Unrelated Poll!

Who is your favorite Merchant?

Time To Right The Ship

The 17 second mark is PRICELESS. Being told to sit down and shut the f*** up by a couple of guys who looked like they came right out of the movie Deliverance was also priceless but you kind of had to be there for that.

What the hell Walter?

Walter Hill did not show up to AFAM 2000 on Tuesday. Now, he's off the team. At first, I thought he was just unable to come to terms with Durham being injured. However, it seems that he's more of a Cass Sawyer. What went wrong?





Maybe it's because Walter had a high school football coach by the name of Bryan Gray. Look it up... BG- I love you man.

Hope everyone had a good 10-06-(08)

I just took the hardest midterm ever. I chose Political Science to avoid numbers and graphs. I feel like I am a damn dead weight loss. Anyways, now I am done with school obligations for quite a while so I'll be able to post plenty in the coming weeks.

I know yall are all extremely happy and thankful.

Saw an interesting quote by an anonymous blogger on the GA sports blog today:

"How'd that many guys get injured on defense with us playing a soft zone? Were they on the wrong side of a collision with thin air?"

Thoughts?



Sure would like to know what happened to this guy and just when he will return.

Happy Weekend

Great girl/ Great bar- Gonna be a great weekend.





And sorry Chadwick Jr- but we are gonna beat the shit out of yall.

Look Who's 23!!!

From all of us here at OIA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY !!!

09-27-08: UGA v ALABAMA... (Tentative) Tailgating Plan

1: Plan for Saturday

My parents are staying at the Holiday Inn Express this weekend, and I thought we could just tailgate there. I could park my truck there Friday night and leave the coolers and the grill there all night. I've got enough beer for everyone leftover from my dad's party, so if you were planning on bringing beer, then bring some liquor that we can shoot. I am going to get a few hamburgers and hot dogs but feel free to bring anything else you want to throw on the grill. Holland, you are responsible for the music. If anyone can think of a better place on campus where we should tailgate or can come up with an argument for why we should just tailgate in the parking lot of my apartment, then I am all ears. However, don't use the bathroom thing because we have my parents' room for that.

2: My take on the Blackout

Why not? CMR knows what he's doing. It will look cool. Plus, I look good in black.



Above: Mike- I know you wanted to be able to say that you were at the only "Blackout" ever, but just shut up and wear some black.

3: Prediction(s) for this weekend

UGA 10 - BAMA 6
We will see Rick a lot more this weekend than we did GSU weekend.
Murray will eat pizza more than once.
Rick and Larry make up.
McCarthy drops a new slang term that no one has heard in a while.
Holland gets naked.
P Lowe puts on for his city.



We can only hope things get this crazy this weekend. 10-6.

Gameday: Arizona State

I don't like our chances for 2 reasons and no it's not Willie's soft zone defense (although in all seriousness that does concern me)- 1) those ASU guys practice against a cactus; 2) did you see what Sparky did to the Iowa team bus?

Happy Weekend

75 minutes of African American studies and a HACE test with Moorman until my weekend begins. Here's to hoping for a big win this weekend at ASU...


Below: Rick before he gets a good tan on his ASU trip.




And after we win...



I hope to celebrate in a similar manner this weekend.

6 Down

Sept. 17 marks the unofficial halfway point to St. Patrick's Day.

Erin Go Bragh!

On an unrelated note, those who were confused about Donnie's comment on this blog earlier this week, a typo was made in which he inserted the wrong name in referencing whos blood was soaked up in the sheets at the Marriot in Doraville. Please pardon this mistake.

This Guy Might Be an Even Bigger Idiot Than I Am

I know we play right into his hands by linking to it, but whatever.

CBS Sportsline's Gregg Doyel might want to look into a Dawg Vent account. There's not even any need to pick this thing apart. It speaks for itself:

National ranking biggest issue for overrated Bulldogs

"There's a problem with Georgia, but it's nothing that can't be fixed. That's the good news...The problem is more fundamental than Georgia's bad group of receivers, bad pass coverage and bad play-calling. Georgia is ranked No. 2 in the country. That's the problem. But it's a fixable problem. It can be rectified as soon as Sunday night when coaches and media make their newest Top 25 polls and drop the Bulldogs like a left hook to the jaw."

"...Brian Mimbs launched kicks of 45, 51 and 77 yards in the fourth quarter when alleged Heisman candidate quarterback Matthew Stafford and alleged Heisman candidate tailback Knowshon Moreno were factually useless."

"...But when it mattered, Stafford and Moreno didn't."

"...Coach Mark Richt didn't help matters by calling strange plays throughout the quarter, running when he should pass and passing when he should run and generally doing nothing to showcase his two alleged Heisman candidates. And don't get me started on the Georgia receiving corps, which dropped five passes and couldn't be bothered to dive for a catchable ball on another throw."

"...That's one of the charms of the college football season. Sooner or later, mistakes in the polls get rectified. Even a mistake as glaring as the "No. 2" next to the word "Georgia."

You're An Idiot

USC 35... Ohio St. 3

Real Season Starts Today

Hate the team, hate the coach, hate the fans... Love the intro!

Prediction: Dawgs 34... Lamecocks 13

Happy Weekend

Before this weekend in Columbia...





After this weekend in Columbia...




And T- It's gonna be way worse than 10-6. Love you got to go.

Knowshon Moreno "Just Love(s) Legos, Man"

Even More Top Fives

I'm back with another Top 5 that no one will listen to, but that's OK, because it gives me something to take my mind off the fact that I have the worst damn fantasy football team in my league. Anyway, this particular edition is made up of the top five new songs by bands I had never heard of before this summer.

1. The Dutchess and the Duke – “Reservoir Park”

This is kind of a folk-rock duo from Seattle that recently played at Tasty World in Athens. And we all know that if there's an official Athens music venue of Only in America, it's Tasty World. This song, and most of their first album, sounds very Rolling Stones, but with mostly acoustic guitar. Think “Paint It Black.”



2. Gentleman Jesse and His Men – “You Don't Have To (If You Don't Want To)”

The main dude from this group is the guitarist for Atlanta punk band The Carbonas, but don't let that scare you away, guys. This is pretty straightforward power pop, and pretty much the only competition Drive-By Truckers' “Ghost To Most” has right now for best song of the year.



3. The Weight – “A Day in the Sun”

I'm pretty sure these guys have something to do with the same Atlanta punk scene as Gentleman Jesse, but they make country music fit for a place as Southern and dignified as the GB's. Just listen to the beer-opening sound effect at the beginning of this song, not to mention that they break the world record for most Budweiser cans on an album cover.



4. King Khan and the Shrines – “Welfare Bread”

A Montreal/Berlin-based, Indian-French-Canadian-fronted band that makes unreal 60s garage rock. The compilation they released earlier this year is entitled “The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines,” and it lives up to its name, seriously. Can't recommend this band strongly enough.



5. The Gaslight Anthem – “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”

The album this comes from really isn't that great or anything, at least compared to the other ones on this list, but it's still worth a listen. Guys will probably do something pretty damn good eventually, as soon as they decide to get off the Warped Tour. This song pretty much kills, though.

Happy Thursday

Above: Jay Bremer leaves his mark on Athens. Probably lives on Wilmington.

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day to all you big dogs out there. While everyone enjoys having a Monday off, I hope we all take a second to think about why we celebrate this great holiday. The labor movement and formation of labor unions have been instrumental in the growth of our country. Nowadays many have unfavorable attitudes toward unions and for that I cannot blame them. What's the good in something that allows for good benefits and fair pay for working class Americans which work in some of our nation's most dangerous fields of industry? Memebers of unions tend to think of themselves as more than mere coworkers but rather as family, which often leads to an increase in productivty and a better and safer working environment for the workers. From this it is obvious that unions are just plain bad for our economy and for this nation's general well-being. If anti-choice McCain and pro-choice Palin win in November, then another small step will be taken in the fight to put an end to the horrible, anti-American idea of unions in this country.



Above: Stick Dick Schwartz at Bourbon Street last night acting "naughty".

Happy Friday Big Dogs

It's Football Season...

...and ESPN's Pat Forde brings it in his first "Forde-Yard Dash" of the season:

As faithful readers know, The Dash is easily annoyed. This offseason's pet peeve: the use of Coach as a formal title. Like King Henry VIII, we have Coach Nick Saban.

It's worse on the fan message boards, where Internet shorthand references to head coaches always start with "C." As in, CTT for Coach Tommy Tuberville (5). CMB for Coach Mack Brown (6). CJT for Coach Jim Tressel (7). Hey, look! It's CJT leading the OSU.

The Dash is convinced that at this very moment, someone on a Utah State message board is typing CBG for Coach Brent Guy.

What if we were this silly in everyday life. Would we have WEJ: Welder Earl Jones? PWS: Plumber Walter Smith?

Maybe even CTD: Columnist The Dash?

Sample: CTD believes CMR (Coach Mark Richt) is loaded at Georgia and will have the Bulldogs playing in the BCS Championship Game against CPC (Coach Pete Carroll). CTD believes CBS (Coach Bill Stewart, not the network) has a lot of holes to fill on defense to meet expectations in his first year at West Virginia. CTD believes CMG (Coach Mike Gundy) must be an even bigger man now that he's 41.

The world would be a much better place if we could eliminate this stuff. That said, hope CBH and the Cadets get that first W tonight. Those who make the game, say hi to Knightshield for the rest of us.

Only in America Trends Don't Win Top 25

Georgia just barely takes the No. 1 spot, which is a huge surprise, considering how homeriffic our poll was last year. We weren't too bad as SEC homers, either. Just three teams with SEC SPEEEED in the Top 10. I also can't believe Notre Dame is so high, but their schedule is pretty damn easy, I guess. Georgia Southern at No. 23 could give Georgia a real quality win this weekend.

1. Georgia 103 (1)
2. USC 102 (2)
3. Oklahoma 97
4. Ohio State 94 (2)
5. Missouri 94
6. Florida 93 (1)
7. Clemson 87
8. LSU 82
9. West Virginia 78
10. Wisconsin 68
11. Auburn 67
12. Texas Tech 55 (1)
13. Texas 55
14. Virginia Tech 52
15. Tennessee 50
16. Arizona State 45
17. Notre Dame 40
18. BYU 38
18. South Florida 38
20. Wake Forest 37
21. Oregon 32
22. Fresno State 27
23. Georgia Southern 25 (1)
24. Florida State 23
25. Alabama 22

Also receiving votes: Connecticut 21, Oklahoma State 20, North Carolina 16, South Carolina 15, Penn State 14, Pittsburgh 14, Kansas 10, Michigan 7, Nebraska 7, California 6, Utah 6, Cincinnati 5, Duke 2, Rutgers 2, Wofford 1

See all you big dogs in Athens on Saturday.

WEEK 1 Picks up on PPB

Only in America Mark 'Em Down Heisman Picks

Like I said yesterday, I don't think it's too difficult figure out exactly who selected some of the guys in the “also receiving votes” category, but we'll keep the ballots secret anyway.

Heisman Trophy:

1.Tim Tebow, Florida
2.Chris Wells, Ohio State
3.Chase Daniel, Missouri
4.Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
5.Pat White, West Virginia

Also receiving votes: Shane Murray, Pittsburgh; Batman, Gotham City; Kris Durham, Georgia; Rod Battle, Georgia; Drew Butler, Georgia; Jeff Owens, Georgia; Rennie “Bad Intentions” Curran, Georgia; Akeem Hebron, Georgia; Cullen Harper, Clemson; Sam Bradford, Oklahoma; Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State; A.J. DeFilippis, Savannah State; Larry Kelly, Arizona State; Cooter Arnold, North Carolina; Kenny O'Neal, Somewhere; G. Schwartz, Ohio State

Pretty conventional group of finalists. Tebow edged out Chris Wells by one point, and we surprisingly don't have Moreno in the top three. Though some of us (again, one of us) did make sure plenty of Georgia guys got their due.

Also, can you believe Stick Dick (see, I got it right this time) actually plays for the Buckeyes and doesn't even include them in his Top 25? Picture of humility, that Stick.

Fall 08'

It's football season, and it's an election year. And while I am one of the few people on facebook without a status expressing my excitement for Saturday, I am ready nonetheless. Last night I watched the Democratic National Convention, and I am also ready for November to hurry up and get here. I like football and politics. GA is my favorite team. I also like to root for ACC teams, and Texas Tech, Oregon, and Kent State (the last three are a result of NCAA 2004-2007). Different forms of government fascinate me. I am a Democrat. I am a strong supporter of labor unions. I love Bill Clinton. I like Obama.

So what's my point? When I go to the game Saturday, I am going to root on Durham and his boys. I will go as a bulldog fan. I will cheer for them and against Bean's Birds. I will not wear an Obama shirt. And I will have not have a "Bulldogs for Obama" sticker/button on my shirt (not that they exist). I remember back in 04' when the "Bulldogs for Bush" stickers/buttons were so popular. And I also remember during one of the games- the LSU one I think, two UGA fans in the UGA student section getting in an argument over politics. It really bothered me.

Don't call me a Nazi, Schwartz. Wear what you want; I know I will. I just think it's a good idea to stay away from things that divide a fanbase when we are all there supposedly united behind one cause or one team or whatever. And if you insist on wearing your Dogs for McCain thing to this game or any UGA game, then just yell and scream while the other team has the ball instead of yelling at the hippie next to you in the Obama shirt.

Only in America Stone Cold BCS Picks

Rather than combine everybody's BCS picks into one boring chalk-fest, I thought it would be more fun to just post exactly what everyone sent in. Don't worry, though. The Top 25 and Heisman balloting will remain secret, but I have a sneaking suspicion you're not going to have much trouble figuring out who chose whom for the Heisman in a few cases. Anyway, on to the picks.

anymouse
BCS Championship – Ohio State vs. Oklahoma
Rose Bowl – Wisconsin vs. USC
Sugar Bowl – LSU vs. West Virginia
Orange Bowl – Wake Forest vs. Florida
Fiesta Bowl – Texas vs. Clemson

That's right. Ohio State, a team some of us (one of us) didn't even have in the Top 25 plays for and wins the national championship. So sad that you have to defend picking a team that's 23-3 the last two years and brings back 19 starters. I guess we have SEC SPEEEEEEEEEEEED to thank for that.

Shane
Rose Bowl – Ohio State vs. USC (USC wins by 10 to go up "aggregate" by 49 for the year)
Fiesta Bowl – Missouri vs. Georgia Tech
Sugar Bowl – Florida vs. Hawaii
Orange Bowl – Georgia vs. Notre Dame

No, it seems Shane didn't know there was going to be a BCS Championship Game this year. But other people around here are a lot better at ripping on him than I am, so I'll leave that up to you. The “aggregate” drop more than makes up for it, anyway.

Slick Dick (that's what he goes by now, right JJH4?)
BCS Championship – Georgia vs. USC
Sugar Bowl – Florida vs. Missouri
Rose Bowl – Ohio St. vs. Oregon
Orange Bowl – Clemson vs. West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl – Oklahoma vs. Auburn

Will Slick's head explode if that championship prediction actually happens? Also, we all love your not-so-subtle dig at the Big Ten here. Unranked Buckeyes go to the Rose Bowl. I can see it now...

JJH4
BCS Championship – Ohio St. over Missouri
Rose – USC vs. Wisconsin
Orange – Wake vs. West Virginia
Sugar – Florida vs. Oklahoma
Fiesta – Georgia vs. Clemson

Wake, Clemson, Ohio State. Big dogs think alike.

Patrick
BCS Championship – Florida over Ohio State
Rose Bowl – USC over Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl – Missouri over West Virginia
Sugar Bowl – Georgia over BYU
Orange Bowl – Oklahoma over Clemson

Could be wrong, but I think Patrick's going after the reverse jinx here.

Donnie
BCS Championship – Wisconsin v. Texas Tech (Texas Tech wins)
Orange Bowl – Oklahoma State v. Connecticut (Connecticut wins)
Rose Bowl – USC v. Ohio State (OSU beats them for the 2nd time in a year)
Sugar Bowl – Georgia v. Florida State (UGA wins)
Fiesta Bowl – Fresno State v. Notre Dame (Beano's boys roll)

Big dogg. With a Double-G. That's all I can say.

Now, back to enjoying the DNC. Ted Kennedy = the man.

WSAV BC Preview

http://www.wsav.com/midatlantic/sav/sports0/blitz/benedictine.html

WTOC's preview will air on Friday.

If We Can Take Some Time Out of Our Busy Schedules...

We'll see how this goes. It's time for the second annual Only in America college football predictions, and since just about everybody contributed something last year, I think it's worth trying again.

So here's what we need from each of our contributors:

1. your top 5 Heisman finalists
2. your BCS bowl projections
3. your top 25 (I'm thinking we go with how they'll finish, but I guess it's up to you)

Send them all to onlyina@gmail.com.

And again, I obviously don't care how much time you put into this, because we're looking to consolidate all of our projections into one poll, and of course some of us care and some of us don't. But that's what made our blog whatever it is it has blossomed into over these last two years. Just try to get it in above all else.

Deadline is this weekend, so we can reveal it in the days leading up to kickoff.

10 to 6.

It's Football Season and We're Consensus #1, but...

Georgia Baseball had a great day on Friday. Trevor Holder did not sign with the Florida Marlins before the midnight deadline and will return to Georgia for his Senior season. Two third round picks( Chase Davidson, Milton HS / Zach Cone, Parkview HS) have also decided to go to Georgia instead of going pro. It is rare to have that high of a pick not sign out of high school and extremely rare to get two kids picked that high to both go to school. Davidson is the highest pick to enroll at Georgia since 1993. Three pitchers who were drafted have also enrolled in school. Georgia will be extremely young next year and could have as many as 5 freshman starters. With Cerronie's future in doubt and no clue about 2B, this would be my best guess for the starting lineup if the season stated tomorrow.

1. Troup OF
2. Dempirio SS
3. Poythress 1B
4. Massanari 3B
5. Davidson OF
6. Lewis C
7. Cone OF
8. R. O'Bryan DH
9. Thoms 2B

Starters:
Holder
McCree
Palazzone (FR.)

Closer:
Weaver

* Georgia will not have a men's soccer team in 2008-09.

I Have a Feeling I Know Who Would End Up at No. 1...

...but are we interested in doing the second annual Only in America college football predictions? Remember, we were the only blog on the Internet to project Joe Cox as a Heisman finalist last year, so we do have a reputation to uphold here.

I'm thinking just Top 25, Heisman and BCS picks for this year, to keep to simple and somewhat interesting. I'm just gauging interest for now. Don't post picks in the comments and ruin the surprise or anything.

Slightly off topic, I know, but...does anybody else really miss Lou Holtz right now?

Scott Van Pelt

The ESPN personality giving his take on soccer on The Tirico and Van Pelt Show:

"Soccer would be exactly like football if every play in football resulted in an incomplete pass and every punt was a fair catch."

Happy Birthday

The Varsity turns 80 years old today. Here's to another 80 years.

What'll ya have, what'll ya have!

Top 5 Day? I think so...

The weekend starts tonight at 10PM. Board games, FIFA, Wii, and fellowship at my house. We are doing this in order to have a good time without going out and getting too drunk before tomorrow. Of course, it is highly unlikely that we stay in and don't go on an Andrew Jackson hunt. So tonight bring beer, clothes for tomorrow, beer for tomorrow, any board games you want to play, and a good attitude.

Tomorrow I am waking up at 9:30 to take care of my business so that I can watch one episode of Law and Order at 10AM before I go to the beach. I am going to the beach from 11-6, and I am plan on drinking a little bit. If you plan on getting too wasted to make it back to my house before the fireworks, then bring one of my shitty beach chairs, not a good one. Hamburgers, ribs, and some type of side will be served at 6PM. After food, drink, showers, and more fellowship, it's back down to the beach for the fireworks. From there it's Tybee bar time: good luck being able to get inside anywhere, or getting a drink for that matter. Don't slam my door downstairs, pee outside or in the toilet, and don't drive.

Quick recap: Drink tomorrow from 10-6. Then food at 6 at my house. All are welcome. Then fireworks and bars. Happy Fourth of July.

"GOD BLESS AMERICA!LAND THAT I LOVE"- Charles Francis Seyden IV. c/o 62'

The Top Five: Long Weekend Edition

With the holiday weekend coming up, as well as my needing to put together a CD tonight for the drive home tomorrow, I've been thinking a lot about the concept of the “song of the summer.” Every summer seems to have one song in particular that you'll always find playing on at least two radio stations at one time. Last summer, I guess it was “Umbrella” (but correct me if I'm wrong). And since I haven't listened to the radio at all this month, and thus have absolutely no idea what song is driving people insane right now, I thought this installment of The Top Five should include some of my own songs of the summer so far. (You have to click the link for the full song on some of these, unfortunately)

1. Weezer – The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On a Quaker Hymn)

It's no secret that Weezer hasn't done anything worthwhile since 1996, but this song is so fucking terrible it's not even funny. No, seriously. It's the worst shit I've ever heard in my life. So bad I have to fill up this little blurb with profanity. So bad that it borders on absolute brilliance. Honestly, listen to this song and try to imagine writing something worse. You can't. I've already tried. It is totally perfect in its awfulness. It is, quite literally, the “Bohemian Rhapsody” of bad alt-rock. I don't know if it's a joke or not, and I don't really care, because this is the most amazing song I've heard in a long, long time.

Here's a loose outline of this monumental achievement in American music: Canned applause –> Somber piano –> Police sirens –> Rap rock –> Some vintage Weezer whining –> Enter choir: “After the havoc that I'm gonna wreak, no more words will critics have to speak” –> classic rock falsetto action –> Weezer parodies itself –> Spoken word section: “Act II, I hit the big time, and bodies be all up on my behind... If you don't like it, you can shove it. But you don't like it. You love it” –> Brian Wilson three-part harmony –> more Weezer-by-numbers –> Fin.



2. The Hold Steady – Constructive Summer

I told you The Hold Steady would be on here every time, and it does seem a little too easy to throw this song on the list, seeing as it sounds like the band sat down one day and decided to write something people would blare in their cars all summer long, but hey, it's executed perfectly. And you've got to admit, any song that invites you to scream “GET HAMMERED!” at the top of your lungs is a very rocking song indeed.



3. Bruce Springsteen – Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

If there's any artist I always associate with the summer, it's Bruce Springsteen, and there's not a better song to listen to loud with the windows down on the way to the beach than this one (before anyone argues that point, as Eric Cartman once said: “Fuck you, Jimmy Buffett! You fucking suck!) I also can't help but respect any track that goes on for seven minutes without venturing anywhere near heady territory.



4. Camera Obscura – Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken

I might get made fun of for this one, but I can take it. Song's catchy as all hell. You know you can't resist it.



5. My Morning Jacket – Lay Low

I hadn't listened to this band in a pretty long time, but then I heard their new record, Evil Urges. It was so bad I had to immediately go back and listen to their other albums just to make sure it was the same group. And unfortunately, everything on Evil Urges is just plain crappy, not the awesome degree of atrociousness that is Weezer's “Greatest Man.” So I couldn't use any of those songs for this list, but I did remember how much I liked this song a couple years ago.



Feel free to post your own songs of the summer. Otherwise, see you at Game Night.

Audio Clip

If you are a Georgia fan and have a little time on your hands, this is a great listen from The Voice of Georgia Baseball and best friend of "T", Mr. Jaff Dantzler.

http://960theref.mypodcast.com/2008/06/HOME_TEAM_Post_Mortem_College_World_Series-120635.html

Georgia Athletics

Three national titles, No. 2 football ranking head accomplishments

By JENNA MARINA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/26/08

With the University of Georgia baseball team just completing its season, coming one win away from the College World Series title, we look back at quite a year for some of the school's athletic programs. It includes three national championships.

National Champions

The Bulldogs (27-3, 10-1 SEC) became the first team to win back-to-back NCAA tennis titles since Stanford (1998-99). They also captured their third consecutive regular-season SEC title. Georgia added to its 47-match home winning streak. They head into next season with the school-record of 52 (1971-75) in sight.

Gymnastics

Georgia (31-2) earned its fourth straight national gynmastics title and the ninth in program history. They tied Utah for the most titles held by one school. The Bulldogs won all three postseason titles — the SEC, Regionals and NCAA — without defending back-to-back NCAA All-Around Champion and Hall of Famer Courtney Kupets, who tore her Achilles tendon in early March. Eight different gymnasts earned a total of 16 All-America awards with their performances at the NCAA Championships.

Equestrian

Georgia (11-2) claimed the third national team title in school history, and its first since 2004. Bulldogs sophomore Sarah Locker claimed an individual national title in Western Reining.

Other Notable Seasons

Though they didn't bring back a national championship, Georgia (45-25-1, 20-9-1 SEC) did win the first four games of the College World Series before falling to Fresno State. The SEC champs set single-season records for hits (787), innings pitched (634) and strikeouts (528). They finish second in home runs (96), runs (512), RBIs (468) and fielding percentage (.971).

Football

The Bulldogs (11-2, 6-2 SEC) ended the season ranked No. 2 in the nation after a seven-game win streak culminated in a Sugar Bowl win over previously undefeated Hawaii. They were SEC East co-champions. The win-streak is the second longest active streak among Division IA teams and includes a victory against Florida for only the third time since 1990.

Men's Basketball

Not even a tornado could keep Georgia (17-17, 8-13 SEC) from earning its way into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. After compiling the SEC's fewest wins during the regular season, Georgia stormed through the conference tournament to earn an automatic berth. They pulled off two overtime victories and survived a double-header after a tornado damaged the Georgia Dome to knock off Arkansas for the crown. The Bulldogs bowed out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Women's Tennis

The Bulldogs (22-5, 9-2 SEC) upset Florida to win their second-consecutive SEC Tournament championship and reached the NCAA Round of 16 for the ninth time in 10 years. Coach Jeff Wallace earned his 500th win. Sophomore Naoko Ueshima tied former player Shadisha Robinson for the most doubles victories in one season (33).

Swimming and Diving

Both the men's and women's teams placed seventh at the NCAA championships. Men's coach Dan Laak was selected as the National Coach of the Year while coaching swimmers Sebastien Rouault and Gil Stovall and diver Chris Colwill to four individual national titles at the NCAAs. The women's team had a No. 1 ranking during the season with their ninth undefeated year (12-0) in school history.

Soccer

The Bulldogs (18-4-2, 8-1-2 SEC) posted their best regular season in school history with 15 wins, including a victory over No. 9 Tennessee. That win tied the mark for the highest-ranked opponent Georgia had ever defeated. The Bulldogs reached the finals of the SEC Tournament for the second time in school history. Georgia set or tied several school records, including: most wins in a season (18), fewest losses in a season (4) and third-fewest total goals allowed (19).

Softball

The Bulldogs (46-24, 14-14 SEC) advanced to just their second-ever NCAA Super Regional with an 18-player roster that featured 12 underclassmen. The Bulldogs earned their first-ever win over a No. 1 ranked opponent when they defeated Alabama on May 4.

Georgia Baseball 2008

Without a doubt I am one of the most disappointed people on the face of the earth. No one plays for 2nd place, especially Georgia. But I will let nothing tarnish this run or this team. It hurts real bad but it seemed to be fate for Fresno, and what a story it is. Georgia had its chances but we needed an 8th inning comeback in game 1 and were simply dominated in Games 2 and 3. I will remember the names Mendonca and Detwiler for a long time. But more so I will remember Beckham, Piesel, Olson, Fields, and every single member of this team. It may be corny but like Perno always said, there was something special about this team. SEC Champions, Athens regional champions over Georgia Tech, and Super-regional champions. One ray of light about the National Championship game was Gordan Beckham, THE greatest Georgia baseball player ever and one of the top 5 athletes in Georgia history, hit a home run in his final at bat. It put a cap on undoubtedly one of the greatest years in Georgia athletics. It wasn't our time, maybe it will be come January. Disappionting for sure, but I have never been prouder to be a Georgia Bulldog. Go Dawgs!

Wow

Fresno St. 19 - Georgia 1o

After Montgomery and Dodson didn't have it and were pulled, Georgia pretty much folded the tent by throwing the guys they did the rest of the way. Assuming Moreau starts tomorrow, both starters will be working on 3 days rest. The plus for Fresno is their guy is better on paper. Plus for Georgia is Weaver, McCree, and Fields will all be ready to go. Hopefully Moreau can keep it close and Fresno's bats cool off. Wouldn't hurt if ole Lady Luck made an appearance.

How Bout 'em

GEORGIA 7 - FRESNO ST. 6

"I'd gave up, you did too."

"I know I'm asking alot you guys, but Hunker it down one more time! ..."

DAWGS v. DAWGS

Georgia will play for a National Championship in one of the "Big 3" sports beginning on Monday night........A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

Most Georgia fans, if honest, would say Fresno is probably the team they wanted to play rather than North Carolina. North Carolina undoubtedly had a better year and a deeper level of talent. However, no one is playing better than Fresno who beat #3 Arizona St. twice and #2 UNC twice. They wouldn't be at this point if they weren't really good.

Georgia's advantages:

Pitching staff is deeper and 1 game more rested than Fresno's. Georgia's rotation sets up perfect with Holder ready for game 1 and Montgomery for Game 2. I'd say game 3 would be a question. Beckham has yet to explode and you would like to think he will before he leaves Omaha.

Fresno advantages:

They are playing with more confidence than they have played with all year. Mendonca the 3B has probably been the best player at the CWS behind Akley from UNC. They will have a majority of the crowd support from the neutral fans who like the cinderella.

Questions:

Can Fresno's pitching staff hold up for at least 4 games in a row and pitch at the level they have been at for the past 3 weeks?

Can Georgia keep getting production from the 2B position which has been key in all 3 of the CWS wins?

Can Fields come through when put in a tight game or do you go/stay with McCree?

Monday -ESPN2; Tuesday/Wednesday- ESPN

Dawghouse: http://evilcmr.blogspot.com/2008/06/one-thing-left-to-do.html

AJC:http://www.ajc.com/services/content/sports/uga/stories/2008/06/22/gacws_0623.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=21

...Celebrate we will Because life is short but sweet for certain

What Would Perno Do?

Georgia has been given another day off due to rain in Omaha and will now play on Saturday at 2:00 pm ET. The advantage Georgia gained by winning their first 2 is now gone. Stanford's staff will get an extra day off to catch up with Georgia's, and their 1.02 ERA ace will now take the mound after his normal 6 days of rest. 4 days off for Georgia seems like a day too much. However, come Saturday there will only be 4 collegiate teams in the country playing baseball and Georgia is one of them.

Now the question I have is, should the pitching rotation change? Holder was to be the starter on Friday with the idea that he could start Game 3 of the National Championship Series if Georgia is lucky enough to advance. Now, if he starts on Saturday I believe the most you could get out of him would be a couple innings of relief on Tuesday or Wednesday. Montgomery could possibly be ready on Sunday and Dodson will be in the Pen for at least the next 3 games. Knowing that Georgia could play anywhere between 2-5 games, I could see 3 different rotations being considered by Perno:

1. Saturday: Holder
Sun./Mon.: Moreau
Mon./Tues.: Montgomery

2. Sat.: Moreau
S/M: Holder
M/T: Monty

3. Sat.: Holder
S/M: Monty
M/T: Moreau

Any way you go Georgia is going to have a tough time scoring runs in the 1st one and the bullpen cannot be exhausted in the 1st match up because of a possible rematch on Sunday against a lineup which has shown it can explode at any time.
I go with option 2 in hopes of Moreau pulling out a win and Holder going in the NCS. But if not you have Holder in the elimination game.

Since We All Love Top 5's...

Thanks to barstool's recent post that alerted me to the ultra-convenient imeem.com, and in order to do my part in getting this blog updated regularly again, I'm introducing a new feature that I hope I'll remember to do pretty often: More Top Fives!

Here are my top five songs from the last couple of weeks:

1. Drive-By Truckers – A Ghost To Most

After kind of forgetting about it for a month or two, I decided to give the newest Drive-By Truckers album another spin last week. Not surprisingly, it's still the best thing I've heard all year and this is still easily the best song I've heard all year. The odds of hearing a DBT song is the only redeeming thing about setting foot in the place we like to call “The Beauregard's,” and I've got a pretty good feeling I'll be hearing this one if and when I can make it back to Athens sometime this fall.



2. Duffy – Delayed Devotion

You've probably heard the song “Mercy” on the radio a lot recently, and yeah, it's pretty good and really catchy. But the rest of this chick's album sounds nothing like it, and I mean that in a good way. Most of it genuinely sounds like an old 60s soul record. You should check it out.



3. The Hold Steady – Sequestered in Memphis

I'm going to be honest. If I keep doing this top five thing on a regular basis, there's probably going to be a different Hold Steady song in there every time. They just recorded their fourth awesome album in the last five years, and it's the only thing I listened to for the first two weeks after I heard it. This is the first single, and I really hope one of you ends up enjoying these guys, because I desperately need someone to talk about them with.



4. Mott the Hoople – All the Young Dudes

I have no idea what prompted me to start wanting to listen to this over and over recently. I probably just heard it on 105.3 or something for the first time in a while. But it also could be that I've realized it would be a perfect duet for karaoke. Just imagine. If you could find someone to handle the high parts, our dear friend Mr. Bunger would easily take it from there.



5. Feist – My Moon My Man

Barstool's posting that song Apple was using in its MacBook Air commercials got me to thinking about how some of our fellow contributors were enjoying their use of Feist's “1, 2, 3, 4” in some iPod ads last year. And that got me thinking about how I hadn't listened to any of Feist's music in a really long time. Then I decided this was the best song on her album “The Reminder.”



So that's the first top five, with another one to come in maybe a week, or whenever this five ends up getting replaced. Post yours if you've got 'em.

Georgia in Omaha

36 Hours until the Dawgs take on #1 Miami.

Update from Omaha: http://www.georgiadogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8800&ATCLID=1480246

Georgia Game Notes: http://www.georgiadogs.com/pdf4/131053.pdf?&ATCLID=1479089&SPSID=40708&SPID=3589&DB_OEM_ID=8800

The Dawghouse Preview: http://www.evilcmr.blogspot.com/

CWS Bracket: http://www.georgiadogs.com/pdf5/131043.pdf?&ATCLID=1479089&SPSID=40708&SPID=3589&DB_OEM_ID=8800

Athens — Georgia didn't care who it played in the College World Series.

The Bulldogs just cared that they would play in the College World Series.

The latter was assured about 8 p.m. Sunday. The former took a couple of hours more, but eventually Miami beat Arizona to set up the game between the No. 8 Bulldogs and No. 1 Hurricanes. Georgia will face Miami at 7 p.m., Saturday on ESPN.

"We have been pretty good against the ACC this year," said Georgia coach David Perno. "But whoever you play this time of year it is going to be a difficult task."It is about as difficult as it gets when it comes to Miami. The Hurricanes (52-9) are headed to their 23rd College World Series. Georgia has been to six. On top of that Miami has won 19 of its last 23 games. Only LSU has a better record down the stretch.

In addition, Georgia may have had two players selected in the first round of the MLB Draft last week. But Miami had three — first baseman Yonder Alonso (seventh, Cincinnati), second baseman Jemile Weeks (12th, Oakland) and pitcher Carlos Gutierrez (27th, Minnesota). Three more players were taken on the first day.
Then there is national freshman pitcher of the year Chris Hernandez. He is 11-0 with a 2.65 ERA.

But no matter the gaudy stats — Miami ranks top 25 in batting average (.329), scoring (9.0), and ERA (3.96) — Georgia appears calm. That might be because of what the Bulldogs have been through.

The team's darkest-before-the-dawn moment came almost three months ago.
Georgia, coming off a terrible 2007, was suffering through an equally disappointing 2008. The Bulldogs' record was less than .500 after playing a non-conference schedule that featured games against Arizona, Florida State and two-time defending national champ Oregon State. The Bulldogs lost the first game in the Southeastern Conference to Arkansas. And they were losing 10-1 in the second one.

Then, with a Bryce Massanari RBI double to right in the sixth, came the first crack of light. Georgia came back to beat the Razorbacks, 15-11.

"That was probably the most emotional I have ever been after a game," said Georgia coach David Perno, whose team won the SEC, before winning elimination games in the regional, and super-regionals.

"You play that tough schedule for a reason and that is to be ready for the postseason," said Georgia's Gordon Beckham. "And that is basically what helped us. It helped us build a lot of character. We didn't give up and kept chugging and look at where we are."

GEORGIA BASEBALL 2008

GordO

PernO

JOsh

RynO

ThOms

DemperiO

POythress

JOey

Olson

CeriOne

HOlder

DOdson

MOreau

MOntgomery

Omaha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-lFE3xloWg

BRAVES

Amidst the excitement surrounding Georgia baseball, the Braves lost one of the most heartbreaking and miserable games I have ever watched. I love the Braves and will continue to, but I might get some heat from some people on the following opinion coming on 6-7-08.

This will not be a playoff year for the Braves.

It started on Opening Night with the walk-off win by the Nationals. It continued with Mike Hampton, the most effective Brave pitcher in the spring, getting hurt warming up for his first start. Soriano going down soon after. Brave great John Smoltz's season, and possibly career, coming to an end the same week a popup is dropped with two outs in the 9th inning up by 1 run against the division leaders allowing the tieing run to score. Then to add to the equation the tieing run for the braves gets thrown out at the plate on a bang-bang play in the 10th to end the game. I normally don't like to overreact to 1 MLB game in June, but the signs seem to be too glaring to ignore. This isn't the braves year.

I also think Bobby's time has passed. One of the greatest managers off all-time indeed. But how in the world do you allow Acosta to trot out there in the 10th in a tie game when he has given up nothing but HR's and extra base hits in his last 3 outings. Reminds me of his constant confidence in KLOB and Reitsma. Francouer has fallen off the face of the earth. McCann and Chipper can't do everything even though they almost are and for godssake will they please tell Lemke that its okay to tell the truth once in a while and its not okay to say that the breaks sometimes don't go your way when discussing a dropped popup.

Maybe I am overreating but the Braves have never frustrated me anymore than this outside of Reitsma blowing 8 saves in one week.

Solution:

Trade Tiexera for Wainwright.
Trade Kotsay to get Andruw Jones back because he smiles.
Trade Acosta for Michael Tucker.
Trade Ring and Resop to get Renteria back and play Escobar at 2nd and Kelly Johnson at 1st.
Trade Hampton for Joey Side.
Pickup Ozzie Guillen as bench coach.

From The Vault

I was going through my digital camera to get some of the pictures I took at Falcons' mini-camp and I ran across these gems from the past. Ah, the memories...
The Holland men before the BC-Windsor football game back in 2003...

BDMDB getting ready to go to a formal with I believe Erica Maier (but I may be mistaken)...

MURRAY hood surfing before the Outback Bowl on January 1st, 2005; JH4 is not too impressed in the passenger seat...

GEORGIA

Georgia's Athletic department is having a banner year and looks to add to it over the next couple of weeks. Following a #2 final ranking in Football, A SEC championship in basketball and baseball, and a 4th straight National Championship in Gymnastics, Georgia's spring sports are making a nice run once again. Though a lot of people do not care about the minor sports, I love to see Georgia do well when other schools like Georgia Tech tend to hang their hats on them.

The men's tennis team competes for the National title tonight after the upset of the year over Virginia.

Tonight vs. Texas- 7 pm ET ESPNU

The softball team had an average season in the brutal SEC, but swept through the regionals and face the greatest softball program ever in the Super-regionals.

Saturday @ UCLA- 8 pm ET ESPN
Sunday @ UCLA- 7 pm ET ESPN2 (9 pm ET ESPN2)

The golf team won the East regional by an enormous magin and will play in the NCAA nationals May 28-31. On top of that, former Georgia golfer Ryuji Imada won last weekends AT&T in Atlanta for his first PGA Tour victory.

The Baseball team won the SEC regular season. Beckham was the first Bulldog to be named SEC player of the year, Fields was named SEC pitcher of the year, and Perno is the Coach of the year. Georgia is the first SEC program to sweep these awards. However, Georgia's pitching is seemingly getting hit harder and harder as the season progresses and Beckham is still hitting above .400 but has fallen off the torrid pace that he was on for most of the year. If Holder is not able to get back to full strength, the Daws will face an uphill battle to Omaha and I don't feel like Massanari can carry the Bulldogs like Beckham did for a good part of the early going. Georgia has locked up a regional host but needs to play well in Hoover if they want to be a National seed.

Wed.- Sun.- SEC Tournament CSS/FSN

Georgia is currently 17th in the Director's Cup standings. With strong finishes from the golf, softball, and baseball teams, Georgia could find itself in he Top 3 by the end ofthe year.

Maybe Georgia Southern will be an option?

It looks like former star Benedictine receiver Kenny O'Neal is about to go searching for his fourth college in little over four years.

After being held of spring practice at Tennessee for academic reasons, he's going to transfer for what I'd imagine just has to be his final year of eligibility. This comes after joining the Vols last season by way of the City College of San Francisco, which he attended for a year after Florida State gave him the boot.

May 5th

Along with the cheap labor and Taco Bell, Mexicans have also given us Cinco de Mayo. Gracias! Me gusta comer la hamburguesa de queso.

# 1 Girl in the World Wins

Fender, you're a good man

"Besides I would take my ring that says Benedictine Military School over a Single A state championship ring any day."- Robert Fender, class of 2007.

Brilliance.

Too bad we are still going to beat the shit out of Alabama when they come to Athens.

BC Basketball Top 5

Top 5 basketball players at Benedictine from the classes of 2001-2007:

1: Brady Cannon

2: Franky Jackson

3/4: Pierce Cannon/ Travis West

5: Shane Murray

Honorable Mention: Keenan Summerlin & David Barker

1. Brady played three years of varsity basketball. He came off the bench as a Sophomore on a team that won only 5 games. However, he would go on to average double figures as a Junior and be named the team's MVP. Senior year, he would average double figures, win his 2nd MVP award and be named to the SMN 3rd team.

Total wins as a member of the varsity team which he contributed to: 29(5, 7, 17*- missed one of the Windsor games for family reasons)
Region wins " ": 9 (0,1,8)
Significant wins: soph year- at Johnson,junior year- St. Pius X and Bradwell, senior year- Camden, at Glynn, Sav High, at Groves, Johnson

Legacy: Brady was the man down low for the best team BC had in this 7 years. His shot to beat the buzzer at Groves will not soon be forgotten.

2. Franky was one of the best point guards to ever play at BC.

Total wins: 29- missed the Johnson game soph year and the Windsor win and one of the Jenkins wins senior year
Region wins: 14
Significant wins: soph year- Bradwell; junior year- see Brady's senior year; senior year- @ SHS, @ Groves

3/4 Travis and Pierce were dominant players while at BC. I do not know a lot about these guys, but I know that they could hold their own on a court with the 10 best guys to ever play at BC. They had no region wins senior year and only 5 wins total, but I remember going to a lot of close games that year which they could have easily won. Who knows what could have been if Matt Phillips hadn't been kicked off the team their senior year. Basically, these guys could be the stars on their team or could accept a supporting role. Travis and Pierce could contribute on any of BC's teams.

5: Shane Murray really only played two years of varsity basketball but he would star as the 2003-2004 team's captain and best defensive player. I think Brady won the Captain's award but I distinctly remember TC appointing Shane the captain after a game in Effingham. Curley likes to talk about how Shane barely made the team his freshman year, and I would argue that no player has ever improved as much as Shane did from freshman to senior year while at Benedictine. He brought effort and enthusiasm to ever dreaded practice, and I would guess that he is unique in this sense in Benedictine basketball history.

Wins: 25
Region wins: See Brady
Significant wins: See Brady


Hon. Mention:
Keenan Summerlin was the 3rd leading scorer in his junior and senior seasons. He was a natural shooter, and he was a much better defender than some like to give him credit for. Why is Shane, not Keenan in the top 5? I am quite sure that David Koncul, Pascink, and Kieffer are better shooters than Shane and Keenan. However, I think Shane's defense and leadership abilities would help a team of the best 15 or so guys to ever play at BC while Keenan would offer little to a team with better shooters.

Barker was a part of the varsity team for 3 years. His soph season he contributed as a great defender in practice. His junior year he was instrumental in wins over Windsor, SHS, and Groves. That team also won a total of 5 region games which is 4 more than when I was a fresh and soph. Then, as a senior, albeit in aaa, he was a constant force on a team that won something like 15 games.

Sorry this was so long Shane.

They're Everywhere...

Present honoring...

Four Horsemen fans that is. The Gym Dogs won another National Championship, their fourth in a row, and decided to honor the greatest wrestling faction of all time. I guess it makes since though. Ric Flair is a 16 times World Champion and the Gym Dogs are NCAA Champions now for the ninth time. I think it was a real classy move on their part to honor past champions like Flair, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, Arn Anderson and the countless others from over the years. Congratulations girls and maybe one day the Gym Dogs will be 16 time champions as well.

... the Past Champions