Mr. CFB to return on Monday
I’m happy to report that this blog will be returning on Monday, March 16. Looking forward to getting started again. I’ve missed you guys.
It’s going to be an interesting spring practice in our part of the world.
See you then.
Thanks,
Tony B.
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26 comments Add your comment
GeoffDawg
March 13th, 2009
11:51 am
Tony – glad to have you back. I was worried that your column would be cut due to ajc belt tightening. Honestly, with the popularity of college football in Georgia, they should keep you on the payroll year round.
tbarnhart
March 13th, 2009
12:03 pm
Thanks, GeoffDawg. It’s going to be fun. Shoot, Lane Kiffin should keep us entertained all Spring.
GeoffDawg
March 13th, 2009
1:27 pm
That’s the truth. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be home from work in time to see him on PTI but if recent history is any indicator, it should be worth watching.
Hoopie
March 13th, 2009
3:16 pm
Welcome back Tony. Have missed reading your balanced view of CFB.
joe
March 14th, 2009
6:12 pm
Betcha $100 the top story of the time Tony was away will be all the much-a-do-about-nothing Lane Kiffin stories…did he say the kid would pump gas, or did Spurrier leak it just to pile on? Does his calling Urban Cryer a cheater make him a liar, or was he telling a half truth? We all know Urban is closer to being like Alabama than our state’s pride and joy Dawgs, right??
poopdawg
March 14th, 2009
6:45 pm
Tony , i enjoy your articles but i didn’t like your last one. Must of been vacationing in Florida.
CurlyHeadedDevil
March 14th, 2009
9:20 pm
Tony, there should be an opening for a sports headline writer at AJC if you’re interested in a very parttime position. What idiot would call a defensive lineman who makes 15 tackles and two sacks in two years for the national champion Gators a “Key” defensive lineman? Geez!
T-Bone
March 15th, 2009
6:14 am
Tony, Great to have you back. I, too, am glad that the AJC belt-tightening didn’t get you. Looking forward to some spring practice reports. As a Tech grad, I’ll be interested to see how PJ’s spring this year differs from last year, and how he responds to the LSU debacle.
Will you give us your assessment of the various teams’ recruiting classes?
FloridaDawg
March 15th, 2009
7:11 am
The ONLY thing I remember about Tony Barnhart was his last article that he wrote which STAYED on the AJC website for what?? 6 WEEKS or 7WEEKS? If this is what we have to look forward too, Mr. College Football should write for the Gainesville Sun in Gainesville, Florida.
That would be a much better fit I do believe.
Bulldawg Billy
March 15th, 2009
7:18 am
T-bone
PJ is the best thing to happen to G tech in years. He has proven his ability to tighten the gap between atl. and athens by stoking the old arch rival fire.He will probably win 30-40% of his games with uga doing this.I think it’s good for both programs.That being said, I think the stage was to big for PJ and the G tech program last year.He could not generate the same fire and brimstone in the bowl game(lsu)that he did against uga.G tech had lost that game when the Nat. anthem was over. The jackets will get better under PJ in time..
TommyP
March 15th, 2009
8:21 am
It’s not really a blog if you don’t respond to the readers, Tony. Start doing that and see how popular this thing gets.
tbarnhart
March 15th, 2009
8:53 am
FloridaDawg,
Thanks for your note. Understand that it was not my intent for my last blog to stay up that long. That part was out of my hands. Understand that I am no longer a full-time employee of the AJC and that we had to go through a process in order to resume the blog. We have done that now and I’m looking forward to it.
Also understand that my last blog about Florida was the landscape of the SEC as I saw it then and as I see it right now. Florida’s program has, with two national titles in three years, seperated itself from Georgia and Tennessee in the East. Can those two schools catch up? Absolutely. I expect them to do that. But it’s going to take some work. Barring something unknown, I don’t see Florida coming back to the field.
That doesn’t make all my Georgia friends happy, but that is what I see.
TB
FloridaDawg
March 15th, 2009
9:24 am
Thanks for your comments Tony…and with my comments, I was hoping that someone, either you or the AJC would explain how a column like you wrote could say up soooo looong.
I didn’t disagree so much as to what you said, but staying up so long I feel was an “everyday” slap in the face and a unnecessary “reminder” to many readers of this website just how far the separation is between SEC schools. We know we are in a catch-up mode…but your last article before your break was not one I enjoyed seeing for more than a couple of days. Anyway, looking forward to reading your thoughts in ‘09…thanks Tony.
DawgNole
March 15th, 2009
9:50 am
What I didn’t understand about that last column–in addition to the fact that it stayed up so long–was that in it, you expressly stated that your column would return February 9. Perhaps I missed it, but I don’t recall seeing any explanation for why that didn’t happen. Better late than never, certainly, because I always enjoy your perspective on CFB, but you and/or the AJC sure left your readers hanging out there when that date came and went.
Chris
March 15th, 2009
10:40 am
Don’t understand the nitpicking over the last article which was measured and intelligent as usual. All I know is February is pretty dreary when you’re a college football addict.
Maseltov Tony,,,really love your column
D-MAN
March 15th, 2009
11:39 am
Tony!!!! Great to have you back…..Always look forward to your view points…will you be back on CBS this year as well?
Mike
March 15th, 2009
11:45 am
Welcome back TB, you’ve been missed no doubt. At some point, would you comment on the state of the Dawgs (football, of course). What do you think about CMR’s approach like it’s his ” 1st ” year as coach ; the more vocal leadership throughout the team ; Joe Cox , etc ? Again, welcome back ……
Shocked Twice
March 15th, 2009
11:46 am
Tony glad you’re back, but SHOCKED. I read in Creative Loafing the AJC cut loose employees in two rounds and they are about the drop the axe again, this time really hard. Yet you took the buyout, and then got hired back to do Mr. CFB not once but twice. It’s not even football season. DOUBLE PAY BABY! You played the AJC management genuises like chumps. You the man. Go Gators.
shane#1
March 15th, 2009
12:53 pm
Tony, Man, am I glad You are back! Like the person who posted above I like Your balanced approach to reporting. Very rarely do you take the easy road of sensationalism that leads to the “he hate me” type of trash talking. Whats up with the NCAA investigation of Alabama? Saban and Co sure are keeping everything quiet. Maybe the Lanester could take a cue from Saban about keeping his mouth shut. Before the Bama Stans of the world jump me let me make it clear that I think a strong ‘Bama is good for the SEC. Sorry Gen Nyland, but that’s the way I see it. I have heard it reported that the NCAA asked for copies of all of Alabama’s TV contracts. That doesn’t look good at all. Would VT still want to play the Tide in Atlanta if the game wasn’t televised? How would it affect SEC revenues if Alabama was banned from TV? Other than one local talk show and some rumors I hear from friends that went to Alabama I am not hearing anything. I wish you would look into the matter.
tbarnhart
March 15th, 2009
1:17 pm
To DawgNole and others who have asked about it…
The plan was to bring the blog back on Feb. 9 but the newspaper asked me to wait as they assessed a number of things. Newspapers everywhere are having to do this and I completely understood. In retrospect, we should have posted something to let you know why the blog was not there on Feb. 9. We shouldn’t have left the readers hanging. I should have pushed to make that happen and I’m sorry I didn’t.
But they did come back to me and that’s a tribute to you and all the people who support this blog. And I appreciate it.
TB
RxDawg
March 15th, 2009
1:23 pm
Hey, welcome back TB. Weve kept the blogging going on a couple of pages. It will be refreshing to have your input and topics to discuss again. Is it Sept yet?
Bill
March 15th, 2009
1:25 pm
Tony great to see you back.Posted on a message board asking where you were.Looking foward to your insights and knowledge.
hop
March 15th, 2009
1:36 pm
say what you want about tony.but he is a class act and i for one am glad he is back!
the sec will be an interesting read with all the personalities one could hope to see in the league.
i cannot wait to see it all unfold in the coming months!
poopdawg
March 15th, 2009
1:41 pm
separation my a$$, i hope you liked the condo and fishing
DawgNole
March 15th, 2009
2:16 pm
Thanks for responding, Tony. Now I don’t need to wonder anymore what happened. Good explanation, too. Newspapers nationwide–especially the print versions–are struggling, and a significant part of the reason for it, ironically, is blogs like this, which offer a columnist’s readers the opportunity to communicate instantaneously–not only with the columnist, but with fellow readers. No way to do that in print, obviously. Delighted the AJC saw fit to preserve this blog. That’s a tribute to you as well.
Gen Neyland
March 15th, 2009
3:26 pm
We await your return. It’ll be good to have a balanced approach to college sports again in the ajc. Your forums open things up to real discussion regarding conference issues vs the one-sided lovefest…