Thanks A Lot Founding Fathers of Surveying

If you're looking for an interesting longer read, go to this webpage: 

http://www.statewidetitle.com/NewsletterFull.asp?Issue=214

But if you want the shortened version, and being that you're reading a blog you probably do, here you go. 

Back in 1772, the boundary line between North Carolina and South Carolina was "officially" surveyed and I use the term officially because while the surveyors were picked by the governors of each state, that's about as official as it got.

This highly accurate map represents what North and South Carolina might have looked like shortly before the American Revolution.  Apparently, no one in 1772 knew what the names of the colonies above Maryland were called.  The surveys were done by marking trees every mile but they did not use permanent markings or measurements of any kind to demonstrate the length of distance between the trees.  So in short, individuals, likely educated individuals, were appointed by governors who were representatives of the King of England to identify a boundary line between two colonies, each with their own set of laws and customs, by.....marking trees in the woods.

I realize this seems extremely ineffective, because it is, but if that wasn't scary enough, no one thought that maybe we should use a more effective method to check the border until 1996.  That's correct, we were relying on tree markings that were 224 years old until the late 90's to determine where our states are.  

So one would hope a proper survey has now been done, because apparently Google Earth can find my house, but surveyors can't.  What are the ramifications you might wonder?  Well, a doctor's office has been located in a state he isn't licensed to practiced in.  Also, a fireworks stand that sells alcohol, presumably thought to once be in South Carolina, has actually been operating illegally in North Carolina.  Can you imagine those people's day when they were told their entire business had been operating illegally?

Apparently, the current surveyors were not able to locate any of the old trees.  Also it became obvious that the original 1772 survey line didn't run exactly straight, causing a bigger issue of where the boundary actually was meant to lie.

Both states have proposed solutions to the issue, which you're welcome to read, but don't expect a resolution anytime soon.  Thanks again founding fathers for proving why Americans don't think math is important.  

SEC Media Days: Day 4

The Final Day of SEC Media Days brings forth Georgia, Ole Miss, Bama, and Kentucky.  It's been an interesting week for the SEC, but without major star players and a Heisman Trophy winner, the week has lacked the spark of past media days.

Mark Richt is heading into his 14th season at UGA, and it's hard to understand why a guy like this doesn't get more respect.  He hasn't managed to bring the crystal to Athens, but he's averaged 10 wins a year for more than a decade.  Georgia has been picked by many to win the East this year, and they'll likely be favored in every game this year with the exception of South Carolina and Auburn, the latter of which they get at home.  

The loss to Clemson stung last year, but they'll get a chance for revenge Between The Hedges right out of the gate on August 30th.  The loss of Aaron Murray is going to be huge, but considering how they bounced back when Matthew Stafford left for The Motor City I think they'll do just fine.  Todd Gurley returns as arguably the best running back in the league, and should be a nightmare for SEC East defenses.  

Batting 2nd was Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze.  Freeze won 7 games in his first year and 8 in his second.  The fans in Oxford truly believe this is the year the Rebels take the next big step.  However, they play in the toughest division in the toughest conference in college football.  Having to play LSU, Bama, Auburn, a pesky Mississippi State, and now Texas A&M every year doesn't make up a recipe for success.   

Freeze in an early interview told reporters he initially thought his team wouldn't get to a bowl game until Year 3 when he got the head coaching job, but improvement from the start has raised expectations.  The best freshman class in Ole Miss history saw a lot of playing time last year, and will likely see even more playing time this season with Treadwell, Tunsil, Engram, Conner, and Robert Nkemdiche all being starters.  

"This is your time, Bo," Freeze said when asked about how vital Bo Wallace will be to the Rebels success this year.  Wallace vastly improved from his first season statistically, playing well at times, LSU and Texas, but struggling against Mississippi State and Bama.  He's the key for the Rebels; if he plays well, they'll be fine.  If Wallace struggles, the Rebels season could be a major disappointment.

This picture sums up the passion Bama fans have for Nick Saban.  With Hoover, Alabama being in close proximity to Tuscaloosa, Crimson Tide fans swarm to SEC Media Days every year.  Bama's let down at the Iron Bowl, and awful performance against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl have left a horrible feeling in the stomach of Crimson Tide fans.  Regardless of gender, die hard fans have difficulty accepting losing after 3 recent National Championships.

Bama is picked to win the SEC again this year, which should not come as a shock to anyone.  They consistently have had the best recruiting class in the nation, and have a coach who is almost uniformly revered as the best coach in college football.  It's National Championship or bust, and Saban expects nothing less than another ring on his finger in January.

The biggest question for the Tide is at QB with FSU transfer Jacob Coker likely the starter under center.  Bama QBs have largely been game managers relying on a superb defense and an excellent running game.  Even if he isn't stellar, it's hard to fathom this team winning less than 9 games, and you can guarantee they are going to be ready for the Iron Bowl for 60:00 minutes.

Rounding out SEC Media days was 2nd year Kentucky coach Mark Stoops.  Stoops joked about being picked last in the SEC East, which is about the best you can do when few believe you'll be able to make a bowl game.  Kentucky has been plastering "Change the Game" signs in support of their football team, but most aren't sure if that means they want Kentucky football to be more like Kentucky basketball or it's a suggestion to viewers watching the game at home.

Kentucky went 2-10 last season and was was 0-8 in conference play.  Stoops tried his best to play up the diligence and effort his team has been putting in during the Spring and how much they've grown from last year.  The flat out truth is, it's going to be another rebuilding year for the Wildcats. 

SEC Media Days have come to a close and we're just over a month away from the start of football.  I'll be making some predictions as the season gets closer, but as Spurrier pointed out this time of the year is "Talkin' Season."  The week was filled with predictions and forecasts, but really and truly there wasn't nearly as much rhetoric and smack talk as previous years.  Going forward though, enjoy the weekend as the British Open and Tigermania sucks the world back into golf.

SEC Media Days: Day 3

Alright, we're 3/4 of the way through SEC Media Days.  The big day is tomorrow, but Mizzou, LSU, and Arkansas were up today and as always, Les Miles proved he's Internet gold.  

But first up was Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel.  To say Mizzou exceeded expectations last year is a massive understatement.  No one outside of the Show Me state picked this team to go to the SEC Championship game after a lack-luster inaugural season in the SEC.  They fell short against Auburn in the SEC Championship game, but a 12-2 season certainly ain't bad.

  

 "In the last 7 years, we're the 8th winningest BCS program in the country," Pinkel boasted.  I don't know if that's true, but if it is, it's damn impressive.   The SEC East looks to be a 4 horse race between South Carolina, Georgia, Mizzou, and Florida.  Maty Mauk has some big shoes to fill at QB, and Mizzou has lost a lot of talent, but I wouldn't bet against Mizzou making some noise again.

LSU Coach Les Miles took the podium and he did not disappoint.  He started off his rant talking about the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and it's hard to do his rant justice by trying to analyze it, so please take a few minutes go to Saturday Down South at the length below and watch the video.

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/lsu-football/les-miles-soccer/

Miles also stated that LSU enjoys the style of people that come in there and are ultimately involved with his team.  I'll just say this, LSU fans are never boring.

When Miles was asked about his family vacation to Austin, TX, he responded by saying, "It was miserable.  I hated it.  But it was great fun."  Rust Cohle was not happy with those comments.

LSU is going to win a minimum of 9 games, so they're going to have another successful season. Les Miles somehow wins football games.  No one knows how he does it, but all that matters is that he does.  Trick plays and wacky endings are just part of the Les Miles era, and fortunately for LSU fans, luck has been on their side.

Last up was Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema.  The Hogs season last year was a disaster, going 3-9 overall and 0-8 in the SEC.  Bret wants to build a big, physical, downhill running team, just like he did at Wisconsin.  Everyone knows though that is going to take time, but the question remains whether Arkansas is going to give him 6 full years, his contract length, to get this program back to respectability.  

Bielema along with Saban were both advocates for slowing up the game...based on player safety.  No one believed that, but nice try guys.  Bielema indicated he and Malzahn buried the hatchet after their frosty exchange last year, but they likely won't be sharing Sunday supper anytime soon.  

Better than Bret though was that all of his players there today to show team unity wore bow ties.  Offensive Lineman Brey Cook though took it up notch by wearing....Superman cuff links.  He was asked about why he wore them and said because his grandmother picked them out for him.  True story.

Arkansas is going to have another uphill battle, but hopefully for Razorback fans they'll improve on their 3-8 season, because if they don't Bret might not even get to a 3rd season.

Tomorrow is the final day of SEC Media Days with UGA, Ole Miss, Bama, and Kentucky rounding out the week.  You can bet most of fans there will be rushing Richt and Freeze to hurry up and get off the stage so Saban can bestow his wisdom upon the great state of Alabama.

SEC Media Days: Day 2

Spurrier takes to the mike first with the anticipation of a Baptist preacher speaking at a Summer Bible Revival.  WELP!  Let's get to some of his best quotes.

     "He got his long hair back.  I said it looked like he had joined Duck Dynasty instead of the media.  They assured me he's with the media now."  - On often troubled former QB Stephen Garcia

      "It's a shame that Texas and Texas A&M don't play each other, though.  I don't mind saying that.  Two schools that have been playing for over a hundred years, just because one of them joins another conference get mad at each other.  We're not playing you anymore, we're not playing you anymore.  So I don't know.   I think it's sad."

        "We found some boosters, some big time donors that give over a million bucks.  When I got there we had one person to give over a million bucks in the history of the school.  Now we have 12 or 13, something like that."

         "I'm actually from uh Tennessee, and I always was taught the hero of The Alamo was Davy Crockett, so this was a new one on me, uh Bonham.  So it's a good story, and I'm sure he did some good things.  I always thought Davy Crockett was the hero of The Alamo, he and those 33 Tennessee guys that uh came in there and got killed and so forth."  - On the upcoming Alamo trophy between South Carolina and Texas A&M

Dan Mullen was up next and with MSU's schedule they are poised to make some noise.  State has a lot of players returning and with some luck could play in January.  If you're wondering Mississippi State won the Egg Bowl, and they've won 4 out of the last 5 Egg Bowls, because if Dan Mullen knows one thing it's that: Mississippi State has won 4 out of the last 5 Egg Bowls.  

You have to admire his optimism though and spin.  When asked about why Mississippi State didn't schedule better out of conference opponents, he countered by saying "None of our parents of our kids can afford to go to Oregon." 

Kevin Sumlin fired off some awesome quips.  When asked about Johnny Football early on the interview process he responded, "That's a great question...for the Cleveland Browns.  Anybody else got something?"

Sumlin brought a Punter to SEC Media Days, and then said "Hopefully you won't see him much this year."  I think it's pretty clear he's hoping for the spotlight on the drama at A&M to fade while allowing the success A&M has had to remain.  It will be an uphill battle though with a porous defense, and an offense that has questions after the best player in A&M history left for the NFL.  #Neverforget

Last up was the savior of Rocky Top, Butch Jones.  If you look at the recruiting numbers, he's doing things the right way.  Still Tennessee has a brutal schedule, and getting to 6 wins isn't going to be easy in 2014.  This team is likely still at least 2 years away from being back to contend for a conference title, but Tennessee's facilities and tradition certainly don't hurt recruiting.  

Tennessee has to replace a lot of players this coming season, which depending on your perspective may not be such a bad thing.  They lose 30 players off last year's team.  This will obviously give a lot of opportunity to young players, but the question is whether or not they're ready for the pressure of the SEC, a league usually filled with talented upperclassmen.  Jones promised to put a lot of pressure on his young players, who are certain to grow up fast as the season goes on.  The fans in Knoxville though have some swagger back as they look to the future.

Up tomorrow...Mizzou, LSU (Twitter is going to explode when Miles starts speaking), and Arkansas.  

SEC Media Days: Day 1

Today marked the start of SEC Media Days.  With an off season that was relatively quiet compared to most years, there hasn't been a whole lot of hype going into the 2014 Football season.  The run of 7 straight National Championships came to an end in an EXTREMELY GOOD National Championship game in Pasadena with Florida State taking the trophy from the SEC with a last minute touchdown drive against a surprising Auburn Tigers team.

Mike Slive or as he's known outside the SEC, "Emperor Palpatine" took to the podium first to deliver his State of the Conference speech.   Naturally, he highlighted all the conference's accomplishments, while also taking jabs at the NCAA.  Slive again called for reform in the NCAA, but many ultimately believe that if severe reform doesn't occur, the 5 major conferences will bolt and form their own organization.  

While this year will see the beginning of a 4 team playoff, an 8 team playoff is clearly inevitable in the foreseeable future.  Slive went on to advertise for the upcoming SEC Network, and lobby for additional networks, COUGH! (TIME WARNER CABLE) to make coverage available.

Up next was Gus Malzahn, who straight up challenged Mike Ditka for 1980's awesomeness coaching supremacy with his sweater vest during the National Championship game.  This is the most dad outfit I've ever seen on the coaching sidelines.  You know this guy wears Brut and carries an empty coke bottle to spit in throughout the day.  

Auburn was less than a minute away from pulling off a miracle last season after narrowly edging Georgia in "The Miracle On the Plains" and shocking BAMA with the "Kick Bama Kick" field goal return, but ultimately fell short against Publix Enemy No. 1, Jameis Winston and the FSU Seminoles.  One of the biggest stories for Auburn was the absence of QB Nick Marshall who was cited for marijuana possession on Friday, and was wisely told to stay home.

Malzahn, when asked about Marshall stated, "it's a privilege and a reward to represent your team at SEC Media days, and last Friday he lost that privilege."  Does this mean Marshall won't play against Arkansas in the season opener?

Will "If I don't win 10 games I'm gone" Muschamp was up next.  Florida vastly underachieved last year, but that was largely due to a ton of injuries rather than the actual product they put on the football field.  This is a program that in the last 20 years has consistently shown it can be successful and many expect the Gators to bounce back this season.

Muschamp knows his job is on the line, and I think this team will be vastly improved, because they couldn't get much worse than last year.  Are 10 wins possible?  Maybe, but this team definitely goes bowling in 2014.  More than once he mentioned how balanced Duke was as a football team.  That's right.  A head coach at Florida, praised Duke football and upheld them as a model for what the Florida Gators want to accomplish going forward. 

One thing Florida has going for it: two former QBs working for the SEC Network in Jesse "The Bachelor" Palmer and Timothy Tebow.   So they are sure to get praise going forward, but winning the SEC East isn't as easy you'd think with South Carolina and Georgia still being the class of the division.  Meanwhile, Mizzou has shown it belongs in the league with an impressive SEC East crown last year, and Tennessee is quickly rebuilding with some elite talent thanks to Butch Jones's recruiting.  While Muschamp has been known for his tenacious defense, Florida clearly needs to improve on offense going forward, especially when you're blocking your own players.

Last on the podium today was the newest SEC Coach, Derek Mason, from Vandy.  James Franklin set the standard for Vanderbilt football.  Vandy isn't going to win 10 games a year, but as someone who watches his team play Vandy every year, no coach scared me more than James Franklin.  I couldn't be happier to see him go to Penn State.  

Derek Mason comes to the SEC from Stanford, which can line up and knock heads with any team in the country.  The Rose Bowl between Stanford and Michigan State was like watching two giants slug it out in the trenches for 4 quarters.  It was a football purist's dream.  I think Mason will bring some physicality to Vandy, but it's going to be mighty tough to replace James Franklin.  When he left, Vanderbilt fans were heartbroken and terrified of going back to 2-10 seasons. 

Vandy has been picked by many to finish last or next to last in the East.  But Mason came out of the gate hot, saying "The time for us to compete for an SEC East title is now."  While Vandy boosters will love this enthusiasm, the analysts will not.  They'll be quick to point out that Derek Mason is just trying to rally the troops, and he can't possibly think that Vandy is going to win the SEC East this year.

Day 2 starts tomorrow with the always hilarious Steve Spurrier up first.  So be sure to set your DVR and check twitter for some awesome jabs at other SEC teams.