Mailbag 9/9

What pop/rock song has the best percussion solo?

Ben: My gut instinct is In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins, but the drums at the beginning of Van Halen’s Hot for Teacher is also quality.

Jake: If the list of these songs doesn’t start and end with Neil Peart, then it’s the wrong list.

Jeff: I have to second Jake that any song by Rush would top all others. Their song Tom Sawyer is probably the most recognizable.

So last week I asked about a Quidditch team of all-time Georgia Tech greats

Now I’d like to propose a similar challenge: a Quidditch roster of all current Georgia Tech players. Same breakdown as last time:

5 Chasers (3 starters 2 reserves)

4 Beaters (2 starters 2 reserves)

2 Keepers (1 starter 1 reserve)

2 Seekers (1 starter 1 reserve)

Ben: You’re killing me with these Quidditch questions. Just like last week, I’m going to just do starters.

Chasers: Ahmarean Brown, Charlie Thomas, Kaleb Oliver

Beaters: David Curry, Tariq Carpenter

Keeper: Juanyeh Thomas

Seeker: Tobias Oliver

Jake: Football players? Other players? This is just you asking for a bunch of swimmer names at this point...

Levi: Chasers: Jordan Mason, Jahmyr Gibbs, Ahmarean Brown

Beaters: David Curry, Charlie Thomas

Keeper: Tobias Oliver

Seeker: Juanyeh Thomas

Favorite uga quarterback transfer in/opt out conspiracy theories?

Ben: Honestly, I feel kind of bad for Jamie Newman, because he’s a good quarterback, and then UGA essentially said, “We don’t have that much confidence in you, so we also brought in JT Daniels.” Say what you want to about iron sharpens iron or whatever, but I don’t feel like he got a fair shot.

Jake: I never, ever listen to Atlanta talk radio, and they were speculating openly about Justin Fields transferring back to play. They also said some not-so-nice stuff about him leaving, but that’s a different issue. I think this one is my favorite because it’s absolutely outlandish and just shows they made the wrong decision to 1) make him want to get away because of toxicity and 2) not valuing talent they had while he was still there.

Jeff: I saw the official tweet right after it was posted and it took no time for the dawg faithful to drone on about how he wasn't that good. They championed Newman as the missing piece with a new OC but now Daniels, who isn't cleared from an ACL, proved the better QB. I swear their fans would claim a 4-year old was a Heisman candidate if you threw a red and black jersey on them.

Levi: The new terms of the transfer market are making everything spicier. dwags fans sure do have a habit of treating the team like a professional franchise and not like a bunch of 18-22 year olds with incomplete brains and plans. I really think the whole Justin Fields saga was the height so far.

Can we truly believe Tech football is happening this Saturday and start getting excited that it’s finally GAME WEEK or should we hold off until kickoff because it’s 2020 and anything could happen before then?

Ben: Honestly, I’m a bit surprised that there hasn’t been some delay, especially with cases going crazy since classes started back. I’ll still believe football happens when I see it.

Jake: It feels like it should be opening weekend of baseball season this weekend, honestly. Like it was one long, hot pause of a spring break. It won’t just be cathartic when toe meets leather, but I don’t think I’ll fully believe it’s happening until then, either.

Jeff: Everything about this season feels way off. I am usually an annoying ball of anticipation leading up to week one. I save my personal time at work to burn on CFB Saturdays and make a giant spread of food just for me to sit in front of the TV from when Gameday starts to when ever PAC12 after dark puts me to sleep. Right now I have to remind myself there are actually games being played now.

Levi: Only a massive outbreak at GT or FSU would stop this game. We can cross our fingers but it looks like toe will meet leather this Saturday. Now prepare yourselves for an 11-point underdog performance.

There was a question on another message board about what chain restaurant was the most quintessential ACC restaurant. The criteria were that it had to be as broadly spread over ACC territory as possible, BUT not much beyond that (you had to be in ACC territory to enjoy it). The top pick the last time was Bojangles. Would they still hold the title or would another be more deserving?

Ben: I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about fast food restaurants in ACC territory, but I know enough to say that I think Bojangles is kind of overrated. It’s not bad, but I’m not going to go out of my way to go there.

Jake: Cookout. I’ll admit to not be the most knowledgable with restaurants outside Atlanta and the highways spreading out from it, for the most part, in ACC country, but Cookout is seemingly just as North Carolinian, while having the added advantage of being more commonplace elsewhere. The Syracuse/BC/ND/Pitt types really through off my opinion on this, though.

Jeff: Both Cookout and Bojangles are probably the best that fit the description of being confined to ACC country. I've only ever been above North Carolina while flying to NYC/Philly/DC so I'm not sure what's in those areas.

Levi: An answer other than Bojangles is blasphemy. The only other option I considered was Applebee’s, and I hate Applebee’s.

Can everyone please read a non-Harry Potter universe book?

Ben: If it makes you feel better, I’ve never read most of the Harry Potter books!

Jake: I never finished them. What I did just finish? Twelve Years of Turbulence, by Gary Kennedy and Terry Maxon, American Airlines’ general counsel and columnist for the Dallas Morning News, respectively. It’s (unsurprisingly) about the span in the early 2000s roughly between 9/11 and the closure of the AA/US merger. Decent, for the price I paid. Now I’m on to Danubia, something I got at the campus bookstore because the cover was neat and I like the Habsburgs.

Jeff: I've never read the Harry Potter series but I watched the movies with my wife who liked them and found them to have completely ripped off the story arc of LoTR. Fellowship of friends who seek to defeat an all powerful dark lord who came back from being defeated once by binding his soul into an enchanted ring/horcrux. Oh, and a friendly wizard with a white beard who is a mentor to the friends while there is another corruptible wizard who betrays his own for fear of dark lords power. And a scrawny creature who is enslaved to the quest that leads to the creatures death. Did I leave anything out? Oh, the Nazgul and those things that guard the prison seem pretty close too.

Levi: Now is a great time to mention my parents didn’t allow me to read Harry Potter. Thus, I could care less about the Harry Potter universe. I also don’t really read much. What have I contributed here? Nothing. I’m rewatching Band of Brothers. Maybe do that instead?

I have GT hats, shirts, shorts, socks, shoes but for some reason I feel weird about GT masks

Note: (I am very much pro mask)

ANSWER ME…. please…

Ben: I mean, if you feel weird about it, don’t wear one with a GT logo on it. I think it’s kind of weird too. I also don’t wear much of anything with any kind of sports logo nowadays.

Jake: I have some Tech ones, as well as a GT Swim Club one, but I only really ever stick to my Cubs ones. Is it to stand out? Maybe. Is it the most comfortable? Probably. But, most importantly, am I a creature of habit? Absolutely.

Jeff: Using protective covering to prevent the spread of a deadly disease is a little weird as a fashion statement.

Levi: I was going to say the exact same thing as Jeff. A branded mask makes me feel like I don’t take the pandemic seriously. One thing I do like is that I think mask culture is going to be around for a while, so branded masks will help normalize that.

Thoughts on Nathan Cottrell being on the first ever protected list

Protected Practice Squad List*

For the Jags**

In the NFL***

Ben: I’m certainly surprised. I think he’s a really good special teams player and has good speed, but I wasn’t expecting him to stick with an NFL team for this long. I’m super happy for the guy though!

Jake: Honestly, with all the fodder I saw about his speed, I was hoping he’d get a shot on the actual roster. But, well, this is way better than nothing!

Jeff: The Jags are just waiting to draft PH3 this year so they have a replacement for Gardner Minshew to throw dimes to Cottrell.

Levi: We’ve always known about Nate Cottrell’s impressive speed. I think you want to put dibs on that kind of speed regardless just to see what kind of player he will grow into.