Posts Tagged ‘cameron newton’

So there I was, shoveling snow and ice off the driveway at stately Brad Manor, and a neighbor walks by with his dog. He says, “Why aren’t you in Phoenix?”

And I, suffering the effects of hypothermia, say, “What’s in Phoenix?”

And he says, “The national championship game.”

I felt slightly silly. (Mostly, though, I just felt cold.) But now, having been briefed by my neighbor, I’m ready to go. We’re going live here, and I’m picking Auburn, and I don’t think the game will be as high-scoring as advertised — few games ever are; remember the Saints beating the Falcons 17-14 two Mondays ago? — and my genius daughter (who takes, obviously, after her mother) has supplied the only reason necessary to root against Auburn.

“Their uniforms,” she said, “look like Army ants.”

And they do. And they’re funded by Nike. And Nike owns the world. As many reservations as I have regarding the Auburn Newtons/Louders, they’re small potatoes — obligatory Auburn agricultural joke — when viewed alongside …

Continue reading Live via TV: Cam Newton and Auburn take on the … Ants? »

Even Frosty is coming inside for the game. (Photo by M. Bradley. Snowman by Mrs. Bradley)

Update: The live blog is now open for business and can be accessed here. Sorry to make you switch channels, as it were.

With this weather, you’re not going anywhere tonight — and if you are, the only place you should venture is the insane asylum. The BCS title game is on, so here’s what you should do: Watch your TV and hang out with me. (Figuratively speaking.)

We don’t usually do live blogs off games not involving a local team, but we’re making an exception for this one. Because Auburn is semi-local and Cam Newton is absolutely local and … well, because I just feel like it.

We’ll get going around 8 p.m. — toe-meets-leather time is set for 8:30 or thereabouts — and we’ll keep going until somebody has claimed the semi-mythical national title. (TCU, my heart bleeds for thee.) And I do want to offer one bit of terrible news for AU fans up front:

I think the Tigers will win.

That aside, I …

Continue reading Fair warning: I’m blogging live off the BCS game, and I like … »

The monumental moment: Jason Heyward watches the wonder he'd wrought. (AP photo)

The great British music magazine Mojo has a holiday feature in which prominent music folks share The Best Thing They’ve Heard All Year. (This year’s installment offers Jeff Beck touting Trombone Shorty, Brian Eno lauding MGMT and Gene Simmons singing the praises of Lady Gaga.)

In the spirit of Christmas, er, borrowing, last year I identified Josh Nesbitt’s snatch of a recovered Georgia Tech fumble from Florida State linebacker Nigel Carr that wild night in Tallahassee as The Best Thing I’d Seen In 2009, at least sports-wise. (Only later would the Tech quarterback change his official designation to “Joshua Nesbitt.”) For this year’s BTIS, we rewind to …

April 5, 2010: Turner Field is packed for the Braves’ opener, which isn’t always the case. The masses have come to see the ballyhooed rookie Jason Heyward, who spent spring training demolishing vehicles parked behind the right-field wall at …

Continue reading The best thing I saw: J-Hey on Opening Day, Cam in the Dome »

Say what you will about him, but he can play the game. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)

For a month, the question involving Cam Newton has been, “Did he or didn’t he?” Just for today, let’s try something different. Let’s ask instead: “Is he or isn’t he?”

As in, the greatest player in college football, and not just this year.

As in, the greatest ever.

Said Steve Spurrier, who won the Heisman and who has coached a Heisman winner: “That’s a good question. I don’t like putting anybody at the top, but he might be the best running quarterback probably ever to come through college ball.”

Gene Chizik coaches Auburn, so he doesn’t qualify as a disinterested party. But the same Gene Chizik was the defensive coordinator on a Texas team Vince Young willed to the 2005 BCS title, so he does have standing in the matter. And Chizik, asked if he’d ever seen a better college player than the one he has now, said this:

“No. It’s that simple. If you look over a 13-game span, I’ve never seen anything …

Continue reading Serious question: Is Cam Newton the greatest collegian ever? »

If I knew words to the South Carolina fight song, I'd sing it now. (Photo by M. Bradley)

Not that I have anything against Auburn fans — like I always say, Auburn fans are the best in the world! — but I begin today’s live proceedings with a special shout-out to the folks in garnet and black.

South Carolina, you are here.

I didn’t think your team could make it. Lee Corso didn’t think your team could make it. I’m sure there were times — probably in 2007 and 2008 when he was losing to Vandy — when Steve Spurrier didn’t think his team could make it. But here I sit in Ye Olde Dome, and there it is down below: “Carolina” painted in one end zone. (If you don’t believe, photographic evidence is supplied above.)

Auburn has been here before — three times, winning once. Arkansas has made it twice. Mississippi State has even graced this game, but until today the SEC East has always been represented by Florida, Tennessee or Georgia. (Most often the former, as I’m guessing you’re aware.) …

Continue reading Live from the SEC title game, now a place for Gamecocks »

"Good luck, Stevie boy. We're all counting on you." (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)

Three years ago yours truly paid a midweek visit to Columbia, S.C., for Steve Spurrier’s weekly briefing. Toward the end, I mentioned that a brand new AJC.com poll had just reconfirmed that the Ol’ Ball Coach was — ahead of even Urban Meyer, who was coming off a BCS title — the man Georgia fans most loved to hate.

“Glad they haven’t forgotten me,” said Spurrier, who seemed pleased.

Postscript: Four days later, Spurrier and South Carolina came to Sanford Stadium and beat Georgia 16-12.

The Bulldogs have nothing to do with this year’s SEC championship game, which will be staged Saturday at the Georgia Dome. (Fun fact: Seven different SEC schools have qualified for the title game since last Georgia did in 2005.) But Spurrier will be here, and he might actually be the sentimental favorite. Because here are your choices:

• In one corner, the Evil Genius and his Gamecock minions, who are new to this …

Continue reading Who you for, UGA fans? The Evil Genius or Nick UnFairley? »

For SEC championship game purposes, the three biggest words in the NCAA’s statement on Cam Newton were these: “Is immediately eligible.” Over the longer term, three bigger words were tucked into this statement from the NCAA’s Kevin Lennon.

“Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time, we do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity.”

The three massive words: “At this time.”

Just because Cam Newton has been cleared to play Saturday doesn’t mean he has been cleared forever. It doesn’t mean the NCAA can’t and won’t continue to investigate. (It can and surely will.) And if at any time it finds “sufficient evidence” that Newton himself or a representative of Auburn violated an NCAA regulation … well, we know what that means.

Forfeit city.

Folks on the outside have a tough time understanding how the NCAA works. (Folks on the inside do, too.) But the key revelation made Wednesday was that the NCAA …

Continue reading For Cam and Auburn, what the NCAA didn’t say resonates »

Yet another precinct heard from. (Rainy-day photo by M. Bradley)

BREAKING NEWS: The NCAA has ruled Cam Newton eligible. Technically the NCAA ruled him ineligible for one day and has reinstated him. Another post is upcoming.

Auburn, Ala.  – The wayfaring journey of Cameron Jerrell Newton has turned for home: From College Park and Westlake High to Florida and Auburn with a Texas junior college in between, and now back to Atlanta for Saturday’s SEC championship. It should be one of the happiest stories in the history of the sport, but its hero has gone missing in plain sight.

Auburn’s coach was asked Tuesday when the best player in college football might again be made available to the media, something that hasn’t happened for two weeks. Said Gene Chizik: “I’m going to stay on the path of commenting directly on his play.”

A reporter noted that  SEC rules call for every player to be available for interviews after the title game and asked if Auburn would comply with league policy. …

Continue reading Cam’s the man in college football, and now he’s free to play »

RoboCoach Gene Chizik dazzles the assembled media with bon mots. (Photo by M. Bradley)

Auburn, Ala. — I’m sitting here listening to Gene Chizik. And if you’ve ever wondered how RoboCoach would sound, listen to Gene Chizik. But I digress.

I’m sitting here listening to Gene Chizik, and I’m thinking, “I really like South Carolina’s chances Saturday.”

Not because of Gene Chizik. He’s obviously a good coach. But the guy who’ll be on the other sideline in the Georgia Dome is pretty good, too, and Evil Genius is bringing a pretty good team with him. And it’s a pretty good team that won’t be shocked by anything Cam Newton does, given that it was South Carolina against which the Camster had his night of arrival.

Auburn has had a great season — doesn’t get any greater than going undefeated in the SEC, does it? — but I still wonder about its defense. I especially wonder about Ted Roof, the Georgia Tech grad whose uncoordination of George O’Leary’s defense doomed the Jackets to being one …

Continue reading Reporting from Auburn, this guy here likes South Carolina »

Kudos to the fine folks at EDSBS and the Orlando Sentinel for unearthing this musical nugget, which we at AJC.com feel duty-bound to pass along to you, dear surfers. There’s no new information regarding Cam Newton relayed herein, but it is, you’ll have to admit, pretty darn amusing.

The talented artist’s name — not his given name, we assume — is MoonPie. (We can also assume this isn’t the Mike “Moonpie” Wilson who played offensive line at Georgia back in the ’70s alongside Cowboy Joel Parrish.) I have e-mailed the song stylist requesting further information about him (and also his rather astonishing hat), and I will break into regularly scheduled programming to update y’all if/when Mr. Pie responds.

UPDATE: MoonPie responds!

Mr. Bradley,

Thanks for your e-mail.

I would love to play in the Atlanta area.

I am a musician, but more of a singer/frontman.

I have an act called Kenny LoveChild & the Party (you can YouTube that as well) which is more professional and much less comic.  …

Continue reading The Cam Newton saga set to music: ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ »