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Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Herschel takes Spurrier’s bait
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Another round of hugs from Herschel to Knowshon had to wait. First, Mr. Walker, as in “He’s running over people!” and as in the most passionate former Georgia player you’ll ever meet, had to get something off his considerable chest.
It involved Walker’s version of Steve Spurrier sucker-punching everybody in the Bulldog Nation. “Did you hear about this?” Walker said over the phone, still smoldering over Spurrier’s critique of the entire Georgia team rushing onto the field en masse last month in Jacksonville. To the dismay of Spurrier and those into professionalism, coach Mark Richt ordered his Bulldogs to get an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty while celebrating their first touchdown during what became a victory over Spurrier’s old Florida team.
Anyway, Spurrier took a break from his current role as South Carolina coach to become as equally unprofessional. He said he would have sent one of his third-stringers into that Dog pile to create a fight. As a result, Spurrier said the Gators would have prospered in the long run since the SEC would have delivered a slew of suspensions to Georgia players.
“Well, you know, is that not insulting? That’s totally insulting for a coach of his stature to say something so stupid,” said Walker, getting angrier by the syllable. “So my question I say to him is, if he’s got that much guts, why don’t he step in a ring against me? You don’t say something that silly, because you’re going to get somebody hurt. Georgia was punished, because that’s a penalty. They didn’t go out to hurt anyone. [Spurrier] talks about hurting somebody. How much guts do you have? Step in a ring with me, and then we’ll see.”
A slightly calmer Walker was at the Florida game, but he left long before halftime to catch a flight to Southern California. He was off to de- velop a reality television show (“I can’t tell you about it yet”) with Hollywood types. Until then, the Wrightsville native will continue to run his profitable food-service business of more than a decade from two cities. There is Dallas, his hometown since his Cowboys days of the latter 1980s, and there is Savannah, where he located with the mind-set of hiring Georgia folks, with Bulldog connections or otherwise.
The man bleeds red and black, which is why he bemoans the fact that his eternal traveling often keeps him from between the hedges. “I really have a chance to attend more away games than home games,” said Walker, who witnessed Georgia’s victory at Alabama this season in addition to parts of that Florida game. Even so, he will be in Athens on Saturday for the Kentucky game, and he plans to be at Bobby Dodd Stadium the week after that. So Walker will have more live chances to study Moreno, the twirling running back sensation for the Bulldogs who is creating nearly as much of a buzz around Georgia as a freshman as You Know Who did.
“I tell you what. He runs extremely, extremely hard for a guy his size,” Walker said of the 5-foot-11, 207-pounder from Belford, N.J. “I knew a little bit about him when they redshirted him, and I told a lot of people, wait until they see this guy play, because he’ll get a chance to make it to that next level. I mean, don’t the guy for Dallas right now [Marion Barber] and Knowshon look like the same guy?”
Yep. Barber also is an accomplished spinner during runs.
If nothing else, Moreno is as efficient on the collegiate level as Garrison Hearst, Rodney Hampton, Tim Worley and all of those other Georgia backs after the post-Herschel era in the 1980s. “When I came to Georgia, USC had its stable of running backs, but Georgia has taken that over,” Walker said. “One thing you gotta be able to do at Georgia is catch the ball. Not only do they always have one great back who can do those types of things, they usually have two or three, like Moreno and Thomas Brown now.”
The Bulldogs also have Matthew Stafford, their sophomore quarterback who is improving and impressing. “Being in Dallas, where he’s from, I’ve seen him grow up, watching him play in high school, and he’ll get even better than he is now,” Walker said. “That’s why, even though people said I was crazy, I picked Georgia at the beginning of the year to go to the SEC championship game.”
Then again, Walker is a little biased, and he knows it. He laughed, adding, “If you’re a true Georgia guy like I am, it really don’t matter if they ever do something bad. It still looks good to you.”
Permalink | Comments (402) | Categories: Terence Moore, UGA / SEC
Furry pastime reveals Cox’s ‘soft heart’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
He is not to be confused with the Bobby Cox who leads all major league managers in losing confrontations with umpires, ejection being the ultimate outcome. No, not at all. This the Bobby Cox with a heart. And it all seems to have begun years ago, just as World War II was closing down and the troops were coming home. A troop train paused in Selma, Calif. — Selma is about 15 miles south of Fresno, and trains rarely did more than pause — and an English bulldog jumped off. The train pulled out, soldier and dog were parted forever, but something good would come of that.
Bobby’s father brought the bulldog home, and boy and dog became instant pals. Bobby gave him the name “Teddy,” and Teddy took to his new duty with bulldog tenacity.
“He became our guard dog,” Bobby said. “Nobody could get near our house without Teddy knowing it.”
The Coxes knew the life of “Okies.” They could have identified with “Grapes of Wrath.” Things had gone bad around Tulsa, where Bobby was born, so the family packed up and headed west, as in Steinbeck fiction, only this was real. They found this place called Selma, a mere farming village, and settled there when Bobby was but a child. For all his disputations with umpires, Bobby Cox is a soft and gentle man when it comes to four-legged animals.
“He would bring every homeless dog and cat home with him if he could,” Pam, his wife, said. “We were at an animal shelter awhile back and there was a little bulldog that got his attention. He was going to take him with us. Maybe it was the name, ‘Yogi.’ But I said, ‘You can’t take all of them home with you, honey.’ “
Where this story gots its impetus was one late night a few years ago when Bobby and Rosa, his all-time favorite, a female of Oriental vintage, showed up at Town & Country Clinic in Marietta, presided over by Dr. Michael Good. (How appropriate a name.) Rosa had an eye problem, which the good Dr. Good treated, and this set off an affiliation that has led to many good things in the lives of animals in need of love and care. Bobby didn’t realize it, but he had walked into a whole new mission in life.
Dr. Good has a fetish — find a place for every homeless animal in the land. That comes to something like 18 million, so I’ve read, a rather daunting mission. Pretty soon Bobby and Pam were into events with catchy names dedicated to creating homes and raising money for animals roaming aimlessly about the country. This year it’s “Bobby Cox’s Paws Because,” and it takes place Saturday night in the 755 Club at Turner Field. On the side, there will be a so-called “casino,” and that will be known as “Bets for Pets.”
Clever, wot?
First off, the Coxes staged their fund-raiser on their farm up near Adairsville, and they called it “Bark in the Park.” At another one, Charley Pride came to sing and entertain. Another old baseball guy, in case you didn’t know that Charley once was an outfielder in the minor leagues. Another contributor this year, for “Paws Because” will be a name of familiarity. Even Barry Bonds has autographed a ball for auction. No great sacrifice, but consider that it’s Barry Bonds. The Coxes appreciate that.
Another “item” up for auction is the “Manage-a-Game” feature. Win that bid and you get to “manage” the Braves in a spring training game, with, of course, the able assistance of Bobby himself. Whatever fine the “manager” may draw in case he/she assails the umpire is on him/her. Saturday night, several Braves will be at the 755 Club in support of the boss, bridegroom Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann, for sure.
“What I’ve discovered is that baseball players are big animal lovers,” Dr. Good said. “Bobby’s soft heart for them has led to all this. Our goal this year is 3,000 adoptions. We’d like to free the animal shelters of all their inmates. What we have learned is that all people who have pets live seven years longer than ones who don’t.” Better rush to get in line.
It behooves me to bring this up, but can you imagine how much happier the Falcons might have been if Michael Vick had discovered the other side of dogs? And wouldn’t it be nice if umpires gave Bobby Cox some extra leash for the love he and Pam give dogs? Just a thought or two to encourage proper love for animals, and in passing, should anyone be desperate for a very intelligent cat, his name is Norman. On second thought, thanks, Norman, for my extra seven years.
Permalink | Comments (21) | Categories: Braves / MLB, Furman Bisher
Dunn does Falcons proud
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
THE TUESDAY COUNTDOWN…
10: I don’t know why any Falcon fan would make a big deal about Bobby Petrino considering removing Joey Harrington as a starter despite two straight wins. The last guy to win two straight isn’t even on the team anymore.
9: Going to Flowery Branch Wednesday and my first stop is Warrick Dunn’s locker. The way I see it, the dude owes me some money.
8: Wrote a column two weeks ago about what a shame it was that such a great player and person possibly would be ending his career this way, with a bad season on a bad team. Dunn even joked about his seemingly endless march to 10,000 career yards. In two games since, he has rushed for 189 and two touchdowns in two wins. I figure Petrino starts moving me around the locker room this week.
7: My two Fantasy League teams are 8-2 and 9-1. Just in case Petrino wants me to move into Rich McKay’s office.
6: Playboy.com is conducting its second “Sexiest Sportscasters” poll. The 12 candidates include Shana Hiatt (NBC), who I include because, well, just because. Playboy’s “Sexiest Columnists” poll will be held BCS bowl week.
5: ESPN is well-represented on the poll. Mike Golic didn’t make the cut, which is not to say he hasn’t made news. On ESPN’s “Mike and Mike” radio show the other morning, Golic admitted during an awkward exchange with a caller that he took steroids to help recover from an injury during his playing days. His partner, Mike Greenberg, quickly moved the conversation along. (You can find a link here: http://deadspin.com/sports/steroids/apparently-they-didnt-want-to-make-golic-angry-321671.php.) Now, word comes that ESPN reportedly has removed the steroids clip from the podcast. Sweet. But, yes, they still have Erin Andrews.
4: ESPN doesn’t do everything wrong. Former player Tim Legler has a piece on the web site on the great starts from point guards Chris Paul (New Orleans) and Deron Williams (Utah). Then again, Hawks fans may just want to Google Erin instead.
3: Segue: Bruce Springsteen plays Philips Arena April 25. No word yet on whether “Radio Nowhere” will coincide with “Playoff Nowhere.”
2: Something to think about: When point spreads are made, the home team generally get three points. This week. Notre Dame is a 5 1/2-point favorite over Duke. The game is in South Bend. Simple math: If the game was in Durham, it would be Duke by one-half. Just one more thing for Charlie Weis to put on his resume.
1: Juanita Jordan, Michael’s ex-wife, reportedly will receive $168 million in her divorce settlement. Meanwhile, their son, Jeff, is a walk-on player at Illinois. Assuming he never gets picked up on scholarship, she’s paying.
Permalink | Comments (43) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Quick Hit
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