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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Thursday Links (1/21)

Straight to the links today...

-- T Kyle King does an exceptional job of putting the first nine years of Mark Richt's tenure at Georgia into perspective in Part 1 and Part 2 of an extended analysis of Richt's career. What's so interesting though is, for all the data King has to write about given that Richt is the longest tenured head coach in the SEC, it's hard not to get the feeling like the real grading of Mark Richt begins now.

-- Patrick Garbin has a must-read analysis of Georgia's defensive line dubbed "the hog index." To be fair, Garbin swiped the idea from elsewhere, but it's an interesting look at how the Bulldogs stacked up against the rest of the SEC.

-- If Todd Grantham bolts Athens for anything other than a head-coaching job, it's gonna cost him some serious cash.

-- Da'Rick Rogers is still planning to take a trip to Tennessee, which keeps his commitment to Georgia a question mark.

-- Bleacher Report offers six points to ponder in 2010 for the Bulldogs.

-- Damon Evans isn't sweating the hefty salary Georgia will be paying Todd Grantham.

-- UGA Blog has some video of 2009's hardest hits, which includes an appearance from Reshad Jones.

-- Bruce Feldman ranks the top 10 signing classes of the past decade and, surprisingly, only three come from the SEC.

-- OK, so as I proved yesterday, injecting the mere notion of politics into a blog can be dangerous, so I'm clearly treading on thin ice here, but it's a college football story so why not?

The New Republic takes a look at what it means for Tim Tebow to appear in an anti-abortion ad during the Super Bowl... an ad which CBS has officially approved for the airwaves.

Regardless of my personal opinions on the issue, I'll give Tebow credit for sticking to his convictions and being willing to be a public voice about causes he cares about. (I've criticized people like Tiger Woods for backing down from anything controversial, so it's only fair I credit Tebow.) But from a professional perspective, I hope Tebow understands the Pandora's Box he's opening.

When a radio personality asked Tebow at SEC Media Days last year if he had been "saving himself" for marriage, there were plenty of journalists who saw it as a cheap stunt. It probably was. But I never considered it out of bounds because Tebow had brought up the issue of abortion just 20 minutes earlier on his own. When you make your personal opinions part of the public discussion (which, as I said, I commend him for doing if it's something he really cares about) you have to keep in mind that the rest of it is all fair game now, too.

Given how many questions already surround Tebow's future, it will be interesting to see how all this plays out.

-- The ugliness is nowhere close to over in Knoxville, and Lane Kiffin's mama has had enough. (And here's the article that got her so worked up.)

-- More problems including a transfer and suspension at South Carolina. I guess this is Vandy's year to win the East.

-- Here's an update on the video I posted earlier of the uproar before Lane Kiffin's final UT press conference: Poynter has an interview with the TV news director that was the most vocal critic of the process. (h/t Henry)

-- Chris Low counts down the 10 best games of the decade in the SEC with just one appearance by Georgia.

-- USA Today writes about the changing image of the college head coach. This story to me has a bit too much of the "you kids today with your rock and roll music..." feel to it. Are coaches really bigger jerks today than they were 30 years ago? They money is a lot bigger, so there is certainly more reason for coaches to bail on a team. But there's also a lot more reason for colleges to bail on their coaches. It's a two-way street. And before we write off this new generation of violent head coaches who pick on their players, I seem to remember a story about Woody Hayes...

-- After three straight close losses, the Red & Black reports that Georgia's hoops team is happy to have some time off.

-- This is without a doubt the saddest story that I've read today and, more importantly, the most inexplicable. Seriously, kids aren't really this stupid, are they?

-- It looks like things are finally wrapped up for Conan O'Brien and NBC.

-- Ed Helms pays tribute to Conan through the magic of song.

-- Apparently Conan is just the latest victim of the Will Ferrell curse.

-- Things are getting particularly ugly between Jay Leno and David Letterman.

-- The L.A. Times has an interesting roundtable discussion with five big-name directors.

-- Plenty of "Lost" links today... Michael Emerson chats about the final season of the show with TV Guide; The show's creators have several thousand words about Season 6, none of which are spoilers; And EW actually has a pretty interesting look at how time travel in other films might be related to the plotlines of "Lost."

-- Take a moment of silence before biting into your gordita today: R.I.P. the founder of Taco Bell.

-- And finally, a list of the 15 best sitcom dads of all time. I like the list because a.) it gave me a chance to enjoy the theme song to "Mr. Belvedere" and b.) it reminded me of the existence of "Just the 10 of Us." Seriously... how bad did TV used to be? (And also... how did Bob Uecker afford a full-time, live-in butler on a local sports anchor's salary?)

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

A two-score win by Florida going away is the #1 game in the conference this decade? No Hobnail Boot? Hell, no UGA/USC '09?

Stupid.

tga said...

I enjoyed the 15 Best TV Dads link. I has just mentioned the shows My 2 Dads and Just the 10 of Us to someone and he looked at me like I was crazy. I loved watching those shows! So thanks!

Trey said...

I still don't think reporters, including you David, get it. The most important thing for Tebow is not his profession, and it never will be. People who have found Christ and have that set of morals and guidelines and principles place that above everything. Of course he's taking a stand against abortion given the chance, that's a huge opportunity for him. And do you really think a commercial like that will impact his NFL chances? "Well, I want to give Tebow a chance, but idk... he's against abortion isn't he?" Come on...

David Hale said...

I totally understand your point, Tray, and I'm not trying to suggest otherwise. As I said, I commend Tebow's commitment to his beliefs despite potential drawbacks. I've been openly critical of athletes like Tiger and Jordan who refuse to offer a commitment toward anything that might jeopardize an endorsement deal.

And I don't think a team won't gamble on Tebow because of his stance. In fact, if anything I'd guess an owner might take more of a liking to him because of it. What I meant was that there are risks with being so outspoken in your beliefs in terms of the opportunities you get in endorsements, in relationships, in reaction from fans. It is a double-edged sword.

But again, I commend Tebow for placing his beliefs above money, endorsements or public opinion. That's a rare thing these days.

B Man said...

Regarding the USA Today article on today's brand of coaches versus those of yesteryear, this really has to be viewed according to the times in which the coaches operated. Holding up John Wooden, who was undeniably a great coach, as the bastion of character is a little misguided. It's pretty well-known that UCLA players were getting paid by an influential booster. And yes, Woody Hayes was bat$hit crazy no matter the era. Read "Junction Boys" to learn the genteel methods of Bear Bryant, not to mention the story of his passing around a brass spitoon to the boosters while suggesting they needed to cough up more money if they wanted better recruits. The stories are never-ending from countless programs and suggest that the golden age of coaching integrity may really be due to the lack of media attention in those times.

David Hale said...

Well said, B Man. I think you are right on.

Anonymous said...

I don't think Trey gets it. Religion is not something that you go on TV during the Super Bowl and tout. Religion is an internal devotion between yourself and your God. The fact that Tebow is exploiting his celebrity in order to push a religious and political agenda (something he's done since his freshman year) is completely against his so-called beliefs.

Anonymous said...

Trey said: People who have found Christ and have that set of morals and guidelines and principles place that above everything.

Yes, people like Mark Sanford, John Ensign, Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggert, Jim Baker, etc... Funny, behind closed doors, these people with higher moral values don't quite live up to those standards. David's right, when you put yourself out there stating an opinion, you better be ready for the scrutiny. Frankly, I'm sick of Tebow and his sainthood. One doesn't have to be a Christian to have morals, and just being a Christian doesn't make you any better than anyone else.

Jeff said...

Whether you agree with T-Bow or not, its no different than a singer or actor constantly blabbing about their views. He has a strong point of view and takes it and everyone that blasts him for doing so is voicing that, their own opinion.

Cojones said...

The field gets leveled by the story on Steve Babic, sportscaster for the Gators for 22 yrs, on his arrest and dismissal from the Gators for child pornography distribution on his computer. Bet they won't put that one on the Jumbotron! Maybe they will with a tip of the hat to little red ridinghood talking to a gator with a bonnet: "What big teeth you have, grandma and....OOOH, what's that?!".

Cojones said...

Sorry, should have been Babik instead of Babic. Could have been worse by typing a "d" in the place of the second "b" of his name.

mullisj said...

To bad Tebow was not a bulldog, we would all respect him. 1 out of 3 children are killed in the womb. The Lord calls sex outside of marriage fornication. Many in our country have just gotten away from the biblical standards that was a way of life for honorable people not long ago. But if you believe the Lord did not create you and you just evolved from a slimy.... pit....

Will Q said...

Your first point may be true, millisj, but he chose to be a Gator, and therefore, a dick.

The Watch Dawg said...

I still don't think people like Trey get it.

Having faith and a set of morals has nothing to do with headlining an anti-abortion ad using your own awesomeness as an example.

The most important thing for Tebow, as it always has been, is being the center of attention.

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