Movie Plug for "The Fifth Quarter"

Continuing the theme of college athletics, if you weren't aware of it yet there is a new movie coming out entitled "The Fifth Quarter", which is the true life story of a Wake Forest football player, Jon Abbate, who had to deal with the sudden, tragic death of his younger brother Luke played for a team that went on to win the ACC Championship over my beloved Georgia Tech team in 2006.

His story though is more then the story of a football team winning a championship but is instead the story of how tragedy can be turned to triumph. The Abbate family live in the metro Atlanta area which just adds another layer into the story. After his younger brother is killed in traffic accident, Jon Abbate makes the tough choice to return to Wake Forest, changes his jersey number to 5 in memory of the number his brother Luke wore and the family creates a tradition of raising 5 fingers at the start of the 4th quarter of the game in memory of their dead son.

This film looks to be this years "Blindside" and like that movie is about more then football.

Of course with all of the local connections I may be a little biased but it is still a ray of light and inspiration in these times when life can be so tough for many of us.

This is the extended trailer for the movie that you won't see on tv. At one point when they are raising the 5 fingers you may notice that some of the folks are wearing GT shirts. That is because as Jon said in a post game interview the Tech fans are a class act. Georgia Tech is located in Atlanta and as such the people were aware of the Abbate story.

Georgia Tech Is A Class Act All The Way Around

Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt (9) and wide receiver Quentin Sims (23)
show Flat Stanley around the football offices.

Georgia Tech is scheduled to play in the Orange Bowl tomorrow, so the excitement around here, well at least for me anyway, is high. The Yellow Jackets have had a good season winning the ACC Championship along the way, but it appears they had a little help along the way.

That help came in the form of a fifth grader and a fictional character known as Flat Stanley.

Flat Stanley has been around for a while. It is the product of children's book in which the main character was squished by a bullentin and now teachers use it as a tool to help students to learn about foreign cultures or subjects to get children interested in studying. The basic concept is that students create a figure known as Flat Stanley and send it to an organization or person that they wish to learn more about. Included in a Flat Stanley package normally are a notebook or diary for the recipient to write about what they do.

Well one teacher put all of the top 25 college football programs into a hat and one young lady drew Georgia Tech, but the response she has gotten back has been nothing short of fantastic, and all the credit goes to the men and women of the Ramblin Wreck athletic department.

"I just though they might send back Flat Stanley and something written in the journal," Ansley said. "When I got him back it was a really big surprise and I was really happy."

Flat Stanley had dictated his travels, which included helping to fly the plane and leading cheers on the sidelines, to Johnson's secretary, Teri Anton:

"I have gotten to be pretty important around the Tech football office over my time here. The players are always looking for my advice and opinions about things. We like to hang out in the lunch room and eat and eat and eat!"

Anton sent another package on Monday with the journal and items commemorating the Jackets' ACC championship. Another will be sent after the Orange Bowl.

"Even coach's wife will make sure to ask if we have Flat Stanley with us," Anton said.

I think it is important for each of us from time to time to take just a few moments and think about how what may seem like a little thing to us can have a profound impact in the lives of our children. Georgia Tech has certainly delivered on that and are to be commended for their actions.

"By far, this year, Georgia Tech has done more for Flat Stanley that any of our other teams," said Heuer, who has been teaching for the past 35 years.

Heuer said Georgia Tech's kindness has inspired her kids. One student learned he had a family member who went to Tech. Another wants to do better at math so he can apply.

"Georgia Tech is a really nice college. I think I might want to go there when I grow up," said Alex Zarghese, who is a classmate of Ansley's.

I hope the Ramblin Wreck makes a whole lot of Flat Stanley's out of Iowa since they snubbed the student who sent them a Flat Stanley.

In comparison, Iowa hasn't responded to the student who picked that school out of the hat.

Georgia Tech Wins ACC Championship

Just bragging.

I have been dealing with plumbing issues on the homestead for the last 2 weekends, in fact last weekend I went about a day and a half without water, and while most of the issues have been resolved there is still a little more to do before I can declare the old homestead water tight. So anyway while Georgia Tech lost to the lowly Georgia Bulldogs last week in our annual intrastate rivalry, winning the ACC Championship and earning a trip to the Orange Bowl by beating Clemson this weekend certainly makes up for it.

The victory really wasn't secured until the final 30 seconds, and with all of the previous nailbiting contests that had already occurred in the day, by the time the game was over just before midnight, the nerves were frazzeled, but it was a welcome respite from messing with pipes and leaks.

I just hope GT head coach can find a defense between now and January. Maybe Santa Claus will bring him one for Christmas.

Good News: Atlanta Gets College Football Hall of Fame

Bad News: Construction is expected to be completed in 2012, just in time for the end of the world.

The College Football Hall of Fame hopes to draw far more visitors than it ever did in South Bend by moving to a new facility next to Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta.

Hall of Fame officials held a news conference Thursday to formally announce their move to Atlanta. A new building will be constructed alongside the park and is expected to open in 2012, within walking distance of popular tourist attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola.

The current college football HOF is in South Bend, IN, near Notre Dame University because somebody in their infinite wisdom thought that it would attract a lot of visitors. Notre Dame? Are you serious? Have you looked at their stands during a game? If it wasn't for the fact that they snookered NBC into a long term television contract I doubt any of us would ever see their games except to watch to see which team is beating the stuffings out of the "perennial powerhouse" on any given Saturday.

Oh yeah....Go 'Ramblin Wreck

Congress To Investigate The BCS

Oh fer cryin' out loud guys. With all of the problems this country is facing is launching an investigation into the college Bowl Championship Series real high up on the priority list. This congress is probably going to be the first to post negative numbers for approval ratings.

I am seriously disappointed to see that a representative from Georgia Lynn Westmoreland (GA-3)(R) is involved in this farce.

Congressional leaders from several states, including Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, question whether the BCS violates the federal Sherman Antitrust Act, a law passed in 1890. In a formal House resolution and in a letter to President-elect Barack Obama, the Congressional members said the BCS unfairly prohibits many small colleges from competing for a championship berth. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat from Hawaii, said, "The anti-competitive effects of the BCS far outweigh its procompetitive benefits. The most obvious anti-competitive effect is the vast difference in revenue generated in the postseason between the BCS and non-BCS schools."

Steroids in baseball, videotaping in football and now BCS selections in college football. Get out of my sports, get out of my pocket and get out of my life you bunch of overpaid, out of work, ambulance chasing, lawyers.

Meanwhile enjoy the greatest fight song evah!