Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Arkansas’ Greatest Challenge: Learning to Trust Petrino

‘Calling the Hogs’ at midnight may not be the way Bobby Petrino had pictured his transition from pro football back into the college ranks, but back he is - to the delight of Arkansas Razorbacks’ fans and some of the Atlanta Falcons’ players.

Petrino quit his job as the head coach of the Falcons on Tuesday to take over the top spot in Fayetteville, less than 24 hours after being humiliated on national TV by a 34-14 thrashing at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. Petrino lasted 13 games into the NFL season - less than one season into the five-year deal that lured him away from Louisville. The loss was Atlanta’s 10th of the year, one MORE than Petrino suffered through in four seasons with the Cardinals.

The thing that bothered me while watching Tuesday night’s press conference (beside watching grown people holler “sooooo-weeeee” on national television) was wondering if Petrino’s lack of integrity and questionable character would jump up to bite the ‘Razorback Nation’ like it has the Falcons AND the Auburn Tigers.

Folks around here remember (in vivid detail) Auburn’s clandestine attempt to replace Tommy Tuberville with Petrino before the 2004 season. Once the cat was let out of the bag, both Auburn and Petrino feigned heart-felt apologies to Tuberville for meeting behind his back. Tuberville responded by shouting a tearful “War Eagle” while announcing his plans to remain on the Plains, then leading the Tigers to a perfect 13-0 record and a number two national ranking the following season.

But that’s just the start of the questions concerning Petrino and his ability to stick to his word. Remember, he tried to walk out at Louisville back in 2004 - only one season into a four-year deal with the Cardinals.

Now, this whole Falcons thing. Petrino reportedly told team owner Arthur Blank on Monday that he had no plans to leave. Less than a day later, he’s heading out of town. When asked at what point he changed his mind about leaving, Petrino told the crowd gathered in Fayetteville Tuesday night that it “wasn’t a matter of changing his mind, it was just a timing issue.” If that’s the case, and there wasn’t a ‘change of mind’, then Petrino lied to Blank when he told him he no plans to leave.

One of the first Atlanta players to speak out after the move was cornerback DeAngelo Hall. He told ESPN that if he and Petrino passed each other on the street right now, he’d have nothing to say to his former coach, adding “we have nowhere to go but up from here.”

Let’s hope the good people of Arkansas aren’t forced to say the same thing a couple of seasons from now.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Getting Ready for Auburn vs. Georgia

There’s no game that I love more than the Georgia-Auburn game.  I’ve been in attendance for every meeting in the series since 1998, a misty, cold, miserable afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium that saw Quincy Carter lead the Bulldogs past the Bill Oliver-coached Tigers… the last victory in the series for Jim Donnan and the last Georgia win for the next three seasons. 

Since then, I’ve been on hand for some simply magnificent games.  In 2000, I scalped a ticket at Jordan-Hare shortly after Georgia returned an early interception for a touchdown (at least that’s the way I remember it… we were standing outside the stands and trying to figure out what was happening by listening to the stadium PA announcer).  The Bulldogs, led by Cory Phillips in place of an injured Quincy Carter, hung in against the favored Tigers until big, bad Rudi Johnson started to flex his muscles in the second half.  In overtime, the Bulldog defense barely got in his way, and Auburn won 29-26.

The next year, I had seats for the entire game at Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, watching Mark Richt’s first team exchange blows with Tommy Tuberville’s Tigers.  Every time it looked like the Bulldogs had the game in hand, Auburn would land a massive counter-punch.  I’ll always remember this game for the incredible “rooskie” pass from David Greene to Terrance Edwards.  Facing a fourth-down, Greene handed off to Musa Smith up the middle, who was stuffed for a loss on the play.  About midway through saying, “What in the world are they thinking?!”, I saw Greene turn, and fire a pass to Edwards, who was all alone about ten or fifteen yards behind the pile.  He won a footrace to the end zone, and Georgia took another lead.  To figure out what happened, my friends and I had to turn to the video board.  Richt had pulled a page out of his old Florida State playbook, running the same pass-rooskie play that Chris Weinke had used against Clemson a few years earlier.  The difference was, Weinke had been standing in his own end zone… and he also didn’t get mashed the way Greene did after releasing the ball.  Nobody fakes a handoff quite like David Greene did… I tried in vain many times while shooting a game from the sidelines to follow his play-action fakes, and more often than not, he managed to fool me.  This time, he turned his back to the defense, put the ball on his hip, and walked away from the play.  He waited several seconds while Auburn’s coaches signaled that he still had the ball.  Turn, fire, touchdown. 

Of course, the other memorable moment in that 2001 ballgame came at the end.  Deep in Auburn’s territory with a chance to tie the game and go to overtime, Mark Richt put in his power formation, and tried to run the football.  Jasper Sanks couldn’t get into the end zone, and Auburn’s players wouldn’t let him back up.  The Bulldogs had no timeouts, and time expired with Georgia trying in vain to get lined up for another play. 

The next season, I had a press pass to the game at Jordan-Hare Stadium.  Both teams were still very much alive in the SEC Championship race, but both needed a win that day to keep that hope alive.  Georgia had beaten everyone except for the Florida Gators, and another loss in SEC play would give Florida the Eastern Division title.  Auburn also had a loss to Florida counting against their record, along with a loss to eventual Western Division champ Arkansas.  One more loss would wipe out hope for a trip to the Georgia Dome.  I remember that this game was brutally cold.  I had on a sweater and a pullover, but it wasn’t enough.  I think it had rained the night before, and there was some mist in the air for the game.  For the entire second half, I could barely feel my right foot.  After a turnover, I was running behind the bench area to get a spot on the sideline at the other end of the field, and my foot sank into the mud and when it came out, my shoe didn’t.  I took a few cold, muddy steps in my sock to turn around and get my Nike back, and for the rest of the night, I had wet feet.  If I was miserable, Auburn certainly wasn’t.  The Tigers dominated the Bulldogs throughout the first half.  But, Georgia’s defense held the Tigers without a first-down on something like 8 straight possessions in the second half, and Georgia refused to go away.  At the end, Georgia trailed 21-17, and had the ball for one last gasp.  Facing 4th down and long, David Greene lofted a jump-ball into the end zone for Michael Johnson.  Johnson jumped over his man (did he push off? Auburn fans say yes, Georgia fans say no) and caught the ball for a touchdown.  Georgia won the SEC East, and the SEC Championship thanks in large part to that game.  Both teams came away from the stadium stronger than when they left.  Auburn rebounding to beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa 17-7 before a win over Penn State in the Capital One Bowl.  Georgia blasted Georgia Tech 51-7 before blowing out Arkansas in the SEC Championship Game, and then beating Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.  And, when you watch the television replays of that play, you can see me off to the side of the end zone, down on one knee with a camera on my shoulder, wet and cold in a red pullover, inches away from college football history. 

In 2005, Georgia was led by senior D.J. Shockley, unbeaten that season as a starter (he was sidelined for the Florida loss).  The Bulldogs would win the SEC Title that season as well, but they wouldn’t beat Auburn.  The Tigers rebounded from several Georgia scores, following Kenny Irons down the field over and over.  Finally, facing 4th and long deep in their own territory, Brandon Cox found a man wide open, and went on to win the ballgame on a last-second John Vaughn touchdown.  I was there on the sidelines, and in the Auburn lockerroom afterwards.  Auburn fans refer to themselves as the Auburn family, and the family atmosphere was really on display that night.  Earlier in the year, Vaughn had missed 5 field goal attempts on a windy Baton Rouge night, and Auburn lost to LSU by three points.  The loss cost Auburn a trip to the SEC title game.  But, Vaughn redeemed himself between the hedges.  Tommy Tuberville always says “they’ll remember what you do in November”.  What you do in the Georgia and Alabama games matters most to the Tiger faithful, and on the strength of that kick and several after, Vaughn’s remembered as one of the best kickers in Auburn’s history.  That’s what this rivalry is all about. 

There have also been some forgettable games.  Georgia easily handled Auburn the next season in Athens, followed by an Auburn blowout at Jordan-Hare in 2004 that paved the way for Auburn’s undefeated season.  2006 saw Georgia put up a 37-15 blowout of their own at Jordan-Hare, one that turned the tide in what had been a very, very shaky season.  After that game, Georgia was galvanized, and beat Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

What will happen this year?  I don’t know.  Georgia has been inconsistent this year, and the defense is vulnerable to the short passing game, which is one of Auburn’s favorite brands of attack.  Auburn hasn’t been blowing the doors off of many teams this year, but they’ve got all the momentum right now after turning their season around with a win over Florida in Gainesville, and if not for a remarkable last-minute sequence against LSU in Baton Rouge, they could be leading the SEC West right now.  The game’s in Athens, and with the exception of a few blips here and there, the road team has excelled in this rivalry since the 90’s.

Whatever happens, though, I’m excited to say that I’ll be there on the sidelines to cover the game for News 3.  It will be my tenth straight trip to a Georgia-Auburn game.  As much as the Bulldogs and Tigers would each love a blowout, I’m hoping for another memorable finish.

Monday, October 29, 2007

‘Dawgs Gone Wild!

OK, it’s hypocrisy time. 

For the record, I’m usually against big, showy celebrations in football.  That is, I’m not a big fan of touchdown celebrations when they aren’t game-winners… I’m not a fan of big first-down celebrations when they don’t clinch a win… and in most cases, I’m not a fan of taunting. 

Now, there are exceptions.

I cheered in the WRBL newsroom when I saw Auburn kicker Wes Byrum giving Florida fans his version of the “Gator Chomp” clap.  For some strange reason, it doesn’t bother me when Cincinatti’s Chad Johnson does something off the wall (mostly because his brand of celebration doesn’t involve taunting the other team).

And, I really found myself liking the big, wild touchdown celebration the Georgia Bulldogs staged in the Florida game Saturday.  In case you missed it, nearly the entire UGA bench emptied on Saturday after Georgia’s first touchdown.  The team converged on the end zone, and started jumping up and down until the officials threw their flags.  Then, the players retreated.  After the fact, we learned they were acting on orders from Bulldog coach Mark Richt, who wanted to inject a little energy, fun, and emotion into his team.  According to Richt, he told his players during their bye week that he wanted them to get an excessive celebration penalty for that first score, trading 15 yards for some electricity.  Before the game, he told them that he didn’t want it to be one guy celebrating, that it was to be a team celebration.  Apparently, the ‘Dawgs took that literally.

The celebration drew a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, leaving UGA kicking off from their own 8-yard line.  And, as expected, it fired up the Gators, who scored on their next drive to tie the game.  In the days since, columnists and talk-radio pundits have called the move everything from brilliant motivation, to a blatant display of a lack of class.

All that might be true… but the reason I found myself liking it so much was that it turned Georgia-Florida back into a rivalry game again.  The last five or six years, the games have been close, but Georgia always seemed to stub it’s toe in the end to lose.  The Gators had won 15 of 17 meetings between the two schools.  It wasn’t really a rivalry anymore for Florida fans, even though the Bulldogs had won back in 2004. 

In one instant, Georgia gave Florida a reason to hate the Bulldogs again… and it gave Bulldog fans a reason to think they didn’t have to be scared of Florida anymore.  It escalated the emotion in the moment, and just watching the CBS broadcast, it made it feel like a movie.  After the penalties were assessed, the camera cut to shots of the Gator sideline, with the coaches and players jumping up and down, fired up… then the cameras turned to the UGA sideline, with the Bulldog players jumping up and down.  The Mighty Gators were called out, and they were angry… the underdog Bulldogs were tired of being pushed around, and they were angry.  Then, CBS took a shot from the blimp high above Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, focused on UGA’s mascot “Hairy Dawg” waving a black Georgia flag in the end zone.  In that moment, I was getting text messages from friends scattered throughout the southeast, including former WRBL sports anchor Dan Edward, who said, “This is going to be a good one.”

And, it was.

So, while I can’t really find a way to justify it without sounding like a hypocrite who claims to hate it when players step out of line and show up an opponent, I really did enjoy Georgia’s display on Saturday.  It was a a brash, fool-hardy move by the Bulldogs that turned the Florida-Georgia game back into what it used to be: one of the most anticipated games of the fall.  I’m sure that celebration is the main reason that Gator fans are already looking forward to next year’s game, to see Florida get revenge.

Isn’t that what a rivalry game is all about?

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Props to Jerraud Powers

On Saturday, LSU beat Auburn cornerback Jerraud Powers on a last-second touchdown pass, winning 30-24.

It’s not like a guy beat Powers in a footrace, or juked him out of his jockstrap.  Powers matched LSU receiver Demetrius Byrd step-for-step on the way to the end zone, despite the fact that everyone else in the stadium was slack-jaw-shocked that the Bayou Bengals were throwing the ball (see entry below).  The throw from Matt Flynn was perfect… perhaps Powers could have gotten a hand on it, perhaps not.  But, there was no shot at an interception, and frankly, if Powers’ coverage was any tighter, he could have been flirting with a pass interference call in my opinion.  At the end of the day, LSU just made the play, despite Powers having great coverage.

Why am I writing this?  Well, I had the chance to interview Powers this afternoon at Auburn’s weekly press conference, and I came away very impressed.  I’ve been impressed with him all season, really… he’s a great interview.  He comes off as very straightforward and honest.  He’s not cocky, but his confidence is readily apparent.  He’s poised.  And, all of that was evident today.  I’m sure he’s heard from a few angry Auburn fans who thought he should have made the play on the ball Saturday night.  I’m sure he’s second-guessed himself a few times while watching the replay.  But, today, he wasn’t down about it all.  He gave the credit to LSU, and said that he was happy that he “left it all on the field.” He said that when he was walking off the field at Death Valley on Saturday night, he knew that he had given his absolute fullest, and that he had no regrets about his performance.  And, really, that’s a good feeling.  A loss is terribly difficult to deal with if you are asking yourself “what if”.  Powers isn’t.  He knows he did everything he could.  Sometimes you lose.  When you do, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go back to work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.  Powers is doing just that as Auburn gets ready for Ole Miss.  Auburn’s lucky to have leaders like him on defense.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Heart Attacks in Baton Rouge

I think I’ve figured it out Les Miles’ habit of taking crazy chances.

I don’t have any proof. After all, this is a blog… and from what I’ve seen, bloggers don’t need proof!  But, I think that LSU coach Les Miles MUST be getting kick-backs from some association of Louisiana cardiac surgeons.  After all, he must be a gold mine for those who re-start stopped hearts for a living.  What other way to explain some of the crazy things this man pulls?  He’s already responsible for two insane fake field goals (both of which worked), five fourth down conversions in a win over Florida, and then Saturday’s last second (literally, last second) touchdown pass to beat Auburn.  He’s probably trimmed five years off the lives of LSU Tiger fans in the last three or four weeks alone!

On Saturday, time was running down, and Auburn was content to put the game on the shoulders of LSU kicker Colt David (14-of-19 in field goals this season).  So, Auburn didn’t call their timeouts to preserve enough time to respond to any LSU score, depending on their defense to win the game.  The Bayou Bengals, likewise, seemed content to run down the clock and take their last shot.  But, when Matt Flynn dropped back to throw the ball with the clock at the :08 or :07 mark, I just about hit the floor.  Calling this gutsy just doesn’t cut it… it’s insane.  The throw was perfect… Jerraud Powers had no shot to bat the ball away or make an interception.  It would either be caught or fall incomplete.  And, of course, it was caught… Touchdown, LSU, with :01 left on the clock.  The ball was actually hauled in sometime around the :03 mark, and IF the ball fell incomplete, it’s reasonable to think that the clock operator would have gotten things stopped before time expired.  But, what if it had been bobbled? Tipped up in the air?  Released a half-second too late due to quarterback pressure?  LSU loses on a bone-head decision when a 40-yard field goal would have given them a win and preserved their National Title hopes.  Wow.  In an interview with ESPN immediately following the game, Coach Miles seemed to think the question of whether or not throwing the touchdown was a risky decision was silly… he pointed out that he had a timeout, and had plenty of time to call it.  I really want to know what he thinks now after watching the tape, and seeing just how close his team had teetered to the edge.

Of course, everything worked out, and it was Auburn’s fan base left with broken hearts and not LSU’s.  But, eventually that sort of seat-of-your-pants risk taking comes back to bite you.  Until then, Les Miles will be seen as a genius on the Bayou… and heart attack doctors will be on call everytime LSU plays a game.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Merge!!! (and some sports, too)

Before I get into the sporting portion of this blog, I’ve got to get something off of my chest.  It’s bothered me for years, and now that the problem is impacting us here at home, I’ve got to say something.  On my way to the Northside-Jordan game at Kinnett Stadium on Saturday night, I decided to take I-185 up to the J.R. Allen Bypass for the sake of speed.  Big mistake.  It turns out that traffic is being compressed to one lane just south of the by-pass.  I saw the electronic signs advising drivers to “MERGE LEFT” because things would be shut down in three miles.  Keep in mind that there was almost no traffic around me.  I went ahead and moved left… and about a mile and a half later, I was dismayed to see two lanes of traffic at a dead stop in front of me.  Why?  People ignoring the signs, racing up to the front of the line, and then trying to squeeze in.  This just seems a little rude to me. Yes, you may have to slow down when you get behind the line of cars moving through the construction zone.  But, you won’t have to stop dead and wait for an opening if you just move over..... and you won’t inconvenience every other motorist on the road, either!!  I’m convinced that half of the trouble in Atlanta construction traffic can be blamed on people putting themselves first and racing to the front, and then holding everyone else up by merging in.  So, please… just move over when you see the signs.  It might make things move a lot more smoothly (and it might help me be around for kickoff for the next high school football game I try to get to!)

Moving on…

Does it get any better than college football this year?  After all of the upsets so far this year, last weekend we saw #1 LSU and #2 Cal both go down in flames, both against teams that you wouldn’t expect to be on top when the clock hit zero.  While shooting that Northside-Jordan game I mentioned, I had my cellphone in my hands the entire time, keeping up with the LSU-Kentucky gametracker on ESPN MVP.  Watching for one-line play-by-play text to pop up on a screen isn’t the best way to keep up with a game, which makes it that much more remarkable that I was so excited walking up and down the Kinnett Stadium sideline.  By the time UK put the game into overtime, I was really fired up, passing along updates to anyone and everyone around me not trying to coach the game.  At the half, I headed back to the station, and made it inside just in time to watch the Wildcats stuff a 4th-and-2 run by LSU to seal the win.  Nobody in the WRBL newsroom has any ties to Kentucky (besides our good friend Dan Edward, a former WRBL sports anchor who graduated from UK).  Nobody here has anything against LSU.  But the thrill of the upset had us cheering and high-fiving.  I have always been a fan of the big-time college programs, but now that anybody can go down on any given Saturday, it just makes things seem more fun.

The really cool thing about Saturday’s upsets is that the door to the SEC West title is now officially wide open.  Both Auburn and Alabama already controlled their own destiny heading into the weekend.  Both had just one SEC loss.  Neither had to worry about other teams losing to open the door to a championship (Mississippi State holds the tie-breaker over Auburn, but MSU already has three conference losses).  Now, though, that LSU also has a conference loss, Auburn, LSU, and Alabama are all tied on top of the SEC West.  Each has a chance of winning the division.  LSU still looks like the favorite to me.  Auburn’s offense has been shaky at times, although the Tiger defense is suddenly playing lights-out.  Alabama has had well-documented trouble finishing games, which could hurt them down the stretch.  Then again, the Tide did a great job of finishing Saturday against Mississippi, rallying for 10 unanswered points in a 27-24 win.  LSU isn’t bullet-proof, though… we knew that after watching them struggle early in the easy games like Tulane, and then throughout their win over Florida.  It’s going to be a LOT of fun to watch this all play out over the next five or six weeks.

On a somewhat related note, I’m really starting to change my opinion of the two-quarterback system.  Before now, I’ve never really been a fan of playing two quarterbacks. In David Greene’s sophomore year at Georgia, it always seemed to me that bringing in DJ Shockley would throw off Greene’s rhythm somehow.  Eventually, the system started to work much better at Georgia with the Bulldogs bulldozing their way to a couple of SEC Championship Games, and winning one.  That experience, combined with watching Florida run the two-quarterback plan to near-perfection last year with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow started to change my view.  Now LSU and Auburn (among others) are having success with the same plan.  I don’t think it will work for every quarterback out there.  Some players need to know that they’re “the guy”.  But, if you’ve got some players who are true team-first kind of players, who are secure with their position on a team despite not taking every snap, I say go for it.  You’ve only got four years of eligibility and five years total to keep a player around.  If you’ve got a potential star like Auburn’s Kodi Burns on the roster who can help you win games, get him in there.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Long time, no see!!

First off, an apology for neglecting our blogging duties here at the fabulously re-designed WRBL.com.  Ever since toe met leather for the first kickoff of football season, we’ve been more busy than… well, I can’t use any of my grandfather’s old sayings because this is a family-oriented website!

Let’s talk about football, because I’ve truly been in hog-heaven for the past month or so.  I’m a college football fan, and it seems like every weekend has given us something to truly savor.  Let’s do this thing football-style:

FIRST DOWN:  I’m not an Alabama fan, but I’ve really enjoyed watching Crimson Tide football so far this season.  It’s truly remarkable what Coach Saban has been able to do with that team in a short amount of time… and I’m typing this after ‘Bama’s losses to Georgia and FSU.  To me, those games didn’t diminish the magical start he’s had to his tenure with the Tide.  It’s more or less the same group of players that were out there last year… but there’s just something different about them.  A different set of plays, certainly, but also a swagger that had been missing.  I made my first visit to Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Georgia game, and I was blown away by the atmosphere there.  It’s a great place to watch a college football game, and even though more losses are probably on the horizon this season… watch out for the Tide in the next few seasons.  If nothing else, I don’t see them playing many games where you can change the channel before the 4th quarter begins.

SECOND DOWN:  Auburn Rebounds!  My Tuesday morning routine is to roll out of bed (as late as possible) and spend the morning over at Auburn, talking to the players who show up for their weekly press conference.  I don’t know what in the world Tommy Tuberville said to those guys before the Florida game, but on the Tuesday before Gainesville, the confidence was back.  Auburn’s going to have some more challenges and struggles as this season plays out, but I think that football team realized what they can do when they are 100% focused on the job at hand.  They won’t admit it in public… or maybe not even in private… I don’t think that they expected South Florida and Mississippi State to be worthy of sharing a football field with them.  They learned their lesson.  It wasn’t just overconfidence… it was also putting a bunch of players on the field who weren’t ready.  But, you could see in the Florida game that those new players kept getting better each week, and by the time the end of the season rolls around, even if they aren’t in the SEC West race… Auburn will be a tough out.

THIRD DOWN:  How ‘bout them Dawgs?  No.... seriously, how ‘bout them?  I still have no idea what to think about Georgia’s team this year.  I stood on the sidelines for Georgia’s games against Oklahoma State, South Carolina, and Alabama.  I’ve seen three different Bulldog teams.  Against the Cowboys, Georgia was confident, but not as sharp as OK State might have made them look.  I was concerned about what might happen when they faced a better team, considering the amount of youth Georgia was putting on the field.  I found out against South Carolina.  BUT, I still think that Georgia could have won that game.  SC played very well… especially on the defensive side of the football.  But UGA just made so many stupid mistakes.... you take away a missed field goal here, dropped passes or blown assignments there… who knows?  And then against Alabama, they were sharp, prepared, and they didn’t blink at the end.  But, if you’re a Georgia fan, I still think you have to be worried about the rest of the season.  The offensive line is getting better each week, but I think the 300+ yard rushing performance against Ole Miss may say more about the Rebels than it does about Georgia.  That being said, when they are on… they are a lot of fun to watch.

FOURTH DOWN:  I’m going to elect not to punt, and instead talk about Georgia Tech.  Much like any 4th down play, Georgia Tech’s hit or miss, and you really can’t predict if things are going to work out or not.  Just throw out the Notre Dame and Samford games.  I’m not convinced Samford couldn’t give that Notre Dame bunch a game this year.  Boston College and Virginia ate Tech’s lunch… and what does Tech do?  They turn around and dominate a Clemson team that I truly, truly believed had a shot at an ACC Championship after watching some of their games.  Chan Gailey is still striving for consistency with his program at Tech.  But, once again, they’re losing some of the games that they’re “supposed” to win, and winning some of the ones they shouldn’t.  If nothing else, that should add up for an entertaining season on the Flats… you never know what’s going to happen next!!  Maybe BC and UVA are just that good… I know BC is.  With that defense led by Shaw High’s Phillip Wheeler, and Tashard Choice once again healthy in the Tech backfield, it’s going to be a mistake to overlook Georgia Tech.  With two ACC losses, including one in the division, maybe a return to Jacksonville is out of the question… then again, a lot of football is left to play.

EXTRA POINT:  If you get the chance to hit a high school football game this year, you can’t go wrong with Carver or LaGrange.  I haven’t had the opportunity to see some of our talented Alabama schools in person yet, but I’ve seen Carver three times, and LaGrange once.  The Carver Tigers are nasty good… maybe they’re not quite up to their #1 ranking (I don’t think you can be number one without a good/great kicker).  But if you like hard-hitting football, with a lot of offensive and defensive playmakers, they’re worth the price of admission.  As for LaGrange, we’re about to play our sixth week of games.  They still have yet to allow a point.  That says about all you need to say.

Last point, and then I’ll sign off (I’ll be back again soon, no more month layoffs from posting!):  I hate to see Andruw Jones leaving the Atlanta Braves.  If the Braves say they can’t pay the kind of money Andruw and his agent are asking, so be it.  But to not even attempt to re-sign him… that hurts.  He’s only 30 years old, and despite his worst offensive season in 2007, his defense is still excellent.  It could very well be that Andruw’s bat wakes up next year.  It could also be that his best years are behind him… I’ve read plenty of analysis over the past few years on ESPN.com and other places talking about how Andruw’s body is going to start getting gimpy from all of the diving catches and running into walls and such.  Who knows.... I just really hate to see one of those dyed-in-the-wool Braves leaving for greener pastures.  It might be the right decision for the Braves franchise (I’m not so sure), but I’ll miss watching him play in Atlanta.  I guess next year, Braves fans will go back to getting nervous when balls are hit into center field.

Auburn-Vanderbilt on WRBL at 12:30PM ET/11:30 AM CT Saturday, followed by Georgia-Tennessee on WRBL at 3:30!! Tune in and log back on next week so we can talk about the games!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Go Warner Robins!!

Congratulations to Warner Robins’ newest young heroes, the Little League World Series Champions!! 

Watching this year’s Little League World Series was a big-time walk down memory lane for me, with the memories of two incredible weeks last year covering Columbus’ Northern Little Leaguers as they won their own LLWS crown.  Videographer Jeremy Davies and I drove to South Williamsport, Pennsylvania and spent two weeks covering the team and the events surrounding the tournament.  If you ever get a chance to go to the World Series in Williamsport, do it.  No doubt, it is the most special sporting event I’ve ever been able to attend, and it still gives me goosebumps remembering the first time I walked into Lamade Stadium to take a look around at the empty field.  The most amazing thing about the World Series complex is how unassuming it is.  There’s really not much to it… just two big Little League Stadiums, a museum, and the rolling hills of central Pennsylvania.  But maybe that’s what the magic is all about…

Warner Robins is just the third team from Georgia to reach the LLWS, and like Marietta in ‘83 and Columbus in ‘06, they’re World Champions.  That’s really, really exciting.  If their experience is anything like the guys from Columbus’ championship team, it’s going to be a long time before their lives get back to normal.  I hope that they’re able to enjoy every second of the ride.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Mark Teixeira Song

***UPDATE***

I did some digging around the old dubya-dubya-dubya and found this article:

Students’ tribute to Braves player scores
On Aug. 31, Andrew Hall planned to be in a seat at Turner Field, watching the Atlanta Braves during his bachelor outing the weekend before his wedding. Now, the graduate student at Auburn University will spend that evening performing live in a pregame show and meeting star player Mark Teixeira and other Braves players.
Full Article

Monday, August 06, 2007

Auburn Works Out in Full Pads, Part I

I spent this morning at Auburn’s Intermural Fields watching the Tigers work out for the first time in full pads.  I can tell you that I STILL haven’t cooled down yet… if you don’t respect college football players already, you should really come out and watch what they go through for practice in helmets and shoulder pads.  It takes plenty of endurance… but it’s probably nothing compared to what they go through on Saturdays.

Brandon Cox looked strong after missing the first couple of Auburn’s workouts with flu-like symptoms.  It took a practice or two for Cox to get back up to speed, but today he says he’s back to full strength.  He made a couple of really nice throws to wideouts once the offense and defense went at each other in full team action. 

One guy who impressed me today, though, was junior offensive tackle Antwoin Daniels.  I watched him during a couple of line drills, and he pushed back not one, not two, but three guys as he was making a block.  Several of Auburn’s offensive linemen are new, but man… they’re strong.  King Dunlap is a scary man… I walked past him, and my head barely comes up to his chest.  He’s 6’8, 312 pounds, and a very nice guy.  But I’m telling you, I won’t be doing anything to get on his bad side.

For my money, redshirt freshman Tim Hawthorne made the catch of the day, hauling in a pass on the sideline in double coverage.  Hawthorne had to go up for it and make the grab one-handed.

As far as the player who impressed me most today, it hardly qualifies as BREAKING NEWS to tell you that Quentin Groves is really good.  At his press conference today, Tommy Tuberville said that they’ve been lining up Groves against the right side of the offensive line, to break in the new tackles.  “He’s taking them to school,” said Tuberville with a smile.  I’d hate to line up against him, but if you can learn to block everybody’s preseason All-SEC pick at defensive end, you’ll probably be ready to play Kansas State September 1st.  I can’t remember which lineman Groves was lined up on today in a drill, but he basically took him and threw him to the ground.  Then, he helped him back up, smacked him on both sides of the helmet in encouragement, and they parted ways.  He’s going to be fun for Auburn fans to watch this season.

This was my first Auburn practice of the year, and I was very glad to see tight end Cole Bennett back in action at full strength.  He missed most of last season due to injury, but having him back will give the Tigers three talented players at the position, along with Tommy Trott and Gabe McKenzie.  On a more personal level, I’m just a big Cole Bennett fan.  In my first job out of college, I covered Cole at Dalton (Ga) High School.  He was a man among boys back then, and he’s only grown into playing college football.  I remember watching the Auburn-Tennessee game on television back during Cole’s freshman year, and watching him score a touchdown in Neyland Stadium.  It’s really cool when you get a chance to cover a guy in youth sports or in high school and then see him succeed at the next level.  I’m sure he’s hoping for a big senior year, and I think he’ll have a chance to make some noise for the Tigers.

Here’s some video from practice today.  Be sure to check out AuburnVersus.com for more Auburn videos, news, a message board and more.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

UGA Opens Practice, Part III

As promised, I’ll be uploading some more UGA Media Day content today.  Here are a couple of the defensive guys talking about the ‘07 Bulldogs.

Senior linebacker Brandon Miller, who is moving into the middle linebacker spot this season:

And, defensive tackle Jeff Owens… “no excuses!”

Saturday, August 04, 2007

UGA Opens Practice Part II

Here’s more press conference video from UGA’s media session, held before today’s first preseason practice (there’s even more below in Part I).

Senior safety Kelin Johnson gets fired up:

Let’s talk running backs… here’s senior running back Kregg Lumpkin:

and here’s senior Thomas Brown.  You can find more on today’s practice at wrbl.com on the “Local Sports” page.

UGA Opens Practice, Part I

I just got back from a very, very hot day in Athens, Georgia for the Georgia Bulldogs’ first practice of the preseason.  I’m going to be uploading some raw interview footage from the Dawgs’ Media Day before practice.  I’m also going to upload some video from the practice session, so check back and I’ll see if I can’t get a few more updates on tonight before I finally pass out (6 hours of driving on limited sleep makes for a very sleepy sports guy!)

As for my impressions of practice, I thought the Bulldogs were a very laid back team today, and for good reason.  They’re picked third in the SEC East, without a single first place vote for the overall conference crown at last week’s SEC Media Days.  They were picked #13 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, but they’re not really on the national radar as far as winning championships this season.  The consensus among the national pundits is that they’re a year away from contending for the big crowns.  So, there’s very little pressure coming from the outside of the locker room.  During the media session before practice, Mark Richt even walked behind his quarterback Matthew Stafford, and put bunny ears behind his head while one of the Atlanta TV affiliates was interviewing him.

That’s not to say there’s no intensity around the Bulldogs, though.  Safety Kelin Johnson sounded like he was giving the pre-game pep talk when he was talking to us today.  You could tell he meant every word when he said he thinks about the losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt every day, and that he’s motivated by them.  And, he says he is fired up to have a tough opening-round opponent in Oklahoma State.  You’ll have to check out his interview when I get it posted.  If you’re a football fan, it will get you motivated for some Saturday-afternoon couch time with your TV and a game.

As far as what impressed me, you can’t tell too much when players aren’t in pads, but Georgia tailback Knowshon Moreno looks like the real deal.  I watched him take a couple of handoffs, and even when he’s not running at full speed, you can see how explosive he is.  I wouldn’t want to have to tackle him, that’s for sure.  Thomas Brown looks like he might have added even more muscle in the offseason, despite already being touted as the strongest player, pound for pound, on the team.  He says his knee is fully recovered from last year’s ACL injury, and that’s good news for the Bulldogs.  That backfield is crowded once again… it will be interesting to see if one of the running backs can get firmly established as the main featured back, or if Georgia will stick with the strategy of the last few years of rotating out the backs.

Here’s some interview footage: First up, head coach Mark Richt.  A note: at the end when he’s talking about what a magnificent athlete Bruce is, he’s not talking about me. (shocker!) He’s talking about former Shaw standout and true freshman tight end Bruce Figgins. 

Also, here’s Bulldog quarterback Matthew Stafford:

Check back for more, I’ll be posting tonight and some more on Sunday.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Big “Tex”

If I was excited about Mark Teixeira yesterday, I’m thrilled today.  Last night, Big “Tex” made a big splash in his Atlanta Braves debut, driving in a run with a bases loaded walk in his first plate appearance, and later crushing a three-run homer to left.  It all adds up to 4 RBI for Teixeira, and a 12-3 win for the Bravos. You can’t give Tex all the credit for the spark to the Atlanta offense.  The string of three straight double-digit scoring efforts started in Arizona on Sunday, back when Mark Teixeira was just a glimmer in Atlanta GM John Schuerholz’ eye.  Still, the rest of the Braves’ lineup appears to be energized by the fact that the front office was aggressive at the trade deadline, picking up a big bat and three big arms. If your boss believes in you, and gives you the tools you need to get the job done, it has an impact.  And right now, the Braves know their bosses believe in them, and now they’ve got another big tool in place.

I still remember the first time I saw Mark Teixeira play, still the only time I’ve seen him in person.  I went to the Georgia-Georgia Tech baseball game in Athens during Tex’s last year with the Yellow Jackets.  All eyes were on Teixeira, since he was being hyped as a can’t-miss first round draft pick.  The Georgia fans were all over him, and I was fairly unimpressed as Tex booted a couple of balls at shortstop in the early innings.  Then, he silenced the crowd.  He reached out and blasted a mammoth home run over the left field fence, which disappeared behind a stand of trees that separates Foley Field’s left field fence from the parking lot.  I have no doubt that somebody’s car wound up with an unwanted souvenir from the at-bat.  Since it was college, obviously he was using a metal bat and that made it much more impressive.  But, to this day it’s one of the three or four hardest hit balls I’ve seen in person.  The media relations staff at Georgia and Auburn tell the story of big Bo Jackson belting a homer in the same stadium that cleared a light tower in left field.  Teixeira’s homer didn’t come close to that… but it still made a big impression on me.  Now, Braves fans are going to get the chance to see it every day, at least until he becomes a free agent after the 2008 season.  Hopefully, there will be plenty more home run clout in store for the Braves for the stretch run.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Keeping Hydrated

It’s been a while since we’ve added anything to the blog here, but there’s certainly not been a shortage of things to write about.  Jack and I have just been keeping extremely busy with planning for football season, and everything else that pops up in the day of a sportscaster here in West Georgia/East Alabama.  But, I’ve got a few spare moments here at my desk as I force down my fifth cup of water of the afternoon, so I figured I’d fire off a fire rambling thoughts:

** KEEP HYDRATED - I’m heading out in about an hour to hit a couple of high school football practices (Today’s the first day for practices here in Georgia! Football is almost here!!!) and with it hot as the blazes outside, you need extra water. Honestly, in the summer months it seems like half of my day is spent drinking water to get ready to go to baseball games, football practices, tennis tournaments… it goes on and on.  But keep drinking, folks.  It’s a beautiful day outside if you can get past the 3,000,000 degree temperatures.

** IT’S FOOTBALL TIME - I love baseball. I love hockey.  I love basketball.  Softball, volleyball, whatever… I’m a competition junkie.  But there’s just no doubt, football is my first love, especially if we’re talking college football.  But, high school football gets my blood pumping, too, and even though the guys are just going to be in shorts and t-shirts today at practice, it’s still football.  But once the helmets and shoulder pads start popping… sigh… I’m already getting sad that it only lasts four or five months!! Stay tuned to WRBL, wrbl.com, and the blog… we’re going to have plenty to say about the pigskin.

** WATCH OUT, METS - I had Monday and Tuesday off this week, but I had one eye on the trade wire at all times via my computer, my cell phone, or the bottom line on whatever games I watched.  I could literally only barely contain my excitement as the Braves made gutsy move after gutsy move at the trade deadline.  Say hello to 1B Mark Teixeira, LHP Ron Mahay, RHP Octavio Dotel, and LHP Royce Ring.  Say goodbye to C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, RHP Kyle Davies, LHP Wil Ledezma, and minor leaguers.  I’m sad to see Salty go, but as for the rest of the deal, I’m jumping up and down.  Teixeira is the kind of big-bat acquisition that the Braves haven’t seen since bringing in the Fred McGriff in 1993.  This time, the team avoided setting the press box on fire, but they did torch the Houston Astros 12-4 even as new additions got their new uniforms fitted.  The Braves’ lineup is now, simply put, nasty.  With “Tex” likely batting cleanup, now teams are going to be forced to pitch to Chipper Jones.  And, if they are took careful with “Tex”, Andruw Jones will be waiting fifth, and he’s heating up after an ice-cold first half.  From there, you’ve got to deal with Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur, and the still-red-hot Matt Diaz.  How about the top of the order?  Willie Harris?  Kelly Johnson?  Edgar Renteria?  Yunel Escobar?  No matter which half of the left field platoon is playing, no matter who is starting at second base, the pitcher’s spot is the only weak link in the batting order.  You’ve got the potential to get as much production out of the bottom of the order as the top.  I would have liked to see Atlanta pick up a starter, since Jo-Jo Reyes still scares me as the fifth starter.  But, let’s face it… the bullpen is now even more stout, and the Braves have a chance to outslug teams if the starter falters.  And think of next year… you’ve got the potential return of Mike Hampton and Lance Cormier to the rotation next year.  As for now, watch out, Mets.  We’re coming.

** THE CONTROVERSIAL MR. VICK - The NFL has benched Michael Vick for training camp, and likely much longer.  It’s a good move.  As I wrote last month, I’m doing my best to reserve judgement on the Falcons’ QB until he has his day in court.  But, it just doesn’t look good.  In fact, it’s starting to look downright bad with news that one of Vick’s co-defendants is pleading guilty and cooperating with the prosecution.  But, leaving all that aside, Vick will still get his day in court to clear his name, if he can.  But, in any high-profile position in any walk of life, if someone is accused of a heinous, visible crime, there’s a good chance that person’s going to be out of a job until they are proven innocent.  You really do see it all the time.  A teacher accused of a crime gets a paid leave of absence or transferred to a different job in the school system until the trial is over.  A police officer is put on desk duty or a leave of absence until an investigation is complete.  A CEO resigns until being cleared, and then becomes a CEO somewhere else.  Vick may yet be proven innocent, but the NFL and the Falcons would have been in for a PR nightmare if he took part in training camp and played the season.  Besides, with a November court date, Vick would have been leaving the field when his team needed him most.  It’s probably best to just sit out and clear your name.  If he can prove he’s innocent, then we’ll see what happens with his playing career.

Time to run out and get to a few high school football practices.  Then I’ll be sweating it out at the Catfish game tonight.  Don’t worry, though, I’ve got my water bottle.