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July 23, 2008

The Celebration "flips the script" in Jacksonville


Thank you Urban Meyer. Thank you for continuing to help Georgia re-write the script on the Cocktail Party. In Meyer's newly released book entitled "Why I'm Such a Raging Asshat and Douche Bag" "Urban's Way," Meyer discusses the excessive celebration penalty following Georgia's initial TD in Jacksonville. Per the AJC:
"That wasn't right. It was a bad deal," Meyer says in the book, which is scheduled for a September release. "And it will forever be in the mind of Urban Meyer and in the mind of our football team. ... So we'll handle it. And it's going to be a big deal."

"It was uncalled for," he said. "First of all it's against the rules. If you really look at it, some players could have been thrown out the game for leaving the bench. "As for the impact on the game ... I understand the motivation of it. It was a big deal. It was just a big deal."
According to the AJC article linked above, the player interviews at SEC Media Days continued this theme of Gators being pissed about The Celebration.

The Past 17 Years
During the weeks leading up to the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, the media had to find a parade of different ways to ask the same questions about the streak and the Gators "ownership" of Georgia.....
"How frustrating is it for you to have lost to the Gators seven in a row.....or 12 of the past 13....or 13 of the past 15, etc."
That sort of constant reminder of repeated failure wears on a team mentally. Especially when your fans have been asking you and the teams before you the same questions that the media asked year after year.

Don't think those questions are a big deal? Try reading the annual quotes from Georgia Tech players about their similar frustrations associated with losing to UGA 14 of the past 17 tries. The Albany Herald's interview with Tech's Vance Walker shows a man with a seething desire to win, and how many times have the Jackets wet themselves against Georgia? Just wanting revenge isn't enough.

Going Forward:
You can pretty much forget the 15 of 18 questions for the Bulldogs this year. This season the questions leading up to the game will center around one primary topic. The Celebration.



The script has been re-written.

And SO WHAT if the Gators bring their "A game" to Jacksonville. Bring it. The problem Georgia was having for the bulk of the match-ups (post '98 when the talent mostly evened out) was mental anyway.

Let the other guy pissed. As long as Georgia matches their intensity, I'm more than eager to watch UGA take the other guy's best shot.

I. Can't. Wait.

See Also:
-- More "It's not in their heads" - Blutarsky

PWD

19 comments:

Jason said...

Urban Meyer...talking in the third person...in his autobiography.

I can't wait.

Anonymous said...

I still laugh every time I see Sturdy dance.

Anonymous said...

Any chance the Dawgs come out in black uniforms for The Cocktail Party?

Would we even be allowed to do it?

Imagine all the "black and blue" references by the media.

ChiliDawg said...

I prefer the original title of Urban Cryer's autobiography. Might pick up a copy for low grade toilet paper next time I go camping.

ChiliDawg said...

On second thought, I would prefer for the ass hat to not have my money.

Anonymous said...

Technically....

Yes. We can do a blackout in Jacksonville because we're the home team. I don't think we will.

However....great line on that from a girl...

"Everyone knows you wear black to a Cocktail Party."

We could also rock the black in Baton Rouge as they'll be wearing home whites. Again, I don't think we will.

It's going to be Bama or Tennessee. If it's me, I rock 'em for the Vols.

Anonymous said...

dawg19:

Since the Dawgs are laughingly referred to as the "home team" this year (in a game that is annually played within pissing distance of The Swamp), they get first choice on uniform colors. So they could choose to wear black. But I doubt they would, and I hope they don't. You can't have a very good blackout when you only have half the stadium seats and zero control over the sound system and the video board.

If there is to be a blackout this year, I hope it is reserved for Tennessee...

Anonymous said...

Oops. Too late. Sorry PWD. I didn't mean to parrot everything you just said. But at least we agree...

Anonymous said...

I hope we do a Blackout against the Vols! They deserve a royal ass kicking and i think they are going to be a much better team this year than people are giving them.

hoodawg said...

My question -- if it was so darn offensive, why does it take the Gators A YEAR to have a game-changing reaction to it? If it was just a matter of motivation, are they saying that they couldn't be interrupted from their brie and apple crisp on the sidelines at the time -- couldn't be bothered to be outraged enough to win the game?

No, they're just pissed that they lost to Georgia, fair and square. They're pissed that they were spotted 30 yards on a kickoff in a GEORGIA game and ended up losing by two touchdowns. And they're pissed that the national media has latched onto The Celebration - a media they have owned for the past two decades - and suggested that on THEIR turf in Jax (remember, an entire generation of Gator fans thinks it's their birthright to win that game) a changing of the SEC East guard occurred.

They're pissed because they know the only thing standing between Georgia and a half-dozen wins over the past decade has been our own frickin Gator psychosis -- and in a moment, it was gone.

Hobnail_Boot said...

Another great effect of The Celebration is that it has added another layer of lore to one of the nation's best annual rivalries.

Every year you see several national writers churn out their list of best rivalries. Watch how high the WLOCP is on those lists this year relative to where it had been.

With one command, CMR raised the stakes and profile for both programs. Whoever wins on 11/1 will get a major rub from it.

Anonymous said...

The effect would be magnified for Bama, because it's a night game. But, honestly, I don't think Bama's good enough to warrant a blackout. Put aside the fact that it's Bama, and it's like blacking out for Arkansas or Ole Miss.

blackertai said...

I'd prefer they not black out at all this year. It will lose it's appeal if it becomes a yearly event. The reason it was special last year was the emotion displayed by the players who had earned the right to wear those uniforms. I say Richt would be smart to make this a once-every-four-years tradition. That way every class gets a shot at playing in the jersey's, and they remain a special event that would provide momentum from the opening kickoff.

However, I doubt that's what will happen. More than likely, 'Bama or Tennessee are the only two options for this season (what, blackout Tech? Why?!). And of those two, it seems more likely by far that the Tennessee game is more of a game we'll be motivated for already (35-14 butt-whuppin' fresh in the minds of all those players who thought we should have faced LSU in Atlanta). Who knows though. Maybe Richt agrees with me, although I remember reading somewhere they'd ordered more black jerseys already somewhere this season.

mdr1013 said...

Agree wholeheartedly with the Bama comment. It will be a tough game, but they don't warrant a blackout. Its gotta be UT.

Of course, we could also save it for teck just to mess with them.

Scott said...

After two years under the Herschel Walker era of it being a close game, the Gators said the same thing. They were coming at them Dawgs. They didn't care. The Gators were (allegedly) a top team, too. They needed to show up them Dawgs. At the end of the game, it was 44-0 and the game was over by the 2nd quarter.

I'm just learning from history!

Anonymous said...

All this talk means absolutely NOTHING! Once a few hits and knocks are felt, the best team will win the game. And judging by the depleted gator defense, and us returning 9 of 11 starters, me thinks UGA will have the upper hand.

Anonymous said...

We have hand now. The Gators have no hand.

Anonymous said...

Urban's crying over a celebration stating it was "a big deal that wasn't right".. did he forget this play? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H5XYC5DnwQ

Unknown said...

@Anonymous

I almost had to buy 2 large lcd screens for my friends twice last season. That exact play and the sugar bowl play on the first hawaii punt absolutely boiled my blood that those players weren't ejected for straight up thug mentality.

 
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