Dawg fans should take a moment to celebrate
Brother-in-law Steve Bryant welcomes Greg McGarity back home Friday as McGarity's sister Peggy looks on. (David Tulis / Associated Press)
There’s always plenty to worry about when you’re a Dawg fan.
The SEC wars lie ahead and Mark Richt’s 2010 Dawgs have a lot of potential, but also a lot of question marks. We saw early last season how the loss of a starter on the offensive line can get the running game out of sync, so we’re all crossing our fingers that Cordy Glenn’s bout of mono doesn’t leave a chink in that wall protecting young Aaron Murray and opening holes for Washaun Ealey and Caleb King.
Elsewhere in Athens, Mark Fox’s basketball team lost a signee this week who didn’t qualify academically, and while it’s not a major blow, it won’t help as Fox tries to live up to growing expectations for his second season in Athens.
And looking ahead, the baseball program is coming off its worst season in ages and David Perno is finding out just how quickly folks can forget about a trip to the College World Series final. Jay Clark already had the uneviable job of replacing a legend and the Gym Dogs didn’t make things any easier for him by missing out on the NCAA tournament for the first time in 26 years. Talk about pressure.
But before the new seasons get under way, let’s stop, take a deep breath, and relish all the good vibes that were emanating from the Georgia Center in Athens Friday as UGA celebrated the long-overdue homecoming of Greg McGarity.
It was one of those moments when you could almost feel the Bulldog Nation coalescing.
Heck, folks are even saying nice things about Michael Adams, and what a terrific job he did of handling the whole Damon Evans affair and the quick hiring of the obvious right man for the job, despite his ties to the old Vince Dooley days.
As longtime swim coach Jack Bauerle put it Friday, “I don’t think our Bulldog Nation has been this galvanized since 1980 since we won a football championship.”
Take it from Gators head basketball coach Billy Donovan: “Georgia has made a fantastic hire.”
So let’s put off the worrying for a while and take time to celebrate UGA’s first big win of the 2010-2011 school year.
Speaking of which, I’ll be on vacation next week, and at least part of that time I’ll be back where Greg and I both grew up.
As he said in Athens Friday, ‘It is indeed great to be home.”
Go Dogs!
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167 comments Add your comment
12-2
August 15th, 2010
8:56 am
Pardon me, I’ve been outback celebrating
2-7 vs Florida the last 9 years
10-10 vs SEC East the last 4 years
NCAA # 52 Total Offense average the last 9 years
21 fumbles per year average the last 4 years
14 interceptions per year average the last 4 years
NCAA # 96 average Ranking in Penalties last 4 years
3-8 vs Top 10 Final AP Poll the last 9 years
17-19 vs Top 25 Final AP Poll the last 9 years
8 LOSSES to teams not ranked Top 25 Final AP Poll last 9 yrs
no QB prepared 2006 lost 4 games
no QB prepared 2009 lost 9 games
no QB prepared 2010 again
# 1 Fulmer Cup Rankings 2010
# 3 Fulmer Cup Rankings 2006 to today last 4 years
47 Arrests / Suspensions since Feb 2007 3 and a half years
1-3 vs 4 lousy vols’ teams last 4 years
2-2 vs 4 lousy Kentucky teams last 4 years
no Indoor Practice Field
no AD who has ever coached before like the last 1
a gym seating half what Kentucky and vols do
no tailgating allowed
10-win seasons in 14-game seasons
no SEC Champ Game appearance even in 4 straight seasons
drop-off in talent after Jim Donnan’s recruits went to NFL
Forgiveness for Vance Cuff providing his ID for 7 drunk teens
Forgiveness for Montez Robinson 1st 2 violent attacks on girl
Forgiveness Branden Smith using the ID to buy the alcohol
Michael F. Adam$ not one red cent
Red Panties
no bowl win over Top 10 Final AP Poll team last 9 years
27 LOSSES last 9 yrs compared to 21 Losses 40-48 and 80-88
Not ranked for the 1st time since 1997 last season
exception of # 3 CFN not ranked 2010 higher than # 21
Facing South Carolina game 2 road noon or LOSING record vs SEC East last 5 years
Christians telling me how GREAT he is & his staff of nobodies for 9 yrs
TakeFloridaSeriously
August 15th, 2010
9:00 am
The road to the SEC championship goes through Florida. Ray Goff-zero Florida wins. Jim Donnan-one Florida win, Mark Richt in ten years-two Florida wins. Welcome to Georgia McGarity, but you’ve got your work cut out for you competively. Since financially UGA is okay, maybe you can spend a little time lighting a fire under Richt. Other teams have annual injuries, and it rains on both sides of the field, so please no more “oh that’s okay that you can’t beat Florida”. It’s NOT OKAY!!!
Dawg Stephen
August 15th, 2010
9:23 am
Mack Brown couldnt beat Oklahoma
Bobby Bowden couldnt beat Miami.
Yet they were the RICHT….err I mean right men for the job. Stick with the right man, and it will be fine
icedawg
August 15th, 2010
9:33 am
Just a few injuries at key positions can cause a train wreck.
bug
August 15th, 2010
9:49 am
I planned to make a comment…but BuLL did already.
Snoop Dawg
August 15th, 2010
9:54 am
Hallelujah, Dawg Nation!
We’ve got a new AD, sound like a good one. My only reservation is that it is unlikely that the very best candidate would have been so closely related to all those Athens insiders. We’ll see, but I’m hoping and praying. I’m putting in a special prayer that this new guy will have the gumption on da Preacha Man and his Medicine Show if he does not actively coach up the immense talent he has to work with and if he does not provide a lot of kinetic energy from the sidelines instead of acting as though he is meditating in a Zen-like trance. If he can do this, we’ll spare him for awhile. But if we get another year like we have the past few years, the gig is over. McGarity will need to pull the lanyard and launch Mr Wrecked and his Water Girrrrl over the border south into Florida… Da Bulldawg Nation needs to demand accountability from Markt Wrecked.
Angry Dawg Fan(2 years running)
August 15th, 2010
9:55 am
Please explain to me after we just lose one lineman to injury that all of a sudden we are being told the exact opposite about how great our offensive line is going to be? That makes no sense to me at all…If we have 8 O line lettermen, then losing one should not make us have to hear this crap. Better yet, stop getting my hope up with praise until week 5, otherwise I do not want to read or hear about anything on our team being great except AJ Green and our two kickers…They are the only things that are legit…
Snoop Dawg
August 15th, 2010
10:02 am
Good job, Angry Dawg. Don’t drink that Koolaid, the intoxicating elixer being served served up again by da Preacha Man. No excuses this year…. We’ve gotta hold his feet to the fire.
12-2
August 15th, 2010
10:20 am
We better be 12-2 in year 10 of this regime, with this soft easy schedule of 1 ranked team we play all season long, Florida # 5.
beatdowns galore
August 15th, 2010
10:28 am
Coming to a stadium near you ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJw8Hma1KU&feature=fvw
Circus Act
August 15th, 2010
10:32 am
These clowns need a real strength and conditioning coach. Injuries are mounting up again on last years pathetic offensive line.. Fire Boo Boo the clown !
12-2
August 15th, 2010
10:39 am
I am the ONLY POSTER to these blogs who POINTED OUT that this GREAT AND WONDROUS offensive line has NOT BLOCKED against 1 good run defense EVER.
Years go by...
August 15th, 2010
10:40 am
Don’t celebrate too much. thUGA’s athletes will continue to get arrested, fail easy classes, forget how to spell their middle name, not have a valid drivers license, punch a cab drive, steal a TV, accept a meal from Jim Harrick JR, sell crack, get DUI’s, ETC.
Thinking about the THUGA athletic program, the two words that pop up first are sleazy and tawdry.
It’s truly pathetic that for at least the last forty years, most UGA football and basketball players have been functionally illiterate, and are now working at menial jobs that hardly require a college degree, even if the brain-dead players had been given a diploma.
Pathettic, and a gigantic embarrassment to the State of Georgia.
12-2
August 15th, 2010
10:40 am
Texas A & M give me a break
9 years of this regime and this is who we get to play in a bowl game
Dagny
August 15th, 2010
10:43 am
Serious Dawg fans need to start organizing and demanding that Richt be fired. Otherwise, sports writers will be asking the same question this time a year from now.
Richt represents mediocrity. Saban and Meyer represent excellence and championships. Richt simply isn’t in their class, nor will he ever be. Richt would have to be incredibly lucky to win the division, and the odds against him winning the SEC championship would be at least 50:1.
Those are the simple facts, and there’s no amount of enthusiasm or cheerleading or Top 5 recruiting classes that can get around it.
As they say in poker, “Read ‘em and weep.”
Harley
August 15th, 2010
10:45 am
Now that we’re in the off-season, wouldn’t this be the perfect time to take an in-depth look at UGA and have a serious discussion about the problems at UGA and why the arrest rate of players is the highest in the country? it’s common knowledge that UGA is a party school, but have any dawgtard players every actually graduated with a real degree? Jan Kemp exposed the school and the coaches almost three decades ago, but there is no sign that anything has improved; if anything, the arrest rate shows that things are getting more outrageous every year while the clueless Mark Richt has absolutely no control over his players. And then there is the infamous “red panties” incident that will haunt UGA for decades.
UGA has become a major embarrassment to all Georgians, and we want some answers starting now.
12-2
August 15th, 2010
10:55 am
I think we should have an in-depth look at Georgia tek and how you have not won a Major Bowl Game since 1955.
12-2
August 15th, 2010
11:00 am
REUBEN HOUSTON
little Joey Hamilton
Beast from the East
August 15th, 2010
11:04 am
Wow, lot’s of hate on this blog. I’d just like to add my two cents worth.
First, UGA seems to have made a GREAT hire in McGarity. Congrats, Dawgs!
Second, you folks bashing Richt should really hold all of that until AFTER the season. It does absolutely no good from anyone to hear that with 3 weeks to go before kick-off. If Richt’s team does not perform to your expectations this season, then by all means let your voice be heard. But until then, I would advise to keep a lid on it and support your team. What do you hope to accomplish by trying to divide the Bulldawg Nation 3 weeks before the season starts?????
That’s a Gator’s 2 cents worth. Take it or leave it.
12-2
August 15th, 2010
11:11 am
Yeah, no good at all to point out that we are 10-10 vs SEC East last 4 years now BEFORE we play So Carolina road game 2 to see if we have a LOSING RECORD then over last 5 years vs SEC East.
No reason light any fire. Just drink Koolaid and say we are GREAT.
Celebrate
12-2
August 15th, 2010
11:12 am
How about getting rid of the G.D. worthless Offensive Coordinator and ALL of his LOUSY staff ?
Wreckmaniac
August 15th, 2010
11:51 am
Garrity may have a nice AD pedigree but he really needs a good legal background to handle NCAA infractions and the infamous UGA thug image. Lets hope he is willing to get up at 2:00 am to drive to the Clarke County lockup.
Offensive line issues again ? This is a repeat of the preseason #1 ‘08 team when Sturdivant
got hurt. The Sturdivant injury became the story of the year. Does anyone realize that you need
a capable backup at every position ? That’s where the wheels come off at UGA. With 50-60 5 stars on the roster, there should be no difference between the first and second teams. But there always is.
Do non-starters even practice ?
Wreckmaniac
August 15th, 2010
11:57 am
Why do the 5 stars keep coming to UGA like sheep when they know all about these problems and the recent poor history ? Do these kids just not think ? Or do they do what daddy or their friends want ?
Wreckmaniac
August 15th, 2010
12:02 pm
This is really beginning to sound similar to what Pat Haden is about to force on the Kiffins. The leash at
USC has really tightened in the past few weeks and I’m sure the coaches are feeling it.
jack bull
August 15th, 2010
12:22 pm
just read the article about us having O-line problems..not that concerned about that. BUT, the one thing i am concerned about, and I’ve said it for a while, is the batting down of passes with a 5-11 QB…I’m tellin ya, it’s going to be a problem..
WITH OUT LINDSEY SCOTT THEIR IS NO 1980 TITLE MUTTS
August 15th, 2010
12:25 pm
MCGARITY WILL TIGHTEN ROPE AROUND MARK RICHT`S NECK IF UGAG GET BEAT DOWN BY FLO-RIDA! MARK RICHT SORRY TO SAY THAT YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED BUDDY!
WITH OUT LINDSEY SCOTT THEIR IS NO 1980 TITLE MUTTS
August 15th, 2010
12:26 pm
MCGARITY GET RID OF MARK RICHT LIKE YALL DID RON ZOOK AT FLO-RIDA,PLEASE 10 YEARS AND NO NATIONAL TITLE!
Flushed out of the pocket
August 15th, 2010
12:27 pm
Man are the dawgs gonna miss Mett. The midget better hope the offensive line heals up in a hurry or SC is gonna embarrass the daewgs on 9-11.
Clean House
August 15th, 2010
12:30 pm
McGarity needs to find a new strength and conditioning coach at UGA for all sports. Hope that is on his check list on things to do !
WITH OUT LINDSEY SCOTT THEIR IS NO 1980 TITLE MUTTS
August 15th, 2010
12:31 pm
WITH ALL THE RACISTS AT UGAG I WISH ALL THE BLACK PLAYERS GO TO GEORGIA TECH OR GEORGIA STATE,BECAUSE BY THESE BLOGS YOU CAN TELL UGAG IS STILL OUT IN RACIST ATHENS,GA! COME TO ATLANTA,GA AND PLAY FOR COLLEGES THAT ARE IN THE CITY,INSTEAD OF REDNECK ATHENS,GA
Annette
August 15th, 2010
12:32 pm
Celebrate what? Being the sleaziest, most thug-ridden, most penalized team in the United States?
This legacy goes back to Vince Dooley, who created the absurd remedial studies program, which continues to this day under Mark Richt. Players are not legitimate students, they’re just used for four years and discarded.
Dawgtards elebrate? Right.
Axis Sally
August 15th, 2010
12:35 pm
“Man are the dawgs gonna miss Mett. The midget better hope the offensive line heals up in a hurry or SC is gonna embarrass the daewgs on 9-11.”
Richt needs to be on the phone right now apologizing to Zach and begging him to come back.
AltamahaDawg
August 15th, 2010
12:37 pm
Dooley created remedial studies in college? really? Are you sure about that one? So, he created it and it caught on like wildfire, including fine institutions like yours?
AltamahaDawg
August 15th, 2010
12:39 pm
Nice use of “G.D.” at 11:12 on a Sunday BuLLdawg.
AltamahaDawg
August 15th, 2010
12:43 pm
Bill BTW, I actually read the article that stated how despite many issue, THIS hire was a reason to celebrate. I actually read the stuff before rushing to comment. Forgive the one who lie and claim you were saying we are great at everything, twisting the meaning for thier agenda. It’s habitual for some. Easiler to win an argument if you make up the other side’s point. And it’s easier to get your tech buddies to agree with you.
AltamahaDawg
August 15th, 2010
12:45 pm
Actually BULLdawg I was the first one to post about the run-blocking problem. You copied me and lied about it being your call. What a shock.
Damon Evans
August 15th, 2010
1:39 pm
I am so glad I could bring us down so low that now we can feel so high. We still still have to beat the good teams you know. Is McGarity gonna coach the O-line or something? It still comes down to the plays on the field. Let’s not forget that we are usually not one of the 2 best teams in the East.
LHardingDawg
August 15th, 2010
1:56 pm
This Sunday blog crowd is rough today. There seems to be more hate than normal from people who have no life. If I hated the Bulldogs so much, a Bulldog blog is the last place I would be. The Braves are playing, the PGA us on, and for some the blogers who know nothing about football, Soapnet is on.
The way I see it, life is good. Georgia football is starting, we have a excellent new AD, a great football coach, and the temperature is not a 100 degrees.
UGAIII
August 15th, 2010
2:12 pm
Please just don’t kill me like you did my puppy cousin last year. Play better, so I don’t croke on the sidelines. 8-5 = heart attack kak kak.
GT Man
August 15th, 2010
2:13 pm
LHardingDawg
Your too incompetent to multi task. Something you don’t learn at Georgia. See, I can blog, watch the GT golfers kick azz at the PGA, when no UGA golfers are anywhere to be found, and watch the braves. Great Sunday.
Taylor
August 15th, 2010
2:32 pm
This Sunday blog crowd is rough today. There seems to be more hate than normal from people who have no life.
You’re very fortunate that there are concerned people who will take time out of their busy schedules to point out the many problems at UGA and recommend solutions.
You don’t have to bend over backwards to thank them, but a modicum of gratitude would be appropriate.
Erika
August 15th, 2010
2:55 pm
Taylor is right. We all should be more appreciative.
GO DAWGS!
jack
August 15th, 2010
3:07 pm
steve bryant a.k.a. chickenhawk invented the word “backstabber” in the workplace ….. i guess that explains his demotions .. hopefully , his brother-in-law will keep him employed .
DawgNole
August 15th, 2010
3:07 pm
GT Man: “Your too incompetent to multi task.”
___________
It’s “You’re,” imbecile. As in “You’re an imbecile, GT Man.”
It always cracks me up when jerks like you, who can’t spell one of the most basic words in the English language, label others as incompetent.
Pago Pago Dawg
August 15th, 2010
3:25 pm
Let’s hope and pray the football DAWGS don’t end up like the Diamond/Gym DAWGS!!
job #1.
August 15th, 2010
4:03 pm
maybe the new AD can also work with our strength and conditioning people to determine why our offensive line always gets decimated with injuries every year.
Still@theBAR
August 15th, 2010
4:05 pm
HAHA HEHE. so fun to be ME.
singed,
RUSS (with no white paint on my Butt yet)
Still@theBAR
August 15th, 2010
4:09 pm
Job#1 Wrap TurdaVent needs to quit or be Bubble wrapped before he gets out of bed everyday. I really hope the kid is taking REAL classes and getting a REAL degree. He should learn a lesson from Pollack’s life.
SSIgator
August 15th, 2010
4:11 pm
“Offensive problems begin with banged-up line”
Oh, oh. Let the excuses begin!
SSIgator
August 15th, 2010
4:14 pm
We now turn this over to AltamahaDawg – Captain of the excuse department.