Category: Clark Kinney

Is Basketball or Golf a more enjoyable sport?

By: Clark Kinney

Golf and basketball are both sports I like to participate in, but I do not play on the teams for either of them at Wilson Hall. I played basketball growing up and all the way up until high school where I made the decision to put an end to my basketball career. My brothers and parents all played basketball and my dad actually was the head basketball coach at Sumter High School and won a State Championship there in 1985. Basketball definitely runs in the family; however, Golf also runs in the family. My grandma won the South Carolina Women’s Ametuer Championship and my older brother, William plays very often and is quite good. I also really enjoy golf to the point that if golf season wasn’t the same season of baseball, I would be on the team. 

Overall, watching basketball is entertaining for me, but I think you can definitely tell that the players aren’t always giving 100% effort which makes it more boring as a fan in my opinion. The NBA regular season is pretty much garbage to me because no defense is played and the players do not seem to care all that much. NBA playoffs, college basketball, and high school basketball are all fun to watch and entertaining. I find golf entertaining to watch at times. The 4 majors and very exciting and I could watch those for hours. There are also some regular PGA Tour events that are exciting like but most of them are only entertaining during the final round on Sunday.

Playing pickup basketball with your friends is very, very fun and a very good workout. One of my favorite parts of the year is on Christmas break heading up to the Sumter YMCA to play pickup basketball almost everyday. The atmosphere in high school basketball games is crazy with fans that feel like they are on top of you and student-sections chanting for their team. Despite this, I still think pickup games are more fun in my opinion, sorry Coach Rip :). Although the atmospheres aren’t the same, Golf is very entertaining to play also. The thing about golf is that people can love it and play it with their best friends for their entire life which is unique. Golf is also very addicting. You finish a round and think about what if the ball would have bounced this way or what if I would have hit this club and it just makes you want to go play again. 

Due to the more consistent entertainment and longevity of the entertainment I think Golf is a more entertaining sport overall. I do think basketball has its very entertaining moments though.

Is Baseball or Golf a more enjoyable sport?

By: Clark Kinney

Baseball and golf are two of my favorite sports to play, practice, and even watch. Both sports run in my family so I have been around them my entire life. Whether it be Tiger Woods sinking a putt to clinch a victory on the last hole or Bryce Harper sending a baseball into orbit for the walk off win, I just find both sports so enjoyable. While there are pros and cons to each, I believe one sports edges out the other in its overall enjoyableness (definitely not a real word but you get the point).

Baseball is America’s pastime. People love going to the ballpark, grabbing a hot dog and a soda, and watching some good, old fashioned baseball. Baseball can sometimes be a little slow to watch, but most of the time it is very entertaining in my opinion. Now from a playing standpoint, baseball is a little different from other sports. In order to enjoy playing baseball, people have to learn how to enjoy failing. I know it sounds crazy but it is true. Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in all of sports, so if you play baseball, you will fail. You will be in the Baseball Hall of Fame if you fail seventy percent of the time you step in the batter’s box. While you cannot play baseball forever, you will remember the memories you made while playing and the lessons you learned for a lifetime. 

Golf is flat out addicting. There is a usual snowball effect when getting into golf. First, someone plays golf and they find out that golf is harder than they thought it was and they are not as good as they thought they were, so they proceed to go out and practice. Next, they understand how good the professionals are and appreciate how good they are so they start watching more golf tournaments on TV. After practicing some more, they get better, their scores start to drop, and that just makes them want to practice and play even more. They then find a group they enjoy playing with, start playing with them at the local course, and they have little matches and so on and so on. People never stop playing golf until they physically cannot swing a golf club anymore.

This may surprise some people, but I think golf is a more enjoyable sport for a lifetime. Baseball is better now but in 30 years I do not think I will agree. Golf will be fun forever.

Which Sport is more fun to play: Football or Baseball?

By: Clark Kinney

For me, this is a really tough question to answer because I have played both sports and loved both sports. There’s so many different aspects of them whether it be watching them, playing them, or practicing them which makes my decision even more difficult. Let’s walk through these different aspects and I will share with you my final decision. 

Watching football is awesome and is practiced by millions of Americans each year. It is fast-paced, fairly easy to understand, and overall very entertaining. Even if you have never played a down of football, you most likely find it fun to watch and have an idea of what is going on. On the other hand, baseball less fast-paced, a little harder to understand, and can be less entertaining if you have not played it and/or do not find it interesting. For me, I understand the ins and outs of baseball and find it very fun to watch. I do understand that baseball can be slow, but I love watching the different hitters with their different strategies face all the pitchers trying to fool them. It’s just so fun to watch and very interesting in my opinion.

There’s nothing quite like a Friday night football game. There’s something about playing with your guys and coming together as one that is in a way that is unlike any other sport which is so fun to me. Football games are very emotional and you can act on your emotion. Baseball games can be extremely fun to play but also can be extremely boring. A big game against a big rival is hard to beat especially if you are playing well. Baseball games can get very emotional like football but if you act on your emotion in baseball it probably will not end well. 

Football practice is not fun to say the least. Early season football practice in the South Carolina heat and humidity makes you question your love for the sport. However, there is something to be said about overcoming those practices and playing on Friday nights. Baseball practices are fun to me because I love hitting and taking ground balls, so I look forward to going to baseball practice most days unlike football.

This is a very, very close call but I think overall baseball is more fun to me because I have played it so much and find it so interesting. I do think the average person would find football more fun though.

Which is better, Leo’s or Buffalo Wild Wings?

By: Clark Kinney

It’s an American staple to go out with your friends to eat chicken wings and watch a game or even to just go have a good meal together on a weekend. In Sumter, your options for this are somewhat limited with 2 real options: Leo’s and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Now Leo’s is likely a little farther away from most people but is it worth the drive? The wings at Leo’s are very good and pretty big compared to the wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. Leo’s ranch is also very, very good along with their raw fries and cheese balls. All of these are top tier. I’m giving those 4 food items a 8.7 out of 10 which is very high. The service at Leo’s is good and your order is always correct or at least I have never received the wrong order. The atmosphere is somewhat lacking because, even though it is newly renovated, it is kind of dark and not a ton of TVs but enough to watch a game on from almost anywhere in the restaurant. They also have many more good options other than wings including wraps and sandwiches that are solid. 

Buffalo Wild Wings is closer for many people and is bigger. The wings themselves are pretty good but usually not very crispy and small. Their fries/tots, ranch, and cheese curds are all good but not as good as those at Leos, resulting in them receiving a 6.8 out of 10 which is still good. The service at Buffalo Wilds Wings is usually good and the orders are usually correct; however, they have been known to sometimes take long. The atmosphere is sports filled and very good along with tons of TVs with any and every important sporting event on. There’s always much better lighting than Leo’s and they, like Leo’s, do have more good options other than wings including burgers, wraps, and sandwiches.

Overall, I’m taking Leo’s any day of the week. I think it is just much better food which outweighs the other factors. It is worth the 10 minute longer drive. 

Which is better, Yucatan or Mariachis?

By: Clark Kinney

It’s the age old debate of the two staple Mexican restaurants in Sumter: Yucatan or Mariachis? Now I really do like both and go to both often, but one is sightly better overall in my opinion. 

Mariachis has a very friendly staff who are always looking out for you and your table. Despite not usually writing your order down (which worries me), they do get them right most of the time. The atmosphere is solid with lots of TVs especially outside where there are fans and heaters to regulate the temperature. The chips and salsa are pretty good along with the queso but could be a little better. The food is good overall but there is room for improvement. I would give the food a 7.1 out of 10. A couple things they really do have going for them is their homemade ranch which is fire and their blue smurf drink which is sprite mixed with something blue and topped with whipped cream. I haven’t had it since probably 6th grade but it’s good bumped their score up a point or so. One thing they don’t have going for them even though I understand why is that they are not open on Sundays which is sad because people with go there after church or to watch NFL football.

Yucatan has a nice staff but not as caring as Mariachis. They have always gotten my order right other than one time, and they gave me my meal for free. The food also comes out in no time so it feels like you’re never waiting. The atmosphere is solid with music and TVs but not as many TVs as Mariachis. The chips and salsa are so good along with the queso. Yucatan’s queso is what makes the restaurant better than Mariachi’s. Their queso is just better like I don’t know how else to put it. It makes every meal at Yucatan good. It brings their food rating up to a 7.9 out of 10. They are also open on Sundays which is a plus.

In my opinion, Yucatan is simply better than Mariachis based on their better tasting food and shorter wait times. It is close though but Yucatan takes it, it is the best Mexican restaurant in Sumter.

Which is better, Moe’s or Chipotle?

By: Clark Kinney

Around 2-3 years ago, the Mexican chain, Chipotle opened a location in Sumter. Sumter already housed a similar Mexican-type restaurant in Moe’s Southwest Grill, so this raised a question and a big debate: Moe’s or Chipotle? 

I am going to tackle this debate from a little different angle than some people may expect if you don’t know me. You see, I am kinda a nutrition nerd and I know thar’s kinda weird but it’s true. I track how many grams of protein, carbs, and fats I eat, and I look to have more protein than carbs and fats in almost every meal and at these restaurants I can get pretty close to doing so. Let’s break this thing down. With Chipotle, I know exactly what I’m getting, I can look up on their website the complete nutrition of my exact order so I know what I’m putting in my body. With Moe’s it’s kinda a guessing game with nutrition because they don’t make it so easy for you to find their nutritional information; in fact, I’ve never found it, I’ve just used what other people have estimated which could be correct or not. Here are my normal orders for both:

Chipotle-bowl with white rice, no beans, double steak, one serving chicken, medium salsa, corn pico, and lettuce

Moe’s- bowl with southwest rice, double white meat chicken, one serving steak, queso, corn, raw onion, Moe’s sauce, and poblano crema (don’t knock it until you try it)

The prices of both vary greatly and this is always due to my extra, extra (triple) meat. At both places, the person making my bowl tells the person ringing me up what I ordered and they tell them something different every time, so the prices very greatly. Sometimes it’s $15 and sometimes it’s up to $30 and I don’t know which one is technically right, so I don’t argue and just pay for whatever they say. With that being said, price doesn’t really play a role in this debate; however, the taste does. At Chipotle, my order taste the same every time and it’s great. At Moe’s, my order is sometimes fire and makes me wanna slap Coach Rip (Editor’s note: assault) in the face, and other times, it’s not as good. I also just feel better after eating Chipotle because I know exactly what’s in it and what I ate. 

In my opinion, Chipotle is better than Moe’s due to its consistency and nutrition, but Moe’s is still very good. 

Can Marcus Stroman make the New York Yankees a World Series contender this year?

By: Clark Kinney

Last week, the Yankees finalized a two year, $37 million deal with Marcus Stroman from who pitched for the Cubs last year, and before that, the Mets and Blue Jays. With this, the Yankees rotation now has stars Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Marcus Stroman. That is a pretty stacked rotation if you ask me. Gerrit Cole is arguably the best starting pitcher on this planet and even though Carlos Rodón did not have his best season in 2023, he was battling injuries and we know he has it in him because of how good he was in 2021 and 2022 with the White Sox and Giants. The Yankees also added a young superstar for 2024 with Juan Soto who will likely hit many home runs due to the short right field in Yankee Stadium as he is a left handed hitter. Not to mention, the Yankees already have Aaron Judge who battled some injuries in 2023 but had a historic 2022 season blasting 62 home runs.

Back to Stroman. I am a huge Stroman guy and this may be bias, but I believe he is what kids these days call a “dawg”. He has his own baseball cleat brand and I even bought a pair. I remember growing up watching the Toronto Blue Jays and thinking how much fun they were to watch. With Jose Bautista and his iconic bat flip, Kevin Pillar robbing home runs and making superman diving plays in the outfield, Edwin Encarnacion hitting bombs and carrying the parrot around the bases, and last but not least, Marcus Stroman’s high energy and swagger every time he stepped on the mound. This team made me realize how much I loved baseball and still do to this day. 

If you haven’t watched Stroman pitch, I highly recommend it. Stroman has always been told he wouldn’t make it and that he undersized at 5’8’’, so he plays with a chip on his shoulder and you can tell. He is fiery and very good. In 2023 for the Cubs, he had a 3.95 ERA with 119 strike outs and 10 wins. I think with this addition, along with everyone staying healthy, the Yankees can make a serious run and be a threat to any team in the MLB.

Does Alabama have a real chance to beat Georgia in the SEC championship this week?

by: Clark Kinney

It seems year in and year out Alabama always seems to wiggle themselves into the playoff picture no matter the team they have and this year is no different. Despite some early quarterback questions and a loss to Texas in the second game of their season, Bama is coming hot into the SEC championship vs. Georgia. Georgia is the back to back national champions and are undefeated so far this season but some believe they are not as good as they have been. This is looking like it could be a very good matchup. 

Jalen Milroe, the Alabama quarterback, has been looking very good in his past few games. Some people have questioned his pocket presence and arm talent, but he has shined throwing and running as of late. Milroe can flatout fly and has been running all over SEC defenses week in and week out. Alabama complements an extremely athletic quarterback with a crazy receiving core featuring Ja’Corey Brooks, Jermaine Burton, and Kobe Prentice to name a few. Bama also has a very good defense and have held opponents to just about 313 yards of offense per game which is very good considering their tough SEC schedule filled with high powered offenses. 

On the other hand, the Georgia Bulldogs are just flat out good. As mentioned before, Georgia is unbeaten so far this season and have only lost one game in the past 3 years. However, Georgia lost almost all of their starting defensive players to the draft along with their starting quarterback, Stetson Bennet IV. Despite the losses, the Dawgs have looked good and have had some key wins over solid opponents including a 30-21 victory over 9th ranked Missouri, a 38-10 victory over Tennessee, and a crushing 52-17 victory over 11th ranked Mississippi. Their offense is good with Alabama transfer Carson Beck at quarterback and almost a guaranteed future first round pick Brock Bowers at tight end. Along with everything else, their defense is good too allowing an average of just 294 yards of offense per game which tops Alabama’s defense. 

Even though Georgia is very, very good and have been for a while now, I just think it is so hard to bet against Alabama even though they are likely the underdogs. Also, Alabama’s coach Nick Saban is one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Georgia’s coach Kirby Smart is a former assistant coach of Saban and Saban has a whopping 28-3 record against his former assistants. So, do I think Alabama has a real chance to beat Georgia in the SEC championship this week? Yes, and I think they will beat them. 

Should South Carolina really have celebrated their nail biting win over Jacksonville State?

By Clark Kinney

Last Saturday, the Gamecocks of South Carolina payed the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State a reported $1.3 million to come play them at Williams Brice Stadium. Now, normally when big SEC schools pay much smaller D1 schools to play them, they usually smoke them and send the home with a check, but Saturday was not the case.

It was a very close game and was tied 28-28 after 3 quarters. With around 2-3 minutes left in the game, Jacksonville State only down by 3 and was threatening to score. However, a bad decision from the Jax State quarterback led to a pick-six and sealed the win for South Carolina, 38-28.

In the press conference after the game, South Carolina head coach said, “we are going to celebrate the heck out of this game.” This statement by Beamer did not seem to excite many fans. The fans believe South Carolina did not play very well at all and could have lost the game to Jacksonville State who they believe South Carolina should have smoked. I do see where these fans are coming from but they just need to realize that South Carolina is simply not very good at football this year. I think Beamer did a good job on implying that no matter the opponent, we fought and found a way to win and that should be celebrated because celebrations do not happen that often this year and that is just the way it is and we are trying to do better. I also like the positivity from Beamer and I’m sure the players do too because I have played for positive and negative coaches and I always like the positive ones more and so do their players.

Should Caleb Williams finish playing this year at the University of Southern California?

By: Clark Kinney

Caleb Williams is a “generational talent” and will likely be one of the first picks of the 2024 NFL draft. Caleb Williams won the Heisman last year and was hoping to add himself to the short list of Heisman repeats this season. However, the last two weeks for Caleb have not been great. His team, the Trojans of the University of Southern California, lost their last two games, one to Notre Dame and the other to Utah. This takes the Trojans out of playoff contention. On top of that, Caleb has not played great. In his last two games, Caleb has only thrown for a combined one touchdown and only rushed for one touchdown while getting sacked 9 times. In the loss to Notre Dame, Caleb threw 3 interceptions. All these factors likely take him out of the Heisman race.

With that being said, why continue to play? Your team is not going to make the playoffs, you are not going to win the Heisman, and you could get hurt and never be able to play again for all you know. It is a valid question and probably one that has crossed his mind these past few days. I strongly believe that there are times to be selfish. There are times when you need to take care of yourself if you are in a bad state or you really need to get something done, but this is not one of those times. Caleb needs to finish his season with his teammates and coaches and not be selfish. He will make plenty of money at the end of the year no matter his decision now. Who knows? He could just go off like we’ve seen him do for the rest of the season and someone else get hurt and he win the Heisman again. I do not see that happening but it is possible. 

Overall, the thought of quitting only 8 games into the season just angers me. Like why would anyone ever think that? That would never cross my mind to just quit on my teammates and coaches who I’ve worked and fought with. If one of my teammates quit on me this far into the season, I would not be happy either. Caleb may be getting a little too big for his britches here. Don’t even get me started on the NFL ownership thing. Shake my head.