Live from the Bulldog Club: Jean shorts not allowed!
Kevin Butler speaks with Vance Leavy, publisher of Bulldawg Illustrated. (Photo by M. Bradley)
I’m here at the Cobb Galleria Centre, site of the Bulldog Club of Greater Atlanta’s annual meeting that essentially starts the countdown to Georgia’s kickoff. This convocation used to be held in Midtown at the Sheraton Colony Square but has moved to my neck of the woods — as you know, I’m a pillar of the Smyrna/Mableton/Vinings community — in recent years. And I’m sitting in a ballroom recalling the last time I sat in this ballroom.
Actually, the next-to-last time. (The most recent occasion was a celebration of Furman Bisher’s 90th birthday. Sam Huff was here. And Sonny Perdue. And esteemed colleague Tim Tucker, who’s sitting two seats to my right as I type.) But in June 2006 I came here on a Sunday afternoon to interview the Florida football coach, who was addressing a postponed meeting of the Atlanta Gator Club, the original April date having been rendered inoperative because the Florida basketball team was playing in the Final Four.
I met Urban Meyer on the steps out front. He’d flown in on a private plane. He was nice enough. We talked about his first season in Gainesville, during which he’d lost to South Carolina and Spurrier. We talked a little about Cincinnati, his hometown and a city with which I have a longstanding acquaintance. I believe I mentioned Skyline Chili. I believe he reacted favorably.
But the thing I recall most about Meyer that day was his attire. Standing in a rather ornate ballroom, the Gator coach addressed his constituents wearing … shorts.
No, not jean shorts. (That would have been too good.) But shorts all the same. And I remember what Steve McClain, the ace Florida publicist, told me that day: “Urban’s not one for small talk.” Or, I assumed, for fancy dress.
So here I am again, and I’m reasonably certain the one person who won’t be here tonight will be the Urban Crier. We’re about a half-hour from the beginning of the program, and the seats — there are roughly 1,500 chairs arrayed (I semi-counted) — are filling. I saw Mark Fox, the basketball coach whom I deemed a bad hire, in the hall, and I just shook hands with the greatest kicker in the history of college football. Yes, Rex Robinson.
Actually, no. I shook hands with Kevin Butler. And I kid my Twitter buddy Rex Robinson — he’s @RexRobinson5 — by saying he was the second-best kicker I ever saw … behind Fuad Reveiz (of Tennessee). Actually, I’d say Butler and Robinson were Nos. 1 and 1A, perhaps not in that order.
I’ll get cranking with moment-to-moment stuff once we get going, and if Mark Richt says something like, “I’ve waited 49 years to coach a team like this” … well, I’ll keep it to myself.
And if see someone in the room wearing jean shorts … I’ll just assume that person took a wrong turn at Ocala.
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87 comments Add your comment
saint simons
July 27th, 2009
6:55 pm
((((( 45 42 ))))) hahahahahahaha
Tripper
July 27th, 2009
7:00 pm
Jorts 49, Red Pants/Black Dresses 10
Just focus on winning the game, guys, not where it’s played and who dresses how.
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:04 pm
Chuck Dowdle of WSB-TV is your emcee. He just said, “I’m Georgia and I’m a Bulldog.”
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:05 pm
Damon Evans first to speak. Dowdle just said Georgia has taken “a huge step up” under his leadership. Take that, Vince!
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:07 pm
Actually, Damon isn’t speaking. He’s having a conversation with Chuck. This is kind of like “Oprah” — without the couch and the book club.
Duluth Gator
July 27th, 2009
7:07 pm
If this is about your bulldogs why do you bring up Urban Meyer?
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:09 pm
Damon: “I think we showed the people in Tempe, Ariz., what football is all about.”
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:12 pm
Damon talking about the $40 million expansion of Butts-Mehre. Now moving to graduate rates. And now: “Basketball is a sport where we need your support.”
god and greyhound
July 27th, 2009
7:13 pm
What a great newsman chuck dowdle is. im sure hes there for investigative purposes only
Blind Side
July 27th, 2009
7:13 pm
Saint Simons is actually Coach Paul Johnson.
NORRIS
July 27th, 2009
7:14 pm
TECH MAY NOT WIN 8 GAMES THIS YEAR. HAHAHAHAHHAHAA
god and greyhound
July 27th, 2009
7:18 pm
uog: preseason and recruiting champs. postseason CHUMPS
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:19 pm
Chuck on Mark Fox: “I don’t know how Damon found him, but we’re damn glad he did.”
Actually, I think Dan Parker’s search firm had a little something to do with it.
Michael Cox
July 27th, 2009
7:21 pm
They may have barely beatg us last year, but atleast we can look forward to NOT having to watch our Dawgs run the “wishbone”! Damn what a bore that has to be….Plus, I won’t have to watch from a half emtpty stadium smack in the middle of the slums of Atlanta. Good Lord what a dum! I can live with one win in eight tries……
Florida really does own Georgia
July 27th, 2009
7:21 pm
you can’t even talk about your school without somehow pulling UF into the discussion.
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:23 pm
“My” school? Maysville High? Woodleigh Elementary?
IndianaDawg
July 27th, 2009
7:28 pm
I don’t know if Fox will be a good coach or not but he can’t be worse than what we have put out there since Tubby. I definitly think we should have hired someone west of the Mississippi
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:28 pm
Mark Fox wants Stegeman Coliseum sold out. He also said, “There’s 50 stars on the flag. There’s one for Georgia; there’s not one for Georgia Tech or Georgia State or Georgia Southern.”
IndianaDawg
July 27th, 2009
7:28 pm
I meant East of the Mississippi
Red Foreman
July 27th, 2009
7:29 pm
take one of those red balloons and SUCK IT BRADLEY!!!!
Blind Side
July 27th, 2009
7:30 pm
“Florida…” If you’ve read any of Mark’s other blogs this year you wouldn’t call UGA his school. I think he got a journalism degree from Georgia Tech’s “Management” program (a.k.a.: the program of study for football players that say they go to Tech for academics)
Benjamin
July 27th, 2009
7:31 pm
If Mark Fox wanted Stegeman to be sold out, he should’ve morphed into Bobby Knight.
leotardo pantstightski
July 27th, 2009
7:32 pm
back in my day we didn’t wear helmets or jocks, we played for friction and we liked it! Tebow might be a virgin, but he will get his rocks off under center in ‘09!
IndianaDawg
July 27th, 2009
7:32 pm
I come to the blogs here to read good comments and because I miss UGA being far away. I have yet to understand why people come to this and other Dawg blogs and write cruel things about the blogger. SHOW SOME CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:32 pm
Megan Boenig just said: “We recruit horses as much as we recruit riders.”
What’s the graduation rate — I just asked Tim Tucker this — on horses?
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:33 pm
Megan Boenig — she’s the equestrian coach — is hugely pregnant, you should know.
Benjamin
July 27th, 2009
7:34 pm
lol — I’m not even sure what Megan is TRYING to say, let alone anything else.
What the heck is a “horse” in her view?
Benjamin
July 27th, 2009
7:35 pm
Welp, that would explain it. I didn’t know who Megan was. Now I do.
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:36 pm
Chuck is now introducing Jay Clark, who’s the new Suzanne Yoculan.
weston
July 27th, 2009
7:49 pm
>>“There’s 50 stars on the flag. There’s one for Georgia; there’s not one for Georgia Tech or Georgia State or Georgia Southern.”>>
lmao. good one
Gravy Train
July 27th, 2009
7:50 pm
Mark,
good stuff as usual. How’s the spread tonight? Sure would like to know what Coach Richt has planned for Branden Smith. Perhaps an X factor on offense?
Doyle, Winder
July 27th, 2009
7:52 pm
saint simons—are those the ONLY symbols you know?
god and greyhound
July 27th, 2009
7:53 pm
Mark how pregnant is the equestrian coach? how many months? think it might be twins?
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:56 pm
First question to Mark Richt from the audience: “How bad are we going to stomp the Gators?”
Richt didn’t take the bait. The Gator bait — get it?
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:56 pm
Ms. Boenig is due any minute, I believe. And it’s a boy.
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
7:58 pm
Second question from the audience involved a report that South Carolina is working out by flipping tractor tires around. From Mr. Dowdle: “I think that’s a class.”
Richt: “That was him. I didn’t say that.”
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
8:00 pm
Richt: “The University of Georgia is one of the finest academic institutions in the South. It’s not as easy to get in Georgia as it once might have been.”
Laughter from the grads.
god and greyhound
July 27th, 2009
8:03 pm
does dowdle have any journalistic integrity whatsoever? what a clown
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
8:06 pm
Mark Richt just said Caleb King is the No. 1 tailback “for a reason — it’s not just because we like him.”
He’s now talking about Joe Cox. Telling the story about how 106 players out of 110 after spring practice named Cox as the team leader.
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
8:09 pm
Richt just said all the true freshman at skill positions, quarterbacks excluded, have to be prepped as if they’re going to play this season.
SugarHillDawg
July 27th, 2009
8:15 pm
God and greyhound is Ramble On! Only that GAY Idiot said that that many times!!!Your cover is blown.(bad term)
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
8:15 pm
Chuck just said: “I gotta tell you, that pretty well wraps it up.”
A very sedate crowd tonight, I gotta tell you. Quietest crowd at a Bulldog Club meeting I’ve ever been around. I have no idea if that’s of any significance, but I toss it out as an observation.
Saint Simons II
July 27th, 2009
8:15 pm
38 – 3 Chicken Bowl hahahahahahahahahaha
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
8:17 pm
Then again, it’s not quite the same without Loran Smith — who’s recovering from his car accident, I assume — to rev up the home folks.
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
8:21 pm
OK, folks. I’m doing my Chuck Dowdle impression and wrapping it up on this end, too. Thanks for hanging with me.
Cuz
July 27th, 2009
8:44 pm
Thanks Mark, I felt like I was there living in fast forward.
Bill
July 27th, 2009
9:03 pm
All I know is I live in Savannah is there are a bunch of UGA fans wearing jeans shorts.More than just a few.Also nothing abou CMR crying about moving the UF-UGA game out of Jax.Nice bit of objective reporting.
saint augustine
July 27th, 2009
9:09 pm
((( 49 10 ))) hahahaha
UGASlobberknocker
July 27th, 2009
9:22 pm
I think the subdued atmosphere is due to the fact that we absolutely got out butts whipped by the two best teams we faced, then to make it worse, we lose to Geek Tech. It had to be the worst feeling 10-3 top 10 season of all time. And even though mentally deficient people such as St Simons will relish the Tech victory for another decade (until their next victory over Ga) I’m more concerned about closing the gap with Fla,
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
9:24 pm
There was not one word mentioned about the site of the Georgia-Florida game. Not by Evans, not by Richt, not by Dowdle.
P
July 27th, 2009
9:24 pm
The crowd is sedate because they know they are in for a very down season. Maybe 6 wins!
TommyGator
July 27th, 2009
9:36 pm
Mark,
A clear sign of obsession. You spent more time talking about Urban than about Richt.
Scout Dawg
July 27th, 2009
9:38 pm
P is as lame as M.
Georgia On My Mind
July 27th, 2009
9:45 pm
Florida learned two years ago that you don’t win the SEC playing freshman and sophs at the skilled position. Not good news!
Pussy Harvey
July 27th, 2009
9:56 pm
As Bobby Dodd would say “I believe Georgi will have a fine football team this year”
Live from the Bulldog Club: Jean shorts not allowed! | Mark Bradley « The Bulldog Resource
July 27th, 2009
10:03 pm
[...] Read the rest here: Live from the Bulldog Club: Jean shorts not allowed! | Mark Bradley [...]
Calhoun
July 27th, 2009
10:06 pm
Did they show the Florida vs Georgia highlights from last year? Also, is it true they were giving out last year’s preseason SI magazine to those in attendance?
Pete
July 27th, 2009
10:11 pm
Mark, a slight correction – Damon made a passing reference to the location of the Georgia-Florida game at the very beginning of his talk with Chuck.
Dobearsbare
July 27th, 2009
10:25 pm
Mark, if you were a serious journalist (I keed, I keed), you’d be digging into the four players who didn’t vote for Joe Cox …
Chuck Uga
July 27th, 2009
10:30 pm
Duluth Gator, you are a moron. Mark Bradley is a UK grad, and this isn’t “about his bulldogs.” Typical uninformed Gator. Prepare to NOT repeat.
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
10:31 pm
Thanks, Pete. I plumb missed that one.
Nick
July 27th, 2009
10:49 pm
How was Urban Meyer’s attire relevant at all? Who cares? What a weak attempt to patronize the hometown crowd and more than a little gay.
Top Dawg
July 27th, 2009
10:53 pm
Any talk about the Oklahoma State game?
jorts
July 27th, 2009
10:54 pm
the jean shorts jokes were tired last year. maybe focus on who might get by b. spikes? who will block him? — UGA Grad saying stop the jokes about clothes and think about winning in jax.
Arches are for McDonalds..thats about right
July 27th, 2009
10:58 pm
Can’t wait for wannabe bulldog Chuck Dowdle to have to cover the beat down on Joe “Tiny” Cox and the mutts in Atlanta this year. Poor guy.
Top Dawg
July 27th, 2009
11:00 pm
And while I agree “we” ought to focus on winning the game and not the jorts and tank tops and gimme caps worn by the UF crowd, keep in mind that Mark Bradley is writing to the fans, not the team. So, whether “we” are focused on the jorts or the x’s and o’s is immaterial to whether the team is focusing on the right things.
That said, a little more intelligent football discourse and less back and forth ridiculous insult-trading from the bloggers would be refreshing, to say the least.
Pecan
July 27th, 2009
11:09 pm
Why don’t you immature Tech and Florida people go somewhere else?
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
11:09 pm
A little bit was said about OSU, but nothing of great import. Actually, I was a bit surprised at how little football was discussed.
harleydawg
July 27th, 2009
11:31 pm
i was there mark, i was concerned with season prep and i am the person who asked about sc rolling tractor tires down the road, this devolops overall strenght, hope our dawgs are applying this training
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2009
11:37 pm
That was a good question, Harley. Kudos.
m for gt fan blogger
July 28th, 2009
2:19 am
Maybe if the mutts would take conditioning seriously they wouldnt get all these season ending injuries
2BT
July 28th, 2009
5:57 am
Was the football that Paul Johnson shoved up Richt’s sphincter still fully embedded or only halfway?
Richt watches his words | UGA Sports
July 28th, 2009
6:02 am
[...] Richt did not, as Mark Bradley noted, take the Gator bait. [...]
jerry
July 28th, 2009
6:41 am
In 8 years Richt has failed to get the program anywhere near the Gators. But let’s don’t talk about that. Let’s talk about 10 wins a year. 2 and 6. 2 and 7 looming.
Paddy
July 28th, 2009
6:43 am
MB…. must have missed your love of Skyline chili. I make it about once a month. That was so lame on my part! No recipe to follow, I could not take the punishment.
The Other Saint Simons
July 28th, 2009
7:22 am
I am not sure why “Saint Simons” comes up on every blog with his ring-worthy additions to any story mentioning Georgia. Perhaps he is still upset that Del Taco was shut down. Or he is upset that the bridge issue is still in play.
Please understand, most of St. Simons (I have lived here 30 years) bleeds red. We do not acknowledge GT as anything other than a great basketball school who beat one of Georgia’s worst defenses in years.
I know, 45-42…..you got us (if in fact you actually went to Tech), but you still are a Tech fan, and you will always be second rate.
So, go shine your ring and keep showing us how much a pathetic win defined who you are. We will be waiting for your 45-42 on the next UGA blog entry. Rest assured, you won’t find me on a Tech message board because, for the most part, we don’t care about Tech.
I would certainly enjoy meeting you.
hop
July 28th, 2009
7:50 am
i wonder if the old alums will be happy with damon’s scheduling of okla state if they whip the dawgs in the first game.
i thought we already had a head football coach who at many schools does the scheduling himself ,but i guess damon’s EGO must have gotten in the way!
ole chuck is laying it on for damon. is chuck also looking for a job at uga as well!
Tom
July 28th, 2009
8:28 am
So, Jay Clark’s the new Suzanne Yoculan.
Does that make him the gymnastics coach or just easy?
GTDog
July 28th, 2009
9:15 am
Hey hop, it’s standard for the AD to set the sports schedules with input from the HC.
Oh, and SS II, you can find the original Saint Simons parking cars at the Cloister. He’s the one who only knows how to find lot spots 45 and 42…
Yellowblood
July 28th, 2009
9:23 am
Saint Simmons and I just had a wonderful Ticklepile experience!!
DawginLex
July 28th, 2009
9:27 am
Tom is the latest tech nerd on a UGA blog. Does that make him just a nerd or stupid also?
The Other St. Simons
July 28th, 2009
9:30 am
GTDog,
He seems to have a lot of time on his hands between being an “engineer” and cleaning his ring.
The Other St. Simons
July 28th, 2009
9:31 am
Oh yes, Tripper is right.
I would wear jean shorts if it would help us beat Florida. I certainly have seen my business partner, a tech fan (not grad), wear jean shorts. Maybe there is a correlation?
Duluth Gator
July 28th, 2009
5:40 pm
Chuck Uga… dude chill, no need for insults. I was just asking a question as to why Bradley headlines a article about the bulldogs club and then most of the article is about Urban Meyer.
ReptilesRule
July 28th, 2009
5:43 pm
Another bit of “attire” that is apparently banned from Bulldog gatherings…national championship rings.
Bull Gator
July 28th, 2009
5:54 pm
Chuck Uga, at least the Gators have a chance to repeat for the NC. I can’t recall when the last time the dawgs had a chance to repeat for the NC? Please correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the year was 1980. It is interesting that Bradley headlines a article about the bulldog club and then the majority of the article is about Urban Meyer.
Betting FBCC: Atlanta Falcons » 2009 Georgia Bulldogs Football Media Guide Now Available
July 30th, 2009
7:07 am
[...] Live from the Bulldog Club: Jean shorts not allowed! I’m here at the Cobb Galleria Centre, site of the Bulldog Club of Greater … here on a Sunday afternoon to interview the Florida football coach,… [...]