Richt Getting The Best of Tubberville: Priceless

On a shuttle bus at Scott Air Force Base before the Coaches Tour left for Germany, Georgia's Mark Richt and Auburn's Tommy Tuberville are talking about how cold it might be on the plane. Richt tells Tuberville he has five Georgia stocking caps if TT gets too cold. To which Tuberville replies: "I'll do anything to keep warm." Richt responds: "Good, I've got my picture phone." Ain't it great to be a Dawg!

Jack Nicklaus and The Memorial Tournament

The 33rd Memorial Tournament is being played this week at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. The tournament was founded by and is hosted annually by Jack Nicklaus, and is played on the course he designed. The Memorial is so named because it honors present and past golfers who have made significant contributions to the game. This is "Jack's Tournament", and because of that it is considered to be one of the most important stops on the PGA tour. The first Memorial was played in 1976 and was won by Roger Maltbie in a playoff over Hale Irwin. Incidentally, Nicklaus won his own tournament the next year, and in 1984 he became the Memorial's first two-time winner. He last played in the tournament in 2005. In 2000, he was selected by the Captain's Club as that year's honoree.

A Blast From the Past: Bird -vs- Dominique

As Boston advances in this year's NBA playoffs, I'm reminded of the 1988 Eastern Conference Playoffs. Bird and his Boston Celtics defeated Dominique and his Atlanta Hawks in 7 games to advance to the next round. It was a classic confrontation of two super stars going head to head. Wilkins displayed all of his enormous talent, but it just wasn't enough to overcome the tenacious and savy Larry Bird. There probably have not been many, if any, athletes to maximize what they had more than Bird. The two main things he brought to the table were the canny ability to make everyone around him better, and the 'know how' to win. Thanks for two great careers guys!

SEC Coaches Vote Yes For Early Signing Date

On Wednesday the SEC football coaches voted by a 9-3 margin to add an early signing day in late November. Now the athletic directors and presidents of the universities must endorse the proposal and sponsor it on a national level. So to say the least, this plan is in its infancy. Interesting enough, just a year ago these coaches voted 9-3 against the early signing day. This year however, the language was changed to allow players who already knew where they wanted to go to school to sign in November, but continue the present system for those high school student athletes who needed until February to decide. Thus the coaches are voting to add an additional signing date, not move the February date up. Now so many kids commit early but the universities have no assurance they will honor their commitment. With an early signing date, these high school seniors could sign in November, thus taking pressure off themselves as well as the college coaches who recruited them. Not to mention the fact that the kid is assured of a scholarship early on in the process. If this proposal does make it to the national level, there will be much more debate on the subject before any decisions are made. Whatever happens, the early date does have some validity to it.

Quincy Carter: Day to Day

So much talent. So much potential. So many chances. So many expectations. So many temptations. So many challenges. So many mistakes. Such is the life of one Quincy Carter. You may add to the 'so list' above so many identities: a Bulldog, a Cowboy, a Jet, an Alouette, and a Brigade among probably others. He has just been activated by the Arena Football League's Kansas City Brigades as their backup quarterback. Another opportunity, this time with no expectations at all. In the post just before this one, I wrote how D.J. Shockley could really use a good break for a change. Now as I consider Quincy, I wonder how many more breaks will he get.

He has been controlled by substances that have addicted his talented body. Was his time spent with former cowboy Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson rehab enough to sustain him this time? He states he has learned to live day by day because that is all he can handle. Handle it wisely QC. Even though there have been many thus far, there might not be another tomorrow.

D. J. Shockley: He Really Needs A Break!

D.J. Shockley became a Georgia Bulldog in 2001 out of North Clayton High School. He is regarded as Mark Richt's first recruit, as this was Richt's first year in Athens and he already knew D.J. from earlier football camps. Had Mark Richt turned down the Georgia job and remained at Florida State, Shockley probably would have played in college as a Seminole. He was a highly rated prep player and could have played for any number of college programs. He was red-shirted his freshman year in 2001, and then had to play behind college football's winningest quarterback, David Greene. In his senior year of 2005, "Shock" became the starter for the Dawgs. He suffered a strained ligament in the season's 7th game, but came back to play in the Dawgs 10th game. In the SEC Championship game he was named MVP. The Atlanta Falcons drafted him in the 7th round in 2006, and he made the team as the 3rd string QB. As the troubles mounted for Falcons starter, Michael Vick, it seemed as though Shockley's shot at serious playing time had finally arrived. However, a torn ACL forced him to miss all of the 2007 season. The post-high school football gods have not been kind to D.J. He really needs a break from these guys! This week he was given clearance from his doctors to return to full scale workouts with the team. He says the knee feels fine, he is comfortable with the offense, and he is ready to go. Good luck D.J.! You certainly deserve it.

Georgia's Buck Belue

Throw back time again. Georgia-vs-Florida, November 8, 1980. Buck Belue scrambles on third down just before completing the now famous 93 yard touchdown pass to Lindsay Scott late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Gators 26-21. The year began with a victory for the Dawgs on September 6, 1980 in Knoxville, Tennessee in front of 95,288 mostly orange clad fans. That night not only began the legend of UGA's national championship run, but also the legend of one Herschel Walker. Georgia fans have the image of Herschel bulldozing UT's Bill Bates emblazoned in their minds forever, not to mention Larry Munson's call of "my God, a freshman!" The year culminated with a 17-10 victory over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl to secure Georgia's 1980 National Championship. Will it take a miracle play similar to the one above for the Dawgs to capture the 2008 Championship? Just hang around guys. As good as baseball season is, it won't last forever. Coming soon to a college campus near you! Stay tuned.....

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day to you all! To those of you who serve, as well as those of you who have served, we thank you immensely. We all love sports, but we realize what you do, and have done, is no game. Thank you for preserving all the freedoms we enjoy, and for helping us to keep things in the proper perspective. All gave some. Some gave all.

Mohamed Massaquoi: Break-Out Year

Mohamed Massaquoi was recruited by the University of Georgia out of Independence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Coming out of high school in 2004, he was rated the number 4 receiver by rivals.com. During his career at UGA, he has been over 500 yards receiving in only one year, and has not established himself as the 'go-to' receiver everyone thought he would be. He hasn't had a bad career, but it hasn't been of the super star caliber either. All of that could change as he enters this, his senior season. Mo-Mass is kind of like a pro player in the final year of his contract. He needs to have a breakout year not only to help Georgia achieve all of its goals, but also for himself to show the scouts he is ready for the next level. He has proven he can be a big play receiver, but he has to develop consistency. Consistency in his ability to ALWAYS make not only the big catch, but every catch thrown his way. He has to be Georgia's receiver that other teams fear. He can be. He has that much talent. He runs great routes. He has improved tremendously as a blocker. He has a great supporting cast around him. This is his year!

Louisville Cardinals: Just WHEN Do You Play?

I just read an article regarding the Louisville Cardinals 2008 college football schedule. Of the Cards 12 games, only 6 are played on Saturday. I did a double take on that one. One half of their games are not played on the 'Traditional Saturday"! Two or even three games would not have surprised me at all, especially with the revenue payout popular Thursday Night tilts. But six games? Wow! Louisville does jump into three of the Thursday deals, along with a Sunday, a Wednesday and a Friday matchup. Is it TV revenue, a craving for exposure, or a crazed athletic director getting his kicks messing up a college football season? I thought you guys were concerned about football players missing too much class time. Playing more week-night games helps take care of that concern? I sure hope Georgia's AD Damon Evans never stumbles down that scheduling road. If he ever does, I believe the "Bulldog Nation" would make sure it was the last schedule he ever helped make. I don't want UGA to even play on Thursday nights, much less a Wednesday or Friday. Nope, Saturdays are fine with me all season, every season. Our state counterparts over in Atlanta take care of enough Thursday P.M. games playing in the weak ACC. But then the Jackets probably need all the revenue they can get! If 'Deal or No Deal' comes up with too many re-runs during football season, Ill try and check some of you Thursday night boys out. I would hate to see your ratings fall, you might have to learn to play all Saturdays like the Big Boys then!

Come on Back, Bobby Cox!

Bobby Cox is in his 23rd year of managing the Atlanta Braves. He has been a manager in the 'Bigs' for 27 years. This week, at the age of 67, Cox signed a one year contract extension to manage Atlanta through the 2009 season. At least 2009. The contract could have been for as many years as he wanted it to be for, but at this stage of his career, he prefers to take it one year at a time. He says he's having fun, and as long as he 's having fun, he will continue to consider returning. Some refer to Cox as the best tactical manager in the game. I note the success he has in handling his players. He has no problems relating to veterans, rookies, free agents who land in Atlanta for just a season or two, or kids who come up through the Braves tremendously fruitful farm system. All of them say they love playing for BC. He has 14 division titles and five pennants to go along with his lone World Series ring. He has been manager of the year four times. He holds the Major League Baseball ejection record at 137 and counting. This is a notable statistic because one heck of a lot of his dismissals have been due to him taking up for one of his players. He has sacrificed himself often to keep a player in the game. Don't think for a minute this goes unnoticed by those players. This is just one of the reasons he is known as a 'player's manager'. He's also known for letting players play through slumps without the fear of getting benched. He tries to play as many players as possible throughout the season, keeping regulars fresh and helping his bench players stay sharp, focused, and productive. He likes to get relief pitchers back into games as soon as possible after bad outings, letting them know his confidence in them hasn't wavered. He's constantly shouting encouragement from the dugout when Braves players are at the plate. There are many reasons to want to play for this guy. Not to mention the fact that he wins. He has more than 1,927 victories with Atlanta. His teams are always competitive year in and year out, and for the most part play good, sound, fundamental baseball. It is true he has had a lot of talent to work with in Atlanta since the early 1990's, but he also has had a lot of player turnover during those years (thanks free agency), yet he has always been able to mold winning teams. So Bobby, keep molding this year, in 2009, and for as many down the road as you choose. We'll take a "BC Powder" and come back strong!

Jason Taylor: Give the Guy a Break

All of the off-season NFL gab, at the present time anyway, seems to be centered around Miami's Jason Taylor. You know, the All-Pro defensive end and 'Dancing With The Stars' finalist. Well it seems that everyone is up in arms about Taylor's failing to take part in voluntary off season workouts, mini-camps, and perhaps even training camp itself. But I don't think any of those things is really the big problem here. Everyone knows Jason Taylor can play football. And didn't the Giants Michael Strahan miss most of training camp last year? He seemed to have a pretty 'sweet' season! No, the big deal here is Mr. Bill Parcells. Parcells is the executive vice president of football operations for the Dolphins. Which means he is the football boss; the czar if you will. No one upstages Bill Parcells. Not the media, not an owner, and certainly not a player. He exerts control over all he surveys, and right now Taylor is not playing his part as one being controlled. Make no mistake, the Dolphins hold the cards here because they have Mr. Taylor under contract. But Taylor is by far their best player, so that gives him a bit of leverage as well.
I buy into the "team" concept, but I do believe Jason Taylor has earned this little escape from off season participation. Everyone knows what the guy can do, he's no rookie trying to earn a roster spot. He definitely does not have a reputation as a disruptive force on the team. There are no attitude or conduct issues with this guy, and he has given the francise their money's worth (if that's even possible in professional sports inflated contract days). So give the veteran a break. Lighten up big Tuna! No one is going to usurp your majestic authority. And when this all blows over and JT returns to the game he loves and plays so well, then you can resume your role as one of the biggest jerks in pro football. Being a jerk, a game you play so well.