UGA blog finds new home
Morning all. As I’ve said a couple of times this week, we’re converting this blog over to a WordPress platform and it will be a permanent move the first of next week.
Those of you who are regulars probably know that I’m not what you’d call techno-wizard when it comes to these things. But from what I understand the technology offered in this new format should make the blogging and commenting experience better for all. Of course, I’ll be learning as we go along, too. But I’m hoping to provide more pictures and video and things like that which should bring the blog more to life.
Of course, this blog is nothing without all you guys so I want to heartily invite (read: beg) you to come over to the new site by CLICKING HERE ON THE NEW ADDRESS and save it in your browsers. As of Monday, Feb. 23rd, this will be the permanent home of the UGA blog you so love or, in the case of some of you, love to loathe. If you’d prefer to copy and paste or just memorize, the new address is: http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/.
See at the new place!
AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2007 > May > 18
Friday, May 18, 2007
Oliver’s dilemma sad, but self-made
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve always liked Paul Oliver. In a lot of ways I feel like I watched him grow up.
I remember when he first came to Georgia so highly-touted out of Harrison High. Of course, he had been hurt with a leg injury as a high school senior and that lessened his immediate impact. But that did nothing to temper fans’ expections.
You could tell it bothered Oliver. But, all the while, he remained his quiet self and worked hard while the whack-jobs on the fan forums whined that Oliver hadn’t lived up to the lofty billing they bestowed upon him. I know I took some enjoyment in seeing Oliver blossom these last couple seasons, especially last year when he famously contained Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson and had an all-conference caliber season. Oliver was poised enter this, his redshirt senior season, as a preseason All-American and likely defensive captain.
Then, of course, Oliver lost his eligibility.
Here’s where Oliver loses my sympathy. In this day and age, where you have the $7.5 million Rankin Smith Academic Achievement Center — for student-athletes only — 24-hour access to tutors and advisers and unprecendented emphasis on academic progress by the UGA athletic and university administrations, there is simply no excuse for not staying eligible, much less not graduating. You have to work hard to flunk out as a full-scholarship athlete these days.
Paul Oliver will be fine. I still think he’s a good guy and obviously a good player and I think he will get picked up in the NFL’s supplemental draft and make money as a professional. And I’m betting he’ll come back to UGA some day and finish the few hours he needs to earn his degree. I certainly hope he will. But in the meantime, he’s unnecessarily embarassed himself and his university and caused both grief and hardship that they’ll now have to overcome.
Your thoughts?
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