Collage 3
The Dawg-gone Blog
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Saturday, July 28, 2007
Someone tipped me off about another Dawg in handcuffs. I couldn't help myself. I had to write this immediately...

Lately, we have had a lot of players end up in legal trouble. We've had players drive in the wrong lane (on a fucking moped), pass in the wrong lane, drink a beer underage, admit to giving said underage player said beer, threaten to whip someone's ass if he didn't get into a bar, and (allegedly) severely beating up high school kids with the help of a couple of friends.

Here's what I don't get. What I don't get is that the first 5 of those 6 violations listed above usually warrant a ticket and a TICKET ONLY. At worst, for most people (and I know a couple of those people) they got a ticket and was then threatened with jail time after a SECOND OFFENSE.

Years ago, you would've been hung from the Arches for putting a UGA Athlete in jail for stuff like this. I'm not saying that's right, but I am saying it's the exact opposite today where kids are being treated like major criminals for minor offenses.

Let's take what Tripp Taylor and Akeem Hebron supposedly did out of the equation. Those kids did some stupid shit to even put themselves in the situation they were in. Whether Tripp is guilty or not, he was still around when some stupid shit happened. There is no excuse for not doing the right thing at a time like that.

But what about Caleb King, NaDerris Ward, Blake Barnes, and Tripp Chandler? What's wrong with those situations? Why are Athens Clarke County Cops and UGA Police taking it upon themselves to single handedly make headlines while they're "protecting and serving?"

My explanation: Power.

If you've been to the University of Georgia anytime over the past 5 years, you'll notice the climate around there has changed. UGA and ACC police sure are getting friendly with sororistitues and bar fly bitches that plague the "more popular" places downtown. Those government employees prove to be just like those other government folks we always bitch about. They are taking an oath and making promises to do one thing, but instead are doing another.

I have a friend that works for the ACC police. He's a good guy. One of the few good ones I'm afraid. However, I keep seeing these machismo losers pedal around downtown on their bikes looking for some drunk fratty or (heaven forbid) athlete so they can assert some authority. If they don't happen to see one, then they'll just look for the first girl that's drunk enough to come over and want to be in handcuffs. The power of being able to find a reason to throw anyone in jail at any time is absolutely intoxicating I'm sure. Then knowing that some 21 year old (if she's even of age) hottie is flirting with your NASCAR-loving ass all because you wear the uniform has got to give you that added ego boost to makes you feel like you can do anything at any time.

I've said all this before. One time I accidentally ended up at the same place with some off duty cops who were bragging to my female friends about purposefully beating up a crack head and then throwing him in jail just because "no one would believe his story, right?" It's absolutely appalling.

I don't believe athletes deserve any special treatment at any point in time. They just don't. They are not better OR WORSE than any of those around us. It's time to be fair to everyone. This shit has gotten way out of hand.

Who could possibly be the source of all this? We'll, let's just take a look at a few possible factors:
  • Michael Adams -- UGA Athletics Dept. hates him and he basically runs the city. Any questions?
  • Damon Evans -- Would he cause this? No, but he might be the cause of it. A black AD at such a traditional southern university? Doesn't bother me, but I'm not racist am I?
  • Jealousy -- This is the most likely culprit. You've got Capt. Fuckstick riding around on his bike getting all the attention until Matt Stafford happens to walk by. All of a sudden, the "billy club" becomes a "pixie stick."
I'm time to get these losers who couldn't make the grade at UGA out of uniform. Take away their glock, handcuffs, and billy clubs and replace them with a server's tray, a broom, or a garbage truck. They wanted to serve the people. It's finally time for them to learn to do so.

UGA and ACC police. Get your head out of your ass and do your job like you're supposed to. Start treating EVERYONE equally. I'm free and clear since I don't live in Athens, so the next time I catch you mistreating one and giving special treatment to another, consider your ass "YouTube'd." I encourage everyone else to do the same.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Auburn 2002 – This game was 20 years in the making. Plenty of years prior, the Dawgs had teams that were capable of winning an SEC Championship, but none that had. After a heartbreaking loss to Heisman Candidate Rex Grossman and the Florida Gators in Ron Zook’s first year, the Dawgs had played themselves into a must-win situation. Florida held the tie-breaker in the three-way dance between the Dawgs, Gators, and Vols for the SEC East crown and a ticket to Atlanta for the Championship game.

The "must-win" game on the horizon was against Auburn, who the previous year had stole one from us after Mark Richt made his first mistake as the Bulldog head coach. With only about 13 seconds left and sitting around the 2 yard line, he called Jasper Sanks up the middle with no timeouts left. Jasper was stopped at the one, the clock expired, and we died on the field.


Richt practicing his "It's Bobo's fault" pose.

However, in 2002, we had nothing but business on our minds and the only thing standing in our way was a very good Auburn team. The game was a battle and Auburn seemed to have the upper hand getting towards the end. To say the Dawgs were painted in a corner would be an understatement as Jason Campbell had been scrambling and throwing us into exhaustion.

Thankfully, a late 4th quarter stop and a subsequent "all heart" punt return by Sean Jones put us in a position where even though we were in 4 down territory, we were across the 50 and that was a big help. David Greene brought us down the field in UT 2001 fashion, but we stalled just inside the 20. Three plays later and we’re looking at one last shot for the endzone.

The “Money Shot Memory" for this begins in the stands. The Redcoats were down and the mood was as ominous as it could get. We didn’t want to play…hell, we didn’t even want to breathe. We must’ve played Krypton (aka Superman) about 10 times already. I'm sure we played it so much that the fans were tired of holding their arms up. Finally, as the team broke from the sideline to head to the field, Willi@m 0wens held up a sign that said “I still believe.” The Redcoats livened up and the crowd followed suit.


What's that? It's the sound of victory.

We were here to win this game and no one in Red and Black believed differently. I saw the snap, the pump fake, and then the throw. I never saw the catch. All I saw was a wave, literally a wave, just like at a baseball or football game, of UGA fans standing up and cheering one after another. The news was trickling down the stadium and at the end of the day there was a referee in the corner with both arms up. That was the day I saw Michael Johnson crushed at the bottom of a Dawg pile and lifted up in Bulldog lore.


What "heart" looks like.




What "heart" sounds like.


I could never forget how Glory sounded right after the call. I just sat and listened. There was no way I could play. Instruments were dropped and accidentally stomped to pieces while Redcoats hugged each other and screamed in victory. It was the most excited at any given point in time in life that I have ever been.

We held on for the win and lived that evening like we had won something bigger than the Superbowl. It was a day for our players and fans to never forget. It was the day the second coming of UGA went from being a rumor to being the truth.

That one game and one play has literally inspired me to write half the emotional pieces I write about UGA and athletics in general. In fact, that game coupled with the sheer class of D.J. Shockley, was the reason I wrote this, which I still consider one of my best posts to date.

It was a coming of age for a team that was headed in a new direction. It was a real-life flashback for folks that have loved UGA since the early 80's. It was a Lewis Grizzard piece that was unfortunately never published. It was perfect in every sense of the word.

And that it is why it is my favorite away game (and quite possibly my favorite game) of all time. May its reign at the top be long, but eventually dropped to second place by our upcoming National Title victory.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

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Taken from last night's debate:

COOPER: Would your plan, Governor Richardson, cover undocumented workers?

RICHARDSON: Yes, it would. It should cover everybody.

In this country, no matter who you are, whether you're a ditch- digger, you're a teacher, you're a CEO, you're a waiter, you're a maid, every American deserves the right to the best possible quality health care.


I hope for Gov. Richardson's sake that we get universal health care so that he can finally end his battle with Cranial Rectagraphy. Maybe then he can realize that an "undocumented worker" (also known as an illegal alien to people who obey the law) is not the same thing as an "American." Scratch the people of New Mexico off the list of those who know what the fuck they're doing.

I, like Beer Blog Pong This, really enjoyed watching last night's Youtube/CNN debate. I can't wait for the Republican one in the fall. But what I can't stand is the double speak of all the candidates everywhere.

I swear, if Neal Boortz ran for President, I'd run his campaign for free. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to choose between a Democrat who's hungry for power, or a Republican who was lucky enough to be just a little less shitty than the others he was running against.

Where's my spoon? I need to go stab my eyes out.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

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Saturday, July 21, 2007
As we get closer to kickoff for what I believe will be the "momentum" season for an eventual National Championship, I thought I'd list my Top 5 Away Games of my time at UGA. This will be followed by an eventual Top 5 Home Games segment as well.

So, let's get to it:

5. Tennessee 2003 – The blowout the Neyland never saw coming. This game was heavily hyped as UGA was chasing the SEC championship from a few steps behind as they had lost to LSU earlier in the year. UT was also a major player in the SEC East with having Jabari Davis in the backfield behind that massive OL. It also didn’t hurt to have Casey Clausen in his senior year. Not saying that Casey was a factor or anything, but a senior QB is a senior QB…even if he can’t be UGA…ever. I was really nervous about this one just because we had beaten UT for 3 years straight at this point and the fans were out for blood. It was also a night game, which gave 100,000 people a means to get drunk and rowdy before kickoff. I remember walking into the stadium and thinking “this could be really bad or really really good.” I knew we had a shot when UGA got off to an early lead and the offense was clicking. The “Money Shot Memory" of this one was right before the half when Clausen and Jabari had an error in communication on a handoff right inside the 5 yard line. The Dawgs scramble for the ball, Sean Jones ends up picking it up, and then takes it at least 95 yards for the score. From then on, UT had no motivation and it showed and the Dawgs ended up winning 41 -- 14.


"I think I just threw up a little." Image from The Anti-Orange Page.


4. Outback Bowl 2000 – Can you say “hungover and getting whipped?” This game started out as a drubbing as the Boilermakers, led by Drew Brees, were taking Quincy Carter and Co. to the cleaners. Things looked lost until Donnan started unleashing the Tunnel Screen and the points started rolling in. It's also worth nothing about half the Redcoat Band was so hungover that we couldn't play...I mean come on. It was the MILLENIUM. The "Money Shot Memory" comes after Hap Hines sealed the victory with an OT field goal and the Redcoats, for the first time ever, played Glory with the Angel Tag. ESPN caught all the audio, which was then transferred to an MP3 that I still have today. Aside from being one of the greatest comebacks in Bulldog history, the Glory Angel Tag tradition was born. What started out as a “miracle win only” situation for playing it became an “every win situation” after the Athletic Association loved it so much. Now, every time UGA seals a victory, the Dawg fans are treated to a special version of Glory. If you ever get the chance, go and thank The Song Writer, since the credit can only go to him.









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The original recording of "Glory Angel Tag." The only thing every Redcoat played that day.



3. Tennessee 2001Mark Schlaubach called this the greatest game he’s ever seen in person. I would be hard pressed to argue with him, but obviously, I think I've only seen two better away games in person. This was Mark Richt’s first game away from Sanford Stadium and he had a couple of freshman, David Greene and Fred Gibson, leading the way offensively. This was my second time to Neyland and UT is famous for seating the opposing team’s band into the state of Tennessee, which is creative, but very cramped for those band folks. I was wedged just to the left of K@therine D0dd, and we were constantly bumping into each other and everyone around us due to the spacing issues. The game had been back and forth throughout the entire four quarters and UGA seemed to have it wrapped up until Travis Stephens took a screen pass the distance and put UGA 5’ 11” in the dirt. After the kickoff, Randy McMichael became a man among boys and owned the middle for a couple of large gains to get UGA around the 6 yard line. The “Money Shot Memory" happened with only a few seconds remaining in the game. Mark Richt made one of the greatest play calls I have ever seen (P-44-Haynes) and faked the handoff to the large and in charge Musa Smith, only to have Verron Haynes pretend to block a linebacker, run past him, turn around, and make a gorgeous catch. Larry Munson made one of the best calls (and I believe he thinks this is his best call) when he said UGA “stepped on their face with a Hobnailed boot and broke their nose." Nearly every away game after that one, I stood just to the left of K@t for good luck.


These boots are made for walkin...


2. Florida 2004 – FINALLY. Not since 1997 had we tasted victory against the Gators and it was getting very old, very quickly. I spend 5 seasons in Redcoats and had only known a handful of people that had actually experienced a victory against the Gators. Want to know what's frustrating? Going 5 years in Redcoats and wanting ONLY ONE of them to have a victory against Florida. Anyway, I digress. No one really knew who had the more emotional reason to win because Ron Zook had already been announced as leaving the Florida Program and this was Greene, Pollack, Gibson, Brown, etc’s last shot at beating Florida. None of the college football pundits knew who to pick because it was unclear as to whether or not Zook’s players (who were no big fans of his firing), would rally around their coach and win one for him, or would they just lie down on the field. We had the talent to beat them, just like nearly every year before that, but the Florida mental block seemed to be lifted and our players looked focused. The Dawgs led much of the game, but I do remember one point where we lost the lead. All I could think was “not again…please not again” but Reggie Brown and Fred Gibson stepped up their receiving efforts (and I also remember Leonard Pope having a coming out party during this game) to lead the Dawgs in the endzone enough times for victory. The "Money Shot Memory" of this one was after time had expired and the Dawgs were victorious, I finally saw a half full Gator Bowl that was Red and Black instead of Orange and Blue. It was opposite day indeed.


All the blue on the right? Not Florida fans....empty seats.



Look for Number 1 in a few days (possibly Tuesday or Wednesday).

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

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Monday, July 16, 2007
I remember watching G-day. I remember looking at the score in the 4th quarter and saying “Man, I think we might have a team this year.” I remember calling my friends and having them call me just to talk a little bit of football…and being excited about it.

After watching a replay yesterday on a Sunday afternoon, those memories are a little bit more fuzzy.

I’m not saying that we looked bad at G-day. The talent we have is abundant but young. Stafford still has a cannon of an arm and a field presence that makes him look like he’s the best that’s ever going to don the uniform…and he’s a sophomore. Knowshon is going to be an important cog in a strong running game for the next 3-4 years. We definitely did not look “bad.”

What I am saying, though, is that we’re still young and/or inexperienced EVERYWHERE except for place kicker, WR, RB, and FB. Other than that, we’re young on the OL. We’re still young at QB. We’re young at CB and Safety. We’re young on the DL and at DE. Our LB Corp is thankfully not young. They have some playing time underneath them, but that playing time is in different positions that what they are at now, which makes them inexperienced in their new roles.

We’re basically a brand new team...even more than last year.

Last year we were uncertain about one position (albeit the most important one) and that was at QB. This year, we need guys to step up their game in nearly EVERY POSITION ON THE FIELD. This is a daunting task, even for a group of guys as talented as ours. You’re basically asking one guy from each position (10 total) to step up their game every Saturday and get others to fall in line. Right now, we don’t have that kind of leadership.

What I remember from G-day this second time around is that we looked unorganized. Coachable, but unorganized. Yes, we had some very key throws in traffic, guys going across the middle (TEs specifically…something that hasn’t really happened since the McMichael days), running backs that can “get skinny,” and safeties that can ball hawk (Sean Jones, anyone?). These are all good things. But what I didn’t see was linebackers that stayed disciplined, a QB that is on the same page with the receivers, a QB that takes his time and doesn’t rush his throws (there were a lot of balls thrown on the run and were behind receivers), an OL that handles the blitz, and a front four on defense that is more intimidating than Georgia Tech’s Flag Boy.


"Click-Clack" mother f*cker.

I’m not saying that we won’t get it together. I’ve heard a lot of good things from reports about the pass skeleton workouts and there are some incoming freshmen that are going to make an impact and provide us with some depth. We will find simpler protections for the OL to process, and hopefully Martinez will use the speed in our LB Corp to bring 5 and 6 to the line on most plays.

If we can do that, and manage to put some points on the board with our talented group on offense, we might win a few games…and I think we will. I really do think we are legitimate contenders for the SEC East crown and we have an outside shot at the SEC Championship. Is this the year for a National Title run? I don’t think so, but I’d point to 2008 and 2009 as definite possibilities.

What we need to do is get the fire in our belly and under our ass. It’s time to gel on defense, find some clear cut leaders, and show some firepower on offense. If we make it through our first two games unscathed, then we might just be headed for a VERY good season.


More of this would be nice, wouldn't it?

Time will tell, though.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

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Monday, July 09, 2007
Just wanted to give everyone a heads up to let them know that I should be posting a lot more frequently than I have over the past 3 months or so. After some careful thought of where I wanted the blog to go, who I wanted to read it, and what I wanted to write about, I finally came up with a system that will allow me to post more often and better utilize some of the very little free time I have.


Anyway, here are some of the site upgrades you can expect in conjunction with more stuff to read about:

1. Updating the links to the right. Some of those people don’t even blog any more. Some of them I promised to link up a long time ago, and some of them need to just be better organized on this site in general. I just wanted to clean it up and make it a little more user friendly, but it's still a work in progress. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

2. Munson Mix playlist. I've got the embedded player (hosted by PodBean.com) to come up on this site, stream, and play. That's the good news. The bad news is the sidebar is not wide enough to support the whole player and you can't see the full player. It looks half-assed to me, which pisses me off.

I'm thinking about stealing the idea from PWD and possibly going to a 3-column template. This would allow me to fit more in a smaller amount of space and possibly use the middle more adequately. It works for The King, and it's quite tidy. More to come on this...


Also, here is a preview of some of the upcoming posts:

1. Top 5 away games I’ve witnessed in person. Broken into two parts as 5 – 2 and then the top game.

2. Top 5 home games I’ve witnessed in person. Same as the other one.

3. Who is this year’s Cinderella (aka Boise State)? I will take a look at Doug’s Pre-season top 25 and then take teams 11 – 25 and who is most likely to make a run for the Nat’l title outside of everyone that’s expected to.

4. UGA’s toughest games this year. Same idea as the one The King did, so I’m blatantly stealing that one.

I’m sure there will be some more stuff to write about as well as soon as fall camps start up. Let’s hope none of them include injuries, suspensions, or arrests.


Please take a look at the site from top to bottom when you get the chance and let me know if there are any improvements I may have missed. I just need your thoughts in general because I'm trying to do a little spring cleaning...only a few months late.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

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Thursday, July 05, 2007
So for the past few days I've had ideas for a blog bumping around in my head like my cranium was having one helluva house party....or a severe case of ADD. Either way, I've had a good idea, lost it, had another one, lost that one, and then got pissed off.

What I decided to do to rectify that is basically to blog and just blog whatever the hell comes to mind. Here it goes...

Um......
I could talk ab....nah that sucks.
And there's....shit.

Ok I got something:

A blatant picture of Ann Coulter just to piss off Doug who spent most of his 4th of July post trying to somehow get America back into the UK. I like you Doug, I really do, but sometimes you just don't make much sense. I'm trying to shock you back into reality just like psychiatrists use shock therapy. So say hello to Ann...


Image stolen from a site that hates Ann Coulter...and wants to bang her.

However, I need to give props to Doug who introduced me lately to the INCREDIBLY HOT Melissa Theuriau.


I'd be so much more informed if we had news anchors like this....


And, of course, here are a couple of more distractions just for your viewing pleasure:


"Transformers" hotness Megan Fox.




One reason Jack Bauer will kill me...Elisha Cuthbert.






Blazing hot "red head" Kate Walsh.



And finally...


Site girl of the century, Keira Knightley




Well, guess who hasn't been laid in a while?

Anyway, moving on to sports, there's been a lot of hooplah lately over at the Georgia Sports Blog about Mark Richt and Company recruiting out of state kids and ignoring in state talent...well, that's not what PWD said, but some guy that commented on the post. I had plenty to say about it over at the site, and I'm kind of spent on it, but I just want to make it perfectly clear that Mark Richt and Co. are completely dedicated to winning a national championship. Hell, if he finds the kid that can help us in Alaska, I say go get his ass. Stop bitching about it and let the kids play.

The King has ranked our toughest games on the 2007 schedule. I'm pretty much in line with what he's thrown down, but I have a few differences that I will explain at a later date. It's a good read though, so go check it out.

And finally, please everyone let the Munson thing go. Yeah, it sucks about as much as it can, but the man just can't do it. He's doing the best he can with what he's got and I hope every Georgia fan buys a headset to listen to him in the stadium this year. I also hope they give him the proper send off he deserves. He is the best...period.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

P.S. -- Go see Transformers right now. It's worth it. Trust me.

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Monday, July 02, 2007
Sorry for the lengthy hiatus yet again. Just because I posted the blog a couple of weeks ago explaining the "condition" doesn't mean I'm completely well. Yesterday was a rough day and subsequently caused a missed day of work today. A rarity for me.

Anyway, I'm trying to get better. Probably will get into the gym sometime tomorrow b/c it tends to help me feel a little better. Another couple of doc visits soon and we should have all this cleared up.

Again, sorry for the lack of posting. There's plenty to write about with Munson's retiring, the near beginning of fall camps, and pre-season polls all around us, but I just can't right now. I will as soon as I can catch up completely.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

P.S. -- I'm fine...don't worry.

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