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May 13, 2009

Diamond Dawgs Overcome Tall Odds

We have real reason to be proud of the baseball team this morning. In beating Tech 7-5 last night at Turner Field, the team overcame tremendous odds to win in a hostile Turner Field. Sure the tickets were split evenly between the two schools and it is supposed to be a neutral site, but Turner Field is in Atlanta, the home of Georgia Tech. There may be a lot of UGA fans in Atlanta, but the team and many of our fans had to travel for the game a much further distance than Tech had to go. Some might even say the weather was against us because it is often warmer in Atlanta than in Athens.

Despite all these factors, not only did Coach Perno and the team win last night, but they have an amazing 6-1 record against Tech at Turner Field. Given that dominant record, I anticipate Tech to call for moving the game to another location soon.

See Also:
-- Why do Tech fans hate sick children - The Hive

Quinton

64 comments:

Trey said...

I see what you did there.

Anonymous said...

+ 1

Anonymous said...

Dripping with sarcasm - that's funny right there. Nice job!

Unknown said...

Well played Quinton!

HiAltDawg said...

LET'S GO! PERNO! Even Homer Simpson thinks Coach Perno makes tech look like "the suckiest sucks that ever sucked."

Anonymous said...

Perno for Football Coach!!

Anonymous said...

Very clever reference........

FisheriesDawg said...

Well-played, Q.

Anonymous said...

I know you weren't serious but any talk about getting any Diamond Dawgs games to the new Gwinnett Stadium? It doesn't even need to be tech.

Squarebush said...

Zing!

Keep 'em coming!

Anonymous said...

The stadium music-dude was very pro-tech as well. I have not been to this game in prior years, but it was like being in a visiting stadium. everytime Tech did something good the music went nuts. When UGA scored you could hear the crickets (do crickets survive in downtown Atlanta?)

Anonymous said...

You seem a bit cynical about Coach Richt's comments.

Here is an alternative take ... CMR road record is unbelievable (30-4) vs. 10-9 at neutral sites.

Perhaps all of this talk about Jax not being a neutral site is designed to get the players to think of the Cocktail Party as a road game at all times?

Hunkering Hank said...

Everybody except anon at 12:02 got it.

Unknown said...

Anon - it's not a psyche job...at least not to our advantage anyway. He simply doesn't want to play games there because he doesn't like losing.

And in his mind the two things are related. Which there's nothing about the game that would suggest that there is anything related.

Not when we won 17 of 25 down there in the past.

He's awesome on the road, but he says it's a road game and not a neutral site. And therefore a disadvantage. Huh? That's such a WTF that it's mind boggling.

Then he says, "they are closer than we are." Well, take 3 planes and fly out of Ben Epps. That would make it a 1.5 hour flight for us and a 1.5 hour bus ride for them. We tried that for Baton Rouge and it worked great. Problem solved.


His entire argument is ridiculous.

Hire better assistants.
Recruit better players.
Work harder.
Win the game.

That's what UF did to flip the series, and it's what they are doing now. We could play them in Seattle and it wouldn't make a difference until we stop wetting the bed when we see that script lettering on the helmet.

Anonymous said...

Hunkerin Hank. Anon at 12:02 is right about the music. When Tech started to rally in the 7th, they played their stupid little pre-football game song where they all jump up and down like a bunch of retarted munchkins and chant Ohhh ohh ohhh ohh. When UGA started to get something going...nothing...
Not that it bothered me, but it was a good obsevation.

BTW well played Qninton.

Anonymous said...

Paul.. I guess you aren't remembering Coach Spurriers comments on the game being held in a "neutral site". If not I can link them for you, they are over on a thread on Dawg Post somewhere. Even the ole ball coach says the Gators have an advantage, so I tend to agree with the coaches who have actually played and coached in this game.

I tell you whats mind boggling, people like you who claim to know a lot about the Dawgs ranting about the way it used to be, you know, back when the Gators sucked so bad when we owned them. You remember what the greatest coach who ever lived said don't you? The Bear said when they get them a coach down there there are gonna be unbeatable. Look it up.

The series has turned and doesn't look to be lopsided our way possibly ever again so I think our CMR is looking for anything to even the playing field.

Once again Paul, Dooley owned the Gators because they sucked. Not true anymore. From 1971 to Dooleys last year in 1989 we were 15-4 and the Gators average record during that time was W- 6.68 L-4.57 and they had 5 ties in those 19 years.

And I am sure you don't need me to look up their averages from 1990 through last year do you? But just in case you need to know, they average 9.94 wins for those 19 years.

We need to get back to playing them even and I will be happy. We are close, but CMR thinks we need to even the playing field more and that should be good enough for everybody who loves the Red and Black.

sUGArdaddy said...

Honestly, I've come to the point that I could care less where the game is played. I'll be in Jax, Gainesville, Athens, or Seattle (as PWD states). But I'm amazed at how many people who think they know what's better for Georgia Football than Mark Richt. The dude's won 82 games in 8 years, 2 SEC titles and goes to to New Year's Day games like it's our birthrite. I think he's earned it.

He's not perfect. However, if we think that he hasn't taken a considerable amount of time to think about this issue and what's best for our boys, then we're on another planet.

PWD, 17 or 25 happened when they had clowns for coaches and played Auburn 7 days before they played us. Check out our record against Auburn (whom we played 7 days later) during that same time span. They stopped doing that in 1992. I love the tradition and have been at every WLOCP since it moved back in '96, but the reality is beginning to set in on me that we NEVER play our biggest game of the season in Athens.

Florida has better players and coaches than LSU, but the Bayou Bengals have their number in Baton Rouge. We NEVER get that luxury. Notre Dame travels to SC in late November, but SC won't go to South Bend in November because of the cold weather. So every other year they play in October. Nobody calls them chicken.

It's just not as simple as "get better." I just can't understand why everyone gets so peeved at Richt for wanting to do something about it. If you think that 2-6 record against Fla. doesn't get under his skin, then, well...you just don't get Mark Richt.

the tri guy said...

Careful sUGArdaddy, you're dangerously close to making too much sense. That's grounds for stoning when talking about the WLOCP.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Bear Bryant meant "Once they get a coach down there the Gators are going to unbeatable in Jacksonville." Or, did he mean, "Once the Gators get a coach down there, they are going to be unbeatable." Seems to me, since they play one game a year in Jacksonville, he probably meant the latter.

Just another weak excuse.

Unknown said...

My point is simple.

We lose to UF because they have better coaches and players.

We do not lose to UF because the game is in Jacksonville.

When we beat UF under Dooley, it was because we had better coaches and players.

What about that can be argued?

How would playing the game in Athens give us better coaches or better players?

That's all I'm asking.

Fix what is broken. Not what isn't broken.

Anonymous said...

People like Quinton and Paul are a dying breed unfortunately for their side of the fence (the aging bulldog crowd). The glory days of taking a nice weekend vacation to Florida and winning constantly are over. This game is a completely different animal now and isn't even remotely similar to what it used to be, and the sooner you realize that the sooner you can stop venting about it.

Each side are generally finely tuned machines that roll into Jax, and any little advantage can have gigantic repercussions. Prior to Florida being a viable football threat, it wasn't a big deal.. But now that they are unmistakably a powerhouse, and have been beating our ass for a while... it needs to be examined with a rational mind rather than calling us "weak" or "losers." To constantly lose and never quit isn't necessarily a good thing gentlemen.

sUGArdaddy said...

I'm sure there were Auburn fans thinking the same thing in the 80s. "We just need to get better than Bama." The whole point is that sometimes the better team doesn't win. Sometimes a stadium makes a difference. Sometimes coaches are more focused in a rival atmosphere. Heck, I don't know the answers, but if CMR thinks moving it will help us win, I'm all for it.

I, for one, would like to see a 3 year rotation. We'd get a home game every 3rd year and we'd still get to be in Jax every 3rd year.

It's just not as simple as get better. What better players do you want us to get? Gosh, if we just had the #1 overall draft pick on our team and the first RB taken in the draft. What better coach are we supposed to get? Knute Rockne? We used to beat them because we had better coaching and better players. We're not ever again going to have that advantage. We will have equal coaching and players. Maybe a better player here and there. Maybe better coaching strategies here and there. They have a great coach and great players and always will, from now on. We can match that, and pretty much have, but any advantages could, over the long haul, make a difference.

Here's what I know. We take a 90-minute bus ride to Hartsfield and a flight down to Jax. They take an 80 minute bus ride to Jax. If I play you in ping pong 25 straight times and we're on the same talent level and I keep the UGA schedule and you keep the UF schedule to get out our games, the travel is going to eventually tell a story over time. But I don't care about the travel. I do care that we never look on that schedule and say, "Yeah, but at least we've got Florida in Athens this year." That moment we had against Auburn in '07...we never get to have with Florida.

Jacob said...

Hey guys lets give Coach Richt a break here. He is just making a case for what he feels is in the best interest of Georgia.

Anonymous said...

Paul, you just stated what I was trying to point out to you from an earlier post of yours.
Heres your 1st statement..

Not when we won 17 of 25 down there in the past.

I was simply pointing out the same and then you come back with exactly my point. We were better than them back them..not so much anymore. Our recruiting over the last 10 years is better according to Scout. Are we not coaching them.

Look I agree with the work harder and win thing..duh, but you act like CMR isn't working them and he doesn't want to win worse than anything. SUGARDADDY made some great points up in his post but most die hards just say work harder and win.

I will say this one more time..we are as close to a level playing field as you can get when it comes to overall programs(except for the 2 MNC in 4 years)we need to examine every possible angle to get an advantage. I agree with another post I read..ask LSU if they would like to play every year against Bama in Birmingham or if UT wants to play Fla every year in Jacksonville. They would laugh at the notion, but you you all act like its crazy for the best coach we ever had asking for the game to be moved.

All most of you care about is going on vacation and partying for 3 or 4 days like that is more important than a football game. Grow up.

FisheriesDawg said...

Two points:

1) This year, Tech was the home team at Turner Field. They got to play their own music. Next year, we'll be the home team and get to play ours.

2) Was Vince Dooley's 1985 team 21 points better than Galen Hall's 1985 team that came in undefeated and finished "first in the SEC?"

Yeah, we were typically better than UF back then, but it wasn't completely a talent thing. We were in their heads. Talk to a UF fan that was around back then (they're hard to find, I know, but I promise you they actually exist and are a lot easier to be around than most of their fans) and they'll say the exact same things we say now about that game.

Unknown said...

You said,

"Are we not coaching them?"

They are in our heads. When Richt says we lose because it's hotter for us than it is for them. And that the field isn't neutral when the seating is 50/50. They are in our heads.

We're losing because they are in our heads.

Get better players...who aren't intimidated. Get better coaches who can make players not intimidated. And/or work so hard that you're not intimidated.


We are beaten before we get off the bus right now. And that's not going to change until we change our attitude, players and/or certain coaches.

Until they decide that the ONLY excuse for losing is not being better...they won't fix it.

Changing the venue won't fix it. Changing the attitude, players, approach or coaches will.

Anonymous said...

So you are okay with doing what we have been doing without trying something new, cause we are as close to equal as it gets and CMR is 2-6. Its not good enough for you for the coach to want it and its not good enough for you that Spurrier thought they had a home field advantage and its not good enough for you that not many coaches in America would play a rival in their conference at a neutral site every year. I got a great idea, lets keep it there because evidently the fans enjoy riding back from Jacksonville with their collective tails tucked between their legs because it chicken to move it.

I bet your butt one thing for sure; flip it around and for the last 20 years it had been played in the Dome and we held the same advantage over them, they would be crying for it to be moved.

Hobnail_Boot said...

This wasn't clever.

It's a horrible comparison that only further emboldens the 'keep the annual ass-whipping in Jacksonville' crowd. What a joke.

Unknown said...

Anon 3:53,

When UF was losing 17 of 25, they DID want to leave Jacksonville and go home and home.

Spurrier sacked up and said "We're not leaving."

That's kind of the point. Their fans thought that moving the game would solve their problems. When the answer was "get a better coach."

I'm not proposing firing Richt. You asked....

So you don't want to try something new? Yeah. I want to try something new.I want to try putting faster players on kick returns, ditching directional kickoffs and not attempting onside kicks that kill momentum.

I want to recruit quality OTs and DTs *every year* instead of going 3 years of recruiting about 2 total and then wondering why we're in shambles after a few key injuries.

I want to practice tackling all year instead of wondering why we can't tackle late in the season.

I want to get consistent production out of our SAM linebacker spot for the first time since 2002 instead of playing 10 vs. 11 when we're in the 4-3 defense.

I want the MIKE to attack the ball carrier on the other side of the LOS which hasn't happened for more than a few smattering of games since '04. Instead of waiting to absorb a blow down field.

I want to recruit better WRs. A problem that looks to be fixed.

I want to not call play action passes on 4th and 10 in the '05 game.

I want to play our best players at their obvious best positions instead of waiting til the NFL combine to move them.

I want to blitz Chris Leak when everyone that has blitzed his nuts into the ground has basically made him cry.

I want to blitz Tim Tebow's nuts into the ground because that's how we beat him in '07, and how Michigan, Auburn and Ole Miss beat him.


I love Mark Richt. But there are things that can be done to fix what's broken across the board.

Moving the game ain't one of them.



PWD

Dawgnoxious said...

We should move the WLOCP out of Jacksonville and into Turner Field!! That would solve all of our coaching and talent problems.

If CMR thinks the location of that game impacts his record, he probably thinks roosters make the sun rise each morning.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with Anonymous and sUGArdaddy. We should actually trust that the coach that has won 82 games on this one. I believe he know a little more what he is talking about than two couch potato bloggers- Paul and Quinton!

Anonymous said...

Richt has won 82 games.

2 of 9 in Jax.

To suggest that he knows what he's doing down there is a bit of a stretch don't ya think?

Anonymous said...

I think he know more than you do!

Dawgnoxious said...

Anon @ 4:33, I totally disagree. PWD is only 2 wins behind CMR all time in Jax. That's not even statistically significant.

BTW, is your name Katherine?

Squarebush said...

To those who are on the side of moving the game home-and-home or at least on a rotation of sites, tell me this:

How different do you think UGA's 3-16 record in the last 19 versus Florida would be had the series been home-and-home or rotating during that time?

And, please, be logical and sensible with your assessment. Screw spewing out a golden record just to support your case.

PTC DAWG said...

I agree, take 3 planes from Epps...and TELL RICHT TO STFU about the game being too HOT.

Anonymous said...

PTC- you really want to tell Richt to STFU? Wow you are a classy fan! I wish fans like you would go and be a Gator fan!

wrife said...

If we move the Fla game to a home/home we don't have to pretend like getting New Mexico State to come here is a big deal and then whine to get out of the Louisville game.

The Watch Dawg said...

I'm not buying the argument that we lose because our players aren't as good. In fact, if you accept the fact that if your recruiting classes in the top 10 are pretty marginal in their differences, then our players are about equal with Florida's. You can't argue that we lacked talent when we had two players drafted in the 1st half of the 1st round in the NFL Draft.

Personally, I don't really give a crap if we play the game in Jacksonville. It's a crappy city, the traffic is atrocious, and the end result is a lot of people getting hurt. I've never seen the Dawgs play them in the Swamp, and I personally wish I could see that.

Anonymous said...

Damon Evans does not want the game moved b/c he played football for UGA and knows the GD venue has ZERO impact on our record there. If travel mattered or venue mattered, then CMR's road record would be worse than it is. If travel and venue mattered, we wouldn't have let BAMA stomp the living shit out of us last year.

Losers make excuses. Winners make changes and stop the losing.

I didn't hear Texas crying about moving the Red River shootout when OK was beating them every single year.

Please coach, circle the game and focus on it like it's the last game you'll ever coach.

PTC DAWG said...

Well, yeah, STHU, may be more suited to Richt. I still can't believe he thinks the HEAT causes us to not play well.

Someone needs to say something to him about his silly comments, I'm betting it's been done already.

Farsider said...

Droll, very droll, sir!

Well done. Funny how the irony flew over so many heads. OH well.

The Watch Dawg said...

Kiffin makes false accusations about cheating, Meyer arrogantly proclaims that he has his foot on the throat of the rest of the SEC, and you guys are getting worked up over those comments from CMR? Really?

Anonymous said...

The Watch Dog clearly has no clue whatsoever.

Anonymous said...

Isn't the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma? And isn't the University of Texas in Austin, Texas?

If so, how has Oklahoma won six of the last ten games against Texas?

Maybe Oklahoma just has better players. Or coaches.

You can argue logistics all you want. You can argue weather all you want. But the reality is that UF has better players. And yes, they have better coaches too. Until that changes, nothing else will change.

If the venue were so important, then why doesn't Vanderbilt have a better home record?

Anonymous said...

No one is negating the importance of the quality of team. (But Vandy has won games at home they probably had no business winning, so the emotional edge is something to look at.) The problem is, when two teams are of comparable strength and skill, any advantage whatsoever can tip the scale. As of right now, the scale is already tilted towards Florida. They have an edge, and there is no denying it.

This whole, "just get better" argument isn't going to cut it. People keep referencing the "old days" where we would destroy Florida and go on an equally absurd streak. Problem is, Florida was a trash football school and wasn't much of a threat. Now that they are a better football school than we are, (I hate to admit it, but these recent championships make it hard to refute) Florida doesn't need any help. It doesn't help our presence in south Georgia/north Florida (recruiting) to get our asses repeatedly kicked.

If we go home and home with them, then we could possibly create a spark which could allow us to play better at home. Even if that spark were to help our team just a fraction, that fraction could cause guys to not bobble the ball in traffic, or hit Tebow that much harder... The thing is, we don't know what it would do until we try it.

To repeatedly get our asses kicked down there rationalizing it by saying it is tradition and we MUST stay is not only ridiculous, but hurting us in the long run. Recruits must love watching that game, because they basically know the result each year for the last 19 years. We aren't going to gain more fans or recruits by our recent performance.

By the way, Auburn/Alabama just went home and home, are they "cowards" or "losers"?

Anonymous said...

David Greene was on a pretty damn good team, and how did he fare against Florida? Hell, last year we had Stafford and Knowshon who were pretty damn solid, but we were decimated? (I know the injuries and all, but you can't ignore the result).

Sometimes you need more than skill guys! You need that emotional edge... and we don't have it right now.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:20,
Very astute observation! You must have slept at a HI express.

PTC DAWG said...

Yes, really, Richt needs to just play the game and quit whining about it. REALLY.

Anonymous said...

In most businesses, the whining and bitching by Richt would cost him his job. No one wants to hear "why" you lost, they only want to hear "how" you plan to win.

Could you imagine what Donald Trump would say to someone that used Richt's line of reasoning and pathetic excuses?

You guessed it. "You're fired!"

Unknown said...

"Sometimes you need more than skill guys! You need that emotional edge... and we don't have it right now."


And why would going home give us an emotional edge?

We are better in big games on the road than we are at home under Richt. What is so hard to understand about that?List the really big wins at home against *quality* teams under Richt. Blackout I and LSU '04.

And then....and then who? Bama '02, UT '02, UT '08, AU '03, those were mediocre or above average teams at best.


Now list the big road wins. Guarantee you the road list is longer.

If being at home would fix it, I'd be in favor of it.



PWD

Unknown said...

I meant bama '03 at home.

Anonymous said...

We should actually trust that the coach that has won 82 games on this one. I believe he know a little more what he is talking about than two couch potato bloggers- Paul and Quinton!

Anonymous said...

The first play we ran ran year made a statement many of you seem to miss(24 being held down , while hearing the smack talk).The little things like that add up(it set the stage for that game) .We all know a certain "offical" and his crew doesn't make the call.Those kind of calls you get at home, my feeling is half is better than none,I also trust CMR.I was there when css beat us senseless(ran up score)in our place, was a sick feeling.I don't have the answer maybe CMR does.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:47,
Blind faith will get you nowhere. You think Richt has all the answers, all the time? That he shouldn't be questioned about the program just b/c he's won 82 games? Are you at all aware of what's going on with Meyer and Shane Matthews?

God is great, beer is good, and people are stupid.

Anonymous said...

Mark Richt know more about what we need to win games than you do. That's not blind faith. That's trusting a guy that has earned our trust in whats right for the team.

God is great and you are stupid

Anonymous said...

Richt is awesome at many things.

Beating the Gators ain't one of them.

Anonymous said...

Paul,....using your logic and stats, then home and home should be great for a team that has a great road record.

Unknown said...

Auburn changed the Bama series because Auburn hired better coaches than Bama.

Auburn wanted the game in Auburn and not Birmingham because they were playing games in a stadium that Bama played 4 games a year in for four decades. It's not the same.

Unknown said...

Anon 9:08 PM

If you want to build an argument that we'd win more because we'd be playing more games in Gainesville....ok...I'm listening.


This is about running out of Jax towards Atlanta and Athens when Richt describes it. Not about running towards Gainesville.

Anonymous said...

So why doesn't Oklahoma lose in Dallas when they play Texas?

Anonymous said...

Anon 854,
I made that point at 734pm above. OK travels to Dallas, TEXAS each and every year. And they have OWNED Texas for some time in that rivalry.

Their travel time is farther, it's more inconvenient for them, and it's hedl during the TEXAS STATE FAIR.

STILL, Oklahoma beat Texas' ass nearly every single year.

If ANY argument can be made for keeping the game in Jax, it's this one. It's the only parallel situation to what we have in Jacksonville.

Anonymous said...

You people are just trying to hold on to an excuse for a long weekend or you people think this makes UGA look cowardly wanting out of Jax during a depressing down streak.

I don't want to see the game leave Jax, but as long as there is never a game played at the Dome I won't be pissed it left.

The only plus for playing in Atlanta is the terror and property destroyed at Tech after winning would be fantastic.

The Watch Dawg said...

Anon@8:54 and Anon@11:39:

Norman Oklahoma is closer to Dallas than Austin Texas is. Thus not a valid comparison.

 
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