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
May 2007
Random thoughts from Dawgtown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My sincerest apologies for not being able to update the blog for the past week. I was busy with the tennis championships and some other projects. Meanwhile, my wife is in her 34th week of her pregnancy and anybody out there who has been through that knows what all that entails, both for her and for me and around the house.
But enough about me. What about Georgia? There has been so much to talk about since we last visited. I hated to see John Isner come up short in singles at the NCAA Championships. In case it didn’t come through in the articles I wrote, he is a class act, a nice guy and a young man with a very bright future. The fact is, the kid from Virginia played the match of a lifetime and deserved to win.
Been a big couple of weeks for the Dogs recruiting wise. Obviously it was a big deal for Georgia for Caleb King to attain his academically eligibility. Let me qualify that by saying a big deal for the kid, not Georgia necessarily. Unless he’s the second coming of Herschel, he doesn’t step on the field this fall, especially in light of his obvious academic shortcomings. By gaining admission, he can come in this summer, acclimate to football and, in the fall, acclimate to academics and the rigors of life as a scholarship athlete. I’m here to tell you, it’s not a breeze at UGA in any way, shape or form these days.
Meanwhile, basketball coach Dennis Felton got what I believe to be a revolutionary commitment last week. Howard “Trey” Thompkins is the first five-star recruit he has landed. Of course, Thompkins can’t sign until November, so the Bulldog Nation will have to hold its collective breath until then because everybody in the country is interested in landing this guy. In addition to being one heck of a power forward, he’s also a sharp kid, smart as a whip and a model spokesman/student-athlete for the university. He also claimed it was his mission now to recruit a couple more blue-chip prospects Georgia’s way, which of course means the center Tony Woods of Rome and Aminu of Norcross. Sometimes it takes just one recruit like that to become the Pied Piper for a class that can completely transform a basketball program. I plan to do some in-depth stuff on Mr. Thompkins in the near future.
The Bulldogs’ linebacker commitment from GAC is also a big get. Not only is Christian Robinson a good prospect in his own right, but he’s the son of a South Carolina football alumnus. What stronger statement is there for Mark Richt and the Georgia football program that this kid would rather play for the Dogs than Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks over in Columbia?
That’s just a few of the things on my mind. What’s on yours? And how about helping me out on some story subjects to attack over the summer. I always appreciate your input… . C-ya!
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Tennis Dogs could be UGA’s best ever
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They’ve asked me to blog throughout Georgia’s national championship match between the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs (31-0) and No. 10 seed Illinois (23-8). They’ve just gotten through with player introductions and the national anthem and the doubles team are warming up as we chat.
I ran into Allen Miller a few minutes ago. Miller, you may recall, starred on the 1985 Georgia national championship team. That squad, to date, has been considered the best Dogs’ tennis team of all time. But Miller told me if Georgia beats the Illini today, the 2007 team should take over that distinction.
“Because of what they’ve done over two years,” said Miller, who was also a doubles national champion in 1984. “They only lost one match in two years and that was in the national championship. Now I say that if they win tonight.”
We’ll see. I’ll be keeping you update throughout the evening.
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Diaz’s Dogs eye NCAA title
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings from the press box high above the Henry Feild Stadium courts here at UGA’s Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Georgia’s No. 1-ranked men’s tennis team was scheduled to take on No. 4 Virginia at noon here on the stadium courts. But, as has been the case here all week, the match before it is running way long so, at 12:45 p.m. at this writing, the Dogs-Cavs still haven’t gotten underway.
But they’re about to, much to coach Manny Diaz’s chagrin. The NCAA tournament committee has decided to start the Georgia-Virginia doubles on the lower courts. Those who have been here before know those courts aren’t in front of the 4,000-seat grandstand and the box seats around the stadium courts. Diaz could be heard over the walkie-talkies vehemently pleaded his case to the tournament organizers but to no avail.
Diaz argument is that the Baylor-Illinois match could be over at any minute. If they start on the lower courts, they have to stay on the courts until the doubles are completed and that, Diaz reasoned, is cheating the thousands of tennis fans who bought stadium box seats of being about to see the doubles.
Of course, it could also be argued that playing in front of the big, biased crowds is an advantage for the Georgia team. But, as Georgia Tech women’s coach Bryan Shelton was talking about yesterday, the opposing teams like playing in front of the big stadium crowds, too.
Wait a minute. They just decided to wait out the Baylor-Illinois match, which is now tied 3-3 with Illinois’ Rowe leading 5-2 and receiving in the third set. Now it’s match point. Illinois wins!
So Manny got his way. Dogs-Virginia begin on the stadium courts in 10 minutes. Stay tuned for updates.
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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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Wanna see Dogs whip Gators?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia gets a lot of grief for losing to Florida so much in football and basketball, as it well should. But the two rivals compete in at least 20 sports year-round, and the Bulldogs more than hold their own. In fact, they often dominate.
Georgia fans can witness firsthand one sport in which the Dogs dominate the Gators at the NCAA Tennis Championships here in Athens tonight. The No. 1-ranked Georgia men open the tournament against Florida in the round of 16 at 6 p.m. on the Henry Feild Stadium Courts at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The Dogs beat the Gators 6-1 (a relative butt-kicking in team tennis) in their only match this season back in March. However, the Gators have arguably the best player in the nation in freshman Jesse Levine. He’s undefeated and handed Georgia’s No. 1-ranked John Isner his only dual-match loss in two seasons in that match. So Isner will be looking for retribution.
Georgia’s women’s team is ranked No. 2 in the nation and Florida’s is ranked No. 4. The Lady Bulldogs met them twice this season, beating them both in the regular season and in the SEC Tournament championship match. The only way they can meet again would be in the national championship match on Tuesday.
Hey, I’m not naive. I know the majority of Georgia fans would rather their Dogs beat the Gators in football and men’s basketball every year and lose in everything else. But it is what it is at the moment in those sports and, like I said, these schools compete in everything all the time. Florida’s trying to win in those other sports, too, it just hasn’t been able to do it very often in tennis and a few other sports.
Meanwhile, as I tried to communicate in my story in this morning’s paper, if you’ve never seen a college tennis match or watched team tennis, you’re missing something. I’m a college football guy first and foremost and I’m here to tell you the NCAA Tennis Championships are one of my favorite events of all to cover. It’s easy to follow, fast-moving and, especially when the Bulldogs are playing, it’s an emotionally-charged, woof-fest.
So do I here any “seconds” out there? Anybody plan on going tonight? Or could you care less about Georgia tennis, even when it runs up against the Gators?
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Fine line for men coaching women
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, it has been an eventful morning as I’m sure you all could imagine. Today was the day UGA released the report on the investigation of women’s golf coach Todd McCorkle. It started with me arriving at the office of public affairs early this morning and has continued since I first received the 57-page, mostly handwritten report.
Regardless of what some people might think, we media types don’t delight in this type of work. At least for me personally, it’s completely opposite. Lives are affected, sometimes they are ruined and, as anybody who holds a job can attests, it’s always sad whenever somebody loses one.
That said, obviously UGA thoroughly investigated the complaints of a few players and parents associated with Georgia’s highly successful women’s and it found too much evidence to ignore what was going on. As was detailed in the stories I’ve posted today, McCorkle resigned of his own volition. The recommendation of the office of legal affairs was for him to be suspended with a month’s pay and to attend anti-discrimination and anti-harassment classes. Of course, you know and I know that McCorkle’s ability to coach and recruit would have been effectively ruined under that scenario.
I talked to Damon Evans this afternoon — and you will hear from him in subsequent stories I file today and tomorrow — about the problems that sometimes face male coaches of female student-athletes. In a nutshell, Damon said whether a coach is male or female should be immaterial and pointed to the fantastically successful careers of women’s basketball coach Andy Landers, women’s swim coach Jack Bauerle and women’s tennis coach Jeff Wallace. There are simply professional standards that must always be upheld and certain subjects that should never be discussed under any circumstances.
So now it’s your turn. I’ve basically unveiled all the sordid accusations that were detailed in the report. Do you believe McCorkle was right in resigning? Do you believe UGA is wrong in retaining his employ, at least for the moment? Is all this the result of what is a PC modern society and have we become hypersensitive to such issues?
I’ll leave it to our columnists to tell you what they think. Tell me what you think.
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Hammer comes down on Hebron
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hey guys. Sorry just getting around to blogging today. It’s been a full day already. I had to turn in a story this morning on Georgia women’s golfer Taylor Leon and now I’m actually on my way to St. Simons Island and the Georgia Athletic Association’s board of directors meeting. Couldn’t get a good enough signal to send until now. So that’s that.
Hopefully you’ll read the story but, just to summarize, she’s a pretty special player, she’s leading the No. 3-ranked Dogs into the NCAA Central Regional, which starts tomorrow, and, though only a sophomore, she’s turning pro after the season. She has all kinds of endorsements and such waiting for her once she’s pro.
But that’s probaby not the women’s golf story you guys are interested in. Like a lot of other people, you probably want to know what happened to coach Todd McCorkle, who abruptly resigned Monday, a day before his team was supposed to leave town. Well, I’m wondering, too. And, frankly, I’m pretty confident I know what happened. The problem is, nobody at Georgia or anybody who is involved will go on record to confirm it. So, we’re left to let it run through UGA’s legal channels before our Freedom of Information requests are honored and we can report it. That’s how it goes in this business sometimes. But stay tuned. We’re on it and it’s just a matter of time before the truth is revealed.
In the meantime, this is a public forum. Feel free to talk about McCorkle or anything else you want. I’m sure there are some strong opinions regarding Akeem Hebron’s recent suspension by the University. I’m hearing he’ll almost certainly return to Georgia after a short stint in junior college. For what it’s worth, I had one of the Bulldogs’ coaches tell me that Hebron is indeed a special player.
I’ll try to provide some updates and respond to questions after I finally arrive at my hotel on St. Simons. Later!
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Football needs early signing day
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I read with interest the recent ‘news’ that one of Georgia’s early commitments for the recruiting class of 2008, offensive lineman B.J. Brand of Douglas-Coffee, had ‘de-committed’ to the Bulldogs.
Of course, this had the recruitniks on the fan forums up in arms with anguish. Never mind that it’s only May and that national signing day is not for another nine months. The fact is, this is one of the problems with modern-day recruiting.
Players are committing earlier and earlier and teams are encouraging them to do so. Of course, 17-year-olds have a hard time deciding where to go out to eat, much less where to spend the next for years pursuing their academic and football fortunes. And committing to one team doesn’t keep the other ones from pursuing blue-chip prospects. As UGA’s Rodney Garner often points out, it merely identifies to rival recruiters who the competition is.
This is why I believe there ought to be an early signing period for football players, just like there is for basketball players. I think it should be set around the first week of August, right before these recruits get set to enter their senior years and final high school football seasons. This way they have all summer to make up their minds, sign a letter of intent in August, then relax and enjoy their senior seasons without having to be hounded and confused for the next six months.
What’s your thoughts on this? I know there is a lot of interest in recruiting. Perhaps you prefer to watch the drama unfold from September to February every year. Who does it benefit for football players not to be able to sign until the first Wednesday in February every year? What about being able to sign during the same early period as basketball players (Nov. 15-25)?
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Richt, Stafford to discuss keg photos
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By now, I imagine everybody in the Bulldog Nation has heard something about the keg incident involving Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford. If not, here it is in a nutshell:
Circulating on the Internet are photos of the Bulldogs’ 19-year-old star lifting a beer keg over his head and generally clowning around with a beautiful young woman and another unidentified guy. Supposedly the pictures were taken during a NASCAR race at Talladega.
Now nowhere in these photos is it clear that Stafford is drinking beer (though he’s clearly having a good time). And, as one Georgia official pointed out to us, the fact that he’s picking up the keg over his head in one of the pictures indicates the keg is likely empty (not sure if that is a good thing or not).
In any case, the Bulldogs already are likely going to lose for the season one potential starting player in redshirt freshman linebacker Akeem Hebron) due to two arrests for underage drinking. So the surfacing of the pictures of Stafford are badly timed and it’s certainly not good PR for the star QB to be seen horsing around with a keg.
Here’s what we know for sure: Head coach Mark Richt, in Jacksonville Thursday night with several other coaches speaking to the Bulldog Club there, is aware of the situation and plans to talk to Stafford about it. That’s what team publicist Claude Felton, also in Jacksonville, told our Carter Strickland. We’ll probably follow up on this on Friday.
My question to you folks is this: How should Richt handle this? Should Stafford be punished? If so, in what way, shape or form? Suspended? Or should it be ignored completely?
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Them Dogs can run
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I talked Georgia strength and conditoning director Dave Van Halanger earlier today. Now if you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting “Coach Van,” you know what an incredibly upbeat and positive individual he is. I mean, he is a walking, talking monument of inspiration.
Anyway, Coach Van was even more upbeat than usual when I talked to him, so I asked him what was going on. He said he was just excited about what he’s been seeing from the Bulldogs during their off-season workouts, the young pups in particular.
“Chip, we have talent on this team,” he said, “It’s just young talent. But I’ll tell you what, it really has me excited about Georgia football!”
So I pressed him for details. As it turns out, NFL scouts recently came through Athens to distribute questionnaires to the rising seniors and get whatever data they could on Georgia’s up-and-coming players. “It was beautiful day,” Coach Van said. “So I said to the players, ‘Why don’t we go out and run some 40s? Anybody who wants to.’”
So they went up to Spec Towns Track and Van Halanger was amazed by what he saw. Timed by NFL scouts, several players set Georgia records for the 40-yard dash. Cornerback Bryan Evans ran a 4.27, breaking the record set moments earlier when Remarcus Brown ran a 4.28. At least three other players broke 4.4, including wide receivers A.J. Bryant and Mikey Henderson and safety Reshad Jones.
But the most impressive time was recorded by a defensive lineman. Brandon Wood, who has been moved inside to tackle from defensive end, clocked a 4.66 in the 40-yard dash, a UGA record for a down lineman. “This is a guy that squats almost 700 pounds,” Coach Van said. “It was unbelievable.”
Coach Van went on to say that Wood is “completely healed” from his shoulder injury and should be fine this fall. He said Thomas Brown wanted to run the 40 but wasn’t allowed because of his recovering knee injury. “Thomas has been working out like a mad man,” Coach Van said. “He might be the most competitive player I’ve even seen.” Demiko Goodman and T.J. Gartrell are also working hard and appear to be on the road to recovery, Van Halanger said.
So there you go. With this other stuff going on with Akeem Hebron, I thought you guys might be able to use some good news.
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