Georgia Sports Blog

at Monday, July 31, 2006

The Dawgs needed to sign at least 4 or 5 DEs in this class, and they are off to a great start with their 3rd DE commitment of the season. Commitment stories from:

DawgPost.com

UGASports.com

Entering this recruiting season, the Dawgs had several HUGE needs. Offensive tackle, running back and defensive end depth for FR and Soph classes had gotten scary thin for future seasons.

Why was DE so important in this class?
2006 signing day saw the Dawgs ink several big bodies who are sure bets to play DE in Brandon Wood and Demarcus Dobbs. And they have some more potential DEs sign at that position. However, Kiante Tripp and Clifton Geathers may end up at OT while Geno Atkins and Michael Lemon may end up at DT.

The 2005 class saw only one of the two signed DE recruits show up on campus in the form of Roderick Battle. In '04, UGA signed all-everything recruit Charles Johnson who is now starting for the Dawgs at Buck End. However, the other all-world DE recruit, Brandon Miller, is playing Linebacker. Brandon Lang never made it into school, and Jeremy Lomax has struggled to put on weight and stay off the training table.

In other words, Defensive End was critical in this recruiting class.

The Dawgs have responded with 3 of their first 11 commitments at DE. Conrad Obi, Justin Houston and now Neland Ball have verballed to the Dawgs. Additionally, the Dawgs look in great shape with South Carolina native Cliff Matthews and others.

All of which is good news for the Dawgs.

Other Links of Interest:

Video on Ball from DawgPost.com
2007 Commit List - UGAsports.com
2007 Commit List - DawgPost.com

pwd

at Monday, July 31, 2006

Image: ESPN.com
I was watching the 1995 Georgia vs. Georgia Tech game on ESPN Classic over the weekend. As you may remember, Georgia won 18-17 on the ugliest FG that I had seen to that point.

You also probably remember that it was Ray Goff's last regular season game at Georgia. It had been announced the week before that Goff wouldn't be returning to UGA as coach. During the game, Keith Jackson and Bob Griese called Vince Dooley up to the booth to talk about the search for a new head coach.

They asked Dooley (paraphrase), "What kind of coach are you looking for? A run offense coach, a passing coach, a young guy? What kind of coach?" Dooley laughed and responded, "Mainly, I want a winning coach."

After Dooley left the booth, Jackson, Griese and Lynn Swann compared notes on who was being rumored on the list. It wasn't pretty. The names they threw out were Dan Reeves, Dick Sheridian and then Keith Jackson said, "According to the LA Times, Bobby Ross might be a candidate; although, all of his ties are to Georgia Tech."

At that point, Swann interjected (paraphrase):

"I spoke with Tech's George O'Leary about Ross. He laughed and said that Ross has spoken to Dooley about the job. However, he wasn't listing himself as a candidate. He was recommending someone else."

Who could Ross have recommended? Well, I'd wager that man was Ralph Friedgen.

The Fridge and Ross had worked together at that point for 19 of the prior 23 years on the staffs of Maryland, The Citadel, Maryland (again), Georgia Tech and the San Diego Chargers. 12 of the past 14 years, Ralph had been his offensive coordinator. Who else would he have recommended?

Did Dooley ever seriously consider Ralph? Who knows. We ended up with Kansas coach Glen Mason for roughly 1 week before turning to Jim Donnan.

My knee jerk reaction to thinking about this was to announce to my living room (which was empty at the time) that Ralph was twice the coach that Donnan was. However, upon further reflection, the past 2 years at Maryland have been no great shakes after the blistering start in 2001 when Ralph won the ACC title and 2002 when Maryland took the Vols to the woodshed in the Peach Bowl. I thought...maybe ol' Ralph is a great play caller but a lousy recruiter. Well, Scout.com lists Maryland's recruiting classes as ranked:

2002 - 29th
2003 - 22nd
2004 - 16th
2005 - 25th

That's not too shabby for Maryland or any ACC team not named FSU or Miami.

Regardless, imagine Ralph's high flying offense with Mike Bobo, Robert Edwards and Hines Ward in 1996 and 1997. It's certainly interesting to think about. That said, I think Ralph working at UGA would've hurt GT more than it would've helped UGA.

Georgia Tech hasn't beaten UGA without Ralph Friedgen on the sidelines since 1985. 20 years. Without Big Ralph pulling the strings on "The Flats," the Little Joe flying Circus at GT wouldn't have been so impressive. It's one move that could've changed both schools direction quite a bit.

Donnan or The Fridge. Who would you have taken first...given what we knew in 1995. Not what we know now. And who would've been the better hire?

pwd

Unrelated -- but check out Kyle King's article on Mark Richt: UGA Coach for Life.

at Monday, July 31, 2006

Autzen Stadium. Home of the Oregon Ducks.

This was talked about back in May, and it looks like the possible contract with Oregon is still alive. DawgBone.net tips us off to a Seattle Post article mentioning that Oregon is still working with UGA on a contract for a home and home series in football. Highlight of the article:

Oregon has fought hard to earn legitimacy, and the program's ambitions under Bellotti and athletic director Bill Moos have paid off with the ultimate sign of respect: home-and-home game contracts with big-time foes.

The Ducks are putting the finishing touches on a contract with Georgia, a program notorious for refusing to travel outside the Southeast. The Bulldogs will join a list of past and future Autzen Stadium visitors that includes Michigan, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The idea of consistently luring those types of teams to Eugene would have seemed ludicrous 15 years ago.

The original Athens-Banner Herald article from May said the series wouldn't begin until 2014.

UGA future non-conference foes (source: Sicemdawgs.com)

2006 - Colorado (home), GT (home), UAB (home) and WKU (home)
2007 - ??? (home), GT (away), Troy (home) and Western Carolina (home)
2008 - Arizona State (away), GT (home), ???, and Georgia Southern
2009 - Arizona State (home), GT (away), ??? and Appy State
2010 - Colorado (away), GT (home) and ???
2011 - Louisville (home), GT (away) and ???
2012 - Louisville (away), GT (home) and ???
2013 - Clemson (away)*, GT (away) and ???
2014 - Clemson (home)*, GT (home) and ???

There are rumors for 2007 and beyond of BYU in a 2 for 1, and Kansas State as a one time visit in 2007. But nothing definite yet. I know this much...the guys at our end have gotten much better at keep these things under wraps until the end. It's the other guys (like Oregon and Cincy) who've been doing much of the talking. Not that I'm complaining.

pwd

*That's not a misprint on the Clemson home/away dates.

at Sunday, July 30, 2006

This is about 2 weeks old, but Paul Finebaum had Jim Donnan on for a solid 14 minute interview on the 2006 SEC outlook. Highlights:

Donnan thinks the UF schedule is too much for any team to win the SEC
He was higher on Bama than I expected him to be
Thinks Auburn could have a special season

pwd

at Saturday, July 29, 2006

Total. Comedy.

College Football in Georgia (AJC.com)

GT Football Fever. It's Chantastic. (image SI.com)

pwd

ht - jeromefromdecatur at dawgpost.com

at Saturday, July 29, 2006

I'm linking ot this mostly because DawgNeil is interviewed as part of the story on "firecoach.com sites." He owns FireMarkRicht.com. He's a big Richt fan who purchased the site to prevent someone else from purchasing it.

Some owners bought sites to avoid criticism. Georgia fan William Neilson, a 23-year-old studying law in Austria, started paying $20 a year for FireMarkRicht.com after the Zook site became popular in 2002.

"Richt was coming off an eight-win season and I had a sneaking suspicion somebody would buy it," Neilson said. "I've gotten hundreds of death threats. It's really kind of scary. It's like, read the site, people."

The only words on Neilson's site: "Fire Richt? Why? He is the best thing to happen to this program since Herschel Walker. KEEP MARK RICHT!"

I'm linking to this b/c DawgNeil is also CajunDawg. The guy that uploaded almost all of the "Bulldog Moments of Zen" Video to YouTube.

Other FireCoach Sites:

We've got it good.

pwd

at Friday, July 28, 2006

Kyle King looks at the issue of "who to pull for in the GT vs. ND game," and he delivers a counterpoint to my argument that UGA fans should root for an Irish victory.

The convo went something like this.

Kyle: Paul, I know exactly what you're going to say: "Kyle, you ignorant slut! The Shah is our friend, he sent us oil during the 70's re-embargo. He's a fighter against Communism." Maybe so, Paul but what happened to the human rights you scream about every time a Saranski gets sentenced to some Soviet jail? Why is it wrong to torture a dissident and freezing Siberian Goulag, but okay to wire a leftist student's genitals in a baking Tehran dungeon? I only hope that someday someone wires your genitals, Paul. Then you'll be singing a different tune!

Westerdawg: Kyle, you poor, misguided scrag! Sure, the Shah's a jerk, but he's all we've got! Just look at the map. To the north, the Soviet Union; to the east and west, Afghanistan and Iraq. Both leftist radical states; and in the south, the Persian Gulf. Any idiot can see that Iran would be a prized stepping stone in an eventual Soviet takeover of the world. And when that happens, Kyle, those Cossacks will be coming over here with their broom handle, and we'll see how you'll feel then! Of course, you'd probably love it, you ignorant slut!

Wait...that's not the convo. It was this and this.

BTW -- Kyle's article posts the first known picture of me on these here internets.

pwd

at Friday, July 28, 2006

Ron Morris at The State starts things off saying that fans were cheated with the new 12 game schedule. Morris gives UGA no credit for scheduling Colorado to take advantage of the 12th game. No shocker there. (Image: TheState.com)

The Baton Rouge Advocate has an article on the NCAA's changes to clock management. They are working to speed up the game.

Fulmer and Vandy's Bobby Johnson trade barbs in the Nashville Tennessean. Johnson gets in a nice shot about Fulmer's recruiting budget. Good read.

The Gainesville paper has an article about Mark and Katharyn Richt's trying offseason.

And after reading all the articles about the QB Race, I feel like Stafford would REALLY have to wow Richt to beat out Joe T as starter for the first two games. Richt's talking about going with a guy that can best "manage the game" and "play to win right now." If Stafford can learn the playbook fast enough, he can take him. Otherwise, Joe T will end up starting the first few.

pwd

at Friday, July 28, 2006

The famous Four Horsemen of Notre Dame galloped off the pages of the Book of Revelation. This year’s Dawg defense, however, promises go all Old Testament on its opponents. Consider:

The other Moses.
In the book of Exodus, the Israelites were led by Moses. The Dawg defense is led by Moses at defensive end.

The other anchor, Charles Johnson, is known to his teammates as “Darkness.” Darkness is also one of the Ten Plagues that Moses mojo’ed upon Egypt’s mummified butt. It is clear to any freakish Bible prophecy geek that this year’s defense will descend upon the ungodly as MOSES AND THE TEN PLAGUES.

10 Plagues of Egypt
So after Moses himself and Darkness, that leaves nine plagues...and nine UGA defensive players. Here are the plagues that are still not taken:

All that remains is to match the player to the plaguer.

If you ask the team, everybody raises their hand to volunteer for "Death of the Firstborn." Nobody wants to be "Boils." Ray Gant is very eager to be Cow Disease; we’d rather not ask why.

Darkness Cometh. (Image: Jim Hipple)

We want to be fair about this. Can you [Georgia Sports Blog reader] make the remaining assignments?

One other note. In case of injuries and substitutions, we can use newer plagues, such as:

Share your thoughts on Moses and the 10 Plagues.

SaxonDawg
Guest Contributor
Georgia Sports Blog

at Thursday, July 27, 2006

A preview of the scene for the first game
Earlier this week, UGA announced its plans to "improve the tailgate experience" via its new site GamedayGameplan.com. During its initial launch, the site did a solid job of communicating and explaining the reasons for the changes. However, the missing piece of the puzzle was the map that shows the Family Friendly Tailgate Zones.

That's where the proverbial rubber meets the road, and we see how much UGA grossly overreached in its zeal to bring back the Temperance Movement.

UGA published the map today, and the Family Zones are positively massive. Approximately 40% of North Campus is now reserved for non-drinking tailgates, and the ENTIRE Brooks Mall is reserved as well.

Here's the Map:

Click to Launch the map in a larger window.

Here are the obvious problems with the map:

ZERO

large

are

Why do I care about this? Because I tailgate near one of these two areas, and all of the displaced tailgaters from those massive areas are going to need a place to land.

As RoyOrbisonDawg (a non-drinker) said, "What's the point of putting grass on Brooks Mall if no one is going to tailgate over there?"

How frustrating. Basically, it looks like the people who tailgate on North Campus are being "punished" for the mess they made at Auburn last year. Which at some level, I can appreciate. However, instead of punishing EVERYONE, wouldn't it have made more sense to just fine the litter bugs, place more trashcans out and haul off the abusive drunks?

Why create new laws to pester everyone, when enforcing the old laws would've worked so much better? Or why not experiment with modest sized family zones before we move to lock down such large swaths of ultra prime real estate.

PWD

hat tip - The Anti-Orange Page

at Thursday, July 27, 2006

"To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal
Light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle."
-- Mark "Ice" Richt
The Birmingham News writes a long, windy article called "The Great Divide" in which they talk about how and why the SEC was originally aligned and the power cycles the divisions have created and endured. Good read.

The article doesn't talk about it, but I sometimes wonder what would happen if Vandy or Arkansas ever left the SEC. If we ever lost 1 member, I think we'd look to replace them with these teams (in this order):

1. Georgia Tech - traditional and geographic fit
2. Florida State - beef up Florida TV market
3. Clemson - cultural and geographic fit
4. Louisville - would improve hoops and might beef up interest in Ohio TV markets
5. Miami - Logistical issues and AD fear keeps me from thinking they would be listed higher

The Texas schools would never come over, and West Virginia brings nothing in terms of TV or anything else.

AP article on UGA's losses from 2005 called "Bulldogs Still Confident After Losses." It seems like this article appears every year.

And the Huntsville Times talks about QB problems across the SEC, and it focuses on UGA's issues.

PWD

top image: georgiadogs.com

at Thursday, July 27, 2006

From today's Mailbag. Confused in Atlanta writes:

Paul, I’m a daily (many times over) reader of your blog a day. I’ve decided to come to you for advice on how I should approach a situation.

See I have tickets to the Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame game on opening day. I don’t know what I should wear. I’m a protestant and I dislike Notre Dame almost as much as I hate Georgia Tech. What do I wear? Do I sport the red and black in enemy territory or just go neutral. I know we have 37 days to go but this is a question that needs to be addressed now. Thanks. - Confused

Dear Confused,

You turned to the right place. While I can't counsel you on picking a religion, I can guide you towards focusing your disdain and contempt. In this game, the Georgia Sports Blog will be pulling for Notre Dame to win by the widest margin of victory possible. Something on the order of 45-10 would be ideal.

In fact, the dream scenario involves GT fans throwing fish at Notre Dame fans and players, fighting with each other and showing their Total Person Class by booing the Tech players all the way back to New Jersey.

Back to your question of fashion. The obvious answer to your game day attire quandry is to wear neither GT or ND colors. Because frankly, they will look more or less the same in the crowd. Both schools have some form of gold, navy, and black in their rainbows. While GT doesn't have a true green, their "old gold" has often been reproduced as colors ranging from burnt sage to stale cheddar. Therefore, the obvious answer is to go with a Red and Black look for the game with a Georgia hat. Thus, you win either way.

It's an obvious call.
Now...as for who to pull for.

Why pull for ND:
1. We rarely recruit against Notre Dame - This year, GT has seen a resurgence in its recruiting. Some of this is fueled by Gailey's contract extension, and some of it is fueled by finally firing recruiting coordinator and resident misfit Dave Wilson and replacing him with a competent recruiter. Currently, Tech is off to their best recruiting season since the Darryl Lewis/Key Fox class. This might be the biggest recruiting weekend for the Jackets in 15 years, and seeing their fans show their true colors during a huge blowout is good for UGA.

2. ND as a Media Darling - What does UGA gain from an ND loss? It isn't like the Irish would fall in the polls after losing to Tech. And if they did, how far would they fall? From #1 to #1a?

3. Turn to Billy Joel for Guidance - Billy said:

"Come out Virginia, don't let me wait. You Catholic girls start much too late."

Billy wrote this song from the standpoint of a high school age guy and "starting late" would be a huge problem for a male in that demographic. Ahh, but I've seen your email address. You're a professional, older guy. It's no longer a bad thing for you. Now compare this to the great philosopher Bubba Sparxx who said:

"What you need to do, is just admit you love me. The South has always been Dirty but now it's gettin ugly."

Obviously, Sparxx (a lifelong UGA fan) was discussing his encounters with North Avenue women. So, you've got nice Catholic Girls or Tech girls that want you to dress up for DragonCon with them before visiting their parents in Istanbul.

Tech lady at DragonCon. Photo: AJC.com

Wear Red and Black, pull for a blowout and enjoy the game. Sincerely,

Paul Westerdawg
Advice Columnist / Sports Blogger
Georgia Sports Blog

at Thursday, July 27, 2006

The amount of Dawgly news today is overwhelming. I'm still sorting through the best of the best.

In the meantime, checkout DawgBone.net. He's got all umpteen jillion articles linked.

pwd

at Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Jimmy Clausen's MySpace Page
Warning: Extreme profanity.

I've seen some bootleg, foul mouthed player MySpace pages, and this is up there with the all-timers. Depending on your employer's stance on you clicking profanity laced web pages, this may or may not be workplace safe. Looks real enough for me. lol.

Stay Classy Clausen.

What isn't real, but is much funnier is this photo of Jimmy from EDSBS.

PWD

ht to bigsteegie from dawgpost.com

at Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Image Gainesville Sun

The Gainesville Sun looks at movie blockbusters across the SEC. The movie poster above is available along with several others.

This is the sort of thing that the Mzone guys should be farking.

pwd

at Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Nick Jones will appear with Richt and Moses (Image: Georgiadogs.com)

It'll be a light day of posting til late, late this afternoon when we start recapping the Media Days reports. Here's the Schedule from SECSports.com:
Wednesday:
1:10 - Alabama
1:10 - Vandy
3:10 - Georgia (Richt, Nick Jones and Quentin Moses)
3:10 - Kentucky

Thursday:
8:40 - Ole Miss
8:40 - Tennessee
10:40 - Arkansas
10:40 - South Carolina

Friday:
8:40 - Auburn
8:40 - LSU
10:40 - Florida
10:40 - MSU

-- ABH Preview
-- Birmingham News Preview
-- Jacksonville Times Union Preview

Things to keep your eye on:
-- What fictious titles, awards or comparisons will Tuberville dream up for Auburn. Lately, he's dropped Harvard comparisons (based on a laughable APR) and called AU the winningest team in the SEC since 2001 (despite fewer overall and SEC wins).

-- Who will be Spurrier's whipping boy? Some have argued his own team. I look forward to the UF and UT shots. BTW -- Spurrier didn't bring Blake Mitchell to this thing. I find that odd.

-- UK - best story of media days would be the UK athletic director firing Brooks during his press conference, but it won't happen.

Totally unrelated, but funny. For the Best Photo Caption Contest. Ever. EDSBS looks at the gayest college football photo in years and challenges you to caption it. (from SI.com images). Note some profanity and all of the wall commentary. It's fairly safe for work the last I saw the thread.

pwd

ht - dawgbone.net for several of the above articles

at Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Could he have picked a better moment for his first career pick?

Video uploaded by CajunDawg to youtube.

pwd

at Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Outstanding.
From the Jacksonville Times-Union: "Jordan Rich, 11, of Atlanta has his Georgia cap signed by North Carolina State coach Chuck Amato on Monday in Ponte Vedra. Jordan said that he asked Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey to sign the hat, but Gailey refused. Photo Credit: WILL DICKEY/The Times-Union"

Effective immediately, the Georgia Sports Blog names Jordan Rich as UGA Fan of the Week.

hat tip - Old Dawg

at Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Image DawgPost.com
At ACC Media days it was revealed that Calvin Johnson was named to two pre-season award lists. 76% of the voters named Johnson as pre-season player of the year, and 85% of voters named him Excuse Maker of the Year.

Johnson, the only 9 star recruit in Chan Gailey's tenure at Tech, recently told SI.com

When asked who has been his toughest defender thus far, Johnson replies, “Me.” No one else comes close? “Nah,” he says with a chuckle. So is there any defender who can stop you, Calvin? He ponders for a second before responding, “Maybe if you told the guy I was running a go-route, and he stood about 40 yards downfield, then maybe he could stop me.”

That's absolutely correct. No one can stop Calvin Johnson...well except for:

Demario Minter - 2 catches for 14 yards against UGA last year
Eric Weddle - Utah CB who held CJ to 2 catches for 19 yards
GT's Equipment Manager - Who forgot to bring the right cleats to the Emerald Bowl. "Man, it was a nightmare. The field was in terrible condition. We brought the wrong cleats. I couldn’t run a route without slipping," said Johnson.
Chan Gailey - who told the AJC "Regardless of how stupid people think I am, I do realize he's one of the best players in the nation and we should be getting him the ball," Gailey said.
Reggie Ball - who has a career completion percentage below 50%.
And the tooth fairy

So he's totally unstoppable unless you're a quality DB, his head coach, his QB, or his equipment manager. Fair enough.

I think my favorite on that list is the equipment manager excuse. For a school so proud of its educational excellence, they certainly struggle with the basics. Like counting to four, or remembering to wear shoes.

Johnson is a big time talent, but give me a break on the weak smack. If you put the kid in a competent offense, with a decent QB he would put up ridiculous stats. But he had neither of those things. Nor the right shoes.

pwd

ht - dawgrun.com

at Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Football and Religion. Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

College Football Resource has unearthed a neat story about a t-shirt company that's making shirts for Bama and Auburn fans related to Bible Verses. They are considering developing Georgia shirts as well. I think one has already been developed for Dawg fans (Campus Crusade for Christ maybe?). They use this verse:

"So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens." -- 1 Thessalonians 3:1 (NIV)

You know that's how I roll. I bring it NIV style. (ht - Dawgsports.com).

While we're talking religion, Notre Dame's silly little slap fight with Clemson over a recruit has generated some humor. The HouseThatRockBuilt has obtained the secret memo that Charlie Weis sent a Clemson recruit that started the mess.

ND vs. Clemson academic smack talk. We all know how this ends.
Speaking of Clemson, MaconDawg's brand new blog gets started with two solid reads. He brings us his thoughts on Mark Richt recruiting his own son at QB now that Clemson has offered. The best line I've heard on Jon Richt's recruitment comes from DawgPost.com subscriber halfmoonrvierdawg,

"Rumor has it Mark is planning to buy him a car, shower his family with gifts, and sleep with the recruit's mother... apparently he's pulling out all the stops."

He also tips us off to Jim Harrick's new role as an AAU Coach. MaconDawg manages to weave Thomas Crown, Snoop Dogg and LeBron James all into one article.

I help young people. Wink, Wink.
Lastly, we go into the time machine to pull one out from last season about Joe Pa's driving from the MightyMJD.

pwd

at Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Photo found on the SEC Fanatics message board.

pwd

at Monday, July 24, 2006

Another classic from DawgBone.net.

Herschel Running track

If you're looking for a way to start your bulldog day, DawgBone.net is a great launch page. They aggregate UGA links from all over the country as well as the obvious choices such as Scout.com, Rivals.com, the AJC, Athens Paper, Macon-Telegraph, Columbus Ledger, Red and Black, and interesting blog articles of note from SI.com, ESPN.com, etc. It's less a science than an art. Ie...not all links are provided. But most of the best articles are there.

Often you can find gems like random articles on the Dawgs from papers across the Southeast and as far away as Korea.

They seem to update twice per day. Once in the morning around 7 am and usually once later in the day. If you see a great article from an unusual source, they've got a tool for submitting articles built into the page.

This is not a paid endorsement of DawgBone.net. Just a helpful tip.

pwd

at Monday, July 24, 2006

Greene to Edwards Rooskie.

Video uploaded to youtube by dawgterfeelgood. Hat tip to DAve.

pwd

at Monday, July 24, 2006

"In My South" framing this is consider "art."
If you're not fired up for football yet (and frankly, if you're reading this blog you're likely way past fired up), Ron Higgins' article in the Memphis Commerical Appeal will push you over the edge. Some highlights:

IN MY COLLEGE FOOTBALL SOUTH:
By Ron Higgins

With apologies to the Turner South network and its "My South" promotion ...

We don't think we invented college football, we just believe we perfected it.

It's cool for women to call the Hogs and for men to bark like Dogs.

An RV is considered a fall vacation home.

It's an honor to be arrested for trying to tear down a goalpost.

Roll Tide, War Eagle, Hunker down Hairy Dawgs and Geaux Tigers are acceptable substitutes for hello.

A cowbell is a fashion accessory.

And Grandma, why is that live tiger in a cage sitting next to the bench?

Another great quote from the article comes from Jackie Sherrill:

"[College Football is] like a religion. It's like being a Catholic, or Methodist or Baptist or Presbyterian or Jewish. If you're an Alabama fan or a Florida fan or an LSU fan, you are true to that team always. You have an unshakable belief, a faith."

Amen, Jackie. Verily.

From that hellified start, Tony Barnhart gets us ready for SEC and ACC media days this week. He brings us his Top 10 questions for the SEC and ACC. His comments about the Gamecocks took me off guard saying the Spurrier "just wants to win more than he loses." That doesn't sound like the Evil Genius of days gone by.

Down on the Bayou, they're saying that the Tiger faithful are finally starting to warm up to Les Miles (Baton Rouge Advocate). He had some pretty solid one liners at the last stop on the pre-season Tiger Road Show including this zinger about the lack of deep balls last year.

He let on that he understood the frustrations of LSU fans who wondered why the Tigers didn’t throw enough deep balls to take advantage of the world-class track speed of NCAA champion Xavier Carter, whose swiftness on the track never translated equally to the football field.

“It was very difficult to design routes that were 100 yards or 200 yards,” Miles joked. “We won’t have that problem anymore.”

Back here in Atlanta, Mark Bradley bring us "All is Right with Richt." An article about just how well things are going for UGA right now. It's Bradley's best pro-UGA piece in years.

Yeah. We've got it pretty dialed in right now. Photo by Jim Hipple

And if you're interested, I did a little thing about coaching changes across the country. You know...from the Idle Speculation Department.

pwd

at Monday, July 24, 2006

Auburn's Borges will be on a bunch of lists soon. (Image: AL.com)

I saw an article in the Birmingham News about Auburn Offensive Coordinator Al Borges' desire to become a head coach. Apparently, he has been an OC for the past 20 years, and he still hasn't gotten his shot. (ht - jimfromduluth). A conversation on DawgRun got me to thinking that his shot at being a Head Coach may be closer than he thinks.

Consider all the jobs that could open up in the next 2 years that will cause a musical chairs situation like the 2001 season when around 25 coaches changed jobs including traditional powers such as Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Miami and USC.

New faces on the horizon (in no particular order)

Big 12:

Texas A&M
Missouri
Nebraska

Big 10:

Penn State
Michigan State

SEC:

Kentucky
Miss State
Arkansas

Ken Whisenhunt, Steelers OC and GT's dream candidate to replace Gailey? (Image: NFL.com)

ACC:

Miami
Florida State
Georgia Tech
NC State
UNC

Consider that someone is going to have to fill all those jobs, which may open up jobs at:

Louisville - the huge contract was symbolic as the buyout is only $1 million. Any Top 10 program could come in and offer a little more cash and pick him off.
Auburn - Tubs a top candidate at Texas A*M and Miami
West Virginia - Being talked about in Tally. And if PSU goes outside of their family, they would do well to look in Rich Rod's direction.

In other words, Borges -- who has ties to the SEC, Pac-10 and Big 10, could finally be close to getting the shot he wants.

Other articles of interest on this topic:

TSN (via MSNBC) - ACC Coaches on the Hot Seat
Houston Chronicle - CUSA Coaches on the Hot Seat
The Tennessean (via the Jackson Sun) - Ranking the SEC Hot Seats

Compare all of that pending instability, with what we have here with Richt. Good times indeed.

pwd

at Saturday, July 22, 2006

Uga VI. Image Georgiadogs.com

From the Department of Idle Speculation:

Saturday was Uga VI's eighth birthday. He took over the family business from his father at a Passing of the Bone ceremony before the South Carolina game in 1999. Since then, Uga VI has won 67 games and two SEC Championships, and he has a career record against our big rivals of:

This year Georgia celebrates 50 years with the Uga mascot line, but might we see another Passing of the Bone this season? The average life span for an Uga Mascot (not counting Otto, Uga IV's brother who filled in during an injury, is roughly 8.8 years:

Uga VI - 8 years
Uga V - 9 years
Uga IV - 9 years
Uga III - 9 years
Uga II - 7 years
Uga I - 11 years

Bigger dogs tend to live shorter lives, and Uga VI at 55-60 pounds is about 15 lbs bigger than his old man. That said, Uga I would beef up to 85 pounds during the offseason and trim down to 65 pounds for the first game; yet, he had the longest tenure of any Dawg at 11 years.

Obviously, we all want Uga VI to live forever just as we all want Munson to call games forever. Additionally, the Seiler family will, as they always have, make the right call. But...if they are targeting a Passing of the Bone ceremony this year, I have a suggestion. Let's pick the Georgia Tech game.

Why? Well...Uga VI has the best record against the Vols in our history. Let's don't mess up a good thing. Although a good argument could be made to have the event at the Vandy game. That way he could beat the Vols and switch off before the Cocktail Party. Heaven knows we need to try something new down there, and from the looks of things damn near any animal with a collar can beat a Yellow Jacket.

1999 Passing of the Bone. Image Georgiadogs.com (I think)

pwd

Update; Some guys over on the dawgvent are talking like this is a done deal that he retires after this year. So who knows.

at Saturday, July 22, 2006

Kevin Brophy. Image Georgiadogs.com

GeorgiaDogs.com has a tribute video up in honor of Kevin Brophy. The video is narrated by Dennis Felton.

Also, UGA has announced that the Memorial Service for Kevin will be held on Monday, July 24.

Felton's comments on Brophy's time at UGA are here.

“It’s a tragic time for us – everything about it is tragic. Losing someone so abruptly and unexpectedly and so young. On top of that, losing someone beloved by his friends and family. He was so special to us.

“Kevin was the most loved player in the program, from top to bottom. He was so genuine, optimist, and enthusiastic…we all just enjoyed those qualities when we were around him.

“Kevin was a highly respected player on our team. He was probably closer to every player on our team than anyone else. He was loved by his team and everyone in the program.

“We were all excited about next year, but no one more so than Kevin. He was in the midst of a great summer and was really working hard to increase his contributions next season. He was literally taking over the team this summer, leading by example. No one was more excited about next year than Kevin.

“He was a good student who was well on his way toward obtaining his degree. He had really settled down with his girlfriend and I think both of them saw each other in their long-term futures. He had put himself in position, both on and off the court, to do whatever he wanted to do in life.

“He has made as much of an impact in this program than anyone here, and he’s was not someone who averaged double-figures every game – that speaks a lot into how important he was.

“He was what we are all about here, in terms of building a program. This is another poignant and terrible example of how precious life is, and how you should value every day and opportunity. You don’t need these types of experiences to remind you.

“Right now, we are terribly sad for Kevin and his family, and for ourselves – we miss him.”

More articles on Brophy's life and death:

hat tip to DawgBone.net for the other articles.

pwd

at Saturday, July 22, 2006

Classic Comment that I wouldn't want you to miss.

"You and Orson are to be congratulated on this fascinating cross-cultural exchange.I think it would be great if other Bloggers followed your lead.

I would for instance love to see any of the legion of Michigan bloggers don a tOSU pornstache for a few days, or maybe have Warren St. John teach an Aubbie how to turn on a computer without using jumper cables. The possibilities really are endless."
- CochranDawg

Nice.

pwd

at Friday, July 21, 2006

My final salvo on EDSBS is a shot across the bow of the Gator Nation.

Thanks to Orson for the invite, and thanks to Stranko for helping referee all the guests. Tip of the hat to SMQ and Peter at BurntOrangeNation for blogging like madmen.

Have a great weekend.

pwd

at Friday, July 21, 2006

Something to lighten my mood after the Brophy news. Thomas "Tmoney" Flowers run for daylight vs. the Vols.

Video uploaded to youtube by CajunDawg.

pwd

at Friday, July 21, 2006

UGA Point Guard Kevin Brophy (Image Georgiadogs.com)

UPDATE 1/29/07:
The article below was written immediately after learning of Kevin's death. If you're finding this article now, it's because it's the #1 search result for "kevin brophy" on Google. For all Kevin Brophy related articles on this site click here.

The original blog about his death:
Thoughts and prayers go out to Kevin Brophy's family as well as the UGA basketball family. What a tragic loss. Story from the Georgiadogs web site:

ATHENS --- University of Georgia basketball player Kevin Brophy was killed in an automobile accident near Greensboro, Ga., late Thursday afternoon.

Brophy, a rising junior guard from Melbourne, Australia, was traveling from Athens to Savannah after participating in a basketball clinic at Stegeman Coliseum. He had attended Memorial Day School in Savannah as an exchange student, graduating in 2004.

“We are devastated by the loss of Kevin,” said Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton. “This is just very tragic. Kevin was a beloved teammate and a pillar of our program. We will miss his undeniable optimism, leadership and sincere friendship.

“My prayers are with Kevin and his parents and family with Australia. Our focus now is to do everything we can to support the Brophy family.”

Originally a walk-on for the Bulldogs, Brophy played in all 28 games as a freshman in 2005, starting in eight and averaging 3.8 points per game. His career scoring high of 19 points came that season in Georgia’s 68-59 victory over Vanderbilt.

Brophy was awarded an athletic scholarship before the 2006 season. He played in 18 games as a sophomore and averaged 0.9 points per game. He was one of seven team members to have remained in Athens throughout this summer.

“This is a shocking tragedy and we all have the deepest sympathy for Kevin’s family,” said UGA Director of Athletics Damon Evans. “He was an outstanding young man and leaves a tremendous void in our basketball, Athletic Association, and University families.”

Chip Towers of the AJC did an exceptional job of explaining what happened based on the info available. The Athens Banner-Herald also puts a human face on things with John Kaltefleiter's story.

Damn Good Dawg. (Image: Georgia Sports Communications)

pwd

at Thursday, July 20, 2006

Moses made 1st Team All-SEC
The coaches announced their 1st, 2nd and 3rd team preseason All-SEC choices list today.

First team Dawgs:

2nd Team Dawgs:

3rd Team Dawgs:

Gordon Ely-Kelso. Still Dean Wormer's worst nightmare. Image Scout.com

Biggest errors overall:
1. Sidney Rice not making consensus 1st Team All-SEC. Someone actually left him off their 1st team ballot? The dude scored 40% of all Gamecock offensive TDs last year despite missing a game.

2. Jamarcus Russell over Brandon Cox for 2nd team QB. Personally, I would've gone with Cox at first team QB, but Leak as #1 isn't a total injustice. But Russell? Please. He may not be the starting QB at the end of the season.

3. Paul Oliver at third team DB. No way he finishes the season that low.

4. Tra Battle at 1st team DB. I love Tra as a Dawg, but I can't see him as one of the two best safeties in the league.

I respect Tra, but 1st Team All-SEC? Image: AJC.com
Two Dawgs who will make the post-season list:
1. Jeff Owens -- I could see him as high as 2nd Team All-SEC at the end of the season.

2. Mo Mass -- He could end up being the #3 or 4 WR in the SEC this year.

PWD

at Thursday, July 20, 2006

In my gig as guest co-host of EverydayShouldBeSaturday, I wrote an article on the most underrated revenge game of 2006 referring to Kenny Irons vs. Gamecocks in South Carolina (Thursday, Sept. 28th on ESPN). Thought you guys might be interested in.

Image si.com

Kenny is going to run buckwild over Spurrier's _efense. (Note: There's no D in Columbia. One of the players stole it.)

pwd

at Thursday, July 20, 2006

"Dadgumit, will the last person leaving Tally please turn off the lights"
Today, Brad Johnson, Mark Richt's brother-in-law, and Richt's sister announced that they are moving to Athens. This is roughly the 30th person that Richt has moved to Athens from Tally. Leaving the question remaining of...who is stuck down there still?

All non-sense aside, this should be (but it won't be because some people are stupid) the last nail in the "Richt to FSU" worry wart festival of doom.

Richt has been working since he arrived in 2001 to convince the media, rival fans and the Bulldawg Nation that he's not leaving for FSU or Miami when/if Coker or Bowden step down.

Many of the hints were apparently too subtle for the masses.

In 2001, when he asked Coach Van Halengar to relocate his family to Athens from Tallahassee, it was the first sign. Why would Coach Van move only to move right back? The money was basically the same.
In 2001, when he moved his brother-in-law to Athens and hired him as the new full-time team chaplain. It was another statement of "Athens is my home."
When he worked out a deal after the 2002 season to create the largest two-way buyout in college football history at $9.9 million at its peak. Some folks still said he'd leave. Although, virtually no program would touch a buyout that large.
When he moved his father and his new mother-in-law to Athens. Still many remained convinced that he would leave.
In 2005 UGA reported a $23.9 million profit in athletics. By comparison in 2005 FSU posted a profit of $164,185, and Miami LOST $1.5 million the year that they won the National Title in 2001. Yet some folks think they could STILL outspend us and take on Richt's $10 million buyout.
Today, the Tallahassee newspaper reports that Richt's sister and brother-in-law, NFL QB Brad Johnson, are selling their $3.8 million home in Tallahassee to move to Athens.
The article also announces that Mark Richt's mother AND Brad Johnson's mother are moving to Athens in the near future. And Richt has a new contract extension which pays him $2 million per year through 2013. (If the buyout clause is structured like the last one, it now stands at closer to $12-14 million).

So please for the love of all that is decent and holy. Can UGA fans please stop worrying about this?

All coaches talk about staying put. But nobody moves 30-40 friends and family members including almost two dozen school age kids to Athens just to uproot them again when Bowden retires or Coker gets canned. That's not the way decent people deal with other decent people. Especially not family.

(Hmmmm....although, it would be funny if he moved them all to Athens just so he could saddle them all with new mortgages and then run off to Miami for some peace and quiet. Sort of a Mark Richt's own version of PUNK'd)

Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

at Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Cool Hand Mike looks at the Arkansas Razorbacks and wonders if they'll take the next step. Bonus points to him for his Lou Holtz shot.

Snazzy Hat = +1 Coach Fashion Points. Oversized Sweat Pants = -5 Coach Fashion Points. No audibles during the '05 season = -100 Coach Smarts Points. Image: SI.com

Kyle King looks at the Top 10 for next season. I think he has LSU too high, but I'm in no position to argue as I haven't put pen to paper in development of my own Top 10 yet.

Goldtimer snags a classic ND fan quote about humility and offers a response.

Pepidemiology, the science and study of Pep in college football, was explored in detail last year by Orson Swindle at EverydayShouldBeSaturday.com. While Orson is out, the guest bloggers have run some "greatest hits." Stranko brought the Pepidemiology articles back to our attention with:

Lastly, ToonDawg at the Anti-Orange page has worked out a deal to pick up the content from the old DawgTreasures web site. Dawg Treasures hosted some classic posts and emails that have circulated the Dawgernets for years. More importantly, it was the holding place for Bulldog Hotline reports where JimFromDuluth would transcribe the high points of the Munson/Richt weekly call-in show. ToonDawg is in the process of moving all that content over to her site.

pwd

at Wednesday, July 19, 2006

You can't make stuff like this up. Enjoy a Tech student project attempting to answer the question "what is a geek". I applaud their capacity for introspection.

Dawgnoxious
Bureau Chief, Nerd Watch
Georgia Sports Blog

at Tuesday, July 18, 2006

4 in 4
Georgia has gotten a commitment from Logan Gray. Logan is a 4 star QB from Missouri. He's a scrambler type with a live arm. Someone described his game as sort of a white Shockley with possibly more top end speed, less juke and not quite as big an arm.

Scout.com's Story
-- This looks like a free story.

UGAsports.com's story

Rivals.com's Missouri site

The other three elite 11 QBs were Stafford, Cox and AJ Bryant. Overall, it's the 5th Elite 11 QB in 7 classes for Richt.

pwd

ht to thedogfather for the heads up on the 4 in 4 stat. I thought it was 3 in 4.

at Tuesday, July 18, 2006

From Kissing Suzy Kolber via Deadspin, we get this classic video of the greatest video game athlete in history.

A quarter long TD run for the ages

Sure, Bo Jackson will be in the game via those mid-80s "classic" Auburn teams, but he won't be tricked out like Tecmo Bo.

I'll pick my game up at around 7 pm. Honestly, I won't have a review up til way after you've already formed your own opinion. So don't expect one.

That said, I won't be standing in line this year waiting for the FedEx guy. I did that once before. The scene looked like this as I called Dawgnoxious from EB Games at Northlake:

PWD: "So I'm standing here surrounded by 20 other guys who really need to get a life as bad as I do. All of us are waiting on the football game to be delivered. Been standing here for an hour waiting on the video game truck to come by, and I just realized that maybe my ex-girlfriend was right in her hinting that I need to grow up. You know....I am 31 years old."

Dawgnoxious: "Ahhh, don't sweat it dude. She's probably doing the same thing at another store."

Nice.

pwd

at Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Linked on EDSBS comment thread

at Tuesday, July 18, 2006

You just know Tubby Smith loves his job. I mean, how many jobs outside the state of Alabama permit you to interact with discerning sports fans of temperate judgment and lucid expression like songwriter OH Napier.

OH penned the tune "Final Four or Hit the Door" to express his ~~appreciation for the decade of sustained success and lack of scandal Tubby has brought to Lexington~~ disdain for the fact Tubby isn't...wait for it...it starts with a "w"...John Wooden. Read an interview with OH here.

A highlight: OH on the inspiration for his ~~screed~~ ode:

TubbyBasher1 whom I met in a ky post board about the team sent me a shirt with the words on it "Tubby Final Four or Hit the Door". I believe these words say it all. Done this song is 30 minutes and I am right proud of this version but is subject to change like the tune but the words will remain the same. Final Four or Hit the Door.

OH Napier: Kentucky's answer to Clisby Clark. Took time out from writing his manifesto to pen an anthem of which Adolf Rupp would be proud.

This song defies a simple written description and invites you--no, dares you-- to experience it directly. Listen here. A preview:

Well 10 years ‘been a long time for ya, TubbyNow you’d better get it done this year, buddyOh You’d better win… you’d better win ‘Cause my woman’s gettin’ tarred and my dog’s gettin’ hungry And my gun’s all gone and I’m gettin’ lonely…
YEAH.YEAH!

Like I have said before, it is big fat lie that Kentucky fans like basketball. Kentucky fans do not like basketball. They do not like anything or anyone. They just like winning.

Dawgnoxious
A&R Bureau Chief,
Georgia Sports Blog

HT: Deadspin

at Monday, July 17, 2006

I got several emails and comments asking me why I missed a chance to take a bigger shot at Tech over the ridonkulous Yoga article in Sunday's AJC. "Surely, that warranted more than a mention."

Don't worry fellas. I'm not slacking. I blogged it over at EDSBS as part of my first installment as a guest blogger at what SMQ calls the "virtual Jean Short Capital of the U.S.A."

The Count would've been a better consultant for GT than DDP

While I'm at it, let me point out that Peter Bean beat me to the EDSBS punch with a story on the death of the Hooters founder. And so passes a great American. (Update: don't miss the MountainLair's comment on this. Classic and sums up my feelings nicely)

pwd

at Monday, July 17, 2006

The ~~self-~~stimulating saga of Mike Cooper is drawing to a close. Who is former public library patron Mike Cooper? Just ask Carl Monday. Carl Monday is an investigative reporter for a television news station in Cleveland. He (ahem) exposed the Ohio State fan masturbating in the Berea, OH public library.

The brilliant video clip, which Deadspin has helped become a staple of these here internets, is a must-see. Obscure comedy gleaned from video: Cooper lives in the Georgia Tech Hilton [read: his parents' house].

Cooper's saga reaches its ~~climax~~ conclusion here. If you are short on time, here is a ~~blow-by-blow~~ summary of the soon-to-be-Pulitzer-Prize-Winning-~~Piece~~Feature. [Warning: provoked violence featuring a combat vet.]

Carl: How does it feel to be a celebrity to Michigan fans everywhere? Cooper: I was just dotting the "i".

I don't think we could put it any better than Deadspin:

What’s next for Mike Cooper? Hopefully, he can parlay this whole thing into some lucrative endorsements. Perhaps for some hand cream, perhaps for an internet porn site. Maybe he could sign some sort of Roethlisberger-esque deal with Gillette, where he’ll shave his famous mustache live on TV. Or perhaps Mike Cooper will just spend the rest of his days, plotting to get even with Carl Monday. It would take a hell of an effort.

The fact the video clip is comedy gold worthy of a Jerry Spring highlight reel makes it blogworthy in and of itself. However, the fact that Mike was wearing an Ohio State sweatshirt at the time he was caught ~~red-handed~~ in the act is priceless. I can't even express how much we'd have preferred it if Cooper were wearing a Florida sweatshirt instead. And, a Gator would no doubt have had the same classy mustache.

The contest for least-successful person affiliated with Ohio State surnamed Cooper has become a two-man race.

Dawgnoxious
Bureau Chief, Public Library Safety
Georgia Sports Blog

at Monday, July 17, 2006

The B-ham News brings us the latest on MoronGate at Auburn. Professor Gundlach says that a second departmet is also under investigation. A charge that Auburn confirms. Despite the initial press release saying that it was only one professor involved.

There's nothing to these allegations.

Same old Auburn.

pwd

ht - milldawg on Dawgrun.com

at Monday, July 17, 2006

This photo from SI.com (I think) is an all-time classic. It's from the 2004 LSU game. I saved it from someone's MySpace page, and I forgot the link. If it was on your site, shoot me a note.

Photo from SI.com (I think)

pwd

at Monday, July 17, 2006

On Sunday, the AJC's Terrence Moore poked Tech in the eye by rehashing the 1978 Fish Tossing game in which Tech fans threw liquor bottles and fish at Notre Dame players while hurling anti-Catholic insults at the ND players and fans.

When you read the article and hear Joe Montana talking about the Tech fans, it's so over the top. The true comedy of the article is in the comments field where GT fans chime in with..."You're an idiot." Yeah, it's Moore's fault that you guys acted like animals. Blame him.

Maybe if the Tech students would take more Yoga, they wouldn't be so bitter.

Downward Dog: A position the GT players will assume in the 4th quarter when ND is up by 4 TDs

pwd

Related: an article in May by GSB about the Fish Toss.

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