Ricky Taylor, Hunter Norris tied for first place in local football pick 'em contest

The ninth weekend of our local ESPN College Football Pick ‘Em Contest wrapped up over the weekend, and when the final seconds ticked off the clock of Saturday’s final game, two contestants stood tied for the No. 1 overall spot.

Ricky Taylor remained in first place for the second straight week, but has to share first-place honors with past champion Hunter Norris. Arthur Ingram III and Phig Newton were tied for third place for the second straight week.

Mike Dailey was in fifth place, and “Murder Creek Man 78” dropped to sixth place from fifth place. Clint Hyde was No. 7 in the local standings, and Travis Presley was in eighth place. I was in ninth place, and defending champion Drew Skipper was in the No. 10 spot.

With that said, if you’re playing in the contest and didn’t make the Top 10, don’t stop playing. The contest will run for a total of 14 weeks, and we’ve got seven more weeks to go. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

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This coming Saturday, there will be nine football games involving SEC teams, and five of those games will feature head-to-head matchups between SEC teams. Here are my predictions in those games. I like Alabama over LSU, Auburn over Texas A&M, Missouri over Florida, Georgia over South Carolina, Kentucky over Ole Miss, Tennessee over Southern Miss, Arkansas over Coastal Carolina, Vanderbilt over Western Kentucky and Mississippi State over UMass.

Last week: 5-1. So far this year: 60-15.

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Major League Baseball and Rawlings announced the finalists for the 2017 Gold Glove Awards last Thursday, and two Atlanta Braves players found themselves among the 27 finalists in the National League. R.A. Dickey, who already has one previous Gold Glove under his belt, was among three pitchers nominated for the award, and Ender Inciarte, who has also won a Gold Glove before, was among three centerfielders nominated for the award this season.

A total of 54 players from the National and American leagues – three from all nine positions in both leagues – were nominated for this year’s round of Gold Glove Awards, which are given annually for top defensive performances during the regular season. The Gold Glove Awards are voted on by managers and coaches, and they are not allowed to vote on players on their team. The winners will be announced on ESPN on Nov. 7.

Despite his defensive prowess, the 43-year-old Dickey won’t be with the Braves next season because they didn’t renew his contract. Last season, his ERA was 4.46, and he gave up a lot of home runs. With that said, Dickey is a durable pitcher, so don’t be surprised if he shows up next year somewhere else in the big leagues.

Inciarte, a 27-year-old native of Venezuela, is one of Atlanta’s most popular and productive players, at the plate and in centerfield. Last season, he hit .304 with 201 hits, 11 home runs and 57 RBI and scored 93 runs. Couple this with his defensive performance, and he’s a player you don’t want to see leave the Braves.