Thursday, October 01, 2009

Thursday 10/10 Quickie: SEC, Vick,
Tigers, Tebow, Phillies, CBB Top 50

Ahh: SEC triumphalism!

Actually, riffing on this week's Sporting News mag cover story on the SEC in the lead of my SN column today, I think I correctly label the phenomenon as "SEC exceptionalism." (Good context on exceptionalism here.)

What does that mean, exactly? That SEC fans -- their passion, their expectations -- are the engine of the SEC's performance, both on and off the field: The huge coaching contracts, the merchandise sales, the TV ratings, the winning, the hype.

This is not a myth created at the top and pushed down -- this is a bottom-up, populist surge that willed itself into what now goes for reality in college football.

Anyway, that's my shallow attempt at turning Sporting News into "Foreign Policy" magazine this morning.

More you'll find in the column:
*It's NOT a Nike endorsement for Vick; it's a couple pairs of shoes.
*Phillies fans might start getting used to the playoffs.
*The Tigers have all but wrapped it up in the AL Central.
*Tyreke Evans' knee! No!
*More love for Joe Webb.
*The obligatory Tebow watch.
*SN's college hoops Top 50, which I call "foreshadowing."

Complete column here. More later.

If I don't get a chance to post on it later, if you live in NYC, don't miss tonight's Varsity Letters Reading Series in Brooklyn, headlined by Joe Posnanski. FREE! (And awesome!)

-- D.S.

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