Dawg Sports

Free Form Friday Is Glad The Workers Are Coming Home.

2012-05-25T22:40:34Z

We are now inside of 100 days until the joyous return of college football.

{pause for celebratory gunfire}

But 100 days, as anyone who's ever served time in Tijuana for jaywalking can tell you, can pass very, very slowly. Ergo we must still find ways to amuse ourselves. You know, besides sneaking into the Alabama film room and replacing Nick Saban's oatmeal creme pies with mescaline-laced Twinkies. Hey, Steve Jobs said that Microsoft might have done a lot of cool stuff if only Bill Gates had dropped acid. So we figured it was our duty in the name of football science. But since they've now hired more security guards in Tuscaloosa, we present Free Form Friday. It's not just any weekend open comment thread. It's our weekend open comment thread. Maestro, cue the theme music for the basketball staffing news which sent waves of giddiness through the Dawg Sports staff room . . .

Mr. Sanchez already brought you the news that former Bulldog standout and Atlanta-native Jonas Hayes will be joining Mark Fox's regime in Athens. This is good news. Admittedly, Hayes will not as "program coordinator" be in a position to go on the road recruiting. But he will be there on campus when Atlanta prep standouts come around for a visit. Many of them will come with their coaches, most of whom know Jonas and his brother Jarvis. I'd like to give Coach Fox all the credit on this one but I think, when construed in pari materia with the hiring of Daryl Jones as football recruiting coordinator, we may be seeing a department-wide philosophy at work: hire coaches who have come up through the ranks and know the local scene for jobs behind the scene. I like this strategy immensely.

The hire also reminds me a bit of Mark Richt's decision to retain Rodney Garner prior to his first recruiting class. Here's hoping that Fox will see a result similar to the one we saw when veteran Atlanta-area coach Don Shockley's son, star quarterback D.J., decided to sign with Georgia. The bottom line is that recruiting is about relationships, and Mark Fox seems to have struggled building productive relationships in the Atlanta area. That's not a minor dent in his record as coach at the University of Georgia. It's a huge part of the job. Failing to capture at least a trickle of the river of talent that flows out of the ATL on a regular basis is a recipe for failure in the Classic City. Hiring Jonas Hayes doesn't guarantee that Mark Fox is going to get the talent he needs to bring the Hoop Hounds up to national prominence. But it damned sure doesn't hurt.

And while bringing alums home to momma doesn't always work (cough . . .Goff . . .cough) it helps where you need local knowledge, local presence, and local credibility. Jonas Hayes delivers that. You guys have a great weekend and talk amongst yourselves about . . .whatever it is you people talk about. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, and . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

Hello, My Name Is.....tankertoad is now chuckdawg

2012-05-25T21:06:22Z

Hello Dawg Sports. This is still the same misspelling, bad grammar writin' tankertoad, but by a new name. I have changed my name in preparation for the fall to align radio/podcasts with the blog, and, frankly, most people call me chuck now anyhow. Also, if I do get to do any serious beat type reporting, the name alignment should help. Had I known I would be on staff and on the air, I would have elected a different name than tankertoad from the start. I am so very thankful to T Kyle King and MaconDawg who brought me on board, and Ludakit for my involvement with his podcasts, along with all the amazing DS staff for their support and help.

Anticipate several announcements over the next months as our great football fan base comes back around. In the comments, feel free to take your shots at me or offer suggestions on what you would like to see me write about or talk with Ludakit about on the podcasts. Many thanks to all y'all for following us on Dawg Sports - "Pro Quality, Fan Driven." We can't do it without you.

Georgia Bulldogs' Athletic Director Scores a 9.9 in Women's Gymnastics But Is Charged With an Error in Baseball

2012-05-25T12:30:19Z

In case you missed it - I had spotty cell reception - David Perno is returning as baseball coach, according to McGarity.
— Seth Emerson (@SethEmerson) May 24, 2012

As reported here recently, Danna Durante has been hired as the new head coach of the Gym Dogs and the Georgia athletics administration appears inclined to take much smaller steps in the direction of improving the Diamond Dogs. (My profuse thanks go out to leedawg for chasing down more detailed descriptions than those contained in Seth Emerson’s initial report published on-line.)

Regarding Coach Durante, I like the hire, but I don’t yet love the hire. She wasn’t my first choice, but she was on the list, and she comes from a quality coaching tree. At a minimum, though, the actions taken by the administration on the gymnastics front were bold and decisive. By contrast, the steps initiated to improve the oldest varsity sport at the country’s oldest state-chartered university were markedly less ambitious and immediate.

Explaining why David Perno’s job was not in jeopardy, Greg McGarity said:

Dave will be back next year. It's not even an issue. If you take SEC records over the last two years, and you give credit to South Carolina, Florida, and Vandy, and do some research about where the rest of us are. . . . Over that two-year span we're one game over .500. Arkansas, Ole Miss, LSU, you've got a lot of schools that are right where we are as far as SEC standings.

With all due respect, Greg, that’s weak. Being one game over .500 is not good, I don’t care how many other teams are just as mediocre as we are. If we’re really going to compare ourselves to the dregs of the conference, though, let’s look at the four teams with worse regular-season SEC records than ours: Georgia went 5-4 against three of them (Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee), and the fourth (Auburn) eliminated the Classic City Canines from postseason play, so the good teams aren’t exactly the only ones against whom we’re struggling. Moreover, the Diamond Dogs’ middling regular-season success, even if erroneously deemed acceptable, cannot mask the fact that the Red and Black have gone 3-6 in their last nine SEC Tournament games.

Why, by the way, is our athletic director defending his head baseball coach by looking strictly at the last couple of seasons? Because, three years ago, David Perno led his alma mater to the worst baseball season in school history. Finally, I give plenty of credit to Florida, Vanderbilt, and two-time defending national champion South Carolina, but you can’t just accept being entrenched permanently behind three teams in your own division as a matter of course. The Gators may boast the league’s premier athletics program, but we are right behind them, and the Gamecocks have made great strides in several sports, but are we really prepared to accept that we can’t hang with Vanderbilt?

That’s all right, though; we can afford to wait on the coaching change we all know is inevitable, can’t we? After all, we’re refurbishing Foley Field, complete with improvements to the batting cages, dugouts, locker rooms, players’ lounge, and training room, correct? Actually, that’s what I thought, too, before the aforementioned leedawg set me straight by pointing out this report:

The board approved spending $2.73 million on several facilities projects. These include improvements to the landscape beyond the outfield fences at Foley Field; upgrading the scoreboards at the baseball, softball and soccer stadiums to gain more video capability; and reworking Gate 10 at Sanford Stadium. The $2.73 million also includes funds to begin design work on a possible eventual renovation of the main entrance, concourse and press box at Foley Field; that project, if eventually undertaken, probably would cost around $10 million.

Also, this report:

The board also approved $2.73 million for facility upgrades including:

--$1.35 million for minor Foley Field renovations. That would include a canopy to replace the trees beyond the left field wall and adding a retaining wall and seating at Kudzu Hill.

McGarity envisions an eventual $10 million renovation that would start after $5 million is raised. Georgia will unify the facility and address current code requirements including a new press box. The renovation’s eventual focus will be at the main entrance to the exterior plaza, ticket booth, entry gates and flow into the main concourse and the seating bowl will be reconfigured. Renovations will also be done to the restrooms, concession and main concourse.

--$1 million for upgrades to scoreboards to baseball, softball and soccer to include HD video display. Each is in their seventh season of operation. Sound system speakers will be upgraded and a retaining wall will be constructed at “Kudzu Hill” and storm water system improved.

And, finally, this report:

Part of McGarity’s baseball-specific request was also designated to initiate plans for an estimated $10 million renovation of Foley Field. The facelift would include updates to the stadium’s façade; dugouts, locker rooms and batting cages; an expanded press box; elevator and ramp access to bring the stadium up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance; expanded concourse, ticket booth, concessions and restrooms; and a renovation to the entryway at the stadium’s main gate.

McGarity did not want to place a timetable on when the full expansion project, but said he hoped to begin fundraising immediately. He hopes to raise at least $5 million of the necessary funds before finalizing any renovation plans.

The board will likely re-examine the issue at its next meeting in the fall -- but McGarity said he hopes to begin moving on the project as soon as possible.

“I want to go. I’m not one to sit around,” said McGarity, who noted that the 2014 season is the absolute earliest such a renovation project could be completed.

I’m a big fan of McGarity’s, so I’d like to think he’s being shrewd, and that, rather than change coaches simultaneously in what arguably are two of the University’s five most important sports, he’s focusing first on gymnastics and biding his time so he can bring in a new baseball coach on the eve of the grand opening of freshly refurbished Foley Field. The problem is that the baseball program needs immediate upgrades, both in coaching and in facilities, and further delays serve only to cause the Diamond Dogs to fall even farther behind.

Georgia is one of three SEC programs to have won a College World Series; the other two, Louisiana State and South Carolina, opened new baseball stadiums in 2009. Alex Box Stadium seats 10,326, and $35.6 million Carolina Stadium has a capacity of 8,242. The Bayou Bengals and the Gamecocks were among the top ten national attendance leaders last season, seven of whom (including Texas A&M) are in the SEC . . . yet Georgia is not among them.

I would blame this on a lack of foresight, but the 2008 facilities master plan expressly recognized the need for upgrades to Foley Field. Four years ago, our athletics administration acknowledged the advisability of aspiring to this:

There were, of course, more immediate priorities, such as the Stegeman Coliseum renovation, but we have the SEC’s most profitable football program, for crying out loud; we shouldn’t have to postpone improvements to our baseball facilities while we hold fundraisers like we’re trying to pay for a high school band trip by conducting bake sales and selling fancy scented candles or wrapping paper door-to-door.

The decision to hire Danna Durante may work out, or it may not, but the decision to hire Jay Clark clearly was a flop; a program that had won five consecutive national championships declined immediately, never finishing better than third at the SEC Championships and never making the Super Six after having never before failed to make the Super Six. Change was needed, so change was had, because standing pat simply was not an option.

Had Georgia retained Jay Clark, we would have been sitting here one year hence having this exact conversation, and Greg McGarity was right to heed the wisdom of his mentor, Jeremy Foley, who has been heard to remark that anything that must be done eventually must be done immediately. That level of decisiveness ended the tenures of Johnny Griffith and Jim Donnan, leading directly to the hirings of Vince Dooley and Mark Richt. Who doubts that we will be sitting here one year from now having this exact conversation about David Perno? If we will, what do we gain by waiting, other than growing another year older, and delaying by another season the recovery of our storied baseball program?

We in Bulldog Nation have spoken of “Evil Richt” and “Evil Bobo.” Well, we need an Evil McGarity, too, especially after several years of Vince Dooley and Damon Evans focusing on profits instead of championships. (Unfortunately, when Evil Evans finally showed up, police reports referring to red panties followed immediately thereafter.) Evil McGarity acted swiftly and decisively with regard to women’s gymnastics, but Evil McGarity took a coffee break---Evil McGarity likes warm beverages; it’s the devil’s temperature---when he should’ve been dealing with baseball instead. An opportunity was missed, and, accordingly, another year will be lost.

Go ‘Dawgs!

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Welcome back, Coach!

2012-05-24T20:37:05Z

Mark Fox has made an addition to the staff that several fans have been clamoring for, and myself in particular. Many have bemoaned the current staff's lack of connections to Atlanta, and cited them as a reason we keep missing on big nam local recruits. Well, we are about to reestablish those connections in a great way, hiring Jonas Hayes as program coordinator.

You may remember Jonas Hayes as the twin brother of the last Georgia men's basketball player to be drafted in the NBA lottery. Or you may remember him as the 6'6 big man with the soft touch when he averaged almost 12 points per game as the starting C on Dennis Felton's first team. Or as the 6th man on Jim Harrick's last two teams who hit a 30 ft game winner at the buzzer against Colorado.

Born in Atlanta, Hayes and his brother were stars at Douglas HS before signing with Western Carolina out of high school. When they decided to transfer, they came back close to home and chose Athens, where both excelled. After finishing up his degree, Coach Jonas join the staff at his alma mater Douglas, before moving on to South Carolina St, then Morehouse, and followed by the previous 5 seasons at Belmont-Abbey under former Georgia assistant coach Stephen Miss.

As said above, this is the type of hire I, and countless others have been screaming for, and the exact name I was hoping we could hire to fill a spot on staff. He knows Atlanta, and Atlanta knows him. He's a damn good Dawg, a smart basketball mind, and in my opinion, a wonderful human being. This was a home run hire for Mark Fox, and will be an amazing addition to the Hoop Dawgs staff.

From the georgiadogs.com announcement linked above, Coach Fox and Coach Hayes had this to say.

"I am really excited to have Jonas join our staff," Fox said. "He will be a valuable asset as we move forward. He is a smart and talented young man who will be a great example to our players. I am excited to have a former player who is so passionate about Georgia become part of our team."

"I am thrilled to be coming back to Georgia," Hayes said. "I can't tell you how blessed I feel to be joining Coach Fox's staff. UGA holds a special place in my heart. I'm just ready to get started, ready to do whatever I can to help build the program."

Welcome back Jonas. For exclusive footage of my, Mr. Sanchez's, reaction upon hearing the news earlier hiring, click to the jump

via media.tumblr.com

Mark Richt's annual base salary is not being increased, but the head football coach will receive...

2012-05-24T14:48:07Z

Mark Richt's annual base salary is not being increased, but the head football coach will receive more in performance bonuses. . . .

McGarity pointed out that Richt's salary of $2.9 million put him in the upper ecehlon of SEC coaches, but not among the highest-paid. But the performance bonuses for winning the SEC, BCS and other things are being increased.

"We want to reward excellence," McGarity said. . . .

The board was set to vote on an upgrade to Foley Field that will cost $1.35 million. The improvements include basically everything: The press box, the main entrance, ticket booth, dugouts, locker rooms and lounge, training room and batting cages, and other aspects of the field.

In addition, the current outfield trees will be replaced due to age. . . .

Out of concern over a lack of student turnout at football games, a series of changes will be implemented. Chief among them is tickets will be based first on attendance, then on seniority, while an appeals system will be created for students who have "a legitimate, unexpected reason for missing a game, such as a family emergency."

I like the sound of all of that.

Go 'Dawgs!

Diamond Dogs Again Victimized by Exasperating Inability to Score as Many Runs as They Allow

2012-05-24T00:59:52Z

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Auburn Tigers	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	7	0
Georgia Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	12	1

After being shut out in eight of nine innings in a loss on Tuesday night, the Diamond Dogs faced the Plainsmen in an SEC Tournament elimination game on Wednesday evening. Against the Orange and Blue, the Athenians again were held scoreless in eight of nine innings to fall to 0-2 and barbecue.

In the top of the first inning, Michael Palazzone walked the initial Auburn batter, who stole second base. Two outs later, a single brought the opening baserunner home to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Georgia was not similarly able to capitalize on third baseman Curt Powell’s leadoff walk and second baseman Levi Hyams’s ensuing single in the bottom of the canto.

The Alabamians began the third stanza with a single, and the runner advanced on a stolen base and a throwing error. A groundout made it 2-0, and a solo home run later in the frame extended the Orange and Blue’s edge to three runs. Both sides thereafter produced baserunners, but the Classic City Canines left men on first and second in the fourth frame, on second in the fifth inning, on second and third in the sixth stanza, and on first in the seventh canto to leave the score unchanged heading into the bottom of the eighth.

Right fielder Hunter Cole drew a one-out walk on a payoff pitch, then center fielder Peter Verdin sent a single to second base. With two outs away, pinch hitter Nelson Ward drove in one, and left fielder Conor Welton brought home another, with consecutive singles. The Tigers went three up and three down in the top of the ninth stanza, whereas, in the bottom of the canto, Georgia notched a one-out triple off the bat of shortstop Kyle Farmer and added a two-out walk by Cole. The Diamond Dogs, of course, were unable to bring the tying run home from third or the winning run home from first.

Palazzone lasted four and one-third innings, during which he gave up six hits, three bases on balls, and three earned runs, while the bullpen delivered four and two-thirds scoreless stanzas of five-strikeout, one-hit, one-walk relief. As usual, though, the Athenians were unable to turn more hits into as many runs. This probably was the Diamond Dogs’ last game of the season; it ought to be the final game of David Perno’s career as the head coach in the Classic City, as well.

Go ‘Dawgs!

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Poll

Should David Perno be fired as the head baseball coach of the Georgia Bulldogs?

Georgia Bulldogs SEC Baseball Tournament Game Night Open Comment Thread

2012-05-23T21:02:46Z

At 5:30 p.m. Eastern, it will be time for the Diamond Dogs' ~~last~~ second SEC baseball tournament game in Hoover, which airs on CSS (for you cable subscribers) and on Channel 210 (for you DirecTV satellite subscribers). If you're on Dish Network, danged if I know where you can find the game.

Anyway, Georgia is playing Auburn, and there is other news, as well, since Danna Durante officially has been hired to restore the Gym Dogs to their proper stature, and since Georgia ranks second (overall, and in men's and women's sports) in the SEC all-sports competition. There's plenty to talk about, so dive in and join in the conversation!

Go 'Dawgs!

Diamond Dogs Lose SEC Tournament Game in Same Way They've Been Losing Regular-Season Games

2012-05-23T04:14:43Z

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

In the nightcap of the first day of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., the Diamond Dogs took an early lead, were shut out in eight of nine innings, stranded baserunners galore, and gave up just enough runs to lose a game in which the two teams were tied with equal numbers of hits and errors. You’re shocked, I can tell.

Both teams led off with singles in the first frame, but neither could bring the baserunner home, so the outing’s opening score was delayed until the top of the second stanza, which second baseman Levi Hyams led off with a double. After catcher Brett DeLoach moved him over to third on a groundout, first baseman Colby May followed suit, advancing Hyams the remaining 90 feet with a first-pitch RBI groundout of his own.

Center fielder Peter Verdin was hit by a pitch, stole second, and took third on a wild pitch, but left fielder Conor Welton flied out to leave him there, perpetuating the trend of stranding baserunners in scoring position that continued thereafter: Vanderbilt left a man on third in the bottom of the canto before designated hitter Nelson Ward remained on second at the end of the Red and Black’s turn at bat in the top of the third inning.

That tendency endured only for so long, though, as, in the home half of the stanza, the Commodores loaded the bases with two outs on a hit batsman, a single, and a walk before a base hit up the middle drove in two runs. The Athenians had the opportunity to tie it up in the top of the fifth frame, when Verdin led off with a single, swiped second, and advanced to third on a groundout, but the Georgia center fielder was thrown out at home when third baseman Curt Powell reached on a fielder’s choice.

In the bottom of the canto, the Music City Mariners got a man aboard, who stole a base and came home on a single up the middle. A two-out base hit put runners at the corners and ended Alex Wood’s time on the mound after almost five innings of five-hit, five-strikeout pitching. Jay Swinford came on in relief and retired the first batter he faced.

After Ward’s leadoff single to start the visitors’ half of the sixth stanza went to waste, Vanderbilt tacked on a superfluous insurance run in the bottom of the frame on a one-out walk, a baserunner-advancing passed ball, and a two-out run-scoring single. Welton drew a base on balls to open the eighth canto, and a two-out single by shortstop Kyle Farmer put two men aboard, but right fielder Hunter Cole struck out to squander both players’ efforts. The ninth inning did not produce a baserunner.

This was exactly the game every Georgia fan expected to see tonight.

Go ‘Dawgs!

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