Dabo Swinney is plenty accustomed to overcoming long odds.
He's done so personally, rising past a difficult upbringing in Alabama.
And as everyone knows, he's done so plenty of times in his professional life.
In the fall of 2008, with the Tigers at 4-5 after a loss at Florida State and fighting for bowl eligibility (and Swinney fighting for the head job), the head man channelled Jim Carrey's character in "Dumb and Dumber."
"That part in the movie where the good-looking gal tells that guy, 'You know there's only one in 10 million chances I'd go out with you?" Swinney said back then at a press conference. "And his reaction was, 'So you're saying there's a chance.'"The room rolled with laughter. Not many of the media members present, believed at the time that 1) the Tigers would end up bowl-eligible, and 2) Swinney would end up having the interim tag swiped from his title.
Clemson went on to beat Duke, Virginia and South Carolina to earn a spot in the Gator Bowl. And Swinney ended up getting the job.
There was the 2-3 start last year, including the horrific defeat at Maryland that left even the Kool-Aid guzzlers thinking a division title was out of the question. Six consecutive wins later, the Tigers were division champs -- and Swinney's wallet was a million bucks fatter.
And don't forget lightning striking not once, not twice, but three times in the case of C.J. Spiller.
In 2006, getting the kid to merely visit Clemson was a long shot, but Dabo got him here (and got him signed).
A year later, getting the kid to change his mind and reverse his decision to transfer to Florida was a long shot (he unpacked his bags and stayed).
And last year, Spiller was gone for the NFL before his last-second --
literally last second -- decision to remain, following a teary-eyed meeting with Swinney.
So with all that as the backdrop, now Swinney turns to what might be his most daunting sales task yet:
Get Kyle Parker to play another year of college football.
The odds appear tremendously slim. No one I've talked to who is connected to this situation even considers it a possibility at this point.
If the two sides were very close on money as of yesterday morning, and if Parker's father told the Rockies his son would sign after receiving a phone call from the team minutes before the selection -- two facts we believe to be 100 percent true -- then it's hard to envision KP running down the hill this fall.
But if there's a chance, even a fraction of a chance, Parker's football coach can't be totally counted out.
"That's my mentality," Swinney said in 2008. "As long as there's a chance, I'm fired up."On to some links...
John Manuel of
Baseball America says people who think KP's football days aren't done are dumb and dumber.
Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker will now be known as outfielder Kyle Parker. Sorry, Tigers fans, but he's playing baseball.Here's the view from the
Rockies' side of things.
"We thought he was the best player on the board, without a doubt," Rockies director of scouting Bill Schmidt said. "It was told to us that he would probably like to start (his professional career) in baseball."In Parker's hometown paper,
a night worth remembering for KP and his family.
"It’s a great dream for a dad. You have your kid who you play in the backyard with, they’re running around, acting like they’re commentating sports, or playing in the Super Bowl, and to see some of those dreams come true, it’s just awesome.”
Ed McGranahan of
The Greenville News caught up with Carl Parker last night, and CP wouldn't rule out a return to football.
But this quote seems pretty telling:
“The reality of it is there comes a point in life where what you want to do and what you have to do are two different things,” Carl Parker said. “Everybody goes through that to some degree.
“As things have played, out it's sooner rather than later. We'll see.”And later:
“We've discussed with clubs that Kyle has a huge commitment to his teammates and coaches at Clemson,” Parker said. “It's not fair to string them along wondering what's going to happen.
“We've communicated with clubs that we'd like to have that resolved so that everything can move forward,” he said. “I think everyone is aware that we're working under a different timeline. It's not a negotiating ploy.
“Afford us the opportunity to be forthright with people that we care about.”
Oh, by the way,
helluva showing from Clemson at the Auburn Regional. This team seems to thrive on back-to-the-wall adversity.
Raise your hand if, less than a week ago, you thought there'd be more baseball played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2010.
Nice job by Alex Frederick last night. The kid calmed down and started dealing with the off-speed stuff.
Clemson and Alabama are quite familiar with each other, writes
this Tide beat writer.
First-year Alabama pitching coach Kyle Bunn was on Clemson's staff last season. Additionally, the Crimson Tide visited Clemson for an NCAA regional last season.
"It's really been remarkable," Gaspard said. "Clemson and ourselves -- the two years that both of us have had are almost mirrored. They went in a bad stretch when we went in a bad stretch. They got hot at the end when we got hot at the end. Our records are almost identical. The RPIs are almost identical. I think it's going to be two really evenly-matched teams, which should make for a really good super regional."Former Clemson beat writer
Jon Solomon, now in Birmingham, analyzes how Clemson was awarded the hosting spot over Alabama.
Largely by money, of course. Clemson has had a lot of experience being a regional and super regional host. Alabama may not have bid enough, or had a proven-enough crowd turnout for a super regional, to pass on the gate projection at Clemson.
In
The Post and Courier, Gene Sapakoff says the college baseball playoffs -- and Monday's incredible game at Myrtle Beach -- give us a welcome diversion from the ugliness of politics.
Roger that.
Speaking of politics and sliminess, your daily expansion update...
Nebraska's impending decision is
pivotal.
And according to
this story, Notre Dame has the power to prevent college sports armageddon by simply joining the Big Ten.
And you thought the Irish and their fans were excessively self-absorbed before.
LW
