Georgia Bulldog Blog

Be on the lookout

2008-07-29T17:46:00.003-04:00

EDIT: Sounds like they didn't have enough time for Troy to dig into the column idea I mentioned, but we'll still have a story and column from our dynamic duo tomorrow, so be looking for it...

We have two writers, new UGA writer David Hale and our excellent columnist at the L-E, Troy Johnson, slated to visit with Mark Richt...well, right about now, at the Columbus Trade Center for Georgia's Columbus Dawg Days stop. They'll both be writing from their visit. I had planned to be there until recently, when we decided there was no need for three folks to write from this thing. BUT, I mentioned a story idea to Troy, which I'm sure he'll pull off brilliantly if that's the direction he goes with his column. Be sure to be looking for both of those stories in tomorrow's papers in Columbus and Macon.

Reminder

2008-07-23T13:46:00.004-04:00

Don't forget to check out David Hale's UGA blog, starting today.
Link

so long.
dc

So long Dawg fans...

2008-07-14T23:22:00.006-04:00

I realize this is fairly overdue, but with Media Days approaching, I figure I had better go ahead and get this out of the way.

I temporarily posted a month or two ago about how I'm leaving the beat to cover Auburn. It was slightly premature at the time because the plans hadn't been settled yet, but that's what is going to happen. My paper's chain plans to use one writer to cover Georgia for the papers in both Columbus and Macon. As it turned out, another possibility popped up when Josh Kendall (the Macon UGA writer, if you didn't know) decided to leave the UGA beat and I interviewed to be his replacement. It was a job I wanted very much, but I didn't get it. They hired David Hale, who covered Georgia for the Albany Herald a couple of years ago. It was disappointing to me, but as backup plans go, leaving to cover Auburn is a pretty good one. I've made no secret of having grown up an Auburn fan and attending the school, so I really didn't want to cover Auburn. You typically want your impartiality to be beyond question, which is why most beat writers who are worth their salt don't want to cover the school they attended...but I'll make it work.

At any rate, I've thoroughly enjoyed covering Georgia and interacting with you guys. This is a fun job and I hope that came through in the stuff I posted here. The good experiences I've had with the UGA staff, coaches and players are SIGNIFICANTLY more numerous than the bad ones. I felt like I was just getting started, but now it's time to move on.

My boss asked me not to post about the final plans until we had everything established. Well we do now. David Hale plans to take over my blogging responsibilities on the Georgia beat and I'm sure he's going to do a great job. I'm guessing he'll start at Media Days next week, and you'll be able to find it here.

If you want to catch up with me, I'll still be blogging for the Ledger and writing for the new SEC football site we're about to get up and running. You can find my blog here (I just started it this weekend) and the SEC site should be ready to roll soon and I'll post about that when it's ready. It'll always be good to hear from you guys, so feel free to check in with me anytime.

Again, it's been a blast,
David

Got my Phil Steele mag...

2008-06-17T13:27:00.002-04:00

in the mail yesterday. Has it has been released on news stands yet or is this an early copy? Anybody? He sends free copies out to Football Writers Association members, so I'm not sure...

Anyway, I think it's my favorite of the preseason national mags simply because of the sheer volume of information and analysis. Very entertaining stuff. He also goes out on a limb a bit more than conventional wisdom often dictates, which is always interesting -- particularly since he's often correct.

So with that said, you Georgia folks will be disappointed to know that he has Florida at No. 1 in his preseason top 40 and Georgia at No. 9. He points out that UGA is a strong possibility to be the polls' preseason No. 1, but he adds that he rates Georgia's schedule as the third-toughest in the country.

Teams on Georgia's schedule that he ranks in the top 40:
1. Florida
12. Auburn
13. LSU
18. South Carolina
23. Tennessee
26. Alabama
29. Arizona State

We all know these preseason things don't particularly matter, but it's fun reading. So check out the Steele mag if you're looking to buy one of these things. It's not the flashiest in presentation, but it's obvious the guy puts a ton of research into this stuff.

Curry to coach Georgia State

2008-06-11T19:36:00.003-04:00

First heard about this from a story earlier today on the AJC's site. This is an interesting hire for Georgia State. Like I've said before when talking about football at my hometown college, at South Alabama in Mobile, I wonder whether there's the interest in Georgia State athletics around the city to sustain a football program. I guess we'll find out over the next decade or so.

From Charles Odum's story via the Associated Press on the Yahoo Sports site:

ATLANTA (AP)—Once again, the lure of college football is bringing Bill Curry back to Atlanta.

Almost 50 years after he began his college playing career at Georgia Tech, Curry will become the first coach of Georgia State’s new football program Thursday.

Curry’s hire was confirmed by a person with knowledge of the process who did not want to be identified because the school has scheduled a news conference for Thursday.

The 65-year-old Curry will join former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves as patriarchs of the program. Reeves has served as a consultant and helped raise $1.2 million in pledged funds for the program.

Georgia state athletic director Mary McElroy and university president Carl Patton announced in April the school will begin play in 2010 as a Football Championship Subdivision team (formerly Division I-AA).

The Panthers will compete in the Colonial Athletic Association and will play their home games at the Georgia Dome.

Curry played at Tech from 1960-64 and coached the Yellow Jackets from 1980-86. He later coached Alabama to the 1989 Southeastern Conference championship before leaving to coach at Kentucky.

Curry, who effectively retired from coaching after going 26-52 at Kentucky, has worked the last 10 years as a color analyst for ESPN.

Curry did not return phone messages left at his home in Murphy, N.C., or on his cell phone. He also has kept a condominium in Atlanta.

Curry tried to return to Atlanta two years ago. He was the runner-up when Georgia Tech hired Dan Radakovich as athletic director on Feb. 22, 2006.

Curry was a star center at Georgia Tech under coach Bobby Dodd. He played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts.

Dodd was Tech’s athletic director when Curry replaced Pepper Rodgers as football coach in 1980.

Curry had a 31-43-4 record at Tech before he moved to Alabama, where he was 26-10 in three seasons.

UGA's Rauch passes away

2008-06-11T15:02:00.002-04:00

From the UGA release:

ATHENS, Ga. – Former University of Georgia All-America quarterback John Rauch, who started every game for the Bulldogs from 1945-48, passed away in his sleep on Tuesday at his Oldsmar, Fla., home. He was 80.

Rauch came to Georgia in 1945 after excelling in three sports in high school in Pennsylvania. He didn't arrive with much fanfare, however, and was discovered by then-Coach Wallace Butts while playing in a flag football game.

After accepting an invitation from Butts to come out for football, Rauch started every game (45 in all) of his college career from 1945-48 and became the first player in NCAA history to start four consecutive bowl games. He passed for 4,044 yards, then the NCAA record for career passing yardage.

Rauch led the Bulldogs to a 36-8-1 record, including the Williamson poll's national championship in 1946 and two SEC titles. He was an All-American and the SEC Player of the Year his senior season.

Rauch was the No. 1 player taken in the 1949 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions and he went on to a four-year playing career. Rauch then entered the coaching ranks, serving several schools, including Georgia from 1955-58, as an assistant coach.

Rauch returned to the NFL as an assistant for the Oakland Raiders under Al Davis in 1963 and was promoted to head coach in 1966. He guided the Raiders for three seasons, compiling 33 victories and leading them to Super Bowl II. Rauch, whose assistant coaches included John Madden and Bill Walsh, was named AFC Coach of the Year in 1967 after the Super Bowl appearance. Rauch also was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 1969, O.J. Simpson's rookie year.

Rauch completed his coaching career in 1985 after stints with Philadelphia, Atlanta and Tampa Bay of the NFL, Toronto of the CFL and Tampa Bay of the USFL.

Rauch was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. He also was chosen for the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame in 2000 and Georgia’s Circle of Honor in 2001.

Commings drafted

2008-06-07T03:32:00.003-04:00

Was working a copy desk shift this evening and forgot to post that UGA football signee Sanders Commings was drafted this afternoon. He went in the 37th round (1,128th overall) to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Westside-Augusta defensive back is an outfielder.

Much like with Israel Troupe last year when he went in the 31st round to Colorado, it doesn't look like Commings will be signing. We'll see, though.

Southerland out four months

2008-06-06T21:49:00.002-04:00

Georgia fullback Brannan Southerland had surgery Friday to repair a fractured left foot -- his second surgery in the same foot since the end of last season. He's expected to need 16 weeks for recovery. If that timetable is correct, that would leave him out for all of preseason practice and the first four games of the season. That four-month window means his return date would be Sept. 26, the day before Georgia plays Alabama at Sanford Stadium.

Georgia's depth at fullback will take a big blow, particularly in the first two games, because of Brannan's absence. He would have taken the lion's share of snaps, but still had capable replacements behind him in Shaun Chapas and Fred Munzenmaier. Now it will be up to Chapas to carry the load, particularly in the first two games, as Southerland will be out and Munzenmaier is suspended for the first two games because of an alcohol-related arrest this offseason.

UGA release

Bartkowski Q/A

2008-06-05T18:42:00.005-04:00

This has nothing to do with Georgia football, but I thought some folks might be interested to read it anyway. I attended a luncheon for Columbus' Second Harvest Food Bank today and former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski was the speaker. (The Georgia angle, if there was one, was that I asked him if he had met Thomas Brown yet and he said he hadn't, but he works in the same company as Thomas' dad and has heard nothing but good things about Thomas).

I spoke with him for a few minutes afterwards for a story on the Falcons I wrote for tomorrow's paper, comparing the team's current situation (and with rookie QB Matt Ryan) with the one the Falcons faced when they drafted him first overall in the 1975 draft.

Yeah, the team wasn't facing the PR disaster of the Mike Vick thing and the coach leaving to coach in college three-quarters of the way into the season, but there are some parallels between the two years. Like how the team fired Norm Van Brocklin eight games into the 1974 season and hired Marion Campbell, then finished with only three wins. And how they turned over the franchise to a highly touted QB draft pick hoping he might turn things around. Bartkowski (now on the franchise's Board of Advisors) said there are some similarities, but he thinks the current Falcons are closer to winning than the team was when he was a rookie in '75. Here's what he had to say.

On the similarities between where the Falcons were when he was drafted first overall in 1975 and where they are now, after taking Matt Ryan with the third overall pick:
They’re much further along. We’ve got a lot more players than when I first got to Atlanta. We’re gonna surprise some people this year. We’ve got to have four or five of the new guys step in and play right away and be successful playing right away. I’m not so sure that includes Matt, but at some point he’ll take the reins and he’ll take his shots. We’re not there yet, but we do have a fairly good basic football team. We’ve got a real good, basic football coach in Mike Smith. He’s a terrific guy.

So is it safe to say there are a lot of parallels between when you were drafted and the expectations Ryan’s facing now?
The expectations are certainly on him. He’s a very wealthy young man now. He’s able to really kind of balance that aspect of his life against his professional endeavors. It’s gonna be very important. He’s obviously a very intelligent young man. I think he’s probably had good upbringing, which you look for that. Mom and dad are there and involved in his life. I think we made a really, really wise choice and I think he’s gonna be the franchise quarterback for the next 10 years.

Are you guys similar players at all? What are the similarities and differences between you?
I think so, yeah. He’s fairly agile in the pocket. I was, until they took my legs. I think very similar. He’s incredibly accurate throwing the ball – maybe more accurate than I was when I came in – but it’s sort of a trade-off. I don’t think he has the strength of arm that I had. But I think that being accurate is a whole lot more important than being strong, being able to throw it a long way.

What does being on the Falcons’ board of advisors entail?
Two or three meetings a year where we basically get involved in the economics of the team, a lot of the administrative situations that they’re going through. It doesn’t involve a lot of on-the-field input or this player or that player-type stuff. That’s handled by the general manager and coaches. But I’m proud to be connected to them, I really am. I love the owner. He’s a terrific guy and just a wonderful person.

It’s a really unique point in the franchise’s history right now…
It’s almost like starting all over again. It’s really almost like a new franchise. Unfortunately, I think we were building toward a lot of good things and it’s amazing how one guy can upset the entire apple cart. But in fact, losing Mike made us realize that we just didn’t have a whole lot of good football players around him. That became painfully evident.

Xavier Avery goes in second round

2008-06-05T18:27:00.003-04:00

Georgia football signee Xavier Avery just went to the Baltimore Orioles with the 50th overall pick in the MLB draft (the fourth pick in the second round).

That's gonna be tough to turn down, but we'll see what happens with him in the near future, I'd imagine. I'm sure many of you already know that Georgia closer Josh Fields turned down second-round money from the Atlanta Braves to return to UGA for his senior season. Doesn't happen often, though.

Draft update

2008-06-05T16:08:00.004-04:00

Wow, so far Georgia (I'm referring to the state, although UGA is doing pretty well also) is already flexing its muscle in the baseball draft.

Griffin's Tim Beckham was the No. 1 overall pick to the Tampa Bay Rays.
UGA's Gordon Beckham (no relation) was the No. 8 overall pick to the White Sox.
Stephens County's Ethan Martin went 15th to the Dodgers.
UGA'S Joshua Fields went 20th to the Mariners.

EDIT: As an astute commenter pointed out, I missed Leesburg's Buster Posey, the Florida State catcher who went fifth overall to San Francisco. I glanced right over his name when I was making that list earlier.

So there have been 21 picks so far and Georgia accounts for five of them. Pretty impressive.

I'll be interested to see what happens with UGA football signee Xavier Avery. I think he is going to pop up on the draft board sometime today. We'll see ...

E

Lomax arrested

2008-06-04T01:40:00.005-04:00

Jeremy Lomax was arrested tonight at 12:42 a.m. by Athens-Clarke County PD on charges of speeding and carrying a concealed weapon. He was released at 1:30 a.m. on $3,000 bond -- $2,500 for the concealed weapon charge and $500 for speeding.

CBS picks up UGA-South Carolina

2008-06-03T14:27:00.001-04:00

From the UGA release:
Georgia's Southeastern Conference opener with South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., will be televised by CBS. Airtime is set for 3:30 EST.

The Bulldogs have appeared on CBS a total of 56 times and they have a record of 33-22-1. Georgia holds a 44-14-2 series lead over South Carolina since the teams first played in 1894.

It was also announced earlier this spring that ABC will televise Georgia's matchup with Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., on Sept. 20 at 8:13 p.m. EST. This will be the Bulldogs' first time playing against the Sun Devils.

The Bulldogs open the season against Georgia Southern in Athens on Aug. 30.

Chester Adams signs

2008-05-31T15:35:00.003-04:00

I saw where Chester Adams agreed to a four-year contract with the Chicago Bears yesterday. I'd think that's a pretty good sign for Chester, particularly since he was a seventh-round draft pick and those guys are quite often on shaky ground as far as making a team.

Correction

2008-05-30T13:20:00.003-04:00

I was a bit premature in something I posted here earlier. That little nugget wasn't officially supposed to be floating around just yet, so I've taken it down. Thanks to those who wrote and said something nice. It was highly encouraging to hear from all of you.

Last batch of coaches photos

2008-05-28T02:32:00.006-04:00

Auburn photographer Todd Van Emst sent out his last batch of photos tonight from the coaches tour of the Middle East. I'm not posting all of them, but I'm going to post a bunch that I found the most interesting. (I really like the first one a lot. It's a great shot).

Again, click on the picture to see the full-size image.

Spring grades

2008-05-27T16:20:00.002-04:00

Forty-five UGA football players were among the 261 Georgia athletes to earn at least a 3.0 grade point average in the spring semester.

From the UGA release:

Football: *Andrew Davis, Tallahassee, Fla.; *Ty Frix; Calhoun; Fernando
Velasco, Wrens; +Casey Nickels, Tignall; Antavious Coates; Greenwood, S.C.;
Ricardo Crawford, Fair Bluff, N.C.; Matt Degenova, Kenner, La.; Kris Durham,
Calhoun; Eric Elliot, Kennesaw; Andrew Jensen, Snellville; Brian Mimbs,
Dublin; Richard Samuel, Cartersville; Brandon Wheeling, Dallas; Asher Allen,
Tucker; Josh Bagby, Canton; Quintin Banks, Warner Robbins; Roderick Battle,
Atlanta; Clint Boling, Alpharetta; Drew Butler, Duluth; Shaun Chapas, St.
Augustine, Fla.; Trent Dittmer, Cartersville; Bryan Evans, Jacksonville,
Fla.; Bo Fowler, Union Point; Drew Gully, Vienna, Va.; Akeem Hebron,
Gaithersburg, Md.; Devin Hollander, Gainesville; Andrew Johnson, Athens; Ben
Jones, Centreville, Ala.; Tavarres King, Mount Airy; Jeremy Lomax,
Jonesboro; Mohamed Massaquoi, Charlotte, N.C.; Christian Norton, Athens;
Zach Renner, Monroe, Conn.; Derek Rich, Gainesville; Craig Sager, Marietta;
Joshua Sailors, Athens; Brannan Southerland, Dacula; Matthew Stafford,
Dallas, Texas; Kiante Tripp, Atlanta; Kade Weston, Red Bank, N.J.; Charles
White, Columbia, S.C.; Drew Williams, Blairsville; Tony Wilson, Daytona
Beach, Fla.; Brandon Wood, Buchanan; Jarius Wynn, Lincolnton

Even more from the coaches tour

2008-05-26T23:20:00.022-04:00

Again, credit for these shots goes to Todd Van Emst of Auburn University.

Before I get to that, I met Adam Cantrell, the baseball coach from Providence Christian, today when I was covering his team's Class A semifinal against Pacelli Catholic in Columbus. He was clearly a big Georgia fan and told me he reads the blog all the time...It was fun to meet a somebody who was so enthusiastic about this thing, so thanks to him for that. It was really encouraging to meet someone who seemed excited about the stuff I do.

Anyway, on to the pics...Click on the image for full-size view.

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville gets a tour of a Navy CH-53 helicopter by Auburn alum and pilot Mickey McCullough before leaving for the USS Nassau.

Miami coach Randy Shannon poses for a picture with USS Nassau crew members Friday.

The coaches talk outside the Oval Office after meeting with President Bush Monday. From left are Randy Shannon, Mark Richt, Charlie Weis, Jack Siedlecki and Tommy Tuberville.

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, center, talks to the media affter meeting with President Bush at the White House Monday. Standing behind him are Mark Richt, Charlie Weis, Randy Shannon and Jack Siedlecki.

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville talks with Lt. Ike Stutts on the flight deck of the USS Nassau. Stutts is from Decatur, Ala.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, Georgia's Mark Richt and Miami coach Randy Shannon talk on the flight deck of the USS Nassau Friday.

Airman Romaine Taylor runs the shuttle event on the deck of the USS Nassau. The crew ran an NFL combine-style competition Friday afternoon.

The coaches pose for a picture on the flight deck of the USS Nassau Friday, from left Auburn's Tommy Tuberville, Yale's Jack Siedlecki, Notre Dame's Charlie Weis, Miami's Randy Shannon and Georgia's Mark Richt.

UGA will host baseball regional

2008-05-25T20:06:00.002-04:00

Got this release from UGA earlier. Figured I might as well post for FYI purposes:

SEASON TICKET HOLDERS ONLY

All-Session tickets to attend the 2008 NCAA Baseball Athens Regional are on sale now online via www.georgiadogs.com until the priority ticket order deadline of Monday, May 26 at Noon.

GENERAL PUBLIC TICKET SALES

All-Session ticket will be available online starting Monday, May 26 at 2 pm and at the Athletic Association Ticket Office window or by calling 1-877-542-1231 (toll free) beginning Tuesday, May 27 at 8:30 am.

All-Session Reserved tickets are $60 with the all-session general admission price set at $50. Both All-Session ticket packages include a ticket to all Athens Regional games including Game 7 if necessary and provides fans with a discount off the individual game ticket prices.

All tickets ordered for the regional will be distributed via Will-Call. Patrons may claim their tickets prior to the regional from the Athletic Association Ticket Office on Thursday, May 29, between 9am & 4pm and again on Friday, May 30, from 8:30am until noon. Regional tickets will also be available for pickup at the Foley Field ticket windows beginning at 1pm on Friday, May 30.

For more information, visit www.georgiadogs.com and click on the link for tickets or call the Ticket Office at 1-877-542-1231. Visa, Mastercard and Cash are all accepted forms of payment.
Currently, the Bulldogs are 35-21-1 including going a school-record 20-9-1 in the league to win the 2008 SEC title. The action at Foley Field begins Friday. Georgia will play in the first game Friday at 3 p.m. with two more teams slated to play at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs won thrilling NCAA Baseball Regionals in Athens in 2001, 2004 and 2006 on their way to the College World Series. This will be the fourth time that Georgia and Foley Field play host to an NCAA Baseball Regional. The Bulldogs will be making their eighth appearance in an NCAA Regional, and the Bulldogs have advanced to the College World Series five times (1987, 1990, 2001, 2004 and 2006) including winning the national championship in 1990.

The other regional hosts are Arizona State, Cal State Fullerton, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Long Beach State, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, N.C. State, Oklahoma State, Rice, Stanford and Texas A&M.

Boling arrest

2008-05-23T01:54:00.003-04:00

I'm sure this has been making the rounds all day, but Georgia offensive lineman Clint Boling is probably going to miss at least a game or two after his arrest last week for suspicion of driving under the influence. Northfulton.com broke the news a day or two ago, but I can't say I've really been keeping up with UGA news lately. I'll have to get around to explaining why that is sometime soon.

Anyway, he was pulled over in Alpharetta while reportedly driving erratically, then refusing a breathalyzer test. UGA rules would require him to miss at least one game. Mark Richt could give him more if he decides to do so.

I'd expect that you'll see a lot of Vince Vance and Justin Anderson at guard -- or maybe Chris Davis there instead of center, if the coaches decide Ben Jones is ready to play a lot early in the year. Boling is especially valuable after winning Freshman All-SEC honors and starting 10 games last year at guard and tackle, but something tells me they'll probably be able to get by without him against Georgia Southern in the opener.

More photos from the Coaches Tour

2008-05-22T18:55:00.006-04:00

Again, these pics were shot by Todd Van Emst of Auburn University. Many thanks to him for sending these out.

First pic is a group shot of the coaches taken Thursday at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The second is of Mark Richt talking with Carlton Reynolds of Atlanta at Camp As Sayliaha on Thursday. The third is of the coaches taking part in a Q/A session Thursday night at Al Udeid Air Base. The last shot is another pic from the Q/A session. You'll notice ESPN's Ivan Maisel (a fellow Mobilian) at left serving as the emcee.

Click on image for fullsize view.

Photos from Coaches Tour

2008-05-22T16:25:00.009-04:00

Auburn does a really smart thing by having a photographer on staff, Todd Van Emst, whose job is to basically send out photos to media outlets from all of Auburn's sporting events. You don't have to call them and ask for his photos...he just does it. It's really a media-savvy thing to do, because the easier you make it for a paper to get photos from your events, the more likely they are to show up in the paper. As a former page designer/copy editor at the Ledger, I always appreciated how easy they made things for us. I don't know of another school that does that.

Anyway, he's on the Coaches Tour of the Middle East that inclues Mark Richt, Tommy Tuberville, Notre Dame's Charlie Weis, Miami's Randy Shannon and others.

Here are a couple of the photos he's sent out in the last couple of days. The first photo is of Gen. Arthur Lichte talking with the coaches at Scott Air Force Base. The second is Mark Richt and Miami's Randy Shannon autographing posters for the troops (looks like coach Richt's kicking some dogtags there). The third pic is Col. Al Hunt talking to the coaches before they leave on a nine-hour flight back to Germany on Tuesday. Pictured are Notre Dame's Weis and Shannon.

Click on images for fullsize view.

If you're really bored...

2008-05-21T03:01:00.003-04:00

You could check this out. Not sure when I came across this Hulu Web site, but it's awesome. Since I work at night pretty frequently when it's not football season, I miss a lot of the shows I like to watch...in this case, The Office and 30 Rock. Well, this site has all sorts of clips and TV shows (and movies) that you can watch for free like the day after they air. Pretty awesome.

Anyway, I was messing around on there today and noticed that you can watch all of last season's BCS bowls in their entirety, obviously including Georgia's Sugar Bowl win over Hawaii. I watched a second of the broadcast tonight and it brought back some good memories...not so much of the game as much as the crazy week leading up to it, which was quite a lot of fun. I could never live in New Orleans. No self control.

CSU going national

2008-05-16T18:10:00.002-04:00

I was online this afternoon and came across this piece on CBS College Sports, formerly CSTV. I know I've mentioned on here several times that when I'm not covering Georgia football, I spend a lot of my time in Columbus covering the local Division II college, Columbus State. Their baseball team was national runner-up last year and they're playing the No. 1 team in Division II, Mount Olive, tonight at 7 in the second round of an NCAA regional.

CSU's leading hitter, Columbus' own Rodney Rutherford, has been absolutely killing the ball this season. He leads the NCAA at all levels in home runs (at least he did last time I checked) with 26 and has already broken the school single-season records for home runs, RBIs and extra base hits this year.

So anyway, they did a piece with Rodney, including a little home run derby into a strong wind, and posted it on their Web site. Here's a link. I'd imagine we'll see him drafted next month, although I thought someone might take him a year ago after his junior season and it didn't happen. His numbers are hard to ignore.

Ping pong?

2008-05-14T13:39:00.002-04:00

I saw where Georgia's Knowshon Moreno and the other members of Playboy's preseason all-America football team were in Phoenix over the weekend for the magazine's photo shoot, awards dinner and a team sports competition.

According to Playboy team member Andre Smith, the star offensive lineman from Alabama, the highlight of the weekend was the sports competition, "where we competed in several different events like basketball, ping pong, long drive, home run derby, putt-putt and throwing a fastball."

I hope Andre is omitting some details to keep the press release G-rated. When I think of a Playboy celebration, I picture mansion parties with models in lingerie (or less) by the grotto. James Caan would probably be there. Putt-putt competitions don't usually come to mind. Not unless we're talking about naked putt-putt...Just kidding. I'm sure it was a lot of fun.

For those of you who like a little football mixed in with your smut, the Playboy all-America team issue comes out in mid-August.