Paying college players has taken center stage the last few weeks ever since HBO Real Sports raised the topic with one of its “special reports.” Barnhart & Durham, the 2 Live Stews, the Rude Awakening and other shows have given their opinion and The Official Visit was bombarded with phone calls on the subject this past Monday. In a seven minute segment, eight people called in and all wanted pay for players. While I disagree with those callers, it will be interesting to see the NCAA tapdance around this subject over the next few months.
Michael Carvell of AJC wonders if Norcross alum and UConn freshman Jeremy Lamb will jump to the NBA now that his Huskies have won the NCAA title. Said Carvell, “I don’t see it happening — as in Lamb making an early departure to the NBA, at least not this season. However, it remains extremely inspiring to see how far someone has risen in such a short amount of time. Anything is possible.”
Carvell took a section of USA Today’s David Leon Moore’s recent piece discussing Lamb’s potential decision to jump and Moore didn’t rule out the leap. “Suddenly, the notion of Lamb as a first-round pick doesn’t seem so crazy.” Lamb turned his game on about midway through the season and UConn suddenly made its run. While Kemba Walker was the centerpiece of the team, the Huskies wouldn’t have won without Lamb.
The AJC ran the Parade All-American team and interestingly enough only one Georgian made the national squad and the name might surprise you. Five star and Georgia-bound Kentavious Caldwell-Pope wasn’t that name and fellow McDonald’s All-American Shannon Scott, headed to Ohio State was not the name either. In case you were thinking it was Julian Royal, Malcolm Brogdon or Kevin Ware, keep guessing. The lone Peach Stater was Fayette County’s Adam Smith. His inclusion on the team isn’t much of a surprise as he was a member of the Score 44 after leading his team to the Class 4A semi-finals while averaging over 26 points per game, but what was surprising was that he was the only player. Next season Georgia figures to have several players on the Parade team including Miller Grove’s Tony Parker, who was named the South’s MVP of the inaugural All-American Championship during last week’s Final Four weekend festivities, and Evan Nolte.
The three biggest entities in the Atlanta sports radio market are the rights to the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia Bulldogs. 680 The Fan now holds the rights to two of those entities, sort of, after it was announced last week that The Fan is the new “official sports talk radio station” of the Georgia Bulldogs. AM750 WSB will still air the football and basketball play-by-play, but according to Tim Tucker of the AJC, 680 will air the Mark Richt weekly news conferences during the football season as well as a Bulldog “roundtable-type show.” which would air three times a week. As part of the deal, 680 The Fan’s Marietta sister station AM1230 The Fan 2 will air Georgia baseball games beginning this May. The Fan became the official flagship station of the Atlanta Braves before the 2010 season and now will be the sports talk station of the Georgia Bulldogs, giving the station even more access to the Athens program than Buck Belue was giving as part of the afternoon drive show Buck & Kincade. 790 The Zone recently acquired the rights to the Atlanta Falcons but 680 seemed to counter that with this announcement. The Fan won’t be doing the games but to be able to attach your station with that brand, it simply pushes The Fan a bit farther ahead of The Zone in the competition between the rival stations.
I tuned in to catch four straight days of the 2 Live Stews last week. Would it be possible to get those four days of my life back? Don’t get me wrong, I used to be a fan of the Stews back when they were Atlanta-centered, but now they are certainly more national since going syndicated across the country and joining Sporting News Radio. I realize that was something they needed to do, but you get the feeling that they turned their back on their loyal listeners from Atlanta that made them who they were. The craziness that they used to encourage and embrace has been replaced by a sense of Hollywood. “We made it and now we HAVE to be different.” Not necessarily. You guys can still “blast” phone calls, though it is no longer the “people’s show.” You guys made it, yes, but just remember about how you got there and don’t forget that you have legions of fans in Atlanta that would like to simply be remembered every now and then.
Have you listened to the Braves postgame show yet this season? Just like last year, if you turn to 680 after the game, the Fan is employing the Energizer Bunny strategy of “On and On and On and On.” Mike Bell is right when he says that Chris Dimino’s appearance on Pollack & Bell is just enough and all you need. Loyal Braves fans might want a bit more than just seven minutes, but the Braves fan is likely turning off HOUR THREE of the postgame show. As far as the new talent on the postgame show, Jay Howell? So he was a Brave for one season. That is cool that they are going out and getting former players involved, assuming those players offer something. John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, this guy is not. I am glad they told me he is a former Brave and not a relative of a radio higher-up because that is what I thought at first. Yesh. I tried to keep an open mind after hearing him during the spring but the first few postgames of the regular season…On the plus side though, now that the Braves season has started on 680 The Fan, at least the listeners get a bit of a breather. Why? Leo Mazzone isn’t on the Rude Awakening as much anymore since he is involved in the baseball programming. Silver lining!!!!
Can You Believe He Said That
“You look in the stands and there are ten people there.”
That was Perry Laurentino of 680 The Fan’s The Rude Awakening, talking about women’s college basketball. He read a stat that revealed the average big six conference school is losing $2M a year on its women’s basketball program. While I believe he was misguided saying the money should go to pay the football players, SOMETHING must be done to turn the loss of money around, otherwise do away with the program.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Green Day and Alanis's biggest hit debate settled
I was riding to work this morning listening to Star 94 (Dave and 99X were both on commercial I swear) and Green Day’s Good Riddance (Time of your life) played, followed by Alanis Morissette’s Ironic. Once at work, You Oughta Know came on 99X and it got me thinking: what was the bigger hit for the two artists/bands?
For Green Day was it Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), aka the graduation song/montage song for about 10 years starting in 1998 or was it When I Come Around? (I know Longview, Welcome to Paradise, and Basketcase were “hits” before, but I am giving When I Come Around the jumpoff status here). I would say that When I Come Around was what cemented their status with all of their punk/GenY fans but Time of Your Life made them global as they slowed it down. The order was also important too. They needed the fast-paced song first, followed by the slow-down song because you can slow down but it is tough to speed up in my opinion. They have never topped Time of Your Life, but most of their later hits have been more like When I Come Around (Holiday, American Idiot, for example). When they slow it down, they tend to have more success (21 Guns, Wake me Up, BLVD of Broken Dreams), but nothing will ever top Time of Your Life. Sorry guys but that’s what you’re known for.
As far as Alanis, she also needed to start with the up-tempo/pissed-off You Oughta Know because most of her stuff has been far more Ironic-like than revenge ballad music. You Oughta Know got her in the door with the emo generation, but she is really the One Hand in My Pocket/ThankU/Head Over Feet/Ironic singer. While Ironic is what she is moreorless known for (especially that video), You Oughta Know put Alanis on the map and screamed for people to take notice. While Ironic is an iconic song that appeals to more people, Alanis would have simply been another Natalie Merchant without You Oughta Know. Plus, how cool is it knowing that Uncle Joey from Full House has to get PISSED off every time this song airs because everyone knows this song is about him. Perhaps now she is also singing it about Ryan Reynolds, ya never know.
For Green Day was it Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), aka the graduation song/montage song for about 10 years starting in 1998 or was it When I Come Around? (I know Longview, Welcome to Paradise, and Basketcase were “hits” before, but I am giving When I Come Around the jumpoff status here). I would say that When I Come Around was what cemented their status with all of their punk/GenY fans but Time of Your Life made them global as they slowed it down. The order was also important too. They needed the fast-paced song first, followed by the slow-down song because you can slow down but it is tough to speed up in my opinion. They have never topped Time of Your Life, but most of their later hits have been more like When I Come Around (Holiday, American Idiot, for example). When they slow it down, they tend to have more success (21 Guns, Wake me Up, BLVD of Broken Dreams), but nothing will ever top Time of Your Life. Sorry guys but that’s what you’re known for.
As far as Alanis, she also needed to start with the up-tempo/pissed-off You Oughta Know because most of her stuff has been far more Ironic-like than revenge ballad music. You Oughta Know got her in the door with the emo generation, but she is really the One Hand in My Pocket/ThankU/Head Over Feet/Ironic singer. While Ironic is what she is moreorless known for (especially that video), You Oughta Know put Alanis on the map and screamed for people to take notice. While Ironic is an iconic song that appeals to more people, Alanis would have simply been another Natalie Merchant without You Oughta Know. Plus, how cool is it knowing that Uncle Joey from Full House has to get PISSED off every time this song airs because everyone knows this song is about him. Perhaps now she is also singing it about Ryan Reynolds, ya never know.
Georgia, the home of some HUGE DTs
If National Signing Day 2011 marked the year of the defensive end in the state of Georgia, National Signing Day 2012 could be deemed the year of the defense tackle. Stephon Tuitt, Sterling Bailey, Ray Drew and Gabe Wright were huge names that signed this past February, but the names of the rising Georgia seniors that man the interior of the defensive line all belong to huge young men.
Two of those standouts are Stephenson’s Jafar Mann and Jenkins County’s Jonathan Taylor. Mann recently pledged to Will Muschamp and the Florida Gators, joining several teammates, while Taylor may hold out a little bit longer before likely committing with his high school teammate, DE/OLB James DeLoach.
For both players, finding out he was a top prospect was humbling. “It was a dream come true,” said Taylor about hearing he was atop many recruiting services’ initial national rankings.
Mann echoed the sentiment. “I really enjoyed the process, but the phone calls can pile up.”
Another similarity the two players share other than feeling blessed is the likelihood that they will matriculate with current teammates to the next level. Mann will join running back Mike Davis, another rising senior, in Gainesville and possibly by several other teammates. When asked in a recent interview if Davis’ decision to head to Florida influenced him, Mann said yes. “It kind of did.” Teammates Raphael Kirby and Jorantay Jones are also looking at the Gators and head coach Muschamp could be getting one or both of those two as well. “Florida may get a couple of more commitments but I don’t want to ruin it,” said Mann.
Meanwhile Taylor has discussed going to college with DeLoach. “If we ever get scholarships to the same school, we’ll go together. I can push him to get better and he can push me,” Taylor said in a recent interview about his current and potentially future teammate. Taylor said the two players are like brothers in high school and soon they will sit down with their high school coach and talk about coaches, majors and decide as a committee.
Both players stressed coaches and playing time as important factors in their decision-making process. For Taylor, he is looking at Georgia Tech, Auburn, Alabama and Georgia, especially their depth charts and how the coaches use their players. In regards to the Yellow Jackets, Taylor liked Tech’s general atmosphere, including the staff and the players. “(The coaches) treat their players like they are at home.” He was highly complimentary of Alabama, especially Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. “They are great. They show you things you need to know.” Georgia and Todd Grantham may have impressed him the most however. “They have some nice people there like Coach Grantham. I could see myself playing for (him).” Taylor noted that Grantham hinted at some early playing time.
Mann noted that it was not just the potential of a group of four high school teammates heading down to Gainesville that sparked his interest in the Gators. “The campus was so great and the coaches act like family,” Mann gushed before adding that that the depth chart “played a big part.”
Mann also felt loyalty to the Gator program who was one of the first to offer. Georgia “offered two or three weeks after Florida,” so Mann ruled the Dawgs out despite growing up a Georgia fan. “I felt they really weren’t interested in it and I couldn’t see myself in that (3-4) defense.” Mann also admitted that his father wanted him to go to Florida and Mann declared on his father’s birthday.
Mann has announced that he will not take anymore visits just try to work on his speed and attend the Nike camp. “Hopefully I go down there (to Gainesville) and take care of my business. Everybody wants to play early.”
Taylor is a different story. He says he plans on attending as many camps as he can this summer. He also wants to hit the weight room hard, focus on school work and his speed. As far as when he will announce, be prepared to wait. “I’ll wait ‘til signing day comes.”
Both players are big bodies that will help National Signing Day 2012 be remembered in the state of Georgia as the Year of the D-Tackle.
Two of those standouts are Stephenson’s Jafar Mann and Jenkins County’s Jonathan Taylor. Mann recently pledged to Will Muschamp and the Florida Gators, joining several teammates, while Taylor may hold out a little bit longer before likely committing with his high school teammate, DE/OLB James DeLoach.
For both players, finding out he was a top prospect was humbling. “It was a dream come true,” said Taylor about hearing he was atop many recruiting services’ initial national rankings.
Mann echoed the sentiment. “I really enjoyed the process, but the phone calls can pile up.”
Another similarity the two players share other than feeling blessed is the likelihood that they will matriculate with current teammates to the next level. Mann will join running back Mike Davis, another rising senior, in Gainesville and possibly by several other teammates. When asked in a recent interview if Davis’ decision to head to Florida influenced him, Mann said yes. “It kind of did.” Teammates Raphael Kirby and Jorantay Jones are also looking at the Gators and head coach Muschamp could be getting one or both of those two as well. “Florida may get a couple of more commitments but I don’t want to ruin it,” said Mann.
Meanwhile Taylor has discussed going to college with DeLoach. “If we ever get scholarships to the same school, we’ll go together. I can push him to get better and he can push me,” Taylor said in a recent interview about his current and potentially future teammate. Taylor said the two players are like brothers in high school and soon they will sit down with their high school coach and talk about coaches, majors and decide as a committee.
Both players stressed coaches and playing time as important factors in their decision-making process. For Taylor, he is looking at Georgia Tech, Auburn, Alabama and Georgia, especially their depth charts and how the coaches use their players. In regards to the Yellow Jackets, Taylor liked Tech’s general atmosphere, including the staff and the players. “(The coaches) treat their players like they are at home.” He was highly complimentary of Alabama, especially Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. “They are great. They show you things you need to know.” Georgia and Todd Grantham may have impressed him the most however. “They have some nice people there like Coach Grantham. I could see myself playing for (him).” Taylor noted that Grantham hinted at some early playing time.
Mann noted that it was not just the potential of a group of four high school teammates heading down to Gainesville that sparked his interest in the Gators. “The campus was so great and the coaches act like family,” Mann gushed before adding that that the depth chart “played a big part.”
Mann also felt loyalty to the Gator program who was one of the first to offer. Georgia “offered two or three weeks after Florida,” so Mann ruled the Dawgs out despite growing up a Georgia fan. “I felt they really weren’t interested in it and I couldn’t see myself in that (3-4) defense.” Mann also admitted that his father wanted him to go to Florida and Mann declared on his father’s birthday.
Mann has announced that he will not take anymore visits just try to work on his speed and attend the Nike camp. “Hopefully I go down there (to Gainesville) and take care of my business. Everybody wants to play early.”
Taylor is a different story. He says he plans on attending as many camps as he can this summer. He also wants to hit the weight room hard, focus on school work and his speed. As far as when he will announce, be prepared to wait. “I’ll wait ‘til signing day comes.”
Both players are big bodies that will help National Signing Day 2012 be remembered in the state of Georgia as the Year of the D-Tackle.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Several receivers step up in first UGA scrimmage
The first official spring scrimmage took place last week for the Georgia Bulldogs and according to reports, the offense had a pretty nice day despite no AJ Green, Kris Durham or Isaiah Crowell. Yes, of course Green and Durham have departed the program and Crowell hasn't finished high school yet, but that is pretty good news for folks wondering if Aaron Murray can follow a solid redshirt freshman season with a Stafford-esque lead in the sophomore year. (Remember, Stafford struggled too his freshman year and the sophomore campaign ended with an appearance in the Sugar Bowl and a No. 2 ranking.)
It appears that Caleb King may FINALLY be living up to some of the high school hype he brought to Athens and he could end up giving Crowell a run for his money, assuming he stays out of the doghouse. A few of the other backs made some impressions but the Bulldog Nation is starting to come to grips with perhaps King and not Washaun Ealey being the lone challenger to Crowell for the Boise State start at tailback.
As far as targets for Aaron Murray, the latest reports have Michael Bennett having made a few nice catches while Marlon Brown showed some nice hands with one touchdown grab. Odds are Orson Charles will take a bigger role in the offense now that Green is gone, and Murray has a rapport with Charles dating back to their Plant (Tampa) high school days. Charles is a matchup nightmare for the opposition as he is too strong for corners, too fast for linebackers and too big for safeties. Georgia has a large supply of tight ends so look for Charles to be used simply as a mismatch favoring the Bulldogs.
Richt also praised the defense but it will be tough to see how much the defense has really improved until John Jenkins suits up at the nose tackle position. Jarvis Jones can make plays all day long in a scrimmage but we won't know how good he'll be until Jenkins is in there, plugging up the middle. Bacarri Rambo missed the scrimmage as did Richard Samuel and those two are expected to be major players next season.
It was just the first scrimmage but if the offense can find a few playmakers before Crowell gets to Athens, you would have to call the spring a success.
It appears that Caleb King may FINALLY be living up to some of the high school hype he brought to Athens and he could end up giving Crowell a run for his money, assuming he stays out of the doghouse. A few of the other backs made some impressions but the Bulldog Nation is starting to come to grips with perhaps King and not Washaun Ealey being the lone challenger to Crowell for the Boise State start at tailback.
As far as targets for Aaron Murray, the latest reports have Michael Bennett having made a few nice catches while Marlon Brown showed some nice hands with one touchdown grab. Odds are Orson Charles will take a bigger role in the offense now that Green is gone, and Murray has a rapport with Charles dating back to their Plant (Tampa) high school days. Charles is a matchup nightmare for the opposition as he is too strong for corners, too fast for linebackers and too big for safeties. Georgia has a large supply of tight ends so look for Charles to be used simply as a mismatch favoring the Bulldogs.
Richt also praised the defense but it will be tough to see how much the defense has really improved until John Jenkins suits up at the nose tackle position. Jarvis Jones can make plays all day long in a scrimmage but we won't know how good he'll be until Jenkins is in there, plugging up the middle. Bacarri Rambo missed the scrimmage as did Richard Samuel and those two are expected to be major players next season.
It was just the first scrimmage but if the offense can find a few playmakers before Crowell gets to Athens, you would have to call the spring a success.
Monday, April 4, 2011
TheFletch looks at How GT's new coach was received
I guess there is a reason they call it March Madness. The Final Four was set this past weekend and everyone’s brackets were ruined with VCU and Butler advancing to the Final Four and heavyweights Ohio State and Kansas missing out on a trip to Houston. Is this seriously what we want for the national semifinals and the title tilt? UConn, who was ninth in the Big East entering the conference tournament, losers of seven down the stretch before winning five games in five days to claim a No. 3 seed? Is this really what we want in Virginia Commonwealth University, a team that finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association during the regular season and was one of the First Four?
The Official Visit co-hosts Scott Janovitz and Fletcher Proctor (That’s me) have gone on the record before saying that the NCAA men’s basketball championship should NOT be determined by a 64 (or 68) team single-elimination tournament that merely rewards the hottest team over six games spread over three weeks. You are throwing away November, December, January, and February to simply crown a March champion.
680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino seems to agree. The day after VCU knocked off Kansas to earn a ticket to the Final Four, Perry made a great point: VCU and Butler are nice stories, but they just got hot at the end of the season. Perhaps he said it with tongue-in-cheek, but he was right. Upsets are “fun” and all but at the end of the day we want to see the best teams competing for a national title, not cute stories. Perry’s co-host Sandra Golden said that after the title game won by whomever, she will remember VCU’s run to the Final Four. That reminds me of the ending of Tin Cup and what Jalen Rose said in the recent Fab Five documentary. Rene Russo said that no one will remember the champion of the US Open but people would remember Roy’s shot. Rose said you can name the Fab Five but you cannot name anyone on that 1993 UNC title team. Actually, if VCU DOESN’T win the title, people will forget their run in a hurry. I had nearly forgotten about George Mason until CBS reminded me about their being an 11-seed making the Final Four in 2006. Perry wished for the Goliaths to be able to meet in the finals, and he wished that the two main Goliaths, Ohio State and Kansas could still be playing and I agree with him.
A majority of people watching “March Madness” don’t care about college basketball this time of year; they simply care about their bracket and winning money in an office pool. Those of us that have watched basketball all season long should be rewarded with a REAL title game, not one where a team that needed a buzzer beater over a team from the CAA followed by a foul 93 feet away from its own basket then later Florida enduring a brain cramp to advance to the Final Four. With all due respect to VCU, according to the standings the Rams were the fourth best team in the CAA this year. Now they may be the fourth best team in the country? Really? No. Knock the BCS all you want to, but the fans are rewarded at the end of the season with the two best teams from the regular season playing for a national title. Basketball rewards the best teams of March with a title.
Hello Friends, as the very busy Jim Nantz would say. After Nantz polishes off the Final Four and the championship game this Monday, he’ll be on a plane to Augusta for the PGA’s first major, The Masters, “A tradition unlike any other.” Nantz does come off a little cheesy sometimes with the obviously prewritten lines he spouts out during the round in big moments, but isn’t that what you sort of look forward to during the weekend coverage? I know I sort of enjoy the semi-cheesy Nantz coming up with eye-rolling proclamations like “One for the Family!” after Mickelson’s final putt last year. While attending the Masters is amazing, for my money, there is nothing better than camping out on your couch, watching Sunday’s round on HDTV. So you have to endure a bit of Nantz, that’s OK.
Finally, it is interesting how one local coach impacts another in the Atlanta area. Georgia Tech hired former Dayton coach Brian Gregory and while that wasn’t necessarily the sexy pick (like Richmond’s Chris Mooney or VCU’s Shaka Smart would have been), several writers in the area seem fine with that, almost excited even. Georgia’s Mark Fox is to thank for that, I do believe. At the time, Fox was Georgia’s fourth(?) option for coach, but he took the gig and in year two had Georgia Big Dancin’. Now the AJC’s Mark Bradley says of Gregory, “Tech didn’t need a hot coach. It needed a competent one. It found him.”Bradley would go on to say Tech fans may be disappointed with the choice, but once they see him play, they will change their minds. “Gregory’s guys are going to get after it good.”
Doug Roberson of the AJC was quick to bring up Gregory’s record against teams from the Big Six conferences over the last four years and his seven wins against ranked teams during his Dayton tenure.
And Jeff Schultz declared of Gregory, “Does he get a lot of people excited? Judging by the reaction when his name leaked out on Twitter a few days ago, no….But that doesn’t mean Gregory can’t win everybody over.” Schultz admitted that Georgia Tech whiffed by not securing Mooney. He also went on to once again throw out there that Georgia has passed Tech in terms of balance of power within the Peach State. Some may think that is unfair but Fox has taken his team to the tournament already. Perhaps the jury will be out until after Gregory’s second season. Needless to say, the pressure is already on.
Can You Believe He Said That
“You’re gonna like the way he talks.”
That was the hard-hitting analysis from David Pollack in regards to Georgia Tech’s new basketball coach Brian Gregory. Several years back Pollack & Bell interviewed the former Dayton coach and both remarked that he sounded like Joe Pesci. I guess the voice is all Pollack remembered. Perhaps next year you should go to the Cheetah and watch the basketball games instead of hanging out in your “sin-free environment,” so you can tell Yellow Jacket fans more than just he sounds like the bad guy from Home Alone.
The Official Visit co-hosts Scott Janovitz and Fletcher Proctor (That’s me) have gone on the record before saying that the NCAA men’s basketball championship should NOT be determined by a 64 (or 68) team single-elimination tournament that merely rewards the hottest team over six games spread over three weeks. You are throwing away November, December, January, and February to simply crown a March champion.
680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino seems to agree. The day after VCU knocked off Kansas to earn a ticket to the Final Four, Perry made a great point: VCU and Butler are nice stories, but they just got hot at the end of the season. Perhaps he said it with tongue-in-cheek, but he was right. Upsets are “fun” and all but at the end of the day we want to see the best teams competing for a national title, not cute stories. Perry’s co-host Sandra Golden said that after the title game won by whomever, she will remember VCU’s run to the Final Four. That reminds me of the ending of Tin Cup and what Jalen Rose said in the recent Fab Five documentary. Rene Russo said that no one will remember the champion of the US Open but people would remember Roy’s shot. Rose said you can name the Fab Five but you cannot name anyone on that 1993 UNC title team. Actually, if VCU DOESN’T win the title, people will forget their run in a hurry. I had nearly forgotten about George Mason until CBS reminded me about their being an 11-seed making the Final Four in 2006. Perry wished for the Goliaths to be able to meet in the finals, and he wished that the two main Goliaths, Ohio State and Kansas could still be playing and I agree with him.
A majority of people watching “March Madness” don’t care about college basketball this time of year; they simply care about their bracket and winning money in an office pool. Those of us that have watched basketball all season long should be rewarded with a REAL title game, not one where a team that needed a buzzer beater over a team from the CAA followed by a foul 93 feet away from its own basket then later Florida enduring a brain cramp to advance to the Final Four. With all due respect to VCU, according to the standings the Rams were the fourth best team in the CAA this year. Now they may be the fourth best team in the country? Really? No. Knock the BCS all you want to, but the fans are rewarded at the end of the season with the two best teams from the regular season playing for a national title. Basketball rewards the best teams of March with a title.
Hello Friends, as the very busy Jim Nantz would say. After Nantz polishes off the Final Four and the championship game this Monday, he’ll be on a plane to Augusta for the PGA’s first major, The Masters, “A tradition unlike any other.” Nantz does come off a little cheesy sometimes with the obviously prewritten lines he spouts out during the round in big moments, but isn’t that what you sort of look forward to during the weekend coverage? I know I sort of enjoy the semi-cheesy Nantz coming up with eye-rolling proclamations like “One for the Family!” after Mickelson’s final putt last year. While attending the Masters is amazing, for my money, there is nothing better than camping out on your couch, watching Sunday’s round on HDTV. So you have to endure a bit of Nantz, that’s OK.
Finally, it is interesting how one local coach impacts another in the Atlanta area. Georgia Tech hired former Dayton coach Brian Gregory and while that wasn’t necessarily the sexy pick (like Richmond’s Chris Mooney or VCU’s Shaka Smart would have been), several writers in the area seem fine with that, almost excited even. Georgia’s Mark Fox is to thank for that, I do believe. At the time, Fox was Georgia’s fourth(?) option for coach, but he took the gig and in year two had Georgia Big Dancin’. Now the AJC’s Mark Bradley says of Gregory, “Tech didn’t need a hot coach. It needed a competent one. It found him.”Bradley would go on to say Tech fans may be disappointed with the choice, but once they see him play, they will change their minds. “Gregory’s guys are going to get after it good.”
Doug Roberson of the AJC was quick to bring up Gregory’s record against teams from the Big Six conferences over the last four years and his seven wins against ranked teams during his Dayton tenure.
And Jeff Schultz declared of Gregory, “Does he get a lot of people excited? Judging by the reaction when his name leaked out on Twitter a few days ago, no….But that doesn’t mean Gregory can’t win everybody over.” Schultz admitted that Georgia Tech whiffed by not securing Mooney. He also went on to once again throw out there that Georgia has passed Tech in terms of balance of power within the Peach State. Some may think that is unfair but Fox has taken his team to the tournament already. Perhaps the jury will be out until after Gregory’s second season. Needless to say, the pressure is already on.
Can You Believe He Said That
“You’re gonna like the way he talks.”
That was the hard-hitting analysis from David Pollack in regards to Georgia Tech’s new basketball coach Brian Gregory. Several years back Pollack & Bell interviewed the former Dayton coach and both remarked that he sounded like Joe Pesci. I guess the voice is all Pollack remembered. Perhaps next year you should go to the Cheetah and watch the basketball games instead of hanging out in your “sin-free environment,” so you can tell Yellow Jacket fans more than just he sounds like the bad guy from Home Alone.
Monday, March 28, 2011
You're about one year late, CRob...
We have heard a bunch so far this off-season about new leaders stepping up on the defense after last year’s cancerous “leaders” who were me-first guys. Linebacker Christian Robinson seems to have taken on the most vocal “leader” role, which is fine as he started last year, but I guess I have to ask one simple question: what took so long?
If last season really was so leaderless and me-first, why didn’t Robinson set up one calendar year ago? I would disagree with anyone that said, “oh he was too young last year and there were pre-established leaders already in place.”
B.S. Last year was the first year that Georgia was in Todd Grantham’s new 3-4 defense, which means EVERYONE was in essence a rookie/freshman. Nearly the entire defensive coaching staff was brand new to Georgia so the entire team had a chance to make an impression on the staff. Fifth-year seniors and true freshmen were all learning the brand new system. In fact, younger players probably had an advantage in they weren’t trying to forget one system before moving to the new one. The younger players also were being loyal to the previous staff that was let go before the Independence Bowl following the 2009 season. Robinson stepped up and into the starting lineup, so he would have been perfect to be a leader last year. He didn’t need to defer to older players such as Justin Houston, who left with one year of eligibility left to enter the NFL draft.
It seems like now the defense is playing better as various outlets run stories about Richt saying the defense is more comfortable with the scheme. Other outlets have run quotes from players saying the defense is improving thanks to the change in the strength and conditioning program. And now we hear from Robinson that the team has new leaders in place that are team-first and not me-first. This is good news considering the past three seasons have been disappointing to say the least. New leadership? Cool. Something needed to change. The Bulldog Nation hopes these leaders can bring back a bit of the glory from not so long ago (2002, 2005, 2007) and from several decades ago (1980)….
If last season really was so leaderless and me-first, why didn’t Robinson set up one calendar year ago? I would disagree with anyone that said, “oh he was too young last year and there were pre-established leaders already in place.”
B.S. Last year was the first year that Georgia was in Todd Grantham’s new 3-4 defense, which means EVERYONE was in essence a rookie/freshman. Nearly the entire defensive coaching staff was brand new to Georgia so the entire team had a chance to make an impression on the staff. Fifth-year seniors and true freshmen were all learning the brand new system. In fact, younger players probably had an advantage in they weren’t trying to forget one system before moving to the new one. The younger players also were being loyal to the previous staff that was let go before the Independence Bowl following the 2009 season. Robinson stepped up and into the starting lineup, so he would have been perfect to be a leader last year. He didn’t need to defer to older players such as Justin Houston, who left with one year of eligibility left to enter the NFL draft.
It seems like now the defense is playing better as various outlets run stories about Richt saying the defense is more comfortable with the scheme. Other outlets have run quotes from players saying the defense is improving thanks to the change in the strength and conditioning program. And now we hear from Robinson that the team has new leaders in place that are team-first and not me-first. This is good news considering the past three seasons have been disappointing to say the least. New leadership? Cool. Something needed to change. The Bulldog Nation hopes these leaders can bring back a bit of the glory from not so long ago (2002, 2005, 2007) and from several decades ago (1980)….
TheFletch a LittleLate
For some last week was the greatest sports weekend of the year as college basketball’s playoff system kicked off its championship tournament, rendering the previous four months of basketball as meaningless. Seriously, Pittsburgh was good enough all season long in the RUGGED Big East to nab a No. 1 seed but was beaten on a fluky final seven seconds and sent back to the land of Roethlisberger to wish they had been good during the only three weeks of the season that matter.
Both local sports radio stations were knee deep in tournament coverage, with 680 The Fan fanning out at Tilted Kilts across Atlanta while 790 The Zone set up camp at its usual spot: The Cheetah. Different stations, different approaches, and one eye-rolling broadcast decision that was repeated from years past. Radio personalities have characters they play, whether it is the party-guy, the funny-guy, the black-hat, the local-homer, or the religious-guy. Last Thursday Pollack & Bell did a split broadcast with point man Mike Bell broadcasting live from The Cheetah while David Pollack was back in a “sin-free environment” as Bell called it back at The Zone headquarters. I am sorry, but this split-broadcast is a bit tired. The first year it was funny. The second year it was an “oh, yeah, he did that last year,” thing. This year? Really? You cannot sit on a broadcast stage and do your job while loud music is played and folks watch basketball…and strippers strip? Just go and do your job. Be out among your listeners and be a professional. You aren’t a huge fan of strip clubs? That’s cool, but you still should take part in your employer’s broadcast. Take one for the team.
All season long I kept hear about how great the Big East Conference is in basketball. They are SOOOO good. They got 11 teams into the Big Dance. Notre Dame COULD have been a No. 1 seed! Syracuse could take out UNC and Ohio State! Pitt’s Jamie Dixon is the best coach never to have won the big one! Blah blah blah to quote Ke$ha. I realize that we should look at the regular season, but in college basketball, don’t you HAVE to look at the tournament for ultimate success? I actually watched some of the Big East regular season this year and simply thought, “Is this it?” It was tight defense, but nothing was outstanding about the brand of basketball. I shuddered to myself and thought, “Is this what non-SEC football fans think when they tune to CBS on a Saturday afternoon and see LSU/Alabama?” I can’t be. You can SEE how good the SEC is both when the teams play each other AND when they go outside the conference and play in BCS bowl games. The SEC has won the last five BCS national titles. The last Big East school to win the Big Dance was UConn in 2004. I am sorry but I cannot really say that the Big East is the best because of its rugged play. No, it has 16 teams. If you add four more schools to the Big Ten, then I bet you’d hear that the Big Ten (or in that case the Big 16) is just as good as the Big East in basketball.
I ran across an interesting sentence in Sports Illustrated last week when I was reading an article about the Kansas City Royals. The piece took place in the future and was a “look back” at 2011 when the Royals were bad. The article was clearly meant to trumpet the arrival of the young Royals prospects, but the one line in question was “back when President Jeter was still the shortstop for the Yankees.” I wondered to myself if that was even possible. Could a modern-day athlete go on to hold the office of the President of the United States? We have seen throughout the last few decades that some athletes have gone on to seats in the House of Representatives or in the Senate. Heath Shuler, the former Tennessee Volunteer QB and first round Washington Redskins draft pick is currently a Congressman from North Carolina. J.C. Watts was a long-time Congressman after leading the Oklahoma Sooners to a national title. Tom Osborne, the former Nebraska head coach and current AD took a break in between each gig to serve in the House for six years. Bill Bradley served in the Senate for three terms. But it seems the Senate and the House might be the cap as far as former athletes go. The highest a “real” athlete has ever gotten was perhaps when Congressman Jack Kemp was named to Bob Dole’s ticket as a VP candidate. He of course did not win.
Could any current athletes really have a chance at becoming the President of the United States? You don’t need to go back that far into the history books to discover the chapter where Minnesota elected a WRESTLER as its governor. If Tom Brady or Peyton Manning wanted to run for office, wouldn’t each receive some serious numbers? America seems to love Phil Mickelson.
I doubt any local athletes have a chance right now. Matt Ryan is too young and Jason Heyward may get there one day but he isn’t there just yet. Could any local coaches/players run for a Georgia office though? Vince Dooley it was rumored considered a Congressional run. I remember a time when Mark Richt could have run for governor of Georgia and won. Right now he is just hoping he won’t be impeached next off-season. I doubt Mark Fox could get much traction after just two seasons and Tech football coach Paul Johnson probably could have run 365 days ago but not right now after losing to Georgia yet again and finishing sub-.500. Bobby Cox, Hank Aaron and Herschel Walker would probably be the most likely candidates to win a state-wide election of some sort. Crazy things have happened at the polls; we may in fact see President Jeter before all is said and done.
Can You Believe He Said That
“I feel bad for (Bruce) Pearl.” That was 680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino the morning after the Tennessee men’s basketball coach got the ax. Really? You seriously feel bad for the guy that could have saved himself by simply telling the truth, yet brought all of this upon himself for lying to the NCAA? He saw what happened to other folks that lied. And after he lied, he violated more rules. If you want to feel bad for someone, feel bad for the players, but don’t feel bad for the guy that lied and got himself fired.
Both local sports radio stations were knee deep in tournament coverage, with 680 The Fan fanning out at Tilted Kilts across Atlanta while 790 The Zone set up camp at its usual spot: The Cheetah. Different stations, different approaches, and one eye-rolling broadcast decision that was repeated from years past. Radio personalities have characters they play, whether it is the party-guy, the funny-guy, the black-hat, the local-homer, or the religious-guy. Last Thursday Pollack & Bell did a split broadcast with point man Mike Bell broadcasting live from The Cheetah while David Pollack was back in a “sin-free environment” as Bell called it back at The Zone headquarters. I am sorry, but this split-broadcast is a bit tired. The first year it was funny. The second year it was an “oh, yeah, he did that last year,” thing. This year? Really? You cannot sit on a broadcast stage and do your job while loud music is played and folks watch basketball…and strippers strip? Just go and do your job. Be out among your listeners and be a professional. You aren’t a huge fan of strip clubs? That’s cool, but you still should take part in your employer’s broadcast. Take one for the team.
All season long I kept hear about how great the Big East Conference is in basketball. They are SOOOO good. They got 11 teams into the Big Dance. Notre Dame COULD have been a No. 1 seed! Syracuse could take out UNC and Ohio State! Pitt’s Jamie Dixon is the best coach never to have won the big one! Blah blah blah to quote Ke$ha. I realize that we should look at the regular season, but in college basketball, don’t you HAVE to look at the tournament for ultimate success? I actually watched some of the Big East regular season this year and simply thought, “Is this it?” It was tight defense, but nothing was outstanding about the brand of basketball. I shuddered to myself and thought, “Is this what non-SEC football fans think when they tune to CBS on a Saturday afternoon and see LSU/Alabama?” I can’t be. You can SEE how good the SEC is both when the teams play each other AND when they go outside the conference and play in BCS bowl games. The SEC has won the last five BCS national titles. The last Big East school to win the Big Dance was UConn in 2004. I am sorry but I cannot really say that the Big East is the best because of its rugged play. No, it has 16 teams. If you add four more schools to the Big Ten, then I bet you’d hear that the Big Ten (or in that case the Big 16) is just as good as the Big East in basketball.
I ran across an interesting sentence in Sports Illustrated last week when I was reading an article about the Kansas City Royals. The piece took place in the future and was a “look back” at 2011 when the Royals were bad. The article was clearly meant to trumpet the arrival of the young Royals prospects, but the one line in question was “back when President Jeter was still the shortstop for the Yankees.” I wondered to myself if that was even possible. Could a modern-day athlete go on to hold the office of the President of the United States? We have seen throughout the last few decades that some athletes have gone on to seats in the House of Representatives or in the Senate. Heath Shuler, the former Tennessee Volunteer QB and first round Washington Redskins draft pick is currently a Congressman from North Carolina. J.C. Watts was a long-time Congressman after leading the Oklahoma Sooners to a national title. Tom Osborne, the former Nebraska head coach and current AD took a break in between each gig to serve in the House for six years. Bill Bradley served in the Senate for three terms. But it seems the Senate and the House might be the cap as far as former athletes go. The highest a “real” athlete has ever gotten was perhaps when Congressman Jack Kemp was named to Bob Dole’s ticket as a VP candidate. He of course did not win.
Could any current athletes really have a chance at becoming the President of the United States? You don’t need to go back that far into the history books to discover the chapter where Minnesota elected a WRESTLER as its governor. If Tom Brady or Peyton Manning wanted to run for office, wouldn’t each receive some serious numbers? America seems to love Phil Mickelson.
I doubt any local athletes have a chance right now. Matt Ryan is too young and Jason Heyward may get there one day but he isn’t there just yet. Could any local coaches/players run for a Georgia office though? Vince Dooley it was rumored considered a Congressional run. I remember a time when Mark Richt could have run for governor of Georgia and won. Right now he is just hoping he won’t be impeached next off-season. I doubt Mark Fox could get much traction after just two seasons and Tech football coach Paul Johnson probably could have run 365 days ago but not right now after losing to Georgia yet again and finishing sub-.500. Bobby Cox, Hank Aaron and Herschel Walker would probably be the most likely candidates to win a state-wide election of some sort. Crazy things have happened at the polls; we may in fact see President Jeter before all is said and done.
Can You Believe He Said That
“I feel bad for (Bruce) Pearl.” That was 680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino the morning after the Tennessee men’s basketball coach got the ax. Really? You seriously feel bad for the guy that could have saved himself by simply telling the truth, yet brought all of this upon himself for lying to the NCAA? He saw what happened to other folks that lied. And after he lied, he violated more rules. If you want to feel bad for someone, feel bad for the players, but don’t feel bad for the guy that lied and got himself fired.
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