Secrets September 30, 2007

Over the last couple of months I’ve become addicted to this website that Kit introduced to me. It’s called PostSecret. If you haven’t visited the site yet, you should. It started out as a community art project where people anonymously mail in their personal secrets on a postcard. It’s now become this cult-like phenomenon with currently almost 99 million hits on the site. I’m not entirely sure what Frank Warren’s (the founder) objective is with the project, other than to be some emotional outlet for people. It’s been talked about on the Today Show, Late Night with DL, and now there are a couple of books with previously published secrets. Every Sunday the site updates the newest, latest postcards of the week - and I never miss it.

The weird part is seeing yourself in some of the secrets. One night I was talking with a friend about something personal and then saw the same secret the next day on the site. Now, nearly every week I visit the site, I read something that I can empathize with, understand, or have experienced myself. More than not though, I read things that shock me and make me think about how other people live. Just know, you’ll read things that range anywhere from funny, weird, hopeful, and dark to those that are downright disgusting or bizarre. Either way it’s like watching an oncoming train wreck… and I can’t take my eyes off it.

I’ll be honest, the first time I clicked on PostSecret, it creeped me out for several reasons:

1) I felt like a voyeur, like I was invading someone’s private thoughts and feelings.
2) I felt depressed. A lot of the secrets are morose and some are just disturbing.
3) I had a heavy heart. It’s hard to read about someone hurting when you know you can do nothing but pray.

If you’ve never visited the site, you have to watch this video. It’s actually pretty well done, plays Sia as the background music (”Breathe Me” is one of my favorite songs btw), and does a much better job than me in explaining the project.

I know, it’s stunning right? I can’t justify why I keep going back every week or what draws me there. I have no explaination that’s plausable or adequate enough to convey the attraction. It is what it is, I guess. <I hate that expression, btw, but don’t know any other way to say it.>

If anything, it’s another weekly reminder of how small I am… I have a great life. I’m pursuing a dream. I have a bright future ahead of me. I have great friends and I’m surrounded by many people who love me. I possess 2 amazing gifts: faith and hope. I have no real problems compared to most in this world. I’ve only experienced suffering as an outsider, really. I know that I’m truly blessed beyond measure.

With all that being said, I wonder if I would ever have the courage to write out my deepest, darkest secret on a postcard. I wonder what I would write, what secret I would tell. I wonder if I would ever have the guts to mail it in, knowing damn well that it might be published. I wonder if anyone I know would recognize my secret or wonder if any of them are from me, could be me. I wonder. 

Anyways, I hope it speaks to you in some way like it does me. Check out the site and let me know what you think.

“Be my friend
hold me, wrap me up
unfold me
I am small
and needy
warm me up
and breathe me”

Random Game Day Humor September 26, 2007

It’s been four days and still the Bama game is on my mind. I need to be thinking about Ole Miss ridin’ into Athens looking for an upset. Hey, it’s possible people, they did a damn good job of exposing the gators; just sux for them that Tebow is the bionic man apparently. But seriously, after they got hosed at home last year on a bad call in the game against us, Orgeron will most definitely be seeking revenge. 

However, talk about the Rebels will have to wait ’til later. For now, there’s still unfinished business with Bama on my brain. There were a few random incidents from the Bama game that made me laugh, so I thought I’d pass ‘em along.

1. There was an incident with the Redcoats before the kickoff that I thought was absolutely hysterical. It’s also kinda rude and a little too in your face for my taste, but whatever. This is football, not a tea party. Anyways, Pat Forde wrote a great collumn about the game on Sunday. In it he talks about the ridiculousness of the flat-out cannonization of Saban in Tuscaloosa since his arrival. Indulge me, this is my favorite line:

“A win in this game and it really would have gotten crazy. The starry-eyed citizens of Sabanation might have commenced sacrificing virgins on the doorstep of the football offices”

Truer words were never spoken. Forde then counters by detailing the account of how UGA slowly began to let the air out of the balloon, starting with the Redcoat Band’s breach of etiquette.

“Even before the opening kickoff, Georgia was not properly reverential in one of the shrines of college football. Part of Alabama’s elaborate pregame celebrations of itself is a video presentation of great moments in the school’s gilded gridiron history, set to soaring music. It’s capped by a growling pronouncement from the patron saint of the program, Bear His Own Self. But in a burst of sacrilege, the Georgia band cranked up the school’s fight song just as Bear began his grumble, tuning him out. Intentional or not, it was a precursor of insouciance to come from the visitors in the silver britches.“

OH HELL YES!! I grilled my dad & brother, my only eye-witnesses, about this supposed dissing by the Redcoats, but unfortunately one was waiting in line for a nacho fix while the other was waiting in line for the john. They missed it. Ugh. I also attempted to pump my inside source of the Redcoats for info, to no avail. He’s too busy playing Halo 3. Ugh again. No matter, this story will be remembered because it exemplifies college football rivalry at it’s best. 

Nothing finer in the land…

2. By now everyone has seen the footage of Mikey Henderson’s first touchdown in OT. It was a thing of beauty - good enough to get nominated for ESPN’s Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Week. And you’ve probably read the articles where he talks about how painful it was to be on the bottom of that dogpile. Seriously, he’s 156 lbs soaking wet, and the first body that hits him is massive Chester “Big Cheese” Adams - all 335 lbs of him. Damn! Anyways, what you may not have seen yet is the after shot. I saw this pic on the ABH the other day and had to laugh.

 
I’m pretty sure Mikey doesn’t like this

Poor guy - first he gets crushed on the bottom of the dog pile, then he gets molested by his own teammate.

3. And finally, to further beat the dead horse that is Britney Spears… Enough has been said about Mike Patrick’s meltdown with Todd Blacklege the other night. I thought the whole thing was hysterical, especially Todd’s reaction to Mike’s pathetic excuse for commentary. Anyways, I saw this on the Dawgpost the other day. This one’s for you Mr. Patrick!

Photoshopped Britney: pre- trailer trash meltdown

That’s it for me. Hope you had a good laugh! I’m sure I’ll post something about Coach O & the Rebels in the next couple of days, so check back.

Go Dawgs!

Tide Rolled September 25, 2007

I’m a little late to post any kind of extensive game recap, analysis, or go through the stats. I’ve been busy with school, life stuff, and quite frankly, I just didn’t feel like it. Besides, all of the other Georgia blogs have covered it and any attempt on my part would just be an act of redundancy.

I do have a few quick hits & thoughts about the game though, so indulge me.

My predicted score wasn’t that far off (UGA 31 Bama 24) actually. I’m pretty proud of that, maybe I should consider doing “The Vegas” sometime in the future.

My Dad was spot on with his points of optimism:

a. Never bet against Mark Richt on the road
b. Every year under Richt the Dawgs have a signature win
c. The Dawgs play better as the underdog
d. Practices weren’t closed this week for nothing

Good job Dad - you were right. Enjoy the moment, you don’t hear it often from me!

My 5 keys to the game weren’t too far off base:

1. Matt Stafford did have a command of the offense. He played with confidence and rolled with the punches. The interceptions were mistakes, but not too costly. I said before, if he has a great day, then we grab momentum early and hang on for the win. Check.

2. The O-line did an amazing job. Considering the facts that Scott Havercamp didn’t even travel, Clint Boling played injured, and we started 3 freshman in an SEC road game, I’d say it was damn near phenomenal. They never gave up a sack, they made key blocks on the scoring drives, and made holes for the run. 

3. The kick return coverage was outstanding. We only allowed 80 yards on 5 kicks (average of 16 yds/kick for those that don’t want to do the math). That’s a drastic improvement from the 211 yards (from 6 kicks) we yielded to WCU.

4. Knowshon. What can you say about this kid that hasn’t been said a thousand times? Here’s a new one: I heard Todd Blackledge compare him to Cadillac Williams. Fantastic; I’ll buy that. But, I need to mention as well that Thomas Brown had an equally fantastic night. In fact, he had more carries than Knowshown. I was really surprised when I saw that stat. It seemed like it was the Knowshon show; he’s definitely the topic of conversation right now. Meanwhile, Thomas quietly keeps pounding his way through defenses and down the field. Knowshon may have earned the SEC Freshman of the Week accolade, but Thomas deserves some major props as well.

5. The Defense kicked their butts into gear. This past Saturday they showed some GATA. The secondary was awesoe shutting down Bama’s passing game - the same passing game that lit up Arkansas the week before. The most impressive stat to me was the 3rd down conversion, or the lack thereof for the Tide. We limited them to converting only 3 of 15 - that’s only 20%. Outstanding! Brandon Miller recovered that botched punt; and even though we couldn’t do squat with it, at least he got after it. That’s progress, I guess. Asher Allen was a beast & stepped up when we needed him the most in OT, stopping Bama from converting on 3rd down. Midway through the 4th quarter they started to look slugish - and Bama’s scoreboard proves that - but it was impressive to see them regroup and get ugly in OT. Thank God.

There were a few negative things about the game I could point out, but I won’t. The fact is the Dawgs played with character, grit, & heart on Saturday and any negative talk would just ruin that right now. I don’t know how great the Dawgs are gonna be the rest of the season, but I do know they’re good. They’re good enough to win on the road in the SEC against an equally good team with an excellent coaching staff. They’re good enough to face adversity head-on, early in the season, and as a very young team. And that’s the real essence here: they are just that, a team. That was more evident to me on Saturday than anything else. Who knows what’s gonna happen in the coming weeks. Who knows where we’ll end up in the SEC standings, the polls, or bowls for that matter. I don’t. What I do know is that they’re already proven winners and the sky’s the limit for the foreseeable future.

image courtesy of ABH

Feels damn good to be a Dawg, dosen’t it?

Bama or Bust September 21, 2007

All summer long when the topic of this game would come up, I would always say that I’m not worried about this game in the least. I figured, Bama has sucked pretty consistently for the last few years and I didn’t think even the great “Nick $atan” could get things clicking enough to beat us in week 4.

Scene from tomorrow: “Will that be paper or plastic?”

Well, Miss Cleo I am not; clairvoyance is just not my thing. I’m also not an expert (by any stretch of the imagination) on college football. I’m just a girl who loves the game and the Dawgs! So take my game preview for what it’s worth…very little.

If you want a real preview, then check out the posts from these guys.

Last Saturday my brother and I watched most of the Bama / Arkansas game. During the second half when the Hogs finally wised up and put the game on DMac’s shoulders, I honestly started to feel good about our chances. But then the last Bama drive came, as well as the reemergence of my dinner. Let’s just say neither was welcome or pleasant.

Since then I’ve been dreading this game and have been pretty pessimistic about our chances of leaving T-town with a ‘W’. But yesterday my Dad reminded me of a few things:

a. Never bet against Mark Richt on the road
b. Every year under Richt the Dawgs have a signature win
c. The Dawgs play better as the underdog
d. Practices weren’t closed this week for nothing

He’s right, no doubt. Optimism is creeping it’s way back in. Now, I’m not naive enough to think his points will necessarily be the difference makers, but I do think they’re proven variables in a winning formula.

Add to that some thoughts, in no particular order, on what the Dawgs will have to do to give themselves a fighting chance:

1. Matt Stafford - We’ve seen him play with command and confidence (Auburn ‘06) and we’ve seen him play without it (SCUm ‘07). He is a different quarterback when he knows he can lead his team, and when he knows he can win. His talent, focus, and drive are unquestionable. If he can come out firing on target with successful results, then we win. If he’s having a great day, then we grab momentum early and hang on for the win. It’s as simple as that.

2. The O-line’s Gotta Hold - Everybody’s talking about how Trinton Sturdivant and Clint Boling may have trouble with their first SEC road game in a hostile environment. Honestly, I think the noise in Bryant-Denny is gonna be a shock for maybe the first few plays, but after that I expect they’ll focus & get to work. Velasco, Big Cheese, and Coach Searels will make damn sure of it, I promise. The big question mark for me is really whether the line can open up holes for the run and hold off Bama’s D from getting to Stafford.

3. Kick Return Coverage -  Bama is gonna no doubt look to exploit this very obvious weakness in our special teams game. In my WCU rant last week, I talked about how this part of our game, or lack thereof, ticked me off the most. It’s just unnecessary at this stage in the season & shouldn’t be happening with our level of talent. Period. If we GIVE them good field position because we forgot how to wrap up the returner, then we might as well just go ahead and add 6 points to the Bama scoreboard.

4. Give The Ball To Knowshon - There are still a few unanswered questions about this team, but one glaring certainty is Knowshon Moreno. This kid is a beast and deserves the carries. Alabama proved last week in the second half against Arkansas that they are vulnerable defensively against the run. Hopefully, Bobo will use Knowshon and TB to wear down the Bama D, as well as the clock, and set up the pass.

5. The Defense Has To “Do Work” - The Georgia D has to wreak havoc on the Bama O-line, which is no small order, and set up shop in their backfield. Against the cowboys there was GATA from our defense. Against the lamecocks there was none, as Kit so aptly pointed out. Supposedly, the starting lineup of linebackers for tomorrow will be: Ellerbe, Washington, and Dent. If we have a prayer of stopping Bama’s offense, then the defense must “do work”:

a. Rattle QB JP Wilson into making mistakes by BLITZING!
b. Cover up WR DJ Hall and stop the big, downfield plays
c. Create some freakin’ turnovers (try to recover a fumble boys)
d. Stop the run: aka Terry Grant

Just play smart defense! That’s all! This isn’t rocket science, Coach Martinez.

We have some of the most talented players in college football. We also have some of the most talented and winningest coaches in college football. Beating Bama tomorrow is not only doable, but should be expected damnit!…..regardless of what the media has to say.

So, here’s my prediction: I say we win this one for Munson… UGA 31 Bama 24.

Btw, right now my family has touched down in God-forsaken Tuscaloser for tomorrow’s game. Look for my Dad (aka the mustache) & brother on ESPN GameDay - those fools think they’re actually gonna get on camera. Anyways, Rob will be the tall blonde in red & black hitting on a Bama hottie. You have ZERO loyalty bro

Go Dawgs!

P.S. - Uga always gets the last word…

Lost and Found September 17, 2007

I know I should be grateful that my Dawgs beat Western Carolina 45-16, but I was really not that impressed. Let me preface this by saying that I haven’t seen the game because I was at the lab, but Kit kept me updated with texts (big thank you!) and I caught the 2nd half on the radio. I’m gonna catch the replay on CSS tonight for sure.

My biggest complaint is our Defense. Again. The stats speak for themselves. Someone please explain to me why Willie Martinez cannot get our guys to stop a mobile QB or the running game for that matter? It’s not like this is a new problem for us! I swear, he has this innate ability of making talented athletes look like idiots on the field. Why for God’s sakes, do we continue to run the same crappy schemes when we know it’s useless? How is it that we recruit mega-watt talents, yet when they get to Georgia they suddenly lose the ability to tackle?

This is Georgia’s Defense… great.

Continuing the crappy trend of not causing turnovers, we had 1 sack for a loss of 8 measly yards. No interceptions. They give up 3 fumbles and we can’t grab 1??? We gave up an unbelievable 201 total net yards to a team that has been the whipping boy for other SEC programs. Both Florida (last Nov) and Bama, 2 teams we meet very soon in case you’ve forgotten, took WCU to the woodshed. Yet we let them run up and down Sanford Stadium and allowed them to control the ball all day - their time of possession was 32:56 vs. our 27:40. Nice.

I did not want to jump on the “Fire Martinez and Jancek” bandwagon, but I’m more than willing to start the petition at this point! I’m done with the excuses and the inconsistency. I’m sure they’re good men, and I don’t wish them to be in the unemployment line - I know they have families & I’m not that cold - but enough is enough. I’m sorry, but I’m a very results oriented type of person. Coach Martinez and Coach Jancek just are NOT producing winning results. I’m stunned that we gave up 138 passing yards… that’s an average of almost 6 yds/pass. Does anyone honestly think we’re gonna stop Bama next week with this pathetic excuse of a Defense we’re displaying? If you do, then you need to have your head examined or take off your red & black goggles.  

More of this please.

The other stat that jumped out at me was our kick return coverage, or lack thereof. WCU had 6 returns for 211 freakin’ yards! My God, how the hell did we let Western Carolina return kicks for 211 yards???  We had 2 for 27. No joke. I was listening to Munson as Western was returning a kick and I was stunned as he’s talking about WCU running through our Defense. You gotta be kidding me!

There were several bright spots though. Probably more than I’ll mention in this posts because a) I’m pretty negative at the moment and b) I’ll see more when I watch the game.

Again looking at the stats, we converted both 4th down opportunities, and held WCU to a 33% 3rd down completion rate.

Offensively Matt was much better, going 14 of 20 for 174 yards and 2 TDs with no ints. This year is like night and day for him interception wise; only 1 for the season and that was at the end of the SCUm game on a desperate attempt to win it at the last second.

I was really worried after watching him last week. He was constantly throwing off that back foot and looked rattled all night. When he’s confident & cocky, he can command that offense. But when he’s unsure and can’t right the ship, he looks like a kid playing a man’s game. I’m convinced that SCUm game was an anomaly - he’s too talented & driven to accept those kind of results from himself. I’m not superstitious (like some people) but maybe the loss of his IPOD had something to do with the loss of his mojo…

More good news, Joe Cox seemed to manage the 2nd half pretty well. God knows we may need him if Stafford goes down with an injury, which is a definite possibility considering our inexperienced O line. He led some successful drives, but his stats are pretty average: 3 of 6 for 48 yards and 1 TD.  More than half of his yards were from the TD strike. But, he didn’t throw an interception or hand the ball over to the Catamounts, thank God. 

All hail Knowshon Moreno! I’m seriously considering naming my first child after him. This kid is a beast, no doubt - more than a 100 yard (all purpose) day. If Caleb King turns out to be as good as we think he is, then those 2 will be a force to reckon with next year. Anyone think Thomas Brown will start for Bama? Not me.

Bobo please just give him the ball at Bama!

Definitely praiseworthy: Ten different receivers caught the freakin’ ball. I’m not sure if 10 different receivers caught the ball all last season! Although TJ Gartrell’s one catch was for -3 yards, but at least he caught the damn thing. Pretty pathetic when we gotta celebrate a catch for negative yardage though. Ugh. But, Demiko Goodman is certainly back from his injury - I can’t wait to see his 34 yd TD catch from Joe Cox.

Welcome back Demiko!

All in all though, I just wasn’t impressed. I was really hoping for a dominant performance that would boost some confidence going into next week’s game with Bama, especially since they pulled out the big win against the Hogs. Now I’m left feeling like Pat Dye may be right, just a few years late. 

Btw, I caught a few minutes of the OK State / Troy game Friday night before going out. Seeing Troy man-handle OK State not only made our win over the cowboys seem less impressive, but now it has me worried about handling Troy in November…

At least we can count on beating Auburn though

Go Dawgs!

Dawg Bytes September 14, 2007

I wish I had the time to blog about Georgia sports everyday, because I would if I could. There’s always a plethora of stuff to talk about, and I certainly am not shy about forming an opinion (don’t laugh!). But because my blog time is limited this term, it’s just easier to roll out some quick bits of info on the Dawgs that I find noteworthy. Maybe quick is the wrong word to use because this is pretty long. Oh well, here you go…

I. Linebacker Controversy?

I know I’m gonna get hammered for this, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Brandon Miller. I desperately want this guy to have a stellar year. I was so psyched watching him get GATA with OK State. But then came the lamecocks… Brandon had 1 solo tackle all night, 7 total in the first 2 games. Not good enough. 

Miller and Marcus Washington are just not getting it done; they’re nowhere near as fast as we need them to be. No way in hell our current LB corp will get us through the upcoming SEC schedule playing like they did on Saturday. And let me make it abundantly clear that I won’t hold our players completely responsible when we’ve got coaches like Jancek & Martinez who are “playing not to lose”, as Kit said. 

He’s not busy right now…let him play!

So, several sites are reporting that there may be a shake-up in the depth chart for this Saturday. It’s a great day to audition guys that want to work their asses off to stay on the field. Akeem Dent and Darryl Gamble have been getting reps with the first team D this week, thank God. Quite frankly, I no longer give a crap who plays what position anymore. If Blake Barnes does a better job tackling than Miller or Washington then put him in damnit! Whatever it takes to stop the bleeding. Now.

II. Recruiting

I knew there were gonna be some recruiting prospects for both UGA and the lamecocks at last week’s game. Naturally, I was a little worried about how we fared based on the outcome. All for naught apparently.

Nick Williams, a 4-star Safety (Rivals), committed on Sunday after attending the game. Here’s what he had to say about his experience:

“The loss doesn’t hurt Georgia at all. Georgia is a good team and they will bounce back. This is football. Any team can win on any given day. Both schools played hard and Georgia came up a little short, but that doesn’t mean anything to me. I still like them a lot.”

TE commit Dwayne Allen and OG prospect Omoregie Uzzi both had really positive things to say about the program as well. Good to know one heartbreaking loss doesn’t tarnish one of the winningest programs in college football.

I still have my fingers crossed that CB Jeremy Brown will pick the Dawgs over AU, UF, and LSU. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a longshot. Ideally I’d love for Omeregie to join us as well as a stellar RB (per Kit) like Dontavious Jackson.

***Update: after the UF / UT game, Jeremy Brown committed to Florida. Damn.

And I read yesterday on Rivals where Akeem Hebron recommitted to UGA. I don’t think that was ever really in doubt, but it’s great to read that he’s taking care of his business at GMC and preparing to get back to Athens. We sure as hell need him, that’s for sure.

Btw, in case you’re interested, Scout has an update on all of our verbal commits. For a stretch there we had a few that backed out or were waivering. Let’s hope that trend has cooled.

III. Academics

I’m a huge fan of David Ching. I know he’s a busy journalist for the Ledger, so it really impresses me that he hosts his own blog giving daily, sometimes even multiple daily, updates on Georgia sports. I like that he’s not a UGA fan (he’s an Auburn fan in case you didn’t know) because his pieces are unbiased, but always respectful of the program. If you’re not reading him, then you’re not a serious Dawg fan. Sorry, but it’s true.

Anyways, he wrote a couple of articles this week based on the academic rigors of UGA football players. It was sort of a “day in the life” kind of thing. He followed freshman TE Bruce Figgins, local Columbus boy, throughout his day of mandatory tutoring sessions, classes, mentoring & academic counselor meetings. I had no idea their days are so jam packed: it starts at 7am with their academic responsibilities and ends after 7pm with pracitices and football meetings. I don’t know how they do it and still find time to piss off Athens cops, quite frankly.

Rankin Center: Paul Oliver didn’t spend enough time here 

Ching also writes about Thomas Brown’s quest to graduate this term by taking 21 freakin’ hours so that he can earn his degree and prepare for the draft in the spring. I’m taking 16 hours, a lab rotation, and I don’t work. No way I could do 21 hours and deal with the athletic requirements.

I was really impressed to read that UGA hired Wally Richardson, former Penn St. and Baltimore Ravens QB, as Academic Director of the freshmen football athletes. If anyone knows how to relate to these kids and help them achieve their academic & athletic goals, it’s Wally. My dad was a fan of Wally’s and I’ve often heard what a great man of character he is. Great hire for Georgia!

I like you better than Todd Blackledge

I’m a sucker for human interest stories concerning our players. I’ve always been more interested in the player than the playbook. Take a minute to read Ching’s articles; it’s good to see a student-athlete’s name printed in something other than the ACC jail blotter for scooter violations. And considering UGA has recently been hammered with criticism concerning poor athlete graduation rates in the late ’90s, it’s great to see such a turn-around. Love the Ching.

IV. Player News 

With Athens cops gunning for football players lately, I think it’s essential to spread the word & celebrate achievements of our players. I’m sure there are great stories about each of our players, and I’m gonna try to be more diligent in blogging about them. I especially want to find out more on the new mentor program CMR established for freshmen. In the meantime, here are 2 recent stories that are noteworthy, imo.

Kelin Johnson was just named to the Good Works Team, from the American Football Coaches Association, for his community service work. He does a lot of volunteer work with the team, but also mentors at the Boys and Girls Club as well as speaking with kids in Athens area schools. Outstanding!

Please heal fast!

Btw, Kelin is the 11th UGA player to be honored on the Good Works Team. This ties Nebraska for most all-time selections. Damn Good Dawgs!

Former Baseball Bulldog Clint Sammons (catcher) got called up to Atlanta from the Pearl, Mississippi Braves on Tuesday. I didn’t get to watch that game against the Mets on Tuesday, but apparently he was in uniform & wearing #18.

I love following Bulldog baseball, but I was living in Africa the years he started for Georgia & was limited in the game info I could get off the internet. I honestly don’t remember him, sorry. I should because he was a 3 year starter, helped the team get to the CWS in 2004, and was a 6th round pick for the Braves. Hopefully he will be a great fill-in for McCann.

V. Circle of Honor

I really hate that I won’t get to go to the Western Carolina game this weekend. I love to see Georgia dominate, which shouldn’t be a problem, but I also love Circle of Honor ceremonies. Georgia has always done such a great job of honoring past players and keeping them involved with the program and University. Hell, they even got Jake Scott to come out of hibernation.

Anyways, Georgia will be honoring 2 former All-American players this weekend. Ben Zambiasi (DT) and Royce Smith (OG) had stellar careers both on and off the field and deserve the recognition at Butts-Mehre. Btw, if you haven’t seen the exhibit, you need to make time to do so; it’s incredible. The Circle of Honor isn’t all about football though. Gymnast Hope “Perfect 10″ Spivey will also be honored.  Always nice to see a girl get in the mix.

L to r: Smith, Spivey, Zambiasi

I hope to God our current players get to know Zambiasi’s and Smith’s stats on the field… they need the inspiration right now.

VI. Georgia Girls

A couple of weeks ago Kirk Herbstreit issued his 7th annual Herbie Awards that covers the best players, fans, teams, and coaches in college football. There were several areas where UGA did not receive the love it so deserves imo, but I’ll save that for another time. However, Kirk was smart enough to  recognize the ladies of UGA as the prettiest coeds in the land. Damn right!

Seriously, click the link above - you won’t be sorry. The guy at the end is on the money…. and maybe a little bourbon.

One of the best things about being in Athens on gameday is seeing Georgia girls dressed to the nines to watch the Dawgs play between the hedges. I’ve always loved being one of those girls! I’m pretty sure I spent more than half the money I earned lifeguarding each summer on new gameday outfits for the fall. That’s because Georgia girls know UGA football is not just a game, it’s an event.

Unfortunately, not all fans think alike. Jean shorts? Uh, no. Trashy gameday attire is reserved specifically for Gator fans….

Jorts: official dress code of the University of Florida

Georgia girls are getting recognized outside of ESPN as well. Six UGA students were chosen to grace the cover of next month’s Playboy, Girls of the SEC edition. Dropping trou for a nudie mag is apparently something to brag about now. Five of the six girls actually showed up at Barnetts Newsstand to sign autographs, have their pictures taken (this time fully clothed), and meet their fans. Seriously, I’m not kidding. Their parents must be so proud.

I was called a sorostitute for simply being a ZTA, which still pisses me off btw. Yet these girls are now celebrities and making appearances at The Loft and on the Bulldog Morning Show all because they flashed their Ta-Tas for the whole world to see. I don’t get it.

VII. Hairy Dawg

Once again Hairy Dawg, the red-headed stepchild of Georgia mascots, has been selected to compete for the Capitol One All-America Mascot team. I’m sure you remember he was selected in 2003 and 2004 as well. I do, I voted every week both years…while in Nigeria. Don’t laugh, I was desperate for anything Georgia!

Anyways, I’ve always loved our mascots, including Spike and especially Uga. And, the Capitol One program is for a good cause. The winner receives $5000 for their school’s mascot program. I seriously doubt that covers the cost of the Powerade “Hairy” drinks just to stay hydrated, but whatever. Beggars can’t be choosers.

best…mascots…ever!

Vote here throughout the season. Seriously, do it - he’s already losing to Goldy Gopher from U of Minnesota. The winner will be announced at the Capitol One Bowl on January 1st, 2008. I’m praying we can make it to the Capitol One Bowl; After last year’s fiasco, I’m so done with the Peach-Fil-A.  

I told you it was gonna be a long post. Thanks for sticking with me. I hope some of this was a little newsworthy for you. For those heading to the game tomorrow, have a great time and think of me. I’ll be stuck in a lab at Clemson with one mean bitch who already can’t stand me. I know, I thought it would at least take her a couple of weeks to develop some hatred, but no such luck. At least I can run to my car and hear Munson on my lunch break! Have mercy on me y’all - call or text me with updates throughout the game…PLEASE!

Since this should be a cake-walk I’m hoping to hear about Matt, the lines, and special teams giving a stellar performance. But since CMR typically doesn’t run up the score on anybody, my prediction is gonna be safe. UGA 38  WCU 3

Go Dawgs!

My Lamecock Lament September 12, 2007

I’ve been avoiding discussing the Crack-o-lina game like the plague. I’m still certain that I’ll wake up and find it’s all been a mistake or a bad dream. No such luck so far.

I’m still ticked though, mostly because there’s no way in hell the Lamecocks are the better team overall. They just happened to come out on top Saturday. Truthfully, the Dawgs beat themselves imo, no doubt about it. Sorry, but I refuse to give Spurrier & company any credit. Yes, I know…I’m bitter.

My bitterness comes honestly though. I live in South Carolina and have to deal with delusional Lamecock fans year round. So the past few days have been excruciating. Seriously, if I have to endure (with a smile mind you) one more comment about Spurrier “owning” UGA or the outrageously grandiose notion that South Crack-o-lina has somehow “arrived” in the SEC I think I’ll choke myself. NOTHING could be further from the truth, I promise you. Don’t take my word for it, the records speak for themselves!

Some of my best friends are Carolina grads, and I love y’all more than color tv…. but I’m near my breaking point. For the love of God, show some mercy! Yes, I’m talking to you Jason, Leah, Christina, and Brian. Even my Pastor sent me an email today getting in a good laugh at my alum’s expense. You know you’ve hit rock bottom when your own Pastor takes a shot at you.

I’m not able to rehash the events of Saturday - the wound is still fresh. I’m too busy worrying about Bama, UcheaT, and the Gaytors anyways.  I did, however, manage to crack a smile about the loss for the first time today when I ran across this. I gotta say, it sums up my feelings quite well…

I know, I know….that’s pretty vulgar. But, it’s also pretty damn funny. I beg of you though - please don’t tell my mom about this!

Never Forget September 11, 2007

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 6 years since the most horrific day on American soil since Pearl Harbor. I would love to say that I could blog eloquently about my reflections concerning that day, but quite frankly I just don’t have the energy, much less the talent.

Thankfully though, Kit wrote a great post remembering what that day was like for him. His list of memories triggered my own and I know they will do the same for you. Be sure to leave your list in his comments section.

I’m so thankful that I can never forget that day. September 11, 2001 sparked a fire in me to be a better American…To love, serve and honor my country. To preserve it’s values and respect it’s history. To revere those who courageously protect my freedom day and night. To continually seek God’s guidance and blessing upon a nation so magnificent only He could create.

  

May God Bless America.

Ha Ha Michigan September 6, 2007

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the best game of college football’s opening weekend. Typically I would reserve that title for the Dawgs, but Appalachian State more than earned it on Saturday by biting Michigan in the arse.

I hate the Big Zero, er Ten, with a passion mostly for their overrated status and pompous “we’re smarter than SEC athletes” bravado. And I have nothing but disdain for their Chief A$$hat, Commisioner Jim Delany. I’m sure you remember, he’s the sore loser who cowardly, back-door insulted the SEC while trying to explain Ohio State’s humiliating beat-down by Florida in the National Championship game this past year. If not, here’s a little snippet to jog your memory:

“I love speed and the SEC has great speed, especially on the defensive line, but there are appropriate balances when mixing academics and athletics. Each school, as well as each conference, simply must do what fits their mission regardless of what a recruiting service recommends. I wish we had six teams among the top 10 recruiting classes every year, but winning our way requires some discipline and restraint with the recruitment process. Not every athlete fits athletically, academically or socially at every university. Fortunately, we have been able to balance our athletic and academic mission so that we can compete successfully and keep faith with our academic standards.”

You gotta be kidding me! To think of how much power this dumba$$ weilds over college football and the BCS nearly makes my blood boil! I have neither the time nor energy to tackle the many reasons why Jim Delany is a colossal moron.  

However, I do have the time to rub the humiliation of the Michigan / App State debacle in his face, as well as the many faces of snotty Big Ten fans. Let’s just say I’m an equal opportunity gloater….

image courtesy: onlineathens.com

ESPN showed a shot of the UGA students (above) who had “Go Bulldogs” painted on their chests, then turned around for the cameras to display this fantastic message for the world to see. Outstanding! 

Commish Delany must still be busy trying to extricate that monstrous foot of his out of his similarly sized pie-hole. Otherwise, I’m sure we would’ve already heard his latest crap-laden, litany of excuses by now.

But just to twist the knife a little further… here you go Wolverines.

Bounced out of the top 25 and reduced to a punchline from an Adam Sandler movie. That’s gonna leave a mark.

How ‘Bout Them Dawgs! September 2, 2007

 
image: Jody from The Antiorange Page

 Well, my predicted score was a little off, but the outcome was right on… Dawgs Win 35-14!!! And honestly, they were much more impressive then I anticipated. 

I’m not gonna bore you with an analysis because this guy will do it much better than I can. No question. He was lucky enough to catch the live version while I was stuck with delayed coverage on ESPN2. It sucked; nothing like the real thing.

But I do want to say thanks to Dad, Robbie, Andrea, Bill, Dave, and Kit for the texts, calls, and messages of updates throughout the day while I was in orientation here.

As much as I hated the butt-crack of dawn drive down, especially with a brutal hangover & only 2 hours sleep, it was totally worth it. This place is mind-blowingly phenomenal to me! I’ve never seen labs like this before. I’m beyond psyched that I have the opportunity to learn from some talented Scientists in a field that I find absolutely fascinating.  One UGA tie-in: I met the Clinical Geneticist whose currently researching a disease close to DJ Shockley’s heart, Fragile X syndrome. He knew well of DJ and had some great things to say about how much awareness he’s brought to the disease recently. That was pretty cool. Anyways, I’ll stop my rambling here before I bore y’all to tears. Just know that I so appreciate all of you who are excited for me and have graciously listened to me babble on about it.