Mailbag 5/26

What is the best choice for a wedding present for the editor of a sports website?

To answer this properly, we would need to define the editor and the website. So let's take a completely random example and use Joey.

Now Joey, recently engaged, is a Tech alum and is one of the most avid Tech fans I've ever met. Assuming his bride-to-be is an even bigger fan, I can say that the only appropriate gift for them would be a Whisky clear for each of them on the honeymoon.

Well, that or the Ramblin' Wreck. Or the Buzz costume.

GT baseball commitment catcher Tyler Stephenson from Kennesaw is a projected first round draft pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. That would make his upcoming presence at Tech unlikely. If some random Tech alum, say Jason Varitek or Mark Texeira, were to get in touch and honestly talk about options for a young player, would that be a violation?

I'm honestly not sure about this. It sounds like some form of tampering to me, but the NCAA may not see it as that since neither Varitek nor Texeira are employed by the Institute.

That being said, you have to remember that this kid is around 18 years old. I can't speak for him as I have never met him, but what it will ultimately come down to is where he gets drafted versus how much he values his education. Personally, I think that if he gets drafted in the first round, he probably won't come to Tech.

It's also important to remember that Kel Johnson had a lot of hype around him prior to last year's draft, but pretty much said that unless he was drafted in a certain spot or by a certain team, he was going to Tech.

Revisiting Beesball (assuming we miss the Tourney, which we did), can we ask the question about why we are continuing to falter? The team has continuous pitching woes. Our offense is too inconsistent (even with big boppers like Murray and Johnson). Postseason success continues to drop off (5 years since last regional). IMO, we need to start asking the hard questions. Our baseball program has so much going for it (great facilities, winning tradition, pedigree of talented players). There’s no reason we should this inconsistent and in a state of sliding (pun completely intended).

I absolutely agree that we need to start questioning Beesball. We need to before we settle into a state of good enough, but not the best. Prior to this last season in football, I believe that's where we were. There was some potential on those teams (just like there is with Beesball); they have just yet to put everything together. Is it a coaching issue? A recruiting issue? Maybe a talent issue? I don't know the answer to that. What I do know is that they need to figure it out before too much longer, because I'm not sure how much longer Mike Bobinski is going to stand for it.

Who are some recruiting targets we're going after in this cycle? And how are we building on our success from this past cycle?

We've already seen our success being built upon with our three current commits, who are all from Gwinnett County. The person who's having a lot of influence there? Ted Roof. He has done an excellent job of recruiting for Tech since he's been here and will only improve with the added tools from last season, both on the field and off of it.

I don't know a whole lot about current targets, but what I do know is that we are going to be having a huge class like we did that past year. The reason for that is that we have a small graduating class. The good thing with that is that it allows the coaching staff to be very picky with the guys they offer. So when you see guys get offered by Tech this year, it means that they clearly think very highly of them. At the same time, I also believe they will be more stingy with the offers they put out.

What are your thoughts on Horford's ejection and the Hawks in this recent series altogether?

Wait....the Hawks are playing basketball right now? Huh. Who knew?

I appreciate that Horford took one for the team there since Dellavedova was pretty much just being a douche the entire game. As for the recent series altogether, please check out the first line of this answer once again.

What are your expectations for the Braves this year, and how many wins will constitute a successful season in your book?

Well, everybody and their brother knew that the Braves were not going to win the division this year. I was actually one of the few to expect them to be right around where they're at now -- around .500 and still technically in the race for the division.

That being said, I expect them to hover around that .500 mark the rest of the season. For it to be a successful season, I would say shoot for finishing with a winning record. That does not mean, however, that finishing at, or below, .500 would be a failure of a season. For it to be a failure of the season, we'd have to return to our dumpster fire state like at the end of last season, which with the way the team is structured, I don't see happening.

When is the NCAA-approved date -- if that exists -- for 2015 freshmen football recruits to be on campus to begin player-led workouts, and do we have any info on who will arrive when?

Don't quote me on this, but I believe freshmen will arrive on campus in June for summer practices. From there, they will be students and members of the team and be granted all the access that those positions allow.

I would imagine that all the freshmen will arrive around the same general time.

What color is my underwear?

I have to say, this is quite possibly the strangest question I've ever received. That being said, since I'm assuming your a Tech fan, I'll say Old Gold and White.