Posted by Chili

Look, I’m not judging, but I just saw Willy Mac’s list of downloaded/shared music from OiNK (thank’s Brad from 12th Manchild for hooking us up), and it looks pretty gay. Other than Loggins, Huey Lewis, and Hall & Oates, of course. I’m not saying it’s gay, I’m just saying his downloads should come with AIDS. They’re not homo, but you should listen to them while you sip an AZT cocktail. I’m not saying they’re effeminate, but they should be listened to on a pink iPod Nano carried in a purse. I’m not saying his music selection is queer, but even Freddie Mercury thinks it’s faggoty. I’m not insinuating that Willy Mac has the musical taste of a woman or a homosexual, but someone suggested he download Elton John’s greatest hits and he claimed that was, as he said, “overly macho.” Again, I’m not judging, but James Blunt says you’re a pussy. James Blunt.

Two, count ‘em, two Fiona Apple albums? Dave Matthews? What the hell is this techno shit we can’t even pronounce? Michael McDonald not in Doobie Brothers form? Look, I’m not judging, but what the fuck?

Posted by Willy Mac

Why, Danny Ford?!?!? WHY?!?!?

Willy Mac: Well, unfortunately, I called it: “Winner: Duke by 3 or less.” I’m not happy about it either. Yeah, I feel we got shafted on the seconds right there at the end, but it wasn’t a large enough margin to be arguable in reality. This just shows your have to play until the clock says “0:00:00″ and just till “0:00:01″ and expect to get away with it. Face it, we blew it right there at the end. The moons aligned. Fate decided that Clemson needed to go to overtime. But Duke did to us what they’d been doing all night long. Slashing through our defense and driving to the hole, uncontested. Time and time again, when games get rough and the refs let the teams play, Clemson just folds. Recipe to beat the Tigers on the court? And few elbows here, a couple of shoves there, two or three scratches, and one good nut check. the Tigers faired well on my checklist and played good.

From yesterday:

1) Clemson must have a good free throw day. If it is once again a sh*t day from the freebie line, count it as a loss. Clemson actually had a stellar game, free throw-wise. And not just for Clemson, I’d say they had a top ten team type of free throw day yesterday. They went 10-11.

2) Clemson’s wanting and willingness to rebound the ball. We desperately need to pick it up in this department. The Tigers have seemed kind of iffy and indifferent about going up and getting the ball. The entire team needs to show wanton disregard for human life and lay it all on the line at every opportunity to get a rebound. Clemson just got out rebounded. ESPECIALLY on the offensive side of the ball. I hope you took note of that. I

3) Clemson can apply the full court pressure, they just can’t let Duke run right through it and past it like GT, Maryland, and UNC did. They also need to concentrate on positioning and hustling back. Yet again, something the Tigers couldn’t do that ultimately led to their demise in the final seconds.

For those of you wanting to sulk, here’s the ESPN box score/recap.

Chili: I grew up a Duke fan, and I still am. I will always be. My parents went there and I’ve always followed the Blue Devils in all sports. But I grew up in South Carolina and am a Clemson graduate, so I’m first and foremost a Tiger fan. There’s some weird part of my brain that wants Clemson fans to get along with Duke fans, so this week was especially annoying to troll around on Tigernet. Really base, ignorant jokes about Coach K and his wife, were not really a surprise, nor were the comments about having to not only beat Duke, but the refs as well. Nobody thought to single out the clock operator. More on that in a minute.
In terms of the game itself, the officiating was solid, allowing both teams to be physical without fouling players out. The fouls were 10 to Duke and 15 to Clemson. A lot of Clemson fans complain about James Mays being fouled hard by McRoberts. It’s absurd to take that one foul out of context — you have to consider it as a larger part of the way the game was called. Clemson got away with just as many hacks as did Duke. Clemson is a more athletic team now and they were able to rough up the opposition. On the reciprocal side of the foul situation, they buried 10 of 11 free throws, almost unheard of by the Tigers. Everything that could’ve gone Clemson’s way did, except of course for the clock at the end.
I really felt that Clemson could’ve passed the ball a lot better and should have relied on more cuts to the basket. With the exception of McRoberts and Nelson, Duke isn’t very athletic. Clemson shot better from the field and from the line than Duke, but it wasn’t quite enough. The clock issue will be remembered for years to come. Jay Bilas sums it up best in his writeup on the ESPN.com link above. The clock operator was right to put more time on the clock, however they put too much. We don’t know if Duke still would’ve won in regulation and certainly don’t know if Clemson would’ve been victorious in OT. In my mind the OT would’ve belonged to the Tigers, momentum seemed to be on their side as the game wrapped up.
Clemson fans are understandably bitter. However this is no grand conspiracy by Swofford of the ACC as a whole. .6 seconds is certainly enough time to get a shot off, though I’m not sure Hamilton pulled the trigger that fast. Tiger faithful should be proud of their team for taking a surging Duke team to the wire. What they are actually taking from the game, however, is increased bitterness for Duke, for ACC officiating, and for the world in general.

Posted by Willy Mac

Throughout the next 219 days, we will not only be counting down till the first kick off of the 2007 Clemson football season, but we here at DFIG will be periodically posting a segment called… well… it’s in the title you ass. Along with our blogger cousins from Tallahassee known as Chant Rant, we will preview the game as the off season progresses. The basic outline will be that we ask them questions, they answer, we post it here. It’ll be vice versa on their site, so if you want to see our responses to their questions, go check out their site.

Let’s hit the ground running:

DFIG: So, who’s gonna be chucking the ball for the Noles next year?

Chant Rant: TBD. Bobby is on record as saying it’s Jimbo’s offense, implying he’s not going to meddle. Jimbo has said everybody will get a fair shot in the spring. If it’s truly a clean slate, many Noles think Xavier Lee will replace Drew Weatherford as the starter. Weatherford is less mobile and can’t throw 70 yards downfield like the 6’4″ Lee, but Bobby stubbornly stayed with Drew through most of the season. Why? Probably because of Weatherford’s experience (he’s started since the first game of ’05). Lee has amazing talent, but he’s inconsistent. X was probably caught in that vicious circle of not starting (unless Drew was injured) because of lack of experience — which only solidified Drew’s tenure under center.

A dark horse candidate at QB is redshirt freshman D’Vontrey Richardson. This kid looked like another Charlie Ward at Lee Co. high school in Georgia. And if he impresses in spring practice, who knows? He could figure into the 2007 season. Maybe even in the opening game at Clemson — though not at QB. Fisher will make better use of playmakers than his predecessor. Richardson might show up as a wild card on certain plays — either as a QB, receiver or running back.

DFIG: What on earth is going on with your coaching situation??? How big of an effect do you think Amato and Jimbo will have on your team?

CR: The new coaches have made an immediate impact, both with current players and in recruiting. The well-documented problem from 2001 – 2006 was not only that Bobby couldn’t fire his son Jeff who was under-achieving as O.C., but that the older Bowden had unfortunately replaced key assistants like Amato and Mark Richt with guys who, as it turns out, just weren’t as good.

Mediocrity ensued. Finally, Jeff Bowden and our A.D. teamed-up behind Bobby’s back to make a deal that would guarantee Jeff a secure job outside the athletic department. Bobby seemed devastated. But once he got over it, he re-dedicated himself to putting the best team possible on the field, as well as retaining his lead over Paterno as the winningest college coach of all time. With advice (and probably behind the scenes help) from people like his son Terry, Bobby put together what may be the best coaching staff in FSU’s history, including:

Jimbo Fisher – Recognized as one of the very best O.C.’s in the country and possible successor to Bowden. Word is that LSU’s offense would have been even more effective if Les Miles hadn’t meddled in Jimbo’s game planning and play-calling (apparently one of the reasons he left).

Rick Trickett – Molder of great OL at West Virginia. This guy is an old-school former Marine. Just what we need to whip our under-performing OL into shape, D.I. style. At Morgantown, Trickett consistently took two and three-star recruits and turned them into All-Americans.

Lawrence Dawsey – One of the all-time great Seminole receivers. Played several years in the NFL. Coached at LSU and USF. Great character guy who should get all the potential out of a talented WR corps that apparently wasn’t well-coached in recent years.

Chuck Amato – Maybe a bust as a head coach, but a helluva defensive specialist that players loved. Also one of the best recruiters of that motherload of talent, South Florida. Chuck replaces Kevin Steele who went to Bama as Saban’s D.C. Many Noles thought Steele would be the hardest guy to replace — as a coach, a recruiter, and as a guy the kids looked up to. Amato is one guy who can fill those shoes and we don’t miss a beat. Besides, he coached at FSU for almost 20 years, so it’s almost like he never left.

Bottom line on the coaches: Big upgrade in three out of four, and a wash with Amato replacing Steele.

DFIG: Offensively, are things looking up or are things looking dismal?? Who’s the offense centered around this year?

CR: The offense should be more productive than last year… and more dangerous. The knock on FSU during Jeff Bowden’s tenure was that the offense was too predictable. Fisher will fix that. He’ll also do a far better job of developing our QBs than the former QB Coach. Meanwhile, Trickett will coach the OL to give QBs more time to throw, AND consistently open holes to improve the running attack. Dawsey will drill more disciplined routes and technique into receivers.

Who will the offense be centered around? Hard to say, since Fisher likes to have a balanced attack. But the RB who could get 1000 yards in ’07 is Antone Smith, a great combination of speed and power. He reminds me of your guy, James Davis. I personally look for Xavier Lee to be Fisher’s new Jarmacus Russell: a big guy who can throw it a mile, mobile enough to avoid sacks, and — while not Michael Vick — can pick up a quick ten yards or more if he has to run.

DFIG: If Bobby has another 7 – 6 year, what happens? Do you think FSU’s crazy schedule (Bama in Jacksonville, @ Clemson on a Monday, @ Wake on a Thursday) will have a big effect??

CR: Another 7 – 6 year? I’m looking for at least 8 – 4, although we do have a tough schedule with 12 games and nasty non-conference showdowns with Florida, Miami and Bama. But if it’s 7-6, I believe that will just fuel an even more intense desire for Bobby to win. Even at 7 – 6 it should be a much better team in ’07, with a higher-scoring offense and a stingy defense (barring all the injuries to starters like we had in ’06).

DFIG: Do you really think 2007 is a good turn around year?? Which players play the biggest factor in this turn around if it happens?

CR: 2007 should see a pretty dramatic turnaround. The new offensive staff will get much more out of the excellent talent that Bowden has recruited (Bobby may have become more of a CEO than a hands-on coach, but he’s still as sharp as ever as a recruiter — and nobody closes better in a kid’s living room). We’ll be more balanced, able to run more effectively and throw to more disciplined receivers running a greater variety of routes.

Leading the way on offense should be: Xavier Lee at QB, Antone Smith running the ball, and 6’6″ Greg Carr out jumping DBs for touchdowns. Another great talent that showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman is Brandon Warren. He is one of the top TEs in the nation coming out of high school, Warren has WR speed and moves.

On defense, just too many guys to name. But to spotlight a few: Andre Fluellen, who returns to DT from NG since Paul Griffin will be back from a season-ending injury. LB Marcus Ball (brother of former Ga. Tech QB Reggie Ball) would probably have been the ACC Freshman of the Year if he hadn’t been lost to injury at mid-season. Look for Freshman All-American safety Myron Rolle to become a feared downfield headhunter after starting the last half of the year.

Just updated: Ooops. Been a Nole so long I still associate the words “Miami” and “non-conference showdown”. So sub the word “Colorado” as at least a tough non-conf. game. Why? The Buffs came within a whisker of upsetting UGA last year in Athens. And since our game is in Boulder, the thin air will give them as much of an edge as the heat ‘n humidity gave us when they played in Tallahassee a few years ago.

BTW, to the poster who caught the error: your name calling was a classy touch. Especially when you signed off as anonymous.

Just for fun, here’s a random picture of William “The Fridge” Perry decked out in camo.

Posted by Willy Mac

#17 Clemson (18-2, 4-2 ACC) @ #10 Duke (16-3, 3-2 ACC), Thursday, January 25th, 7 PM, ESPN, ESPNHD, XM Satellite Radio ch 191.

The Line: Duke -7

Edge goes to:

Offense: Clemson

Defense: Duke (Hard to argue cause Duke is 2nd in the nation on D)

Special Teams: Cle… wait, sorry, forgot this isn’t a football preview.

Intangibles: Duke – They’ve beat 3 teams in a row by 20 or more points and they’re playing at home in front of 9,314 screaming fans.

Chili: I think it’s fair to say that most Clemson fans feel very confident about Thursday’s game versus Duke. Many are predicting a hard-fought victory in Durham, and claiming an easy victory in their next match up with Duke in Littlejohn. The last time Clemson beat Duke anywhere was 19 games ago, over 10 years ago, and it was in Littlejohn. I was there that fateful day and watched as Duke, up by 2 with seconds left, lobbed a pass down the court to the wide open Greg Newton under the basket. The ball went through his legs, out of bounds, Clemson tied it up and won in overtime, 86-82. Though Duke was down that year it still was a sweet moment for Clemson fans everywhere.

Clemson is hoping to bring back some of that joy and toss it into the bubbling basketball bouillabaisse that is the 2006-2007 Clemson Tigers basketball squad. Clemson is having its best season since the Rick Barnes era, a time period and coach greatly overrated by most Clemson loyalists, in my opinion. Coach Oliver Purnell has finally installed the right caliber of players into his system to operate his furious defensive style.

Winner: Duke by 4

Willy Mac:
I’ll keep it short and sweet. The game comes down to three things.

1) Clemson must have a good free throw day. If it is once again a sh*t day from the freebie line, count it as a loss.

2) Clemson’s wanting and wilingness to rebound the ball. We desperately need to pick it up in this department. The Tigers have seemed kind of iffy and indifferent about going up and getting the ball. The entire team needs to show wanton disregard for human life and lay it all on the line at every opportunity to get a rebound.

3) Clemson can apply the full court pressure, they just can’t let Duke run right through it and past it like GT, Maryland, and UNC did. They also need to concentrate on positioning and hustling back.

All around, Clemson needs to have their “A” game for sure. They need to keep it out of overtime and demoralize Duke immediately. Get the fans out of it and keep a good 5+ point lead throughout. I just don’t know if they can though after having seen them flop in person vs. UNC.

Winner: Duke by 3 or less.

Posted by Willy Mac

Willy Mac:
- American Psycho (Bret Easton Ellis, Vintage Contemporaries, 1991) – If you’ve seen the movie, and haven’t read the book then you need to pick this up. It follows most of the main points the movie, but the story flows better and it has much more to it. By much more, I mean much more gore and insanity. Not saying that Christian Bale did a bad job… he did an excellent job. What I’m getting at is that some of the stuff in the book, you just can’t put in a movie and hope to at least get an R rating. Plus, I don’t think any actor alive could do justice to some parts of the book. I saw the movie about three years ago. I picked up the book two months ago and still found it enjoyable and I also found it a very hard book to put down.
Chili: I brought this book along with me to the Furman O-Line Camp in 2000. Needless to say, I was the only one with such reading material. A great book, great commentary on the “Me Generation” and materialistic solipsism.


- The Nintendo Wii – If you can find one (good luck and countless hours of searching and calling stores), you’ll love it. It’s well worth the search and definitely worth the money. It’s one of the cheapest and funnest game systems on the market coming in at $250. Unlike most systems that are starting to charge $60 a game, Wii holds it down and stays with the previous par of $50. With games like Wii Sports, Zelda, and Rayman Raving Rabbids, it’s hard to put down the wireless controllers that you actually use as a sword/tennis racket/golf club/what have you (don’t forget to use the lanyard, unless you like hurling your controllers across the room, shattering them into pieces). Internet, weather forecaster, and old school game formats are available for download. One down side is the only way to connect to their store/internet stuff is wirelessly, there is no physical internet cable port on the system.
Chili: I was lucky enough to grab one of these things on their release date, and they’ve only gotten more popular since. Wii Sports and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves are awesome group games, while Zelda: TP offers a great single-player experience.Willy Mac and I will take on anyone in doubles Wii Tennis. Bring it.

- Indy IV – On Jan. 2, 2007, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg announced that they will bring back the Indiana Jones series in a yet unnamed movie due to shoot this June. The movie is set to be released in May of 2008. If they get Sean Connery to reprise his role in this new film, I might just shit a brick. TheRaider.net reported that Connery told a Scottish news publication that he is in fact considering coming out of retirement to do this film. Not really a recommendation, but hey.

Chili:
- BC Powder – Look, it tastes awful, but it just freaking works. Whether it’s a hangover or a non-alcohol related headache, a good powder will get you going. These packets of powerful powder are the main reason I was able to make it to Materials & Methods of Construction at 8 AM half the time.

Update: Also, added to the sidebar is an NC State basketball centered website entitled Section Six. Enjoy.