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 > 2008 > March > 14
Friday, March 14, 2008
Spectacular win earns Felton brief reprieve
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was why we love sports. It was why guys like me get into this business. It’s why coaches crave the competition and challenge and why players ALWAYS believe they’re going to win.
Raise your hand if you expected Georgia to win that game last night against an Ole Miss team desperate to get into the NCAA tournament. Let’s hear from those of you that felt the beleaguered Bulldogs, whose coach currently sits in the hottest seat int he league, would advance to the SEC tournament quarterfinals. Who among you thought Dave Bliss would ever end up taking the final shot in a must-win game — and make it?
Well he did and they did and, as a result, the Dogs get another game tonight. After its spectacular 97-95 win in overtime, Georgia draws mighty Kentucky, a team that beat it narrowly twice this season but did so with freshman Patrick Patterson playing a major role. Patterson is out for the season with a stress fracture and the Dogs are raring to go.
Lost in all the excitement and drama — such Georgia fouling the 3-point shooter not once but twice — was the fact that it was a very well-played game, especially by the Bulldogs. They shot 54 percent overall and 41 from 3 and, most importantly, was 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) from the foul line where they came in averaging 67 percent.
On the other side of the court, the Rebels shot 47 percent, got 55 inside-outside points from Dwayne Curtis (26) and David Huertas (29) and had 17 offensive rebounds. It’s not like Ole Miss showed up and laid an egg. They simply got out-played.
“It was a tremendous game,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. “I wish I could’ve enjoyed it. Unfortunatley I couldn’t. Both teams came and played extremely hard, and they made one more play.”
Said Felton: “I thought the game was played at a very, very high level. Both teams played very well.”
Of course, it was a nightmare scenario for us writers. It was already a ridiculous deadline crunch we were under BEFORE the game went into overtime at 12:15 a.m. The presses had been rolling since before midnight and I’m having to write what we call a “running” story. That’s made doubly difficult when the game is as close as it is. So I had one version going at the top of my screen that had Ole Miss winning and one at the bottom with Georgia winning. It’s the fear of sportswriters everywhere to delete the wrong one and send the wrong version. So If my story didn’t make much sense, I apologize. I was just doing the best I could.
Anyway, I guess the question I was asked most after the game was, “does this save Felton’s job?” or some version thereof. I can’t tell you what Damon Evans is thinking at the moment but, with all the consideration he has given the situation to this point, I doubt one win over Ole Miss is going to change his mind. Now two or three in this event and certainly a tournament title could change anything.
One reporter asked Felton that very question and he nearly bit the guy’s head off. “How could I possibly sit here and do Damon Evans’ thinking for him,” he groused. “I would tell you that’s a question best suited for Damon.”
But pulling off the unexpected is why coaches and players love to play these games and that’s why we love to watch them. It’s a 9:45 p.m. scheduled tip again tonight and I’ll be there to see what happens. And I’ll have a rooting interest: A good game decided in regulation!
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