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In my tired state last night, I very nearly forgot to write this post. I went to bed extremely early (9) to be up at 6 for work. Since I never sleep through the night, it occurred to me at 2 o' clock this morning that I hadn't written my usual SSP post yet! So here it is! Hooray!
In any case, there's finally some urgency in the lockout and finally things are getting done. Personally, I'll forgive everyone so long as we don't miss any games. I know this whole thing has been REALLY dumb, but hopefully it's nearing completion.
In off-topic news, congratulations to the Braves for franchise win #10,000 last night. That's a heck of an accomplishment.
In any case, let's get this Saturday Six Pack rockin'!
DOL: The always-reliable DOL writes that Quizz's growth could be stunted by the lockout. I imagine most rookies will be troubled by the lockout, save the ones that live near their respective teams, but it's good to see Quizz staying in school to get some more credit hours towards his degree. I also approve of him staying in shape and getting "stronger and faster". That ought to bode well for his future with us.
ESPN: ESPN reports that a new CBA is even closer than ever. Free agency rules have reportedly been agreed on as late as midnight last night. Well, let's just hope one of the owners doesn't have a hissy fit about something dumb, and we'll be well on our way to football.
Atlanta Business Chronicle: Apparently, being a fan of the Falcons isn't easy. It says that of the 32 NFL teams, the Falcons are the 15th most difficult to be a fan of, citing no Super Bowls and only recent, short-term success (thus far). I thought it was interesting. You do have to answer a survey question to look at that article, but it's easy and harmless.
NFL.com: Jason La Canfora over at NFL.com writes that the Falcons usual free agency splash has already happened. It makes sense, considering we traded everything plus our grandmothers to get Julio Jones, but I still think we need to try and get a defensive end somewhere along the line.
SBN Atlanta: Speaking of defensive ends, our own Alexander Shirkey asks whether the Falcons will even bother with a DE this year. It's a legitimate question, but ultimately one that I think will result in us taking a DE. I would love to get Charles Johnson. I think that he could do some serious work with a good, solid defense behind him. Ray Edwards would be nice, too, but you have to love the story of a kid returning home to play.
Random Funny: I wouldn't really call this funny, but it made me chuckle. Tom Watson, the man who teased us by making us all think he was going to win the Open Championship in 2009 at 59 years old (Is it bad that I really thought this happened last year? My memory fails) hit a hole-in-one on the sixth hole at this year's Open Championship. Check it out. If you're a fan of personal achievements, it's worth a look.