Wednesday December 12, 2007

Great News; Billy Shortstop; A Different Animal

Great News
I received a phone call this morning with great news on a subject that I have been worried about for a while now. Legislators approved the purchase of a new plane for the University yesterday and this was music to the ears of Clemson coaches and administrators. The deal has to be approved by the state budget and control board but this was a great step.

Clemson plans to purchase a Beechcraft King Air C90 which should cost a little more than $2 million. They plan to sell the old plane for around $400,000 so the state approved about $1.6 million for the new aircraft according to the Greenville News this morning.

I understand air safety is always a concern and so many things can go wrong in air travel but I would much rather have our coaches up there in a $2 million King Air than the 1978 clunker they have been in.

This move will save the university time and money in the long run because the current plane was out of production and the repair time was too high.

I know several coaches and administrators that complained about the current plane but Clemson wide receiver coach Dabo Swinney had the best line on the subject. A few years ago the coaches flew into Rock Hill for a Shrine Bowl practice and were to fly out later that afternoon in order to get back to Clemson for a bowl practice. The plane was having problems and one pilot told the coaches he would have to jiggle some part of the plane in order to get it going again. Swinney told the pilot he was apprehensive about getting on the plane because in Swinney’s words, “You jiggle a toilet handle to stop the water from running. You don’t jiggle anything on an airplane to help it fly.”

Terry Don Phillips went through the awful tragedy out at Oklahoma State with their crash with their basketball program and that is something no one should ever have to go through. Again a lot can happen and it is a risk that many of us chose to take but an upgrade in the plane is a great step in the right direction.

Billy Shortstop
Before the 1986 football season Danny Ford put an ad out in the student newspaper searching for a punter. At the urging of his football friends, Tiger shortstop Bill Spiers came out for practice and eventually won the job that fall. Ford always called Spiers “Billy Shortstop.” I personally thought Spiers had a very good season on the gridiron that year and later went on to a very successful professional baseball career.

Tiger fans may get a look at Billy Shortstop Jr. At Monday’s Shrine Bowl practice I noticed these booming punts coming from the opposite side of the practice field. After seeing three or four of these monster kicks I had to see who was getting them off. It was South Carolina quarterback Richard Mounce of Blythewood High School.

Mounce has signed a baseball scholarship to Clemson which has Jack Leggett and his staff extremely excited. However some in the Midlands felt Mounce was a better football prospect after he led the Blythewood Bengals to the state championship as a junior.

Because Mounce signed in the fall, he cannot come out for football for two seasons but I will keep this in the back of my mind for a couple of seasons or at least until I see the next shanked punt.

A Different Animal
Clemson will have to turn down ticket request for the Chic-fil-a Bowl again this season and this is a great problem that seems to occur each season at Clemson. However, this is not always the problem with some of our conference rivals.

According to the Roanoke Times:
Virginia AD Craig Littlepage expressed concerns about Gator Bowl ticket sales in a letter that boosters received via e-mail Tuesday.

As of Monday, Littlepage said that UVa had sold 8,451of the Cavaliers’ allotted 13,500 tickets.

"A school’s ability to sell out its ticket allotment is an important factor in the selection process for future bowl games," Littlepage wrote, "so it’s important that the tickets allocated to us are sold."

Littlepage noted that Virginia sold more than 20,000 tickets for the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. UVa sold more than 25,000 tickets when it returned to Charlotte in 2003.

"As you may recall, we had hoped to return to Jacksonville on several occasions during the last 15 seasons, but a perception that Virginia fans didn’t ‘travel’ well hurt us in the bowl selection process," Littlepage said. "We have collectively worked hard to overcome that reputation."

Fans unable to attend the game may purchase proxy tickets that will be given to the Jacksonville Children’s Commission to benefit area youth identified as at risk. The Jacksonville Children’s Commission is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and each proxy ticket ordered is tax deductible.

Tomorrow
In tomorrow’s blog I want to explore the idea I brought up earlier in the week about the idea of moving Rickey Sapp to linebacker. I don’t think it will happen but I present the idea and take a look at the depth chart with him at either position.

I just wanted to leave you with a light note this morning. My sister called last night and wanted to know if I could help Santa Claus do some shopping for my twin nieces. As I wrote earlier, Isabella is a huge fan of Aaron Kelly and Santa is having a hard time finding a number 80 Clemson jersey. Isabella is the athlete and loves sitting down and watching Clemson football intensely. She does not want a James Davis jersey or a Willy Korn jersey. Kelly is her favorite player and his jersey is atop her wish list.

Like many twins, the girls could not be any more different in their personalities and hobbies. Isabella loves football and gets into each play while Julia studies the band, baton twirlers and cheerleaders. Isabella knows many players names and numbers while Julia couldn’t care less. I laugh every time I hear it but I was reminded that Julia does not want an Aaron Kelly jersey instead the four-year old in her sweetest of voices asked for a “C. Bay Spiller” jersey.

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