Today: Braves trade rumors, College Football talk, Ronda Rousey, and more.

Braves are drunk on trades - Another week, another round of Braves trade rumors.  Shelby Miller and Freddie Freeman's names surfaced in reports this week along with Cameron Maybin (traded on Friday), Nick Markakis, Michael Bourn, and Nick Swisher.  I once thought that Freeman was the lone untouchable on the roster; someone they would anchor the lineup around.  Now, I have no clue what the plan is.  One report suggested that his wrist injury keeps his value down a little bit and that the front office would be better served letting him prove his worth in the first half of 2016 and then put him on the trade block.  Despite John Coppollela's assurances to the contrary, it certainly appears that management is content stripping this roster of its identity in favor of a two to three year plan.  He's made comparisons to the Royals' trade of Greinke for roster cornerstones and playoff studs Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar.  But that 2011 Royals team boasted emerging former farmhands Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez and established young veteran Alex Gordon.  This Braves roster can make no such comparisons aside from Freeman.  

The CFP reads my blog!! - Eh, perhaps that's an overstatement but it sure felt like the notion of UNC rocketing into playoff contention got significant coverage in the CFB world this past week right after I mentioned it.  After hearing some other points of view, I now concede that even if UNC knocked off Clemson they would still be short of the quality wins necessary to move into the discussion.  They will have gone the entire season without facing a single top-25 opponent until Clemson and two FCS opponents.  That's not gonna cut it.  Heather Dinich of ESPN put together a helpful summary of this weekend's games with playoff implications.  

FBS vs FCS - A quick note regarding the debate about FBS playing FCS opponents.  Its got multiple layers of pros & cons and support on both sides from notable coaches (Saban, Richt, Freeze).  I see the appeal of making FBS programs exclusively play other FBS programs.  It creates week in, week out matchups with strength of schedule components that make the playoff a fair reward.  But Mark Richt and Hugh Freeze champion the importance of those payday games for FCS schools and how their programs are buoyed by that flood of cash to maintain scholarships and keep football viable for so many young athletes who benefit from playing the game, building character, and creating opportunities to succeed in life.  That sounds a little hokey, I know, but I'm a Dad now and I imagine my kids being those kids that enjoy the game but will never be a professional.  Lets not forget the true purpose of amateur athletics and extracurricular activities (says a proud former member of Honor Orchestra )

Adam Ruins Everything - No, not me.  Its a different Adam and he hosts my new favorite show.  There's a marathon coming up on Tuesday, November 24 on truTV and I recommend you check it out.  He challenges social norms from a clever, playful point of view and he even cites his work.  Who doesn't love a well-crafted bibliography?  Be advised the show can spark some serious debate among intellectual types.  I've already engaged in several spirited discussions with friends about tipping at restaurants and the pervasive nature of security theater.  Another good show is How We Got To Now.  It recently popped up on Netflix after appearing on PBS last year.  Its a connective tissue-type exploration through invention and innovation.  Harnessing the power of cold for food preservation and air conditioning and how the Titanic disaster was a link in the evolution of communications and cell phones are some of the topics the host Steven Johnson addresses.  Its a very fun, educational ride through history.  Aside: I'm a sucker for shows like that.  

Ronda Rousey: proud spokesperson for Hamburger Helper - Against my better judgment I bought last Saturday's PPV and regretted every minute of the first four fights.  Snoozefest.  Even the lone KO on the undercard was boring.  But Holly Holm saved the day by punishing Ronda Rousey's face until it looked like ground beef.  It wasn't quite Frank Mir after Brock Lesnar, but she sure looked beat up after just 5 mins.  Ronda was mouth breathing halfway through the first round and looked sluggish (can I call a female fighter tubby and mean it non-offensively?).  After that first stanza I knew it was bad for her.  Holly Holm had a great gameplan to avoid the judo throws and counter punched Ronda with serious power jabs until she finally found a combination that leveled the champ.  I was thiiiis close to racing in to wake up my wife but I erred on the side of caution and just saved it on the DVR. 

Parenting Story of the Week - My 2.5 year old son is working on the finer details of taking off his socks by himself.  Its the heel, it gets him every time.  So, this week we had a rare case of t-shirt, no pants, no diaper, and socks.  Don't ask.  It was right before bedtime and he and I were headed upstairs but not before he sat on the bottom step and yanked and yanked on his sock before I finally knelt down and helped him out.  He proceeded to walk up to the next stair and I presumed we were gonna rock the one sock look, but nope.  He stood on the second step with a purposeful, matter-of-fact look on his face and gave me the Stanky Leg, dog-meeting-hydrant stance and asked me to take his other sock off.  Thankfully no territory was marked during this experience.  

Welcome to The Chatter, my modest attempt at blogging although this is probably much closer to emailing.  Each week I'll put together a handful of musings, observations, rants, and stories related to sports & what-not and pass them along to you for your amusement or automatic deletion.  If you want me to remove you from the mailing list simply reply "N" and POOF I'll be gone.  Otherwise, enjoy.

Simba on the move - Trading Craig Kimbrel proved that Tri-John (Schuerholz, Hart, and Coppollela) weren't gonna let sentiment cloud their judgment on business decisions, so the Simmons trade can't come as too much of a surprise.  Presumably the idea is for Erick Aybar to provide veteran leadership to the stable of prospects lined up to man the infield next season, most notably Ozhaino Albies who will turn 20 in January.  2016 will be like a protracted Spring Training as Albies, Johan Camargo, Daniel Castro, Adonis Garcia, Jace Peterson, and maybe even Rio Ruiz (sorry Elmer Reyes, you aren't invited; your range will be limited by your leg shackles) see increased playing time and work out their jitters before some combination of them secure starting spots on the 2017 roster.  The other half of the Simmons deal nets two more top-line pitching prospects in Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis.  Along with Max Fried, Matt Wisler, Touki Touissant, Williams Perez, Mike Foltynewicz, Manny Banuelos, Mauricio Cabrera, Tyrell Jenkins, Lucas Sims, Arodys Vizcaino, Daniel Winkler, Ricardo Sanchez, and at least 5 other guys the Braves boast an embarrassment of riches in pitching depth.  Some of those guys will blossom into MLB-caliber pitchers, others will get injured or flame out, and the rest will be used as trade chips.  The next 18-24 months will sort out who joins Julio Teheran and Shelby Miller in the rotation.  Aside: I initially suspected that Julio's days were numbered when Simmons got traded and maybe they are, but he'll make it through Spring Training as a Brave.  After that, who knows.  

NBA Youth Movement - I've remained a lukewarm NBA fan after my interest was heated up to 10 by the 8-seed Warriors upset of the 1-seed Mavericks back in 2007.  I even bought NBA League Pass a few times.  The Hawks' ascension to capable contender status keeps my interest, but the recent youth infusion has increased my attention to games/teams than I may have ignored in the past.  The Wizards, Timberwolves, Jazz, Hornets, Suns, Bucks, and even the lowly Sixers boast young lineups that are worth tuning in for, if only to see the next wave of fresh faces.  Next time you're surfing the guide, check out an NBA game and see what I mean.  

Rousey mows 'em all down - Ronda Rousey, aka The Baddest Woman on the Planet, puts her title on the line for the third time this year on Saturday night against undefeated heavy hitter Holly Holm.  I'll likely make the mistake of buying this PPV just because I have the chance to say "oh man!!! Emily come see this!!!" which is exactly what I did when Chris Weidman KO'd the unbeatable Anderson Silva.  However, I suspect the actual outcome will be "yep, that was as quick as I predicted....money wasted, thanks for nothing Ronda".  Its that boom-or-bust prospect that has my $59.99 on the hook.  The rest of the card isn't flashy, but that won't stop me.  Who wants to throw in some $$ and keep me company as I fight off The Sandman on Saturday night?

CFP picture clearing up - I'm in the camp of people who believe the rankings should come out once and that's it.  But that'll never change (thanks ESPN), so I move on.  However, since I believe in the one-and-done rankings, I'll speak to the images I see in my crystal ball and try to predict some outcomes that will challenge the committee's mission statement and purpose.  Lots of attention is paid to the impending Big 12 madness of Baylor-TCU-Oklahoma-OK State, what-if scenarios involving Iowa tipping the apple cart, and 'Bama's potential lack of an SEC title but the team that has the best chance to surprise everyone and rocket into contention is #23 UNC.  After their inexplicable loss to a terrible Gamecock team they have reeled off 8 wins averaging 43.5 points in the process.  If they run the table and beat an undefeated #1 ranked Clemson team in the ACC Championship Game its gonna be tough to argue against their inclusion.  Keep an eye on the Heels, they could really put that "four best teams" promise of the committee to the test.  

Parenting story of the week - I was gathering all things necessary for an instant oatmeal lunch for Henry earlier this week.  Had the bowl, the spoon, warming up the Keurig for the hot water, and was shaking the Quaker Oats packet when RRRRRIIIPPPP!!! the packet couldn't withstand my Hulkamania shaking and split right out of my hand sending dry oatmeal flying into my front living room leaving a 6+ foot swath of oatmeal snowflakes in its wake.  Fifteen minutes of vacuuming later, Henry finally got his lunch.