Georgia Sports Blog

August 19, 2008

Site Performance Today?

Is it just me or is the site loading slowly today? It seems like the left hand nav bar and header graphics load quickly, but the main content and right navigational bar load slowly.

I tested with and without the new advertisement at the top of the page, and it didn't seem to make a difference. Anyone else having this issue?

UPDATE -- Has the performance improved?

BTW -- About that ad at the top of the page. I realize that it's a little more obtrusive than other ad that I've tried. I'm sort of trying to find the right place for the ads on the page in terms of both production and usability for the rest of the site. Please bear with me while I tinker with things.

PWD

Countdown: 11

It's Freshman Time

The ABH has four articles about the newbies up this morning:

For a broader, non-FR specific practice report, check Hale's Blog.

PWD

ESPN GamePlan Picks Up Georgia Southern Game

All out-of-state Dawg fans worried about missing the pay-per-view Georgia Southern game can relax. According to the WWL's website, ESPN GamePlan has picked up the broadcast. If your ISP carries it, ESPN 360 will also air the game online. Blackout restrictions apply to GamePlan, so if you're in Georgia, I believe you are blacked out because of the pay-per-view offering. I presume the same restrictions apply online.

A blackout map is usually available about a week before the game, and we will publish it as soon as possible. Last year's Western Carolina game, a pay-per-view offering, was blacked out in Georgia, but available everywhere else.

In prior years, you could order just one weekend of games on GamePlan, but I was told by a DirecTV representative tonight that they no longer offer the single weekend option. It's buy the whole season for $109 or nothing. Greedy multinational conglomerates.

(Update: Some astute commenters have said that DirecTV and Cox still offer the one day GamePlan package for $21.50. Evidently the girl I was talking to last night at DirecTV was an idiot. After calling back this morning and waiting on hold for 20 minutes for the rep to figure it out, I was informed that the one weekend option is indeed still alive. But, I have to order it on the 29th or 30th because their computers won't let them sign me up until the GamePlan is in season. Huh? One problem I've run into in prior years was that DirecTV wanted to charge me a fee for calling them to order this instead of signing up on their website. There is, however, no way to order the one weekend GamePlan option on their website. Ask them to waive the fee if they try to charge you.)

I haven't watched a football game on ESPN 360, but I have watched a few baseball games on the online network. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the broadcast. The picture was clear and had few, if any, stream interruptions. It's a solid option if you get it.

Quinton

August 18, 2008

How many Georgia Fans are going to Arizona State?

Recently, I was trying to get a sense for how many Dawg fans might be heading out to Tempe, and I was curious about the relative "hotness" of the Georgia vs. ASU ticket in the secondary market. So I lobbed a call into my contact over at Stubhub, and they gave me some interesting tidbits.

Source: Stubhub.com
Data: 08/18/08

College Football After Market Info:

The Georgia Bulldogs at Arizona State Sun Devils tickets are Stubhub's #5 best selling college football listing for 2008 in terms of # of buyers, # of transactions, and # of tickets sold. I didn't ask about dollar figures, and they couldn't have told me anyway.
They have sold over 1,500 tickets to the Georgia vs. ASU game. Imagine what demand would look like if Dawg fans hadn't purchased a truckload of ASU season tickets?
The Top 5 Ticket Sales on Stubhub (# of tix...not revenue):

Listings tend to become more active as a game draws closer. UGA vs. ASU is the only Top 10 match-up (in terms of ticket sales via stubhub) not held during Weeks 1-3.
As a point of comparison, USC vs. ASU in 2007 had twice as many total transactions last year compared to UGA vs. ASU to date. However, there are still five weeks to go. We're within shouting distance of the #2 most purchased game; yet that game is is 4 weeks sooner than ours.

The point of all of this?
I'm a blogger. Who says I need a point? Anyway, I'd guess 3,000-4,000 fans will gain access to the game via Stubhub, with another group getting tickets from sites like TicketCity, TheSeats.com, TicketLiquidator, TickCo, Barry's Tickets, and other places.

I would assume that a large chunk of those tickets will go to Georgia fans. If you're a Sun Devil fan, and you've been accustomed to walking up to the stadium and scalping for cheap all your life...wouldn't you be more likely to try and do that for this game?

You could argue that there's no way of telling from my data how many tickets went to ASU fans vs. how many went to UGA fans. True. But we're 5 weeks out from the game, and the after market is very active.

We know that 7,300 Georgia fans bought tickets from our Athletic Department, and I'd wager another 2,000 or so purchased season tickets from ASU. That's based on an estimate regarding the number of tickets in the upper level end zone and other info. Plus, I think we'll see another 2,000 Dawg fans buying tickets via the after market before hand.

So my current guess is around 12,000 Georgia fans make the Arizona State trip. I could be wrong, and we could show up with 15,000 or more, but I'd be shocked. And fired up.

PWD

(NOTE: Travel tips in the comments section)

Countdown: 12

I made this one a few years ago. Given my access to software back then, it's not bad.

Morning Headlines

Let's start it off with ESPN's SEC Preview. It's Loose Bolts and Mark May providing unmatched knowledge and insight (end sarcasm), and then we'll look around at some recent news:

2008 vs. 2004 - Mark Bradley compares this group to the loaded for bear UGA squad of 2004. The issue most folks have with that '04 squad was the terminal bed wetting against the Vols. That game sort of shows the problem with a tough schedule. You have to bring your A game every week, or you will get beat.
Team Health - David Hale says the team should get a lot healthier this week. UGASports.com specifically looks at the health of the DEs.
SEC TV Schedule - JimFromDuluth has his SEC TV Projections up on the Anti-Orange Page. In case you missed it, CBS put their TV schedule for the year up on Friday. We linked to it, and then suddenly CBS yanked it off line again. It could change, but here's the 2008 tentative Georgia Bulldog TV schedule.
Recruiting - The AJC's Super 11 for the state is up.
Young OLinemen - On Thursday, Towers blogged about Ben Jones at OL. I missed it then so I figured I'd link over now. I really see Cordy Glenn starting at guard, but I don't see Ben Jones doing that right away. I imagine we'll see more of a rotation with him and Chris Davis. I just can't imagine that Richt is going to put two freshmen side by side (C Jones / OG Glenn) for a second year in a row. DawgPost says Glenn is making a big move.
ASU Ticket Update - If you missed it last week, ASU sold out of UGA single game tickets for now. They won't put any more on sale until Sept. 9th (if any are left). We also provided an update on what to do with ASU season tickets that you're not going to use. You can donate them to charity.

Have a good week.

PWD
Georgia Sports Blog

Bulldog Nation's Most and Least Favorite AP voters

Pollspeak.com has taken apart the voter ballots for the AP College Football poll. The site gives you the ability to examine the ballots of individual voters, look at how individual teams were rated, and compare Team A to Team B by voter. (Image: Hipple)

Before we start throwing voters under the bus and praising others, check out these comparisons:

Couple of things jumped out at me:

Kirk Herbstreit has UF #1, UGA #2 and Ohio State #4. Who else was expecting to see OSU, Wisconsin and Michigan ranked 1-3 on his ballot? Me too. (ht - jimfromduluth)
Adam Van Brimmer of the Savannah Morning News is the best Voter in the Universe. He has UGA #1, Ohio State #8, UF #21, Clemson #22 and Texas Tech #23. Whatever ~~Claude Felton~~ The Savannah Morning News is paying him, they need to double it. Note: He's from Ohio. (image: Van Brimmer)
Craig James is a douche. I've always felt he was a total clown, and this ballot reinforces that opinion. He puts Georgia in at #6. He's one of only three voters to have UGA that low, and only one voter has the Dawgs lower. James also has Arizona at #23. In reality, I'd think he was a douche even if he had Georgia at #1.
Mitch Vingle of the Charleston Gazette (WVa.) has the Bulldogs at #7. That's the lowest rating of any voter. He puts both Auburn and Clemson over the Georgia Bulldogs. We've obliterated Auburn the past two seasons and return more key players, yet we're now worse? As for Clemson, we'd beat them by 7-10 on a neutral field if given the chance. Another gem, USF at #8.
Ray Rotto of the San Francisco Chronicle has Georgia at #6, Florida at #1 and Clemson at #5. As Blutarsky said, why is it that people just assume Florida's wretched pass defense will be better, but Georgia's team won't improve? That's not putting words into Ray's mouth as much as just stating...UF at #1? Really?
Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News submits a ballot that would suggest he's never watched college football. He has UGA #6, UF #1, and he has Tennessee and Illinois unranked. However, he does rank UNC #17, Tulsa #20 and Notre Dame #25. He's one of only two writers who gave ND any votes.

Whack Job Ballot of the Year (Non-UGA Category)
Taylor Zarzour of WPTF-AM (Raleigh area) delivers a ballot for the ages. He has UGA ranked #3 so I've got no beef there. However check out some of his other expert calls:

Cal at #6. Only 10 of 65 voters put Cal on their ballots at all, and the second highest ranking was #16
PSU at #8. Seriously?
Boise State at #11. Only one other person listed BSU on their ballot.
Ohio State at #13. All Big Ten bashing aside, that's a bit much for a team returning 19 starters.
And yes....Notre Dame at #25.

I'm of the opinion that having Notre Dame ranked on your 2008 pre-season ballot should result in a trap door opening in your office which leads to the incinerator. Did anything jump off the page at you?

See Also:
-- Adam Van Brimmer's Blog - Savannah Morning News
-- AP Poll - ESPN

PWD

August 17, 2008

UGA Basketball Blog to Bookmark

Daugman has a UGA Hoops blog that looks pretty good. UGA message board junkies who frequent DawgRun.com are familiar with guys like JimFromDuluth who aggregate articles from across the country for UGA fans to quickly read.

Daugman used to do that for UGA basketball over on the UGASports.com hoops message board. He's usually got a good take on things, and he searches the globe for basketball news. Keep his site in mind when basketball season starts.

PWD

Holder, Signees Pick Athens Over the Minors

Since he got the head coaching job, Coach Perno's teams have been great one year and bad the next. The Dawgs head to Omaha in even numbered years, but tally losing records in odd numbered years. With last year's run at the national championship, that trend doesn't bode well for the 2009 Georgia baseball season. After Friday's baseball signing deadline, though, there are two good reasons to believe that the trend should stop next year. I'm not promising Omaha, but the Dawgs should be able to challenge for the SEC crown given the talent coming back and the remains of a top ranked recruiting class.

The first bit of good news is that Trevor Holder, last year's ace starter, has decided to come back for his senior year. (Image: Online Athens) Holder turned down the Florida Marlins who drafted him in the 10th round of the Major League Baseball draft. Holder's return is huge for the starting rotation because it gives them a returning all SEC caliber Friday night starter. The rotation was heavily depleted after Stephen Dodson, Nathan Moreau, and Nick Montgomery signed pro deals, but Perno has some strong arms waiting in the wings who relieved last season. Alex McRee, chief among these arms, showed wicked stuff at times last year.

The second bit of good news is that five of eight drafted recruits are heading for Athens rather than the minors. Perno and recruiting coordination Jason Eller, assembled one of the top recruiting classes in the country. The pro scouts agreed, drafting eight Georgia recruits. Two pitchers, Brett DeVall and Zeke Spruill, signed for big money after being drafted by the Braves. Blaine O'Brien, a right handed pitcher from Massachusetts taken in the 34th round, presumably chose the Phillies over the Dawgs.

Five recruits stuck with Georgia: Chase Davidson (1B/OF), Cecil Tanner (RHP), Zach Cone (OF), Michael Palazzone (RHP), and Jeff Walters (RHP). Walters was a top JUCO pitcher and all of the remaining guys were top 100 recruits according to Rivals.com. Davidson and Cone were third round picks in the MLB draft. Davidson is the highest drafted recruit to come to Athens since 1993.

Obviously, all of this bodes well for the 2009 season. Walters has a shot to crack the starting rotation and Cone or Davidson could earn Matt Olson's spot in the outfield if they are as good as the pro scouts believe. With the returning players we have and the talent coming in, there's reason to be hopeful for 2009.

Quinton

Countdown: 13

Uploaded to Youtube by Stu508.

August 16, 2008

Your #1 Ranked Georgia Bulldogs

Image: Hipple
The AP Poll is out. Georgia is ranked #1. The details on the poll can be found here. Quick Notes:

Our lead over #2 is actually a tiny bit wider (22 votes) vs. the Coaches Poll (8 votes).
The gap between #1 and #3 is actually less in the new AP Poll (38 votes) vs. the Coaches Poll (46 votes)
Ohio State and USC are flip flopped in the two polls between #2 and #3.
Auburn is ranked #10 in the AP. That makes 4 SEC teams in the Top 10.
Alabama is ranked 24th in the AP Poll. That makes 6 SEC schools ranked in the Top 25.
I still feel like Georgia is going to enter the ASU game ranked #2. The AP and Coaches Polls will give the winner of USC vs. OSU the #1 spot. That's a good thing for us because it assures that the team will be that much more pissed off when they get to Tempe.

And remember, the AP Poll isn't really part of the BCS process. The Harris Poll is the other "human component" of the BCS formula, and it doesn't come out until Week 6 or so.

What's your reaction?

See Also:
-- Dawgs #1 - AJC
-- UGA ranked #1 - ABH

PWD

Countdown: 14

Two weeks...

August 15, 2008

One of my favorite pre-season videos

This one is pre-2006 season. I liked it because of its originality. Our countdown to kickoff starts tomorrow.

PWD

CBS Games Announced

CBS's college football broadcast schedule is out. Other than South Carolina, which we've known about, Tennessee, LSU, and the Cocktail Party are slated for 3:30 PM kickoffs. Georgia Tech will be a noon kickoff (ugh!). The Kentucky and Auburn games may get picked up, but those aren't definitive.

Nothing really shocks me about any of these. I note that the Tennessee game will be followed by LSU and Florida in primetime. Also, I think we catch a break by playing in Baton Rouge during the broad daylight. But, the noon kickoff against Tech will put a damper on the party. Oh well, more time to taunt your favorite Tech fan after the game.

Although nothing is official yet, I'd say the Alabama game is a mortal lock for a 7:45 PM kickoff. That should be fun. Start investigating homemade hangover cures now.

PWD UPDATE: As of very late Friday night, CBS had pulled the listings off their web site. They did this last year as well. Here's the full schedule (as it relates to Georgia) based on the information up as of this morning:

The schedule as of 08/15/08 (all times eastern):

Date	Opponent (Ticket Info Linked)	TV Network	Kickoff Time	Confirmed?
Aug. 30	vs. Georgia Southern	PPV	12:30 pm	Yes
Sept. 6	vs. Central Michigan	FSN	3:30 pm	Yes
Sept. 13	at South Carolina	CBS	3:30 pm	Yes
Sept. 20	at Arizona State	ABC	8:00 pm	Yes
Sept. 27	vs. Alabama	ESPN	Night Game	Partially
Oct. 4	IDLE
Oct. 11	vs. Tennessee	CBS	3:30 pm	Yes
Oct. 18	vs. Vanderbilt	TBD	TBD
Oct. 25	at LSU	CBS	3:30 pm	Yes
Nov. 1	vs. Florida (Jax)	CBS	3:30 pm	Yes
Nov. 8	at Kentucky	TBD	TBD
Nov. 15	at Auburn	CBS	3:30	Estimated
Nov. 22	IDLE
Nov. 29	vs. Georgia Tech	CBS	12:00 pm	Yes
Dec. 6	SEC Championship	CBS	4:00 pm	Yes
Jan. 2	Sugar Bowl	Fox	TBD
Jan. 8	National Title Game	Fox	TBD

Quinton

Georgia Sports Blog