HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON!!! and Clemson/USC Trivia

Let me start by wishing my niece Allison a happy birthday. May all her wishes today come true. And if they all can’t come true, may the wish that Clemson beats Carolina today come true. I can remember when she was just a little baby and I would drive from Rock Hill to go visit her. Interesting fact... there are about 134 different ways to get from my old dorm at Winthrop to the house Sonny’s family was living in back then (I know, because I drove them all... remember, this was before GPS).

Today is the big day in South Carolina... the day of the Clemson/USC (or USC/Clemson) game. Others complain from time to time that this game doesn’t get the national “respect” that it should. I say, “Who cares?” I don’t care if some yankee in Ohio doesn’t care about this game. I don’t care if others prefer Florida/Florida State or Auburn/Alabama. Good for them. Me... I like this game. I won’t get to watch it live (because Winthrop Basketball comes first in my heart), but I will follow it. If things go well, I will watch the DVD of the game on Sunday. Here are some interesting tidbits from the gameday notes provided by each team to the media.

*This is the 108th meeting between the two schools (102nd consecutive meeting)... 3rd longest in history (keep it clean, Ross).

*Clemson leads the series 65-38-4

*Clemson’s overall record is 647-442-45

*USC’s overall record is 538-536-44

*The Revolutionary War Heroes have a 1,000 yard rusher (Lattimore) and a 1,000 yard receiver (Jeffery) in the same season.

*This is the 10th time in school history that USC has won at least 8 games.

*This is the first time in school history that the Revolutionary War Heroes have won the SEC East.

*The last time USC won back to back games in this series is when they won 3 in a row back in 1968, 1969, and 1970.

*Clemson holds a 16-8-1 edge in games played at Clemson.

*Three of the last five meetings have been decided by five points or less.

*The visiting team won seven years in a row between 1991-1997.

*The home team has won the last two by exactly 17.

*Clemson classes who have beaten USC four consecutive years were the seniors of 1900, 1919, 1930, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1983, 1991, 2000, and 2005.

*Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst became the only QB for either team in the series to start four victories.

*USC classes who have beaten Clemson four consecutive years were the seniors of 1954. That’s it. That’s the list.

*The USC senior classes of 1952 and 1953 also never lost to Clemson (they went 3-0-1).

*Clemson has won each of the last 6 night games in the series (1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007).

*The last senior class at USC to have a winning record against Clemson was the class of 1987 (2-1-1).

*Neither team has ever been shutout in Death Valley.

*The good news for USC fans is their team is 3-2 against ranked teams this season.

*The bad news is Clemson isn’t ranked.

The I’m just sayin... Clemson/USC (or USC/Clemson) 2010 Prediction

#18 USC at Clemson 7:00pm (ESPN2) – All signs point to the Revolutionary War Heroes winning this one. Some signs even point to them winning it big (revenge for 63-17, perhaps). Clemson hasn’t done much to impress me this season while USC has. Having said that, I just can’t do it. I can’t pick USC to win. Maybe if they hadn’t won last season, I’d pick them to win this season. But they did win last season. So for them to win this season would be for them to do something that hasn’t been done in Sonny’s lifetime. I know that’s not a good reason to pick a team... but it’s what I’ve got. I also think highly of the Clemson defense. Of course, I don’t think you can take the USC offence lightly. Bottom line, I’m picking Clemson to win this game by 1. If the Revolutionary War Heroes make history and win, then I will tip my cap and congratulate them.

I would ask all of my friends who are going to the game to remember that, contrary to what you may believe, it is just a game. Have fun, talk trash, say things in a parking lot that you’d never say in a church... but remember it’s just a game. No need to run over someone because they cheer for the other team. No need to get in a fight over a football game. Don’t kill someone because they have a Tiger paw on their face or a symbol of a Revolutionary War Hero on their shirt. Because at the end of the day, that’s just stupid.

But really, we at I’m just sayin... see no reason why people shouldn’t talk trash. And remember our rule, if you go to a game at the rival’s home... be prepared for anything. People aren’t always “nice” to fans of their rival.

Baby #3 Name Update: The name Edward was added to the list of names The Wife said no to. (Sorry Ross). :(

Winthrop Update: The Eagles play Lander at 7:00pm tonight. I will be there cheering on Winthrop (with, I’m guessing, about 100 other people... everyone else will probably be watching football).

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Seaman First Class Heinrich Behnke (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on January 25, 1905 on board the USS Iowa. His citation reads:

While serving aboard the U.S.S. Iowa, Behnke displayed extraordinary heroism at the time of the blowing out of the manhole plate of boiler D on board that vessel, 25 January 1905.

Sergeant Gary B. Beikirch (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 1, 1970 at Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Beikirch, medical aidman, Detachment B-24, Company B, distinguished himself during the defense of Camp Dak Seang. The allied defenders suffered a number of casualties as a result of an intense, devastating attack launched by the enemy from well-concealed positions surrounding the camp. Sgt. Beikirch, with complete disregard for his personal safety, moved unhesitatingly through the withering enemy fire to his fallen comrades, applied first aid to their wounds and assisted them to the medical aid station. When informed that a seriously injured American officer was lying in an exposed position, Sgt. Beikirch ran immediately through the hail of fire. Although he was wounded seriously by fragments from an exploding enemy mortar shell, Sgt. Beikirch carried the officer to a medical aid station. Ignoring his own serious injuries, Sgt. Beikirch left the relative safety of the medical bunker to search for and evacuate other men who had been injured. He was again wounded as he dragged a critically injured Vietnamese soldier to the medical bunker while simultaneously applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to sustain his life. Sgt. Beikirch again refused treatment and continued his search for other casualties until he collapsed. Only then did he permit himself to be treated. Sgt. Beikirch's complete devotion to the welfare of his comrades, at the risk of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Sergeant Ted Belcher (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on November 19, 1966 at Plei Djerang, Republic of Vietnam. His citation reads:

Distinguishing himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life. Sgt. Belcher's unit was engaged in a search and destroy mission with Company B, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry, the Battalion Reconnaissance Platoon and a special forces company of civilian irregular defense group personnel. As a squad leader of the 2d Platoon of Company C, Sgt. Belcher was leading his men when they encountered a bunker complex. The reconnaissance platoon, located a few hundred meters northwest of Company C, received a heavy volume of fire from well camouflaged snipers. As the 2d Platoon moved forward to assist the unit under attack, Sgt. Belcher and his squad, advancing only a short distance through the dense jungle terrain, met heavy and accurate automatic weapons and sniper fire. Sgt. Belcher and his squad were momentarily stopped by the deadly volume of enemy fire. He quickly gave the order to return fire and resume the advance toward the enemy. As he moved up with his men, a hand grenade landed in the midst of the sergeant's squad. Instantly realizing the immediate danger to his men, Sgt. Belcher, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his safety, lunged forward, covering the grenade with his body. Absorbing the grenade blast at the cost of his life, he saved his comrades from becoming casualties. Sgt. Belcher's profound concern for his fellow soldiers, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

Football Friday

Today we will look at the last win in this rivalry for each school...

Clemson: November 29, 2008. Interim Head Coach Dabo Sweeny and his Clemson Tigers welcomed Coach Steve Spurrier and his USC Gamecocks to Death Valley in a match up of unranked teams. The captains that year for USC were Jasper Brinkley, Kenny McKinley, Eric Norwood, and Justin Sorensen. Clemson needed to win this game to become bowl eligible and many felt like Sweeny needed a win to help him earn the job of head coach. The Tigers went out and played this game like they wanted it more (and perhaps they did). Death Valley was rocking as the Tigers took control of the game and never let go as they went on to win 31-14. The Gamecocks went on to lose to Iowa in the Outback Bowl to end their season at 7-6 (4-4 in the SEC). The Tigers went on to lose to Nebraska in the Gator Bowl to end their season at 7-6 (4-4 in the ACC).

USC: November 28, 2009. In his first season as the head coach, Dabo Sweeny was able to lead Clemson (with big help from the fastest Clemson player ever, CJ Spiller, and the only player fast enough to be a lead blocker for him, Jacoby Ford) to an ACC Atlantic title. The #15 Tigers headed into Columbia high on a 6 game winning streak while the unranked Revolutionary War Heroes were trying to recover from a 3 game losing streak. 80,574 people packed into Williams-Brice stadium (and many more tuned in on ESPN) to see if the USC defense would be able to stop Spiller. The captains for the Revolutionary War Heroes that season were Moe Brown, Patrick DiMarco, Cliff Matthews, and Eric Norwood. The game started with Spiller returning the kickoff for a TD. After that, it seems Clemson thought the game was over. USC didn’t... The Revolutionary War Heroes went on to win the game 34-17. USC went on to end the season unranked with a loss to Connecticut in the Papajohns.com Bowl and a 7-6 record (3-5 SEC). Clemson went on to lose in the ACC Championship game to Georgia Tech but bounce back to beat Kentucky in the Music City Bowl and end the season ranked #24 with a 9-5 record (6-2 ACC).

Baby #3 Name Update: The name Wade was added to the list of names The Wife has said no to.

Winthrop Update: The Eagles play Lander at 7:00pm tomorrow. I will be there cheering on Winthrop (with, I’m guessing, about 100 other people... everyone else will probably be watching football).

The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions

Friday Night
Dorman vs. Irmo – I’m staying on the Dorman bandwagon. I’m picking Dorman to win by 10.

Saturday
#18 USC at Clemson 7:00pm (ESPN2) – Check back tomorrow to see my pick for this game.

Sunday
Pittsburgh at Buffalo 1:00pm (CBS) – I don’t hate Buffalo... but I don’t like them in this game. I’m picking the Steelers to win by 14.

Miami at Oakland 4:05pm (CBS) – I’m not sure if the Dolphins have any QB’s right now... but I’m going to pick them anyway. Miami by 5.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Sergeant John P. Beech (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia. His citation reads:

Voluntarily assisted in working the guns of a battery, all the members of which had been killed or wounded.

Sergeant Terrence Begley (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on June 3, 1864 at Cold Harbor, Virginia. His citation reads:

Shot a Confederate color bearer, rushed forward and seized his colors, and although exposed to heavy fire, regained the lines in safety.

Fireman First Class Frederick Behne (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on January 25, 1905 on board the USS Iowa. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Iowa, 25 January 1905. Following the blowing out of the manhole plate of boiler D of that vessel, Behne displayed extraordinary heroism in the resulting action.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

We at I’m just sayin... would like to wish all of our friends, families, and readers a very Happy Thanksgiving. We hope you enjoy this video clip from the famous WKRP Turkey Drop. Classic...


WKRP Turkey Drop from Mitch Cohen on Vimeo.

Our trip down memory lane today will take us to 2006 and 1980

USC: November 25, 2006. Steve Spurrier took his unranked Revolutionary War Heroes into Death Valley to face Tommy Bowden’s 24th ranked Tigers. This is a game that saw Clemson score on big play after big play... but when it mattered the most the Revolutionary War Heroes were able to march down the field and score. Clemson had a shot to tie it at the end of the game but they couldn’t make the FG. Really, Clemson had a shot to win it... but for reasons I’ll probably never know the coaches decided to take Reggie Merriweather out of the game (causing Steve Spurrier to look at his assistants and ask, “Why the hell are they taking Merriweather out? He’s killing us”. Or something like that... it was hard for me to read his lips from up in the upper deck with Sonny). The Revolutionary War Heroes had 492 yards of total offense that day on the way to a 31-28 win. The captains that year for USC were Fred Bennett, Ike Crofoot, and Chris White. The Revolutionary War Heroes would go on to defeat Houston in the Liberty Bowl and end the year 8-5 (3-5 in the SEC). Clemson would go on to lose to Kentucky in the Music City Bowl and would end the year 8-5 (5-3 in the ACC).

Clemson: November 22, 1980. Coach Jim Carlen took his 14th ranked Revolutionary War Heroes into Death Valley to face the unranked Tigers. The Revolutionary War Heroes were feeling pretty good with future Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers running wild all season. Clemson, on the other hand, was just ready for the season to end. Then in the Clemson locker room before the game Coach Danny Ford pulled off one of the greatest motivation acts ever… orange pants. It sounds so simple, yet when the Tigers put on the orange pants they knew they couldn’t lose. And so, with the orange pants on, Clemson held USC to two FGs and won the game 27-6. Clemson would end the season with a 6-5 record (2-4 in the ACC). USC would go on to lose to Pitt in the Gator Bowl.

Baby #3 Name Update: The name Xavier was added to the list of names The Wife has said no to.

Winthrop Update: The Eagles play Lander at 7:00pm this Saturday. I will be there cheering on Winthrop (with, I’m guessing, about 100 other people... everyone else will probably be watching football).

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Private Wallace A. Beckwith (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on December 13, 1862 at Fredericksburg, Virginia. His citation reads:

Gallantly responded to a call for volunteers to man a battery, serving with great heroism until the termination of the engagement.

Private Richard Beddows (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 18, 1864 at Spotsylvania, Virginia. His citation reads:

Brought his guidon off in safety under a heavy fire of musketry after he had lost it by his horse becoming furious from the bursting of a shell.

First Lieutenant William S. Beebe (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 23, 1864 at Cane River Crossing, Louisiana. His citation reads:

Voluntarily led a successful assault on a fortified position.

Memory Lane visits to 1977 and 1992

Clemson: November 19, 1977. Two words… The. Catch. Coach Charley Pell took his Clemson Tigers down to Columbia to battle Coach Jim Carlen’s USC Revolutionary War Heroes. The Tigers came in as the favorite with a #15 ranking. The Revolutionary War Heroes weren’t about to just roll over for the Tigers, however. Late in the 4th quarter the Tigers found themselves behind with time running out. I think you know what happened next. With 49 seconds left in the game, Clemson QB Steve Fuller dropped back and launched a 20 yard pass over the head of WR Jerry Butler... BUT WAIT! Butler dives BACKWARDS AND CATCHES THE PASS to give the Tigers a 31-27 victory! The Tigers would go on to lose to Pitt in the Gator Bowl ending their season with an 8-3-1 ranking (4-1-1 in the ACC). The Tigers ended the season ranked #19 in the AP poll. The Revolutionary War Heroes season ended the next week on the road at Hawaii giving them a 5-7 record for the year.

USC: November 21, 1992. 2 words… Steve. Tannyhill. This was a big year for USC. After going 6-5 in 1990 (including a loss to The Citadel) and going 3-6-2 in 1991 (including ties with Duke and Louisiana Tech and a loss to East Carolina) the Revolutionary War Heroes earned a bid to join the mighty SEC in 1992. Coach Sparky Woods and his Revolutionary War Heroes got off to a slow start in 1992 with 5 straight losses (damn that East Carolina) but after Freshman QB Steve Tannyhill led a player revolt USC got things turned around winning 4 of their next 5 to set up this game. The Revolutionary War Heroes were also out for a little revenge as they had not beaten the Tigers in four years. As an added bonus, they had a chance to hand Clemson its first losing season in a long time. The game was in Death Valley and the Revolutionary War Heroes took it to the Tigers. USC won the game 24-13 with Steve Tannyhill “signing” his name on the Tiger Paw in the middle of the field making him at once the most loved and most hated person in the state. The win gave USC a final record of 5-6 (3-5 in the SEC). The Tigers ended their year with a final record of 5-6 (3-5 in the ACC).

Now let me tell you a story about our visit to the doctor’s office this past Monday. I’ll skip the wait and start with when we get back in the room and we're looking at the ultrasound. Before we start, the lady asks if we have any feelings on what we’re having. The Wife says “no”, but I say we’ve got it narrowed down to either a boy or a girl. She smiled. I’m sure she’s heard that joke before, but I thought my delivery was good enough for a laugh. The Wife just rolled her eyes. Anyway, the show begins and all eyes go to the screen. I'm not paying too much attention because every ultrasound I've ever seen (which includes, but is not limited to: the ultrasound of when The Wife was pregnant with Mary Ruth, the ultrasound of when The Wife was pregnant with Susie, and the ultra sound of Susie's head a month or so ago) looks pretty much the same. So I'm looking but I'm not really looking. The Wife wants to know right away if we're having a boy or a girl... so the lady in there takes her sweet time getting to that part (which made me laugh). Anyway, she’s going over the heart and all that other stuff and saying everything looks good (which made me happy) and then she says “You’re having a boy”. The Wife asks, “Are you sure?” and the woman says, “Oh yeah... there’s NO DOUBT... I’m as sure as I can be...” and she goes on and on to the point that I’m sitting there thinking get a hold of yourself lady and act like you’ve seen one of those before. Of course, then I was thinking, “Good for you, Sport... not even born yet and already impressing the ladies”. So Baby #3 has that going for him, which is nice. The rest of the visit consisted of The Wife laughing and saying she doesn’t believe it (so it would appear that I was wrong, I was the only one who thought it came down to either a boy or a girl... she thought girl was the only option). Not much happened the rest of the visit (except me paying the bill... which wasn’t fun). Mary Ruth was excited when we told her she was going to have a little brother. Susie was excited to see Mary Ruth excited (and she seemed to enjoy hearing the news from Mary Ruth). It appears everyone is healthy and happy and that makes me happy.

Baby #3 Name Update: The name Maverick was added to the list of AWESOME names The Wife has said no to.

Winthrop Update: The Eagles lost to Belmont yesterday, 44-71.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Corporal Jean J. Beaufort (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 20, 1863 at Port Hudson, Louisiana. His citation reads:

Volunteered to go within the enemy's lines and at the head of a party of 8 destroyed a signal station, thereby greatly aiding in the operations against Port Hudson that immediately followed.

Major/Assistant Adjutant General Eugene B. Beaumont (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on December 17, 1864 (at Harpeth River, Tennessee) and April 2, 1865 (at Selma, Alabama). His citation reads:

Obtained permission from the corps commander to advance upon the enemy's position with the 4th U.S. Cavalry, of which he was a lieutenant; led an attack upon a battery, dispersed the enemy, and captured the guns. At Selma, Ala., charged, at the head of his regiment, into the second and last line of the enemy's works.

Private Edward J. Bebb (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 16, 1865 at Columbus, Georgia. His citation reads:

Capture of flag.

Baby Names, USC/Clemson

Here are some of the baby names The Wife has already said “no” to:

Levon Kirkland Horres
Michael Corleone Horres
Ryne Sandberg Horres
Winston Churchill Horres
Chris Gaynor Horres
Greg Lewis Horres
Charles Oakley Horres
Stonewall Jackson Horres
Doc Holliday Horres
Ric Flair Horres
Obi-Wan Horres
De’Andre Adams Horres
Horrez Horres (This one was Jeremy’s idea... I liked it, The Wife didn’t)
Santino Corleone Horres
Rossiter Chellis Horres
She also said “no” to the names Kevin (sorry KC and Sonny), Han, Chewbacca, and Albus.

We’re 99.9% sure on a middle and last name (well, 100% sure on the last name, 99.9% sure on the middle name). I will keep you updated on this important part of the baby process.

Today we will look at the '87 and '88 football games...

USC: November 21, 1987. This was one of the bigger match-ups between USC and Clemson (at least when it comes to national rankings). The Revolutionary War Heroes entered the game ranked #12 while the Tigers were ranked #8. The USC captains that year were Sterling Sharpe and Brad Edwards. Clemson’s defense that year included senior Michael Dean Perry, but it was the USC defense that stole the game with 3 interceptions. Tiger QB Rodney Williams left the field that night to the taunting chants of “Rod-ney, Rod-ney, Rod-ney” from the USC faithful. The Revolutionary War Heroes, in front of 75,043 fans (plus a national TV audience watching on ESPN) smacked the Tigers all over the field for a 20-7 win. (***Side note: I remember watching this game at the Freeman’s house [they lived down the street from us]. After this game, I never watched another Clemson game at their house. End Side note***). The Tigers would bounce back in the Citrus Bowl to hand Joe Pa and his Penn State team the worst bowl beating ever (at least at the time... not sure if that’s still true). The Tigers would end the season at 10-2 (6-1 in the ACC... ACC Champs) and would have a final AP ranking of #12. USC would travel to play at Miami (again on ESPN) the week after the Clemson game where they would fall to the #2 ranked Hurricanes 20-16. I remember this game because it was the first time I learned you can’t spell “THUG” without The “U”. For what it’s worth, I still think USC got cheated in this game. Anyway, the Revolutionary War Heroes would end their season with a Gator Bowl loss to LSU. The final record for the Revolutionary War Heroes in 1987 was 8-4 and they ended up ranked 15th in the final AP poll.

CLEMSON: November 19, 1988. The #15 Tigers were looking for revenge as they “welcomed” the #25 Revolutionary War Heroes to Death Valley. The game was played in front of 84,867 fans plus a regional TV audience. USC was coming off of a big win over Navy while Clemson had just won its 3rd straight ACC Championship with a win over Maryland. This would be the last time Clemson coach Danny Ford would face USC coach Joe Morrison (as Morrison would tragically die in the offseason). The captains for the Revolutionary War Heroes that year were Randy Harwell, Kevin Hendrix, and Robert Robinson. A little known fact is that Al Groh was the offensive coordinator for USC that season. It’s the only time in his college or pro coaching career that he coached on the offensive side of the ball. Clemson that season was loaded with talent on offense (Rodney Williams, Terry Allen, Gary Cooper...) and defense (Vance Hammond, Levon Kirkland, Donnell Woolford...). This would mark the first Clemson/Carolina game that Sonny would see as a student of Clemson (another little known fact... Clemson never lost to USC while Sonny was a student). Clemson controlled this game winning 29-10. Clemson QB Rodney Williams left the field for the last time as the Clemson QB to over 80,000 people chanting “RODNEY! RODNEY! RODNEY!” Clemson would end the season with a win over Oklahoma in the Citrus Bowl giving Rodney Williams the most wins in Clemson history for a QB and giving the Tigers a 10-2 final record and a final ranking of #9. USC would go on to lose to Indiana in the Liberty Bowl and end the season with an 8-4 record and unranked.

Winthrop Update:  The Eagles beat Wake Forest 83-74 last night to give Coach Randy Peele his 100th victory.  Winthrop will face Belmont today at 4:30pm.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

First Sergeant Powhatan Beaty (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 29, 1864 at Chapins Farm, Virginia. His citation reads:

Took command of his company, all the officers having been killed or wounded, and gallantly led it.

First Lieutenant Raymond O. Beaudoin (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 6, 1945 at Hamelin, Germany. His citation reads:

He was leading the 2d Platoon of Company F over flat, open terrain to Hamelin, Germany, when the enemy went into action with machineguns and automatic weapons, laying down a devastating curtain of fire which pinned his unit to the ground. By rotating men in firing positions he made it possible for his entire platoon to dig in, defying all the while the murderous enemy fire to encourage his men and to distribute ammunition. He then dug in himself at the most advanced position, where he kept up a steady fire, killing 6 hostile soldiers, and directing his men in inflicting heavy casualties on the numerically superior opposing force. Despite these defensive measures, however, the position of the platoon became more precarious, for the enemy had brought up strong reinforcements and was preparing a counterattack. Three men, sent back at intervals to obtain ammunition and reinforcements, were killed by sniper fire. To relieve his command from the desperate situation, 1st Lt. Beaudoin decided to make a l-man attack on the most damaging enemy sniper nest 90 yards to the right flank, and thereby divert attention from the runner who would attempt to pierce the enemy's barrier of bullets and secure help. Crawling over completely exposed ground, he relentlessly advanced, undeterred by 8 rounds of bazooka fire which threw mud and stones over him or by rifle fire which ripped his uniform. Ten yards from the enemy position he stood up and charged. At point-blank range he shot and killed 2 occupants of the nest; a third, who tried to bayonet him, he overpowered and killed with the butt of his carbine; and the fourth adversary was cut down by the platoon's rifle fire as he attempted to flee. He continued his attack by running toward a dugout, but there he was struck and killed by a burst from a machinegun. By his intrepidity, great fighting skill, and supreme devotion to his responsibility for the well-being of his platoon, 1st Lt. Beaudoin single-handedly accomplished a mission that enabled a messenger to secure help which saved the stricken unit and made possible the decisive defeat of the German forces.

First Sergeant Clay Beauford (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions during the Winter of 1872-1873. His citation reads:

Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches.

Clemson/Carolina Football (and Baby 3 is a.........)

We went to the doctor today to find out if Baby 3 is a he or a she. But before we get to that, let me just say that The Wife and I had a great time at the Harry Potter movie last night. If you haven’t seen the other Harry Potter movies, don’t see this one (it probably won’t make sense). But if you have seen them, go see this one. I thought it was great. I’d say it went along with the book about 90% of the time. There were some changes here and there but nothing overly drastic. For any of you Star Wars fans out there (and really, who isn't a Star Wars fan?) the end of this movie reminded me a lot of The Empire Strikes Back in that the "bad guys" seem to be on a roll right now and the movie ends with things not looking too great for the "good guys".  Anyway, I can’t wait for Part 2 which should be jam packed with action.

If you remember, this is the week last year that I posted things from different games in the Clemson/Carolina (or Carolina/Clemson) rivalry. I will do the same thing this year (minus the videos, because I don’t have time to look them up and a lot of you can’t view them anyway). Some of these I talked about last year. Some of this might sound familiar (because I said it word for word last year... hello cut and paste). But really, it’s not like the games changed... so why should my summary? And as proof that I don’t really plan things out for this blog... now would be a great time to post the All-Time teams for each school. Doh!

Today we’ll take a trip down memory lane and look at the best season for each school:

CLEMSON: November 21, 1981. Coach Danny Ford took his undefeated, #2 ranked Clemson Tigers down to Columbia to face Coach Jim Carlen’s Revolutionary War Heroes. The Revolutionary War Heroes wanted nothing more than to give the Tigers their first loss of the season in front of 56,971 fans (plus the tv audience). The Tigers would have none of it as they used a punishing ground game to rush for 254 yards and 3 TDs to win 29-13. The Tigers would go on to beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to end their season as National Champions with a 12-0 record (6-0 in the ACC). Two major wins for the Tigers that year (other than the Orange Bowl win) came against Georgia (final AP ranking #6) and North Carolina (final AP ranking #9). The Revolutionary War Heroes ended their season with a loss at Hawaii to give them a final record of 6-6.

CAROLINA: November 24, 1984. Perhaps the greatest year in USC football history. If not the greatest, it’s at least around the top of the list. The week before this big game, the Revolutionary War Heroes were ranked #2 with a very good shot at #1. All they had to do was take care of Navy on the road and then travel to Death Valley to crush the Tigers. It shouldn’t be a problem… the Revolutionary War Heroes had already beaten #12 Georgia and #11 Florida State. So of course, Navy won 38-21. The Revolutionary War Heroes were able to pull things together in time to beat the Tigers on ESPN 22-21. The Tigers would end the season with a 7-4 record (5-2 in the ACC). The Revolutionary War Heroes would go on to lose to Oklahoma State in the Gator Bowl to end the season with a 10-2 record (the only 10 win season in USC football history). The Revolutionary War Heroes would also come in at #11 in the final AP poll.

Oh, almost forgot... Baby #3 is a boy.  Maybe tomorrow we will look at awesome boy names The Wife has already said no to.

The Winthrop Eagles Update The Eagles play Wake Forest tonight.

The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions Results

Friday Night
Summerville vs. Lexington – I picked Summerville. I was wrong. Summerville lost 14-45.

Ashley Ridge at Northwestern – I picked Northwestern. I was right! Northwestern won 49-35.

Fort Dorchester at Dorman – I picked Dorman and I was right!!! Dorman won 49-28.

Saturday
#17 USC vs Troy – I picked USC and boy was I right! The Revolutionary War Heroes won this one 69-24.

Clemson at Wake Forest – I told you Clemson would play great and win (since the game wasn’t on TV). I was right! The Tigers won 30-10.

Navy vs. Arkansas State – I picked Navy... and I was right! Navy won 35-19.

CSU at Coastal Carolina – I picked CSU and boy was I wrong. The only way I could have been more wrong is if I’d picked a team that wasn’t even playing. CSU lost 70-3.

Sunday
Pittsburgh vs. Oakland – I picked the Steelers and I was right! Pittsburgh won 35-3.

Miami – Again, I missed picking the Miami game. The Dolphins lost 0-16 to Chicago this past Thursday night.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Colonel Hiram Iddings Bearss (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on November 17, 1901 at the junction of the Cadacan and Sohoton Rivers, Samar, Philippine Islands. His citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism and eminent and conspicuous conduct in battle at the junction of the Cadacan and Sohoton Rivers, Samar, Philippine Islands, 17 November 1901. Col. Bearss (then Capt.), second in command of the columns upon their uniting ashore in the Sohoton River region, made a surprise attack on the fortified cliffs and completely routed the enemy, killing 30 and capturing and destroying the powder magazine, 40 lantacas (guns), rice, food and cuartels. Due to his courage, intelligence, discrimination and zeal, he successfully led his men up the cliffs by means of bamboo ladders to a height of 200 feet. The cliffs were of soft stone of volcanic origin, in the nature of pumice, and were honeycombed with caves. Tons of rocks were suspended in platforms held in position by vine cables (known as bejuco) in readiness to be precipitated upon people below. After driving the insurgents from their position which was almost impregnable, being covered with numerous trails lined with poison spears, pits, etc., he led his men across the river, scaled the cliffs on the opposite side, and destroyed the camps there. Col. Bearss and the men under his command overcame incredible difficulties and dangers in destroying positions which, according to reports from old prisoners, had taken 3 years to perfect, were held as a final rallying point, and were never before penetrated by white troops. Col. Bearss also rendered distinguished public service in the presence of the enemy at Quinapundan River, Samar, Philippine Islands, on 19 January 1902.

Seaman Harry C. Beasley (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 21, 1914 on the USS Florida. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Florida for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21 April 1914.

Captain Alexander M. Beatty (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on June 5, 1864 at Cold Harbor, Virginia. His citation reads:

Removed, under a hot fire, a wounded member of his command to a place of safety.

Friday fun

I know some of you have trouble viewing videos on here because your work is mean, so forgive me for posting two videos today.

It was brought to my attention (because I read at her blog) that my friend Jenn had her car broken into this past Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. I also found out that the Coastal Carolina basketball team has been in the area since Tuesday. I have no proof that they had anything to do with her car being broken into... but that won’t stop me from blaming them. :)

So... how ‘bout Charlie Rangel? Gets convicted on 11 counts of ethics violations and his punishment is............ a FORMAL letter of reprimand! And THIS is why I laugh when congress sits in judgment of others. The video below is Stephen Colbert’s take on the situation:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Charlie Rangel, You Got Mailed
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

So Harry Potter fans, are you excited? How many of you went to the midnight showing of the movie? I admit it, I wanted to but I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay up that late. I do want to try to see it this weekend. I know, I know... some of you are sitting there saying “Greg, you’re such a dork”. Friends, I had the original Star Wars movie memorized (word for word, sound for sound) before I was old enough to write my name... That “dork” ship sailed a long time ago (mind you, that doesn’t keep me from making fun of these college students). I’ve read all the Harry Potter books and seen all the movies and have pretty high expectations of these next two movies. I expect a lot of action in this movie and a ton of action in the next one. Anyway, here’s the movie trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I:

Before I forget, let me say “Yay, Auburn!”

The Winthrop Eagles Update The Eagles play Wake Forest this coming Monday night.

The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions

Friday Night
Summerville vs. Lexington – This looks to be a tough game for Summerville, but the Green Wave is at home so... I’m picking Summerville by 3.

Ashley Ridge at Northwestern – A very nice season will end tonight for Ashley Ridge. I pick Northwestern to win by 10.

Fort Dorchester at Dorman – It’s hard to pick against Dorman this season. Not as hard to pick against Fort Dorchester. I’m picking Dorman to win by 12.

Saturday
#17 USC vs Troy 12:21pm (SEC Network) – Don’t see how Troy will win unless he brings more guys with him, Haha. Sorry, just a little Troy humor. Anyway, I’m sure the Revolutionary War Heroes are looking past this game so Troy does have a chance... but I don’t think it’s enough of a chance. I’ll take USC by 6.

Clemson at Wake Forest 2:00pm (No TV) – This one isn’t on TV so I’m sure this will be the best game of the year that Clemson plays. The Tigers need to win one of the next two games if they want to go to a bowl (because this team deserves a bowl game...)... they better lock up that win now. I’m picking Clemson to win by 13.

Navy vs. Arkansas State 3:30pm (CBS College Sports) – I pick Navy to win by 14.

CSU at Coastal Carolina – After not watching either team play a game this season, I feel pretty sure that CSU will win. I’m picking CSU by 3.

Sunday
Pittsburgh vs. Oakland – Look for the Steelers to bounce back from their loss last week. Pittsburgh by 14.

Miami – Oops, looks like I missed picking the Miami game (Still trying to get use to Thursday night NFL games). The Dolphins lost 0-16 to Chicago this past Thursday night.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Corporal Lewis Kenneth Bausell (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 15, 1944 on Peleliu Island, Palau Group. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu Island, Palau Group, 15 September 1944. Valiantly placing himself at the head of his squad, Cpl. Bausell led the charge forward against a hostile pillbox which was covering a vital sector of the beach and, as the first to reach the emplacement, immediately started firing his automatic into the aperture while the remainder of his men closed in on the enemy. Swift to act, as a Japanese grenade was hurled into their midst, Cpl. Bausell threw himself on the deadly weapon, taking the full blast of the explosion and sacrificing his own life to save his men. His unwavering loyalty and inspiring courage reflect the highest credit upon Cpl. Bausell and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Private Philip Baybutt (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 24, 1864 at Luray, Virginia. His citation reads:

Capture of flag.

Ordinary Seaman Philip Bazaar (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on January 15, 1865 at Fort Fisher. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Santiago de Cuba during the assault on Fort Fisher on 15 January 1865. As one of a boat crew detailed to one of the generals on shore, O.S. Bazaar bravely entered the fort in the assault and accompanied his party in carrying dispatches at the height of the battle. He was 1 of 6 men who entered the fort in the assault from the fleet.

I’m feeling a little better, thank you

Before I begin, let me welcome all of my Chinese readers to the blog. An alert I’m just saying... reader (Dad) emailed me this link to let me know that there is a good chance the Chinese are now reading my blog. Ok, he sent it to me to let me know that a cousin of mine was interviewed in it. If you click on the link and then actually read the article, my cousin is the guy with the last name “Smoak”. His grandfather is a Smoak, as was my grandmother until she became a “Horres” (which, as luck would have it, happened the same time she married my grandfather who had the last name “Horres”). Anyway, it seems the Chinese were able to catch a “ton” of data off the internet and blah blah blah... I didn’t read the whole thing. I just skimmed it to find my cousin’s name and to see if perhaps my name was thrown in there somewhere (it wasn’t). But it did get me to thinking that if we’re talking about a ton of data, then there has to be a good chance that an I’m just sayin... blog post or at least talk about a blog post from here was intercepted. So, let me again welcome all of my new Chinese readers. I hate to disappoint you, but I’m sure The Wife (as well as my family and possibly some/all of my friends) will tell you that you won’t find any useful intelligence on here. You probably won’t even find any un-useful (non-useful?... useless, perhaps?) intelligence on here. This is what I like to call an intelligence free zone. While I’m talking to my new Chinese friends, let me also recommend that you do NOT read Breakout... let’s just say it doesn’t always paint you in the best of lights. Then again, it also doesn’t always paint the US Army in the best of lights either (it was written by a Marine). Bottom line, you might want to pass on that one.

Well, as you can tell from the title, I’ve been sick (or recovering from being sick) since Saturday night (exactly when I walked through the door after having a great day in Rock Hill with Jeremy). It was bad. I was so sick I think I pulled a muscle. But enough of that... I’m starting to feel better and that’s what matters (to me).

Congrats to Danny, Ashley, Cory and all my other friends who are fans of the Revolutionary War Heroes (if there are any... it could very well just be the three of them) on their football team winning the SEC East (as I said they would... read below). With Auburn winning the SEC West, this pretty much guarantees the Revolutionary War Heroes the SEC Title (they can either win it on the field or off the field when the NCAA declares Cam Newton ineligible and makes Auburn vacate all of their wins from this season). Either way, make sure you're with Danny and Cory for the SEC Championship game because they'll be so drun... er, happy... they'll probably pay for your drinks.

Hey sports fans... not sure if you saw this yesterday (since, for some unknown reason to me, the story wasn’t picked up by the Post and Courier, ESPN, SI, or any local news station), local basketball legend Kevin Carter has decided to officially retire from playing competitive basketball after a 34 year run. According to our sources, KC walks (limps?) away holding the Bethany UMC Gym record for most consecutive years playing, most games played, most minutes played, and most fouls (called and uncalled). His amazing run lasted from 1975 to 2008. I don’t think I need to point out to you that he was well into his career by the time your favorite blogger was born. Anyway, after consulting the staff of I’m just sayin... I am ready to announce that the court in the Bethany UMC Gym will now and forever be called the Kevin Carter Court. I have also decided that his Bethany Red number 24 jersey should hang from the rafters. I ALSO think a nice picture of me and KC should be put on a wall in the gym.

The Winthrop Eagles Update The good news is The Eagles won this past Saturday. The bad news is they lost Monday and Tuesday. So right now they are sitting at 1-2. But the other good news is there are still a lot of games left to play (and they are getting Robbie back from suspension).

The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions Results

Friday Night
James Island at Northwestern – I picked JI. I was wrong. JI lost 14-45.

Summerville vs. Blythewood – I picked Summerville and I was right! Summerville won 41-31.

Ashley Ridge at Lugoff-Elgin – I picked Lugoff-Elgin... I was wrong. Ashley Ridge won 28-24.

Fort Dorchester at Stratford – I picked Fort Dorchester and I was right! Fort Dorchester won 31-17.

Dorman vs. White Knoll – I picked Dorman and I was right! The “Cavs” won 31-0.

Saturday
#22 USC at #24 Florida – I picked USC and I was right. The Revolutionary War Heroes won 36-14.

Clemson at FSU – I picked FSU and I was right. Clemson lost 13-16.

Navy vs. Central Michigan – I picked Navy and I was right. Navy won 38-37.

CSU vs. Presbyterian College – I picked CSU and I was right. CSU won 42-39.

Sunday
Pittsburgh vs. New England – I picked the Steelers and I was wrong. Pittsburgh lost 26-39.

Miami vs. Tennessee – I picked Miami and I was wrong. The Dolphins lost 10-26. UPDATE:  OOPS!  It seems I was looking at the Miami score from the wrong week.  I actually got this one right.  Miami won 29-17.  Thank you to Sonny for catching this mistake. 

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

First Lieutenant Matthew A. Batson (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on July 26, 1899 at Calamba, Luzon, Philippine Islands. His citation reads:

Swam the San Juan River in the face of the enemy's fire and drove him from his entrenchments.

Lieutenant Colonel Harold William Bauer (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions from May 10 – November 14, 1942 in the South Pacific Area. His citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous courage as Squadron Commander of Marine Fighting Squadron 212 in the South Pacific Area during the period 10 May to 14 November 1942. Volunteering to pilot a fighter plane in defense of our positions on Guadalcanal, Lt. Col. Bauer participated in 2 air battles against enemy bombers and fighters outnumbering our force more than 2 to 1, boldly engaged the enemy and destroyed 1 Japanese bomber in the engagement of 28 September and shot down 4 enemy fighter planes in flames on 3 October, leaving a fifth smoking badly. After successfully leading 26 planes on an over-water ferry flight of more than 600 miles on 16 October, Lt. Col. Bauer, while circling to land, sighted a squadron of enemy planes attacking the U.S.S. McFarland. Undaunted by the formidable opposition and with valor above and beyond the call of duty, he engaged the entire squadron and, although alone and his fuel supply nearly exhausted, fought his plane so brilliantly that 4 of the Japanese planes were destroyed before he was forced down by lack of fuel. His intrepid fighting spirit and distinctive ability as a leader and an airman, exemplified in his splendid record of combat achievement, were vital factors in the successful operations in the South Pacific Area.

Private First Class William B. Baugh (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on November 29, 1950 along a road from Koto-ri to Hagaru-ri, Korea. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a member of an antitank assault squad attached to Company G, during a nighttime enemy attack against a motorized column. Acting instantly when a hostile hand grenade landed in his truck as he and his squad prepared to alight and assist in the repulse of an enemy force delivering intense automatic-weapons and grenade fire from deeply entrenched and well-concealed roadside positions, Pfc. Baugh quickly shouted a warning to the other men in the vehicle and, unmindful of his personal safety, hurled himself upon the deadly missile, thereby saving his comrades from serious injury or possible death. Sustaining severe wounds from which he died a short time afterward, Pfc. Baugh, by his superb courage and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice, upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

The I’m just sayin... All-Time (since 1998) Winthrop Basketball Team

Today (I hope) will be a great day! I’m heading up to Rock Hill with Jeremy to watch our Winthrop Eagles open up the season against Queens. What could be more fun than tailgating in the parking lot of the Winthrop Coliseum before a Winthrop Basketball game? I sure can’t think of anything right now. Before we talk about this season, I’m going to present to you the The I’m just sayin... All-Time (since 1998) Winthrop Basketball Team. NCAA Men’s basketball teams are made up of 13 scholarship players, so that’s how many guys I’ll have on this team. It’s hard, but I’ll try to break it into “Starters” and “Bench”... but honestly if you argued that one guy should start over the other I would be hard pressed to argue. So, here we go...

Head Coach: Gregg Marshall

Assistant Coach: Randy Peele

Assistant Coach: Shaun Golden

Assistant Coach: Paul Molinari

Players
Starters
Chris Gaynor (PG)
Torrell Martin (SG)
James Shuler (F)
Greg Lewis (F)
Craig Bradshaw (C)

Bench
Heson Groves (C)
Michael Jenkins (SG)
Taj McCullough (F)
Manny Robinson (F)
Roger Toxey (SG)
Tyson Waterman (PG)
Phillip Williams (F)
Pierre Wooten (PG)

Now let’s talk about this year. The Eagles are defending Big South Conference Champions and I’m anxious to see how they’ll do early this season with two starters being suspended (one for 4 games and one for the first semester). Both players are impact type players but made some mistakes during the offseason and now they’re having to pay for it. So the early part of the season may be a little bumpy... but I think the coaching staff will do a good job in having the team play its best basketball by the second half of the season.

This will be the fourth season with Coach Randy Peele leading the Eagles. He has won 2 Big South Championships in his 3 seasons as the Head Coach at Winthrop. Though underappreciated by some in the Winthrop community, I like Coach Peele because he’s a hard worker who doesn’t cheat like other coaches (*cough*Cliff Ellis*cough*) in the Big South. And while he does have players get into trouble from time to time, I think he does a good job of disciplining players while still giving them a second chance. Coach Peele is joined on the WU staff by the same award winning assistant coaches he’s had every year he’s been here (Paul Molinari, Larry Dixon, and Marty McGillan).

While no expert by any means, I look for certain players to step up big for Winthrop this season. Junior Reggie Middleton is doing a fine job following in the footsteps of former great WU point guards and I look for him to do another fine job running the offense. Junior big man Matt Morgan came on late last season and I look for him to also contribute points this season. Junior George Valentine is going off a medical redshirt and I look for the big man to be the defensive leader of the team. Junior shooting guard Andre Jones is looking to bounce back from a sub-par season and I think he’ll be able to do it. I look for Andre to have what we in the Winthrop community call a “Michael Jenkins” type break-out season. Senior back-up point guard Justin Burton will also play a key role and may fine himself as a starter early in the season with Robbie Dreher serving a suspension. Burton is a solid point guard who came up big in the last two Big South Championship games Winthrop won. He is also the answer to the trivia question “What player replaced De’Andre Adams on the Winthrop roster after Adams passed away?”. Sophomore Robbie Dreher will miss the first few games due to a suspension but I look for him to be a solid contributor throughout the season. He is a very good defender and I think he’ll find his shot on a more consistent basis this season. Senior Charles Corbin is serving a suspension until the end of the semester, but I look for him to give WU some good minutes off the bench when he comes back. The other Eagles players are: Sophomores Gideon Gamble and Reggie King, Freshmen Joab Jerome, Julius Francis, and Derrick Scott. Honestly, I’m not sure what to expect from these guys but I hope they can contribute some solid minutes when needed.

Winthrop Update
The Eagles face Division II opponent Queens today at 4:00pm. Today is Winthrop’s Homecoming.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Colonel Delavan Bates (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on July 30, 1864 at Cemetery Hill, Virginia. His citation reads:

Gallantry in action where he fell, shot through the face, at the head of his regiment.

Sergeant Norman F. Bates (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 16, 1865 at Columbus, Georgia. His citation reads:

Capture of flag and bearer.

Seaman Richard Bates (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 10, 1866 off Eastport, Maine. His citation reads:

For heroic conduct in rescuing from drowning James Rose and John Russell, seamen of the U.S.S. Winooski, off Eastport, Maine, 10 May 1866.

The I’m just sayin... All-Time (since 1977) South Carolina Football Team

As a service to all of my loyal readers who are fans of the Revolutionary War Heroes, I will post today the I’m just sayin... All-Time (since 1977) South Carolina Football Team. This will be a good deal more challenging for me because the USC website/media guide does not provide as much information regarding past players and coaches as the Clemson website/media guided does. Still, I will do the best I can and welcome any and all to offer changes. Aside from my pick for head coach and a few of the players, I’m not overly confident on my picks for this team. Still, I post it for my friends, fans, and followers who expect nothing but fairness from this blog.

Head Coach: Brad Scott... Haha, just kidding. Lou Holtz. HA! Really, here’s the team...

The Coaches

Head Coach: Joe Morrison

Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach: Skip Holtz

Running Back Coach: Chuck Reedy

Wide Receivers Coach: Rick Stockstill

Tight Ends Coach: Ricky Bustle

Offensive Line Coach: Buddy King

Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach: Tom Gadd

Defensive Backs Coach: David Bibee

Linebackers Coach: Tommy West

Special Teams Coach: Rich Bisaccia

The Players

QB
Todd Ellis
Mike Hold
Steve Taneyhill
Phil Petty

RB
George Rogers
Brandon Bennett
Duce Staley
Harold Green
Stanley Pritchett
Andrew Pinnock
Cory Boyd

WR/TE
Sterling Sharpe
Robert Brooks
Jermale Kelly
Sidney Rice
Alshon Jeffery
Troy Williamson
Zola Davis
Kenny McKinley
Ira Hillary
Ryan Brewer
Willie Scott (TE)
DeWayne Chivers (TE)
Andy Boyd (TE)

OL
Del Wilkes
Kevin Rivers
Travelle Wharton
Na'Shan Goddard
John Harrison
Jamar Nesbit
Paul Beckwith
Philip Jones
Melvin Paige
Ernest Dye
Cedric Williams
Chuck Slaughter
Rusty Russell
Calvin Stephens
Ike Harris
Corey Louchiey
James Dexter
Randy Wheeler
Shane Hall
Woody Myers

DL
Andrew Provence
Corey Miller
Roy Hart
Langston Moore
Moe Thompson
Eirc Sullivan
Emanuel Weaver
Kevin Hendrix
Frank Wright

LB
James Seawright
John Abraham
Eric Norwood
Carl Hill
Kalimba Edwards
Lance Laury
Cliff Matthews
Ernest Dixon
Ed Baxley
Jasper Brinkley
Derrick Little
Gerald Dixon

DB
Rick Sanford
Bryant Gilliard
Brad Edwards
Rashad Faison
Deandre Eiland
Sheldon Brown
Ko Simpson
Stephon Gilmore
Emanuel Cook
Arturo Freeman
Corey Jenkins
Jonathan Joseph
Patrick Hinton
Greg Philpot

K/P
Collin Makie
Mark Fleetwood
Reed Morton
Ryan Succop
Max Runager
Chris Norman

The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions

Friday Night
James Island at Northwestern – I probably should pick Northwestern, but I won’t. I’m picking JI to win by 3.

Summerville vs. Blythewood – Summerville is still mad that Doubting Teri moved from there to Blythewood and now they’ll have a shot at revenge. I’m picking Summerville by 12.

Ashley Ridge at Lugoff-Elgin – Ashley Ridge backed their way into the playoffs. I don’t know about Lugoff-Elgin, but I’m not going to let that keep me from picking them. Lugoff-Elgin by 7.

Fort Dorchester at Stratford – I keep picking against Fort Dorchester and they keep winning. So I’m going to pick them this time and hope they keep winning. Fort Dorchester by 3.

Dorman vs. White Knoll – Dorman won in the regular season... and I think they’ll keep winning in the playoffs. I’m picking Dorman by 14.

Saturday
#22 USC at #24 Florida 7:21pm (ESPN) – This one is for the SEC East. Perhaps the biggest game ever for the Revolutionary War Heroes... Florida could (and probably should) win, but I don’t think they will. It won’t be easy, but I think The Revolutionary War Heroes will escape with the win and the SEC East. USC will win by 3.

Clemson at FSU 8:00pm (ABC) – I like the Clemson defense... the offense and kickers I’m not so sure about. I think FSU is going to take this one by 3.

Navy vs. Central Michigan 3:30pm (CBS College Sports) – I look for the Navy offence to keep rolling. Navy by 21.

CSU vs. Presbyterian College 1:30pm – I probably shouldn’t, but I’m picking CSU to win this one. CSU by 3.

Sunday
Pittsburgh vs. New England 8:20pm (NBC) – This should be a good game. I’m going to pick the Steelers to win a close game by 2.

Miami vs. Tennessee 1:00pm (CBS) – Well, maybe a loss on the road will change the Dolphins luck at home. I don’t know why, but I’m picking Miami to win this one. Miami by 4.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Sergeant John Basilone (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 24-25, 1942 on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. His citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 24 and 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines' defensive positions, Sgt. Basilone, in charge of 2 sections of heavy machineguns, fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault. In a fierce frontal attack with the Japanese blasting his guns with grenades and mortar fire, one of Sgt. Basilone's sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only 2 men able to carry on. Moving an extra gun into position, he placed it in action, then, under continual fire, repaired another and personally manned it, gallantly holding his line until replacements arrived. A little later, with ammunition critically low and the supply lines cut off, Sgt. Basilone, at great risk of his life and in the face of continued enemy attack, battled his way through hostile lines with urgently needed shells for his gunners, thereby contributing in large measure to the virtual annihilation of a Japanese regiment. His great personal valor and courageous initiative were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

Seaman David L. Bass (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on January 15, 1865 on board the USS Minnesota. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Minnesota in action during the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Landing on the beach with the assaulting party from his ship, S/man Bass advanced to the top of the sand hill and partly through the breach in the palisades despite enemy fire which killed and wounded many officers and men. When more than two-thirds of the men became seized with panic and retreated on the run, he remained with the party until dark, when it came safely away, bringing its wounded, its arms, and its colors.

Lt. Colonel/Chief Quartermaster Richard N. Batchelder (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 13-15, 1863 between Catlett and Fairfax Stations, Virginia. His citation reads:

Being ordered to move his trains by a continuous day-and-night march, and without the usual military escort, armed his teamsters and personally commanded them, successfully fighting against heavy odds and bringing his trains through without the loss of a wagon.

Veterans Day

Today we at I’m just sayin... would like to wish all the veterans out there a very happy Veterans Day. Thank you for all of your service. No matter when you served, we appreciate it (even if Jane Fonda [who we still feel should have been arrested, tried, and convicted of treason for her actions in Vietnam] and others like her don’t). (***I could be fair right now and say I don’t know how she feels about veterans now, but I’m not in the mood to be fair to her***). I’m going to show a video now that was sent to me by a long time friend of I’m just sayin..., DG. It is about a Medal of Honor Recipient who we haven’t gotten to yet in our Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients section of the blog.



We talk on here about Medal of Honor Recipients (as we should) but they aren’t the only heroes out there. There are a lot of guys (and gals) out there who have served (and/or died) without us ever hearing about them. This day is for them, too. I joke on here a good bit, but one thing I am serious about is my respect for men and women who serve our country. Just making it through boot camp is something I’m not 100% sure I could do. People yell at you in boot camp and I don’t like it when people yell at me (it makes my eyes water). And don’t get me started on the physical stuff. I have recommend various “war” books to you before and I’m going to recommend them again (and will keep doing so until I die because these books are that dang good). There are a lot of guys in these books who, while they didn’t receive the Medal of Honor, did a TON of brave things. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again... if you’re like me then you’ll read these books and realize you’ve never had a real bad day before in your life.  I am amazed by so much in these books.  One thing that REALLY amazes me is that people actually lived through this stuff.  WOW.

Halsey’s Typhoon – A book about a typhoon during WWII that tossed around a bunch of aircraft carriers and battleships like they were little toys.

In Harm’s Way – About the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. One word... sharks.

We Were Soldiers Once... And Young – The movie was very close to the book... but the book was 100 times better. Amazing book.

Breakout – A book about the Chosin Reservoir Campaign in Korea (1950).

A Civil War: Army vs. Navy - While this book is about the Army/Navy football game, it is also a reminder that the guys who play in this game will one day serve in either the Army, Navy, or Marines. Great book. Go Navy! Beat Army!

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Private Frank J. Bart (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 3, 1918 near Medeah Ferme, France. His citation reads:

Pvt. Bart, being on duty as a company runner, when the advance was held up by machinegun fire voluntarily picked up an automatic rifle, ran out ahead of the line, and silenced a hostile machinegun nest, killing the German gunners. The advance then continued, and when it was again hindered shortly afterward by another machinegun nest this courageous soldier repeated his bold exploit by putting the second machinegun out of action.

Landsman Gurdon H. Barter (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on January 15, 1865 on board the USS Minnesota. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Minnesota in action during the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Landing on the beach with the assaulting party from his ship, L/man Barter advanced to the top of the sandhill and partly through the breach in the palisades despite enemy fire which killed and wounded many officers and men. When more than two-thirds of the men became seized with panic and retreated on the run, he remained with the party until dark, when it came safely away, bringing its wounded, its arms, and its colors.

Seaman Thomas Barton (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 3, 1862 on board the USS Hunchback. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Hunchback in the attack on Franklin, Va., 3 October 1862. When an ignited shell, with cartridge attached, fell out of the howitzer upon the deck, S/man Barton promptly seized a pail of water and threw it upon the missile, thereby preventing it from exploding.

Picture Day

A picture of the Mighty Edisto River... known world wide for being filled with gators, snakes, and rednecks.

The more people you float with, the better chance a gator or snake will go for them and you can get away... Remember that.

PBR... The drink of the river.

Me and Ross... in the last picture we'd ever take together before he left us.

Susie in her Halloween costume... She's a pea.

Mary Ruth (she's a Princess) with someone The Wife assumed worked at the Aquarium.  I hope she was right.

The now famous Russian Gorrilla costume.

Had to use a straw through the nose (of the costume) to drink while at the party.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Private William H. Barringer (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi. His citation reads:

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

Seaman David D. Barrow (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 11, 1898 on board the USS Nashville. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Nashville during the cutting of the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Barrow set an example of extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action.

Sergeant Major Augustus Barry (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions during 1863-1865 somewhere in the US. His citation reads:

Citation: Gallantry in various actions during the rebellion.

My Weekend

As you know, I spent my weekend on a lake in Georgia relaxing and enjoying a nice mini-vacation. HA! Not really. I was at the lake house owned by my parents (Dad and Mom) and their cousins (Jim and Deeny). I have been to this lake house 3 times (twice to work and once for Easter). You see a nice big lake house, I see work. Though I must say this round of work wasn’t nearly as bad as the last round. Let me briefly list some of the people who were there this time (along with one person who wasn’t). Just assume that all of these people are either my parents, cousins, siblings, cousins of cousins, friends of cousins, or Mexicans who left Arizona and went to Georgia after reading about my last adventure working at the lake house. Anyway working on the outside of the house it was me, Dad, Jim, Shannon, John, Brian (or Bryan... or Bhryan with a silent ‘h’... I’m not real sure how he spells his name, but I’m going to stick with ‘Brian’), along with some guests appearances from Troy and Scott (Sonny wasn’t there). On the inside was Mom, Deeny, Debra, Mary Beth, Doubting Teri, Nikki, and others who I’m sure I’m forgetting but (no offense) this blog is about me, not them.

So, the main project for the weekend was to tear off a section of the second floor roof and add a porch. This involved going on to the second floor roof. I know what you’re thinking... Greg, you have a policy against going on roofs. That’s true, but this was different for three reasons: 1. The roof wasn’t steep; 2. There is a 3rd floor porch (so it didn’t feel that high up; and C. There was a door leading out to the area we were working on (so I didn’t have to climb up a ladder... though some/all of the other guys did climb up the ladder to get up there, but you know what? I didn’t. The ladder clearly stated that you should not sit, stand, or climb on or above a specific step and all of them broke that rule...). Anyway, I didn’t plan on working up on the roof, but once I got out there I was having too much fun to not work up there. Call me old fashioned, but I think drinking beer with family while using power tools to tear up a roof is fun. And dadgummit, I didn’t want to miss out on that kind of fun. It didn’t take long for the “Jim transforms into Tom Sawyer” event of the weekend to happen. Once he got us up there and showed us how much fun it could be, he disappeared with Dad and went to get wood for the porch. Mind you, this weekend didn’t come up as a surprise... they knew it was coming and yet they “had” to go to the store at that exact moment... and it “had” to take them about 3 hours (I might be a little off here... I wasn’t really paying attention to the time). Anyway, they got back in time for use to start working on adding the porch. This was started on Saturday but we had to stop for a side project that I could tell you about but I might save that for another day.

Let me pause here to mention a cultural difference that came up when we sat down to eat Saturday night. It seems that what we in South Carolina call hash is called stew in Georgia (and is eaten from a bowl without rice). As you know, I’ve always believed that when in Rome, do as the Romans (which is why I drank PBR and ate beef jerky while floating down the Mighty Edisto this past Summer). So I grabbed a bowl and ate this fine homemade “stew” without rice or complaint. Doubting Teri had more trouble “adapting”. She comes from the line of thought that says when in Rome, tell the Romans they need rice with their hash. Luckily I was there to calm her down and keep her from “making a scene”. Oh, it was also over a meal that my cousin Debra said she finds it hard to take me seriously because when I talk all she can think about is me running around on family vacations long ago with a water gun. I bring this up because everyone else at the table had trouble taking me seriously simply because they know me... Debra was the only one to have a specific reason. Now, back to the work...

The bulk of the work on Sunday was done building the porch. Now might be a good time to point out that when it comes to tearing something down, I’m able to be a lot more “hands on” than when it comes to building something. I’m what they in the construction business call “unskilled labor”. I’m like a mule... I can carry stuff around but can’t do much else (though some of the guys there thought I was more like a donkey... but I digress). So Sunday I spent most of my time helping Shannon cut the wood we were using and then handing it to the guys on the roof who were building the porch. By helping, I mean standing there holding the wood while he cut it and pointing out important things like, “Hey, this wood has a warning stamped on it that says is could cause dust and that the dust could cause cancer according to people in California” which of course drew a hearty laugh from the both of us as we laughed at how stupid people in California are. Anyway, Sunday brought some more laughs as we worked. The measurements we... er, Shannon, used when cutting the wood came from Jim. This was a rather humorous process that involved Jim standing on the roof holding (and from time to time, using) a tape measure and then yelling down numbers to Shannon. The scene reminded me of Peyton Manning standing at the line of scrimmage yelling out all types of stuff and only some of it means anything. Shannon, through years of experience (and probably some luck) was able to pick out the correct numbers from Jim and use those to cut the wood. Of course, sometimes things were a little off which led to the guys on the roof having to make some adjustments. Our motto was simple... Measure once, cut twice (or thrice). Many people think this is wrong, but the fact is it’s more fun to use a power tool than it is to use a tape measure. We also had another motto: Everything is temporary. You see, to work with Jim is to realize that the only constant is change. The same could be said for Dad. Neither man can own a house and leave it the way it is. Some men see a huge lake house and say why change it. Dad and Jim dream of a ton of work that can be done to the huge lake house and say why not. So this leads us to another motto: It’s good enough. You see, perfect is great... but good enough costs the same amount in rent as perfect. And really, good enough is just how it sounds... good enough to hold up and keep people from falling off (and trust me, we had enough weight up there to make sure it could hold up under anything). So why spend all this time trying to make things “perfect” when there is a good chance it will be changed a year or two from now. We did have some other funny moments when Brian looked at Jim and said the “L” word (as in, “Is that legal?”) and the “P” word (as in, “Do you have a permit to do this?”). Haha... that Brian really had us rolling out there.

Well, I think I’ve said enough on here to keep me from being asked to visit the lake house for a non-work weekend. Before I go, let me say I am happy to report that the dock is still standing, the fence is still up, and the pool still doesn’t leak. And I did have fun. I only wish The Wife had been able to make it. It would have been nice for her to see that some people can go a whole weekend eating nothing but home cooked meals. That’s it... NOW I’ve said enough. :) Oh, I have some pictures to share. One is of me helping Shannon and the other is of the new porch (not 100% done, but close).

Before we get to my football prediction results, I want to touch on an important subject for me. That is the subject of homework. I don’t believe in it. I find it morally, ethically, spiritually, and fundamentally wrong. Leah (Doubting Teri’s oldest child) had to spend time over the weekend working on homework. That’s just wrong. I don’t go into her classroom to spend time with her... I don’t think her teachers should give her work that interferes with her spending time with me. As a youth, I felt very strongly about the evils of homework and did my best to avoid it throughout all my years of schooling. Leah, of course, is different from Uncle Greg in that she is a good student. So she did her homework. But I’m still of the belief that homework is the Devil’s work. I believe the saying is, “A book bag full of homework is the Devil’s playground” (or something like that).

The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions Results

Friday Night
James Island vs. West Ashley – I picked JI and I was right. The Trojans won 30-13.

Summerville vs. Colleton County – I picked Summerville and I was right. The Green Wave won 49-14.

Ashley Ridge at Fort Dorchester – I picked Ashley Ridge and I was wrong. Ashley Ridge lost 33-40.

Dorman at Woodmont – I picked Dorman and I was right. The Doormat... er, Cavilers won 47-0.

Saturday
#18 USC vs. #17 Arkansas – I picked The Revolutionary War Heroes and I was wrong. USC lost 20-41. Sometime in the 4th quarter the announcer (forgot who it was) said you could give a bottle of water to all the remaining fans in the stadium and you wouldn’t have enough water to put out a fire. Not sure how long he’s been waiting to use that line, but it was funny. Come on Revolutionary War Heroes fans... you can do better than that.

Clemson vs. #23 NC State – I didn’t get to see this game, so I don’t know if anything funny was said. I do know I picked the Tigers to lose and I was wrong. Clemson won 14-13.

Navy at East Carolina – I picked Navy and boy was I right. Navy won 76-35.

CSU at Kentucky – I picked Kentucky and I was right. Kentucky won 49-21.

Sunday
Miami at Baltimore – It seems my theory has been proven wrong. I picked The Dolphins to win and I was wrong. Miami lost 10-26.

Monday
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati – I picked the Steelers and I was right. Pittsburgh won 27-21.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Second Class Fireman Edward Barrett (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 14, 1881 while on board the USS Alaska. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Alaska at Callao Bay, Peru, 14 September 1881. Following the rupture of the stop-valve chamber, Barrett courageously hauled the fires from under the boiler of that vessel.

First Sergeant Richard Barrett (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 23, 1872 at Sycamore Canyon, Arizona. His citation reads:

Conspicuous gallantry in a charge upon the Tonto Apaches.

Corporal Jesse T. Barrick (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions from May 26 – June 2, 1863 near Duck River, Tennessee. His citation reads:

While on a scout captured single-handed 2 desperate Confederate guerrilla officers who were together and well armed at the time.

Take it back!

I know some of you read this blog on your phones... this would be a good time to read it on a real computer (or at least on something that will let you watch the video I’m posting). This is from WCBD... the best place to get all of my news (as long as Alan is there). Before I go on, let me remind you that we at I’m just sayin... are nothing if not fair and balanced (except maybe funny... and a little overweight). So I don’t want you to think I am making fun of a certain political party... what I’m doing is making fun of a “man” who was representing a certain political party (the party of Alvin Greene). Anyway, this is a video of a grown man throwing a hissy fit on TV because the people he wanted to win the election didn’t win.



My favorite part (of course) is when ‘Hissy Fit’ says “Take it back”. Really? A grown man on the news told another grown man to “Take it back”? So it got me to thinking... what are some other things ‘Hissy Fit’ could have said. This leads me to the I’m just sayin... Top Ten things he could have said or done:

10. I’m rubber, you’re glue. What you say bounces off of me and sticks to you.

9. I hate you!

8. No I’m not! You are! (***Come to think of it... I think he might have used this one or something close to it).

7. Butthead!

6. (with fingers in ears) Nananananananana!!!! I can’t hear you!!!!

5. (just stick his tongue out)

4. You’re not my friend anymore!

3. You’re not nice!

2. (just start crying)

1. Oooo!!! I’m gonna tell my mommy!

I had a great work weekend at the lake this past weekend. I don’t have time to tell you about it right now, but I hope to have something up tomorrow (so check back then).

Oh, and when you watch the video again (because you can't watch it just once) look at the news anchors when the "fighting" starts.  It looks to me like Brendan Clark is sitting there saying to himself "Think of a happy place.  Think of a happy place.  Think of a happy place.  Did he really just say 'Take it back'?  Think of a happy place..."

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Boatswain’s Mate James Barnum (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on December 24 – 25, 1864 and January 13 – 15, 1865 while on board the USS New Ironsides. His citation reads:

Barnum served on board the U.S.S. New Ironsides during action in several attacks on Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864; and on 13, 14, and 15 January 1865. The ship steamed in and took the lead in the ironclad division close in shore and immediately opened its starboard battery in a barrage of well_directed fire to cause several fires and explosions and dismount several guns during the first 2 days of fighting. Taken under fire as she steamed into position on 13 January, the New Ironsides fought all day and took on ammunition at night despite severe weather conditions. When the enemy came out of his bombproofs to defend the fort against the storming party, the ship's battery disabled nearly every gun on the fort facing the shore before the cease-fire orders were given by the flagship. Barnum was commended for highly meritorious conduct during this period.

First Lieutenant Charles L. Barrell (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions in April 1865 near Camden, South Carolina. His citation reads:

Hazardous service in marching through the enemy's country to bring relief to his command.

Private Carlton W. Barrett (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on June 6, 1944 near St. Laurent-sur-Mer, France. His citation reads:

For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in the vicinity of St. Laurent-sur-Mer, France. On the morning of D-day Pvt. Barrett, landing in the face of extremely heavy enemy fire, was forced to wade ashore through neck-deep water. Disregarding the personal danger, he returned to the surf again and again to assist his floundering comrades and save them from drowning. Refusing to remain pinned down by the intense barrage of small-arms and mortar fire poured at the landing points, Pvt. Barrett, working with fierce determination, saved many lives by carrying casualties to an evacuation boat Iying offshore. In addition to his assigned mission as guide, he carried dispatches the length of the fire-swept beach; he assisted the wounded; he calmed the shocked; he arose as a leader in the stress of the occasion. His coolness and his dauntless daring courage while constantly risking his life during a period of many hours had an inestimable effect on his comrades and is in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.