Kyle King is all about playing Clemson in 2013. I am too, but I don’t get why we’re playing Clemson (2013/2014) and Oregon (2015, 2016) the same cycled home and home years as Georgia Tech. In other words, we’re on the road at GT and Clemson in ‘13 and on the road at Oregon and GT in ‘15. That’s the opposite of the way we’ve scheduled most of our other big OCC games since 2002 (Ok State aside).

I’m also in agreement with Blutarsky that the idea of playing Clemson in a Spring exhibition would also be fun. I will add to his take that we already do this with Clemson in Basketball. The NCAA allows for one closed scrimmage (no fans and no media) between schools per year, and UGA has elected to pair up with Clemson 3-4 times over the past few years. The match-ups started with Felton and Purnell as they were old friends, and it continued this year between Fox and Purnell.

I see little value in playing Clemson more than one series per decade in football (regular season). Mainly because it benefits them more than us in terms of in state recruiting. However, I’d like to see us play them every year for the rest of eternity in basketball. The old football mentality of “Clemson is an enemy” helps fill seats for basketball. And seat filling regional games would be a huge asset to basketball.

PWD

(Update: The original headline was “Of Clemson and Spring Break.” It should’ve read “Of Clemson and Spring Football.”)

The National Football Foundation has released the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, which features 77 players and seven coaches from the Division I-A ranks. As anticipated, the name of Erskine “Erk” Russell does not appear on the ballot because Coach Russell’s candidacy will be considered by the Veterans Committee in April. The full ballot may be downloaded in .pdf format here.

In the meantime, three former Georgia players are on the ballot for induction: Jake Scott (defensive back, 1967-1968), Matt Stinchcomb (offensive tackle, 1995-1998), and Scott Woerner (defensive back, 1977-1980). Ballots are due by March 31, presumably in order to allow the results to be known by the Veterans Committee before its work begins early next month.

The membership of the Veterans Committee is kept private in order to spare the members from being bombarded with solicitations. Should Coach Russell’s candidacy not pass muster with the Veterans Committee, the next step would be to examine the process for changing (or obtaining a waiver of) the ten-year rule, which is all that stands between Erk and the honor he deserves.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Kyle King is all about playing Clemson in 2013. I am too, but I don’t get why we’re playing Clemson (2013/2014) and Oregon (2015, 2016) the same cycled home and home years as Georgia Tech. In other words, we’re on the road at GT in and Clemson in ‘13 and on the road at Oregon and GT in ‘15. That’s the opposite of the way we’ve scheduled most of our other big OCC games since 2002 (Ok State aside).

I’m also in agreement with Blutarsky that the idea of playing Clemson in a Spring exhibition would also be fun. I will add to his take that we already do this with Clemson in Basketball. The NCAA allows for one closed scrimmage (no fans and no media) between schools per year, and UGA has elected to pair up with Clemson 3-4 times over the past few years. The match-ups started with Felton and Purnell as they were old friends, and it continued this year between Fox and Purnell.

I see little value in playing Clemson more than one series per decade in football (regular season), but I’d like to see us play them every year for the rest of eternity in basketball.

PWD

We need to play Clemson more…some of those names, Igwebuike in particular, raised my blood pressure just a tad.

DavetheDawg

As an emphatic advocate for reviving the rivalry, I could not agree more wholeheartedly with the above sentiment. I was, therefore, most pleased when Georgia and Clemson announced in 2005 that the Bulldogs and the Tigers would tangle with one another in 2013 and 2014, with the former game being played in Death Valley and the latter contest taking place in Sanford Stadium.

At the time, the exact dates of the games had not yet been determined, but it seemed logical for the two teams to face off in the season opener for both squads. That, though, is not to be, as David Hale confirms. The Red and Black will host the Mean Green of North Texas on August 31, 2013, and Appalachian State will come calling in the Classic City at a later date that same autumn.

Presently, there are four available Saturdays on the Bulldogs’ 2013 slate: September 7, between home dates against North Texas and South Carolina; September 21, between home dates against South Carolina and Alabama; October 5, between a home date against Alabama and a road game at Tennessee; and November 9, between a neutral site date against Florida and a home game against Auburn.

Three of those dates make no sense. Shoehorning a road game against Clemson between Alabama and Tennessee or between Florida and Auburn would be suicidal, and opening the season with back-to-back patsy games against North Texas and Appalachian State would defeat a large part of the purpose of such outings. It makes considerably more sense to move the date with the Mountaineers to one of the open Saturdays before the Alabama, Tennessee, or Auburn games (much as Georgia did with Tennessee Tech last year).

In practical terms, that means the only sensible date for the Classic City Canines’ clash with the Fort Hill Felines is September 7, after the season opener against North Texas but before the SEC opener against South Carolina.

If that turns out to be the case, the 2013 season will feature a Vince Dooley-style schedule . . . and, for once, I mean that as a compliment. Back in the day, when both the Country Gentlemen and the Gamecocks were perennial non-conference foes, Georgia routinely made the Palmetto State circuit in consecutive contests.

Between the first series meeting in 1894 and the latest series meeting in 2009, the Bulldogs played South Carolina 62 times. Between the first series meeting in 1897 and the latest series meeting in 2003, the Bulldogs played Clemson 62 times. Georgia faced both opponents from our neighboring state back-to-back as early as 1903 and such a sequence became the norm in 1962.

In his 25-year career on the Red and Black sideline, Coach Dooley faced the Gamecocks and the Tigers one right after the other sixteen times. Of Coach Dooley’s six Southeastern Conference championship teams, half featured contests with both Palmetto State opponents in consecutive outings.

Once finalized, the Bulldogs’ 2013 slate is apt to have a familiar look to it. Think of it as a “throwback” schedule. With a little luck, maybe it will feature some throwback results, as well.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Following Tuesday night’s debacle, the Diamond Dogs were slated to take on the Owls in Kennesaw tonight, but the inclement weather caused the game to be canceled. Honestly, I’m having a hard time viewing this as a bad thing.

As a result, Georgia gets the night off and the Classic City Canines will return to the diamond on Friday to begin a three-game set with Siena. Hopefully, the Saints—yes, I had to Google it, too—will be sky-high over their basketball team’s MAAC tournament championship and will not bring their A game to Athens. We could use an opponent’s C game right about now.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Trey becomes the first UGA player to make the first team All-SEC squad since Jarvis Hayes in 2002 and 2003.  In looking at the All-SEC roster and the broader SEC landscape, it looks like Trey would be one of the true front-runners for SEC Player of the Year if he returns for his junior season in Athens.

Some of the other top candidates would be: (Current Class Listed)

Assuming all of those guys come back.  Regardless, Trey has our best chance to win it since Dominique won it in 1981…the only time a UGA Player won the award. (Source: wikipedia)

PWD

Um, this is still a good baseball conference, right? At least, it used to be. Right? I’m not misremembering things, am I? Because this didn’t look like a very good baseball conference on Tuesday.

Sure, you expect a team like Tennessee to lose to a team like Western Kentucky once in a while. The Hilltoppers are a pretty good team, and the Vols are far from one of the SEC’s name brands. So a 5-4 defeat in extra innings isn’t too bad.

But Arkansas — losing to South Dakota State?!? Arkansas is supposed to be a good team. Ranked and everything. South Dakota State is not. How not? Boyd’s World has them 185th in its pseudo-RPI. This, suffice it to say, not ranked. And while the “whatever you call South Dakota State”s having a winning record, that RPI is below, say, 4-8 Kennesaw State. The Owls are 151st.

Speaking of Kennesaw State: Georgia played them Tuesday. And lost. By a score of 11-1. To put that in football terms for SEC fans, it would be like Vanderbilt defeating Alabama. By 70.

Baseball is a strange game. Unlike college football, the better team will lose many times over the course of a season. So, all hope is not lost for any of these teams yet.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kennesaw State	0	0	7	0	1	1	0	1	1	11	13	1
Georgia	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	3

Following a recent run so sorry it even brought forth an outpouring of sympathy from a South Carolina fan, the Diamond Dogs returned home to Foley Field for a game against Kennesaw State that might have been just what the doctor ordered, were it not for the fact that the Clarke County club has struggled with its Cobb County neighbor. Once again, the Owls were not what they seemed, as KSU crushed the home team on Tuesday night.

Following a hitless first frame featuring a pair of hit batsmen and a scoreless second stanza producing only one baserunner, Kennesaw State took command in the top of the third canto. The big inning began with a leadoff single by Peyton Hart. Jordan Craft notched a base hit of his own in the next at-bat and, with one out away, Tyler Stubblefield sent a single into left field to score a run. A Josh Whitaker walk loaded the bases for Drew Fowlkes, who was issued the base on balls that forced home another run.

At that point, Eric Swegman was pulled from the mound and replaced by Blake Dieterich, who struck out Ronnie Freeman before plunking Clint Roques to bring home a run, surrendering the single to Ross Tendler that pushed two more across, and giving up the ensuing base hit to Hart that scored two more. By the time Craft popped up, the Owls held a 7-0 lead.

Georgia’s only response was a leadoff home run by Cooper Moseley in the bottom of the canto. KSU went three up and three down in the visitors’ half of the fourth frame and the Bulldogs loaded the bases in the lower half of the canto yet came away with nothing. The Owls turned two hits, a hit batsman, and a Red and Black error into a run in the top of the fifth inning but the Athenians offered no retort in their turn at bat, as the side was retired in sequence.

A double, a walk, and an error allowed Kennesaw State to plate an unearned run in the upper half of the sixth stanza. Georgia responded with another hitless inning. Each team registered a hit yet neither team scored a run in the seventh frame. A walk and a pair of singles added up to a run for the Owls in the top of the eighth canto. No Diamond Dog reached base in the bottom of the inning.

A single, another Georgia error, and a triple tacked on another KSU run in the top of the ninth frame before the Bulldogs came up for their last chance at making a game of it. The Red and Black had two men aboard with one man out when Moseley sent a double-play ball to short.

We have now entered the territory occupied by Albert Brooks during his historic on-air attack of flop-sweat in “Broadcast News”: this is so off-the-chart bad, it has just gotten funny. Georgia committed three meaningful errors; Kennesaw State was not guilty of a miscue until the ninth stanza, when the game was well out of reach. The Bulldogs gave up a big inning early and surrendered scores in four of the final five frames to allow the Owls to build on their lead, whereas the Red and Black came within one swing of the bat of being shut out at home. Had the Classic City Canines collected twice as many hits as they did, KSU still would have out-hit the Athenians.

Georgia used six pitchers and the only one who didn’t give up a run was Zach Laughlin, who faced the last three Kennesaw State batters of the contest. The first seven Bulldogs in the Red and Black order together went two for 23 with no runs, no RBI, and one walk. Those are the kinds of statistics you make up for a fictional account of a band of lovable losers who are transformed into champions in the second half of the film by grit, moxie, gumption, the homespun wisdom of an irascible manager whose gruff exterior conceals a soft heart underneath, and the love of an alabaster beauty of wealth and breeding who cheers on the indefatigable hero while wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

In reality, however, those numbers merely represent evidence that last year’s late-season disaster has carried over to a 2010 that already is circling the drain. Those of us who view the glass as half-empty (or worse) just picked up a few more votes for our position.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Afternoon, Dawgs fans.

Dropping by from SB Nation’s Atlanta Falcons blog with a request for scouting info on UGA’s potential 2010 draftees. Planning a post on local guys the Falcons could draft, ranked by how likely we are to pick them up.

As a Tech fan (BOOOO) who sees only a couple UGA games per year, I have a few questions, especially about Rennie Curran and Reshad Jones.

Jones plays a position at which the Falcons are set with young talent. Is there any way he could convert to cornerback? That might sound like a stupid, stupid question, but I just want to make sure. Otherwise he’d probably be ranked right around last on the Draftability Scale, as nobody intentionally drafts a backup in round 2-3.

How do you see Curran translating to the NFL? I know he plays the run very well and wasn’t asked to blitz much, but do you have any sense of his pass rush skills? That’s likely to be Concern 1A for Atlanta in this draft. Pass coverage? I’m guessing he played special teams as a freshman or so — HOW’D THAT GO? Curran seems to have pretty high Falcon Draftability at this point.

Also, any comments you could lend on any other likely or possible draft picks — Geno Atkins, Jeff Owens, Prince Miller, etc. — would be super appreciated.

In 2009, we had the fewest off field football incidents that I can remember in about 15-20 years, and we had a season completely in the toilet. I think it was “scrambledawg” who called last year, “A Dumpster Fire” of a season. (via the DawgVent)

Last time we had a big armed QB in the news for being a dumbass, we finished #2 in the nation. My conclusion? Viva la Mettenboozer. So I say…Let the Good Times Roll!

Which reminds me….We know about The Cherrishinski and The Knowshon Moreshino. What’s Zach’s signature drink?

Update — Suggestions so far for Zach’s signature cocktail:

From DAve Akins
• Maybe a Mett-hatten or Mett-tropolitan?
• There’s also Zach’s Mambo
• Zach’s De-Lish
• Big Zac(h)’s Morning After


From Walter Geiger of the Barnesville News:
• Mettentini – Grey Goose with a double shot of humility.

PWD

In 2009, we had the fewest off field football incidents that I can remember in about 15-20 years, and we had a season completely in the toilet. I think it was “scrambledawg” who called last year, “A Dumpster Fire” of a season. (via the DawgVent)

Last time we had a big armed QB in the news for being a dumbass, we finished #2 in the nation. My conclusion? Viva la Mettenberger. So I say…Bring on the booze!

Which reminds me….We know about The Cherrishinski and The Knowshon Moreshino. What’s Zach’s signature drink?

Update — Suggestions so far for Zach’s signature cocktail:

From DAve Akins:
• Maybe a Mett-hatten or Mett-tropolitan?
• There’s also Zach’s Mambo
• Zach’s De-Lish
• Big Zac(h)’s Morning After

Others? I’m currently leaning towards the Mett-hatten.

PWD

While I am thankful for the fact that Spencer Hall regarded the arrest as bureaucratic and mundane after the fashion of most such arrests of Bulldog players, the fact that Zach Mettenberger was arrested over the weekend merely adds to my conviction that University of Georgia athletics should be declared a federal disaster area. Since the Red and Black’s Sugar Bowl beatdown of Hawaii on New Year’s Day 2008, the news has been almost universally bad across the board in all sports, with occasional (and largely ignored) positive developments in the tennis, golf, swimming and diving, equestrian, softball, and (with noteworthy exceptions) gymnastics programs. For some fan bases, March 6 was a perfect day, but Saturday was just another dismal day in Bulldog Nation. We have seen a lot of those in the last two years, two months, and seven days.

I freely admit that I stand firmly in the camp that says the glass is empty spilled shattered into jagged shards that will cut you if you even so much as touch the remnants of the glass half-empty. I recognize (with gratitude, in fact) that others feel differently. Accordingly, I submit the following in an effort to take the temperature of Bulldog Nation:

Go ‘Dawgs!

• The baseball team got pummeled, repeatedly, in a weekend sweep by Florida State. Imagine your worst nightmare as a baseball coach and that’s what Perno got this weekend. The staff ace gave up seven earned in four innings, McRee gave up three earned and three walks without recording an out, and Cecil Tanner gave up six earned with six walks. No one outside of Johnathan Taylor on Friday night had any offensive production to note. Maybe it’s the type of beating that wakes a team up, but if we play like that in conference play, it’s going to be a long and sparsely attended baseball season.
• The basketball team lost one of the worst basketball games you will ever see Saturday. Both UGA and LSU shot under 37% from the field. Neither team scored a field goal for the first five and a half minutes of the game. It was 20-20 at the half. The Dawgs lost their best chance at a road win against one of the worst SEC basketball teams of recent vintage. As I’ve told PWD, it’s literally impossible for us to win a road game. Impossible.
• The top ranked equestrian team even lost to Auburn.
• The carnage wasn’t limited to current Bulldogs. John Isner, representing the USA in the Davis Cup in Serbia, lost his two singles matches. The US got beat 3-2. Isner did help get one win. When Mike Bryan got sick, Isner teamed up with Bob Bryan to win in doubles.
• To top it all off, freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger got arrested for actin’ a fool outside a bar in Remerton. Guess that three way QB battle in spring practice just went to a two way race. Just as I am amazed by what otherwise wealthy people will do for a free t-shirt at a basketball game, I am amazed at what a college student will risk for a few beers.

There were a few bright spots. The softball team dominated with a couple of no-nos before conference play starts and the tennis teams won their matches.

Quinton

As you likely know by now, Zach Mettenberger (age 18) was arrested in Remerton, Georgia on multiple misdemeanor charges including (per the AJC):

• Underage consumption/possession of alcohol
• disorderly conduct
• obstruction
• two counts of having fake identification

I’ll start by saying that I really don’t think this is a big deal. The kid got pinched for drinking on Spring Break. So what? It’s a one or two game suspension. The only person he screwed in this deal is himself because it makes it dramatically more difficult for him to win the starting job. In terms of a risk point for UGA…it shouldn’t matter much unless Murray gets hurt.

My issues are more with the police report. I mean seriously…who parties in Remerton, Georgia? You’re less than 3 hours from the Beach during Spring Break where you can get away with anything short of murder, and you stop for a party in Remerton? That’s like driving to Vegas but stopping to gamble in Bullhead City, Nevada. Or going to Carnival in Rio and stopping for beers with Amazonian villagers in a remote hut.

3 hours from freedom. And don’t give me that “You’re just an elitist Atlanta guy crapping on South Georgia.” I’ve lived in Valdosta, and I sure as hell wouldn’t party there OR Remerton.

As for the two fake ids? Come on Zach. That’s amateur hour crap. What do you need a second fake ID for?

“Oh, you don’t think I look like Admiral McLovin? Maybe, you’ll be more comfortable if I were Mohammad Sadar.”

Good grief.

PWD

Georgia Quarterback Battle May Have Just Gotten a Little Easier

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Georgia	0	1	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	5	5	2
Florida State	2	5	0	1	6	3	0	0	X	17	11	2

After being embarrassed by the Tribe on Friday and Saturday, the Diamond Dogs looked to salvage at least a few tattered shreds of dignity and hope in Sunday afternoon’s outing against Florida State in Tallahassee. Instead, the Classic City Canines were sent back to Athens with their tails between their legs as the home team completed the sweep in yet another dominant performance.

The game began by following a familiar pattern. The Red and Black were set down in order in the top of the first frame before the Seminoles leapt out to an early lead in the bottom of the inning. A Tyler Holt walk, a James Ramsey single, and a Peter Verdin error put two runners in scoring position and Stephen Cardullo brought them both home with a base hit.

Georgia responded in the visitors’ half of the second stanza when Christian Glisson drew a one-out walk and took second when Geoff Parker was charged with an error on a failed pickoff attempt. Zach Cone dropped a double into left field to score an unearned run. The Tribe then returned to the plate, where the Floridians turned three singles and two hit batsmen into three runs.

Chase Hawkins came on in relief of Michael Palazzone with one out away and the bases loaded. He surrendered a two-out base hit to Sherman Johnson that pushed two more runs across before the inning ended. Following a third canto in which neither club registered a hit, the Classic City Canines showed some signs of life in the top of the fourth frame.

A one-out single by Colby May and an ensuing double by Glisson put two Bulldogs in scoring position, allowing Robert Shipman to plate a pair of runs with a base hit to center field. An FSU error and consecutive bases on balls forced home another run to make the score 7-4. It did not stay that way for long.

An error and a balk in the bottom of the stanza enabled a Stuart Tapley single to bring in an unearned run, and, after the Diamond Dogs went three up and three down in the upper half of the fifth inning, Cecil Tanner took over the hurling duties in the home half of the frame just in time to see the dam broken wide open by the Seminoles. With two men out and three men on, the latest Georgia hurler threw the wild pitch that allowed Florida State to score another run.

Back-to-back walks forced home an additional run and a balk brought one more across before a single and a wild pitch scored three more in a weird one-hit, six-run inning. From there, it was merely a matter of playing out the string. Alex McRee walked the bases loaded to begin the bottom of the sixth stanza and the Seminoles turned that into a three-run inning. The Diamond Dogs returned the favor by drawing consecutive bases on balls to start the top of the seventh canto and using that pair of walks to generate a run. That marked the end of the scoring, so Florida State put a 17-5 victory into the books.

This series was wholly lacking in positive attributes for the Diamond Dogs. In three games in Tallahassee, the Red and Black were out-hit 38-21 and outscored 38-8. On Sunday, Michael Palazzone surrendered six earned runs in barely over an inning’s worth of work and the Georgia bullpen issued twelve—that’s right, a dozen—walks while carding a single—one; count it: one—strikeout. The first four hitters in the Bulldog batting order collectively went one for fifteen and struck out six times.

Damon Evans needs to place a call to FEMA. With the way University of Georgia athletics have been going for the last two years and two months, it’s high time Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall was declared a disaster area.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Saturday was a busy day throughout Bulldog Nation, and not least of all in my household, as today marked the occasion of my daughter’s second birthday party. That combination of major Georgia sporting events with significant personal obligations prevented me from devoting individual writeups to each of three different athletic contests, so I hope you will pardon me for borrowing a page from Inigo Montoya, who once said: “Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”

Men’s Basketball – LSU Tigers 50, Georgia Bulldogs 48: Mark Fox’s first season concluded without a conference win in a road game. Jeremy Price’s jump shot in the closing seconds likely would have forced overtime, but the basket failed to fall and the Hoop Dogs became just the second SEC victim of an 11-19 Louisiana State squad. The loss left the Fox Hounds stranded as the sixth seed in the Eastern Division, as a result of which Georgia will face the Arkansas Razorbacks in the first round of the SEC tournament in Nashville on Thursday. The Red and Black were beaten by the Hogs in Athens on February 3.

While the Bulldogs generally have played more fundamentally sound basketball under Coach Fox’s direction, and while it is clear that his program will be a contender if it can ever develop adequate depth, the truth is that this was yet another disheartening loss. The Classic City Canines have dropped seven outings this season by margins of four or fewer points, including two in the team’s last four games. Eventually, it becomes necessary to close the deal consistently. I believe that day will come, but today was not that day, and today’s poor effort gave me reason to believe that day will come later rather than sooner.

Gymnastics – Georgia Bulldogs 197.9, UCLA Bruins 197.875: In a clash of longtime powers in the sport, the fifth-ranked Gym Dogs defeated No. 3 UCLA in the meet that made the Red and Black look like contenders once again. The Bruins posted an exceptional 197.875 overall score, which would have been more than adequate to secure the victory on most weekends. The confrontation came down to the final performance of the fourth rotation, when Courtney McCool carded a 9.925 in the floor exercise to put Georgia over the top.

By every measure, it was the finest all-around performance by the Gym Dogs in 2010. UCLA tallied the third-highest score posted in the country this year, and the Gym Dogs beat it by coming through in the end to notch the second-best score earned by any NCAA gymnastics team this season. Grace Taylor put up the first perfect 10 by a Georgia gymnast this year and three Athenian ladies won outright or tied for the lead in three of the four events. Georgia has now won 33 straight meets in Stegeman Coliseum. Jay Clark needed a signature win over a marquee program to show that the Red and Black were not reduced to also-ran status by the departure of Suzanne Yoculan. Now he has just such a victory to his credit.

Baseball – Florida State Seminoles 9, Georgia Bulldogs 2: Second verse, same as the first. Jeff Walters was forced from the mound in the second stanza after having walked six and surrendered three earned runs. The Seminoles exploded in a six-hit, five-run fourth frame that broke the game wide open and the Diamond Dogs managed only a Johnathan Taylor RBI single in the third inning and a Colby May RBI double in the eighth canto.

I know the Classic City Canines are a young team beset by injuries, but this is ridiculous. Brett DeLoach (2 for 3) was the only Bulldog batter to card more than one hit, and, despite drawing six walks, the Red and Black could not manage to push more than two runs across the plate. Georgia played error-free baseball and the final two Bulldog hurlers (Cooper Moseley and Blake Dieterich) combined for four scoreless innings in which they fanned two, walked one, and allowed only a pair of hits. Nevertheless, the Diamond Dogs failed to compete with a quality opponent, and nothing in the Athenians’ last three outings suggests that this squad is up to the task of topping a team with a pulse anywhere other than Foley Field.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Georgia	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	10	0
Florida State	0	3	1	5	0	0	0	0	X	9	13	0

Go ‘Dawgs!

The Georgia Bulldogs are on the road in Baton Rouge to take on a Louisiana State squad that has struggled even more than the inaugural edition of Mark Fox’s Hoop Dogs. This is Georgia’s last and best chance at a true road win this season and the contest could impact seeding for the SEC tournament.

If you couldn’t make it out to the Pelican State for the game, by all means, jump in and join the fun in the comments below.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Georgia is tied with South Carolina at 5-10 in SEC play. Because of tie-breaker rules, we would be the 5 seed in the East if the SEC Tourney were tonight.

We would fall to the sixth seed if South Carolina wins at Vanderbilt as we’d move to head to head tie breaker C, which gives the nod to the chickens based on their win over Kentucky.

Said differently:

If UGA beats LSU and SC beats Vandy, UGA gets the 6 seed.
If both UGA and SC both lose, we get the 5 seed.
If UGA wins and SC loses, we get the 5 seed.
If SC wins and UGA loses, we obviously get the 6 seed.

Round 1:
E5 UGA vs. W4 (Alabama/Arkansas/Auburn)

Round 2:
E5 UGA vs. E1 Kentucky

Round 3:
E5 UGA vs. W2 (ARK or Ole Miss) or E3 Tennessee

Round 4:
E5 UGA vs. E2 Vandy, W1 MSU or E4 Florida

PWD

Image by Hipple
Spring is in the air. Don’t you love it.

– Grantham gets first taste – ABH
– Live from Spring Practice – ABH
– QBs divide snaps – ABH
– Speed Bumps – Hale
– QB Battle Royale – DawgSports
– the Pleasure of uncertainty – GTP
– Houston adjusting for UGA – Chattanooga Free Press
– Chemistry coming together – Macon Telegraph
– Pre-spring jitters for Charles – DawgPost

PWD

The baseball team’s strategy this year was going to reliant on strong pitching and manufacturing runs without the power bats we’ve enjoyed the last few years.  So far, that strategy has been working … against Stetson and Presbyterian.  Against teams that you’ve heard of, the strategy isn’t going as well.  The Dawgs have lost to Baylor, Duke and got popped by Bama Wednesday night, 13-2.  The road gets no smoother this weekend against No. 6 Florida State in Tallahassee.  Sunday’s game is on Sun Sports, if you get that channel.

Quinton

The talent assembled in Lexington this year is on par with the 1996-1998 Wildcats and the 2 Gator national title squads. I was at the Cats vs. UConn game in Madison Square Garden, and it’s impressive the amount of progress Wall and Cousins have made.

Make no mistake about it. They are more than 12 points more talented than the difference in last night’s score or the 10 point average difference in the two contests. To me, that means we’re squeezing near the maximum out of what we do have.

Couple of Thoughts about the Game:

• Coach Fox’s Tirade – I loved seeing Fox lose his mind against the refs last night. That was the single biggest butt chewing of an official that I’ve witnessed that didn’t involve a technical foul. If I were a recruit, I’d love having a guy on my side that had my back like that.

• Trey Thompkins – In front of a pack of NBA scouts who are following the Wall, Cousins, Patterson, etc. show Trey really underwhelmed. Some of that was attributable to the foul situation, but some of it was he’s just not ready to face an NBA front court…yet.

• The Crowd – Best environment for a UGA game since at least Felton’s first year against UK and UF. It may have been better than either of those two games and you may have to go back to that religious experience game against Florida days after the Cole / Harrick story broke the prior year. Regardless, it’s been a long six or seven years. It was good to have butts in seats going ballistic for this team.

• Charles Barkley – If memory serves, Barkley was on the selection committee that eventually named Jeff Lebo. Barkley presented the committee with three names of candidates who he knew were extremely interested in the job including Indiana’s Mike Davis, UAB’s Mike Anderson and VCU’s Jeff Capel. All three had been to the NCAA Tourney, two of them had advanced to the Sweet 16 and beyond, and all three were black. None of them were seriously considered in favor of hiring Jeff Lebo…the only candidate who hadn’t been to the dance…and was white. Barkley stepped down from the committee prior to the Lebo announcement in anger. His appearance in Athens was the final thumb in the eye to Lebo and Auburn. On the night Beard-Eaves closed its doors, Charles should’ve been there. Even though he was right about Lebo, he still should’ve been there. That’s one dude you don’t want on your bad side. BTW — He’s got to be pushing 350 lbs. He’s HUGE.

– UK blocks 14 shots – ABH
– Talent trumps grit – AJC
– Cats pull away – Lexington Herald
– UK Overwhelms UGA – MaconTelegraph
– UGA loses big – Red and Black
– Postmortem – UK Blog
– Instantaneous Wrapup – DawgSports

Coach Calipari gets it (from the AJC):

“Georgia,” he said, “is one of those gem jobs that no one realizes.”

He cites the recruiting base and the new facilities as reasons for the optimism for UGA people.

Update: Dean Legge has a great video interview with Calipari. He’s even more glowing in his praise in the video.

How good is the in state basketball talent in GA? In football, Texas and California are the top producers of recruits with Florida right on their heels. In basketball the changing demographics and exploding talent base would make Illinois Basketball more like Texas Football and Georgia’s in state hoops talent pool is analogous to Florida’s football talent base.

Things are going well with 2011 recruiting, and that’s the class that will define this coaching staff. The Early Signing Period for 2011 starts in Nov. 2010. The biggest recruits for Coach Fox to land between now and then are:

1. Trey Thompkins
2 (Tie) Kentavious Caldwell
2 (Tie) Dai-Jon Parker
2 (Tie) Julian Royal
5. Any of the 9 other Top 150 players in the nation who call GA their home

If Thompkins returns, we should be in good shape for a tourney run. Especially considering the progress that Jeremy Price is making along with the developing outside shot of Dustin Ware and the addition of Gerald Robinson Jr.

I remain very optimistic about the future of UGA basketball.

PWD

From Connor Nolte’s blog — Passer’s Remorse. Gotta love Ricky’s shot.

PWD

Quinton

I’ve obviously not been posting as much the past few months, and I’m not sure when or if the level of activity / posting will return to the ultra high-level of the 2008 season when we were at our peak.

Some of the reduction in posts is due to increased work related travel. Some of it is due to tighter work related IT firewalls. Some of it is due to burnout. And some of it is due to quite a bit of courting on my end. Yeah me.

This isn’t an excuse post. I’m just telling you what the deal is because many of you have either emailed me or posted in the comments. I don’t know what’s in store for the site long term, but I know I’m NOT shutting it down.

I’m just reassessing things. I’ve got an idea or two to make the blog better (beyond simply posting more often). We’ll see if I get to them any time soon.

I’m happy with the decisions and priorities I’ve made regarding this site and my spare time (this isn’t my profession). Just bear with me. I imagine that I’ll catch my second wind sooner or later.

Go Dawgs.

Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

(UPDATE: Student Tickets for UK are now Sold Out)

Hoops Student Tickets On Sale Wednesday

UGA student tickets for tonight’s men’s basketball game against Kentucky are $2 and can be purchased at the UGA Bookstore (9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.) and Stegeman Coliseum Ticket Booth 4 starting at 6:00p.m. today.

Students must present a valid UGA ID card for each ticket they wish to purchase and buy up to 4 tickets. All student sales are cash only.

Student Ticket Sales Locations

9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m. UGA Bookstore

6:00p.m. Stegeman Coliseum Ticket Booth 4

Get back in that huddle and do it right this time!

I apologize for the short notice, but the details were finalized only moments ago. I am scheduled to appear at 6:30 this evening to discuss the opening of the Bulldogs’ spring practice with Kevin Thomas on The Fan Sports Radio 790 and 1350, covering Southeast Georgia and Northeast Florida. Tune in if you get the chance.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Georgia	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	1
Florida State	0	2	4	3	3	0	0	0	X	12	14	1

If you want the short version of the Diamond Dogs’ series-opening game against Florida State on Friday night, just replay Georgia’s midweek loss to Alabama. We were warned that the Seminoles were offensively potent, and they proved it in a 12-1 annihilation of the Red and Black.

The scoreless first frame actually appeared promising for the Classic City Canines, as Johnathan Taylor led off with a single and the Tribe’s only baserunner was plunked by Justin Grimm. It was all downhill from there for the Diamond Dogs, though. After Georgia went three up and three down in the visitors’ half of the second stanza, a pair of singles and a Kevin Ruiz error allowed an unearned run to score, then a wild pitch followed by a base hit plated another.

Taylor’s two-out single was all the Athenians had to show for the top of the third canto, but James Ramsey began the bottom of the inning with a bang when he sent a solo shot to right field. A base hit, a walk, a double-play ball, and another base on balls set the stage for the Justin Gonzalez home run that made it 6-0 for the home team.

The Diamond Dogs generated a run in the upper half of the fourth frame on a leadoff single by Peter Verdin, a Seminole error, a groundout, and a flyout. Florida State answered in the bottom of the stanza on a couple of singles followed by a Ramsey home run. The side was retired in sequence in the top of the fifth frame, but the lower half of the canto saw the bases loaded with one out when three of the first four Tribe batters walked, singled, and were plunked, respectively. A base hit by Stephen Cardullo brought two men home and a subsequent sacrifice fly scored one more.

Singles by Taylor and Verdin in the visitors’ half of the sixth stanza were erased by inning-ending strikeouts, while a pair of FSU walks in the home team’s turn at the plate were nullified by a double play. Christian Glisson produced the only hit by either team in the seventh frame, and, following a hitless eighth canto, the Red and Black came up to bat for the final time. Zach Taylor and Robert Shipman both drew bases on balls before Lance Martin went down swinging and Glisson grounded into the double play that put a second straight humiliating setback into the books.

Aside from the fact that the errors were even at one apiece, this outing was just as atrocious as Wednesday night’s. Johnathan Taylor (3 for 4) and Peter Verdin (2 for 3) between them accounted for five of Georgia’s six hits and no individual Bulldog batter had both an RBI and a hit to his credit. The Seminole hurlers carded ten strikeouts and did not issue a walk in the first eight innings, while Red and Black starter Justin Grimm surrendered eleven hits and seven earned runs in a scant four frames.

Right now, this is not a good baseball team. The Classic City Canines currently are capable of eking out victories over inferior opponents but are not able to take the field against competent competition. Not only does the string of College World Series appearances in even-numbered seasons appear very much in peril, but it appears highly doubtful that a winning record is even in the cards. If this young team does not grow up in a hurry, the Diamond Dogs will turn out to be as much of an embarrassment as . . . well, pretty much all the major Georgia sports teams in the last year or two, actually.

Go ‘Dawgs!

There’s a lot at stake in this evening’s roundball outing. It’s the Hoop Dogs’ final home game of the year in a season in which Georgia has not lost to an SEC East opponent in Stegeman Coliseum. At 13-14, the Fox Hounds need this win if they are to have any shot at finishing the season with a winning record. Consecutive contests in the Classic City give the Bulldogs their best chance of notching two conference wins in a row. Finally, there needs to be payback for this.

Feel free to join in the fun as the Georgia Bulldogs host the Kentucky Wildcats in a critical contest in Athens. Dive in in the comments below. If we win, does Mark Fox get his face on a bottle of bourbon? Come to think of it, it’s only bourbon if you make it in Kentucky, and I’m not sure it’s a compliment to put a coach’s face on a bottle with the words “sour mash” on it, so maybe we should go with a fine wine, instead. Ah, heck . . . just win, guys.

Go ‘Dawgs!

The Kentucky Wildcats are talented and deep, played a complete game in Athens on Wednesday night, and are supported by fans who care a great deal about basketball. The Georgia Bulldogs lack talent and depth, played a solid first half (down 40-36 at the break after it appeared early as though the Fox Hounds would be run out of their own building), and, judging by the amount of red in the stands at Stegeman Coliseum in the middle of a week in which the Peach State once again experienced snowfall, are supported by fans who are starting to care an appreciable amount about basketball. We don’t yet have our Ashley Judd, but we’re working on it.

How the Hoop Dogs were outscored only 40-32 after intermission, I’ll never know, because the Red and Black turned the ball over fifteen times, had fourteen of their shots blocked (while blocking exactly none of the visitors’), and notched half as many steals as their opponent did. Georgia out-rebounded Kentucky, but 40 per cent shooting from the field doomed the Bulldogs, despite Jeremy Price’s 20-minute, 19-point performance.

Georgia lost to a better team and we had better hope that the Hoop Dogs’ road woes do not continue this weekend, or else the Red and Black will lose to a worse team on Saturday. This has been a season of hope, though not of results, for Mark Fox’s program. This team will not turn the proverbial corner this year, but these Dogs will have their day.

Right now, that may sound a little crazy . . . crazy like a Fox. Georgia basketball will head into the autumn of 2010 as a sleeping giant bursting with untapped potential, in much the way that Florida football headed into the autumn of 1990. Here’s hoping the hardwood Bulldogs’ next 20 years go approximately as well as the gridiron Gators’ last 20 years have.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Georgia Bulldogs	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	5
Alabama Crimson Tide	2	0	2	4	2	0	3	0	X	13	14	0

The Diamond Dogs took the field in Hoover, Ala., for an unusual midweek contest against the Crimson Tide in a game that would not count in the conference standings. Personally, I’d be all right with not counting the darned thing at all, because Alabama completely outclassed Georgia in a disastrous outing for the Red and Black.

Despite the ultimate result, the evening got off to a good start when Johnathan Taylor drew a leadoff walk in the top of the first inning, but Colby May flied out and the Bulldog baserunner was caught stealing. Peter Verdin was issued a base on balls, as well, and the Georgia right fielder succeeded in his attempt to swipe second, but Chase Davidson went down swinging to strand a teammate in scoring position.

The home state squad fared rather better in the bottom of the canto. Josh Rutledge sent a one-out single into center field and stole second to open up a base for Ross Wilson. The Alabama second baseman walked and consecutive base hits by Clay Jones and Jake Smith plated a pair of runs. A pair of strikeouts followed, but not before the Tide had taken a 2-0 lead.

After neither squad produced a baserunner in the second stanza, Kevin Ruiz began the proceedings in the upper half of the third frame with a leadoff double. The next three Diamond Dogs carded outs. An error allowed Rutledge to reach in the bottom of the inning, and, after the Alabama shortstop stole second, Wilson moved him over to third on a groundout. The inning’s second Georgia error enabled Rutledge to come the rest of the way home.

A two-out single by Brett Booth scored another unearned run and Chris Smelley flied out after a third Red and Black miscue sent a runner to third. The Classic City Canines countered in the top of the fourth canto, commencing with a one-out base hit by Davidson. A balk advanced the Georgia infielder to second and a Zach Cone single moved him over to third before the Bulldog center fielder stole second to put two men in scoring position. Brett DeLoach brought both baserunners home with a two-out double to even the hits at four per side and cut the Crimson Tide lead to 4-2.

An Andrew Miller single, a sacrifice, a passed ball, and a walk put runners at the corners and forced Chase Hawkins from the mound in the home half of the stanza. Ben Cornwell came on and surrendered the sacrifice fly that plated Miller. Following a stolen base and a walk, a Jones single scored one run and a Smith double scored two more. A wild pitch signaled the end of the line for Cornwell and Evan Tieles persuaded Booth to chase strike three to conclude a three-hit, four-run canto.

A two-out walk and a follow-up single were all the Diamond Dogs had to show for the top of the fifth frame, but ‘Bama did not let up in the home half of the inning. Two Tide singles and another Georgia error loaded the bases with no one out, and, after Taylor Dugas grounded into a run-scoring double play, Rutledge brought another man home with a double.

The Athenians recorded two outs before producing two baserunners in the visitors’ half of the sixth stanza and a couple of Alabamians were plunked in the bottom of the inning, but neither team scored. The seventh frame saw two Diamond Dogs in scoring position with only one out, but Georgia could not bring either man home, while the Tide added to their advantage with a one-out single, a two-out single, and a three-run shot in the bottom of the inning.

After no Bulldog reached base in the upper half of the eighth canto, Alabama came back up to bat and loaded the bases with two outs away but could not force additional runs across home plate. The Red and Black’s last gasp in the top of the ninth inning ended with a whimper when Taylor reached first on a wild pitch with one out away and May promptly grounded into a double play.

The Diamond Dogs played their worst game of the season on Wednesday night. The Athenians committed an absurd five errors to place themselves squarely in a territory hitherto occupied by the likes of the Atlanta Braves of the late 1970s. The first six hitters in the Georgia batting order between them went three for nineteen with no RBI and eight strikeouts. The bullpen gave up seven earned runs in fewer than five full frames’ worth of work. Alabama scored multiple runs in five of the first seven stanzas.

No part of the Bulldogs’ effort or execution was anything other than poor and Wednesday night’s contest was utterly lacking in any redeeming feature from which a positive indicator might be gleaned. I know Kyle Farmer’s injury was a meaningful loss, but, for crying out loud, people. The Diamond Dogs need to flush this sorry setback from their collective memory banks in a great big hurry, because they have a three-game road series against Florida State beginning on Friday. This team needs to turn around quickly.

Go ‘Dawgs!

I know. With all of the excitement surrounding Mark Fox’s basketball team, the Diamond Dogs, Georgia gymnastics, and loyal DawgSports readers battling the elements, you hardly even noticed that spring practice begins in Athens this afternoon. Oh, who am I kidding? Like me, you’ve probably been counting down the days since January. Spring practice has always been one of my favorite pages on the football calendar because, much like spring training in baseball, it’s the time for renewal. Possibilities abound.

The only thing more abundant in the Classic City this spring than possibilities will be storylines. You will hear all about new defensive coaches, defensive players in new positions, even how Mark Richt is organizing the practice agenda. If you thrive on change, the University of Georgia football office is the place for you my friend. They’ve got it in spades.

Me? I don’t really dig change. I prize continuity, which of course explains why I am so disconcerted by the fact that we’ll be starting our third different quarterback in three seasons come September. That makes me nervous. Like, “Coach Dye, it’s the NCAA on line one . . .” nervous.

I should be comforted by the fact that we have the most seasoned offensive line of the Mark Richt era. Not to mention two guys who, with apologies to the former walk-on quarterback in the Governor’s Mansion, run this state. But I remember the last time I exhibited hubris in the face of quarterback uncertainty. The result? Losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt in the same season, the untimely demise of Doug Gillett’s toaster, and the realization that who takes the snaps really does matter. I will not exhibit such brazen optimism again. I will assume that whoever lines up under center for the beginning of the 2010 season has the pocket presence of a palsied goat and the howitzer-caliber arm strength of my Aunt Tessie.

Who in fact will take the snaps on September 5? I’m not sure.  Based solely upon what I saw last season, what I saw of the 3 contenders in high school, and what I’ve heard from those who watch more practice than I do, I’d guess Aaron Murray. He has the Colt McCoy seal of approval. And unlike Logan Gray, I haven’t watched him wander around Jacksonville Municipal Stadium doing a palsied goat impersonation.

To be fair, Gray entered the 2009 Georgia/Florida game under far from ideal circumstances. He responded, however, by doing nothing to make me think that he would have left Joe Cox in a better position had their respective roles been reversed. If Logan Gray were going to seize the reins in Athens, i believe he would have done so by now. And if Logan Gray emerges from the spring scrum as your starter, I would not be excited about that. Because it means that our two redshirt freshman bluechippers were unable to unseat a guy who has divided his time between signalcaller and not-so-secret-punt-fair-catch-specialist.

Zach Mettenberger is intriguing if only because the kid really does have a rocket arm. Seriously, if you’ve ever just watched him wing it down the field it is pretty impressive. Former Tennessee QB Tee Martin claims that Mettenberger throws the ball so hard it whistles as it goes by you, which is either very impressive on Mettenberger’s part or a sign that Tee Martin needs to get a hearing test. Who knows which is the case?

But I believe Mettenberger was hampered by playing in a run-oriented offense until his senior season in high school. I don’t know if he’s been able to develop the proper read/reaction and throwing touch to beat out Murray and Gray. But again, it’s not like a blogger like me has a lot to go on.

One near certainty you can count on is this: Mark Richt and Mike Bobo will not likely announce a clear cut starter at the end of spring drills. Sure, someone will nominally be first on the depth chart, but Coach Bobo made clear that this thing is going to be an open competition. And you get the feeling from all that has been said this offseason that every player will have to fight for every spot, including and perhaps most especially the most glamorous spot on the roster. 

So that’s my uneducated guess. Who do you believe will start the season at quarterback for the University of Georgia?

I’ve already told you what is afoot in Bulldog Nation, so I suppose it is time to take a jog around the blogosphere and see what is going on elsewhere in the intercollegiate sports world. Believe it or not, there is plenty to report; viz.:

I go back and forth over whether Fredo Corleone or Benjy Compson is the more accurate analogy for the Southern California head coach. Lane Kiffin’s brother, Chris, is leaving Lincoln to join his family in Los Angeles. How thrilled is he about working for his spectacularly successful sibling? Quoth Coach Kiffin the Youngest:

The No. 1 thing for me was going to work for my father. That’s what made it an easy decision for me. . . . Working for my dad is exciting just because I was raised always following him and watching his career — I just always wanted to work professionally with him because I know he’s really good at what he does.

That’s a ringing endorsement of the head coach right there. Seriously, if Monte disowned Layla’s husband, would Lame Lane be employable as anything other than the night manager at the 7-11 in the bad section of town?

No, he’s not visiting his mistress in Venezuela; in this case, he means it literally, rather than as a euphemism. Over the weekend, regular Dawg Sports reader Richard Schrade left on a seven-month sabbatical to do a through-hike of the Appalachian Trail. At last report, Richard was riding out the storm at Neel’s Gap, where the weather conditions look like this:

There’s a 30 per cent chance of snow in Birmingham and a 100 per cent chance of crazy in Paul Finebaum’s column. Bad weather in Birmingham caused the postponement of Alabama’s baseball game against Samford today, so the Tide should be rested for tomorrow night’s clash with the Diamond Dogs. For some strange reason, even though the game will take place between two SEC teams in Hoover, site of the SEC baseball tournament, the game will not count in the conference standings. That, though, isn’t the most bizarre news item to come out of the Yellowhammer State this week. Take it away, Paul Finebaum:

And who’s to say that when the issue of Smart may arise again — perhaps in a year or two if the Mark Richt tenure comes crashing down in Athens.

Certainly Smart had to think about that when the Georgia offer was made. However, I think his worth to Georgia will likely be higher, with perhaps another national championship at Alabama instead of being part of a sinking ship in Athens. And, of course, if Richt goes down, Smart might be battling his best buddy Muschamp for that one as well. Of course, others believe the job Muschamp really covets is the one in Baton Rouge, where Les Miles’ ship appears to be shaky.

Does Finebaum even have an editor? If so, and that’s what made the grade, what wild-eyed baseless speculation wound up on the cutting room floor? Brian Kelly to Texas Tech, Tommy Tuberville to Florida, and Urban Meyer to Notre Dame in a round-robin coach swap, perhaps? Bigfoot replacing Myles Brand as the head of the NCAA, maybe? A sixteen-team Division I-A playoff with leprechaun line judges and unicorn referees? Because that wouldn’t be any wackier.

Meanwhile, back in the vile and wicked blogosphere. . . . Evidently, something was up with Bill Simmons, prompting a pretty big “whatever” from me, but Brian Cook (amazingly) was the measured voice of reason:

The lesson here, of course, is that no matter what you write, people are reading it, so you should probably get your facts straight before you put something out there, whether it be in a column, a blog post, a radio/TV appearance or even an online chat that focuses as much on actual sports as it does on reality television with a target demographic of teenage girls. I think we forget that sometimes.

That may be the finest combination of good manners and a good point in Brian’s blogging career. Good job.

The northeast doesn’t care about football. We who care about football don’t care about the northeast. Can’t we just agree to leave each other alone? Evidently, Rutgers is a serious candidate for Big Ten expansion, and not for the reason any sensible person would have an affinity for the State University of New Jersey. Rather, the desire to develop inroads into the New York television market fuels the league’s interest in the Scarlet Knights. Frankly, the whole thing just annoys me. Northeastern media elites have always carried far too much clout, beginning with the sportswriters in the 1920s and ‘30s who refused to give the Crimson Tide their due until they whipped Washington in the Rose Bowl and failed to recognize the Red and Black until Georgia regularly played (and won) games in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, and continuing today with Bristol-based ESPN, which cannot get enough of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry and still counts Doug Flutie’s pass as the watershed moment in college football history while ignoring comparably dramatic moments from that same season. If New Yorkers don’t like college football, fine. The whole point of federalism was to allow Georgians and New Yorkers to set different priorities on matters of taste.

We’re moving on up, just like George and Weezie Jefferson. The Georgia Bulldogs rank eighth in the latest SEC basketball power poll, which attests to the fact that Mark Fox has taken this program to the next level. When you started in the sub-basement, eighth in the league qualifies as “the next level.”

Happy birthday to several of you. I may have forgotten Mark Richt’s birthday, but I’m not overlooking any of this week’s anniversaries. Today was Dr. Seuss’s birthday; Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on this date in 1904. (Incidentally, he published How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 1957, and, in that book, he has the Grinch grouse that he’s put up with Christmas for 53 years. Do the math.) Tomorrow, of course, is Herschel Walker’s birthday, which isn’t why I’ll be away from the office all day, but it’s reason enough. Finally, my daughter, Elizabeth, turns two on Friday. I’m pretty sure the “terrible twos” are going to be when we regret consistently referring to her as “The Princess.”

You now may consider yourself fully informed. You probably aren’t, of course, but you’re not entirely without a basis for believing that you are, which is something.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Following last weekend’s series sweep over the Stetson Hatters, David Perno’s Diamond Dogs climbed back into the Baseball America rankings today, earning the nod as the No. 25 team in NCAA Division I. Also among the top teams in the land are No. 2 Louisiana State, No. 4 Georgia Tech, No. 5 Florida, No. 13 Clemson, No. 15 South Carolina, No. 17 Arkansas, No. 21 Ole Miss, and No. 23 Kentucky.

Jay Clark’s Gym Dogs likewise staked out a position among the country’s best performers, nailing down a No. 5 ranking in the wake of last Friday night’s triumph. Alabama and Florida are ranked first and fourth, respectively. Other Bulldog squads are producing individual honorees, as well. Andy Landers’s Lady Dogs feature SEC freshman of the week Jasmine James and the Georgia softball team boasts of two-time SEC pitcher of the week Erin Arevalo.

In other words, there’s no football (yet), but sports aplenty are afoot in Bulldog Nation, even apart from Mark Fox’s Hoop Dogs and the hope they intermittently induce in us.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Stetson	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	1	5	11	1
Georgia	0	0	0	1	4	2	0	0	X	7	10	1

After winning big on Friday and barely escaping on Saturday, the Diamond Dogs went for the series sweep over the Stetson Hatters on Sunday. The Red and Black got the win in a contest that was neither as lopsided as the first game nor as nerve-wracking as the second.

The Hatters leapt out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. Spencer Theisen led off with a base hit to center field and stole second. Robert Crews advanced the baserunner with a flyout and Mark Jones brought him home with a two-out single. Neither team would produce another baserunner until Ryan Lashley led off the top of the third canto with a single.

Jeff Simpson notched another base hit in the next at-bat and Theisen sacrificed the runners over to put two men in scoring position. David Perno, wisely (if belatedly) following the advice I yelled at my computer screen on Saturday afternoon, directed Michael Palazzone to issue an intentional walk to Crews and load the bases for Aaron Crittenden. The Stetson designated hitter obligingly grounded into a double play to keep the margin 1-0.

Georgia finally carded a hit in the home half of the third stanza when Kevin Ruiz sent a one-out single into left field. A second Bulldog baserunner got aboard when Johnathan Taylor drew a two-out walk and a free pass inadvertently was issued to Colby May, as well. Peter Verdin flied out to strand three.

The Hatters built on their lead in the upper half of the fourth frame when Jones dropped a leadoff single into center field, swiped a pair of bases, and scored on an error. Consecutive one-out singles put two men aboard for Simpson, whose two-out double plated another run to make it 3-0 for the visitors. The Red and Black finally got on the board in the bottom of the inning when singles by Chase Davidson and Christian Glisson put Zach Taylor in a position to plate a run on a groundout.

Stetson went three up and three down in the top of the fifth canto to carry the contest to its halfway point before the Bulldogs began to take control. Todd Hankins led off the bottom of the inning with a walk, stole second, and came home on a one-out double by May. A Verdin home run plated two more before Zach Cone singled, swiped second, and scored on a base hit by Glisson. The four-hit, four-run frame put Georgia in front to stay.

The side was retired on a flyout, a pop-up, and a groundout in the top of the sixth stanza and the Red and Black went back to work. Four batters into the bottom of the canto, May drew a bases-loaded walk to force home a run and a Verdin sacrifice fly plated another. Justin Earls took over on the mound at the outset of the seventh inning and no Hatter batter made it as far as first base.

Although Glisson singled to center field and advanced as far as third base in the home half of the stanza, the Diamond Dogs did not score again before Stetson came back up to bat in the upper half of the eighth frame to face Ben Cornwell. The latest Georgia hurler gave up back-to-back base hits and an RBI groundout before a pair of strikeouts were secured. The bottom of the inning again saw a Bulldog baserunner make it as far as third base before being stranded to conclude a scoreless canto, so the Classic City Canines turned to Alex McRee to close it out in the visitors’ half of the ninth inning.

Lashley and Simpson both drew bases on balls to begin the concluding canto, but the next two Stetson batters struck out and popped up, respectively. A Crittenden single to right field scored a run to make it 7-5, but, with the go-ahead run standing in the batter’s box, McRee threw the called third strike that clinched the victory.

In three innings of relief, the Georgia bullpen struck out five, walked two, and allowed just three hits and two earned runs. Leadoff hitter Johnathan Taylor, cleanup hitter Chase Davidson, and designated hitter Zach Taylor were fairly well held in check—the trio combined to go two for twelve with one RBI and three strikeouts—but the slack was taken up by Christian Glisson, Colby May, and Peter Verdin, who cumulatively were five for eleven with a half-dozen RIWWB. After sleepwalking through the first three and a half innings, the Diamond Dogs outscored the Hatters 7-2 and again won a game while being out-hit at Foley Field. It would be great to win ‘em all by a lot, but this is a young team that should improve as the year continues, so, for now, merely emerging victorious ought to be enough.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Missed It By That Much!

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Stetson	2	0	1	0	1	1	2	1	0	8	14	1
Georgia	1	0	4	0	2	0	0	2	X	9	11	2

The Diamond Dogs took care of business on Friday night before hosting Stetson for the second outing of a three-game set on Saturday afternoon. In a back-and-forth contest full of hits, home runs, and errors, Georgia emerged victorious in a one-run decision.

Jeff Walters did not get off to a good start on the mound in the visitors’ half of the initial inning. Spencer Theisen led off with a single and took second on a wild pitch. Robert Crews followed that up with a home run to left field. Three batters later, Sean Emory tacked on a base hit to add insult to injury, and, by the time the Hatter baserunner was nabbed trying to steal, Stetson already had matched its run total from the previous evening.

The Red and Black halved the deficit in the bottom of the frame on a one-out single by Colby May, a two-out walk by Chase Davidson, and a run-scoring base hit by Zach Cone to make it a 2-1 ballgame. The side was retired in sequence in the top of the second stanza and the Diamond Dogs had only a leadoff walk to show for their turn at bat in the bottom of the canto.

With two outs away in the upper half of the third inning, Crews again put one in the cheap seats and Aaron Crittenden made it to first base on a Todd Hankins error. After Nick Rickles grounded out to bring the Bulldogs back up to bat, Georgia finally awakened from its slumber.

Peter Verdin belted a one-out double into left field and advanced another 90 feet on a balk. A two-out Cone triple plated Verdin, a Christian Glisson single scored Cone, and a Brett DeLoach home run brought home two more. Two Stetson singles amounted to nothing in the top of the fourth frame and the Bulldogs squandered a one-out single in the bottom of the canto.

Another odd-numbered inning saw another Stetson score when Crews sent a single to left field with one out away in the top of the fifth frame. Crittenden’s ensuing single sent the lead baserunner to third and a two-out single by Emory scored Crews to cut the Georgia lead to 5-4.

The Classic City Canines extended their advantage anew in the home half of the canto when a one-out Glisson walk was followed by the two-out Kevin Ruiz home run that made it 7-4. The Hatters answered with a one-out Kurt Schluter double followed by a run-scoring Jeff Simpson single in the visitors’ half of the sixth stanza. Blake Dieterich and Cooper Moseley managed to get out of the inning without further damage being done. The Red and Black went three up and three down in the lower half of the frame.

The home team let the lead get away from them in the top of the seventh canto. The first two outs were recorded before a walk, a single, a stolen base, and a passed ball brought one run home. Once a base hit brought the tying run across home plate, a balk signaled the end of the afternoon for Moseley, who was succeeded on the hill by Cecil Tanner. The new Georgia hurler surrendered a base on balls before finally securing the last out.

The first two Bulldog batters in the home half of the inning struck out looking, but Glisson singled, DeLoach reached on a wild pitch, and Robert Shipman walked to load the bases for Hankins, who flied out to strand three and preserve the deadlock. The tie was broken with one swing of the bat in the top of the eighth inning when Crews once again went yard, giving the Hatters an 8-7 advantage and causing me to ask, “Why are we still pitching to this guy?” with a fervor unheard in such circumstances since Steve Detwiler was at the plate in the College World Series.

After the next three Stetson batters notched a trio of outs, the contest proceeded to the bottom of the frame and the Diamond Dogs made up the deficit. May drew a one-out walk and Verdin brought him home with a double. Davidson drew a free pass to first base and everyone was safe when Cone hit into a fielder’s choice, thanks to the error that allowed the unearned go-ahead run to cross the plate.

Glisson was hit by a pitch but the next two Bulldog batters recorded outs to bring Alex McRee to the mound to close out the contest. The Georgia closer struck out all three of the batters he faced to clinch the victory for the home team.

In a weird outing, Johnathan Taylor went without a hit or a walk, Chase Davidson also was held hitless while fanning twice, and Zach Cone had as many strikeouts as hits. Christian Glisson (2 for 3, 1 RBI), Colby May (2 for 4), and Kevin Ruiz (2 for 3, 2 RBI) came through for the Diamond Dogs, though, to make up for David Perno’s baffling decision to continue pitching to Robert Crews when the Hatter second baseman was busy going four for five with four RBI and three home runs. For crying out loud, Stetson pitched around our designated hitter, who didn’t have a hit all afternoon!

It was a strange game hallmarked by errors, both tactical and practical, and the Classic City Canines probably didn’t deserve to escape with the victory, but they got it and I’ll take it. The Red and Black will go for the series sweep on Sunday.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Whew!

When you’re up 45-30 at halftime at home, you shouldn’t have to win a nailbiter, but that’s what we have come to expect from this team, and, to their credit, the Hoop Dogs managed to hang on for the win.

It shouldn’t have been this close, but the Fox Hounds closed the deal, and the Georgia Bulldogs notched a victory over the Florida Gators in the process.

The rest, frankly, is just details.

Go ‘Dawgs!

This afternoon’s outing at Stegeman Coliseum represents a winnable game for the Hoop Dogs, if only because any game in Stegeman Coliseum represents a winnable game for the Hoop Dogs, who are undefeated against SEC East squads in Athens.

This is an important game for a number of reasons, but I’m only concerned about two of them: (1) we’re Georgia, and (2) they’re Florida.

Feel free to follow the action and take part in the conversation in the comments below.

Go ‘Dawgs!

The fifth-ranked Gym Dogs hosted tenth-ranked SEC rival Louisiana State at Stegeman Coliseum on Friday night and came away with a victory that began better than it ended.

The Tigers narrowly edged their hosts in the vault, carding an overall 49.25 to eclipse the 49.225 earned by the Red and Black on the strength of 9.85s put up by Cassidy McComb and Shayla Worley. Georgia made up the lost ground on the bars, using five scores of 9.85 or better (six, actually, but they could count only five) to notch the 49.3 that overwhelmed LSU’s 48.85.

The Gym Dogs’ weakest performance of the night came on the beam, where a fall on the front aerial by Kat Ding and a few early wobbles by Hilary Mauro caused the Classic City club to card a cumulative 48.95 despite 9.925s from both Courtney McCool and Grace Taylor. Louisiana State got the better of the Red and Black in the event by tallying a combined 48.975.

The Tigers duplicated that team score in the floor exercise, where the Red and Black used a 9.85 from Taylor and a 9.95 from McCool to put up the 49.1 that gave Georgia a 196.575-196.05 victory. The team was a bit off in the last two rotations—after continuing their recent surge with a 98.525 in the first half, the Gym Dogs dropped off and managed only a 98.05 in the second—but the Red and Black improved upon their season average of 196.161.

While not as encouraging as it might have been, or even as much as it appeared at first that it would be, the meet represented another step in the direction of restoring the Georgia gymnastics squad to its proper place atop the sport.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Stetson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	5	1
Georgia	0	3	1	3	4	1	0	0	X	12	15	1

The Stetson Hatters came calling at Foley Field on Friday afternoon to kick off the Diamond Dogs’ first weekend series of the year in Athens. The Red and Black made short work of their guests in the opening outing of the three-game set, generating a dozen runs on fifteen hits in a laugher.

After the Hatters were set down in sequence in the top of the first inning, Johnathan Taylor led off the bottom of the frame with a single but saw it squandered when Chase Davidson grounded into a double play. The only Stetson baserunner in the upper half of the second stanza reached on an error and the Classic City Canines got down to business in the home half of the canto.

Colby May, Zach Cone, Christian Glisson, and Kyle Farmer got the proceedings underway with four straight singles, scoring a pair of runs in the process. A double-play ball off the bat of Robert Shipman left a runner on third, who scored on a wild pitch. By the time Todd Hankins swung at strike three, Georgia had taken a 3-0 lead in a four-hit inning.

Two harmless walks were issued in the top of the third stanza before the Bulldogs extended their lead in the bottom of the canto. Taylor drew a base on balls, stole second, took third on a Davidson groundout, and came home on a Peter Verdin double.

The Hatters had only a two-out single to show for their efforts in the visitor’s half of the fourth frame, but the Red and Black continued to plug away in their turn at bat. An error allowed Glisson to reach base and consecutive singles allowed him to score an unearned run. A Taylor triple made it a three-hit, three-run inning for the Athenians.

Stetson again had two walks go for naught in the top of the fifth canto and Georgia again put runs on the board in the bottom of the frame, thanks to a solo shot from Verdin, a Glisson walk that turned into a run when the next two Bulldog batters singled, and a two-RBI single by Hankins following the passed ball that put a pair of runners in scoring position. All told, the Diamond Dogs tallied four runs on four hits.

A Stetson single in the top of the sixth stanza was erased when the next Hatter batter hit into a double play, while the Red and Black continued their onslaught in the home half of the frame when Davidson led off with a home run. The visitors were held hitless and the hosts were held scoreless in an uneventful seventh inning.

The first two hitters faced by Steve Esmonde in the upper half of the eighth frame provided Stetson’s only fireworks, as Mark Jones dropped a leadoff single into center field and Aaron Crittenden belted a two-run shot to prevent the shutout. Neither squad carded a hit in the remainder of the eighth inning or in the ninth canto, the latter of which ended with the Bulldogs turning a double play.

Justin Grimm lasted almost six full frames, striking out seven of the 24 batters he faced while issuing four walks, conceding two hits, and permitting no runs, earned or otherwise. Johnathan Taylor was effective in the leadoff spot, going two for three and drawing a walk while batting in a pair of runs. The Diamond Dogs also got quality production at the plate from Kyle Farmer (3 for 4, 1 RBI), Robert Shipman (2 for 4, 2 RBI), and Peter Verdin (2 for 3, 2 RIWWB). It was just Stetson, but it was a win, and it wasn’t close, and that was all it needed to be.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Richt said he has done his best to soak in some new ideas that Grantham and fellow first-year assistants Scott Lakatos and Warren Belin have brought to the table, too.

“It’s a healthy exchange of ideas,” Richt said. “A lot of times you spend a lot of money to fly around to different schools to get details of what’s going on, but how much can you get in a one- or two-day period compared to a guy just being there, living there.”

Richt has already decided to implement two suggestions of his new staff.

First, he’ll be going back to a Monday through Thursday practice schedule, with walk-throughs on Fridays. Last season he had the team practice on Sunday and gave the players Monday off, but he’s since reconsidered the plan in light of some input from his new assistants.

Grantham also suggested revamping the daily meeting schedules, so rather than open with special teams work, Richt will address the entire team first, then break off into special teams and segment meetings. Richt said it’s a schedule used in the NFL and makes organizing meetings much simpler.

Folks, we’ve got an important decision to make.  We need to settle the issue of of choosing a mascot for the 2010 season.  As everyone within earshot of Hahira knows, we didn’t do so well last year.  The fortunes of the program may well be at stake as we look towards the beginning of spring football and beyond.  Do your part, Dawgnation.  Vote. 

May I present the candidates: 

EvilDawg

A Helluva Dawg.  Seriously.  Not sure where he came from.  Some people think Macon because in July, there ain’t no city hotter in the entire state of Georgia.  He thinks “Smokey” is a ”douche” (his words, not mine).  The only person in the world he’ll let touch him is Mike Bobo, as long as Bobo is sportin’ the “Frank Zappa” look (who, we all know, was sorta evil.  Well, at least Tipper Gore thought he was evil).  Look closely:  This Dawg has razor stubble. 

L’il UGA VIII Puppy (OMG…he’ssocute).

Can you imagine trotting out l’il UGA 8.0 out there as a little puppy?  Even our competition might just relax a bit before kickoff.  I can hear a collective “Awwwwwwwwww….OMG…..he’ssocute” by just about every head coach we’ll face except Urban who would just as soon point a steely finger at l’il UGA and then try and kick him.  But it would be cool to watch l’il UGA grow up before our very eyes and rack up the championships and chicks.  By the way, this picture is not an actual picture of the real UGA VIII puppy.  That is very highly classified stuff.  But, the dimensions and cuteness factor of this particular bulldog are said to be “in the ballpark.”

Russ

Russ, the half-brother of UGA VII, is two-and-oh, baby.  He’s one bad 5 year old.  Just ask Tech.  Washaun and Caleb may “Run this State”, but Russ runs the hearts and minds of Dawg Nation at the present time.  He may not be a perfect white English Bulldog, he may not be as big as some of his brothers, half-brothers and cousins.  But Russ is undefeated and you never, ever mess with a winning streak.  I say give him a full year to strut his stuff and pee on some hedges.  He’s earned it.

Last but not least:

UGA VIII (the full grown version).

This is actually a picture of an M41 Walker “Bulldog.”  Anything that has the word “Walker” and “Bulldog” in it absolutely needs to be considered as a Georgia mascot.  I’m sure UGA VIII, whenever he is prowling the sidelines, will be about as effective and intimidating as one of these.  I loves me some armor, baby.

Vote:

The Seiler’s are waiting on two litters sired by UGA VII to sort through candidates for the Uga VIII job. If the puppy they choose is still…well…too much of a puppy for the first game, then Russ might get a few more early season games.

Why do I imagine a scene out of the Lion King when I read this article?

PWD

I was at last night’s heart breaker in Nashville. What can you say other than we’re very, very close very, very often. Damn. As Quinton texted me post game, when the best free throw shooter on your team misses two and the worst three point shooter on their team makes one all at the end, that’s pretty much not your night.

On the bright side, I did talk to the extended family of one of our players who raved about Mark Fox and the progress the team is making week to week. On the downside, I also accidentally popped off about another player in ear shot of his mom. Doh. Been a while since I put my foot in my mouth with a player’s parent.

Regardless of how last night went, I do love our chances against the Gators on Saturday, and I think we have a reasonable shot at beating LSU in Baton Rouge the following weekend. As a buddy said, that would put us as the #6 seed in the East with likely Ole Miss in Game 1 and Vanderbilt in Game 2.

Given that we smoked Vandy at home, and lost by 1 point in Overtime on the road…a neutral site battle looks like a manageable situation for us.

See Also:
– Overtime Not Friendly – RnB
– Vanderbilt’s Rally – Tennessean

PWD

What was missing with last season’s football team more than anything else? A massive sense of urgency. That’s why this comment by Bobo is so important to me:

“We’ve had change. We’ve had turnover. We struggled last year. Eight and five. But sometimes that’s good: You need to be on the fire. And I think it’s lit a fire in everybody.”

Then again, talk is cheap. When have we not heard that “this is the best off season in our history.” Let’s see some of that GATA on the field. Starting this spring.

PWD

This is going to be just about as truly instantaneous and ill-informed a roundball wrapup as you have ever seen around these parts. The game went to overtime, and, as you know if you followed the open comment thread, I had a Chick-fil-A milkshake with supper and I am now very much in the throes of the comedown from the ensuing sugar rush. This sensation is quite conducive to my mood in the wake of a basketball game the Georgia Bulldogs lost but should have won.

The Fox Hounds launched shots by the boatload, putting up 92 heaves from the field to just 75 for the hometown Vanderbilt Commodores. The Red and Black weren’t less effectual than their hosts with the shots they launched, either, ringing 46.5 per cent of their 71 two-point tries and 47.6 per cent of their 21 three-point attempts. The Music City Sailors performed similarly, sinking 45 per cent of their 60 field goals and 46.7 per cent of their fifteen shots from beyond the arc. The Classic City Canines scored 42 points in the paint to the Commies’ 28.

What, then, was the Hoop Dogs’ problem? The Athenians were trebly troubled, and you could have guessed what two of the three difficulties were. First of all, Georgia turned the ball over eleven times, resulting in fifteen Vanderbilt points. Secondly, the Bulldogs’ lack of depth came back to bite them (again!), as the Red and Black blew a late lead (again!) and the Georgia bench was outscored 20-15 by the Commodore reserves.

The third and final reason the Fox Hounds were doomed came as a bit of a surprise, though: Georgia’s field goal shooting was inferior to Vandy’s, both in quality and in quantity. The Bulldogs went to the charity stripe just 26 times (as opposed to the Commodores’ 39 trips to the line) and sunk just 69.2 per cent of what are supposed to be easy baskets. Vanderbilt drained 35 free throws, shooting at an 89.7 per cent clip, and that was the difference in an otherwise even game.

It was an impressive effort for much of the contest, but, in the end, the Bulldogs continued to be bedeviled by the problems with which they have struggled all season, and, more maddening still, they lost because they performed poorly in a phase of the game at which they consistently had performed well. The turnovers and the lack of depth wouldn’t have mattered if the Georgians had performed up to their usual standards at the free throw line.

Don’t take my word for it, though; all of you know basketball better than I do, and this game and this season were summed up succinctly in this exchange between RedCrake and DawgGirl32:

Disappointing

But best away game we’ve played all year.

If that isn’t progress, I don’t know what is.

When can “progress” start including “winning?”

Next year?

I mean some of the losses have sucked, but we did beat Vandy earlier in the year and if you’d told Georgia fans at the beginning of the season that we’d beat 3 — almost 4 — top 25 teams, most wouldve been thrilled.

It is frustrating, but we can see that CMF has his team doing (mostly) the right things.

When it was looking good for the road team, I was thinking that, if the lead held up, I might begin this writeup with these words: “Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a basketball team.” Well, ladies and gentlemen, we still have ourselves a basketball team, it’s just on back-order and won’t arrive until some point in the future. Until then, we just have to hang on and be patient while this team figures out how to close the deal.

While we’re waiting, it’s going to be frustrating, and these games are going to continue to do to our spirits what the aforementioned Chick-fil-A milkshake is doing to my body, producing short-lived manic euphoria followed by a swift descent into languid numbness. It’s going to be aggravating and enervating for a while, but this team is this close. Just imagine what it’s going to be like when the Bulldogs learn how to finish what they’ve started. It’s worth sticking around to finish what we’ve started while they put it all together.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Is tonight the night the Georgia Bulldogs notch their first conference road win under Mark Fox and secure a second straight SEC victory, or has last weekend’s triumph produced false hope?

We’re about to find out, and, if you’re along for the ride, join in the fun in the comments below as the Red and Black travel to Nashville to tangle with the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Go ‘Dawgs!