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 > September > 22
Monday, September 22, 2008
Bulldogs back in black for Bama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So the Bulldogs are going to “blackout” the Alabama game. SEC contest, top 10 opponent, night game, national television, ESPN GameDay in the house. I guess that makes sense.
I’ve kind of gone back and forth on the whole blackout phenomena. Without question last year’s stunt was one of the cooler things I’ve seen Georgia do over the years. Thinking back, it’s still pretty amazing how they pulled that off, coming out to warm up in red jerseys and then coming back out in black ones for the game. Then Knowshon runs roughshod over Auburn and suddenly having a black No. 24 Georgia jersey is all the rage in the Bulldog Nation.
All of which is one reason why I thought they might let it be for a while. You know how hard it is to capture such magic more than once. Of course, the Dogs “blacked out” the Sugar Bowl, too, so they’re 2-0 in black. But I thought they might store the black jerseys for a while and whip them out again against an unsuspecting opponent — and fanbase — in a few years.
But clearly the Dogs’ fans love it. There had been talk since last season about if and when Georgia might orchestrate a blackout again this season. Had I been betting on it, I would’ve laid my money on the Tennessee game. Why? Just because it’s an Eastern Division opponent and they humiliated the Dogs pretty good in Knoxville last year. You have to remember, the Vols put a ton of emphasis on that game against Georgia last year. They sent out letters asking ticket holders to wear orange and get there early and be extra loud, etc. I figured the Dogs might go for some payback.
Then again, with the circumstances as they are and the night game and the Georgia seniors asking for it, I can see coach Mark Richt’s logic. He basically said it was what the players wanted so he just went with it. Here’s some of what he said when he was explaining it on his Sunday evening teleconference call with reporters:
“I don’t think you do it too much, but I think our fans really enjoyed it. Our players certainly enjoyed it and the seniors, they want to have a little ownership of that type of thing. I always meet with them at my home during preseason camp and [the blackout] always seems to be a topic of conversation. That’s basically the main thing they wanted to talk about. ‘When are we gonna do it? When are we gonna do it?’ So we talked about the possibilities that it could be. At that time, I was just saying that I didn’t want to do it in September because of the weather. There’s the possibility of a hot day and a 3:30 kickoff or even earlier, so I said, ‘let’s not really think about that one.’ But then as everything transpired the way it did, we got a night game, they found out there’s a very good chance the GameDay crew was coming, they just thought it was the time to do it. And I’m fine with it. Whatever those guys want on that deal is fine with me.”
So there you go. What do you think? Glad to see them breaking out the black jerseys again? Is this the right time? Would you rather see them stick to traditional Georgia home red? Do you think that the black jerseys should become a yearly tradition? And what if the Bulldogs ever do make it to the ultimate game — a national championship contest? Do you wear them then or go with the traditional Georgia red?
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