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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 5B
The Game Plan
My really early NBA Finals predictions
Well we’ve reached the
beginning of November,
which means that the NBA
season has begun - about
two months too early in my
opinion.
But. nonetheless it has
begun, so let’s hunker down
and try to make sense of
what will happen this sea
son.
The defending champion
Cleveland Cavaliers look to
be the favorites to come out
of the Eastern Conference
again, with many of the
experts picking them to win
the NBA title again. But,
there is all sorts of com
petition this year, so here
are my predictions for how
things will shape up in both
conferences.
For years the Western
Conference has been more
entertaining and filled with
better teams than the East
ern Conference, that seems
to be the case again this
season.
The West has a few pow
erhouse teams that will be
competing for that top spot
going into the playoffs. I
see some combination of
the Warriors and Spurs in
the top two positions with
the Thunder close behind
in third.
The Thunder will with
out a doubt be missing
Kevin Durant, but I think
everyone is
anticipating Rus
sell Westbrook
having a career
season (and like
ly winning the
MVP award)
so don’t be sur
prised to see the
Thunder too far
behind the big
dogs.
As far as those
big dogs, I still
have a hard time
expecting the Warriors to
not be the best team in the
West.
Yes, I know they lost
their first game of the sea
son to the Spurs, but some
thing tells me that
the Warriors are
going to figure out
how to play with
all their star-power
and dominate the
West. Although,
it shouldn’t shock
anyone if the Spurs
finish first place in
the West - which,
by the way, I find it
hilarious that peo
ple were actually
shocked the Spurs
beat the Warriors in the
first game of the season,
but that’s another topic for
another day.
As far as the Eastern Con
ference, well that’s where
things get interesting. The
Cavs will finish in first, no
doubt about that, but after
that it is a toss up for who
will wind up behind them
in the standings.
The most attractive picks
seem to be the Celtics or
the Raptors, that’s fair. I
think the Celtics are better
than the Raptors and I see
Boston coming in second.
The Indiana Pacers are
another team everyone
should look out for in
the East. I anticipate Paul
George having a great sea
son and landing the Pacers
somewhere in the top 4 for
the Eastern Conference.
It will be a long season,
filled with a lot of excite
ment.
But as of now, here is
my really early prediction
for the NBA Finals: Cleve
land vs. Golden State/San
Antonio.
I know, how shocking of
a prediction!
But, it’s the NBA, and all
the parody ends after the
first round of the playoffs.
Enjoy the season!
Tyler Rollason is a Wind
er-Barrow High School and
University of West Georgia
graduate. You can email
comments about this col
umn to tyrollason@yahoo.
com.
Bluegrass memories
There was a time before
the proliferation of televi
sion contracts which now
cover every sport, every
helmet and every pony tail
in the Southeastern Con
ference (not suggesting
any of that is bad by the
way) you learned about
other schools in the league
by radio.
You used your imagina
tion to form images and
opinions about each cam
pus and team.
Tiger Stadium on Satur
day night in Baton Rouge:
Tulane (have you forgot
ten that the Green Wave
was an original member of
the SEC?) in carnivorous
Tulane Stadium (80.985
capacity), home of the
Sugar Bowl; Shields-Wat-
kins Field by the Tennes
see River in Knoxville;
Lexington’s Stoll Field in
the middle of Bluegrass
Country and the Hedges of
Sanford Stadium in Ath
ens.
The accounts on radio
made you want to find
a way to see what the
screaming Cajuns were
like in person, just how
big Tulane Stadium was in
New Orleans and what the
atmosphere was like when
Alabama and Auburn
played at Legion Field in
Birmingham.
Stoll Field in Lexing
ton didn’t sound unique
but Cawood Ledford, like
a latter day Larry Mun
son, made it sound like the
greatest place on earth.
Radio resonated with
the fans, but rights fees
were miniscule compared
to what television brings
in today.
I can remember in the
late fifties when Richard T.
Frick, who owned the New
York agency which owned
the rights to Georgia foot
ball and basketball, came
to town to have dinner with
Howell Hollis, Business
Manager of Athletics, and
Dan Magill. Sports Infor
mation Director and a cou
ple of sports writers before
a home game.
I saw Frick hand over a
check to Hollis for $5,000
for Georgia rights fees
which Hollis gleefully put
into the inside vest pocket
of his sports coat.
Can you comprehend
today that that check was a
big deal for the University
of Georgia in those times?
It would be decades
before the big money scene
enveloped college athletics
and made five thousand
dollars look like a measly
tip.
With the escalation of
rights fees and the gushing
of money from all sources,
it is difficult for today’s
generation to fathom the
challenge of yesteryear’s
college athletic adminis
trators to balance the bud
get.
There often is a flash
back to those older days
when radio was about the
only means of attracting
fans (other than winning
big).
Munson and Ledford,
John Ferguson of LSU and
John Ward of Tennessee all
wanted you to be a part of
the college football scene.
Radio made you want to
go there.
I got to know Ledford
about the same time as
I became acquainted
with Munson and always
thought that the two best
trips on the Georgia sched
ule were to Nashville—
the Grand Ole Opry and
Printer’s Alley—and Lex
ington—Keeneland Race
Course and the horse
farms.
Even today, I can’t think
of a prettier landscape than
the bluegrass of Kentucky
and the ancillary opportu
nities for anyone who has
any curiosity.
I can recall arriving in
Lexington when the leaves
were at peak and the hors
es were running at Keene
land, which gets my vote
as the prettiest
horse track in the
country.
There often
was a nip in the
air and a need for
a sport coat.
In the club
house, the well-
to-do were
smartly dressed
with the ladies
adorned with
a fur on their
shoulders and the
men in snappy
sport coats and ties.
Down at the infield the
“other half,” cavorted in
blue jeans and sweaters
that needed darning at the
elbow.
Like those in the club
house, those with limited
means and lesser social
standing were serious
betters who enjoyed the
same thrill of redeeming
a winning ticket at the pay
window.
In Kentucky there’s
more than the horse tracks
at Keeneland and Louis
ville in the fall.
You can follow
the bourbon trail
and enjoy the
distilleries where
your favorite
bourbon is made.
Years ago
somebody’s
ancestor, dating
back to the time
of Daniel Boone,
figured out there
was something
about the lime
stone water that
enhanced the taste of bour
bon which resulted in the
distilling of fine products
which are marketed world
wide.
Football, however, has to
be the centerpiece of any
weekend to Lexington in
the fall.
Over the years, there
have often been some
thrilling and exciting
games and on occasion,
there were games when the
elements were harsh, even
snow and sleet to contend
with.
All time, Georgia has
a 55-12-2 record versus
Kentucky, even holding an
edge at games played in
Lexington, 26-7, but some
of those victories were
hard earned.
Flash back to 1978 when
Kentucky held the lead,
16-14, with Georgia hav
ing one last chance at vic
tory.
The Wildcats yielded
yardage grudgingly.
Only the determined-
give-no-quarter efforts of
tailback Willie McClen
don gave the Bulldogs the
edge.
He was knocking line
backers about, edging
closer to the Wildcats goal
with every snap.
This was Dooley ball at
its finest.
This forward march
would not involve the for
ward pass.
Willie right and Willie
left.
Will he get us to the end
zone?
The classic stalemate
reached the Kentucky 22
yard line, when the clock
dictated that Georgia had
to win it with Rex Robin
son’s foot.
Repeated timeout calls
failed to ice Noble Rex.
His foot was never more
classically true, however.
There were three sec
onds left when the ball
sailed through at 17-16.
Munson, if you recalled,
confirmed it with, “Yeah,
Yeah, Yeah!”
The team flew home and
I stayed behind with a bot
tle of Woodford Reserve.
And a bowl of burgoo.
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!
The high times of Ken
tucky trips remain at the
top of personal flashbacks.
It was radio that started
my memorable journey.
Loran Smith is a sports
columnist for the Bar-
row News-Journal. He is
co-host of the University
of Georgia football radio
pre-game show.
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