Top 3 People I Dislike

3.
2.

1.

Anymouse and myself got yall's asses

We're #1

When Is It Going To Be Our Turn?

I'm still waiting while Georgia athletics continues to disappoint. Enough of the excuses about refs, injuries, suspensions, etc. just go out and win games. Take care of business. This goes for all sports. Barring a miracle, this "star studded," "best basketball team at Georgia in awhile" is NIT bound, the football team's troubles are well documented (although I'm cautiously optimistic about 2011, mainly because South Carolina is the front runner in the East and that's just a bad joke), and from what JJBA tells me the baseball team could be just as bad as last year when they gave up 10+ runs seemingly every game. The high school talent available in Georgia in all 3 of those sports provides a built-in advantage 99% of schools and coaches around the country would kill to have at their disposal. I hear over and over again about the outrageous monetary numbers the Athletic Association pulls in year in and year out. Most of the athletic facilities have been upgraded or are in the process of being upgraded. The excuses are drying up pretty quick. Ultimately, the blame lies exactly where it should and that is with the coaches and players. Both groups are under performing to the point where things are just getting downright ridiculous. We need to start delivering the punch again instead of becoming the punchline for other SEC teams.

The good news: 4 weeks (or 28 days) away from the biggest day of the year and nothing can ruin that feeling!
Doesn't get any better than this...


Looking forward to the BC Alumni event tomorrow evening, the Marshall's Election/Reception next weekend, and of course the Triiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnniiiiitttttyyyyyyyyyyyy! Erin Go Brah!

Here's an Arthur's Basement for good measure:

One Year Ago...

... I strengthened my case for immortality.

With that in mind I promise to post more and get back to my "roots" (not kunta kinte or Toby). That starts in Athens this weekend and Savannah the following weekend. That's a Slick Rick guarantee!

'Dinos Evaluation

I ate at Baldinos for lunch today. When they are on, they have the best sandwiches in Savannah. When they are off, they may be some of the worst.

Kind of like Georgia basketball.

If this were football, people would be talking about firing you.

37 Days

Tweets That Aren't By Slicric416

I was following some people's tweets during the Super Bowl earlier when I came across this amazing fake Twitter account for Mark Richt. I would assume this guy will get a cease-and-desist letter by the end of the week, so enjoy it while you can.

A few samples:

“Sending the Gym Dawgs to South Carolina to get us in the mix on this Clowney kid.”

“I can tell Bulldawg nation is really excited for this class. My Barberitos was spit-free for the first time since the bowl game.”

“More like Dick Saban.” “Sorry, that was a text intended for Isaiah Crowell.”

“No arrests this weekend! First time winning the coaches player arrest pool. I always take 0.”

“Is taking recruits to @TaqueriadelSol a recruiting violation? Can someone ask McGarity? Somehow got stuck with Bobo's kids. #FML"

Combo of Price and Barnes

Basketball

- Georgia hosts Florida in the biggest game of the season to date. Gotta get to 4-2 with trips to Kentucky and Arkansas up next.

- Braketology currently has Georgia as a 9 seed playing Cashmere Wright and Cincinnati.

- The 4th leading scorer in the the Big East, Casey Mitchell, has been suspended indefinitely by Bobby Huggins.

- Sundiata Gaines is averaging 5.8 points a game for the Raptors.

- BC's starting center scored 32 against Camden last Friday. He's scored 20+ points in 6 straight games and is the leading rebounder in the quad-county area. BC is 3-14.

- The Spurs are the best team in the NBA by far.

- Ole Miss and Head Coach Andy Kennedy beat LSU on Saturday.

Finally Something Worthwhile Happens in Tennis.

Somebody has to be Good

You'd think the percentages would eventually catch up with Georgia athletics and somebody would be good. The basketball team looked to be better than most, and though it still can be is underachieving up to this point. Message boards are lit up with how the refs cost Georgia an SEC win last night. Though I hate Ted Valentine more than any other official in any sport, the refs didn't cost Georgia. Thomkins being outplayed by a freshman, and the two seniors being the worst players on the floor cost Georgia. Shot clock should've been called, and the over the back was pretty obvious. But Georgia should have never been in that position at home against a team that has lost to a number of inferior opponents in the last month. Maybe I was expecting a little much thinking this was a team that would be fighting for a better seed in the dance come SEC tournament time. Instead, the fight looks to be coming with the bubble.

Right now the Dawgs would be on the outside looking in. Before the conference slate started, 10-6 looked like the number that was needed for a probable tourney birth. Now for that to happen8-4 is needed from here on out. For the sake of outlook I think Georgia needs to run the table at home. 7-0 would be ideal but 6-1 would be okay if that loss is to Xavier. If this was to happen then 2-4 on the road is a minimal requirement. I like the chances of 7-0 at home better than 2-4 on the road given Georgia's recent history away from Athens. But games in Columbia, Fayetteville, and Tuscaloosa are very gettable while trips to Lexington, Knoxville, and Gainesville are long shots imo. The loss last night hurt immensely and makes the Miss State game close to a must win.

Fox knows how important this season is for the greater good of Georgia basketball. Next year will field a team with only 2 starters probably returning and the following year will have a brand new back court. The time is now for this program to get over the hump, especially when the league is as average as ever. Thomkins and Leslie have to raise their levels of play because both were better players last year on a team that finished last.

For those who could care less about basketball, SPD is 57 days away.

WTOC

Happy 2011...

from AmericanHoneyband Chet and myself. Friend him on Facebook if you dare.

Happy Sugar Bowl!

Top 5 Posts of 2010

I guess this is a couple days late, but here it is. We definitely peaked early last year.

Honorable Mention: Bear Fight, Shane Goes To Sleep in Public Sometimes, Lady Dog Live Blog, Google Search.

5. Birth of “The Bear” -- One night in Athens changes a friend of OIA's life forever.

4. Best Text Ever -- Happy Frifday!

3. Do Barbier? -- Simply amazing.

2. The Schwarz Saga: A Series -- We had to cheat a little bit on this one, with a top 5 within a top 5. It was a big year for the guy, who stared death in the face, embarked on a new career, changed his name, made his biggest plans yet, and lived happily ever after.

Which sort of leads into the best -- or at least the most "in-the-spirit-of-the-blog" -- post of 2010...

1. Raise Your Hand -- Congratulations, Barstool.

Congrats

Congratulations PLowe. Fight the good fight sir. Stay safe out there.

Best/Worst of 2010

BEST:

1. BC Basketball- Region Champions. Beat 7 state playoff teams. Advanced to the Sweet 16. The most wins in school history.

2. Ke$ha- Not real sure about her as a person but she gave us "Tik Tok", "Your Love is my Drug", and "We R Who We R".

3. Windrose- The hidden gem of Tybee. Once you get past the music, its the 2nd best bar in Chatham County.

4. St. Patrick's Day- The worst St. Patrick's Day ever would still be a top 5 day of the year.

5. Braves- 1st Wild Card birth in franchise history. Led the majors in comeback victories in what was the most exciting Braves season in 10+ years. Normally wouldn't put a non-championship season in the top 5 but 2010 wasn't real stellar.

Worst:

1. Fairmont Closing- My 2nd favorite restaurant ever closes its doors after 2 glorious decades of service.

2. Football season- BC and Georgia combine to go 7-16.

3. Todd Grantham/ Mark Richt- CMR spent last week answering questions about his job and constantly defended himself by pointing to being a top 5 coach in active wins. Then his team loses to a AAAAA team. CTG spent the entire Arkansas week making fun of a coach who just beat his ass and then tries to intimidate a damn college punter who nails the ensuing kick. Hopefully we get some guys that "fit" the system.

4. World Cup- No wonder they only play that thing every 4 years.

5. Brooks Conrad- Feel bad for the guy because he had a great season including the best Braves highlight of the year. However, he will forever be remembered for the 12 errors in the NLDS.

2010 Georgia Football Review

Bad.

Schultz's Thoughts

What's up with this guy?

What's the feeling about Pelosi's replacement? I thought we were in line for some kind of upgrade. I guess not. And yes, personality matters in politics.

Music Posts Back With a Vengeance

This may or may not be a total disaster, but it's been in the works for a while so I'll go ahead and post it. You know I spend an inordinate amount of time listening to new records and I've got to talk about them somewhere.

In lieu of a bunch of lists for this year I made a top 25 in no particular order. I'm not about to get the blog shut down for music piracy, but if someone wants the album versions let me know and I can help you out since there aren't videos of some of the songs I listed. I doubt you will, but thought I'd put that out there.

Superchunk — “Digging For Something”
Drive-By Truckers — “Birthday Boy”
Scott Lucas and the Married Men — “Positively 4th Street”
Ryan Bingham — “Depression”
Justin Townes Earle — “Wanderin'”
Mavis Staples — “Wrote a Song For Everyone”
Joe Pug — “Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)”
Futurebirds — “Ski Chalet”
Old 97's — “Champaign, Illinois”
The Secret Sisters — “Why Baby Why”
Jamey Johnson — “Good Morning Sunrise” (Can't find this anywhere, so here's one from his album that sounds like a lost Gregg Allman song.
Alejandro Escovedo — “Anchor”
The Goodnight Loving — “Doesn't Shake Me”
White Mystery — “Respect Yourself”
Heavy Cream — “Watusi”
The Hold Steady — “The Weekenders”
Jenny and Johnny — “My Pet Snakes”
Best Coast — “Boyfriend”
Diamond Rings — “Wait and See”
Dum Dum Girls — “Baby Don't Go”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart — “Say No To Love”
The National — “Anyone's Ghost”
The Gaslight Anthem — “She Loves You”
Titus Andronicus — “Theme From Cheers”
State Champion — “Just an Answer” (This isn't anywhere, just like most all of their songs. These dudes made the album of the year by a long shot, but they're still playing house shows in Little Rock. Hope that changes next year.)

Let's Keep This Party Going!!!!

Bitter Sweet for Sticky

Wins a title, but loses a boy.

DBD, see you in MAR's ville Benedict!

BTW, BC beat the crap out of Country Day tonight.

Change has come to Beach Bum

Safety is primary reason for changes but I honestly can't recall any significant incidents occurring on this day.

Back for year 8, a tradition unlike any other.

Holiday Haiku

Christmas time again.

Traveling to the Garden

To watch the King play.

Matt Diaz, one of the best Braves of the 2000's, has been let go.

at least Hinske's back!

Yes We Can

Reason No. 8,579 Why I Love Mike Leach

Leach on the Miami job: "We'd have an exciting brand of football. We'll fill the seats and we'll win games and we'll win ACC championships.

"If you look at the guys on NFL rosters, in the Big 12 Texas has 32, Oklahoma has 29, Nebraska has 28 and Texas Tech has nine. Still, my record against Nebraska was something like 5-1 and we beat Oklahoma three out of the last five times.

"There are lots of Hurricanes on NFL rosters. That gives you an idea of what you can draw there. If you base it on resources and production, the chances of my success along with my staff are remarkably high."

"They could hire me and we'd have one decade after another of success with students that graduate and don't get into trouble, or they can hire somebody else."

Top 5 bright spots of the the 2010 season:

1. Arron Murray- The best season ever by a Freshman QB at Georgia. The team MVP was not only solid but great. He ran and threw with very little help from his backfield both running the ball and protecting him. Before the season even the most positive Georgia person could have never imagined the season he had.

2. Justin Houston- He doesn't get the credit and won't get the credit he deserves. One of the five best defenders in the country, he was an all-american on a bad defense. He would be a starter on any Georgia defense but won't be remebered as fondly as Boss Bailey, Thomas Davis, or Rennie Curran because of the struggles of his teammates.

3. Kickoff Coverage- If this unit would've given up 10 Returns for TD's I still think Georgia people would've been okay with it just because directional kicking was no longer the philosophy. Making Fabris look terrible, Georgia had the best kick coverage in the SEC and top 5 in the country.

4. Blair Walsh- A big part of the kick coverage success was Walsh consistently putting it around the 1 with a lot of hang time. But the FG percentage, especially on long tries, was overshadowed as the season continued to lose relevance. Georgia was once known as Tailback U but now has to be Kicker U. Robinson, Butler, Kasey, Parkman, Bennent, Coutu, and Walsh to name a few, would be hard to match for any school.

5. Beating Georgia Tech- In a season where little went right, Georgia avioded complete failure by beating tech for the 9th time in the past 10 years and concluding the most dominat decade by either team in the series.

Top 5 Dark Spots:

1. AJ Green Jersey- Still feel we win 2 of the first 4 losses if AJ is eligible.

2. The Safety position- Rambo and Hamilton both entered the season with a good bit of hype and probably some unwarranted expectations. From the South Carolina game on they both struggled in run support and even moreso in pass coverage. Rambo started every game and got better but continued to have issues, while Hamilton is now trying out for left tackle. Olgetree shows a lot of promise and will be an NFL player but the speed of the game really got him on a number of occassions. I don't think Shawn Williams was ever a real solution and I don't know if Nick Williams is even real.

3. Offensive Line- Every national pre-season publication ranked this unit in the top 5. I don't understand how individually they all seem great but as a group they were the worst in football history.

4. Running Backs- Partially the O-lines fault but part of that line was blocking for Moreno when he was the best player in the country. When I watch them they look slow, not creative, and more than willing to help the defense bring them to the ground. I think it says a lot that neither ever got a firm grasp on the starting job and it wasn't because one was taking it from the other.

5. Not beating a team with a winning record- Tennessee, Kentucky, and Tech all finished at 6-6. ULL, Idaho St., and Vandy will all have new coaches next year. Colorado lost to a Cal team not going to a bowl 52-7 and Mizzou 26-0 a week after beating Georgia. The Florida game was the hardest loss to take but they were worse than any of the Zook Gators. JD had correctly predicted Georgia's record within one game for 8 years in a row. He missed it by 4 in 2010.

Barstool Is Right On Both Counts

I don't think that I've posted, or even commented, on anything related to Georgia football this season.

For one thing, it's been a busy fall for me. But mostly it's because the season has been so bad that I didn't want to make any knee-jerk reactions. When a team starts off 1-4, loses to the worst Florida team in six years, and pretty much squanders having the best receiver in the country and the SEC's best edge rusher, knee-jerk reactions are about all you can make.

Now seems like the perfect time to look at what happened this fall because there are a full 12 games to draw from, and because the Tech game seemed to sum up the season pretty well. These are some things I've been thinking about, many of which were probably discussed this weekend. Really, I'm just thinking out loud here.

So like I said, the Tech performance was exactly what you should have come to expect by now.

The running game was nonexistent early on, but that was okay because A.J. Green might be the best skill player in the country and words cannot describe how good Aaron Murray is. Yet Georgia did what it always seems to do, going away from what's working at times presumably for the sake of “balance.” I'm not one to rip specific play calls since I don't know what goes into a given situation, but this more of a philosophical thing. Then again, the offense has scored points. As long as the offense from the South Carolina game doesn't show up next year with Green in the NFL, I've got no major issues with Mike Bobo.

The offensive line is a different story. It struggled all year and did so again in short yardage against Tech. The defensive line was abused as well. I think the defensive issues can be addressed through recruiting because of the relative lack of size, but it doesn't look great in the short term. I can't even make an educated guess on the offensive line. Maybe Stick has been right to rip Dave Van Halanger all these years. I just don't get it.

This definitely was addressed before the game Saturday: the defense still could be fine given enough time. Defensive backs continue to look lost in coverage after 12 games, so that's either residue from the decline under Willie Martinez or maybe Todd Grantham hasn't perfectly translated his defense from the NFL to the college level. I think it's smart to reserve judgment until everyone gets a full offseason together. There was improvement in some areas, believe it or not.

Basically, no one is going to lose their jobs, and that's the way it should be. But I don't see how next year isn't make-or-break for everyone. It's not smart to put a number on anything, but Georgia obviously was not a very good team this year despite the few bright spots. I'd just hate to see what happens this time next year if we're saying the same things about the 2011 team. Anyone who has ever talked football with me knows I hate conjecture like this, but there are enough red flags that even I've got to say it.

Song of the Day: Justin Townes Earle -- Ain't Waitin'

Right or Wrong...

I had similar feelings walking out of Sanford Stadium last night. And Murray is unbelievably awesome.

Tech Fan Tuesday

None of these images have been doctored. It's really not even fair at this point. Prediction: Georgia- 48... Georgia Tech- 17

TODD

Graduate Assistants

Georgia Notebook

- Going back to the end of the 2009 Independence Bowl, if anyone would've said Georgia would be heading into this year's Tech game at 5-6 most would believe this would be Richt's final game at Sanford Stadium. The Evans happy hour and a complete change on the defensive side of the ball will give Richt at least another season. The events at the end of the Auburn game and the Auburn program as a whole also gave CMR a boost as a lot of Georgia people have rallied around the fact that Georgia is not that.

Comparing Richt and Donnan.....

-Last 4 years under Donnan: 35-13

-Last 4 under Richt: 34-16

-Last 2 under Donnan: 16-8

-Last 2 under Richt: 13-11

The obvious difference in the two is the entire body of work. Two SEC championships make a big difference. Maybe the biggest difference is their records against Tech. Donnan was 2-3 while Richt is 8-1 and with a win next week Georgia will conclude the most successful decade ever against Tech.

- Justin Houston was named one of the 5 finalist for the Nagurski award which goes to the best defensive player in the country. Pollack won it in 2004. Peterson or Fairley will win it this year but Houston quietly had one of the best seasons a Georgia defender has had under Richt. This coming on a defense that has given up 31 points a game in the 6 losses.

- The Basketball team is 2-0. Trey Thompkins has sat out both and may be out for another 2-4 weeks. Free throws and rebounding have been obvious deficiencies. Leslie has struggled from the floor and the freshmen have contributed very little. However, Price has had his best two game stretch of his career and Robinson has been very good. He might be the fastest player Georgia has ever had and is easily the fastest I have ever seen.

Georgia plays at St. Louis Saturday then 3 games in Orlando. They start with Notre Dame on Thanksgiving and the field also includes Boston College, California, Manhattan, Temple, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. With a good chance of not having Thompkins for any of that, 2-2 would be okay, while 3-1 would be ideal.

- The early signing period for sports other than football is wrapping up and basketball got one of the best players in the country in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He is rated as high as the 12th best player in the country and I have no doubt he will start from day one.

Baseball signed 20 guys and Perfect Game Magazine has rated it as the 2nd best class in the country, easily the best class in school history. The problem with having the 2nd best class is a lot of those guys should be drafted early which means a good portion of the class will never make it to Georgia. Dante Bichette's son was one of the signees. Dante Jr. played for Florida in the Little League World Series a few years back. I can't remember who was with me other than TP and my dad but a couple of years ago after a Sand Gnats game Dante and his son had a bullpen session in front of the right field bleachers and the kid was throwing at least 105 mph and he was like 14. Bichette was a roaming instructor for the Nationals at the time.

- Finally, Crowell and a number of other recruits will be present in Athens for the Tech game. The 7:45 kick will benefit recruiting more than anything. Mark it down, Crowell will come to Georgia.

Stuff>Barstool

Schivera wants more people to do their homework. For now, I'll oblige.

I just got a Droid 2. If you are with Verizon and want an iPhone, go with this phone. This is by far the best phone that I have ever had. I've never had an iPhone (nor do I want one because I hate Apple), but I would go out on a limb and say that this phone is as good or better than the iPhone (at least the old iPhone). It has all the perks of Blackberry's, and the internet is faster and the email (especially if you have a gmail account) is much more user-friendly. That is my plug for the day.


Yesterday I volunteer to build the house for the Extreme Home Makeover. I spent a little bit of time with this cast, which was cool, I guess. This guy was a douche, this guy seemed somewhat normal, this guy was most likely high on crack (and wore deep v-neck t-shirts), and this girl was pretty....

It got me out of work and there is a pretty good chance that I could be on TV, so I would say all in all it was a good day.

Speaking of work, I am thinking about bringing my talents to Port Wentworth. Not really, but Gulfstream did announced yesterday that it will be hiring 1,000 new employees. Take note, all you ATLiens.


In 16 days I will be going on a cruise to the Bahamas :)
I will be spending three days on a boat with Brandon and Sam :(
There will be a casino on the boat $

History

For the first time ever in Athens, Georgia and tech will kick it off at night.

Bobby Dodd after the 1st quarter of the Miami game.

Rick, Rick, Rick

Question For Anymouse or JJBA

Or anyone that knows the answer...

Say UGA loses this weekend and Cam Newton plays. If next week they determine that Cam Newton was, in fact, in violation of NCAA rules, would Georgia get credit for a win?

Could this affect what bowl they went to?

I'm a big fan of the Final 4 idea for crowning a college football national champion. It’s logistically logical, better than the current system, still creates quality debate throughout the season, and Phil Steele annually breaks down why the 5th ranked team, since the beginning of the BCS in 1999, has never had a valid argument to be included in the Final 4. But given the current system you only get a final 2.

Tonight, Robert Smith and Chris Fowler both stated they have TCU #2 on their respective ballots, ahead of Auburn. To me that is absolutely ridiculous but maybe they honestly feel as if TCU would beat Auburn. Craig James, who most people dislike strongly, laughed at both of them just as he’s done every week. They did later acknowledged that a 13-0 Auburn would definitely be in the final 2. The part that doesn’t make sense to me, and gives college football post season bashers more ammunition, is the different rules for different teams. Last week, on the same show, with the same analysts, all present agreed that if Alabama were to win out they deserved a spot in the national championship game. Tonight, all of the same analysts agreed that a one loss Auburn or LSU team would have no legitimate argument to be included in the national championship game even if they won the SEC. I'm betting that if Florida was sitting with one loss they would probably view them the same way as they did Alabama.

Makes no sense and brings to light the absurdity of rankings and general thought processes of some of the people who have a vote. A Boise-TCU national championship could actually serve college football for the better in the long run. But more than anything, I have no idea why ESPN has continuously shown overwhelming support for Boise all year and now TCU.

Statesboro Blues

About to head out to go to Statesboro, GA. I will be staying at the luxurious 'HomeTown Inn'. There is not a website and only one review for the hotel. Judging from the review, it may be a sister company of the Sand Castle Inn.

Anyway, from the Hometown Inn review...

...These people cant even speak English but they are here stealing Americans money.I would never give this place another penny of my American money.I would rather sleep in my car.RIP OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ANYONE FROM STATESBORO,AVOID THIS PLACE!

Only In Greg's House @ Tanyard