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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Thursday Links (4/29)

One of our regular readers, Kathleen, finds it amusing to email me predicting disaster every time I say I'm going to take a couple of days off. She's right, of course. If I'm expecting a little bit of relaxation, that essentially guarantees all hell will break loose.

So it is with great trepidation that I inform you that I'm taking the next few days off from the blog. I'm heading to New Orleans for the second weekend of Jazz Fest, and my plan (for now) is to leave my laptop at home. (I admit, I'm a junkie, and the only way I can quit is to not have access to the blog.)

So what does this mean?

Well, for one, it means you'll be limited to just the two-a-days posts for the next few days and no other blog postings from me.

It also means some key player is going to get arrested or transfer or bare-knuckle box Mark Richt on Broad Street in a fight to the death. Because there's no way I actually get to take a legitimate weekend off.

But I'm still going to try, so cross your fingers and hope you don't have to hear from me again until next week.

In the meantime, here's a brief links post to help please the blogging gods...

-- With all the draft hype about A.J. Green starting already, Marc Weiszer notes that next year should end a long drought in the draft for Georgia receivers.

-- Chip Towers writes about Georgia's aggressiveness on the recruiting trail -- particularly in the state. The press release UGA sent out yesterday about recruiting was definitely a bit out of character.

-- Tim Tucker talks turnovers. (That was your winner for most alliterative sentence of the day.)

-- I'm guessing you've already seen this column from the Red & Black taking on Aron White's letter which questioned the merits of another column in the newspaper. Really, it's little more than red meat for easily perturbed Georgia fans (and players by the sounds of some of their Tweets).

My advice to the young journalists practicing their craft at the Red & Black would be this: You print the papers, so you can always have the last word. But if your argument was written and researched well enough in the first place, you won't need to employ that advantage so often.

I might also add that the paper might want to reconsider how quickly they criticize when they're not always the best at editorial decision making.

-- It was only Western Carolina, but at least Georgia has a win on the diamond for a change.

-- Macon native and Georgia golfer Russell Henley will be playing in this weekend's Nationwide event in Athens.

-- Chris Low has some interesting thoughts on the potential of SEC expansion. This whole debate reminds me of the words of a very wise man by the name of Ron Burgundy: "That really escalated quickly! I mean, that really got out of hand fast." (Note: There were horses, and a man on fire, and Jim Delany killed a guy with a trident!)

-- And more from Low: The SEC's likely first-round picks in the 2011 draft doesn't include Clint Boling.

-- Bloomberg has an interesting story on how college football seems to be recession-proof, with 51 public schools studied showing an 11 percent increase in revenue from 2007 through 2009. (h/t Matt T.)

-- Construction on the fire-damaged Georgia Theater is set to begin next month, but they're still looking for some donations to ensure the project is completed.

-- Spin has its list of the 125 best albums of the last 25 years. I'll be honest, I didn't have time to read through them all, but I looked at the top 25 and I don't have many serious problems. These lists are always about mixing hipster intelligence about under-appreciated and little known works with an even greater hipster appreciation in an ironic way about albums that were well received. In other words, I usually feel these lists are more about making the magazine look cool than anything else. That said, I was surprised by what was No. 1 -- and while it probably wouldn't top my list, it would be awfully close. In fact, I was just discussing that album -- and why it's my favorite from that band -- with Fletcher Page the other day.

-- Steve Carrell says he might be leaving "The Office" after next season. I'd be OK with that. Love the show, but I can't help but feel like it's running on fumes.

-- This might be the ultimate "I'm not sure how I feel about this" sequel. On one hand, I'd be utterly excited about it, but the rational side of me knows it's probably not going to end well.

-- OK, that's it for me for a few days. I know I have a few dozen emails to respond to from readers dating back at least a month, and I promise, getting to them is going to be at the top of my priority list upon my return. And in the meantime, if you have questions for our final UGA installment of two-a-days, send them in to dhale@macon.com.

Have a great weekend, folks.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Office has been running on fumes for a while now. Modern Family has taken definitely taken their place.

Anonymous said...

Nothing says smarmy douche like this photo: http://www.redandblack.com/media/2010/04/dillard.zach.jpg

meat said...

David, if I didn't have a final at 8 am Monday I would have been in nola this weekend. Looks to be a great lineup down there. I'd love to here how your jazzfest experience goes I've never been.

And I'm friends with Zach. He may be smarmy...but he's not a douche.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, I agree that The Office has been running on fumes... I look back at old episodes and almost every line makes me laugh, but lately it's been more misses than hits.
Plus the whole Andy-Erin relationship seems very forced. I still think Erin is just a little too weird.

Bourbon Dawgwalker said...

My weekend prediction: Aaron Murray quits the team to follow his dream of becoming a Nashville star, while at the same time Todd Grantham is arrested as part of a nationwide human trafficking sting. A walk-on kicker will also be arrested for underage drinking on a scooter in an alley.

Anonymous said...

blasphemy! the office still rules!

"bare-knuckle box Mark Richt on Broad Street in a fight to the death."

LOL

opsomath said...

Enjoy your vacation, sir, and don't do anything I wouldn't do. Remember, the bottle don't make you do nothin', it just lets you.

Thanks for posting the link to Aron White's letter. While I know it's never really a good idea to pick a fight with the media, I frankly thought he was way more articulate than the majority of sophomoric trash that the Red and Black publishes. Like him, I think that the "privileged treatment" that athletes receive is exaggerated and compensated by the absurd demands that their training places upon them.

Anonymous said...

i agree the office still rules, it's still as funny as ever to me. and i've met zach before. he was the definition of a douche

Anonymous said...

Hey David,

Just wanted to clarify something. The Web page you linked to in reference to the Red and Black's bad editorial decisions was actually the Letters to the Editor page. In the print version, there's usually a disclaimer sentence that says the opinions in the letters are not the opinions of the editorial staff of the Red and Black. So I wasn't sure if you meant that running that letter was the bad editorial decision, but if so, considering that disclaimer, I don't think it's really a bad decision at all.

Don't you agree?

Kathleen said...

Okay I hope I'm wrong about there being any breaking news stories this weekend.

If I had to bet, I'm thinking Russ is going to transfer unless he's guaranteed to see the field in the fall.

Young Swole said...

If there have really been 125 albums better than Songs for the Deaf by QOTSA in the last 25 years, then I need a hearing aid.

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:22, are you saying that anything can be printed as long as there is a disclaimer?

ChicagoDawg said...

"I proud of you fellas, you all kept your heads on swivel and that is what you gotta do when you find yourself in the middle of a vicious cock fight"

David Hale said...

Anon 6:22 -- You're right on the letters to the editor, but which letters are run is the decision of an editor --or more often, an editorial board. Letters that are not based on factual evidence or fail to adhere to ethical standards of the newspaper are not run. That particular letter essentially assumed UGA students were involved in the taxi incident before facts were in. In my opinion, that's a poor editorial judgement to run that. It served as a specific indictment of the football team based purely on speculation.

I don't have a problem with the R&B at all. I fully support giving students a place to hone their craft -- particularly in a field as challenging as journalism. But some of the recent content leads me to believe that the oversight is a bit lacking.

Again -- I'm all for free speech. But the paper ultimately takes responsibility for what it allows to run, and that particular letter was borderline at best.

I just hope that the young UGA journalists aren't being encouraged to prioritize sensationalism over journalism.

Anonymous said...

No one is making excuses for beating up girls around here AltamahaDawg ?

B.S.

That is ALL that is posted here.

And, according to YOU, that is all that is ALLOWED to be posted around here.

October 20, Montez Robinson beat up a girl slamming her into a dumpster.

Suspended 2 games.

After Spring Practice Started at McWhorter Hall, he picked the little girl up a student at the University of Georgia and threw her into the floor repeatedly. Picked her up, threw her down; picked her up threw her down.

Repeatedly.

In between he also beat up her car in a parking lot - also like a COWARD.

Oh, this happens EVERYWHERE.

EVERY SCHOOL HAS THIS.

Don't give me that has not been the ONLY MANTRA around here.

Montez Robinson was Ranked a 4-Star Recruit, the # 1 football player in the state of Indiana and the # 9 player at his position in the NATION.

Zach Mettenberger also a 4-Star Recruit, Top 10 Quarterback Recruit in the NATION. Both of them were Top 10 in the NATION at their position.

He put his hands up the skirt of another college student, another GIRL at another college.

ALL that has been said around here is that he was 18 and well everyone 18 drinks.

Again, he put his hand up the skirt of a sorority member at Valdosta State. She was off-work at the time. The bouncers picked him up and THREW HIM ON THE STREET outside the bar immediately. THAT is when the Police noticed him and came up to him to find out what was going on.

He obstructed then, the Police in their Investigation and frankly the bouncers were not very forthcoming EITHER.

When asked for ID he presented not 1 but 1 fake ID to the POLICE.

Then, they decided they would find out if he was also DRUNK in public causing all this disturbance.

When they went inside the bar, is when it was quite clear what actually happened the bouncers did not readily offer up as to why he was thrown out.

It WAS why they THREW HIM OUT.

On the street on his butt.

AM 690 The FAN has reported THIS on their media outlet I read myself.

2 other accounts, both first hand are not 3rd hand reports like AM 690 the FAN who quotes 3 SOURCES, and I have read both of those and have the URL Link for.

The Sorority issued a statement. I have that URL Link too. They said that they hope that he gets all he has coming to him.

Around here, oh we can't talk about that.

Coach Richt was wrong to punish Montez Robinson by kicking him off the team for FAR MORE than Zach Mettenberger did.

THAT is what is said around here.

B.S. Zach was even EQUIVALENT to what Montez Robinson did.

We hear about Zach's mama, what about the Dad ? His Dad raised him like that ?

He didn't have my Dad.

Both of these highly prized recruits on Scholarship for Rodney Garner / Coach Richt have been KICKED OFF THE TEAM since just the start of Spring Practice.

Along with another THROWN OFF THE TEAM who hit a guy in the face and WAS GIVEN A BREAK by the Athens Police arresting him for just being public drunk. He also caused such a disturbance that it shut down downtown Athens. He started a brawl.

They do whatever the hell they want to do. Which is to NOT GRADUATE. To lose 10 SEC East games the last 4 years. To have 38 documented arrests / suspensions in the last 3 years like these, according to David Hale of macon.com. To have lost to 5 unranked top 25 Final AP Poll SEC East teams the last 4 years, and YOU SAY I should be more positive.

Oh, I love this. This is just what I want to have all this going on.

It's just wonderful.

LOSERS beating up and accosting little girls students in college and people just walking down the street in Athens, and NOT GRADUATING.

My season tickets, my tens upon tens of thousands of my hard-earned take-home pay dollars, my The University of Georgia hereby confers upon me the degree

Despicable, try saying it instead of all the EXCUSES around here.

Anonymous said...

Here is where we are in the last 4 years :

1-A Wins 2006-2009 (4 years)

1. Boise State 49
2. Florida 48
3. Texas 45
4. Ohio State 44
5. Brigham Young 43
6. Southern Cal 43
7. Oklahoma 42
7. Texas Christian 42
9. Cincinnati 41
10. Virginia Tech 41
11. Louisiana State 40
12. Penn State 40
13. Utah 40
14. West Virginia 40
15. Boston College 38
16. Central Michigan 38
17. Missouri 38
18. Wisconsin 38
19. Georgia 38
20. Texas Tech 37
21. Houston 36
22 Hawaii 36
23. Oregon 36
24. Oregon State 36
25. Rutgers 36
26. Georgia Tech 36


.

.

Which ones of these programs has had more than 94 Arrested / Suspended in the 9-Year Coach Richt Era ?

Go ahead make up your excuses.

There aren’t any and we are # 19 in the last 4 years.

IRRELEVANT.


.

Latest Graduation Success Rates in Football according to NCAA :

GSR released 2010 by NCAA for Football SEC :
.

.
91 % Vanderbilt

69 % Florida

69 % Ole Miss

67 % Alabama

63 % Mississippi State

60 % LSU

60 % South Carolina

59 % Auburn

57 % Georgia



.

Here is your URL Link. Look them up yourself. I already did.

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/ncaa/academics+and+athletes/education+and+research/academic+reform/gsr/2009/841gfw951_2009_d1_school_gsr_data.html

Anonymous said...

Anon- AltamahaDawg? Is he on here? Oh that's right he's not. Did you really just copy and paste your AJC comment on here? This isn't the AJC. You're going to have to do a lot better than that.

Anonymous said...

Thomas Brown is back (not the rb).......loser.

Bourbon Dawgwalker said...

Someone let a retard on the internet. Again.