Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Drink the Kool-Aid I'm pouring...)
- Thread starter Ketchum
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Opinions change. I couldn't really stand Lefty prior to his '13 Open Championship. Years tend to change things. Not sure if that was your "bait" but if it was then you haven't been paying attention for awhile on the topic.
"I've said for years that I thought Lefty might have another major still in him, and it came to fruition on Sunday. It might not be his last."
That was the bait and hook. Considering how dry he's been over the last few years in ages 45-50, I thought for sure you'd be the first to challenge that one.
Thanks for clarifying. I was definitely confused. I may agree with the statement now.
"I've said for years that I thought Lefty might have another major still in him, and it came to fruition on Sunday. It might not be his last."
That was the bait and hook. Considering how dry he's been over the last few years in ages 45-50, I thought for sure you'd be the first to challenge that one.
Meh. It possibly is a bridge too far, but honestly, from a raw physical standpoint, there's little to keep Lefty from competing against the younger dudes for at least a few more years. He absolutely BOMBS it off the tee. 310+ was his average this week. And obviously, unlike Tiger (especially now), Phil's injury history is relatively small. Putting would likely be the biggest culprit. But he can still compete. And at a place like Augusta where experience counts for so much, I wouldn't be surprise for sure if he makes a solid run at one more green jacket sometime in the next 3-5 years.
Oh, I agree. Maybe this weekend just changed what people thought was possible because I've previously had a lot of pushback on thinking the same thing. Not from you, off the top of my head, but just in general.
One thing that is quite evident with Lefty is that he has a LOT of burning desire to still compete. Quite honestly, you can take the current entire top 10 of the OWGR and combine their desire to win/compete/whatever and it pales to guys like Lefty and Tiger. He's a guy who I for too long was a bit biased against for simply not being Tiger. Now that being said, even in Tiger's prime, I was on record as saying Lefty was pretty damn close in terms of raw ability.
This is probably my biggest realization from the way folks are reacting to Blue's decision. This is a different generation, football is a different game, and recruiting/making the league are a different business by orders of magnitude compared to when most of us were coming up.
I still don't know how I feel about Blue's decision. But I definitely don't know enough to say it was a bad decision, or that Blue is a bad kid for making that decision. I hope it works out for him.
You know what, you're right. Teammates? F 'em. Won't see them again anyway. That's the spirit!
Because they have the temerity to have a viewpoint that differs from yours? Your opinion predominates because you own this place, but that doesn't make it the only opinion, or even the correct one. You're grafting age onto a situation that may or may not break along those lines, but that helps you be dismissive of the views of others.
Phil has always been fun on a golf course. He's an American original, for better and worse.
Teams don't matter more than a person's own best self-interest.
VY had to look out for himself when he left the team in 2006.
You can say that it was a higher level and that he left for tens of millions, but the bottom line remains the same in that you have to look out for yourself first at critical moments in life decision-making.
Blue has accomplished everything he can accomplish in high school. If we're keeping it 100, he's just running out the clock and hoping not to get injured. I'm just not sure he's at a position where the juice is worth the squeeze.
mainly i guess just his social media and interaction with fans... I never disliked him I just feel like ive been rooting for him to do well more as of late than earlier on
Can't deny that. From his collar-up look in the bad golf fashion of the 90's to his mirror shades of today, he never fails to put himself out there. And honestly, what's with wearing a watch while playing his entire career? LOL. Did he have some place to be?
First off, this has ZERO to do with "memories of senior year" (unless you're referring to one of the moderators on here)...nice miss though. This has to do with someone giving him bad advice. Second, you're off on the 33%...it's probably closer to 25%...it was 23% back in 2018. This will become a precedent, make no mistake, and it will change the landscape of High School football as you know it...won't be overnight though. It's hard to wrap my head around a "business decision" when he's been guaranteed nothing, other than a verbal scholarship. AGAIN, he can do whatever he wants as that is his right, but those saying this is a smart decision are the ones I take onus with.
Gotcha. Thanks for answering. There's a self-deprecating vibe about him that he's comfortable with. It makes him relatable IMO in ways that have probably been difficult for him when he was young.
When you gamble as much as he does, you always know what time it is because there are games starting at all hours. It's not like it would look good if he was checking his phone. 🤣
Other players in other sports have done this.
Bryce Harper as an example.
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FYI...
9 of the 19 (47-percent) of the highest-rated backs in the history of the state went on to be drafted by NFL teams.
He falls into this group.
Another factor that's getting lost in the Blue discussion applies across pretty much all sports.
Almost NOBODY recruits based on HS sports anymore. Whether it's club volleyball, select baseball/softball, AAU hoops, or football camps and 7-on-7 leagues, top athletes today are identified, tracked and trained outside of the old middle school to high school treadmill. Football may, in fact, be one of the last holdout sports where high school teams have any relevance. And that relevance is fading as more kids get offered early.
For athletes across all these sports, the "reward" of playing varsity for your school has decreased dramatically. It gets you practically no exposure unless you're one of the handful of "late bloomers" that explode onto the scene as a senior. But for a player who already has a scholarship in hand, the upside is virtually nil. The potential downside is undeniable, whether it be possible injury, wear and tear, or even something as simple as having to juggle a schedule to keep up with classwork. How mad would we be at Blue if he was skipping football so he could take the extra coursework to become an early enrollee?
I think we need to get used to this sort of thing, because like it or not it makes a lot of sense for the athletes.
Almost NOBODY recruits based on HS sports anymore. Whether it's club volleyball, select baseball/softball, AAU hoops, or football camps and 7-on-7 leagues, top athletes today are identified, tracked and trained outside of the old middle school to high school treadmill. Football may, in fact, be one of the last holdout sports where high school teams have any relevance. And that relevance is fading as more kids get offered early.
For athletes across all these sports, the "reward" of playing varsity for your school has decreased dramatically. It gets you practically no exposure unless you're one of the handful of "late bloomers" that explode onto the scene as a senior. But for a player who already has a scholarship in hand, the upside is virtually nil. The potential downside is undeniable, whether it be possible injury, wear and tear, or even something as simple as having to juggle a schedule to keep up with classwork. How mad would we be at Blue if he was skipping football so he could take the extra coursework to become an early enrollee?
I think we need to get used to this sort of thing, because like it or not it makes a lot of sense for the athletes.
Great points.
I'm completely ok with a discussion about whether it's a good move or not, but I just have a real problem with us being ok as a collective group with so many decisions that are selfish and then we clutch our pearls when it doesn't fall under the category of subjective things we are ok with.
This idea that he stabbed his teammates in the back four months out from the start of the season is just laughable.
Wants to focus on academics because UT is a hard school?
No fuss.
Transfers to Katy for competitive reasons?
No fuss, maybe even excitement for some.
Wants to work with a professional trainer, stay healthy and get ready for college football.
MORAL OUTRAGE!!!
Again, the "examples" really aren't fundamentally aligned to Blue. Harper took the GED early his Junior season so he could enroll the following spring in JUCO and be eligible that summer for the draft where he had long been projected to be a top pick. Blue isn't eligible for the draft literally until 2025. BTW, unless I'm mistaken, all 19 of those guys were either 6.0 or 6.1 with 6.0 defining a "high four star." Blue is only a 5.9. So yes and no. While he's the top-rated RB in the state, he's not seen as a high four star like the other 19.
a day late but in some cases you may be passing out Stoli and calling it Grey Goose. The goods news is after two cocktails it doesn't matter. I 'll have what you're pouring.
Technically one can argue Blue falls into the following group as much as he does the other:
Obviously a far lesser percentage of being drafted.
Nearly 50-percent of players with his specific profile have been drafted over the last 20 years.
It's not that unaligned.
Bryce Harper is aligned with Jaydon Blue?
Actually I can argue Blue's "specific profile" fits the group that's produced a 16% draft rate over the last 20 years.
Hmmm it appears he’s a 17% chance mid four star and not the 50% chance high four star. but counting top RB in the state results in nearly 50% draft results. data is conflicting
All of this is beside the point, in my opinion.
If skipping senior football costs Blue his opportunity at Texas, it'll be a bad decision. If Blue doesn't use the time to train, prepare, and keep his grades up, it'll be a bad decision. So yeah, this might be a mistake on his part.
But if Blue works hard and comes to Texas ready to play, then regardless of how things turn out beyond that point, the decision hasn't really cost him much.
Whether he makes the NFL or not is going to depend on what he does in college, not on what he didn't do in high school. How he does beyond football is going to depend on how he handles his UT course load and whether he gets his T ring. It won't depend on whether he played his senior year at Klein.
You've been around long enough to know that the rr and even star rankings haven't caught up to the numerical rankings this early. By the end of the year you have around 30-35 end up 6.1 5*s.
Then you have the 6.0s that usually go to around 70. If his numerical ranking holds up (which it might not, unless he attends a bunch of camps /all star games) he will be a 6.0 soon.
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His decision say it all. How could you possibly call that leadership. It’s just the opposite.
