Posted by Willy Mac

Just the links:

• No Block-C tailgate at the Esso as the Tigers went ahead and beat Elon in a doubleheader last night to ward off inclement weather that would have surely canceled the game.  Sorry guys.
• Pro day went well.  Standouts that showed up in the state papers are Tyler Grisham and James Davis.
• I know I’ve recommended GelaSkins before, but they’ve come out with some pretty cool new designs that I like and I thought I’d share. You can get those for most any kind of hand held technology and so forth.

Posted by Willy Mac

Updated news

• Congrats to the Lady Tigers roundball squad as they’ve upset Georgia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament.  Very impressive.  Links and details forthcoming so stay tuned.

Let’s start with some baseball

• Yesterday we beat up on UNC Asheville, 17-2.  Looks like I might be on to something with my “Cold weather chaos theory, seeing as we lost to Furman on Tuesday by a score of 4-2.  Maybe just a little something to keep your eye on.
• Stan Widmann, one of my favorite Tiger baseballers and more importantly for me, one of the best math study group partners I’ve had, has decided to call it quits after multiple serious injuries.  Life isn’t fair, but I’m sure where ever he lands he will do just fine.  Good luck to you Stan and may you find your feet taking you in the right direction in life.
• We start our ACC schedule tomorrow at 3PM with the juggernaut that is UNC.  Woof.  Great.  One hell of a way to start out the conference schedule.  This series could have a serious blow to our swagger if we lose bad.

Basketball

• Trevor Booker will definitely be the focus of the ACC next year.  This article is for ESPN Insiders, but you don’t need to read any further than the hook.

Interesting little quote:

Earlier this season, The Charlotte Observer asked a number of ACC players which conference opponent they would choose first if they were selecting a team. Reigning National POY Tyler Hansbrough topped the list, of course. But the second-most-wanted baller was quite the surprise.

• The State is always the first to take a jab at Clemson as they did with K.C. Rivers on this one.  I’m surprised they didn’t include phrases like “Taters” and “Clempscum” in article.  I wonder if they have a “Villifying Clemson 101″ in their Journalism curriculum.  Fucking idiot goons. I’m sure that most of the writers on that staff don’t just troll FGF, they’re probably all in the “Fanboy” category.
• This is quite possibly the worst article I’ve seen on our woodshedding of Virginia.  It’s filled to the brim with hacky journalism.  I’d make myself vomit here, but I’m already pretty sick.
• Granted this came the day of the Virginia game, it points out what’s really been killing us lately: Ball Control.

Football talk spearheaded by little miss Heather Dinich

• Dinich talks about how interesting it will be to see our new offense unfold under Napier.  Hey, it could be worse: Boston College’s new OC is named Gary Tranquill.  Seriously Heather, can we get a segment going for next season?
• JACOBY FORD IS THE FASTEST FUCKING MAN EVAR!!!1!11!!111!100!!!!!11!!!
• Being a footnote sucks.  Hey, at least a good ol’ boy like Pelini is getting put over by it.
• Okay, seriously Dabo.  This shit is getting way out of hand(Rivals subscription needed).  I realize you have an ass-ton of free time now, but seriously go to bed.  Get some rest.  You’re going to need it when those same “Tiger Faithful” start nailing you to a cross next year.  I can’t tell if he’s gotten way to wrapped up in this or if he needs the money.  Either way, these folks are cashing in on rabid fans. Here’s the website. (Thanks to Jon A for the first link, ichaseferalcats for the second link.)

Assorted Links

• Clemson’s very own Ben Martin has been named ACC Golfer of the Month.  Way to go, Ben.
• Come on, give Life On Mars a second chance. Since it’s come back on TV after the winter break, it’s gotten back on track with it’s story lines and is as good as it was when it premiered.

Posted by Willy Mac

First is Basketball

Rather make you work for them and bore you I’m just going to give you the links straight up:

• Clemson “Rights the Ship” according to the P&C.
• The CUAD’s press release on the game.
• A pretty good photo gallery by the CUAD.

Simply put, don’t worry.  We’ll be fine.  When it comes time to perform, Oliver will have the players ready to go and all you need to do is sit back, watch the game, and cheer.

Baseball is next…

• We lost to Furman in 14.  Sometimes in life, you drop one.
• We play UNC Asheville today at 4PM.  I’m not even going to ask you to go sit in that cold.

Charlie mentioned in the basketball preview post that, “Hopefully our bats will warm up with the weather, that’s what usually happens.“  Not necessarily.  Any hot weather sport that’s played in the cold months can give way to the unexpected, general chaos, and confusion.  Specifically games like baseball that rely a lot on strategy.  The weather is hard on pitchers to get (and then stay) warm and find a rhythm, especially given the cold, experience, and time off.

Assorted Links

• The Athletic Department has designated their homegames.
• See what you’re missing on the forums: What are your favorite albums?; Are they athletes? Is it a sport?; 10 Athletes you’d want to drink with; Talk about B-Dawk and the Broncs; Bryce Brown’s handler; Oh yeah, and uh, the Babes Forum, of course.
• Check out Buddy Guy and Freddie King.

Posted by Block-C Staff

Willy Mac:

Lost – I know that there’s no way to really recommend Lost because it’s kind of just one big story and if you miss part of it, it’s almost impossible to know what’s going on in the storyline.  I’ll save you the trouble and just say if you gave up recently because of last seasons finale, get back into it.  This season is just as good as the first and you can catch up on everything you missed this season on iTunes.  It’s as good as it’s ever been, maybe better.

Life on Mars – This show had it’s origins overseas in England.  It’s a great science fiction drama with plenty of cliff hangers.  Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli .  The basis of the show is that a detective on a beat gets hit by a car in today’s world and wakes up in 1973.  He struggles to understand if he’s been sent back in time, if he’s in a coma and dreaming, or if he’s dead and if his world is the afterlife.  Trust me, it sounds crazy but it’s good.  It’s worth a shot and it comes on right after Lost on Wednesday nights.

Chili:

East Bound and Down – This new HBO series tells the story of Kenny Powers, former baseball superstar who now finds himself washed up & living with his brother in North Carolina while working as a PE teacher. It stars Danny McBride, who stole scenes as a drug dealer in Pineapple Express and as the pyrotechnics guy in Tropic Thunder. The pilot episode is available online, and it’s fucking hilarious. Check out an interview with McBride here. The show airs Sunday at 10:30. Check out this video of Will Ferrell making a guest appearance in the show:

Charleston Beer Exchange – The CBX bills itself as Charleston’s craft beer store, and they are certainly that. If you’re seriously into beer like Willy Mac and myself, you’ll have to make this part of your stop when you’re in Charleston. A healthy supply of Belgians and other choice imports and a focus on American craft beer are what you’ll find here. There’s also a station with six taps where you can get a half-gallon growler filled up with hard to find beers fresh from the keg. Each Tuesday they tap a rare beer at 5 PM. Check out their site here. The CBX is located on Exchange street behind the Old Exchange Building.

Posted by Chili

NEWS

CASE CLOSED!

Larry Williams has his Wednesday practice report up over at the Post & Courier. Tommy Bowden was asked to respond to criticisms that his teams always seem to lose a game to a team they should beat.

His response:

“That’s the way it is with most teams. Southern Cal. Ohio State. Usually all of them lose to a team that they shouldn’t have. LSU lost to Kentucky. I wish I could win them all. But Maryland’s a good team that gives full scholarships. Coach Friedgen is a good coach. They’ve got good players.”

[sarcasm]Man, what a wonderful answer. That really seals it for me, case closed. We’re going to be alright. Whew, that really quells all my fears about this team. It also makes me warm and fuzzy to know that we’re right up there with the Southern Cals, Ohio States, and LSUs. [/sarcasm]

TAKING ON THE IMPATIENT

Of the many Clemson fans calling for Bowden’s head, those who want him gone immediately almost assuredly are in the minority. Ron Morris over at The State takes a break from riling up Sakerlina fans to rib Tiger faithful a bit this week. He takes aim at those who want to pull the trigger immediately. He is pretty on point here, though for the sake of an interesting article, and for the sake of making the Clemson fanbase appear even more fickle than it is, he almost makes it seem as if the “Bowden’s gotta go now” are the majority.

LEVON TO BE HONORED

Levon Kirkland will be honored at this year’s ACC Championship Game (let’s hope he’s not the only Tiger there) as one of the ACC Legends for 2008. The ACC picks one legendary player from each member institution to honor at each season’s championship game. This is not only a nice gesture, but getting 12 legends and their families down there each year nearly doubles the attendance figures.

I fondly recall Willy Mac telling me about the time he was in Best Buy to pick up a copy of Quarterback Princess and ran into Levon in the DVD aisle. Willy said he just stared at the mountain of a man all awkwardly until Levon acknowledged him. At that point Willy just said “Uh… I just wanna say…. thank you,” and wandered off to the “Special Interest” section.

I was just tryin to buy the new season of The Wire and this John Reep lookin motherfucker keeps starin me down

Chili:

Trailer Park Boys – This Canadian mockumentary is billed as “COPS filmed from the criminals perspective” and is one of the funniest television shows I’ve ever seen. There is also a feature film out that is just as good as the show. Pick them up on Demonoid or Pirate Bay or, legally, from Netflix. In this clip Ricky, one of the three stars of the show, reacts to being busted for stealing satellite signals.

Spaten Oktoberfest - High gravity beers are all the rage here in SC, and it seems like so many people these days are scouring bars for the strongest beers they can get their hands on. Those of us who have been familiar with a wider selection of beers for longer know that it’s not always the strongest beer that makes the best drink. Spaten’s is the quintessential Oktoberfest beer in my opinion, and is available now, all fresh and delicious, at your nearest beer store or Oktoberfest block party. Goes great with sausage and a big boobed beer-frau.

Willy Mac:

GelaSkins – Forever and ever I’ve stuck with the same 80gb ipod. The old, bulky, black original video ipod.  I’ve treated it so bad and I felt that I wanted something to protect it and spice it up.  I was digging through an old Cigar Aficianado while on the toilet, saw this site in the back, and loved it.  Not the fact that its a sticker, but I ordered the American flag one and it really does work as well as a protective covering.  It’s great as it’s reinforced for extra protection.  Give them a check out here.

Samichlaus – I’m going the other way from Chili, I’m going to recommend one of the strongest lagers in the world.  It’s also the tastiest in my honest opinion.  Made by the Schloss Eggenberg brewery in Austria and hailing in at an impressive 14% alcohol in each bottle, this beer has some good kick.  It’s brewed once a year, every year on December 6th.  The best part about it is that if you take care of it, it’s like a good wine: it only gets better with age. The 2006 can still be found at most Whole Foods type stores, but I can’t wait for the 2007 brew.