More Hunters!

This just in: hunting is hot again. After years of decline, the number of Americans taking to the woods to kill critters jumped by over one million between 2006 and 2011, to a total of 13.7 million, according to a new report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The number of folks fishing surged too, from 30 million to 33.1 million.

How to explain this? Maybe recession-battered families are trying to save money by killing their own dinners - but if so, it doesn't seem like a very good investment, considering that the survey found the average hunter spent $2,465 on gear, travel and permits last year. Maybe it's because more urban lefty hipsters are taking to hunting as the latest type of locavore, planet-friendly eating, as Slate writer Emma Marris insists based on a few well-turned anecdotal examples. Whatever the reason, though the trend is bad news for woodland creatures, it's probably good for the environment. Hunters tend to be big supporters of nature conservation programs. Sorry, Bambi, but we all have to make sacrifices.
http://www.psmag.com/uncategorized/were-shooting-more-animals-50863/

"Coach"

"The word "coach" comes from the word stagecoach, which was the major mode of transportation used by people before the automobile. Whether it was drawn by a horse of steam engine, the stagecoach took people from one place to another. The coach in athletics does the same thing - he or she is able to take people from where they are to where they want to be. This is the essence of what a coach truly is.
http://www.coachhoover.blogspot.com/

The Spike

To spike or not to spike, that is not the question. One team's player
made the play. That's what mattered.
http://smartfootball.com/game-management/should-georgia-have-spiked-the-
ball

The History

Afterward, Alabama Coach Nick Saban went on and on about his conference:
the impossible schedule; the long list of contenders, each with at least
one loss; the rosters filled with so much N.F.L. talent that Alabama and
Georgia could nearly stock a competitive professional roster by
themselves. The SEC, Saban correctly noted, "will test your mettle."

His sister, Saban continued, did the math: SEC teams made up 60 percent
of the top 10 and only 20 percent of B.C.S. bowl teams. All the
reporters laughed. But Saban had a point.

And so, the question lingered. Does Notre Dame, the country's No.
1-ranked team, have any sort of chance? Would the dream final end up in
a blowout?

Notre Dame did win that game in 1987. The Fighting Irish do lead the
series, 5-1. They did topple top-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in
1973, did defeat No. 2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl in 1975. This, of
course, is not 1973 or 1987. Notre Dame has more than a slight chance in
2012, a good one even, but it might want to start on the prayers this
week. Just in case.

"Run That Play Right"

Jenkins, still baffled by Alabama's blocking, sought out Fluker after
the game. During the game, Jenkins would collide with Steen or Fluker,
who would immediately get their hands on him and steer him out of the
hole. If Fluker occupied Jenkins, or defensive lineman Kwame Geathers,
Steen would come in from the side and move him just enough for Lacy to
squeeze through.

"They caught me off guard because nobody had ever used it on me,"
Jenkins said of the blocking strategy. "Somehow, he would draw my
momentum to him and get in front of me. They were technically sound. It
was position blocking."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/sports/ncaafootball/alabama-can-thank-
eddie-lacy-who-can-thank-the-line.html?src=recg

How'd They Do It?

Last year, Bama had little big play capacity; they could sometimes make
it happen in the vertical game, but not consistently. This year, Cooper
and Bell have been able to get so far open that Mccarron can reach them
even on days when he's not throwing his best. And that's a good thing,
because last year's team won on the back of a defense that boggled the
mind to watch. It was the most dominant D I have ever seen, and that I
ever expect to see.

Saturday, I kept saying "run the ball, just run it" after seeing how
close to impossible it was to protect AJ. I felt like the typical arm
chair quarterback who pretends to know what's best, even though I didn't
know a tenth of what Bama's OC did or does. Nonetheless, I could see
what anyone could see - they could not stop the run. And eventually,
the team's success against the run paved the way for the game winning
pass to Coop; what a beauty!

Bama 2012 was outplayed twice, first against LSU and then against A&M.
The other games they played, they looked sharp, tough, prepared. Being
ready and focused is a habit. They rallied to beat LSU and fell five
yards short against the team led by the most dynamic player in college
football this season. In the SEC championship, the team's maturity and
discipline was the edge that helped this team win, again, in a tough
situation, after four kicking game miscues that would have ended the
hopes of a lesser team.

Last year's team was dominant and nearly mistake free and did not depend
upon an explosive offense to win. This year, when they win, it is via
tenacious defense in combination with an offense that can make up ground
if needed, and that can run you into the ground if you don't stuff the
box. It's fun to see the shift in capacity, combined with the Saban
formula for discipline and focus, working out.

Bama 32, UGA 28

"For much of the game against Georgia, just when 'Bama seemed to gain momentum it was almost like the Tide was playing under a curse. Successful fake punt? Coming back on a pre-snap penalty. Three downs from inside the UGA two-yard line? Interception. First down deep in UGA territory on a pass interference penalty? Nevermind, tipped ball. Oh, going to kick that field goal? Forget that, blocked and returned for a UGA touchdown. Game winning interception? Overturned on review."
http://www.rollbamaroll.com/2012/12/2/3718008/initial-impressions-from-the-sec-championship-game

If you'd have told me Bama was going to have two fumbles, one on the goal line and one on a kickoff, a pick in the end zone, allow a fake punt for first down, blow a fake punt that would have been a first down, and have a field goal blocked/returned for a TD - I'd have said, "They will lose."

If you had said Bama's going to run for 350 yards, I'd have said "It won't even be close."

Wrong and wrong.