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 > August > 13
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
UGA’s Evans competitive as ever
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Little late getting the blog out to you today. I’m at our office in downtown Atlanta today and, ironically enough, was unable to update earlier with a new blog because I was getting some technical training regarding blogs. Nothing fancy mind you — I’m far from what you’d call a techno geek — but we’ve got some nice plans for this space and I’m hoping to make it even more useful and enjoyable for you guys. So, as always, I’m open to you suggestions for ways to improve it and things you might like to see here.
Meanwhile, it was always my intention to blog today about Georgia athletics director Damon Evans. It wasn’t necessarily to get your thoughts and feelings about Damon, though I’m sure you’ll offer them and I’ll welcome them is always. Really I just wanted to share some observations from a recent visit I had with him.
One thing is clear: Evans is now a man very much comfortable in his job and his position. Not that he didn’t always, but four years in he’s noticeably smoother moving through the many different aspects of the job, from speaking to large groups to chairing various committees to interacting with student-athletes and, finally, to dealing with coaches. And look out if you ever get Evans talking about the business and finance aspect of sports. He’ll bowl you over with facts and figures regarding long-term debt and revenue and the like.
But the thing that stood out most to me from a recent meeting is more intangible than that. Evans is very, very, very competitive. It’s easy to forget that it wasn’t that long ago that Evans was an elite athlete himself battling for playing time at Georgia with Andre Hastings and Hassan Graham and the like.
Anyway, like I said, you can still see a lot of that competitive fire in Evans. And that extends especially to football and basketball. One of Evans’ good friends is Florida AD Jeremy Foley. And like all of us, he wants to one-up his buddies. If you haven’t noticed, the Gators have won some basketball and football national championships lately. Georgia hasn’t. This burns up Evans to no end.
Evans is obviously pleased with the progress Georgia has made in football under coach Mark Richt. But he longs for a day when the Bulldogs aren’t just hoping to win championships but absolutely expects them.
But Georgia football has always been a big deal. Evans is a consummate basketball man and that’s an area in which he clearly believes he could make a profound impact. He’s the main reason why the Bulldogs now have a $30 million practice and training facility. And he has some ideas regarding Stegeman Coliseum, too, though he’s hesitant to share them at this point.
Anyway, it was just interesting to listen to Damon to talk with such passion about his hopes and dreams for Georgia athletics. All of which boiled down to one sentence in particular he said to me. “Chip, I can’t tell you how bad I want to win.”
He wasn’t referring to tennis and gymnastics.
JENNA MARINA WILL PROVIDE A PRACTICE UPDATE BELOW LATER THIS AFTERNOON.
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