BSD Mailbag 5.30.14

What are your feelings on the new staff's approach to social media (namely, Twitter)? Should they be strictly business (like Vanderlinden, Larry Johnson Sr etc.), or do you like how casual and personal they are?true_TRUE_Freshman

I love the casual and personal approach taken by the new staff. Social media allows individuals to display their personality and interact with others they normally wouldn't encounter. The new staff seem to understand the balance of showing their playful sides while also maintaining their professionalism. Besides, it's obviously making a positive impact with the recruits.

Who has more success as a rookie: Allen Robinson or Jadaveon Clowney I’m going with Robinson, because the Jags need him to play right away. 87Townie

I'll say Clowney, as much as I want to go with Robinson. For one, wide receivers typically have a learning curve and need a couple of years before they really catch on. Secondly, Clowney has extremely rare athleticism that will help him make an impact in the NFL from day one. Plus, I don't buy into his "attitude issues" one bit. That story line was manufactured by ESPN for ratings and page views. He didn't have 50 sacks last year to meet the sky-high expectations thrust upon him, but if you watched South Carolina it was easy to see that opposing offenses were forced to develop an entirely new gameplan just to avoid him.

I will say this about Robinson- I fully expect him to become the best receiver to come out of this draft when it's all said and done. And that includes Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans.

Penn State or Cleveland Which happens first a PSU national title in hockey, basketball (men’s and/or women’s) or football or a championship for the Cavaliers, Indians, or Browns?

First off, I love the fact that you guys ask me so many Cleveland questions, since otherwise it's something that would never come up on this site. I am 99 percent certain a championship will come first for one of the Penn State programs you mentioned before a Cleveland team even makes a deep playoff run. It seems to be a matter of time before Penn State has an elite hockey squad with their resources and the interest in the sport in Pennsylvania. The women's hoops team may eventually have a decent shot if UCONN's empire ever begins to crumble. It's way, way too early to start talking national championships for the football team, but is there much doubt that Franklin can build a national contender in time?

As far as Cleveland, there's almost no hope. The Browns have a reputation as the poorest-managed franchise in sports, but they may actually be better off than the complete train wreck that is the Cavs. This is a team who actually re-hired the same head coach they fired two years prior. I mean, what kind of message are you sending about your leadership's decision-making to make a move like that? If that wasn't bad enough, they fired that coach AGAIN after just one season. It seems as though owner Dan Gilbert has no idea how to stop embarrassing himself. Even if their ridiculous draft lottery hot streak continues and they receive the number one overall pick for the next five years, they'll continue to squander their opportunities. The Browns have finally built a solid nucleus, but Johnny Manziel just seems to be another inevitable disaster at quarterback. I expect him to last for two seasons, and the Browns will once again be forced to use a first round pick on a QB. The Indians have the best shot at a championship, but that's still very unlikely. They do an outstanding job of developing talent, but lose those players to big-market teams once they become All-Stars.

How do you solve a problem like Maria? TonyLion

I'd imagine you just use your female wiles, but I'm not the one to ask since everything I know about women can fit into a coffee mug.

Sunny side up or over easy? bacon or sausage? gerrylovesnathalie

I prefer scrambled doused with hot sauce with sausage patties. Links are OK, but I've never understood why anyone would select them over patties. Now go ahead and get your torches and pitchforks ready since I didn't pick bacon.

What is your go-to hangover cure? skarocksoi

There's a restaurant called Mike's Place about 10 minutes from me that was practically built specifically for people with hangovers. Seriously, just look at this monstrosity of a menu. It's all greasy food in massive quantities. Their omelettes always do the trick for me. I go with the diced chicken and chilli omelette, the rueben omelette, or the New Yorker omelette (sliced sirloin and swiss cheese). After making my way through that, plus a pile of hash browns and wheat toast, I feel almost as good as new. Although I still just go home and take a nap, at least I can enjoy it without the pounding headache.

Any advice as I finish up at Penn State and go to work for Air Force Academy's Athletic Department? SpreadHDGFX

First off, congratulations on the new gig. It sounds like an amazing opportunity for someone fresh out of school. For one, expect to work with a few really difficult people. Every office has them- some more than others. Make sure you keep a good poker face when dealing with them and kill them with kindness when you can. It makes them look bad, plus it often forces them to realize they're a huge asshole when you refuse to stoop to their level. Secondly, never go to your boss with a problem without also offering a solution. That should go a long way. Don't expect much praise. It will come from time to time, sometimes you will only get noticed when something goes wrong. Finally, be sure to keep your head down and work your ass off so you have an even better job in a year or two.

Which is the worse person at the gym- the meathead who constantly grunts with every rep and talks about his protein intake with anyone in earshot or the half-asser who wanders around the gym in sunglasses and inappropriate gym attire with a smoothie, does three reps at one machine, then wanders around again for 10 more minutes? skarocksoi

I'll say the latter is more annoying, but just by a tiny margin. I don't care what you want to do at the gym, but why does the meathead type think you care about his fitness regime? And why don't they understand that not everyone is obsessed with adding bulk? I just go to the gym so I can avoid having a gut. Not everyone is training for Mr. Olympia, pal.

The lackadaisical "wanderer" isn't as outright annoying, but it really grinds my gears when it interferes with a workout. Like when you're trying to get in and out, but then have to wait until this person sits on the machine you want to use for a half-hour just to do two reps. Or when he takes the last treadmill and just sloooowly trots and watches TV. I can ignore the meathead, but the half-asser can screw up an entire trip to the gym.

If you were an actor and you could cast yourself in one role, which character would you choose? Dbridi

I absolutely hate being in front of the camera, so I'll leave the meaty dramatic roles to someone else. I would love to be a side character in Curb Your Enthusiasm because it would be a blast to get into an argument with Larry David about bringing 12 items through the "10 items or less" line or proper airplane bathroom etiquette.

Is this sound advice? "Don’t get married. Don’t have kids." spigmana

Not necessarily, because at some point you'll tire of eating pizza by yourself.

I've found that married life can be really incredible as long as you're with the right person. If you're with someone who makes you miserable, I'm sure it's much better off to be single. As far as the kids, I'm not so certain just yet. My wife and I are just short of our two-year anniversary and we're doing just fine without kids for now. Many of our friends rushed to have children and are now they're in a constant state of exhaustion, which has made the whole starting a family thing less appealing. Plus I'm not sure I want to have a "dad gut" just yet, which all of my friends developed seemingly spontaneously with the birth of their first child. I'm sure it will happen in time (both the kids and the gut), but it seems best to take some time to enjoy yourself before making that type of commitment.

Either way, you only have a finite amount of time on this planet so just do whatever makes you happy.