Check Out These AWESOME TIKIS And The Guy Who Carves Them!

Nestled along the coast of Highway 98 in Gulf Breeze, Florida sits a roadside studio featuring some absolutely AMAZING woodwork. Charlie Knight at PALM TIKI is incredible! If you're ever in the area, I strongly suggest you check this guy out.
 My wife and I ran across his studio years ago when we were meandering back home from Destin, and I stumbled upon him again in my outside sales gig. Here are some photos I snapped last summer when I stopped to see his latest efforts:

Elaborate wood Tiki sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Tiki sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood sculptures in outdoor work space by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Tiki sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Pelican sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Tiki sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Coral sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Coral sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Coral sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Tiki sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Tiki sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Undersea Coral sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Undersea sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Groupers on Coral sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Groupers on Coral sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Tiki sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Dolphin sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Egret sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Heron sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Close-up of Pelican sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Sea Turtle sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Elaborate wood Sea Turtle sculptures by Charlie Knight of PALM TIKI

Gulf Breeze, FL

Brent's Week 3 College Picks

Okay. Week 3. Here we go.

Thursday:
MIAMI 28, Georgia Tech 24. Canes eek it out late.

Saturday:
ALABAMA 42, North Texas 7. Tide’s Special teams received some unwanted hands-on supervision this week!
FLORIDA 56, tennessee 14. Ouch! Shut up, Kiffin, or it will really get out-of-hand...!
SOUTH CAROLINA 35, Florida Atlantic . 17 The Cocks finally get an offensive punch, but the D can’t stop anybody from scoring…!
LSU 31, Louisiana-Lafayette 7. Bayou Bengals overpower and eventually pull away.
VANDERBILT 24, Mississippi State 14 Commodores overcome injuries, while Bulldogs run out of steam.
OLE MISS 34, Southeastern Louisiana 14 Rebels get their bearings after extended vacation.
ARKANSAS 31, Georgia 24 Will Razorbacks get caught looking ahead to Bama…? Not likely. Bulldogs secondary will be exposed.
auburn 21, West Virginia 20 Both teams come in undefeated, yet virtually untested. Whoever blinks first loses. Oddly enough, the plainsmen/tigers/war eagles/wtf will be better prepared.
KENTUCKY 28, Louisville 17 Cats consume Cardinal

Elsewhere:
BYU 42, Florida St. 14. Poor Bobby. Poooor, poor Bobby…..
TEXAS 42, TEXAS Tech 21 Harrell and Crabtree are gone. First road game for new qb. Longhorns won’t slow down.
USC 49, Washington 14. The Huskies made LSU look better than they really are. Trojans pile on. Some pundits go ahead and award Southern Cal the championship. They are declared to be 'possibly the greatest team of all time' again......
Notre Dame 21, Michigan St 14. Irish finally get lucky. A win should put them in the top five.
UTAH 28, Oregon 17 Utes still seem to be legit.

"Missed It By THAT Much....!!"

Yep. One pick away from perfection again. ONE PICK.
ANOTHER reason I hate that Tennessee orange.
Florida is gonna KILL those vile hillbillies this Saturday. On national tv.
Predictions later this week.

Congratulations to Over-Achieving BAMA

The University of ALABAMA Crimson Tide was defeated on last night's SEC Championship Game in a gritty, hard-fought contest by the FLORIDA GATORS 31-20. Congratulations to The Gators, and good luck against whover you will beat in The BCS.
The Game was tabbed by everyone correctly as a National Championship Playoff. Most people (including myself) didn't realistically expect BAMA to get this far this year. We were cautiously optimistic early on in the season, and pleasantly surprised by our surge in the opener against Clemson. Confidence built as the year wore on and the victories piled up. No chance against Clemson. WRONG. Georgia would destroy us. WRONG. Sure to be upset by Tennessee. WRONG. (What I also find funny is that all of these were supposedly superior teams, but after ALABAMA beat them they "must not have been that good anyway..!")
The TIDE showed class and character the entire season, showing up to work every day and silencing the critics, many of whom had written BAMA off. Most of the knowledgeable pundits and fans, along with Coach Saban, figured they were still a year away from really competing for the SEC title, much less being a win away for playing for ALL THE MARBLES...!

With a likely trip to the Sugar Bowl coming up, ALABAMA showed what can happen when they play as a team-- something that was lacking last year from some hold-overs of the previous Shula regime. Having another potentially top-ranked recruiting class will only add the energy and excitement surrounding the Program-- AND "The PROCESS".
CONGRATULATIONS, AND ROLL TIDE!

BAMA Ranked #1 in AP After Win, BRENTOONS Picks PERFECT

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE claimed the #1 spot in both the AP and Coaches Polls, and should be tops in the BCS rankings later today as well. After handling Arkansas State 35-0 for homecoming, The Tide sat back and watched as the Florida Gators, our likely opponent in the SEC Championship game, dismembered and devoured the Georgia Bulldogs (as a possibility I predicted! See below!). Then, as a not-entirely-unexpected bonus, Texas Tech up-ended the Texas Longhorns to boost ALABAMA to the top position.
To top it all off, THE CRIMSON TIDE and Coach Saban rumble into Baton Rouge (Do you smell corn-dogs?) ranked #1 to face the angry LSU Tigers(defending National Champs), whose fans are still bitter about Saban's departure. They'll REALLY hate him-- and us-- after next week's game! I LOVE college football...!
BTW, my game picks were perfect.... for a change!
ROLL TIDE!

This Week's College Football Picks

Well, here we are again! Another Saturday, another tough SEC matchup between The University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the tennessee "vile: in tears". ESPN will showcase the contest of hated rivals to a national audience, and the hostile crowd and hot-seat that is phat fil phulmer's will be on display. ON display for Big Al to poop on!
Many of the so-called 'experts' have predicted a trap game or an upset, but don't look for that to be the case. Even without Terrence Cody, the defense should get to the viles quarterback early and often. Our coverage looks to be strong enough to keep whoever is under center back long enough for a sack or two.
Coach Saban has been preaching to The TIDE all week about a second-half letdown, so don't look for that to happen again. With so much now at stake, I doubt the players will let up.
As a BONUS, ESPN's Lee Corso picked tennessee, so we're a safe bet to Roll...!
ALABAMA 42, tennessee 14

Now for the rest of this week's SEC picks:

Kentucky matches up pretty good, but the Gators are just too much. And too strong. Looks like Florida 45, Kentucky 24

Houston Nutt makes his first trip back to Little Rock since bolting for Ole Miss. The Razorbacks are improving but still a little wobbly. The Rebels have looked strong against everyone so far. OLE MISS 31, Arkansas 10

Vanderbilt hosts Duke in what could turn out to be an entertaining game. The Commodores need this one badly if they want a bowl game, as they will enter a tough SEC stretch next. I say VANDERBILT 28, Duke 17

Georgia travels to LSU for a 2:30 slugfest. LSU is cocky and over-confident (even after the pasting they took from Florida), and Georgia is desperately trying to prove they aren't as bad as the first half of the BAMA game. I think patience and skill will win out over bravado and risk. GEORGIA 31, LSU 21

Nationally, I'm thinking...
TEXAS 38, Oklahoma State 28
PENN STATE 28, Ohio State 24
Oklahoma 42, Kansas State 27
Southern Cal 49, Arizona 17
Texas Tech 42, Kansas 38

The More Things Change.......

Wow! Other than Georgia and Penn State, virtually EVERY one of my college football picks was WRONG!
And now it looks like BAMA should have backed into the #1 spot IN AN OFF-WEEK! But, probably not. Texas will now be #1 after their victory over then-#1 Oklahoma, Notre Dame lost and should jump to #2, Florida won big over LSU to move to #3, Southern Cal moves to #4, and we'll probably be #5.
And auburn fires the offensive coordinator, but STILL loses. Running the same plays. Wow! Pure GENIUS!
STAY TUNED...!

First Picks of October

Ah-ight. Last week is over, The TIDE is #2, and an undefeated Kentucky Wildcat team is coming to visit in a nationally-televised SEC matchup. Alabama has been reminded and lectured all week about the second-half letdown in the Georgia game, so don't look for anyone to come out flat. Kentucky has been opportunistic if un-spectacular, but they ARE 4-0. Not sure how well they'll do if we can stop them outside of the red zone. We have to avoid giving up the big plays.
The 'Cats match up pretty well at skill positions, but will be out-slugged and mugged by our big D. Look for Bama to pull away in the second half.
ALABAMA 42, Kentucky 14.

Okay, here's the rest of the picks:

Tebow & the Gators take out their frustrations on a reeling Razorback squad. Arkansas should be able to finally score a few points, but not nearly enough. Will Petrino last the season...? Florida 54, Arkansas 14

tennessee is just not very good. It's obvious that David Cutcliffe has always been the one responsible for much of tennessee's success. The 'viles' should get some relief against Northern Illinois. But not much. Will fatty fulmer's time finally be up....? If so, who's next in line...? tennessee 14, NI 10

The Gamecocks visit The Rebels in a wacky match-up that's anybody's ball game. Spurrier is not very happy with the lack of progress by South Carolina's squad. If he can't find a quarterback to run his offense, might the Ol' Ball Coach reeeeally consider making a move over to Knoxville...? Ole Miss 21, Carolina 13

Now the UGLY: Isn't that 'spread offense' something...? auburn better hope they get it together. ESPN's Gameday is in Nashville for the first time EVER! To see -- this is not a typo-- an UN-DEFEATED VANDERBILT host the tigers/war-eagles/plainsmen/whatever. The Commodores are ranked and rolling while making very few mistakes, and tubby's tigers have been less-than-impressive so far this season. Will the Vandy Cinderella story continue...? Or will auburn find their footing and bring the 'Dores back down to Earth...? Can the tigers overcome their own ineptitude...? Will they implode on national tv..
And don't be surprised to see THIS guy outside the stadium in Nashville. If things go as they have all season, he MAY just have a job by halftime...!
Not likely. auburn 21, vanderbilt 17

Today's S.E.C. PICKS

Now it REALLY starts. After a surprisingly easy win over Arkansas, The Crimson Tide rolls into Athens for a big game on ESPN on the national stage for the second time this season. ESPN's Gameday crew will be on hand for the Georgia game to hype/promote/report/jump on the bandwagon. (As an aside, to see some of the best ESPN Gameday signs held up behind the set go to http://www.bustedcoverage.com/?p=7340 . And yes, I suggest you look up the meaning to any words about Corso style reference!)

Last year, an under-manned heavy underdog Alabama took a young Bulldog squad to the wire, losing in overtime. The young squad of Saban recruits this year have kicked it up a notch, and are seemingly putting it together earlier than anticipated. We match up pretty well on both sides, and this looks to be a great contest with several great matchups all over. It will be exciting, but I think The Tide will be ready. The Dawgs will be unable to top Mount Cody, and I think we will see some different offensive looks from Bama. We should be able to pressure their quarterback enough to make up for the height advantage they have over our speedy defensive backs. Again, we should see something different. Tide rolls, moves into Top 5.
ALABAMA 31, Georgia 20

Okay, now to the rest of the Conference:

auburn faces tennessee in a freakish orange clash which the tigers/plainsmen/war-eagles (MAKE UP YOUR F*****G MIND!) should prevail. Another nail-biter. cow college 14, vols 7

KENTUCKY 34, Western Kentucky 10 Kentucky should break into the Top 25.

Gamecocks get much-needed practice. Spurrier may finally get to see his offense play close to what he envisions. SOUTH CAROLINA 31, UAB 14

LSU 45, Mississippi State 14 Tigers are too much for these Bulldogs.

In a make-up game from a hurricane delay, the Arkansas Razorbacks travel to take on the Texas Longhorns. I don't think the Hogs are as bad as Bama made them look last week, and some of their mistakes will be corrected. This one, surprisingly, will be closer than many people think. Texas 21, Arkansas 20

Ole Miss IS steadily improving and Nutt has a few tricks up his sleeve, but I don't think the Rebels will be able to sneak up on Florida this time. They always play the Gators tough and took them to the wire last year, but I believe it will end up Florida 45, Mississipi 17

Nationally, Penn State should top Illinois 28-10. They say Joe Paterno has one foot in the grave, but if that's the case he has the other one on somebody's throat!

On a side note, I was shocked--SHOCKED-- that once again the highly-touted 'possibly-the-greatest-team-in-college-football-history-EVER' USC Trojans were upset by the OREGON STATE BEAVERS. I was honestly surprised, but it has happened before. And it is quite satisfying after hearing the hype annually about how invincible Southern Cal is.

Tide Cooks up Hogs in Fayetteville: This Week's Picks

Normally, you could say this would be an old-fashioned, grind-it-out-up-the-middle contest, but now real life ain't that way. Sure, you'll see Ingram and Coffee and Upchurch and Grant get some carries, but look for this to be an aerial affair. Heck, if the Arkansas passing game is as good as they say, this could look like a flea circus with JP Wilson linging to Julio, BJ Scott, Stover and the gang! The guess here is that our "D", with Cody whipping their All-American center and friends all day, will keep the Razorbacks off their rhythm.
ALABAMA 28, Arkansas 17

Is the offense of the Plainsmen playing opossum...? tubby better hope not, and the chant will be "Whoa, eagle...!" If the tigers from this state aren't saving up, and the offense is as sluggish here as it was last week, this could get ugly fast. I look for it to be closer than what many expect:
LSU 24, auburn 20

The Gators ARE this much better....
Florida 48, Tennessee 14

The Bulldogs should stroll into next week undefeated and ripe for pickin'....
Georgia 28, Arizona State 17

The Jackets aren't nearly as good as auburn.....
Mississippi State 10, Georgia Tech 7

Although Spurrier will want more points, this is just what the 'Cocks need:
South Carolina 35, Wofford 7

This could be the most interesting SEC game this weekend!
Ole Miss & Vandy= Toss-up!

Good Local High School Football on ESPN2 (And LOU..!)

Wow! Two local (well, regional, since they're in Baldwin County) teams squared off with a national ESPN2 audience last night. I watched most of it, and at first I thought it was going to be 'The JULIO JONES Show'. Which would have been fine with me. This kid makes it look easy. And he played both ways! I sure hope he comes to THE University of ALABAMA.
And we got to see and hear Kenny 'Snake' Stabler at the game. But the announcers talked more about Mobile than either Foley OR Daphne. Weird.
Now, usually, I hate to watch Lou Holtz's halftime rants. This washed-up 'Granny Clampett' look-a-like who sounds like Sylvester (excuse me-- 'thoundth like Thylvethter) is such a homer and Notre Dame apologist that I just can't sit through his insane 'pep talks'. I mean, he literally rambles incoherently and makes such vague references that even I sometimes can't make them remotely relevant.
Last night, however, during the South Carolina-Kentucky game, he did this:

I LOVE the old 'tearing paper' trick.

ANYhow, The Tide should take care of the Houston Cougars handily. It's Homecoming, so maybe they can put on a show for everyone. And win big. Hopefully, the mistakes can be corrected. If so, this game should be just what Bama needs.
PREDICTION: ALABAMA 38, Houston 14

Florida visits LSU in a good night-game matchup that could get ugly if the Gators play like they did against auburn. LSU has typically started their games slowly, but I think they'll come out clawing Saturday night. And what's with Les Miles and that 'trucker hat'...? That thing sits a mile on top of his head! The Bayou Bengals fans will have been drinking all day, so look for some ugly behavior if Florida comes out on top. It'll be a close one.
PREDICTION: LSU 38, Florida 28

Okay, honestly, I don't care about any of the other games, and as evidenced by last week's picks I obviously don't know much about college football, either. ROLL TIDE.