Contributed photo by Kathleen Greeson

CAPE SAN BLAS, Fla. Hope your days have been swell.

Above is a picture from the Mrs. 5-at-10, which was feeding and ate only slightly more seafood than the 5-at-10 did Wednesday night at the Indian Pass Raw Bar. Egad those oysters were good.

Oysters, friend or foe?

We will try to move more quickly today. But, again, you know how that goes.

So with the breeze whistling and the waves crashing, from the satellite offices off of 30E in Florida, let's do this.

Fab 4 picks

We're at a loss. Seriously.

Not sure what the midway point of the college football season is, but it feels like we're carrying bags of cement up a hill when it comes to our college picks.

For every good pick there is at least one flubbed pick. And for every loss when we're on the right side, we have left a clear winner on the cutting room floor.

So it goes, and this year is anything but normal. And for comparison sake, at the midway point of October the last three years in college picks, we've been at 58 percent, 62 percent and 61 percent against the number.

Right now? We're two games below the Mush line.

Side question: What betting movies/movie characters are the best? I ask because Mush from A Bronx Tale is a great one. An all-timer for my group, especially in college. Mush, for those uninitiated, was a character in the mob circle of the rather mediocre aforementioned movie "A Bronx Tale." In fact, Mush, and the story about the $20 are the only true lasting parts about it.

Well, "He can't win, Mush bet Kryptonite."

There's an old saying I learned at card tables across the South. If you can't recognize the sucker, you're the sucker.

Is it possible? Am I Mush? At 11-13, it's Mush-able.

But, we're here. We're clear. We've got more than a little fear. Maybe we need to get used to it.

And pickers gotta pick. (In honor of our beach themes, here's what some folks callthe best ukulele playerin the world. Enjoy.)

(Editor's note. Picks coming in a few. The Mrs. had a flat tire on the way back from the world-famous donut shop on Cape San Blas this morning, and hey, duty calls.)

Tide-Dogs

Not sure how you bet that one, to be honest, but I know that I will never bet against Saban against non-FCS competition.

Sure, I might not bet on Alabama every week, but it feels like a 10-day old tomato to do otherwise. (That means it feels really Mush-y, Spy. C'mon, I expected a littlemore from a varsity letterman.)

We wondered Wednesday if Saturday's showdown between the unmistakable top two teams in the SEC even matters in the race for the college football playoffs.

It's more like qualifying and positioning at this point all things considered, and as Chas noted on Wednesday, that could very well be about the strangeness of this season.

Speaking of which, that COVID has arrived at Saban's door stinks. Here's hoping the GOAT whips this thing like he does former assistants.

A lot of folks are banging the drum that this is Kirby's time and this defense is that good.

Maybe so.

But I'm not picking against Saban. Not on Saturday. Not against the Corona. Not ever.

And if this is Kirby's time, well, then Saturday's going to be a barn-burner and someone on Georgia's roster is going to be made into a mythical figure.

Because the only times through the years that anyone has toppled Saban in the last decade, it has been in a pretty magically memorable fashion.

And if it's going to happen, it's not necessarily going to be the defense that does it. Yes, Ole Miss put up a billion yards and a million points and this Bama defense is not what we're used to.

But if there is one common thread through the last 10 years of Alabama losses, it's a dude at wide receiver having a game for the ages or a quarterback who will be the subject of songs. Be it Alshon Jeffery or Rueben Randle or LaQuan Tredwell, or the likes of Cam, Johnny Football, DeShaun Watson or Joe Burrow.

Sure there are Auburn holes there that were inexplicable rivalry games that came with fancy nicknames and highlight videos, but other than that, it will take an extremely superhuman effort from a skilled offensive guy? Does Georgia have that guy on Saturday? We'll see. (But I'm still never picking against Saban.)

Braves stumble

So what? So bleepin' what?

There's not an aggregate tie-breaker in the NLCS, so losing 2-1 or 8-7 is the same as the 15-1 loss the Braves took Wednesday.

In fact, as Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters, including Dave O'Brien of The Athletic the game, "Quite honestly, we're in better shape than if we had grinded out a 7-5 loss. We wanted to win the game and all. Those last 4 hours were not a lot of fun. But now that it's over and you look back, if we had to lose the game that's probably the best possible way."

And he's right. Completely.

Because after not getting out of the first, Kyle Wright is available sooner rather than later.

Sure it puts a ton of heat on Bryse Wilson tonight, but so it goes. Braves fans almost assuredly needed Kyle, Bryse or one of the other guys with Greg and Doug and Chip from the Omega House to get one win.

And the knowledge of Fried and Anderson still looming as needed is way more comforting than the frustration of what was a historically bad first inning Wednesday.

Deep breaths Braves fans.As aforementioned Chip Dillertold us, "All is Well."

This and that

You know the rules.Here's Paschall on Sabangetting the COVID despite wearing a mask "all the time."Here's his picks column. And here's a look atUGA's hopes Saturday night, and maybe how that could even happen Sunday morning.

Did some wheelin' and dealin' to shake up our fantasy football team, which had lost three straight games. We dealt Chris Carson and Antonio Gibson for Christian McCaffrey. And we dealt Tyler Lockett, DeVonta Freeman and the Packers tight end for Davanta Adams. We were flush with depth, but a high scoring bench does you little good. Of course, in our Mush run right now, we'll get two injuries and be stuck. We got a pretty righteous collection of RBs and WRs now with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jonathan Taylor and McCaffrey as well as Adams and DeAndre Hopkins. We're either going to make a charge to win this thing or finish DFL. Mush.

Loved this storyfrom USA Today about Joe Mogila. What an interesting dude, who is now the head executive director of the football program at Coastal Carolina seriously, that's his title and CC is 4-0 after last night. And, he's doing it for $1 a year. (Of course, when you are the former CEO of TD Ameritrade and had various years making more than $20 million per, you can afford to do what you love for any price.)

Today's questions

Hey, remember the mailbag gang.

Nietzsche was born on this day in 1844. Is there a more famous often repeated philosophical theory than "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" by the aforementioned Nietzsche?

As for a Rushmore, Penny Marshall would have been 77 today. Rushmore of female directors. Go, and remember the mailbag.

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5-at-10 on fall break, Day 4: Fab 4 picks, Never picking against Saban, Braves are fine - Chattanooga Times Free Press