Dawg Sports

President Myles Adams loves reminding you who's in charge.

2010-03-18T18:28:20Z

Today, the University released new guidelines for tailgating on North Campus for the 2010 football season. And if you're one of those godawful young-uns who can't seem to figure out that you put trash in a bag instead of on the ground (or that you urinate in a restroom instead of onto - or into - a historic building on North Campus), then this these almost-draconian rules are at least partially your fault.

To place the majority of the blame, however, I look directly towards the office of the President.

For those who have not yet heard about the tailgating restrictions, they were described as following on the University's official Gameday tailgating website:

- Tailgating on North Campus will be allowed beginning four (4) hours before kickoff.

- The following items will not be allowed on North Campus on gamedays:
- Tents
- Kegs
- Generators
- Televisions
- Amplified music
- Grills or cookers of any type
- Tables larger than 4 ft. long
- Household furniture (folding chairs not included)

President ~~Myles Brand~~ Michael Adams loves to forcefully remind us on a regular basis exactly who's in charge here. (And by the way, you'll take these new rules and like them, and you'll still pony up a minimum of $490 per season ticket every year.) I honestly wonder sometimes if the man has to step on someone's throat every couple of years just to make himself feel strong and still-in-charge.

Now, my crew has tailgated in the same spot on South Campus for 20+ years, so this won't affect me, but having seen the scene on North Campus in the past, I know that many people will be put out by this significant restriction in activity. For all those of you that like to show up an hour in advance and tailgate without food, shelter, entertainment, or tables on which to place anything, though... knock yourself out.

I mean seriously... can we start, in earnest, a campaign to have this buffoon named President of the NCAA? That way, at least he can make everyone miserable instead of just Georgia football fans.

Plainsman Parking Lot Provides Preview of SEC-Opening Series Between Diamond Dogs and Auburn Tigers

2010-03-18T16:30:18Z

Recently, I was contacted by Kevin of the excellent Auburn baseball blog Plainsman Parking Lot, which features detailed statistical analysis and exacting series previews. Kevin asked if I was interested in exchanging interview questions prior to this weekend’s series between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers, which represents the SEC opener for both squads. Naturally, I leapt at the opportunity. Here is how he responded to my questions:

Dawg Sports: Despite their 8-9 overall record, the Diamond Dogs have been solid at home, posting a 6-2 record at Foley Field. Auburn was swept by Arizona State in its only previous road series. How important to the outcome of this series will the Bulldogs’ home field advantage be, and what can the Tigers do to counteract that?

Plainsman Parking Lot: There really isn’t much Auburn can do to counteract it. The toughest part about Auburn’s schedule right now is the fact that we are hitting a stretch where we play around 14 games in 19 days to close out the month of March. When we went to ASU I thought the dimensions of the field would be a problem for Auburn (Plainsman Park has crevices and a jagged outfield, ASU is a straight diamond) but the Tigers handled it. I’m sure Coach John Palowski knows the secret will be getting a lead and getting it early in order to get the momentum. If the ASU series taught Auburn anything it’s that when AU is up big in one half inning they need the pitching staff to cut off any momentum in the following half. Last weekend killed our confidence in that regard because (in one specific instance and a couple other minor ones) Auburn built a big lead (sometimes as big as 5 runs) only to see the Sun Devils take it back.

Dawg Sports: Although this will be the first conference series for either squad, Georgia previously took a beating from Alabama in the Yellowhammer State, while Auburn’s scheduled outing against the Crimson Tide in Riverwalk Stadium was postponed. What impact, if any, will those two games---the one that did happen, and the one that didn’t---have on this weekend’s series, and how critical is it for the Tigers to win their first SEC series of the season?

Plainsman Parking Lot: I can’t say the Capital City Classic not happening had a huge affect on the Tigers. These guys have been playing baseball for a long time and know rain outs do happen. The bad thing about the AU/UA tilt was all the hype going in. I think Auburn was going to try to use that game to judge how far they’ve come in SEC play and how far they have left to go. On the flip side, I don’t think you can judge UGA’s performance by their one game against Alabama. When you think about it, both games were eerily similar with AU and UGA facing an SEC opponent midweek while gearing up for a huge nonconference game the upcoming weekend (ASU for AU, FSU for UGA) so the focus wasn’t probably totally there.

This series? This is huge for Auburn. On paper the Tigers have a better record, but UGA has had the edge in recent years. For Auburn, the goal is getting to Hoover and to do that you have to start out the gate strong. Right now, as I look around the league, there are three series the Tigers absolutely have to win to keep pace as one of the top 8 teams in the league: UGA, UT, and Mississippi State. We have to put ourselves in position to be better than 4 teams. Record wise and performance wise, those three teams are the ones who seem to be struggling and Auburn has to take advantage. For AU, the best scenario would be to win the series then watch UGA come on strong late and start knocking off teams like UK and Vandy which would then help Auburn gain a little ground. Bottom line, Auburn has to focus on winning the series so we don’t spend the rest of the SEC year playing from behind.

Dawg Sports: Brian Fletcher wears the number one on his jersey and stands at number one on the stat sheet with a .421 average, an .860 slugging percentage, 26 RBI, and seven home runs. Aside from Fletcher, which Auburn hitters ought to cause the Georgia pitching staff the most heartburn?

Plainsman Parking Lot: Hunter Morris is the first name that comes to mind. A former Red Sox second round pick, the first baseman has found his power stroke again (which Auburn fans are pleased with). He still has a bit to work on when it comes to his patience at the plate (I think he’s only drawn 3 walks on the season) but his order in the lineup could be affecting that. With Hunter batting before Fletch (normally) pitchers seemed to be more focused on battling Morris and making sure Fletch doesn’t come on with runners on.

Creede Simpson is another. The hometown product has been a great surprise this season and has really given Auburn some offensive balance at the top of the order. He has a little power, but his main weapon is speed and his ability to turn singles into doubles.

Finally, look out for Justin Fredejas. All signs are pointing to him returning to action this weekend. If he does, then Auburn will finally have a lead off speedster that we’ve been searching for the past couple of games after Justin went down to injury (hand) after the first game. The top of the lineup (on paper) is where Auburn does the most damage. However, CJP has sort of refocused that bottom half to pull their weight. That includes guys like Kevin Patterson (DH) and Utility guy Justin Bryant.

Dawg Sports: What has impressed you the most about the Auburn baseball team this season?

Plainsman Parking Lot: Our hitting philosophy overall has changed from last year. Last season, the Tigers would try to just slug the ball out of the park every play. The aggressive approach also killed Auburn (despite having one of highest HR totals in school history, we also broke the school record for Ks in a season).

This season, we’ve refocused on small ball. We (I might have to double check) lead the league in SAC hits. From timely bunting, to hit and runs, Auburn has focused on getting guys on, moving guys over, and getting them home. We don’t lack power (either leading or right behind Arkansas for HR lead in SEC) but now we aren’t reliant on HRs to score runs.

Dawg Sports: What about this Auburn team causes you the greatest concern?

Plainsman Parking Lot: Pitching. Plain and simple. Auburn’s weekend rotation is still in flux and the Tigers haven’t found the right combination. We have 6 starting pitchers: Slade Smith, Cole Nelson, Dexter Price, Grant Dayton, Corey Luckie, and Jon Luke Jacobs all competing for those coveted weekend spots. For now, it looks like Nelson and Luckie have secured two of them. That third is still a toss up. Because of the ineffectiveness with some of our starters, we’ve had to rely on our bullpen more. A bullpen which, to be honest, has struggled as well. The most frustrating thing is the amount of runs we’ve given up with 2 outs. I’ll have to look at the numbers later but more often than not, it seems that Auburn can get those first two men out easily then just simply implode. That reliance on the bullpen so early has led to the middle innings absolutely killing Auburn (you can see a post I did this week on it here).

Dawg Sports: Dexter Price and Cole Nelson are a combined 5-0 this season and both have sub-3.75 ERAs and are holding opposing hitters under .250 at the plate. Which of these two fine hurlers is Auburn’s ace? Put another way, which one ought to worry me more?

Plainsman Parking Lot: Nelson. Dexter Price made a midweek start this week where he made a case for his spot in the weekend (7ip/4h/6k/1bb/0er), so he’s done for a bit. Nelson came on during the first three games and kind of stole the role of Auburn’s ace. However, after his past start against Arizona State (2.1 ip/4h/3k/4bb/6er) and the struggle with control the start before that (3 wild pitches against Miami, OH) he’s losing that grip a little bit. If he regains his control and gets some run support then he can be lights out.

Dawg Sports: There are two schools of thought on the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. Some fans say it’s a fraternal rivalry, more good-natured than either school’s blood feud with its in-state rival. Others feel clean old-fashioned hate toward the other school. Where do you fall on this question and why?

Plainsman Parking Lot: I’m from Alabama so the Tide are enemy number 1 in my book. When I was in school I never understood how friends from Georgia would list the Bulldogs as the team they’d like to beat more (and Memphis guys listing Ole Miss. Odd). Personally, and for a while, I didn’t care about UGA. It wasn’t hate as much as it was a hateful respect. However, after watching Verne Lundquist dance around (as well as the entire Sanford Stadium) to Souja Boy, UGA is moving up there. Plus, the past two football games (that were close but absolute heartbreakers for Auburn) and the Bulldogs are slowly moving up. It’s really just a football hate, though. In other sports, it’s a bit of indifference. Yet, against Alabama, I’d want to beat them in a game of Monopoly if it counted in the SEC standings.

My thanks go out to Kevin for taking part in this exchange of interviews, and for providing exceptional coverage of Southeastern Conference baseball, an underappreciated sport if ever there was one. Be sure to check out Plainsman Parking Lot for my answers to Kevin’s questions.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Should the Georgia Bulldogs Open the 2011 Season in the Georgia Dome? Not Unless It's Against the Clemson Tigers

2010-03-17T11:56:55Z

Although the Georgia Bulldogs and the Clemson Tigers are set to renew their rivalry in 2013 and 2014, Dr. Saturday is right that a season-opening date in the Dome represents a golden opportunity for the old rivals to meet up at a neutral site for a game that actually counts.

Paul Westerdawg wants to schedule a game in the Dome in 2011 by dropping the increasingly unattractive series with the Louisville Cardinals. The problem is that I have no interest in playing a regular-season neutral site game in Atlanta against any opponent other than Clemson, and it isn’t clear that the Country Gentlemen are available in 2011.

ACC expansion already caused the Tigers to ditch a 2011 home date with the Oklahoma Sooners, and Clemson later picked up a 2011 home game against the Auburn Tigers. Will the Fort Hill Felines want to play Georgia in the Peach State during a season in which they host another historically strong SEC program and face ACC road outings against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Virginia Tech Hokies? I doubt it.

If we want to schedule a series with another ACC opponent---say, the North Carolina Tar Heels---let’s arrange a pair of home-and-home dates that have the ‘Dawgs hosting UNC between the hedges and traveling to Chapel Hill. If we want to face an Atlantic Coast Conference team other than Georgia Tech in Atlanta and it isn’t going to be Clemson, let’s do it on the hardwood rather than on the gridiron. If Damon Evans can get the Tigers on board for a 2011 season opener in the City Too Busy to Hate, I’ll order my tickets to that one right now. If it’s a non-rival team from the ACC, it’s a waste of our time, as we’ll be playing a team that is not in our weight class historically and giving that opponent an assist in its Peach State recruiting. Thanks, but no thanks.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Diamond Dogs Drop Close Contest in Atlanta: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 6, Georgia Bulldogs 5

2010-03-17T02:38:08Z

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Georgia	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	0	0	5	9	0
Georgia Tech	3	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	X	6	8	0

On Tuesday evening, the Diamond Dogs traveled to the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology, that bastion of spelling and capitalization skills and classy expressions of support for their team rather than of constant contempt for the opposition, for the first of three scheduled series meetings with the Yellow Jackets. As expected, the third-ranked Golden Tornado prevailed at the Flats, earning the victory by a 6-5 margin in a hard-fought contest.

The visitors appeared doomed from the start. The Red and Black sent three batters to the plate in the top of the first inning, and all three of them struck out swinging. The home team fared rather better in the bottom of the canto, as the first three Georgia Tech batters produced a one-run shot to right field, a walk, and a two-run shot to right field, respectively.

The visitors’ half of the second stanza showed some promise, as Robert Shipman led off with a single and Christian Glisson followed with a walk, but a strikeout, a flyout, and a groundout stranded them both. A Jay Dantzler home run in the lower half of the frame gave the Ramblin’ Wreck a 4-0 lead. Neither squad scored in the third inning.

After a three-up-and-three-down turn at the plate in the top of the fourth stanza, Steve Esmonde took over for Blake Dieterich, who struck out four, walked two, and gave up five hits and four earned runs in three cantos’ worth of work in his first start as a freshman. The new Georgia hurler extracted flyouts from three of the four batters he faced and Yellow Jacket starter Mark Pope kept the one-hitter going and preserved his 0.00 ERA by retiring the side in sequence in the top of the fifth frame.

After Justin Earls returned the favor by setting down all three batters he faced in the home half of the inning, Levi Hyams led off the visitors’ half of the sixth stanza with a base hit and Zach Cone brought him home with a triple. One out later, a Peter Verdin single plated the Georgia center fielder, so, by the time the canto concluded with runners stranded at the corners, the hits were tied at five per side and the Engineers’ lead had been halved.

No Georgia Tech batter made it as far as first base in the bottom of the frame, but Zach Taylor, Todd Hankins, and Hyams reached by being hit by a pitch, dropping a single into center field, and hitting into the fielder’s choice that cut down the lead runner at third, respectively, at the outset of the seventh stanza. A Cone triple to center field plated two to tie the game and force Pope from the mound, then Verdin drove a two-out double to left field to give the Classic City Canines an 8-5 edge in hits and a 5-4 lead in runs.

Jeff Rowland and Jacob Esch carded consecutive one-out singles in the bottom of the inning before Cooper Moseley came on with two outs away and surrendered the Cole Leonida single that evened the hits at eight and the runs at five. Matt Skole flied out to strand two and keep the contest knotted. The top of the eighth canto featured drama (in the form of a leadoff walk, an unsuccessful steal attempt, a single, and a wild pitch) but not scoring.

The hurling responsibilities devolved upon Alex McRee in the home half of the stanza and the latest Georgia pitcher proceeded to plunk the leadoff hitter and issue bases on balls to the next two batters to load the bases with no outs. Back-to-back strikeouts made it appear as though McRee might make it out of the jam, but he walked Esch to force home the go-ahead run before persuading Tony Plagman to stare at a called third strike. The damage was done and the Diamond Dogs went quietly in the top of the ninth inning.

Last year’s initial meeting between Georgia and Georgia Tech on the diamond lacked any redeeming value whatsoever; the same cannot be said for this contest. A young and injury-riddled Bulldog club with a .500 record went on the road to face a top ten team and battled a clearly superior squad to a virtual standstill. While the Yellow Jackets held the all-important 6-5 advantage in runs, the Red and Black out-hit their hosts 9-8 and neither combatant was charged with an error.

David Perno reshuffled his lineup for the midweek contest, moving Zach Cone into the leadoff spot, with Johnathan Taylor following him and Robert Shipman batting cleanup. The altered batting order failed to produce a run for the first five frames and Mark Pope struck out nine Bulldog batters during his time on the hill, but Cone (2 for 5, 3 RBI) and Peter Verdin (2 for 5, 2 RBI) ultimately responded reasonably well to their new placements. The bullpen allowed just two earned runs in five innings.

While a loss is a loss and losses are unacceptable, I was given a heck of a lot more hope by this one-run loss than I was by the last one. I extend my congratulations to the Yellow Jackets on their victory. Of course, I know it’s no big deal to them, since Georgia doesn’t define Georgia Tech in any way . . . nope, not a one, not a single solitary one, not at all!

Go ‘Dawgs!

How Hampered Have the Diamond Dogs Been By Injuries and Inexperience?

2010-03-16T09:00:22Z

I trust it goes without saying that I take a back seat to no denizen of Bulldog Nation in the pessimism of my outlook. (Oh, all right, I take a back seat to no denizen of Bulldog Nation under the age of 85; Larry Munson is a worrier in a class by himself, eclipsing even Wally Butts and Vince Dooley.)

Accordingly, I am not one to give credence to excuses when faith in the cruelty of fate and in the certitude that all forces in the known universe are arrayed against the Red and Black at every turn will suffice. It is, therefore, with extreme skepticism that I ask whether the Diamond Dogs’ disappointing 8-8 ledger really is as awful as it seems.

For one thing, David Perno’s club has struggled with injuries. Aside from the tragic injury to Chance Veazey that helped to put a mere game into its proper perspective, the Classic City Canines have yet to field their expected starting infield of Chase Davidson at first, Levi Hyams at second, Kyle Farmer at short, and Colby May at third. Instead, three of those four projected starters have missed at least nine games, with injuries sidelining Davidson (elbow, ankle), Farmer (wrist), and Hyams (back). This has caused much reshuffling, as May, Christian Glisson, Todd Hankins, Kevin Ruiz, and Robert Shipman have been substituted and shifted accordingly.

On paper, this has cost Georgia in terms of experience. Last Sunday’s batting lineup consisted of freshmen Hankins, Shipman, Brett DeLoach, and Cooper Moseley and sophomores Glisson, May, Zach Cone, Johnathan Taylor, and Peter Verdin. Tonight’s projected starter on the hill, southpaw Blake Dieterich, is a freshman. That’s a lot of youth for one ball club.

How harmed have the Bulldogs been by those personnel losses and roster switches, though? Has losing Kyle Farmer on the one hand and replacing Chase Davidson with Robert Shipman on the other hand really hampered the Red and Black? See for yourself:

Player	BA	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SLG%	BB	OB%	FLD%
Kyle Farmer	.458	24	4	11	0	5	.667	1	.480	.935
Robert Shipman	.458	24	9	11	3	10	.875	7	.563	1.000

With all due respect to Farmer, it’s hard to call that trading down.

Only one upperclassman, junior infielder Robbie O’Bryan, has seen action anywhere other than the mound this season, and he has managed all of one start, four game appearances, seven at-bats, no hits, and no walks. Among the three weekend starters on the pitching staff, sophomore Michael Palazzone has worked the most innings, thrown the fewest wild pitches, and posted the only winning record. The oldest of the starting hurlers, senior Jeff Walters, has the highest ERA, the most hits surrendered, the most earned runs allowed, the highest batting average permitted, and the fewest victories.

Consequently, I have a tough time using youth as excuse. Youth is starting over experience where youth gives the Diamond Dogs the best chance to win, and the key injuries to Davidson, Farmer, Hyams, and Veazey deprived the team of a pair of freshmen and a couple of sophomores. It isn’t as though the squad lost loads of senior leadership when players were hurt. This was always going to be a young team.

All of that, I suppose, is to say that you win some, you lose some, and some are rained out, although a few minutiae leap out from the stat sheet, for whatever they might be worth; viz.:

The Red and Black have been outscored in each of the first three innings, by a cumulative tally of 50-32.

Georgia has struggled against southpaws, going 7-4 against right-handed starters yet 1-4 in games in which the initial hurler was a lefty.

This is a team that can hold on to win, but it is not yet a team that can come back to win. The Classic City Canines are 8-2 when leading or tied after six stanzas yet 0-6 when trailing after that many. Those numbers change to 8-1 when leading or tied after seven and 0-7 when trailing with two innings remaining, and those same numbers hold true at the end of eight frames, as well. The "1" in those "leading after . . ." numbers, by the way, came this past Sunday, when the Red and Black lost a one-run game for the first time this year. The series finale against Siena also represents the only outing of 2010 in which the Bulldogs scored more than five runs in defeat.

Georgia is as likely to win a blowout as to lose a blowout, as the Athenians are 5-5 in games decided by five or more runs. That may indicate that the Diamond Dogs’ patsy opponents are really, really bad and their quality competition is really, really good.

Leaping out to an early lead matters; the Red and Black are 5-1 when scoring first yet 3-7 when the other team notches the initial run. Getting hits matters even more; the Classic City Canines have not lost a game in which they out-hit the opposition. Miscues matter only marginally, though; the Bulldogs are 0-3 when playing errorless baseball yet 7-1 when charged with one mistake. I don’t know if that means someone should boot a routine grounder on purpose in the top of the ninth if we’re ahead at home---call it an "insurance error"---but I do know that the errors attributed to the injury-riddled and inexperienced infield, like the penalty flags thrown in football games, tend, on average, to be less harmful than we presume them to be.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Interview with WREK Sports Director on Eve of Georgia-Georgia Tech Baseball Game

2010-03-16T00:14:58Z

Regular readers of Dawg Sports already are familiar with Richard Schrade, who has taken a sabbatical to hike the Appalachian Trail. Richard’s son, also named Richard Schrade, is a student at the Georgia Institute of Technology and he serves as the play-by-play man for Georgia Tech baseball on WREK 91.1 FM. Through the assistance of the younger Schrade, I was able to conduct an e-mail interview with Kyle Tait, the WREK sports director, previewing Tuesday night’s matchup in Atlanta between the Diamond Dogs and their in-state rivals. Here is our exchange:

Dawg Sports: Chase Burnette leads the Yellow Jackets with a .462 batting average, Tony Plagman tops the team with five home runs, and Cole Leonida is tied for first in slugging percentage among everyday players. Of which of these hitters should the Bulldogs be most wary, or is there a secret weapon lurking in the Georgia Tech lineup?

Kyle Tait: The three guys you mentioned are huge to the offense, but what makes the Jackets so good nationally is that they have a multitude of guys who can step up and hit well on any given day. Burnette's been great, finding holes and ripping the occasional home run. Solid contact often breeds good power, and Chase has been a great surprise for the Jackets after non-regular playing time last season. As for Plagman, he's hitting as well as expected, with six home runs through Sunday's game against Wake Forest. He's started out the season on a tear and should continue to hit well and raise his draft stock throughout the season. And you can't forget Leonida--he sat behind Jason Haniger last year behind the plate, but got a lot of playing time in the DH role because they wanted his bat in the order. Now with regular catching time, he's been solid both offensively and defensively.

But beyond that, the Jackets have a huge number of other weapons in their order. Center fielder Jeff Rowland at the top has great raw talent. He's had a tough time getting on base early in the year, but he could break out of the early season slump at any time. His strikeout totals are bound to go down soon enough. Another guy that can really step up is Matt Skole, Tech's third baseman--his decision-making at the plate could improve, but when he puts a bat on the ball, it goes a long way. You also can't forget Jacob Esch, who was batting upwards of .450 coming into the weekend. Not much power from the former relief pitcher, but he's been great getting on base and getting hits in clutch situation with runners in scoring position. He's third on the team in RBIs.

Those guys may not get as much publicity as Burnette, Plagman and Leonida, but they're just as key to the Jackets' great offense.

Dawg Sports: The Yellow Jackets have opened the season with a 13-1 run to earn a top five ranking and eleven of their wins have come at home. How important is home field advantage to Georgia Tech’s success?

Kyle Tait: I'm not one to buy into the idea of home field advantage as a key factor in baseball. The Jackets have played Missouri State, Xavier, Rutgers, and Wake Forest. Of the four teams, Missouri State and Xavier are predicted to be at or near the top of their respective conferences (Missouri Valley Conference and Atlantic 10), but the caliber of play of those two conferences just can't compare to the caliber of the ACC. Tech overpowered both of them, with the exception of the one Sunday game which Xavier won by a run-- and Tech really beat themselves in that game with four errors.

As for Rutgers (Big East) and Wake Forest (ACC), both are predicted to be mid- to bottom-of-the-pack in their conferences. As the Jackets get further into tougher ACC opponents, we'll see how much home-field-advantage is a factor. I sure hope it doesn't play a role though, as Tech has tough road series later in the year at North Carolina and at Virginia, two top-15 conference opponents.

Dawg Sports: The in-state rivals are scheduled to meet for midweek contests at Georgia Tech on March 16, at Georgia on April 14, and at Turner Field on April 27, but there has been talk of arranging a three-game weekend set between the two teams. Should the series be moved to a weekend so it can feature both squads’ regular starting pitching rotation or kept on the weekdays?

Kyle Tait: To my knowledge, the decision to have three scattered weekday games has a few motivating factors. For one, attendance is a big issue with a weekend series--more people are going to be willing to come to single games scattered through the year than they will be to spend an entire weekend at a three-game series. In addition, the ACC and SEC have plenty of big weekend series within conference. To add another big series between Tech and UGA takes away from the easy, "off-"weekend series against easier out-of-conference squads early in the year.

That being said, in terms of competition, I do like the idea of a three-game set over the weekend, as we'd see the best pitchers and players on the mound for both teams. It's certainly doable--one big in-state rivalry nearby, Clemson and South Carolina, already has a home-and-away-and-neutral three-game series at the start of the year. For competition, it's a great idea, but I highly doubt it will actually happen anytime soon. There are a lot of factors to consider, both monetarily and administratively, and it would take a huge push from both parties to make it happen. It's just easier with the three games scattered through the season.

My thanks go out to both Richard Schrades, and especially to Kyle Tait, for making this interview possible on short notice. While I have a bad feeling about the Diamond Dogs’ prospects for pulling off the victory over the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta tomorrow night, I had a bad feeling about Georgia’s chances against Georgia Tech at the Flats in the fall, too, and that turned out all right.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Georgia Sports Report: Bulldogs Reach Milestones in Track and Tennis, Gym Dogs Triumph at Senior Night While Diamond Dogs Fall in Ninth

2010-03-15T11:17:26Z

For a day that was one hour shorter than normal, Sunday was a long one for the Georgia faithful and for me in particular. Due to obligations in Athens later in the day (about which more anon), I attended the early church service (which, due to the time change, effectively was an hour earlier than ordinarily is the case) and left for the Classic City shortly thereafter, returning in time for my son’s Upward basketball team dinner in the evening. Consequently, I was worn out by the time we got home, which is why this recap is literally a day late and figuratively a dollar short. Here is what went on in Bulldog Nation over the weekend:

A Georgia sophomore captured the Bulldogs’ first NCAA indoor track title: Torrin Lawrence received his second all-America certificate and won the national championship with a first-place time in the 400-meter dash at the NCAA indoor championships on Saturday. Lawrence defeated the Crimson Tide’s Kirani James by four-tenths of a second and posted the second-fastest time in NCAA finals history. The 45.23-second time was the third-best of Lawrence’s career. The Georgia underclassman earlier in the year clocked a 45.03, which was the best in the world for 2010. (Hat tip: kleph.)

The No. 9 men’s tennis team placed Manuel Diaz in select company: The Georgia men’s tennis team justified its top ten ranking by winning its seventh consecutive match. The victory extended the Bulldogs’ home winning streak to 71 and made coach Manuel Diaz the sixth Georgia coach in any sport to reach 500 career wins. Half of the Bulldog skippers to have reached that milestone did so on the tennis court, as Dan Magill accomplished that feat in men’s tennis (and went on to card 706 career victories) and Jeff Wallace did likewise in women’s tennis.

Gymnastics - Georgia Bulldogs 196.8, N.C. State Wolfpack 193.9: On senior night at Stegeman Coliseum, the Gym Dogs clinched their 24th straight home victory over N.C. State, the only unranked opponent Georgia faced this season. The Wolfpack were ranked 25th last week before falling out of the poll.

Courtney McCool, Marcia Newby, and Grace Taylor were among the five gymnasts competing in their final regular-season meet and they went out in style with their 100th career win. Georgia claimed the top scorer in all four events, with Kat Ding leading the way both on the bars (9.975) and on the vault (9.925), Hilary Mauro and Christa Tanella tying for the top spot on the beam at 9.85, and McCool finishing first in the floor exercise with a 9.975.

Baseball - Siena Saints 10, Georgia Bulldogs 9: The Diamond Dogs ended their weekend on a down note by dropping the final outing of their three-game set on Sunday afternoon. Jeff Walters surrendered six hits and five runs in the visitors’ half of the first frame before settling down and holding the Saints to five hits and two runs in the next four innings. Walters struck out six and walked only one.

The Red and Black responded with four runs in the first canto and two more in the second, aided by a Robert Shipman blast to straightaway center field. Colby May also went yard at the start of the sixth stanza and Cecil Tanner pitched Georgia out of a jam in a Nuke LaLoosh-style performance that saw him record three strikeouts while throwing well over the batter’s head more than once, but Siena designated hitter Gary DerHagopian’s three-run blast in the top of the ninth frame made the difference and allowed the Saints to avoid the sweep.

It was a good game in spite of the loss (and in spite of the cold) because we made a family outing of the afternoon. My wife, our son, our daughter, and I traveled to Athens to take in the game at Foley Field with my sister-in-law, her husband, and their two sons. While we were waiting for the rest of our party to arrive, my son asked several questions about Spud Chandler, Frank Foley, and Big Jim Whatley, whose legacies are commemorated with plaques and a statue outside the stadium. (Thomas also spotted a Volkswagen Beetle at the corner of Pinecrest Drive and Rutherford Street, at which point he socked me in the arm and said, "There’s a yellow one." Darn you, Super Bowl ad starring Stevie Wonder!)

We were behind the visitors’ dugout on the third-base side. I picked up a cap for a $20.00 contribution to the Prayers for Chance Fund. We learned that, for the low low price of $14.00, you can get a bucket of popcorn in a commemorative tub approximately large enough to use for bathing a baby. My kids not only attended their first college baseball game but also made it through nine full innings. A good time was had by all. If you’ve never been to a game at Foley Field, go.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Siena	5	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	3	10	15	1
Georgia	4	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	9	11	0

Go ‘Dawgs!

Diamond Dogs Take Series on Saturday: Georgia Bulldogs 12, Siena Saints 7

2010-03-14T02:07:38Z

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Siena	2	0	2	0	0	3	0	0	0	7	11	2
Georgia	1	1	0	6	1	0	3	0	X	12	10	1

After taking a pounding in each of their previous five games, the Diamond Dogs snapped their losing streak with a win over Siena on Friday. The Red and Black followed that up with another victory over the Saints in Saturday afternoon’s meeting at Foley Field.

Justin Grimm retired the first batter he faced in the top of the initial inning, but he plunked the second, allowed the baserunner to advance on a wild pitch, and walked the next two visitors to load the bases. The next Saint to step into the batter’s box hit into a fielder’s choice and a Levi Hyams error allowed two runs to score. The Classic City Canines halved the deficit in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run by Robert Shipman for the freshman infielder’s first career dinger.

Georgia knotted the score in the home half of the second stanza. Christian Glisson drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second when Colby May reached on a Siena error. Zach Taylor reached on the fielder’s choice that put runners at the corners, allowing Todd Hankins to plate a run on a base hit.

Ben Cornwell took over for the ill Grimm in the top of the third canto and conceded a two-out single and a two-run blast to center field. The Saints retained their 4-2 advantage until the bottom of the fourth frame, when the Athenians had their breakout inning just as they had the day before. A hit batsman, a base on balls, and a single loaded the bases and each of the next five Diamond Dogs to step up to the plate was credited with an RBI on a single, a walk, a plunking, and a pair of sacrifice flies.

After Glisson drew a walk, a May single plated another run to make it a three-hit, six-run stanza. The Red and Black added to their lead in the home half of the fifth canto when Zach Cone walked with two outs and the bases loaded. Siena made up some lost ground in the top of the sixth inning when five singles translated into three runs.

The last of the scoring occurred in the lower half of the seventh frame. Johnathan Taylor registered a one-out single and Peter Verdin brought the baserunner home on a double. Shipman’s ensuing home run made the score 12-7 and the Georgia hurlers held the Saints hitless in the final two innings to notch a Red and Black victory.

Visiting catcher Gary DerHagopian’s one home run and three RBI were countered by the two home runs and four RBI of Robert Shipman, who started at first base due to Chase Davidson’s sprained ankle. Although Georgia was out-hit by Siena, the Bulldogs drew ten walks to lay alongside their ten hits. Seven Athenians batted in at least one run and six Classic City Canines collected at least one base on balls.

Five Red and Black pitchers combined to card twice as many strikeouts (8) as walks (4), while the win went to Justin Earls despite the fact that the Georgia middle reliever gave up six of the Saints’ eleven hits and three of the visitors’ six earned runs. Once again, it was only Siena, but the Diamond Dogs are back above .500 with an 8-7 record and looking to go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Georgia Sports Report: Diamond Dogs Prevail at Home While Fox Hounds and Gym Dogs Fall Away From Athens

2010-03-13T05:24:46Z

Friday night was a busy evening in Bulldog Nation, as the baseball team was in action in Athens, the gymnastics team was in action in Ann Arbor, and the men’s basketball team was in action in Nashville in the SEC tournament quarterfinals. As was the case last Saturday, this busy schedule proved too much for a lone blogger to cover and too much for two-thirds of the Georgia athletics squads to handle.

Men’s Basketball - Vanderbilt Commodores 78, Georgia Bulldogs 66: In the tradition of my usual instantaneous ill-informed roundball wrapups, I’m going to give pretty short shrift to tonight’s basketball game, since brevity sometimes gets rave reviews. The Fox Hounds kept this one close for a while with a strong second-half run, but, at the end of the evening, this game was a microcosm of the Hoop Dogs’ whole season. Heart, grit, more fundamentally sound play, and the ability to hang tough with anyone on any given night ultimately could not overcome poor rebounding, streaky play, and lack of depth.

The comment thread (to which I was late to arrive) said it better than I could, but, if we had to sum up this season succinctly, we would have to characterize this not as a season that brought success but as the season that turned our hope into faith. This is not a good basketball team right now . . . but it will be. What was a question of "if" has become a matter of "when." It ain’t much, but it is something, which is better than nothing, and, in the due course of time, it may turn out to be everything.

Gymnastics - Michigan Wolverines 196.375, Georgia Bulldogs 195.8: The fifth-ranked Gym Dogs visited Crisler Arena to face No. 12 Michigan and came up short in the non-conference clash. The Maize and Blue carded back-to-back 49.15s in the first two rotations, during which the Red and Black posted a 49.025 in the vault after Kat Ding earned a 9.9 and notched a 49 on the bars, led by Marcia Newby’s 9.85.

The Gym Dogs edged the hometown Wolverines by a 48.925-48.775 margin in the third rotation, in which Michigan was on the beam and Georgia took part in a floor exercise that featured Courtney McCool’s 9.875, but that was not enough to overcome what occurred when the teams switched events.

In the final rotation, the Red and Black posted their lowest score of the meet (48.85) on the beam and the Maize and Blue put up their highest tally of the contest (49.3) on the floor. The meet was marred by diminishing returns for the visitors, as the Gym Dogs earned a lower team score in each rotation than they had in the one before.

Baseball - Georgia Bulldogs 9, Siena Saints 3: On a weekend during which petty Big 12 criticisms of SEC baseball had to be answered repeatedly (again), the Diamond Dogs got their three-game set with Siena off to a good start by snapping a five-game skid with a 9-3 home win.

The Classic City Canines leapt out to an early advantage when Peter Verdin sent a solo shot to left field in the home half of the first frame. The Saints tied it up in the top of the third canto when the visiting third baseman led off with a base hit and came home on a sacrifice groundout and an RBI single , but Georgia answered in the bottom of the inning on another Verdin home run to left.

A four-hit, four-run fourth frame got underway for the Diamond Dogs when Levi Hyams was plunked with two outs away and the next four Georgia batters registered a trio of singles and a double. Aided by a Bulldog error, Siena responded with a pair of runs in the visitors’ half of the fifth stanza, only to see the Red and Black get one run back in the bottom of the inning when Christian Glisson dropped a base hit into center field, stole second, and came home on a Zach Taylor single.

The Classic City Canines built on their lead in the sixth canto, beginning with a leadoff double by Verdin. A Zach Cone single brought him the rest of the way around, and, after the Georgia center fielder swiped second, Colby May sent an RBI base hit into center field. The remainder of the game was scoreless, though not uneventful, as the Saints loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the ninth frame before Cecil Tanner retired the next three Siena batters.

There’s only so much you can read into a home win over a non-conference opponent you can’t locate on a map, but, at this point (both in the season and in the evening), a win is a win. The Diamond Dogs surrendered only two earned runs, the bullpen pitched four scoreless innings, and the Red and Black hurlers did not issue a walk in the first eight frames. While the star of the show, obviously, was Peter Verdin (4 for 5, 3 RBI, 2 HR), the Georgia right fielder was one of five Bulldogs to register multiple hits and Zach Cone also drove in three runs. Yeah, it was just Siena, but the Classic City Canines needed to have a good night, and, to their credit, they did.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Siena	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	12	0
Georgia	1	0	1	4	1	2	0	0	X	9	15	1

Go ‘Dawgs!

Georgia Bulldogs v. Vanderbilt Commodores Basketball Game Night Open Comment Thread

2010-03-13T01:15:09Z

Ah, just another Friday night in March. A Diamond Dogs baseball game, a Gym Dogs gymnastics meet, and . . . wait a tick. What's this? Basketball? Well, sure, I mean, Andy Landers . . . no, hold on, those are guys! What the heck is the Georgia men's basketball team doing playing a game on March 12? There's been some sort of mistake.

Son of a gun. I just checked, and that's not a typo. The Georgia Bulldogs are playing the Vanderbilt Commodores in ~~the last game of the season~~ (hey, it worked last night) the SEC tournament quarterfinals. If you're up that late and you haven't gone into shock over the fact that the Hoop Dogs won a conference game outside of Stegeman Coliseum, by all means, have at it in the comments below.

Go 'Dawgs!

Hmmm... Interesting weather forecast for the Nashville area tonight. Severe thunderstorms? ...

2010-03-12T15:10:43Z

Hmmm...

Interesting weather forecast for the Nashville area tonight. Severe thunderstorms? Check. Tornadoes? Wait and See.
I'll take the Dawgs, with a twist....

Instantaneous Ill-Informed Roundball Wrapup: Georgia Bulldogs 77, Arkansas Razorbacks 64

2010-03-12T05:22:33Z

Well, I'll be danged.

Go 'Dawgs!

Kyle Gets Contrary: Why the Georgia Bulldogs Should Not Play an Exhibition Game Against the Clemson Tigers

2010-03-12T01:48:58Z

It's so very infrequent that you and TKyle disagree in print! My faith is shaken in the Bulldog nation's glorious blogospheric leaders! Next thing you know, one of you will make a power move and someone'll end up stuffed in an open casket in Butts-Mehre.

Will to Paul Westerdawg

Well, I don’t know that it’s as bad as all that, but I do disagree with Paul when he says: "I see little value in playing Clemson more than one series per decade in football (regular season). Mainly because it benefits them more than us in terms of in state recruiting."

Paul wants to see the Bulldogs play the Tigers annually in basketball, and I agree with him. I’m glad we still play the Country Gentlemen every year in a two-game series in baseball. It makes no sense to me to play a major rival in other sports but not in the biggest sport; what are we, Notre Dame playing is-you-is-or-is-you-ain’t-my-baby with the Big East? We don’t want to stoop to the level of some insignificant quasi-independent small sectarian has-been institution in rural Indiana that couldn’t even keep us from swiping the College Football Hall of Fame right out from under their upturned noses, do we?

Besides, if we’re going to quit playing non-conference opponents whose Peach State recruiting benefits from their games against the Bulldogs, we’re going to quit playing non-conference opponents, starting with Georgia Tech. We can’t take our ball and go home, nor should we want to do so. You don’t hear Florida fans complaining that an annual game in Jacksonville provides Georgia with a Sunshine State recruiting beachhead, although we demonstrably and undeniably benefit from the location of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party every February.

Clemson is one of our oldest and most heated rivals. We’ve been playing the Tigers seven years longer than we’ve been playing the Gators. In the 20 seasons from 1897 to 1916, the only team the Fort Hill Felines played 20 times was Georgia; in those same 20 seasons, the only team the Classic City Canines played 20 times was Clemson. The Bulldogs faced the Tigers 24 times in 26 seasons between 1962 and 1987, with no out-of-conference rivalry being more consequential in the 1980s than the border war running along I-85. Assuming the two teams do not meet in a bowl at the end of the 2010 campaign, Georgia and Clemson will enter the 2011 season having gone more than seven years without meeting on the gridiron for the first time in either of their histories.

This brings me to Dabo Swinney’s recent remarks regarding a Georgia-Clemson exhibition game, which generated reactions from Team Speed Kills, David Hale, Senator Blutarsky, The Grit Tree, The Leather Helmet Blog, Bill King, and the aforementioned Paul Westerdawg. The consensus in "The Dawgosphere" has been positive, to say the least.

I take the contrary view. Even assuming that the NCAA would allow such a thing, the risk of injury in a meaningless game would be too great . . . and there literally may be no harder-hitting rivalry the Bulldogs have than their series with the Tigers.

Prior to the 1986 clash between the two clubs, Georgia linebacker John Brantley declared: "This is one to see who the men are. It is the kind of game where women and children need to be sitting in the top level because bones are going to be cracking. It’s going to be really intense." Three years earlier, Vince Dooley had proclaimed that the Bulldogs’ rivalry with Clemson was "a series as heated as we have, a game as intense as we play."

That same year, Red and Black assistant sports editor Edward Thomas wrote that the two teams "have always fought fiercely on the field, but in recent years a bitter hatred has erupted between fans of the two schools, due to the colleges’ proximity, mutual success of both football programs, and the hotly-contested recruitment of Herschel Walker." The passage of two decades did little to change that sentiment, as a 2003 article in the Fort Hill student newspaper, The Tiger, panned ACC expansion by noting that "many Clemson fans, particularly ones who attended Clemson in the 70s and 80s, would rather see the Tigers take on the Bulldogs every year. . . . [R]ivalries like Clemson-Georgia are good for the landscape of sports."

Multiple journalists have noted the peculiar ferocity of the series. Before attaining on-air fame with ESPN, Ivan Maisel observed that "the rivalry has grown big enough here that quarterback Homer Jordan can say, ‘It’s getting bigger than the South Carolina game’ and no one blinks an eye." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Jeff Denberg concurred that "[n]either has played more fiercely against an opponent in recent times." Tony Barnhart called the rivalry "even more intense" than war and the Greenville News-Piedmont’s Dan Foster quoted a University of Georgia athletic official as saying, "I think now the Georgia Tech game is the one we’d hate most to lose, but the Clemson game is the one we most want to win."

Those sentiments were expressed about a rivalry that is not suited to a simulation reminiscent of a Gettysburg re-enactment; you don’t challenge your old enemy to a duel if you don’t intend to use live ammo. To paraphrase Chris Rock from his distinctly NSFW video of more than a decade ago:

No matter what a blogger tells you, there is no football in the spring game. Oh, there’s non-contact scrimmage in the spring game, but you don’t want non-contact scrimmage; you want football . . . and there is no football in the spring game.

I’m all for renewing hostilities with the Country Gentlemen, but there’s no use pussyfooting around with the Fort Hill Felines. Take off the green jerseys, break out the orange pants and the red britches, and play some football in the fall. The Arena League, the NFL, and whatever that European thing is that involves those metric four-point field goals provide me all the meaningless exhibitions I can stand. This is a competition that counts, not a ballet recital, for crying out loud.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Georgia Bulldogs v. Arkansas Razorbacks Basketball Game Night Open Comment Thread

2010-03-12T01:15:10Z

Settle in, Hoop Dogs fans; the ~~last game of the 2009-2010 basketball season~~ first game of the SEC tournament is upon us!

The SB Nation tournament preview is available to whet your appetite for roundball, although all-SEC first-teamer Trey Thompkins garners the Fox Hounds' only meaningful mention, which is fair, considering the won-lost record with which Georgia completed the regular season. For their part, Hog fans appear to have their doubts about the Razorbacks, as well.

Clearly, there are better days ahead for the Bulldogs, but it remains to be seen whether this is one of them. You are cordially invited to cheer on the Red and Black in the comments below.

Go 'Dawgs!

College Football Hall of Fame Ballot Released: Three Bulldogs Present, Erk Russell Absent

2010-03-11T19:00:18Z

The National Football Foundation has released the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, which features 77 players and seven coaches from the Division I-A ranks. As anticipated, the name of Erskine "Erk" Russell does not appear on the ballot because Coach Russell's candidacy will be considered by the Veterans Committee in April. The full ballot may be downloaded in .pdf format here.

In the meantime, three former Georgia players are on the ballot for induction: Jake Scott (defensive back, 1967-1968), Matt Stinchcomb (offensive tackle, 1995-1998), and Scott Woerner (defensive back, 1977-1980). Ballots are due by March 31, presumably in order to allow the results to be known by the Veterans Committee before its work begins early next month.

The membership of the Veterans Committee is kept private in order to spare the members from being bombarded with solicitations. Should Coach Russell's candidacy not pass muster with the Veterans Committee, the next step would be to examine the process for changing (or obtaining a waiver of) the ten-year rule, which is all that stands between Erk and the honor he deserves.

Go 'Dawgs!

A Look Ahead at the Georgia Bulldogs' 2013 Football Schedule: Back to the Future

2010-03-11T01:49:10Z

We need to play Clemson more…some of those names, Igwebuike in particular, raised my blood pressure just a tad.

DavetheDawg

As an emphatic advocate for reviving the rivalry, I could not agree more wholeheartedly with the above sentiment. I was, therefore, most pleased when Georgia and Clemson announced in 2005 that the Bulldogs and the Tigers would tangle with one another in 2013 and 2014, with the former game being played in Death Valley and the latter contest taking place in Sanford Stadium.

At the time, the exact dates of the games had not yet been determined, but it seemed logical for the two teams to face off in the season opener for both squads. That, though, is not to be, as David Hale confirms. The Red and Black will host the Mean Green of North Texas on August 31, 2013, and Appalachian State will come calling in the Classic City at a later date that same autumn.

Presently, there are four available Saturdays on the Bulldogs’ 2013 slate: September 7, between home dates against North Texas and South Carolina; September 21, between home dates against South Carolina and Alabama; October 5, between a home date against Alabama and a road game at Tennessee; and November 9, between a neutral site date against Florida and a home game against Auburn.

Three of those dates make no sense. Shoehorning a road game against Clemson between Alabama and Tennessee or between Florida and Auburn would be suicidal, and opening the season with back-to-back patsy games against North Texas and Appalachian State would defeat a large part of the purpose of such outings. It makes considerably more sense to move the date with the Mountaineers to one of the open Saturdays before the Alabama, Tennessee, or Auburn games (much as Georgia did with Tennessee Tech last year).

In practical terms, that means the only sensible date for the Classic City Canines’ clash with the Fort Hill Felines is September 7, after the season opener against North Texas but before the SEC opener against South Carolina.

If that turns out to be the case, the 2013 season will feature a Vince Dooley-style schedule . . . and, for once, I mean that as a compliment. Back in the day, when both the Country Gentlemen and the Gamecocks were perennial non-conference foes, Georgia routinely made the Palmetto State circuit in consecutive contests.

Between the first series meeting in 1894 and the latest series meeting in 2009, the Bulldogs played South Carolina 62 times. Between the first series meeting in 1897 and the latest series meeting in 2003, the Bulldogs played Clemson 62 times. Georgia faced both opponents from our neighboring state back-to-back as early as 1903 and such a sequence became the norm in 1962.

In his 25-year career on the Red and Black sideline, Coach Dooley faced the Gamecocks and the Tigers one right after the other sixteen times. Of Coach Dooley’s six Southeastern Conference championship teams, half featured contests with both Palmetto State opponents in consecutive outings.

Once finalized, the Bulldogs’ 2013 slate is apt to have a familiar look to it. Think of it as a "throwback" schedule. With a little luck, maybe it will feature some throwback results, as well.

Go ‘Dawgs!

You Win Some, You Lose Some, and Tonight Was Rained Out

2010-03-11T00:18:24Z

Following Tuesday night's debacle, the Diamond Dogs were slated to take on the Owls in Kennesaw tonight, but the inclement weather caused the game to be canceled. Honestly, I'm having a hard time viewing this as a bad thing.

As a result, Georgia gets the night off and the Classic City Canines will return to the diamond on Friday to begin a three-game set with Siena. Hopefully, the Saints---yes, I had to Google it, too---will be sky-high over their basketball team's MAAC tournament championship and will not bring their A game to Athens. We could use an opponent's C game right about now.

Go 'Dawgs!

Um, this is still a good baseball conference, right? At least, it used to be. Right? I'm not...

2010-03-10T12:09:46Z

Um, this is still a good baseball conference, right? At least, it used to be. Right? I'm not misremembering things, am I? Because this didn't look like a very good baseball conference on Tuesday.

Sure, you expect a team like Tennessee to lose to a team like Western Kentucky once in a while. The Hilltoppers are a pretty good team, and the Vols are far from one of the SEC's name brands. So a 5-4 defeat in extra innings isn't too bad.

But Arkansas -- losing to South Dakota State?!? Arkansas is supposed to be a good team. Ranked and everything. South Dakota State is not. How not? Boyd's World has them 185th in its pseudo-RPI. This, suffice it to say, not ranked. And while the "whatever you call South Dakota State"s having a winning record, that RPI is below, say, 4-8 Kennesaw State. The Owls are 151st.

Speaking of Kennesaw State: Georgia played them Tuesday. And lost. By a score of 11-1. To put that in football terms for SEC fans, it would be like Vanderbilt defeating Alabama. By 70.

Baseball is a strange game. Unlike college football, the better team will lose many times over the course of a season. So, all hope is not lost for any of these teams yet.

C&F calls 'em like he sees 'em.

I actually think that was intended to make Georgia fans feel better. If so, it failed utterly at its objective.

Diamond Dogs' Disastrous 2010 Campaign Continues: Kennesaw State Owls 11, Georgia Bulldogs 1

2010-03-10T01:32:03Z

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kennesaw State	0	0	7	0	1	1	0	1	1	11	13	1
Georgia	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	3

Following a recent run so sorry it even brought forth an outpouring of sympathy from a South Carolina fan, the Diamond Dogs returned home to Foley Field for a game against Kennesaw State that might have been just what the doctor ordered, were it not for the fact that the Clarke County club has struggled with its Cobb County neighbor. Once again, the Owls were not what they seemed, as KSU crushed the home team on Tuesday night.

Following a hitless first frame featuring a pair of hit batsmen and a scoreless second stanza producing only one baserunner, Kennesaw State took command in the top of the third canto. The big inning began with a leadoff single by Peyton Hart. Jordan Craft notched a base hit of his own in the next at-bat and, with one out away, Tyler Stubblefield sent a single into left field to score a run. A Josh Whitaker walk loaded the bases for Drew Fowlkes, who was issued the base on balls that forced home another run.

At that point, Eric Swegman was pulled from the mound and replaced by Blake Dieterich, who struck out Ronnie Freeman before plunking Clint Roques to bring home a run, surrendering the single to Ross Tendler that pushed two more across, and giving up the ensuing base hit to Hart that scored two more. By the time Craft popped up, the Owls held a 7-0 lead.

Georgia’s only response was a leadoff home run by Cooper Moseley in the bottom of the canto. KSU went three up and three down in the visitors’ half of the fourth frame and the Bulldogs loaded the bases in the lower half of the canto yet came away with nothing. The Owls turned two hits, a hit batsman, and a Red and Black error into a run in the top of the fifth inning but the Athenians offered no retort in their turn at bat, as the side was retired in sequence.

A double, a walk, and an error allowed Kennesaw State to plate an unearned run in the upper half of the sixth stanza. Georgia responded with another hitless inning. Each team registered a hit yet neither team scored a run in the seventh frame. A walk and a pair of singles added up to a run for the Owls in the top of the eighth canto. No Diamond Dog reached base in the bottom of the inning.

A single, another Georgia error, and a triple tacked on another KSU run in the top of the ninth frame before the Bulldogs came up for their last chance at making a game of it. The Red and Black had two men aboard with one man out when Moseley sent a double-play ball to short.

We have now entered the territory occupied by Albert Brooks during his historic on-air attack of flop-sweat in "Broadcast News": this is so off-the-chart bad, it has just gotten funny. Georgia committed three meaningful errors; Kennesaw State was not guilty of a miscue until the ninth stanza, when the game was well out of reach. The Bulldogs gave up a big inning early and surrendered scores in four of the final five frames to allow the Owls to build on their lead, whereas the Red and Black came within one swing of the bat of being shut out at home. Had the Classic City Canines collected twice as many hits as they did, KSU still would have out-hit the Athenians.

Georgia used six pitchers and the only one who didn’t give up a run was Zach Laughlin, who faced the last three Kennesaw State batters of the contest. The first seven Bulldogs in the Red and Black order together went two for 23 with no runs, no RBI, and one walk. Those are the kinds of statistics you make up for a fictional account of a band of lovable losers who are transformed into champions in the second half of the film by grit, moxie, gumption, the homespun wisdom of an irascible manager whose gruff exterior conceals a soft heart underneath, and the love of an alabaster beauty of wealth and breeding who cheers on the indefatigable hero while wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

In reality, however, those numbers merely represent evidence that last year’s late-season disaster has carried over to a 2010 that already is circling the drain. Those of us who view the glass as half-empty (or worse) just picked up a few more votes for our position.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Scouting Report Request from the Falcoholic

2010-03-09T19:46:32Z

Afternoon, Dawgs fans.

Dropping by from SB Nation's Atlanta Falcons blog with a request for scouting info on UGA's potential 2010 draftees. Planning a post on local guys the Falcons could draft, ranked by how likely we are to pick them up.

As a Tech fan (BOOOO) who sees only a couple UGA games per year, I have a few questions, especially about Rennie Curran and Reshad Jones.

Jones plays a position at which the Falcons are set with young talent. Is there any way he could convert to cornerback? That might sound like a stupid, stupid question, but I just want to make sure. Otherwise he'd probably be ranked right around last on the Draftability Scale, as nobody intentionally drafts a backup in round 2-3.

How do you see Curran translating to the NFL? I know he plays the run very well and wasn't asked to blitz much, but do you have any sense of his pass rush skills? That's likely to be Concern 1A for Atlanta in this draft. Pass coverage? I'm guessing he played special teams as a freshman or so -- HOW'D THAT GO? Curran seems to have pretty high Falcon Draftability at this point.

Also, any comments you could lend on any other likely or possible draft picks -- Geno Atkins, Jeff Owens, Prince Miller, etc. -- would be super appreciated.