Birthdays, Baseball, and of course, the NBA Playoffs

Spent the past weekend down in Columbia with some friends doing a little pre-celebration for my 20th birthday while relaxing and catching some good ole southern baseball with of course the heated, but friendly company of my Gamecock frinends. Being the only Clemson fan of the group, my weekend definitely could have turned out better, but nevertheless, I enjoyed my time. Went down Friday afternoon so I missed out on the first game against Coastal Carolina. Saturday rolled around and grilling out at my friends lake house and watching the game on TV instead seemed to be the unanimous decision so we bypassed the big match up and enjoyed a nice day outside grilling out and enjoying each others company. Managed to get ourselves together for the showdown on Sunday afternoon and headed over to Carolina Stadium for the game. It was my first time in Columbia for a baseball game and I was very impressed with the stadium. Really nice layout and venue packed with some passionate Gamecock fans. I was disappointed to see the lack of Clemson fans that had stayed around for the game. I would say there probably wasn't even 100 fans in Orange in attendance and that would be on the generous high side of the estimate. The game didn't quite live up to the thriller from the previous night but still was a solid game, coming down to the last deep fly ball from Clemson's Felder that was caught just in front of the warning track that concluded the game.

It appears I stick out as a Clemson fan down in Columbia. Back at the football game in November, I was stopped by WYYF4 and interviewed at our tailgate, which was again swarming with Gamecock fans. It was a exciting time and something I will probably always remember. This weekend didn't seem to be much different. Apparently, (from what I was told from a friend) a reporter from The State had spotted me around the 7th inning and had been camping out nearby and literally as soon as the game was over (10-15 seconds) he was in front of me asking me if I would mind doing a brief interview. Luckily for him, I'm a nice guy and agreed even though usually I'm not the guy you want to be around immediately after a Clemson loss, especially to Carolina. Nevertheless I did the interview and had it published in the following day's paper which happened to be on my Birthday which was pretty cool. I mean really, who else randomly finds themselves published in a "major" newspaper on their 20th birthday?

It's becoming really frustrating losing to Carolina in baseball, and football too for that matter. It seems we've been one hit, one more strike out, one more great play away from coming out on the winning side and just can't seem to get that late push to put us over the top. That being said, they are the 2-time defending National Champs for a reason, they are good. (As I mentioned in the interview) That doesn't make me feel too much better, but we have went toe to toe with the national champion numerous times. I was bitter about Carolina's baseball success the past few years but I'm actually wishing them well this year--although I would enjoy nothing more than for them to not win another game this year. But back to their success, tts good for the state and they have really brought more national attention to the underrated rivalry. Everyone who follows College baseball is well aware of our two solid programs in the small state of South Carolina.



Now on to the NBA!

It appears both Conference Finals have taken a complete 360 turn. Miami looked primed to bring out the broom on the elder Boston Celtics but since a record setting performance from Rondo in game 2 (though they came up short in that game), the Celtics have taken over the series and can now finish off the Heat back in Boston tomorrow night. If this does happen what is next for Miami? Most would think a change would need to be made after another season ends without, what  many seemed to be an inevitable Championship for the South Beach squad. Will the Miami bandwagon come to a halt with a season-ending series loss to the Celtics? Meanwhile, the Spurs face elimination tonight against the OKC Thunder. However I don't think it will happen, closeout games are always tough to win.  The Spurs just need to get back to what they've been doing all season long and gain better control of the tempo of the game and they should be in good shape. Here is where the old experience of the Spurs compared to the Thunder can really pay off. This is a familiar place for the Spurs but the young OKC doesn't have this type of experience in the finals. It'll be interesting to see who rises to the occasion
tonight, and for me, I think it will be the Spurs.

College Football Dream Tour

As a big college football fan that hopefully has years and years of games ahead of him, I often think about college stadiums that I "must" see before I leave this world. I've already been to Clemson's Death Valley (of course) South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium (three times), FSU's Doak Campbell, Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd, The Georgia Dome (Clemson-Auburn Chic-Fil-A Bowl), Bank of America Stadium (2011 ACC Championship, 2010 Car Care Bowl) and Everbank Field in Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl). With these already marked off the list I've composed a list of, in my opinion of the best stadiums/places to visit for a college football game. Here is how I see it, and my list of places to go:

10. Texas A&M-Kyle Field
They don't call it the 12th man for nothing. Still holding on to its military history, TAMU presents quite the atmosphere. Any place where you have organized yelling practice to get you pumped seems like a place worth visiting in my eyes.

9. Tennessee- Neyland Stadium
Over 100,000 fans screaming Rocky Top at the top of their lungs. I dislike the Vols and probably wouldn't last an entire game of hearing Rocky Top played over and over but these are some of the best and loudest fans in the nation. Goood Ole Rocky Top, woooo! Rocky Top, Tennessee!

8. Virginia Tech- Lane Stadium
The capacity here isn't the largest but the fans make up for it. Not many people ever wanna be in Lane Stadium on a Thursday night. Enter Sandman and 60,000 plus fans jumping up and down wildly can and most likely WILL get to you as an opposing player.

7. Michigan- The Big House
This is one that doesn't need much explanation in my opinion. 110, 000 fans that are literally on top of you makes for one of the most loud and hostile environments that exist.

6. BYU- This will probably come to a shock to most people, but BYU makes this list for essentially one thing. And its the scenic view of the rocky mountains surrounding the stadium.

5. Ohio St. --home to some of the nations most loyal (and crazy) fans. Pregame of the band spelling out the script O-H-I-O is one of the most recognized and remembered traditions in college football.

4. UGA- Between the Hedges
Another classic SEC venue. UGA fans take their loyalty seriously as well and are VERY passionate about their Dawgs. Their mascot UGA is probably the most recognized mascot in the land and is the "cherry on top" for this top five venue.

3. Penn St. -Happy Valley
Watching a "white out" game under the lights on TV has always caught my eye and I'd love to see it in person. 100,000 fans decked out in all white jumping up and down all night long is quite a scene to see.

2. LSU- The "OTHER" Death Valley
As a Clemson fan I obviously prefer our Death Valley over LSU though I recognize they were the original.  Nevertheless, a day of tailgating in Baton Rouge eating a crab boil, drinking bourbon and watching the LSU Tigers at home has grown to the top of my list in recent years.

1. University of Florida- The Swamp
The heat, the 100,000 plus fans, the tradition and the constant view of fans doing the gator chomp will have you feeling like a piece of meat after while. Not many people make it out of the Swamp with a W. I actually will have the opportunity to visit the Swamp this upcoming season and look forward to my first trip in Gator Country.

Honorable Mentions: Alabama, Nebraska, West Virginia, Oregon, Florida State, Auburn

Most Underrated- As much as it kills me, I'd have to say that South Carolina would have to fall in this category of underrated stadiums and this comes from a Clemson fan. Though I feel 2001 and the smoke entrance is slightly overrated. (unless its a big prime time game) The fans love their Gamecocks and seeing old and young fans alike standing up twirling their towels during Sandstorm is a hard sight to knock.


There's my list, weigh in and tell me what you think. As I said this is just my personal list but if this were a list of ranking the best venues did I miss anyone? Should anyone be removed from the list?

Welcome, Welcome!

Greetings!

For those of you that don't know me I'm Christopher Hall. I'm a junior at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina where I'm studying Political Science and History. A young aspiring sports writer/reporter, my dream is to one day work for ESPN! Join me on my journey! 

Now on to the blog, mainly doing this just for fun and to get my name out and see where it takes me. I'm a BIG Clemson fan so I will talk a great deal about them but also cover the rest of the ACC and some of the SEC with an emphasis on South Carolina.When it comes to sports I typically prefer college over pro, but the teams I cheer for include the LA Lakers, The Atlanta Braves, The Carolina Panthers and my favorite NFL player is Peyton Manning so I also cheer for Denver. 

I'm on summer break so I will probably post a few times a week since I have a good deal of free time on my hands. Luckily, I'll have a lot to talk about. Regional sites for the CWS have been released and Clemson, South Carolina and Coastal Carolina have all been selected to the same bracket down in Columbia. It will make for one great weekend of baseball in the palmetto state. As we look to the NBA, it appears we will have a solid series between the red hot Spurs against the young but dangerously talented OKC Thunder. While on the East Side, the "elderly" Celtics look to knock off the young Heat. A clear battle of Old vs Young in both series, really. For me, right now is the most exciting time of the sports year outside of football. Very interested to see who will rise to the occasion and be crowned champions in the coming weeks.