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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Wednesday Links (4/21)

A few links, and then I'm taking the next 36 hours or so off. Be back with notes from Mark Richt's appearance in Columbus tomorrow night...

-- Mark Richt spoke in Eatonton last night, but he's not answering anything about Zach Mettenberger. No surprise there.

-- Ugh. Bring on the next firestorm. Georgia's backup punter was arrested on public intoxication charges. The sky is falling.

-- Patrick Garbin adds his usual excellent historical perspective to the Zach Mettenberger situation.

-- The Red & Black wonders when the details of the Mettenberger case will be revealed, and the UGA Blog thinks more information should have been released.

I can understand the hesitation to give out any information or background or offer a single quote or statement on the parts of Mark Richt, Mettenberger or anyone else involved. As I've learned, you really can't say anything without expecting it to be parsed endlessly.

But the other thing that I'm not sure gets considered enough by players and coaches who prefer the "no comment" route is that, just as a segment of fans are to judge what you do say, there's a segment that will just as quickly look to fill in the blanks of what you don't say.

The only way to have any control over the message is to at least offer a message. Otherwise, speculation becomes truth to a whole lot of people.

-- Mike Moore is ready to take on the NFL, says Bleacher Report's Kimberly Nash.

-- Bernie has a preview of all the Dawgs in the draft this year.

-- The Red & Black has more love for Vance Cuff's fine spring.

-- Don't know if this is anything fans would be interested in, but all schools are required to complile a compliance report every 10 years, and Georgia's just came out. If nothing else, it serves as a good look back at how many changes have come in the last decade.

-- Spring game attendance numbers, courtesy of Mr. SEC. Ah, Vandy. You're so cute for trying.

-- The timetable for Big Ten expansion might be sooner than later.

-- Leather Helmet Blog has some follow-up questions about conference expansion.

-- Clear eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose.... Man, I'm glad "Friday Night Lights" is back soon.

-- The AV Club talks to Ellie Kemper from "The Office," who says she still fears she'll be fired at any time.

-- The Chicago Tribune has a long interview with Anthony Bourdain. I just watched the "No Reservations" in Maine the other day and now I really want to go to Maine.

-- Larry David is on board for another season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

-- I'm seeing Conan O'Brien in Atlanta in June, but I have to admit, I'm extremely jealous I missed a special appearance by Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready at one of his Seattle shows. The video is HERE.

-- Stuff of Legend has some instant analysis of last night's "Lost" episode. I'll offer a few as well...

* Overall I thought this was everything a final season episode should be. We got some answers, the chess pieces were clearly being assembled for a final showdown, and there were some great moments for many of the underused characters this year -- particularly Kate and Claire.

* Speaking of the answers, I thought the explanation of the Man in Black as Jack's dad was delivered in a much more natural way than the overly expository dialogue we got from Faraday or Michael in past episodes.

* Of course, if what the MiB said is true, then how did he appear as Jack's dad in the hospital in LA two seasons ago? He can't get off the island, right? And we know Flocke is not above lying.

* Then again, a lot of the "rules" put in place this year seem to clash with things we've seen in seasons past.

* Poor Frank. He gets like three lines all season and "looks like someone got their voice back" had to be one of them. What did Jeff Fahey do to the writers to deserve this?

* Speaking of Frank -- why was he included in Sawyer's rogue group, but Miles wasn't?

* The Sun-Jin reunion was actually better than I thought, but mostly because there was no great build-up. Still, I've grown to care far too little about those characters to really care that much, and I groaned when Locke asked Sun if she was giving him "the silent treatment," as I knew it was just a way of reminding viewers -- "Hey, Sun's lost her ability to speak English. Don't forget that because it's going to be important when she finally sees Jin again."

* Still, entertaining episode all around, and the story finally seems to be shifting into a higher gear. My current estimate on chances I'll be happy with the final episode: 45/55, which is a slight step up from last week.

24 comments:

Andy Coleman said...

David, you say it so much more eloquently than me!

My readers are pissed at me! Maybe this post can help my reasoning a bit:Why The Details Should Come Out On Mett

jm from louisville said...

I loved the little tension during the sun/jin reunion of whether the electromagnetic field thingamajiggers were turned off yet.

Everyone in the room was like "ooooh no....oh oh ok good!"

Vixcave said...

One comment on the Mettenberger ordeal. Maybe the silence is out of respect and protection of the young quarterback himself. I'm sure he has a lawyer to represent him in this case and it's likely that any information sprayed all over the public COULD hurt his defense. I would rather have Richt give us the old silent treatment than throw the young man under the bus as Spurrier would have. Hell, Spurrier Roasts the kids still on the team. Much respect here for the way it was handled.

Andy said...

Always love the Lost thoughts, David.

I thought last night's Lost was excellent. The pieces are definitely falling into place. The reason Miles was not in Sawyer's group was that he is with Richard and Ben, and will probably show up on Hydra Island soon enough to blow up the plane.

My theory for the end is that Jack will replace Jacob, and the final scene will be Jack and Locke having a conversation on the beach similar to the first time we saw the MiB and Jacob last season.

Chances I am satisfied with the final episode- 75/25

David Hale said...

Andy -- the joys have creating a public forum mean you have to take what the public gives back.

JM -- You're so right. I should have mentioned that. My favorite part of the episode, probably.

Vic -- That's probably exactly the reason in this case, but it does seem to be the standard at UGA. I think there's a healthy balance between silence and the Spurrier treatment -- but then again, if everything you say is going to be parsed, critiqued and taken out of context, it's tough to decide to say much of anything.

Anonymous said...

David,

Love the blog and the Lost references. However, stop linking to Stuff of Legend. That blog is garbage and is completely out of touch with the Lost community.

Anonymous said...

Have fun seeing Conan in ATL Dave. I was going to go, but then realized he was going to be at Bonaroo and well, that's just too perfect.

No One Knows You're a Dawg said...

One more pop culture/internet/sports related link: "They" are making Youtube take all the "Hitler finds out . . ." parodies.

A sad day for comedy gold.

http://mashable.com/2010/04/20/dmca-hitler/

Anonymous said...

David, Maine is not all that great. Worked there last summer and swore I'd never go back. If you do ever make it up there I'd try Camden or Portland.

Kathleen said...

The punter? On Tuesday? After Mett was already kicked off the team?

Maybe he just wants us to learn his name...

EastCobbDawg said...

David, as you say I'm not sure that there is anything Richt can say that won't be parsed and I'm pretty sure it would be inappropriate to provide details about the situation. Outside of sensitivity and legal issues, it's not Richt's responsibility to air dirty laundry in public unless it's his own.

The details may eventually come out publicly, but the people involved with a need to know have seen them and the coach has acted as he has seen fit from the perspective of the football team and University.

Richt's actions were clearly severe and thus you get speculation in the absence of detail but dismissal "for violation of team rules" is pretty common at many schools.

Kathleen said...

...And... if you want to go someplace cold and lake-filled that isn't Maine, I'd recommend northern Minnesota: Boundary Waters, Canoe/kayak, camp, fish.

Legendary American experiences to be had!

ChicagoDawg said...

"No Reservations" is great. Also, if you get the chance to go to Maine -- go. I quite enjoyed it.

Ginny said...

Nothing about the Glee Madonna episode? :)

I've vacationed in Maine in July and it was absolutely beautiful. I recommend a little town on the coast called Bar Harbor. I was pretty young but one of the main things I remember was the ridiculous amount of moose paraphernalia. Weird.

Re: Mettenberger: I respect Mark Richt completely for not disclosing any information. It's not necessary. As someone in the PR biz, I was taught to be proactive in making sure your message is accurate, but in this case, with his mom having such close ties to the school, I think it's better that it's kept under wraps for a while.

Scott said...

Thanks for the links to all of my garbage posts, David...I guess they are a thing of the past now, now that Anon 11:27 has called me out as not being part of the "community". (What does that even mean? I thought I was just a fan giving my opinion about a television show?)

Seriously, though...glad to see your expectations are rising in regards to the finale. I'm more optimistic than you are, but I think it may be because my expectations might be a little different from the LOST community that I have apparently lost touch with.

Keep up the great work.

David Hale said...

Scott, you haven't really made it until you're being nonsensically criticized. Welcome to the club!

The Cuatro said...

Altercation after leaving Toppers... classic.

Also, is it possible Lost's final episode will merge into Flash Forward?

Carter said...

Tiger Woods Parties at Nickelback Concert

http://www.tmz.com/2010/04/20/tiger-woods-nickelback-concert-party-backstage-orlando/

Anonymous said...

Auburn is a bunch of redneck retards.

erikagodawgs said...

Aw David! It feels like we (your faithful blog readers) are in a fight with our boyfriend (you)! We love you, and you know that! Don't let a few crazy comments on your posting make you break up with us :)

My word verification is "minessly".

Anonymous said...

David,

In the NCAA compliance report (page 143) it shows a Student Athlete Exit Interview form. I bet you would get some great stories if you sent in a freedom of information act request for those from football, basketball, etc. players over the past few years.

Unknown said...

D. Hale,

Miles wasn't included because he's not with either one of those groups anymore.

He took off with Richard and Ben last episode.

BTW, nice job on 790 the other day.

Prince Lightfoot said...

Bourdain's been chillin' in my hometown:
http://bit.ly/9NZAhU

Ann Arbor's a great place to eat, though the fact that he's written a new book and Borders is based there probably does more to explain the visit.

Anonymous said...

Of interest in the draft is that our top NFL ready prospects are all defensive players (Owens, Atkins, RJones, Curran). Even with four NFL ready players last year, we were near last in D in the SEC. Our parts were in deed greater than the sum. Hopefully, a first rounder will raise up this year- Could it be Boykin? JHouston?