform the game-day experience for fans while maintaining a lot of what helped the Gators create one of the most daunting home-field advantages in the Southeastern Conference.

"Whatever work we do there doesn't need to be a Band-Aid," Stricklin said at the league's spring meetings last month. "It needs to be a multigenerational solution to continue to give that stadium for future generations a chance to come and watch the Gators there.

"It has to be everything from how fans experience when they're outside the stadium, when they walk through the gate, concourse, concession, restrooms, inside the seating bowl, new premium options, better premium options. But you also want to keep what's special about it."

The stadium first opened as a 22,000-seat facility in 1930. It has been expanded several times in nearly a century since, with capacity now at roughly 90,000, but it lacks many of the conveniences experienced in modern NFL venues.

Proposed upgrades are sure to include wider concourses, less bench seating, more concession options, larger video boards, a new sound system and improved lighting throughout. Capacity is expected to be reduced by thousands.

Renovating the Swamp would be the latest -- and by far most expensive -- facility upgrade on campus.

The Gators have spent more than $300 million in the last decade to build or renovate venues for baseball, softball, soccer/lacrosse, tennis, track and field, and basketball. The list also includes an indoor practice facility and a standalone facility for football and a new academic center for student-athletes.

"We're in the service business; we don't make widgets," Stricklin said. "We create experiences, whether it's for our student-athletes, our staff and ultimately for Gator Nation. So, when you are in the service business, there's not a lot of tangible results. It's a lot of intangible results.

"It's what kind of experience are you creating on game day? What kind of memories are coming from those experiences? Do people want to plan their lives around coming back to enjoy that experience again? We sell tickets and we sell T-shirts. Beyond that, it's we want to create experiences -- and winning is a big part of that experience -- but you've got to have all the other pieces."

Going to our house in Pawley's for a week and thinking about going to a Pelicans game one night. Have never been to one and just curious on best places to sit. We go to some Fireflies games and our kids play for parts of the game in the kid zone so wondering if there is anything like that as well. TIA.

I wonder if this is in reference to the OL that @Paul Strelow has already mentioned or others? Gonna be fun to watch unfold.

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In the US.

There are roughly 1200 bicycle related deaths per year ≈ 450 dont involve vehicles.

In any given 10 year window there are roughly 40 football related deaths (including heat exhaustion and heart attacks which could happen in any high effort activity in the heat).

I present to you, people who won't let their children play football but let them swim and ride a bike. Wtf?

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Release from Clemson today:

CLEMSON, S.C. - Griffin Mazur was elevated to the role of assistant coach, announced by Head Coach Erik Bakich on Monday. Mazur was the volunteer assistant coach at Clemson in 2023, his first year as a member of the Tiger staff. In January, the NCAA Division I Council approved a measure to reclassify baseball’s volunteer assistant coach as a full-time assistant coach, effective July 1. The approval gives Division I programs the ability to have three full-time paid assistant coaches.

Mazur, who worked with the catchers in 2023, including All-ACC selection Cooper Ingle, played the 2021 season at Michigan under Bakich after he transferred from UC Irvine, where he was a player from 2016-20.

“We are thankful that the NCAA made this change that allows us to elevate Griffin Mazur to an assistant coach role,” said Bakich. “Griffin has a bright future in coaching, and we’re very excited to have him in this role, where he can now be more involved with recruiting and evaluation. He will continue to assist in the same areas that helped us have a successful first season in 2023.”

In his first year in Tigertown in 2023, Mazur helped coach the Tigers to the league championship by going 4-0 in the ACC Tournament. It was a big reason they earned the No. 4 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Clemson finished with a 20-10 ACC mark, good for second place in the overall standings, thanks in large part to a 17-game winning streak from April to June. The Tigers finished the 2023 season with a 44-19 record, their best mark since 2018, and ranked as high as No. 15 in the nation by Baseball America in the final polls.

Mazur worked as a program assistant at Michigan during the 2022 season after playing 44 games in his one season as a player at Michigan in 2021. He hit .247 with six homers, eight doubles, 33 RBIs and 31 runs, as he was a Second-Team All-Big Ten Conference catcher.

Mazur, who was voted team captain in 2021, also was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and was a All-Big Ten Academic selection.

In his four active seasons (2016,18-20) at UC Irvine, he played 110 games (55 starts). After his college career, he played one season (2021) and 17 games with Tri-City (A+) in the Angels organization.

Mazur graduated from UC Irvine in 2020 with two degrees, one in criminology, law & society and one in education sciences. He also received a master’s degree in sport management from Michigan in 2021.

He was born Griffin Cole Mazur on April 8, 1997 in Mission Viejo, Calif. and is a native of Moorpark, Calif. Mazur is engaged to Amanda Lorenz.

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Release from Clemson:

CLEMSON, S.C. - Former Tiger and current Atlanta Brave righthander Spencer Strider was selected to the 2023 MLB All-Star Game, announced Sunday. Strider is the first former Tiger to make an All-Star Game roster since 1994, when lefthander Jimmy Key, who was a four-time MLB All-Star, was selected to the All-Star Game for the second year in a row as a member of the New York Yankees.

Strider joined Key and Billy O’Dell, who was a two-time MLB All-Star (1958,59), as the three Tigers to make an All-Star Game.

In 2023, Strider reached 100 strikeouts in only 61.0 innings pitched, the fastest pitcher to reach triple-digit strikeouts in MLB history. He also leads the majors in strikeouts (155) and strikeouts per nine innings pitched (14.19). Strider is 10-2 with a 3.66 ERA, .208 opponents’ batting average and has allowed only 33 walks in 98.1 innings pitched over 17 starts.

Strider, who finished second in the voting for 2022 National League Rookie-of-the-Year, is 22-7 with a 3.10 ERA and 357 strikeouts in 232.1 innings pitched over 50 appearances (37 starts) in three MLB seasons.

The Knoxville, Tenn. native was a freshman All-American at Clemson in 2018 by amassing a 5-2 record, save, 4.76 ERA and team-high 70 strikeouts in 51.0 innings pitched over 22 appearances (six starts). He suffered an injury that forced him to miss the 2019 season, then made four starts and totaled 19 strikeouts in 12.0 innings pitched during the shortened 2020 season.

The three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member was drafted in the fourth round by the Braves after the 2020 season. In his first minor league season in 2021, he played at every level of the Braves organization before making his MLB debut with the Braves on Oct. 1, 2021.

The 2023 MLB All-Star Game is scheduled for July 11 at 8 p.m. at Seattle.

The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times, and the Press-Register in Mobile – have stopped printing newspapers after more than 100 years.

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POS is on the Fritz, I’m afraid.

What’s the best four door truck - that won’t break the bank - and best dealer in Upstate SC? Is Carmax worth a look? Would like to find a Tacoma

TIA

Back to Clemson perhaps?

You have to be able to post some damn scores to finish Top 5 in that tournament.