Mailbag 3/18

Do both basketball teams make the NCAA tournament next year?

Ben: I think there’s a decent chance. I’m more concerned about the men’s team making it than the women’s team, though.

Carter: The ladies were pretty decent shots to do it this year, and I hate that we’ll never know. I like their chances next year. The men, [chuckles nervously]

Andrew: The Women have a better chance than the Men.

Robert: My guesses: ~75% for women. ~15% for men.

Jake P.: The women definitely will have a much better chance than the men, but I wouldn’t rule the men out.

Nishant: This implies that the NCAA won’t push the MBB postseason ban back to next year since the postseason didn’t happen this year. (Though I guess they did get in a few ACC Tournament games...)

Jake: Losing Francesca Pan is going to hurt the Jackets more than you think. I like the incoming recruiting class, though. With Tech’s luck, though, I highly doubt not one but two of them make it.

Could we have a THWg open thread where you can post THWg pics, memes, jokes, etc.?

Ben: Who needs a dedicated thread? Post those anywhere! But yes, I can make one and pin it to the front page.

Carter: Isn’t that just @BarstoolGT’s feed?

Jeff: There is a "Georgia Bulldogs Suck" page run by a gator fan on Facebook that has some funny ones in there. Though he has posted a few in poor taste with recent events.

Will the NCAA screw it up?

Ben: Yeah, probably.

Chris: Have you met them?

Carter: You’re asking the wrong question. It’s not “will the NCAA screw it up?”, but “how will the NCAA screw it up?” And I’m not actually sure what “it” is.

Jeff: Georgia Tech and all the professional ATL sports teams will win titles in the same year before the NCAA doesn't screw up.

Jake P.: Why wouldn’t they? It’s their thing.

Jake: Set your watches to it.

Does anyone know the status of Pan’s and Cubaj’s families in Italy?

Ben: I have not heard anything about either of their specific families, but as of yesterday, the deaths in Italy passed 2,500.

What old video game should we bring out of storage to play while staying home for the foreseeable future?

Ben: NCAA 14 is always a fun one to pull back out.

Chris: The Lego series. We’re talking like Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, etc. Those games are so so good.

Chau: about to restart the Last of Us since

1) the sequel is coming soon

2) the world is ending and I need to prep

Carter: I am no longer up to date on my gaming and haven’t played anything more recent than 2018. That said, Final Fantasies (Final Fantasys?) VII through X and XII have been re-released on the Switch, so go throw all your money at Square, again.

Andrew: My wife and I just bought a Switch, so it’s lots of Mario Party and Breath of the Wild for us.

Stephen: Gimme Need for Speed Underground. I probably put 100+ hours in that’s game

Jeff: I am actually replaying the Final Fantasy series on my computer right now. I'm big on the Zelda series and those are good time consumers as well. This isn't really old yet, but Witcher 3 with the expansions could get you to football season alone.

Jake P.: I fully agree with Ben’s statement.

Nishant: Your favorite Pokemon game. Barring that, I had a weird urge to pull out my N64 and play Star Wars Racer the other day, so I’ll go with that.

Jake: Been playing a lot of long, drawn out games of Civilization to keep in contact with the Tech diaspora.

Any thoughts or hype for Animal Crossing/Doom coming out on Friday?

Carter: There are two types of people: real gamers, and people who will be playing Doom on Friday.

Andrew: Stardew Valley is a better farming/village simulator than Animal Crossing.

Nishant: I’ve never played any game in either series, but the Isabelle/Doomguy crossover memes over the last few weeks have been a treat.

What would you have done differently with a do-over of your Senior year on campus?

Ben: Honestly, my senior year was the one I did the most right. My journalism capstone was a ton of fun, and I got to learn a lot about the housing situation in Athens, and then in the spring, I took an acting class that was a ton of fun.

Chris: Not much, I look back on that year very fondly. But I think everyone wishes they could figure out how to slow it down. That last month or so absolutely flies by - you’ve really got to remember to step back and take it all in.

Chau: I'd skip studying for a final exam to see the Black Keys. Otherwise, absolutely nothing. Take your time, blackout playing Guitar Hero (looking at you Blake), hit up Ormsbys every Tuesday, end up at Northside Tavern every Friday, disregard senior design it doesn't really matter, etc.

Carter: My last semester at Tech is the one I hold the best memories from. I’d much rather have a do-over of my first year.

Andrew: Nothing. It was an easy semester and we won the ACC.

Stephen: What Carter said. Not learning how to study early made it much harder to later.

Jeff: I went to a two-year and did most stuff online so I will use my high school senior year. I didn't go to prom, but my wife and I were good friends at the time and we talk about that we should have gone together. Also, I wished I had done a sport rather than marching band. I prefer direct competition.

Nishant: I have some treasured memories from my last 2-3 semesters of undergrad, but... let’s just say I’d change a lot of things. Above anything else, I’d want myself to know that I’m not going to let everyone down and don’t have to feel guilty every time I do something fun. I’m just glad I was finally able to take some of that to heart for my final year of grad school.

Jake: NOT HAVE A [Foreigner] CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, I’LL TELL YOU. I am angry.

We are all anticipating that Sports will roar back after the plague ends. What if Sports don’t come back?

Ben: Well I guess we’ll move to alternative content exclusively. Hope y’all enjoy it!

Chris: Gah.

Carter: Get ready for the world of competitive stamp-licking.

Jeff: I'll assume we would have gone full anarchy at that point.

Jake P.: Power rankings! Power rankings! Power rankings!

Favorite Pokemon?

Ben: Charizard.

Andrew: Arcanine.

Carter: Feraligatr.

Jeff: Blastoise, it was the first card from the first booster pack I bought.

Jake P.: I don’t know anything about Pokemon, but I once got a Charmander card from a Happy Meal.

Nishant: Since all but one of the ones listed above are from Gen 1 and I can’t pick just one favorite, here’s one from every gen: Vaporeon, Espeon, Flygon, Staraptor, Emolga, Aegislash, Ribombee, and Sirfetch’d. Honorable mentions go to Ivysaur, Typhlosion, Sandslash, and Talonflame.

Favorite Movie?

Ben: Star Wars is my go-to answer, but for the sake of being different, I’ll go with my second-favorite movie: Swiss Army Man.

Chris: Spoilers for Meet the Writers, but I don’t really have a favorite movie. What I will say is that Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the movie that, if forced to choose only one, I would pick to watch for the rest of my live.

Chau: https://youtu.be/dXccErzUM2g

Andrew: Major League is probably the one movie I will always stop to watch if it’s on.

Carter: Not sure. Children of Men is one that’s always stuck with me.

Jeff: I'm big on the "Lord of the Rings" series.

Jake P.: I’ve got two at the top of my list, and one of them I probably shouldn’t say, so my number one is The Princess Bride.

Nishant: Not sure if I’d call it my favorite, but I make sure to watch Independence Day on July 4 every year.

Jake: Blues Brothers, Ferris Beuhler’s Day Off, etc.

Favorite Video Game?

Ben: I don’t play a ton of video games, so I’ll go with Pokemon Platinum. I think it’s the best of the series.

Chris: It’s a tie between Lego Star Wars and Guitar Hero 2, but GH2 probably gets the nostalgia edge. The track listing is just too good and I have so many memories of playing that game with friends for hours.

Andrew: Stardew Valley.

Carter: Either Mario Odyssey or Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Chau: the Last of Us (single player), Mario Party 2 (group)

Jeff: Witcher 3/Ocarina of Time for single player and EverQuest for multiplayer

Nishant: Horizon Zero Dawn, FreeSpace 2, Fire Emblem Three Houses, and Persona 5. Playing P5 blind was probably my favorite gaming experience ever.

Favorite Song?

Ben: Vienna by Billy Joel

Chris: This is way too hard, so I’m going to give a few. November Blues by the Avett Brothers, Kaleidoscope by the Mulligan Brothers, Dream of Mickey Mantle by Bleachers, Aquaman by Walk the Moon. Preferably the live versions of most of those as well.

Andrew: Paradise by the Dashboard Lights - Meatloaf

Chau: this is impossible to answer with just one song so I'm going to be "that guy"

https://youtu.be/gxEPV4kolz0 (old school)

https://youtu.be/ap0mqwvf7H0 (angsty)

https://youtu.be/QxIWDmmqZzY (best song to repeat on the Waffle House karaoke)

https://youtu.be/mire1WJKdR8 (best song to scream at your friends in an Uber)

https://youtu.be/X9fLbfzCqWw (gets everyone going at the pregame)

Edit: one more https://youtu.be/WM7-PYtXtJM

Jeff: Faint by Linkin Park

Jake P.: My top three are: The City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie, Hysteria by Def Leppard, and Pride (In The Name of Love) by U2.

Carter: Couldn’t possibly name one. Higher Ground by ODESZA was the one stuck in my head on repeat most recently.

Jake: Brother by Need to Breathe, easily.

Favorite Restaurant?

Ben: Brett’s Casual American out in Athens.

Chris: Atlanta - Grant Central Pizza and Pasta. Boston - Giacomo’s. St. Simons Island - Southern Soul.

Andrew: Piggy Park BBQ in Thomaston, GA.

Carter: Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, ME. This question made me realize how much I’m going to miss dining out for a while.

Chau: mine is probably Heirloom but I really recommend the 2 above. Also recommend the Oink Joint (near Thomaston) and the lobster roll at Eventide

Jeff: Beetlecats in Inman

Jake P.: Mona Lisa Restaurant in Hendersonville, NC.

Nishant: Either Guisados or Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen in LA. You might not think a place that charges $3 per taco would be worth the price, but Guisados is worth every last penny.

Jake: Chicago comfort food/best overall? Johnnie’s Italian Beef on North Avenue in Elmwood Park, IL. Midwestern comfort food? The Igloo in Peru, IL. Classic American? Sunrise Lodge in Land o’ Lake, WI. Here’s where I plug not only my midwestern-ness, but the underrated Northwoods as a vacation destination.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?

Ben: I’m boring, so I’ll say vanilla.

Chris: tough call, usually I’ll go for anything chocolate. I also love a good coffee ice cream.

Andrew: Chocolate.

Carter: Rocky Road.

Jeff: Cookie Dough

Jake P.: Anything with cherry.

Nishant: Mint chocolate chip.

Jake: Seconding Jeff on this one.

Favorite Color?

Ben: Green.

Chris: I could go on a rant about how I think favorite colors are dumb, but gun-to-my-head it’s probably forest green.

Andrew: Navy Blue

Carter: Violet

Chau: blue... No yelloow arghhhh

Jeff: Blue

Jake P.: Masters Green or Tiger Red.

Nishant: Green. Like Chris, I prefer darker shades, but anything works.

Jake: I like navy. Pretty sure I can do a whole load of navy wash each week.

Favorite Question?

Ben: “Why?”

Chris: “How are you?”

Carter: “What is your quest?”

Jeff: "What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

Chau: "African or European swallow?"

Jake P.: “Why in the [Foreigner] do you like Georgia Tech?”

Jake: I get asked “Are you (from Chicago/president of Swim Club)?” sarcastically a lot, so not those.

Nishant:

Favorite wima? Original flavor or not?

Ben: I think notwima asks better questions for the mailbag.

Chris: I’m either missing out on some inside joke or you’re asking about an Ohio AM talk radio station?

Carter:

It’s reportedly being considered by the NCAA that eligibility for winter sports would be restored. Without getting into the technicalities of adding roster space and whatnot temporarily, what likelihood do you see this happening if any? I’d imagine they’d only apply it in broad stroke as opposed to only teams that didn’t play in the postseason no?

Chris: I think you’d have to apply it broadly. There’s wayyyy too much going on for them to get into the weeds and do anything case-by-case. Whether or not they’ll do it is interesting. The NCAA is typically super bad about doing the right and obvious thing, but this is such an extreme scenario that I just can’t imagine them not doing it.

Andrew: I don’t think it happens. Most of the Winter sports completed their conference seasons.

Jake: Caio Pumputis deserves another chance at NCAAs. Bring it on.

Can I at least briefly dream of keeping James Banks for another year?

Ben: It’ll just set you up for greater disappointment, but sure!

Carter: Who among us does not dream?

Jake P.: What’s wrong with a random grad transfer?

Jake: I think there’d be a lot more smiles around the GTAA in general next year if he stuck around.

Spring football has come to a complete halt and so has all the admittedly indulging over-speculation. Give me a GT all-darkhorse team, where all the current spring darkhorse candidates for playing time inexplicably/explicably beat out the presumptive starters (whatever that means with an ATL chart). What does that team look like?

Ben: This is completely baseless speculation, but let’s go with it! Quarterback - Jeff Sims, Wide Receiver - Adonicas Sanders, Tight End - Dylan Leonard, Offensive Line - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, Defensive Line - Mike Lockhart, Linebacker - Demetrius Knight, Defensive Back - Charlie Thomas

Andrew: Lots of good things coming out about Jordan Yates at QB. Dontae Smith also was having an impressive spring in an already crowded backfield.

Jeff: Bruce Jordan-Swilling grabbing the RB spot would make for a great story.

Nishant: As Andrew said, Yates was making some noise before spring camp wrapped up. And as Jeff said, Bruce cracking the RB rotation would be super fun, though Dontae Smith is another name to watch there. Beyond that... Marquez Ezzard at WR, Michael Rankins at OT, Lockhart at DT and Knight at LB (as Ben said), and Jaylon King at safety.

Little Debbie Power Rankings?

Ben: 1. Nutty Buddies, 2. Swiss Cake Rolls, 3. Oatmeal Creme Pies, Everything else

Andrew: Fudge Rounds and Fudge Brownies tied for the lead, followed by Oatmeal pies.

Carter: Nutty Buddies are the be-all, end-all of Little Debbie snacks.

Jeff: Don't listen to Carter, Swiss Rolls are the way to go.