Georgia Sports Blog: June 2008

June 30, 2008

Funeral for Uga VI

The Seiler family has asked that UGA fans NOT attempt to view the ceremony. Please respect their wishes. For most of the animal's life it is the team mascot, and they share their pet with us in that regard.

Today, they are burying the family pet. Not the team mascot. Give them some space.

PWD

SMQ's Georgia Tech Preview

Sunday Morning Quarterback takes a look at Georgia Tech's opportunity in 2008. The article does a good job of facilitating a discussion related to what sort of expectations the Georgia Tech fans (sic) should have for the program.

(Image: Hipple)

Much of their optimism seems to built on the idea Johnson has won everywhere he's been. And that Navy had great success in Div I with his triple option. However, SMQ correctly points out that Johnson was completely lacking in success against quality BCS teams.

Number of Midshipmen victories since 2002 over teams that finished with a winning record: five, against Air Force (2003, 2007), New Mexico (2004), East Carolina (2006) and Colorado State (2005), if you’re willing count the 6-6 Rams. In six years under Johnson, the Middies’ best performance was probably against Boston College in the ‘06 Car Care Bowl, which they lost only because a late pitch in the rain squirted free and set up the winning field goal for BC. None of Navy’s actual BCS conference victims came anywhere near a winning record. (emphasis added)

Where will Tech finish this year? I think a seven win season would be a tremendous accomplishment given the mass defections, recruiting woes and normal learning curve for a triple option team.

2008 Schedule

Aug. 28 (Thur.) JACKSONVILLE STATE

Sept. 6 at Boston College

Sept. 13 at Virginia Tech

Sept. 20 MISSISSIPPI STATE

Sept. 27 Open

Oct. 4 DUKE (Family Weekend)

Oct. 11 GARDNER-WEBB

Oct. 18 at Clemson

Oct. 25 VIRGINIA (Homecoming)

Nov. 1 FLORIDA STATE

Nov. 8 at North Carolina

Nov. 15 Open

Nov. 20 (Thur.) MIAMI

Nov. 29 at Georgia

I see two three sure fire wins on the schedule (JSU, GW and Duke). The rest of the games look like toss up or much worse.

However, the must win games on the schedule that will decide whether or not his team is going bowling are:

at Boston College - Tech badly needs to win this game. A loss here and 1-2 or 1-3 start becomes very likely. It will be extremely difficult for Tech to go bowling without a win against BC.
vs. Mississippi State - Jokes about whiting out Croom aside, this is a big one. Win this and they have a chance to be 4-2 or better heading into their road game against Clemson. Sweeping BC and MSU would give the Jackets a tremendous shot at extending their meaningless bowl streak. Although a trip to the Congressional Bowl vs. Navy (where they would ideally lose) could make for great comedy). Lose to both MSU and BC, and the Duke and G-Webb games will be some of the most depressing BCS home games in America.
at UNC -- A loss could mean that Butch Davis is rebuilding a much more broken down program at a faster clip than Johnson who inherited a relatively stable situation only one year removed from the ACC title game.

On the other hand, the program defining games for Johnson look to be:

FSU or Miami - Both of these programs are in transition. If Josh Nesbitt (Tech's fumble prone but race car fast QB) has figured out the triple option, either of these games are winnable. Tech currently is riding a shocking three game winning streak against the Canes. A win vs. either team would give Tech fans reason to hope for better things in '09.

I didn't list the Georgia game as a potential program defining game. They are already defined by losing to us every year. What would another "L" really change? And beating Clemson hasn't changed much of anything for Tech historically. So I left that off the list as well. Although, it would certainly be a big win if it were to happen.

So what are your thoughts? What do you expect from the NATS?

PWD

June 29, 2008

Uga VI video tribute

Simple yet effective. Uploaded by "g1gemags."

Have a good week folks. The banner and black mourning border will be up til Sunday.

PWD

Uga VI's Facebook

The folks who manage Uga VI's presence on Facebook listed his final status as (click image to enlarge):

"is proud to have served the greatest university in the world. He wants Georgia Nation to know that he's in a better place and the steaks up here are heavenly."

Huge hat tip to Kyle King on that one.

See Also:

I miss my friend - Loran Smith (ABH)
A look at each mascot - AJC
Uga VI's Bio - WSB

There will probably be more articles in Sunday's papers. I'm expecting particularly large features in the ABH, AJC, and Savannah News. However, I doubt I'll be able to link to them until extremely late or at all. I'll be on airplanes most of the day.

PWD

June 28, 2008

Uga VI Died Last Night

DawgPost.com and the Savannah Morning News are both reporting that Georgia Bulldog mascot Uga VI passed away last night. Uga VI (aka: "Uga V's Whatchagot Loran") was born in July 1998, and he took over for his father in Sept. 1999 during a "Passing of the Bone" ceremony. (image: Si.com)

Update: Official UGA Statement with Details on His Passing

He was the adored mascot of the program, but he was also a beloved family pet of the Seiler family. The Savannah Morning News reports that Uga VI had a heart attack last night, and the family was by his side at his passing. According to the official statement:

“He was a good one,” Seiler said. “What can I say? He had a marvelous record. He was a very strong and healthy dog. He was the biggest of all the dogs, and he had the biggest heart. It just played out.”

Our thoughts are with the Seiler family today.

During his tenure the football team enjoyed a long run of prosperity going 87-27 overall, 52-23 in the SEC and 7-2 in bowl games. This was a Dawg who saw a lot of very good football perched high atop a gigantic bag of ice. (Updated: It was 87 wins. I didn't realize the SC game was the 2nd of the season '99)

To the best of my knowledge, Uga VI only missed two games during his tenure. Animal quarantine rules prohibited him making the trip to Hawaii for the 2000 Oahu Bowl, and he missed the 2005 game at Mississippi State due to illness and the remnants of a hurricane passing over the area.

Profiles

Uga VI
Uga V
Otto
Uga IV
Uga III
Uga II
Uga I

The Savannah paper also reports that Uga VI will be buried in Sanford Stadium during a ceremony on Monday. (Update: Georgiadogs says the ceremony is private)

As of 12:08 pm (when I wrote the first version of this), there was no word on how the Seiler family and Georgia officials will handle the transfer of responsibilities to Uga VII. The two biggest upcoming events/appearances for Uga VII would be the UGA Kickoff Charity event (July 18-19) and Picture Day (August).

As the news trickles in today, we'll update our article.

Damn Good Dawg.

See Also:

Uga VI takes over for his legendary father - ABH
Uga VI Photo Library - DawgPost
Uga VI's official Page - Georgiadogs.com
The Ugas Through the Years - Georgiadogs.com
Uga VI at the Blackout (CBS) - Youtube
Damn Good Dawg Movie trailer - YouTube

PWD

June 27, 2008

Billy Humphrey Dismissed from UGA Team

My initial reaction to Billy's arrest on message boards was WTF? Why go through all of this hassle for a kid that blew a 0.02? That's basically just pinching him because he was underage and had 1 beer.

Well...according to police reports Billy didn't blow a 0.02. The Athens Banner Herald now says that they reported that information in error. According to their updated article with the correction:

When Humphrey was stopped on Georgia Highway 316 early Tuesday morning, his blood-alcohol content tested at .082 on the road and .129 later at the county jail, where he was booked on DUI and other charges, according to the officer's report. The Banner-Herald previously reported in error that Humphrey blew .02.

I'm no liquorologist, but if your BAC is still rising when you got arrested then you went straight from the bottle to the road. Sigh.

That's not a "technicality underage bogus DUI." That's a grown up DUI. It's a DUI under the ultra strict modern .08 definition of DUI, and it's even a DUI under the old early '90s .10 to .12 definitions.

I like Billy the Player. Hell, I even have a photo of me and Billy after the SEC Tournament Championship with us standing side by side while he has the Georgia Tech basketball goal net draped around his neck.

As much as it pains me to say it, I can't fault Felton for dismissing Humphrey. This is his third arrest in roughly a year. It's no different than Richt sending Odell Thurman, Dana Graydon, Randall Swoopes or Akeem Hebron to Georgia Military College. Sadly for Billy, he doesn't have a Juco option. He's too old for that. He's going to need to find a place in a Div I-AA program where he can play immediately.

Billy is a smart kid and a good student. He gets his business done in the classroom. On the court, he tries hard and does a lot with what he's been given. But you can't stay in the papers like this. You have to be smarter and more careful than that.

What a complete and total bummer. I think Felton can be an overbearing hard ass. But I've got to agree on this one.

PWD

Basketball Schedule: Preseason NIT Schedule

As previously reported, Georgia will be participating in the Preseason NIT this year. We open at Purdue against a low major, and then we likely get Purdue. Win both games, and we advance to Madison Square Garden. Lose either of those first two games, and we return to Athens to host a 4 team mini-tournament.

Here are the latest rumored brackets based on MemphisDog's information*.

Purdue Host Site:
-- Purdue
-- Georgia
-- Loyola (Ill.)
-- Eastern Michigan

Arizona Host Site:
-- Arizona
-- Santa Clara
-- UAB (rumored replacement for Drake)
-- Arkansas State

Oklahoma Host Site:
-- Oklahoma
-- Davidson
-- James Madison
-- New Mexico State

Boston College Host Site:
-- Boston College
-- St. Johns
-- Cornell
-- Loyola (Md.)

If we don't advance to New York for the 3rd and 4th games, we appear likely to serve as a host city for two games. The candidates to join us in Athens would be decided based on geography...not bracket. Therefore, you could easily see Davidson and/or UAB in Athens this season.

All of the big boy scheduling that is rumored (as many as 8 high major or upper mid-major opponents this year) is scary with the strong possibility of Billy Humphrey out for half the season due to suspension.

NOTE: It's easier to project the top two teams in each host city than the next two.

*MemphisDog is to basketball schedules what JimFromDuluth is to football TV projections.

June 26, 2008

Georgia Southern vs. UGA Game Time Finalized

Image: Georgiadogs.com
The GSU game will kickoff at 12:30 EST, and it will be televised via Pay Per View. No details on the PPV front yet. If I had my way, no games would kickoff before 2:00 pm. However, I understand that different segments of the fan base have different needs.

If I'm getting CMU, Alabama (night), Tennessee and Georgia Tech all at 3:30 or later, then I can roll with an earlier start for the GSU and potentially Vandy games.

BTW -- In case you missed it, GSU Coach Chris Hatcher "expects to beat Georgia." Bless his heart. Later in the season, he and Linus will wait through the night in an open field for The Great Pumpkin. Both weekends will end in disappointment for him.

PWD

ESPN's Mark Schlabach Projects UGA Football as....

Schlabach has been wavering this offseason back and forth on where to put the Bulldogs in that 1-3 range. Right now, he has us back into the National Title game in Miami vs. the Ohio State Suckeyes. All told, he projects 10 SEC teams bowling (Image: Hipple):

Bowl	Teams
Title Game	Georgia vs. Ohio State
Sugar	Auburn vs. Texas Tech
Capital One	Florida vs. Illinois
Outback	Tennessee vs. Penn State
Cotton	LSU vs. Texas
Chick-Fil-A	Alabama vs. Virginia Tech
Music City	South Carolina vs. Miami
Liberty	Ole Miss vs. Houston
Independence	Mississippi State vs. Ok State
PajaJohns.com*	Kentucky vs. Rutgers

I agree with his SEC projections with some exceptions. I'm skeptical that we make the national title game given the schedule. So I'd see it more along the lines of Georgia in the Sugar, Florida in the Orange Bowl and Auburn in the Capital One Bowl.

Separately, I think that for the SEC to have 10 bowl eligible teams that Bobby Petrino will be in for another painful year. For both MSU and Ole Miss to go bowling, the Razorbacks will need to drop games to both squads.

But otherwise, I like those SEC picks. Not too unreasonable.

Other Projection Observations:

Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl -- No damn way. I don't see seven wins on that schedule, and you don't make the Gator with 7 wins.
Texas Tech in the BCS -- I don't see it. I see them finishing 3rd in the Big 12 South.
Georgia Tech -- Schlabach has the Yellow Jackets sitting at home this year. That would end one of the longer consecutive bowl steaks in the nation. There's no way Gailey lets that streak end with this talent.
BYU -- The Cougars are the trendy pick for the BCS at-large spot this year. I could see them making that sort of ranking, and the Fiesta would love to have them. I just hope they fall on their face before that.

What sticks out in your mind from his list?

PWD

*I must've been asleep at the wheel or maybe I forgot. But I didn't realize that the SEC had joined up with the Big East in the PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham.

June 25, 2008

Of Murphy's Law and John Wallace

Over the past two games we saw a case study in Murphy's Law. Everything that could go wrong did. This season the Bulldogs made their living with strong middle relief, a lights out closer, deadly bats, timely small ball, strong defense and our morale was high.

Over the past two games we saw everything that carried us fail us (except Fields). The middle relief imploded on Tuesday. The bats went ice cold tonight. Our best defensive outfielder watched a pop fly hit the ground. Our All-American speedy shortstop got pinched stealing two more times. Our formerly white hot hitting right fielder continued his slump into the Omaha Abyss, and our noisy dugout went quiet.

We didn't lose because of one thing. We lost because of everything.

Not a Fluke
Mainly, we lost because Fresno State played lights out. In retrospect all of this Cinderella talk was garbage. They were the team that was ranked in the preseason Top 25 in several polls. Not Georgia. They weren't a fluky team.

You don't win 11 games in the playoffs against some of the best teams in baseball by being a fluke. They were a good team that made every play they had to make, and they got every break necessary to win on college baseball's biggest stage.

Congrats to Fresno State. They earned it the hard way with an outrageously difficult run through the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

Disappointment
This is as disappointing and painful of a Georgia loss as I've experienced (outside of football) since the crushing John Wallace three pointer in the 1996 Sweet Sixteen game against Syracuse with 2.8 seconds remaining.

Steve Detwiler now stands alongside of Wallace, Peyton Manning, Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, Kent Hrbek and Phil Fulmer in my all-time Mount Rushmore of Hate and Contempt.

Going Forward
Coach Perno is now one of the most successful active coaches in the Southeastern Conference. His record over the past six years is untouchable, and the program is clearly moving in the right direction. Next year will be another odd numbered dip, but I expect the following year to return us to the NCAA Tournament and beyond.

If I'm Damon Evans, I make Coach Perno one of the highest paid coaches in the SEC, and I start addressing our facilities. We've got the coach that can take us to Omaha with regularity. Once you get here on a regular basis, it becomes easier to figure out how to close the deal.

Good season. Just not the last two games.

PWD

Georgia vs. Central Michigan Kickoff Time Announced

Image: Georgiadogs.com
According to the Athens Banner Herald:

FSN South will air the Sept. 6 home game against Central Michigan at 3:30 p.m, FSN South spokesperson Shannon Alderman said. The game will be shown in high definition.

Home Game Start Times for 2008:

If you're serious about tailgating, this is about as good as it gets. If the GSU game doesn't get picked up by FSN, I think it moves to pay-per-view with a 1:00 pm kickoff.

See Also:
-- Details on Coverage - georgiadogs.com

PWD

About Last Night ...

Here's where to put last night's game ...

Watch it go round before it goes down. Erase it. It was as bad as we can possibly play. Frankly, we were due for a terrible pitching performance. I just didn't expect it in the biggest game of the year. I don't want to hear about the ump's strike zone or Cerione's called strike three or pulling Nick earlier. We got whupped, bad. It was a total team effort. Just take it and move on.

Fresno sucked it up when their backs were against the wall and their pitchers were spent. Now it's our turn. A national title is on the line tonight at 7:00 PM.

Quinton

June 24, 2008

Wallpaper from Saturday's Win over Stanford

I took these after the game. Click to enlarge. They are a bit blurry at the larger size, and I'm clearly no Jim Hipple. But I think they turned out ok.

PWD

Keep Your Eyes on the Doppler

The weather looks dicey tonight. There's a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms from 2pm - 11 pm CDT. The weather also looks sketchy tomorrow night where the chance of thunder storms is 40-50 percent. (ht - Kit Kitchens)

Accuweather paints an even bleaker picture. They list a 76% chance of rain fall from 1-4 pm CDT. And a 50% chance during the game hours. Personally, I'm expecting a weather delay at some point, but not a postponement.

Fresno State's pitchers need a rain out in the worst way imaginable. Here's hoping for clear skies (til 10 pm local time).

PWD

Friday Night's CWS Streaker

As you probably heard by now there was quite the streaking incident during Friday night's UNC vs. LSU game in Omaha. With the game tied in the 8th inning, twenty-one-year-old Jedidian Potter became the first CWS streaker since 1974.

The kid jumped the wall just to the left of Quinton and I and made a break for center field. When he arrived at his desired location, he struck a hysterical pose of what we referred to as "The Thinker." Quinton has the photo to the right.

Immediately upon standing up after his pose, a member of the Rosenblatt Grounds Crew executed a perfect form tackle that both Thomas Davis and Terry Tate would be proud of.

Mr. Potter rode The Pain Train straight to the Omaha Prison. Video footage of the tackle is below.

Triple T would be Proud

PWD

WOW

Cinderella was so close to getting the prince. After all looked lost, at the darkest time Georgia had seen in Omaha this year, the Dawgs seemed to will their way back. Down three runs with six more outs to play in a game where everything broke for Fresno, the Dawgs wouldn't quit.

Gordon Beckham hammered a ball to start the miracle rally in the bottom of the 8th and break the UGA season HR record and score Matt Olson. Cerione doubled over Tommy Mendonca, Fresno's brick wall of a third baseman, to tie it up at 6. Then Joey Lewis hit a ball off second base to put the Dawgs up and cue Joshua Fields. The national closer of the year slammed the door shut, 1-2-3. 7-6 Georgia. It was an inspiring performance by a team that looked done for when the rally started.

(Image: Online Athens)

The game started completely differently. Georgia, rested and ready, looked like the team that had played two games over the weekend. It wasn't that we played bad necessarily, but we gave up runs at all the wrong times. Alex McCree, unhittable in prior relief duty, looked arm weary in the 8th, giving up an RBI double and a towering home run that Matt Cerione took about one step toward before admiring its arc.

Starter Trevor Holder would look like an ace until a Californian would hit one deep into the stands. Our pitchers just gave up big hits in crucial situations. Fresno had six earned runs on only seven hits. All our hitters could do was hit ground balls to Fresno infielders who gobbled them up. It didn't matter that Fresno's pitchers had huge ERAs. They looked loose and ready while we looked frustrated and befuddled.

But down three, we woke up and stole a game. Beckham hadn't been overpowering in the CWS. He was solid, but his star was dim when compared to the other first rounders in Omaha. Maybe he was just saving it for the right moment. It arrived last night. Not only did he get a dramatic home run that led Georgia back from the dead, but he pulled off a slick double play on a line drive that erased a man in scoring position in the top of the 8th. The next batter homered.

Only one more victory stands between Georgia and their second national championship.

See Also (updated):

Fresno Falls Flat

Add Perno to the list

Fields Back to Basics

Georgia Wins

Lewis Knows his Role

Perfect time to break out of a slump

Fresno Took Aim at Holder

Another Late Rally

Dawgs need big outing from Montgomery in Game 2

Georgia Beats Fresno State

One More!

Beckham's Blast Makes him Top Dawg

Holder Gets it Done

Poythress Makes Pitchers Regret Moves

Quinton

June 23, 2008

Fresno State won't be Intimidated

I'd say the West Coast Dogs are pretty much past being awe struck by the moment or their opposition. Here's the teams Fresno State beat to get to the Finals.

(Ranking listed is Current RPI #):

Their non-conference opponents in the regular season of note were Long Beach, Cal, San Diego and a bad Indiana team.

We beat (by Comparison):

Our non-conference foes by comparison were Arizona, Oregon State, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Florida State.

I still think the Fresno pitching is mostly worn out for tonight's game, but Georgia shouldn't expect these guys to roll over and play dead. They certainly aren't going to be intimidated.

PWD

(All Stats from WarrenNolan.com)

College World Series Headlines

Pretty much the best case scenario has unfolded for Georgia so far. We went 3-0 through the early bracket, and were able to set up the pitching perfectly through each step of the process. In the finals, we're facing the lowest seeded team in Omaha with a pitching staff that is absolutely chewed to pieces after Saturday and Sunday's games.

I asked Warren Nolan (RPI Guru) to compare the Cinderella Story of Fresno State to a basketball tournament seeded situation. As you all know, the basketball tournament seeds teams 1-16 in four brackets whereas the baseball tournament seeds them 1-4 in 16 regions/brackets. Warren's response:

Fresno State had an RPI of 91 during the selection process. They won the WAC (#12 ranked conference)* regular season title and conference tournament. I would say they would have been the last 13-seed, but I could make a case for them being the 3rd 13-seed or the 1st or 14-seed.

In basketball terms, Fresno's run is much more improbable than what George Mason or Villanova did in their legendary runs. It would be like College of Charleston or Oral Roberts making the NCAA Finals against a #2 seeded team.

We're sending our ace tonight against the Fresno State Bulldogs. The game starts at 7:00 pm on ESPN2.

See Also:

Year of the Dawgs

Relievers Send UGA to Finals

Final Push

Bulldog Destiny?

Scouting Fresno State

Cinderella Story

Rest of the Headlines

Recap of Omaha later.

PWD

*His site shows the WAC as the #13 ranked conference. However, that's reflective of the most recent games.

ABH on the Arizona State Road Trip

The Athens Banner Herald talks about the logistical complications of getting to the UGA vs. Arizona State Game. Like I've said before, tickets and hotels are the easy part. The tricky part is getting a flight back on Sunday.

PWD

June 22, 2008

Munson Mix: Willie Nelson Double

Two Munson Mixes today. The first is Willie Nelson's Whiskey River followed by Willie's Stay a Little Longer. Both are from the same late 70s live concert album. If you put them on a CD for game day listening, they have a natural segue from Whiskey River to Stay a Little Longer.

Download Song 1
Download Song 2

PWD

CWS Updates Tomorrow Night

Probably late. Internet is at best sketch at the Doubletree. We've got great photos, quotes and observations about the weekend.

I can sum up this way...even if Georgia isn't in the College World Series, you should consider coming out here at some point. This is a really special event, and it's handled in a first class fashion by the Omaha community.

More later. Pull for extra innings Sunday in the Fresno State vs. UNC game. Many, many, many extra innings.

PWD

June 20, 2008

Greatest Bulldog Moments

Uploaded by johnsobasky.

PWD

June 19, 2008

Damn

LSU vs. UNC postponed due to rain. They'll play tomorrow at 7 pm EDT. Georgia vs. Stanford pushed back to Saturday at 2:00 pm. Per the NCAA:

IMPORTANT SCHEDULE CHANGE

Game 10 (North Carolina vs LSU) has been postponed due to weather and will be played Friday night at 6pm. It will restart where it left off. There will now only be ONE game on Friday.

Games 11 and 12 have been moved to Saturday at 2pm and 7pm. (EDT)

If games 13 or 14 are necessary, they will be played on Sunday.

The main event Mon-Wed won't be moved...barring more weather problems.

The entire thing is a giant, hot turd on my plans in Omaha. Damn you Jim Cantore!

Update: On the bright side...the last time mother nature intervened in a major tournament in a game directly before the Dawgs next game...it turned out ok. If only this meant that we got to play the CWS Title game at Tech.

PWD

Long Lost Redcoat Band Theme Update

I unleash my inner high school band nerd when I tell you this is pretty cool. A few weeks ago the Athens Banner Herald wrote an exceptional article about a former Redcoat Band member named Lloyd Winstead who found an ultra rare copy of the sheet music to the original, long lost Georgia Band theme...circa 1908.

(Image: David Manning / Athens Banner-Herald)

The song is titled "The Red and Black March." The ABH article details the history of the rare find, and mentions that it's likely that no living person has ever heard the song.

Well Martha Thomas has changed that. You can now hear it played on piano via the UGA Office of Public Affairs web site. This is an incredible find by ToonDawg.

After hearing it a few times, I can imagine the tune with a more modern, shorter arrangement and tons of brass. On the piano in its original arrangement, it's obviously a dated piece from the turn of the century. But it could really be something if it were modernized by the Redcoats.

Regardless of the song's future, I give tremendous credit to the Office of Public Affairs (UGA Broadcast / Video / Photography) and Ms. Thomas for putting this together so quickly and making it available to us. I'm sure it was a thrill for her to play it.

PWD

We're Omaha Bound

Assuming we make our connecting flights, Quinton McDawg and I are headed to Omaha for Friday and (if necessary) Saturday's College World Series Games. Yesterday, we fluked into flights from ATL on Delta for 25,000 Sky Miles.

I was shocked to pull a deal like that. On Monday, there were still SkyMiles deals available for Monday - Wednesday championship games for 37,500 miles each, but we couldn't make those days work.

Flying direct to Omaha from just about anywhere in the Southeast is pretty expensive without some reward travel assistance. Some options to consider

Connecting through Chicago
Connecting through Memphis
Departing from Birmingham on Southwest

As I understand it, obtaining tickets to the actual games is the easy part. The tough part is the airfare. There are quality hotel rooms for up to 4 people in Hilton properties near the stadium for around $180/night. There are other 3 star places available for around $75-100 / night that aren't too far away.

I hope you can make it up. If not, I hope you can sneak out of work on Friday at 2:00 pm to see the Dawgs take on Stanford.

PWD

DawgBone.net Old School Pic

DawgBone.net is a great place to start your Bulldog web surfing. Check out their old school pics index for other gems. This particular shot is from a 1970s Cocktail Party.

PWD

Tech Throws Mississippi State Into the Briar Patch

Croom at work (Image: BulldogBlitz.com)
Georgia Tech is apparently planning a White Out for their home game against Mississippi State. Given the variety of uniform combinations at Tech's disposal, it's not shocking that they would eventually land on an all-white ensemble. I'm guessing they go white pants, white jerseys and gold helmets.

With the myriad of gold, old gold, yellow, vegas gold, cheddar, urine, navy, blue, black and white rainbow of suck their fans generally bring to the game, settling on a white out will give them the opportunity to match for once. However, they picked one helluva weekend for a White Out.

Tech could be limping into the Mississippi State game at 1-2 following road games against Boston College and Virginia Tech. It's going to take a lot more than free cokes, free hot dogs and white t-shirts to get Tech fans to come watch a losing product play a non-rival SEC West team.

Conversely, MSU should be 2-1 with some nice post-bowl momentum. State fans are desperate for prosperity of any kind, and their record showing at the Liberty Bowl is evidence of that.

Imagine the shock of the Tech fans as they enter Bobby Dodd Stadium only to find:

They think Bulldog fans who bark are obnoxious? Wait til they get a load of the ones that have cow bells. Tech will be facing Bulldogs, wearing their favorite shade of Red, making more noise than they are in their own stadium. I expect their team to just roll over and play dead in the fourth quarter out of Bulldog induced habit.

If Tech had worn their gold unis, the MSU team would've worn their all whites. A color the MSU fans are much less passionate about. Throwing MSU into a White Out environment where they get to wear Maroon is like throwing Briar Rabbit into the briar patch.

Originally, I said that beating this brand of Bulldogs was not the methadone they crave. Looking at the divergent paths of the two programs, I think this is a game that will only make Tech matters worse.

More Cow Bell indeed.

PWD

June 18, 2008

Travel Tips for Georgia vs. Arizona State

Yahoo Sports did an interview with the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau. The article mentions places to stay, golf and booze it up in the area. It's a good read.

As an update, you can still get tickets from Arizona State for the Georgia game. However, it requires buying a season ticket package (starting at $99.00). I've gotten quite a bit of feedback that ASU attempts to screen for UGA fans, and tells them that they aren't selling any more $99.00 season ticket packages. I seriously doubt this is true based on other info I've been sent.

The rumor is...ASU wants us to start buying the $149.00 package. When the UGA cut-off scores for road games get announced in the next few days/weeks, we'll see how ASU responds to the inbound calls. Up til now, I'd wager that UGA calls have only trickled in.

Personally, I think that it's a petty move on ASU's part to try and muscle us into more expensive seats because Stubhub has the UGA vs. Arizona State game ticket starting at roughly the same price ($84-110 is pretty common last I looked) vs. the broader season ticket from ASU. They could end up leaving money on the table as we meet our ticket demand in the after market vs. ordering packages from them.

Note: I emailed the Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau to do a similar piece as the YahooSports article months ago. I also tried working with the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Mesa guy was very helpful in putting together some info around casinos, hotels and restaurants. I'll post that as we get a little closer to game time.

I was actually trying to work out a deal in Mesa for bulk hotel room discounts, but that hasn't really gone anywhere. I get the impression that business is brisk enough that they don't need the discounts. Oh well.

See Also:
-- Arizona State Game/Weekend Coverage - GSB

PWD

Interview with 1990 CWS Star Michael Rebhan (Part 2)

What will it take for this team?
PWD Intro: Tonight, I spent about 30 minutes talking Bulldog Baseball with Michael Rebhan. Rebhan was a starting pitcher for the 1990 Georgia Bulldog College World Series Champs. Rebhan was named Most Outstanding Player of the CWS after beating the Stanford Cardinal and Mike Mussina twice. Those two wins helped power Georgia into the finals vs. Oklahoma State. I asked him about the 1990 team and the latest edition of the Bulldogs. Below is Part 2 of the interview. You can find Part 1 here.

PWD: What does it take to win a national title?
MR: It takes a ton of hard work, great chemistry, great coaching, great leadership and some lucky breaks.

PWD: What does this team need to do to win a title?
MR: They need to keep doing exactly what they are doing now. Keep pitching, playing defense, clutch hitting and keep leading. I felt great about this team when they got to Omaha, and I feel great now.

As long as they stay hungry, they’ll be fine. That’s exactly what I see from them. They are hungry. No matter the score or how late it is. They keep fighting. I think they have what it takes to go down to the wire and win a second title.

PWD: Did you go pro after college?
MR: After the Stanford game, I was approached by the Dodgers, Braves and Pirates. They were interested in signing me as a free agent, and the Dodgers pursued me the hardest. They wanted me to fly down to Vero Beach almost immediately for their instructional league, and then ship me out to Iowa to their Double A team.

It had been such a long season, that I couldn't even fathom playing for several more months. Dave Fleming and I had pitched so many innings that it had really taken a toll on me. At that point, I realized that I wasn't playing for the love of the game anymore.

I had accomplished what made me happy, and I was ok with walking away at that point. Plus, I was married with two kids, and it was time to take care of my family. The thought of touring around on buses in the minor leagues didn't appeal to me the way that it did when I was younger.

I can say with full confidence that if I had to do it all over again, I'd choose the same thing.

PWD: How much bigger is college baseball now?
MR: I’ve had a number of discussions with different people about that topic. Just on a technical basis the game has advanced light years compared to 20 years ago.

For instance, back then we didn't know much about the arm of pitchers. We didn't want them to lift weights. We mainly wanted pitchers to work on stretching and flexibility. Hitters were focused on hand eye coordination over strength. It’s all very different now.

There are so many more professionals teaching the game, and so much more competition. When I was in junior high and high school, there weren't many places where you could play year round…even in Florida. Now, you can't afford not to play year round if you're looking at baseball to be your [primary] sport.

The coaching has also advanced light years. That has been crucial to the advancement of the game. Amazingly, this is happening while scholarships are being removed from collegiate baseball.

PWD: In the ESPN era where College Baseball is so much bigger, do you wonder what the reaction would’ve been if you had a CWS performance like that today?
MR: Those in the know understand what I did. Folks will sometimes come up to me when I'm in Athens for football or baseball games and say, “Are you Mike Rebhan?” Then they’ll shake my hand and thank me. I get those moments at times. I think the Bulldog Nation – with the way we’ve started winning since 2000 – has no doubt recruited more fans for baseball.

I couldn’t have asked for more.

PWD: What do you think about the job Coach Perno is doing?
MR: I think Perno is doing a phenomenal job. When you look at the way he got the job, we asked 3-4 people. Finally with Ron Polk's suggestion, Vince Dooley gave him the shot.

Some people look back at the records and say "What's the deal with success only every other year?" I’m not going to say that every year success is impossible. But look around at the top teams. We’re one of the very few teams that have been to the College World Series three times in the past six years. Even Oregon State, who won twice in a row, didn’t make it back this year. It’s a tough job. It takes a ton of hard work and great recruiting to win in this conference, and I think he has done a phenomenal job.

I really hope that Damon Evans gives Perno what he needs to be successful.

PWD: So what you been up to since you left college?
MR: I've been with Symantec for 11 years through various acquisitions. I’m in the Data Storage division located in Heathrow, Fla. I'm doing great.

PWD: We’d like to thank Michael for his time. He was very gracious to help us out with the interview, and we wish him and his family the best.

You can find Part 1 here.

Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

(Note: If I botched the spelling of any 1990 team member names, that’s my fault. Not Mike’s.)

Interview with 1990 CWS Star Michael Rebhan (Part 1)

PWD Intro: Tonight, I spent about 30 minutes talking Bulldog Baseball with Michael Rebhan. Rebhan was a starting pitcher for the 1990 Georgia Bulldog College World Series Champs. Rebhan was named Most Outstanding Player of the CWS after beating the Stanford Cardinal and Mike Mussina twice. Those two wins helped power Georgia into the finals vs. Oklahoma State. I asked him about the 1990 team and the latest edition of the Bulldogs. Below is Part 1 of the interview. Part 2 is here.

(Video Above: Michael Rebhan vs. Stanford in the 1990 College World Series. It's the final inning of the semi final game.)

PWD: In 1990, were you guys expected to make a big run?
MR: The 1990 pre-season polls ranked Georgia 15th or 16th. In '89 we had a decent season. We were the #6 seed in the SEC tourney, and the team made it to the tournament finals versus Auburn. Unfortunately, Auburn had Frank Thomas, and they beat us 2-1 in the championship game. We weren’t good enough for an at-large bid, but we had almost everyone coming back so we felt really good about our chances in 1990.

PWD: What made the 1990 team special?
MR: Looking back, that team had great leadership. We had a number of players from the 1987 College World Series team, and we added some key freshman.

We had such high expectations, but we got off to a disappointing 2-3 start. Shortly after that, we had a 14 game winning streak. During the streak, we proved that we belonged and could win. Throughout the season, we had dramatic come from behind wins. Much like this [2008] team, we had several guys step up in the clutch. It wasn’t always the same guy [producing], and that’s part of what helped us become such a tight knit team.

The biggest key to our run was leadership. It’s also the key to this season’s run.

PWD: What role did Dave Perno play on that 1990 team?
MR: He was one of our utility players. He shared time with Joey Alphonso at second base. Dave was a better hitter, but Joey had a better glove. Coach Webber emphasized pitching and defense over hitting so Dave played less than Joey.

PWD: What do you remember about Perno’s game / style?
MR: He was an extremely hard worker. He was always diving for balls left and right. Perno was a hard nosed, tough guy who was always in the dirt. I see that toughness today in his teams. I see it in guys like Lyle Allen and Matt Ceronie diving against walls for balls. It’s impressive to see the team reflect his character.

PWD: What was it like to pitch against Mussina? Was he a big star even then?
MR: I pitched against him both games, and he was a huge star. Back then – I think – the draft was during the College World Series. I don’t think he was drafted when we played him the first game, but he had definitely been drafted by the second game. He had all the hype and spotlight which was fine by me.

PWD: Did Mussina’s draft position motivate you in the second game?
MR: What motivated me was winning the first game. Besides, I wasn’t pitching against Mike Mussina. I was pitching against the Stanford hitters. Granted, they were the #1 hitting team in the nation, too. But I was more focused on them than pitching against Mussina.

I've always been a competitive person, and I never go in thinking that I’m going to lose.

PWD: What do you think about the 2008 team?
MR: Leadership is without a doubt the key to this run. Last year, they were disappointed with the way things turned out, and I think it motivated them. This year everything fell into place perfectly.

This is the strongest pitching team that we’ve ever sent to Omaha. Even when [the 1990 team] went, we only had three guys. This team has four starters, three strong guys out of the bull pen, and then Fields pitches the ninth inning. That’s incredible depth.

PWD: I'll post Part 2 of the interview shortly. In the second half of the piece, he talks about what it takes to win a title, the job Coach Perno is doing and the changes in college baseball today.

Part 2 is here.

PWD

June 17, 2008

Your Moment of Bulldog Zen

It's not enough that prosperity has been heaped upon the Georgia Athletic programs. It's also important to remember that Tech fans have been forced to watch us bask in the glow of our awesomeness. Daily. With that in mind, I present you with...

When Reality Strikes the Hive

ht - Quinton

PWD

UGA on the Travel Channel Tonight

The Travel Channel has a new show called, "Lawrence of America." The University of Georgia campus, football team and cheerleaders will be featured tonight. The Travel Channel PR person said the show is quite funny. We'll see. I think it looks kinda hokey. But it's Dawg related, and they emailed me. So what the hell...I'll dvr it.

The show will air on Tuesday, June 17th at 11pm EST.

Lawrence will also be posting about the experience right after the show on his blog. Basically, the show looks like it's about a Brit experiencing American Culture. If they got Jeff from BBC's "Coupling" to do the tour, I think it would be infinitely better. Sadly, I'm guessing that none of my readers are going to get that comment.

PWD

Just Enough

Image: Georgiadogs.com
After last night's 4-3 triumph, the Diamond Dawgs are three wins from the national championship. Take a deep breath and repeat. The Diamond Dawgs are three wins from the national championship.

It wasn't without some bitten fingernails. Stanford battled their guts out and looked like they had the game until the Dawgs finally got a clutch hit from Matt Cerione in the 7th.

To begin with, Stanford's superstar, Jason Castro, looked like he could have started for the Yankees. He hit a ball off Nick Montgomery that landed in Iowa. Then Castro was cutting down our baserunners like they were little kids trying to steal on Benito Santiago. Peisel and Thoms looked like they broke from first running barefoot in molasses and Castro threw them out by six feet.

Nick Montgomery, other than two balls that got crushed in the 3rd, pitched well. Stanford starter Jeffrey Inman just pitched better, stranding Dawgs at every turn. Even when Stanford got in serious trouble in the 6th, Austin Yount won an epic AB by striking out Lyle Allen and got Thoms to line out, both with the bases loaded. But the game turned in the bottom of the 7th. Yount seemed sure to escape another jam after Massanari missed a home run by two centimeters in front of the right field fair pole. Then Matt Cerione got the key hit to center with the bases loaded, scoring two and putting the Dogs up 4-3. It was the only time that Stanford looked rattled and the Dawgs looked excited. The game ball goes to the bullpen. Stephen Dodson, Alex McRee, and Joshua Fields looked great in relief. Fields was a tad wild, but he got it done, again. The 'pen gave up one hit over seven innings.

So now we get to relax for a few days. Enjoy it Dawgs. Go eat a steak. Go to the zoo. Learn all the lyrics to O.A.R.'s "This Town." Discuss if it holds a candle to Todd Thibaud's "Back Home in Omaha." (It doesn't, but ESPN will still play it at every commercial break.) The Dawgs will play the winner of the Miami vs. Stanford game Friday.

Two other notes. The more shots of Lauren Massanari, the better. I know only two things about hot girls: they love guys who can play guitar and they love baseball players. If I have a son, I'm putting a guitar and a baseball glove in his crib. He'll thank me when he's in college. Speaking of hot girls, can we go ahead and sign Stephen Dodson and Katie Heenan's kids to a letter of intent preemptively? I don't care what sport they play, just sign them in utero.

Quinton

June 16, 2008

Bullldogs Face Stanford at 7:00 PM on ESPN2

The next step in the chase for a College World Series title involves a match-up with Stanford at 7:00 PM. Georgia will start Nick Montgomery.

Nick's story will probably get a lot of play during tonight's telecast from the ESPN2 crew. He has overcome blood clots and Tommy John surgery to deliver a couple of monster starts for Georgia this season.

He was the starting pitcher vs. Georgia Tech in the Turner Field game, and he overwhelmed the Yellow Jackets in the NCAA regionals throwing a complete game four hit shutout. In the Super Regional vs. NC State, he again pitched a solid game for UGA to advance to Omaha. The team is supremely confident in him right now.

Preview Articles:

Expect No Letdown - The AJC discusses the team's attitude heading into Monday's night's game.
Last Minute Look at Stanford - Kyle King does a quick study of The Cardinal.
Deepest Lineup in Omaha - Baseball America says Stanford has talent to burn at every area except starting pitching. Their top two guys are all-stars, but the rest of the staff is shaky.
Stanford's Other Slugger - The attention will be on Jason Castro (no...not the stoner from American Idol), but Sean Ratliff is the real deal. He's hit 21 homers and 69 RBI.
Montgomery won't just watch - Per the ABH: "Everyone has a lot of confidence in him pitching," senior outfielder Matt Olson said. "The last two or three starts, he's been outstanding. Hopefully, he'll continue to throw a lot of strikes and get a lot of people out."
Fairy Tale Ending - The ABH notebook mentions that Ryan Peisel's big night on Saturday was part of his birthday celebration.

A win vs. Stanford lets the Bulldogs rest until Friday at 2:00 PM (EDT) on ESPN2. A loss forces us into an elimination game on Wednesday night against the winner of the Miami vs. FSU game.

See Also:

Kudzu Hill Gang on the Road - ABH
Enjoying Father's Day - Georgiadogs.com
Series safe in Omaha - KC Star
CWS Bracket - All Times Listed CDT

PWD

June 15, 2008

Fun Anti-ACC Baseball Stat of the Day

This season Georgia is ~~9-3~~ 9-4 vs. the ACC. The ACC brought 5 teams to the NCAA Tournament, and Georgia has already beaten and/or eliminated 3 of them. We still have a chance to knock out and/or beat the other 2 as well.

On the season

~~2-0~~

So we've got that going for us.

PWD

*I forgot Game 2 of the NCSU series.

Happy Father's Day

PWD

June 14, 2008

Dawgs Deliver 9th Inning Thriller

This season continues to be produced and directed by Jerry Bruckheimer. You want action? You want cliff hangers? You want an asteroid hurling towards the earth with only seconds separating ~~the planet~~ the team from total ~~annihilation~~ elimination? Then Coach Dave "Bruckheimer" Perno is the guy for you.

Facing a legitimate #1 team in the nation, the Bulldogs more than held their own. Georgia ~~hung a loss on~~ beat an undefeated starting pitcher, and they ended a 45-0 streak of Miami winning when holding the lead at the end of the 8th.

It's almost impossible to come from the loser's bracket after Game 1 to win the College World Series. Rather than fight that uphill battle, the Diamond Dawgs pinned their ears back, made timely hits, caught a few lucky breaks and delivered exceptional relief pitching.

The 9th inning four run comeback was the stuff of legend. With Josh Field's last pitch falling safely into our center fielder's glove, the Dawgs walked away winners 7-4 tonight. They will face Stanford on Monday night.

The Bulldogs are now as little as two games away from playing the "Bracket 2" winner for the national title. Video Highlights from ESPN.

See Also:

Tropical Depression. Dawgs Stop Hurricanes - ABH
Box Score - ESPN
Georgia Stuns Miami - AJC
UM Stunned by UGA - Miami Herald
AJC Photo Gallery
Georgia beats Miami - BaseballAmerica.com
Rally Stuns Canes - PalmBeachPost.com
Allen Comes Through in Clutch - ABH
Simple Plan Worked to Perfection - OmahaWorld
Dawgs 1-0 in CWS - DawgSports
Snapshots from the Game - Omaha.com
Perno Deserves Curtain Call - AJC
ESPN's CWS Main Page
Bulldogs Rally in 9th - ESPN

Related Merchandise:

PWD

Recap of the Mark Richt Camp

DawgPost has a video recap of the event. They gush with praise regarding Aaron Murray.

PWD

John Rauch Passed Last Week

I apologize for not doing a better job of covering / discussing his passing. Mr. Rauch was a towering legend at the University of Georgia. His athletic accomplishments in Athens and in the NFL reflected positively on his family, his teams and his university.

Consider for a minute the giants of football who's careers he impacted. From the AP story

Rauch became a four-year starting quarterback [for Georgia] from 1945-48 and was the first player in college football history to start four consecutive bowl games. He set the NCAA record with 4,044 career yards passing while leading Georgia to a 36-8-1 record and two Southeastern Conference championships.

Rauch was the second pick in the 1949 NFL draft, but the Detroit Lions traded Rauch to the New York Bulldogs for running back Doak Walker, the No. 3 pick from Southern Methodist. Rauch played four years before becoming an assistant coach at four schools, including Georgia from 1955-58.

Al Davis hired Rauch as an assistant coach in 1963. Rauch's promotion to head coach came three years later.

Rauch, who had John Madden and Bill Walsh as assistant coaches, led the Raiders to a 13-1 record in 1967 and a berth in the Super Bowl, where they lost to Green Bay. Rauch was named AFC coach of the year.

He led the Raiders to a 12-2 record in 1968 but tensions with Davis were the apparent reason he left to coach the Bills in 1969, O.J. Simpson's rookie season.

There were some massive names in those paragraphs. He will be missed.

See Also:

Rauch Passes

AP Story on his death

Former Raiders Coach Dies

Raiders First Super Bowl Coach Dies at 80

John Rauch

John Rauch Dies at 80

Johnny Rauch Passes Away

Official Statement from the Oakland Raiders

PWD

June 13, 2008

College World Series Headlines

Some quick headlines from late tonight and the past few days. I'll update the list again after I wake up tomorrow.

Georgia to hurry up and wait - ABH
Bullpen struggling in limited post-season action - ABH
Magill: Hard to Compare Teams - ABH
Peaking at the right time - AJC
Perno anticipates slower conditions - ABH
Omaha adds to banner year - ABH
Infielders making last run together - AJC

Georgia's Omaha Schedule (all times EST):

Sat.: Georgia (8) vs. Miami (1) - 7:00 pm (ESPN)
Sun.: IDLE
Mon.: if we lose to Miami we play at 2:00 pm (ESPN2)
Mon.: if we beat Miami we play at 7:00 pm (ESPN2)
Tues.: IDLE

After Tuesday, you need to be looking at a bracket (remember: times listed on official bracket are CST) to visualize it. Basically, if we win on Saturday and Monday, we don't have to play again until Friday, June 20th. That's the ideal as it gives you the maximum opportunity for rest.

PWD

Flights to Arizona State game FYI

Delta has moved several flights around over the past 2 months or so. If you've already booked, you might check your Itinerary to see it has changed.

PWD

June 12, 2008

Knowshon Moreno Rumors

Richt debunked the non-sense Moreno rumors floating around a few weeks ago while speaking at the Augusta Bulldog Club.

Richt shot down Internet rumors that coaches had sent home star tailback Knowshon Moreno last month. It was the first question posed to him by fans. "We did not send him home," Richt said. "I'm the only one in charge of being able to send anybody home and I didn't send him home. Knowshon is a wonderful guy and wonderful spirit.

Look guys...I'm no genius, but I know this. If Mark Richt were pissed at his franchise tailback, the LAST thing he would do is let him out of his sight. Stupidest load of bullshit rumor in a while.

(image: Hipple)

Every season some douche bag creates a rumor about a star player being in trouble. Every year it's false (except for the Paul Oliver story...one out of 100 ain't exactly a solid batting average).

All that said, Moreno did get into some "trouble" way back in October 2006 (his redshirt year) over a noise violation involving a minor celebration in his dorm room after the Ole Miss win. Apparently Moreno didn't make the trip with the team, and he was having a good time in his room ... well within the acceptable time frame for making noise.

Long story short, he was cited for the noise and the student judiciary forced him to write a 2 page paper on noise pollution as punishment. What follows is spiteful comedy of the highest order.

DawgSports Breaks the Story about the story
EDSBS responds (don't miss the comments)
DawgSports attempts to mock the entire thing
As does SMQ

I was sent the original Red and Black article a few days ago by their editorial adviser. I didn't take the time to read the hysterical Moreno retort / punishment paper PDF so I missed all of the comedy. I simply thought someone at the R&B had too much time on his hands and was nit picking an athlete. Opportunity missed on my part.

Next time, maybe they'll put the funny stuff in the article.

Related Merchandise:

PWD

Light posting until this evening

Real life calls.

June 11, 2008

Just because

As you were.

PWD

June 10, 2008

2008 Schedule T-Shirts for the Georgia Bulldogs


Georgia Bulldogs Red 2008 Schedule T-shirt	Georgia Bulldogs Ash 2008 Schedule T-shirt

The new t-shirts with the 2008 Georgia Bulldog football schedule on the back are finally available. Click on either the red or ash shirt to see a close-up of the design.

Thanks for supporting this site!

Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

Georgia Sports Blog FanShop

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