On Monday, October 21st, Mark Richt had a heart attack. Two weeks prior, we were visiting about his sudden retirement, and how a year ago, he couldn't see himself anywhere but on the sideline at the U in Coral Gables, Florida.
RP: Did you a year ago, have any idea that you wouldn't be coaching there at this time this year?
MR: No
RP: Really?
MR: No, it was not a really well planned out event…I'd hate to think that I knew I was going to be retiring from coaching and not telling anybody… changing jobs or retiring…so many people are affected.
MR: No, I didn't know it was going to happen…it happened after the bowl game…not long after that, where I made the decision…I went 15 years at Georgia with the responsibility of being the head coach and it was probably time to take a break from that responsibility of being a head coach and that was my plan. And within hours I had 6 job offers...and all my former players from Florida State and Georgia were texting and saying how much I had blessed their life and all that kind of good stuff and you are thinking, "Well Lord, maybe I'm not done yet."
MR: Long story short, I did the interview and asked the questions I needed to ask Miami. I said, "I am in and within 48 hours of the Georgia job I'm the head man at Miami… and it was a program that required a lot of heavy lifting.
And I was loving it! I was going hard. But the problem was that I really and truly didn't take care of myself like I should. I didn't rest like I needed to. I didn't exercise like I needed to. I was just going so hard. I might have worked out 5 times in three years and I got depleted in a lot of ways and I was pretty much on empty at the end and I was like, you know what, this is not healthy for me, this is not good for Miami and you know, I could sit here and fake it…but Miami deserves better than that, and quite frankly, I needed to take care of myself. And so that's a very difficult decision to make, as I said before, because it affects so many people and it was kind of a strange sensation to be out of coaching, but at that moment in time, it was the right thing to do and I'm even more certain that it was. You know, you only have one heart, you only have one circulatory system, you only have one brain, you know, and if you overdo it…God's made a sabbath for a reason…and when you don't do it, you don't get blessed and you can't replenish and it is just not a wise thing and I didn't take care of myself good enough.
I'm thankful for Coach Richt's honesty. And it might be an honesty that saved his life, because he was honest with himself. In further reflection, listen to some of the lessons he has learned since he walked away exhausted.
To hear the entire interview subscribe to the Vision for Life Podcast on your podcast app. You can follow Coach Richt on Twitter @MarkRicht or Roger Patterson @RogerPatterson.
Astros test new formula with star slugger back in the lineup
Aug 26, 2025, 3:26 pm
The Houston Astros open a three-game set Tuesday night against the struggling Colorado Rockies, with Hunter Brown set to take the mound at Daikin Park.
Houston (72-59) enters the matchup atop the AL West despite dropping six of its last 10 games, during which the offense has sputtered to a .204 average and the pitching staff has been tagged for a 5.69 ERA. The Astros will look to steady things at home, where they’ve gone 38-27 this season, and lean on Brown, who has been one of their most consistent arms. The right-hander owns a 10-5 record, a 2.36 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 2025.
Colorado (37-94) comes in losers of four straight and carrying the worst road record in baseball at 16-49. The Rockies have struggled mightily to contain the long ball, going 17-77 in games when allowing at least one home run. Starter Tanner Gordon (4-5, 7.11 ERA) will try to buck that trend in just his 10th appearance of the season.
Yordan Alvarez will make his long-awaited return to the lineup Tuesday, starting in left field for the opener against Colorado. It will be his first game action since May 2 after being sidelined with a hand injury.
Jose Altuve continues to lead the Astros’ offense with 22 home runs and a .456 slugging percentage, while Carlos Correa has been one of Houston’s most reliable bats of late, collecting 13 hits in his last 39 at-bats. On the Rockies’ side, Hunter Goodman has piled up 52 extra-base hits this season, and Brenton Doyle enters the series swinging a hot bat with 15 hits and 11 RBIs over his past 10 games.
The matchup is the fourth meeting between the two clubs this year, with Houston heavily favored to pick up another win as it looks to build momentum in the stretch run.
Betting odds
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -341, Rockies +270; over/under is 8 runs
Roster moves
RHP Shawn Dubin has been claimed by the Orioles.
pic.twitter.com/Mte5EPYUCq
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 26, 2025
Starting lineup
What stands out? With Yordan back in the lineup, manager Joe Espada has decided to deploy him in the cleanup spot, leaving the Top 3 of Pena, Correa, and Altuve (DH) unchanged.
A surprising twist
However, Alvarez playing left field is not something we were expecting.
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.
With Yordan hitting fourth, Christian Waker slides back to the five spot, followed by Jesus Sanchez (RF), Victor Caratini (C), Mauricio Dubon (2B), and Jacob Melton (CF).
Interesting to see Yainer Diaz with the night off. He was hit in the wrist by a pitch from Craig Kimbrel on Sunday. Perhaps he needed an extra day to recover.
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