Thursday Links (12/18)

When I got into sports writing, it was with the knowledge that on most days I would not be required to wake up before noon. Then Georgia decides to hold these morning practices without any regard to my typcial sleep patterns, without caring at all that I have DVRed episodes of "Modern Marvels" to watch until 3 a.m., without any understading for the fact that to work at my creative zenith, I need at least 10 hours of sleep, and suddenly, I'm wondering if this was the best career choice. If only there was a way to sleep professionally.

Anyway, while I work to combat my groggyness with coffee, here are some morning links for your reading pleasure...

-- I have a story in today's Telegraph asking why Georgia's run defense went from excellent to awful in the span of one week this season and, more importantly, whether they can turn it around in time to stop Javon Ringer.

-- The Tulsa World has a story about Sam Bradford's NFL draft potential that includes this little nugget about Matthew Stafford: Archie Manning apparently advised Stafford to stay at Georgia for his senior season. (h/t BCS-Sucks)

-- Tim Tucker has the story that three Bulldogs submitted papers to be reviewed by the NFL advisory board. I spoke with Geno Atkins on Wednesday, who said he, too, submitted his paperwork.

-- Did you know former UGA wide receiver Fred Gibson is now playing in the NBA developmental league? (h/t Georgia Sports Blog)

-- 960 the Ref talks with former Georgia kicker Kevin Butler , whose son, Drew, is supposedly setting up a golf outing for Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan.

-- Mark Richt is offering some encouragement to Aaron Murray as he prepares for the state title game, according to the AJC.

-- The Higher Ed Watch blog holds its second annual academic BCS, in which it ranks the top 25 teams by educational standards. Georgia comes in 18th, which might be pretty disappointing until you notice that Florida is 21st and Georgia Tech is 22nd. For what it's worth, Michigan State is 23rd.

-- The Athens Banner-Herald has a story about the potential for a double dose of history for Georgia's receivers at the Capital One Bowl.

-- Edging out Knowshon Moreno for first-team All-America honors hasn't dampened Javon Ringer's motivation for a Cap One win, according to the Lansing State Journal.

-- You may not be rooting for Florida to win a national title, but many of the Bulldogs will be.

-- Georgia's graduates prove the university is a darned good investment, according to a recent survey.

-- The Mets' new minor league team is hilarious for a lot of reasons. Here are my top three: 1.) Buffalo and Bison are the same thing. 2.) Bison is plural already, so why are they the Bisons? That's like being the Mooses or the Red Soxes. 3.) Ken Oberkfell was named the manager. Remember when he used to play with a blue glove? Good times.

-- Yesterday I linked to a story about a little boy named Adolf Hitler who couldn't get a birthday cake made with his name on it. Lucky for him, the folks at Wal-Mart were there to help. (SIDE NOTE: If you Google "Walmart, Hitler" it returns 1,040,000 results. That's probably not good public relations.)

-- And finally, it has been far too long since I've watched an episode of "The Price is Right." That's a shame, really. I can remember when I was little, one of the best reasons to get sick and stay home from school was the chance to spend an hour of my day watching Bob Barker get tackled on stage by overzealous Samoan women. I have a lot of fond memories of days spent sprawled out on my parents burnt orange shag carpeting watching the big wheel as a youngster.

Anyway, I'm not sure I've seen the show since Drew Carey took over, although I remember thinking he'd be a good host. After all, he's from Cleveland, which seems like a city that would produce good game-show hosts.

As it turns out, however, I was way wrong. This clip is by far the most astounding thing I've seen on a game show for two reasons: a.) It's utter improbability, and b.) just how little Drew Carey seems to care. Thanks for ruining one of the last vestiges of my childhood, Drew. At least I'll always have Ken Oberkfell's blue glove.