Happy Turkey Day Y’all
Curse of the Carolinas November 18, 2007
I swear, I think its in the water….
Every year its the same old story. Clemson blows their shot at a title and SCUm watches their delusional dreams circle the drain.
I won’t even approach the subject of UNC, NC State, Duke or Wake. They’re basketball schools with occasional success (see Wake 2006). But I respect them immensely for their academic records.
I will however, laugh my ass off at what continues to happen at Clemson and SCUm.
Last night Tammy Bowden has yet another shot to win his division and compete for an ACC Title. Yes, I did just say the words ACC and compete in the same sentence. They were at home, under the lights, on ESPN2, wearing their orange jumpsuits, touched the rock and ran down the hill. Hell, they even had thunder & lightening on their side! Yet, no amount of luck, talent, resources, or hype could keep them from their eventual destiny…blowing it BIG!
When they came out in the first quarter and started moving the ball, I really thought they were gonna prove me wrong. Through 3 quarters of play, they held BC to a field goal. Clemson made Matt Ryan look more like a 3rd stringer instead of a Heisman contender; the BC offense just couldn’t keep the ball moving. But in the end, even Clemson’s tough D (I have to admit they’re pretty good) gave up 375 total yards. Ouch.
It’s so typical though. They just give up. After Ryan hit that last TD to put them ahead, Cullen only completed 4 of 9 passes & his receivers couldn’t catch a cold. Beaten again.
What I don’t get is why Clemson faithful tolerate this year after year? Don’t get me wrong, I take great pleasure watching them fall. But, its like watching a train wreck - you know its gonna jump the tracks & crash, but you just can’t take your eyes off of it. Seriously, Clemson has too many attractive variables to keep wallowing in the mire. You’ve wasted 9 years on Tommy Bowden and he’s yet to lead you to a division title, much less an ACC title or a BCS bowl - a national title hasn’t even been a pipe dream! There’s plenty of $$ in IPTAY, great facilities, great educational opportunities, history/tradition, beautiful campus, top recruits, etc. Yet since 1991, the end results are always the same: failure & disappointment.
You should’ve worn the purple pants
The lamecocks are even worse. Everyone says the University of South Carolina is where good coaches come to die. Laugh, but there is a good deal of truth in that statement. Just look at the records of Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier while leading the lamecocks. Even Spurrier can’t keep SCUm’s overall winning percentage above .500
In November 2004 they acquire the services of the Ol’ Ball Coach and immediately start scouting a space to display the crystal football in their still non-existent trophy case. Remember, they left last year’s trophy back in Memphis. Yet even after 3 seasons this ”coaching god”, known as the evil genius in college football, has yet to finish the year with less than 5 losses. He’s recruited top classes, paid top dollar for the best assistants, bent the rules of colegiate admissions, played every qb in the state…and still nothing but the status quo in Columbia.
This was the year they were finally ready to compete for the SEC East title, remember? They made their way up to #6 in the polls midway through the season. Only to crash & burn in true Carolina style! On the way back down they lost their last 4 games, all SEC opponents mind you.
Now all that’s left to play for is the annual battle for the Hardee’s Biscuit Trophy, otherwise known as The Ghetto Bowl. Yes that’s right folks, next Saturday Climpson and SCUm will check their crack cocaine, stolen computers, knives, and AK-47’s at the door for another chance to humiliate our state on national television.
Stay classy boys…
I just don’t get it. I guess my vision is cloudy. I come from a long line of Georgia fans & grads. We’ve had our share of trouble, embarrassment (see Jim Harrick), losing seasons (see Ray Goff), and disappointment. But there are huge differences between UGA and the 2 colleges up the road, the biggest one of them being, we would never tolerate mediocrity as a way of life. We would never digest failure as a daily meal. And we would never remain resigned to being a cellar dwellar. As a South Carolinian, by tax note only, I’ve witnessed over the years the outright glee & excitement in an 8 win season at Climpson & SCUm. It blows my mind that they celebrate only 4 losses! Hell, Lou Holtz could’ve been elected Governor of this state when he only lost 4 games. At Georgia, 4 losses will get you fired…just ask Jim Donnan.
Like I said earlier, it must be something in the water.
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Side note: who knew Clemson’s qb Cullen Harper is the son of UGA’s Jeff Harper? Jeff played on the 1980 National Champoinship team. He’s the bald dude, sixth row up. Interesting to know Cullen’s first choice was Georgia - we signed 4-star Blake Barnes that year instead.
That’s Just Craptacular… November 18, 2007
Thanks a lot Vandy. Thanks a whole helluva lot.
How do you enter into the 4th quarter beating the shit out of UcheaT, 24-9, and blow it??? How on earth do you allow Eric Ainge & Co. to shut you out and put up 16 points against your D that dominated them the entire game??? And for the love of Pete, how does Bryant Hahnfeldt miss that f#cking kick???!!!
Seriously Commodores, explain this one to me. I don’t get it, especially given what you pulled off last year…
On October 14th 2006, you marched into Sanford Stadium, on our Homecoming no less, and bitch slapped my Dawgs with a last second field goal. From the one & only Bryant Hahnfeldt. This look familiar?
Yet, you couldn’t hold on for the upset of the week against your most hated rival. You had ‘em beat and blew it.
“Vanderbilt’s Bryant Hahnfeldt barely missed a 49-yard field goal with 33 seconds left — the ball grazed the upright — and the Vols (No. 20 BCS, No. 19 AP) escaped with a 25-24 come-from-behind win over the Commodores on Saturday.”
Worse still, you gave Fat Phil another excuse to be classless, arrogant bastard:
“A lesser team would have bagged it, possibly,” coach Phillip Fulmer said.”
Thanks a lot Vandy. Thanks a whole helluva lot.
Blackout Highlights November 15, 2007
Alright, this is gonna be quick y’all. I’m sitting here waiting for my Organic Chem class to start (boo!) but am so psyched, I had to post.
I’ve been waiting all week for this. I swear, I feel like a crack addict when it comes to ugamummra’s recap videos! The Bulldawg Blawg finally posted their highlight clips from the Auburn game this morning. I know you’ve seen a lot of highlights from this game, but none are like this one - trust me.
It’s a little over 9 minutes, but its totally worth it. How often do you hear Munson calling plays over AC/DC, Dropkick Murpheys, and The Rolling Stones? Its badass I’m telling you.
Hopefully this guy, a master with the Munson Mixes, will come up with a blackout mix soon…hint, hint 
A few things stood out for me again:
I hope to hell we stick with the toss-sweep for UK on Saturday. It’s been working like a charm for us lately. Seeing Knowshon’s power as he turns the corner is amazing. And, I’d love to see a stat showing just how much yardage he gains after contact. Kid never quits. I love what Herschel had to say about him yesterday in the ajc:
“I tell you what. He runs extremely, extremely hard for a guy his size,” Walker said of the 5-foot-11, 207-pounder from Belford, N.J. “I knew a little bit about him when they redshirted him, and I told a lot of people, wait until they see this guy play, because he’ll get a chance to make it to that next level. I mean, don’t the guy for Dallas right now [Marion Barber] and Knowshon look like the same guy?”
Talk about high praise.
The other things that grabbed my attention were the big catches that didn’t count. I mean there were some amazing grabs from Mo Mass, Bailey, Tripp Chandler, and the one from Brannon Southerland before that hit. But, the catch from Mo Mass when he introduced himself to the hedges was a thing of beauty. And the grab from Mikey Henderson when his big toe touched the line was heartbreaking. That kid amazes me; I hate his touch was called incomplete.
Bottome line, we weren’t the ones with a case of the dropsies on Saturday and it made all the difference. Here’s to hoping the trend continues!
Gotta run, class is calling… 
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Update: Check out this article from The Birmingham News on how Tommy Tuberville should fear Matt Stafford instead of Nick Saban. Gotta love the reference to Georgia’s version of “fear the thumb.” h/t: gsb
Go Dawgs!
Forget Tony Robbins November 14, 2007
I got your motivation right here…
Can anyone say locker room material?
There’s no need for any Tony Robbins seminars. No need to walk on hot coals, do the trust fall, or some group mandala. The Dawgs don’t need another blackout, bench-clearing TD celebration, or sideline soulja boys. We’ve got plenty of motivation for this game with Kentucky.
Just take a good look at Matt’s face. This is all the motivation they’re gonna need.
I haven’t forgotten that pathetic, cheap shot on Matthew from last year’s game. I seriously doubt any of our guys have either.
That game was a heartbreaker. 24-20. Our offense never got going, turnovers killed us, and our defense just could not stop the wildcats’ last drive. But if you remember, this game was the last time we were humiliated and beaten last season. This game was the catalyst to salvaging what was left of the season. This game sent us into Auburn with something to prove. This game taught the Dawgs how fight for a win.
I don’t expect this game to be a cake-walk. But I damn sure don’t expect us to lose either. It’s Senior week, the last home game of the season (can’t believe it!), and time to get even. Time to put the wildcats back in their all-too-familiar place: cellar dweller of the SEC East.
There will be no goal posts coming down in Sanford Saturday. There won’t be any wildcats carrying back pieces of our hedges. And Matt’s Stafford’s face will never look like that again.
Go Dawgs!
Dawgs Got Black Magic November 13, 2007
The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is one of my favorite games of the year. It was a must-see game in my family and I never missed one until I moved overseas. My Dad HATES Auburn…with a passion…in a way that makes him grit his teeth at the mere mention of the plaineagletigers. As his daughter and a UGA alum, my disdain of the barners therefore comes honestly.
Which is exactly why I’ve had this obnoxious grin on my face since Saturday night. To humiliate Auburn two years in a row and reclaim Sanford with a home win is like Christmas morning. To do that and whip Florida in the same year is like a dream come true! Seriously, I’m so deleriously ecstatic right now I can’t contain my gloating.
This game was bigger than just another home win. It was possibly one of the greatest games I’ve seen Georgia play in all my life. It ranks right up there with the 2004 LSU game for me. It’s more than rivalry or revenge though; its validation that we deserve a seat at the table.
My only regret is that I wasn’t there to witness it in person. Just hearing all of Sanford shake in a way I’ve only witnessed a handful of times in my 30 years of sitting on the South side, was enough to make me cry. That’s the kind of game you tell your children about someday, you know?
Even though I wasn’t there this year, I watched it from home and saw the CSS replay twice. Just can’t get enough, I guess. But each time I watched the replay I came away with the same thoughts on the day:
The Good
1. The fans - CMR has said over and over the last few weeks how important the fans are to the team. He’s made it his mission this year to take all of the Bulldawg Nation along for the ride by getting us involved in the process of winning. He’s practically begged us to come out for the Dawg Walk, get in the stands early, scream loud while the opponent’s O is on the field. Didn’t you see him pull a Pollack, waving his hands & getting the crowd up while Auburn was calling audibles on 3rd down Saturday? It’s bigger than just wearing black for the team. It’s about being apart of the magic. And, thank God the fans listened.
2. Coach Richt - A lot has been written this week in blogs, on ESPN & SI, on message boards, etc. about the change in demeanor for CMR. I don’t believe he’s a different man or coach, for that matter, I just think he’s settled into his new role: leader, motivator, engineer. Out of necessity, he forced himself to be calm all those years as OC for Florida State. Now he’s allowed himself to loosen up a bit and step into the role of Head Coach, leading a good team towards goals only achieved by great teams.
3. Brandon Cox - I love this kid man (he’s freakin’ 24) like I love Reggie Ball. He turned Kelin Johnson into this year’s Tra Battle. Eight interceptions in the last 2 games we met. Damn sorry to see him go.
4. Ballanced attack - It’s undeniable that this Georgia team is not the same team that came out flat against SCUm and just flat out didn’t compete against UcheaT. The offense is firing on all cylindars. They fought back when Auburn decided to spoil our rout in the 3rd quarter. They racked up 417 total yards against one of the nation’s top defenses, passing for 237 and rushing for 180. And I can’t say enough how amazing it is to see our receiving corps get after the ball like they deserve to play on Sundays! The defense is miles ahead of where they were just 6 weeks ago. That line was constantly invading Auburn’s pocket, making big tackles, forcing punts (Auburn was 4-11 on 3rd down), and causing turnovers. Out-freakin-standing! I was one of those calling for CWM’s head a while back and thought Muschamp would do a better job. We’ve taken him to the woodshed the last 3 times we’ve faced his team, counting his 2005 LSU squad. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.
The Bad
1. 17 unanswered points - this is where I started to shake me head and expect the inevitable meltdown or lamecock curse of the black jersey. I’m glad we took back momentum, but 17 points in the SEC is often a total score. If not for the Stafford to Bailey strike downfield, we may be having an entirely different discussion.
2. Verne Lundquist & Gary Danielson’s version of superman - I like the Soulja Boy thing. I don’t want piped in music to overtake the Redcoats EVER, but I like what it does to keep our guys loose and having fun. However, seeing Verne & Gary shake their asses is not something anyone needs to see again, ever.
well, maybe just one more time for giggles
The Ugly
1. The officiating - My God! As soon as I realized Penn Wagers was calling this game again, I knew we were in for trouble. He proved at the WLOCP that he was gonna put us in our place. Apparently he’s still out to prove his point. If I NEVER see that asshat officiate another Georgia game again, it will still be too soon. However, when I watched the replays, I saw some penalties that we definitely deserved. Not all, but some. The late hit on Cox, for example, was unnecessary and classless - that’s something I expect from Florida & Tennessee, not Georgia. You can most certainly play with passion & intensity, just don’t be stupid. On the road to racking up 98 yards worth of penalties let Auburn back into the game twice. To most teams, yardage like that would cost the game. We’re lucky as hell it didn’t for us. And I’m telling you, if we give Kentucky 98 yards, Andre Woodson will use his arm to punish us and erase any shot at playing LSU in the dome on December 1st. Those 98 penalty yards were a season high for us, btw. Hopefully the team got the memo. Hopefully Penn Wagers will be at the LSU/Ole Miss game.
It’s a new day in Athens, folks. The team that looked young, inexperienced, and even scared to play at the beginning of the season has matured into something to be feared. I’ve even seen posts on LSU message boards hoping that UT makes it to the SECC game and not us. That’s awesome. I think this team knows they can win, not because of an endzone celebration or a black jersey, but because they want it and know they can go out and get it. History has been made at UGA this season. Demons of old have passed away, records of losses have been erased, and new heros have emerged on the field at Sanford. We’ve once again earned a seat at the table.
Glory, Glory to Ol’ Georgia! How sweet it is…
Go Dawgs!
Church of Hate November 5, 2007
I know for the last few months I’ve written an awful lot on UGA football, but today I just felt like putting my feelings down about something that’s consuming my town at the moment.
In case you’re not familiar, I live in Greenville, SC and have since middle school. Four of the seven college students who died tragically in last week’s fire on Ocean Isle beach were from Greenville - three were students at USC, one was a student at Clemson. Just last month another USC student from Greenville died after falling out of his dorm window. That makes five kids under the age of twenty who’ve passed away in a month - most all of them went to the same high school as well.
I personally know two of the families who lost a child. And several families who were close to those that passed. It’s still hard for me to wrap my little brain around how profoundly this loss of precious life will affect my community for years to come. And it’s near impossible for me to fully comprehend the depth of loss for the families and loved ones of these great kids.
Memorial services and funerals started at the end of last week and are continuing today. There is just a feeling of tremendous grief and sadness in my town right now. It’s all anyone talks about. It’s just so hard to fathom. My hope and prayer initially was that the services of rememberance would allow a process of healing to begin. If nothing else, I’ve just prayed that God would bless these families with a peace that passes all understanding and comfort them in the days to come. I had no idea just how important that prayer would become until today.
Between classes this morning I decided to run a few errands. I listen to local talk radio and they were again discussing this morning the Ocean Isle beach fire. I had to pull my car over when I heard them mention that the cult from Westboro Baptist Church were here to protest the funerals. I’m still stunned and crying as I type this.
I’m sure you know who these hateful people are. They’ve been protesting the funerals of fallen soldiers for years now. They decend upon towns across America, bringing their vile signs and shouting with such venom, it absolutely astounds me that they associate themselves with the Word of God. Now they’ve come to my town. They’ve come to harrass these families in the most vulgar way and at their most desperate hour to further ther own depraved agenda.
If you’ve ever heard a recording or seen footage of these people in action from news clips, it can nearly bring you to your knees in horror or send you over the edge in anger. My emotions today have already run the gamut. When I heard the Westboro cult had invaded my community, I texted a close friend. His reply sums up my feelings quite simply…”Some people are just plain worthless.” Amen.
First, let me make it abundantly clear that these people are not affiliated with the Baptist church in any way, shape, or form. Period. They are independant from any and all Baptist conventions and associations worldwide. I am a Baptist and find their abuse of my denomination’s name absolutely perverse. Second, the members/congregants of this so-called church are made up intirely from one family - the Phelps family of Kansas. Thank God they’ve yet to gain ground and recruit new members. Third, this group is dangerous on so many levels, but especially because they are well-versed and educated in constitutional law. Eleven children of the patriarch & founder of this hate group, Fred Phelps, are licensed and practicing attorneys. They each know very well how to maneuver and circumnavigate First Ammendment law and precedent. I think that fact alone concerns me more than any others, quite honestly.
They’ve exploited their First Ammendment rights to free speech & freedom of religion for years, but are monitored closesly by the Anti-Defamation League. And they are currently classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Yet still they’ve been allowed to torment the families of fallen soldiers, gay/lesbian individuals, Catholics, Muslims, and Jews during bereavement services.
Fortunately, the American justice system prevailed last week in limiting the First Ammendment rights of the WBC. On Friday a federal jury in Baltimore, Maryland issued an $10.9 million dollar civil judgment against the WBC, ruling their speech was too vulgar and offensive - therefore not protected by the First Ammendment. The verdict comes in the case filed by Albert Snyder after his son Matthew’s funeral was picketed by the WBC. Lance Cpl Matthew Snyder died March 3, 2006 while serving our country in Iraq.
As expected, the WBC plans to fight this judgment on appeal. The Snyder Family may never see a penny of that verdict, but this case was never about the money. It was about setting legal precedent for other grieving families.
“I hope this is enough to deter them from doing this to other families,” said Snyder. “All I kept thinking about was my son Matt and all the other parents who went through it — this will set a precedence.”
As a matter of fact, the WBC is expected to answer charges including flag mutilation, disturbing the peace, and negligent child abuse in a Nebraska court later this week.
I’m not naive enough to think these verdicts and future charges will deter the Phelps family in the least. I do pray however that more communities will exercise this new precedent as a way to enforce & protect our rights to peaceful assembly.
Today though, I’m praying specifically for God to silence this family and prevent them from hurting already devastated families.
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Note: I included a link above on the Westboro cult so that you can educate yourself about their history. Notice that I chose the wikipedia page. Their own url includes the word hate and a prejudicial slur that I refuse to support. I’ve never visited their site and don’t ever intend to.
