Technical Tidbits 4/30

The game ball from Georgia Tech's infamous 222-0 victory over Cumberland, which was bought a few months ago in an auction by a very generous alumnus for north of $40,000,is now on display at the Edge Center for all to see. I was beginning to wonder when the ball would be put on display once and for all, but this is apparently the second time that it has been put up for public viewing since being purchased -- it was also featured at the College Football Hall of Fame during Georgia Tech weekend, which I totally missed out on. Thanks again to Ryan Schneider for recovering a piece of history!

Georgia Tech starting pitcher and third baseman Brandon Gold has been named as a finalist for the John Olerud Award, given annually to the best two-way player in college baseball. Gold, who was expected to play almost exclusively at third when the season began, has turned into a bonafide ace for the Jackets, pitching to a 3.03 ERA with a 5-2 record. That is especially impressive when you consider that Gold has been pitching the rubber matches of ACC series for months now -- he gets the best of every team and still continues to excel.

Georgia Tech's annual football clinic for foreign students was held recently to give a few lucky Yellow Jackets a chance to learn American football from one of the men who knows it best, Paul Johnson. If you are looking for a good read, I definitely this article for an amazing breakdown of exactly what happened and how the clinic changed the students' appreciation for both the game and the sacrifices that players make to participate. I personally love that Georgia Tech does something this unique every year, especially since it does such a great job of embracing the diversity of the student body. Every fan filling Bobby Dodd Stadium is a little win!

With today being the NFL Draft, it only seems fair to leave you with an article titled "How the NFL Draft is Un-American". I first assumed that this article was from The Onion, but soon realized that it is from Time and involves someone trying to legitimately persuade me that the NFL Draft is un-American. That's just insane. What could be more American than a system that encourages people to pursue ignorance by leaving school early for the purpose of running into other people at the risk of serious brain damage? Nice try, Tuttle.

Is the NFL Draft un-American? Don't try to tell me that it's "just a coincidence" that the draft began in 1936, during the height of Stalin's rule in Russia. Think about it, America. Think about it.

Trust me. I'm from the Internet.