AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2008 > January > 15 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USAdams’ playoff push caused by Sugar Bowl boos?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: To catch up on a few things that may have slipped your mind as well as mine:
• A lot of the Bulldog Nation is suspicious that Michael Adams was pushing too vigorously for his football playoff plan — which is hardly new — as a balm for what some call one of the loudest boos ever heard at the Sugar Bowl game. Rousing cheers for the president of the University of Hawaii, drowned out by overwhelming jeers for the man of the University of Georgia.
• Just not sure Billy Payne’s Junior Pass Program is going to work out to the enthusiastic interest of longtime Masters badge holders. One child between ages 8-16 will be admitted free along with an accredited patron, in case you need refreshing, one guest per day. Concerned e-mails are already arriving, fearful Augusta National will be overrun with untethered young ‘uns.
• When West Virginia made its first major bowl appearance in the Sugar Bowl after the 1953 season, sophomore Sam Huff, a lineman later to be a New York Giant and Pro Hall of Famer, recalls “every player found a $20 bill under his plate. I’d never seen that much money in my life. We were just happy to be in New Orleans. Those Georgia Tech guys had been playing bowl games for years.” Tech won in a rout, 42-19, and Pepper Rodgers set a passing record for the game.
• Travel & Leisure magazine has just rated Sea Island as the most desirable golf community in the United States. And while on the subject, Davis Love III, the island’s leading professional, just played his first full round since the injury that took him out of action last August. Stepped in a hole, and as he says, “If I’d been Fred Couples, or somebody with a bad back, I’d probably be done as a player.”
• Maybe the Roger Clemens steroids charges will bring relief in one respect: an end to that annual Clemens Spring Derby, in which he plays the Astros, Yankees and Red Sox against one another, then signs after the season is one-third over. He won’t find many sympathetic fellow players in his camp, and in case you missed it, he’s giving second thought to testifying under oath.
• Jim Leyland is taking a fling in thoroughbred racing. Just recently paid out $50,000 for a weanling colt at the Keeneland sales. A little later a mare sold for $2.5 million and he began to get the drift of things: The purchase price is merely the down payment on a long-term investment. Joe Torre has had some luck in the game as part owner of a filly that finished fourth at the Kentucky Oaks last year.
• Does it occur to you that these overseers in the challenge booth in college football are injecting themselves into the game too often without cause?
• When John Heisman was named football coach at Georgia Tech, he was given the title “Chief Football Director.” When he left in 1920, it was the result of an arrangement between him and his wife. They were divorcing and part of their settlement was that his wife was given first choice as to where she would live; the other would have to get out of town. She chose Atlanta. The “chief director” had to hit the road, Tech lost its coach and Heisman found work at Penn.
• The scarcely known Jamie Spears was a football player at Southeastern Louisiana. Later, he became the father of a daughter too often in the news named — you guessed it — Britney.
• Some sidelights from the PGA Tour of ‘07: Toughest hole, No. 18 at Doral, scoring average 4.625. Most rounds played in the 60s, Heath Slocum, 43. Most money earned without winning a tournament, Sergio Garcia $3,721,185, an all-time record.
• In case you’d like to take a trip to Newland, Paul Johnson’s hometown in North Carolina, you’ll find it between Montezuma and Cranberry.
• When Claude Willoughby was pitching for the Phillies in Babe Ruth’s waning days, the Babe hit a home run that traveled more than 500 feet and out of sight. Some of Willoughby’s teammates protested the ball was foul, and when Willougby took it up with the umpire, the ump wisely said to the young pitcher, “Son, do you really want to throw him another pitch?”
• In all the Christmases I have lived, this is the first during which I never heard “White Christmas” played on any broadcast or telecast, notably the once-most-popular Bing Crosby rendition. Strange. … Selah.
Permalink | Comments (35) | Post your comment | Categories: Furman Bisher, Golf, UGA / SEC
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By Ringleader
January 15, 2008 7:14 PM | Link to this
Adams should be used to it by now,and the Nation is not about to forgive him for his past transgressions in the athletic department.
Maybe he had his buddy Harrick can hook up somewhere new.
His assault on tailgating is contrary to every other school in the conference.
His personal gestapo input to the campus cops is intolerable
His attempt to change fall break was a joke.
But, his problems do not lie within the athletic department alone. Visit any department and inquire.
And what about the turmoil in the Foundation Funding
You know, this could go on and on, the guy wants to be liked, but he is just “It’s all about me”
By Navigator
January 15, 2008 7:28 PM | Link to this
I love UGA and always will as a University, because both my sons graduated from there. However, my son was canceled out of the PHD program because Michael Adams couldn’t see the need to fund the number of students that had been accepted. Yet this man fires people because his ego can’t stand to have them getting more attention. He’s making request for football playoffs, while covering for a basketball coach he knew was not to be trusted. I’m sorry, but I will always separate my feelings for the school, from the loathing I have for their administration and most of the board of regents.
By TDone
January 15, 2008 8:50 PM | Link to this
Tsk, Tsk, Tsk…you Myopian Hush Puppies never cease to amaze me.
What is the problem? You folks have always wanted a university for which the football team could be proud. You worshiped at the altar of “Lord Football” and sold your soles to the devil to achieve such lore.
How disengenous can Adama be to champion a playoff, when you have the worst gradation rates in the conference?
What business are you folks in anyway? It’s definitely not education.
By ED FROM ELLIJAY
January 15, 2008 9:19 PM | Link to this
HOW THE HELL DOES ADAMS CONTINUE AT UGA!!!!!! WE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN RID OF HIM YEARS AGO. I AM FOR A PLAYOFF, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE ME LIKE ADAMS ANY BETTER. I REFUSE TO CONTRIBUTE MORE MONEY EVERY YEAR. I TELL THE ATHLETIC DEPT. THAT I WILL, THE DAY ADAMS IS GONE!!! UGA GRAD 1978.
By thomas
January 15, 2008 10:30 PM | Link to this
Adams is the most diliked man in the state of Georgia! Dr. Thomas Johnson Class of ‘74
By thomas
January 15, 2008 10:30 PM | Link to this
Adams is the most diliked man in the state of Georgia! Dr. Thomas Johnson Class of ‘74
By James
January 15, 2008 10:32 PM | Link to this
Coaches and administrators are for whatever would do them the most good that particular year. They cry about a playoff when they’re not one of the top two teams but just wait until a playoff happens and you’ll see the same people crying about being forced to play through multiple rounds of playoffs against obviously inferior teams. An undefeated number one team will scream bloody murder at being forced to play a three loss number eight team. They’ll say it is an insult to be subjected to proving themselves again when they proved it all year on the field.
There have been multiple instances of coaches who cried about the unfair bowl system when they weren’t #1 or #2 but when they were in the game, changed their tune and talked about the system being fine and their players playing so hard to get to the title game. They called anyone who suggested they weren’t worthy of being in the title game “armchair quarterbacks” and “fantasy football crybabies”.
I have no faith in the sincerity of Adams. The playoffs are just a handy excuse for coaches and athletic departments to blame for their mistakes during the season. Despite what they say, they don’t really want to have a playoff because then they wouldn’t have anything to blame their shortcomings on.
By Zorba
January 15, 2008 10:56 PM | Link to this
Dr.A has a contract that automatically rolls-over every year. Just like the ones some coaches used to have that were deemed unacceptable. He can be at UGA as long as he has the pictures or whatever he is holding over the Board of Regents, or until we get a Governor who is a real player and not a suck-up. Adams is a snake oil salesman who is joke to the academicians whom he tries to impress. He is a disgrace to UGA and to the Bulldog Nation.
By reality check
January 15, 2008 11:21 PM | Link to this
TurDone, the University of Georgia is a fine academic institution with many highly successful graduates. It is really immature of you to suggest otherwise.
Over the years I’ve worked with many Georgia graduates and some from Tech. There is no poorer predictor of success than where someone went to college. For some reason Tech people like to express an attitude of academic superiority, which is childish and offensive. Tech is an excellent school. So is the University of Georgia.
For the record I went to schools that are much more selective than either Tech or Georgia, but from the standpoint of success that falls into the category of irrelevance.
By CoastDog
January 16, 2008 4:29 AM | Link to this
My wife, myself and all three children and their spouses have degrees from the University of Georgia and all have successful carers. There will be no donations until the incompetent egomaniac is gone. The regents bought their positions and Adams polishes their egos-one little happy group that gives not one damn about the University.
By CoastDog
January 16, 2008 4:40 AM | Link to this
spell check?
By kla
January 16, 2008 5:59 AM | Link to this
The bottom line; Tech and Uga are both hard to get in and other more selective schools, the difference is Tech is much harder to grad from and that is shown in the drop-out rate from Tech due to the high standards the school imposes in the classroom
By Bulldog--education is the priority
January 16, 2008 7:52 AM | Link to this
Just admit it—y’all care more about football than the real work our university does. I think Adams has been a damn good president, even if some of his initiatives have been controversial. Academically, he has increased the standing of the school.
Do you really want to stagnate?
P.S. It was time for Dooly to go. Get over it. When it’s time to retire, it’s time to retire.
By kendall
January 16, 2008 7:52 AM | Link to this
TDone if you are going to TRY and sound intelligent, learn to spell the word Soul. Stuporous dolt. What kind of idiot would make such a ridiculous mistake and open himself up to attacks.
By Bulldog--education is the priority
January 16, 2008 7:59 AM | Link to this
The devil can have my shoes, TDone (what does that mean anyway?)—It’s my research he can’t have! ;)
By BillDawg
January 16, 2008 9:00 AM | Link to this
Not to worry Furman, I heard “White Christmas” by the Binger, several times over the holidays. You should have listened to the “Bull”!
By JohnD
January 16, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
The Hawaii fans were gracious and polite during the days leading up to and including the Sugar Bowl.
Sadly, for this GA resident, the Dogs often acted as dogs. On the streets and during the game.
By BillDawg
January 16, 2008 9:02 AM | Link to this
P.S. Selah back at ya!
By Wozzo the Wonder Dog
January 16, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this
To “education is the priority”. Actually, I would be hard pressed to find out how Mike Adams has ‘increased the standing of the school’. The standing of the school has gone up because the Hope Scholarships have created increased demand for UGA acceptance. Higher demand means higher selectivity which means students with better GPA’s, test scores, extracurricular activities — none of which Mike had anything to do with.
To add to Ringleader’s excellent indictment of Mike, Mike put his wife on the payroll. He charged $10,000 for a breakfast for his son and a few of his son’s friends when his son graduated from UGA law school, and only reimbursed the system when an outcry arose. He bought property without checking with anyone (Costa Freakin’ Rica and Atlanta-area, as I recall). He got audited by, who was it, the Board of Regents? It was a critical audit — not positive at all. He disassociated the long-standing UGA Foundation from the system and created the Arch Foundation, so there would be a fund-raising group that was not critical of him or his management style (the UGA Foundation is still in place, still supports UGA, and contributions are still tax deductible). He took personal credit when donations to UGA went up but was silent when they decreased. Mike has the reputation of being autocratic and of not consulting others. Ivan Maisel’s article on ESPN.com is correct - expect Mike Adams to have used this issue for a media splash and to get attention, and don’t expect him to put much more effort behind it. If you thought the boos at the Sugar Bowl were loud, wait until the 2009 Orange Bowl.
By Gene
January 16, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this
Really, Furman, we get enough of Brittany Spears each evening, and I am sad to see her infecting the sports page, however, I do like the association of Brittany with Michael Adams. I have a doctorate from UGA and taught there as a graduate assistant prior to Adams’ arrival. Adams was not the pick of the selection committee but was forced on the university by our former chancellor who wanted to remake our education system into one similar to that of Great Britain. Adams’ tenure has been one disaster after another. He replaced key administrators with puppets who would dance to his tune. I won’t fill this page with a complete list of shortcomings, as it is evolving all the time, but Adams brought his friend Harrick to UGA when Harrick wasn’t a choice of the selection process because of his well-known failures at UCLA—fraudulent expense accounts, among other things. Adams personally admitted Tony Coles to UGA as one of those presidential admissions, then denied it when Coles began to run amok with drugs andthe ladies. Adams had the UGA police remove basketball players from the mansion grounds when they wanted to talk to him about being pulled from the conference tournament. Football fans dislike him for removing Dooley, but Adams is equally disliked by the faculty. A few years back, the college of arts and science gave him a no-confidence vote of 73%, which is unheard of in academics and would have caused most presidents of character to resign. I won’t mention finances here, as his shady activities in that area are well known. The most recent national embarrassment for the university concerns the pharmacy admission test which an Adams menion negated for the entire country by teaching the content of the test to UGA students. This activity caused pharmacy graduates all over the US to wait a year, until the test could be rewritten, before they could be licensed and employed. The governor could and should have removed Adams, but Sonny is content to watch games from the president’s suite and pretend that things are great at the university. Expect Adams to be around for a long time, drawing is million plus a year and grandstanding for national attention whenever he can. UGA is a great university and will remain so in spite of Adams, but I can’t think of a single positive thing that he has done for the school, but many things that he has done for himself, but apparently the NCAA takes him for the self-promoting buffoon that he is.
By AltamahaDawg
January 16, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this
Anyone booing a representative of thier University in a public arena is just lowclass Prabably didnt even have a well thought-out reason for it. LOWCLASS. I’m not a fan of Adams, would suit me just fine to see him move on, but I refuse to be a mindless SHEEP or boo anyone at a football game. Does not show a displeasure for a man’s personality, it shows a lack of pride in your school.
And anyone threatening to withhold thier paultry drip in the bucket donations are just fooling themselves, and prabably lying about doing it for real. FYI, there are thousands standing in line. Do us all a favor so we can take one step up in line.
By AltamahaDawg
January 16, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this
TDone, trust me, if you were somebody reading the sophmoric baseless nature of your post about a school in which you don’t even have an association with, you would not be impressed with Tdone. Not to mention the frequency is borderline obsession.
Seriously, folks can discuss topics that really don’t concern you, without you feeling the need to pipe in with your insults. You are starting to be that kid at the party, who acts just a jerk for attention, and everyone is just embarassed for.
By gagrad
January 16, 2008 10:40 AM | Link to this
I will never forgive or forget his “Hey,look at me.” actions and attitude. I will never understand why the Regents continue to suck up to that a—hole.
By bulldawgincarolina
January 16, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this
NOW ADMIT IT FURBER…PEPPER ROGERS IS YOUR COUSIN
By UGA Graduate
January 16, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this
Why doesn’t anyone ask Mike Adams about his $300,000+ desk that he purchased with UGA funds soon after taking office?
How many students could have received academic scholarships with that money?
I knew we had hired an ego maniac the minute I heard about the desk.
Please keep him away from the athletic program before he brings in another Herrick.
There must be another Dean Tate out there somewhere who loves UGA more than he loves his own ego.
By DawgPound
January 16, 2008 12:47 PM | Link to this
Adams is the worst president in UGA history! He should have never fired Vince Dooley and gotten rid of the football tailgating. What has he done at uga except promote himself? Nothing. He’s a big jerk—-I hope he gets fired soon or quits. No one wants him there.
By AltamahaDawg
January 16, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
gagrad, the regents Don’t suck up to Adam, it is the regents who empower him to do thier bidding. At least undersdtand who the player are.
graduate, the man was crusified for 6 months for changing the parking on grass rule. I’m sure he bought a 300,000 desk and nobody ever even “asked him about it”.
I at least respect the folks who admit they don’t like Adams because he held coach Dooley to his own retirement timeframe. I think its awfully blind to ignore how vocal that movement was long before Adams arrived, BUT at least they are honest about thier dislike. thats it in a Nutshell. It’s amuzing to hear folks justify thier rants by coming up with all the accusation of wrongdoing and sinister plans to ruin UGA. Can anyone tell me the expense budget of Charles Knapp’s, or Fred Davison’s wives?
I personally am not going to base my opinion based on what the Art Professors think either.
By AltamahaDawg
January 16, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this
Dawgpound, to back up your point, why not list some of the accomplishments of the former presidents of the University?
By Dr Morpheus
January 16, 2008 1:25 PM | Link to this
Fact: Under Adams, UGA has greatly improved its status as an institution of higher learning (see USNews&WR, Kiplingers, etc).
Fact: Under Adams and AD Damon Evans, UGA athletics have thrived. And the graduation rates will be much higher the next time stats are released.
Fact: Vince Dooley was AD when Herrick, Goff, and Donnan were coaches. Dooley was directly over those individuals in the chain of command. Ditto the famous academic scandal.
Question: Are we better off now than we were then?
You don’t have to like the man but at least acknowledge the record.
By Gene
January 16, 2008 1:40 PM | Link to this
Adams would have found a way to fire Dean Tate and replace him with one of his stooges from outside the state. In one of his Stalin-like purges, Adams forced the retirement of David Fletcher, Dean Tate’s long-time assistant, who was a true gentleman and friend of UGA students.
By Marvin
January 16, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
I was embarrased by the Boos at the Sugar Bowl. Whatever we might think about Adams, we were playing away from home on national T.V. and I think it showed a total lack of class (not to mention good sense) to boo our prez on national T.V.
By Tville Dawg
January 16, 2008 5:24 PM | Link to this
Adams was a champion of both Jim Harrick and Mark Richt. One out of two resulted OK.
Holding Dooley responsible for Harrick, Goff, and Donnan is inappropriate. Wrong coaching hires happen all the time. The real test is pulling the trigger to can a coach that is not working out. Dooley didn’t seem to have a problem with that.
Most fans like me resent mistreating an ICON like Dooley, who was instrumental in building up the program for all those years. It wasn’t like Dooley was a decrepit, senile old man who was still trying to coach beyond his prime (ala Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno). He was athletic director and still doing a pretty credible job.
Adams may be president of UGA, but he’ll never be one of us. I yearn for the days of the true presidents-Fred Davidson and Charles Knapp.
By AltamahaDawg
January 16, 2008 8:28 PM | Link to this
I doubt very seriously anyone could name ONE thing that Charles Knapp did for UGA. Fred Davidson is responsible for the biggest black eye in UGA history, but they were good ol boys who kept thier mouths shut and did nothing to get in the papers.
By AltamahaDawg
January 16, 2008 9:20 PM | Link to this
Knapp, who incidentally was a midwesterner (Adams born in Alabama, grew up in Georgia) biggest accomplishment in 10 years was the construction of several major fascilities on campus. But difficult to say UGA rose in any national stabdards. Need we even talk about the athletic situation during his time? As I recall most folks considered him to come across a bit intellectually superior. But very likeble to be sure.
By comparison UGA recently has built 3 times the fascilities, raised twice as much moneys, exploded in research, developed 3 totally new colleges on campus, ranks much higher nationally in several key areas. And of cource the AD aint doing too bad despite everyone who was going to withhold thier money.
Try to look up Fred Davidson without the words “forced to resign following scandal” or “responsible for the single greatest soiling of the reputation of the university of georgia”.
Adams is no doubt difficult to like, but how about taking a little pride in your school and get over this silly obsession with how the retirement of a former employee got spun.
By UGLA
January 16, 2008 10:01 PM | Link to this
All you “dawgs” are funny. This is great stuff. Very impressive. Says a lot about you.