Heat Index: Warm moments for Tech, UGA and the Richts
Todd Grantham gives Mark Richt a manly handshake. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
The Heat Check returns a day late after a two-week hiatus, but hey … a return’s a return! And we begin with those who’ll be involved in a game of some interest come Saturday noon.
Georgia: Champion of the SEC East, the winner of nine in a row, the author of a rebound season. Think back to August: Would Georgia fans have taken all that and been happy? Sure they would. Heat Index: Mark Richt has gone from sitting atop the ol’ Hot Seat to sharing a warm moment with Mrs. Richt in front of 90,000 friends and neighbors.
Georgia Tech: Ranked in the Top 25, the winner of eight games after getting stuck on six last season, the author of a rebound season. Think back to August: Would Tech fans have taken all that and been happy? Yes, with a caveat. Heat Index: No Tech season can ever be ruled a complete success if the Jackets lose to Georgia.
Atlanta Falcons: They went to the no-huddle against Tennessee and looked great for three quarters. They wound up winning by six points. They’re 6-4, which isn’t bad. But there’s a caveat here as well. Heat Index: When was the last time we could say, “The Falcons really played a great game today?” When last did a postgame Mike Smith briefing not include a line about “things we need to fix”? When might those things get … well, fixed?
Atlanta Braves: Frank Wren hasn’t made a trade in a while. This isn’t like Frank Wren. Heat Index: “Nurse, could we take Mr. Wren’s temperature? He doesn’t seem himself.”
Atlanta Hawks: They’re not playing, which means attendance might actually go up. Heat Index: I have to confess I stole that line from occasional colleague Jeff Haws.
The team formerly known as the Thrashers: The Winnipeg Jets are fourth in the five-team NHL Southeast Division and 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference. Heat Index: You can take the team out of the country, but making it win is another matter.
Local college basketball: The four area men’s teams — Tech, Georgia, Georgia State and Kennesaw State — are a collective 8-8, and the Bulldogs (3-1) lost their first real test Monday night to California by 24 points. (Georgia was outscored 48-21 over the final 25 minutes.) Of the four, the best win belongs to Tech, which beat 2011 Final Four participant VCU on Friday. Then the Jackets turned around and lost to LSU, which had lost to Coastal Carolina. Heat Index: I say again — this figures to be a chilly winter, hoops-wise.
By Mark Bradley
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190 comments Add your comment
bugsquacher
November 22nd, 2011
1:03 pm
In the words of two of the greatest……Erk and Larry…..
GET THE PICTURE….GATA
Ted M
November 22nd, 2011
1:12 pm
Mark – How many posts do you have to delete on a typical blog?
OkieDawg
November 22nd, 2011
1:25 pm
If GT gets more than 400 yards on the ground, they will declare victory. To he!! with the scoreboard. They have done it since CPJ arrived. Every year it is the same ole piehole crap. “We put up over 400 yards on the ground, the Dawgs just aren’t that good”. Who needs a scoreboard if you’re a GT fan. The run to pass ratio is 5:1 so of course the TO puts up ground yards. GT doesn’t pass the ball so maybe this year CTG will make them pass. Man coverage and eveyone else along the LOS. For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone is a fan of the TO.
Kelly
November 22nd, 2011
1:27 pm
Keep giving up 500 yards of offense and tell me how often you win.
If it’s against risible GT, probably 9 out of 10 times.
Mark Bradley
November 22nd, 2011
1:39 pm
Between five and 50, Ted M.
Joey
November 22nd, 2011
1:41 pm
“but I hate the attitude of some Tech fans who seem to think this is the only meaningful game we play when it has very little influence on anything”
****************************************
GTBob, did Tech ever buy rings for the football team for any other, single victory?
It's just Fotball
November 22nd, 2011
1:46 pm
I will not be watching the game Saturday. I have more important things to do. I will be tuning up my tricycle for the next MINI 500 at GT? Football bites! Tricycle races rule and you get more chicks!
Supersize that order, mutt
November 22nd, 2011
1:46 pm
Joey, how stupid are you? Tech didn’t buy any rings for any victory, you jackazz. The rings to which you, and other trolls, CONTINUALLY refer, were rings given to the team by the CFA Bowl. The Tech PLAYERS decided what they wanted inscribed on the rings, and the PLAYERS decided that they wanted the score of the UGA game. Did UGA ever retired the number of an otherwise insignificant player for scoring a winning TD against Tech? You bet they did, bubba.
WDE
November 22nd, 2011
1:50 pm
@It’s just Fotball if you were worried about chicks you wouldn’t be at Bug U…
Supersize that order, mutt
November 22nd, 2011
1:53 pm
@WDE, surely you realize “It’s just Fotball” is a mutt and not a Jacket
It's just Football
November 22nd, 2011
1:54 pm
WDE,
I’m getting really tired of comments against tech fans like yours. Tricycle racing is a sport that is just as demanding as SEC football and the engineering of a racing vehicle takes real brains!
Gorilla Biscuit
November 22nd, 2011
2:02 pm
Zombie tricycle racing! Now that’s a sport.
It's just Football
November 22nd, 2011
2:07 pm
Supersize that order, mutt,
If you are a “real” tech fan then show it! Meet me with your tricycle at 156 North Avenue one hr before game time and we race for pink slips!
Supersize that order, mutt
November 22nd, 2011
2:08 pm
I have no interest in trike racing, and I’m sure you don’t either. You are FOS
It's just Football
November 22nd, 2011
2:12 pm
Supersize that order, mutt
No Tric! LOL! ……Just as I suspected. You are not a true Jacket.
WDE
November 22nd, 2011
2:14 pm
@It’s just Football I’ll be betting on you vs supersize he’s all hat no cattle. @Gorilla Biscuit Zombie trike racing now that’s a real man’s sport.
It's just Football
November 22nd, 2011
2:21 pm
@WDE, I’m with ya bro.
I bet Supersize can’t tag a load bearing column in AutoCad if his life depended on it. I beat he can’t even write a simple linear algorithm in java either. HAHAHA.
WDE
November 22nd, 2011
2:27 pm
@It’s just Football but I hear he is his frats WOW champ, and he is on the wall of fame for “Services Rendered” at Swinging Richard’s…so don’t underestimate him he is Nerd down to his boots.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 22nd, 2011
2:31 pm
Interesting that a mutt knows about a gay strip club in Atlanta. You been there a lot, WDE? I’ve never been and don’t really think I would find anything there of interest to me, but a know a couple of dawg fans who told me about it. They didn’t say whether or not they had been there, but they definitely knew about it.
It's just Football
November 22nd, 2011
2:32 pm
Supersize is a WOW champ???!……. Man I feel stupid now
Supersize, I apologize before everyone on this blog for questioning you on being a real GT fan. Sorry.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 22nd, 2011
2:33 pm
Nerds wear boots? I did not know that. Black Sabbath said that Fairys Wear Boots.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 22nd, 2011
2:33 pm
Steve Jobs was a nerd. So is Bill Gates. So are a lot of other billionaires who have made quite a success out of being nerds. You should be so lucky as to be a nerd, instead of an ignorant redneck.
WDE
November 22nd, 2011
2:38 pm
Really it’s a gay club…well that would explain your role…and Bug what in world game are you playing, you’ve never been there…whatever Nancy.you walk in the door and its like Norm on Cheers everyone turns around and shouts “SUPERSIZE THIS” ..well at least that’s what I’ve been told.
Skitty Fritty
November 22nd, 2011
2:39 pm
GT’s problem is the focus too much on the UGA game. Learn from your big brother and find some other rivals like we do with Auburn, UF & UT.
The UGA game for GT fans is like the UF game for UGA, it’s in your head way too much.
It's just Football
November 22nd, 2011
2:40 pm
Supersize, Jobs was not a techie nerd and knew nothing about computer circuit level design. That is why he teamed with Wozniak. Jobs was a Businessman, designer and sales person and only attended a few college classes. Gates was very similar.
Please say on topic! This is a sports blog where we talk about football and racing.
WDE
November 22nd, 2011
2:43 pm
@It’s just Football hey old Supersize won the costume contest at DragonCon a couple of years ago. Just don’t ask to see his costume…Yikes ! Gorilla Biscuit yes Nerds wear boots those ones with the fake buckles and the zippers on the sides…usually black velvet or nubuck.
headley lamar
November 22nd, 2011
2:43 pm
Another question for the Tech fans.
Will you continue to support CPJ if he goes to 1-7 in bowl games and against UGA ?
He is 1-5 and I would say its a distinct possibility he will be 1-7 in his biggest games after this year is over.
Its an honest question. If he is 1-7 after this year will you still support CPJ ?
I noticed no one answered.
And Steve Jobs was most definitely not a nerd. Woz was the nerd.
Jobs was a hippie if anything who listened to Dylan and took acid.
Just got through reading his biography. Not a bad read.
Delbert D.
November 22nd, 2011
2:58 pm
With the diminished emphasis on math and science in the public school systems in the USA, expect the significant achievements in science, engineering and technology in the future to come from other countries. We are already importing many of their best minds to attend our top universities.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 22nd, 2011
2:59 pm
I listened to Dylan and took acid once. Omygod! I’m a nerd!
Delbert D.
November 22nd, 2011
3:01 pm
headley – I was an early adopter of the Apple iic. One of Jobs’ great insights was computer-human interface.
jarvis
November 22nd, 2011
3:05 pm
If MB is correct about Tech, they certainly haven’t had many good years by their standards.
Delbert D.
November 22nd, 2011
3:08 pm
That is true for the past 50 years. Also, standards are the primary reason that it is true.
italian_29
November 22nd, 2011
4:00 pm
GTBob, I have an answer to your question, what does the GA game mean to Tech and why would it be an important win, 1st it is an instate rival, could help recruiting and give you bragging rights, 2nd it is against a top 15 BCS ranked team and would help your ranking, and finally 3rd it would improve your record and your Bowl Game selection, so yeah, I would say that this game means ALOT to GT and would be one of their top wins in the last decade. Having said all that I don’t think you will need to worry about it because you aren’t going to win.
italian_29
November 22nd, 2011
4:05 pm
Plus GTBob, all the time that you spend focused on GA, the answer should be clear. I don’t think there has been a blog that had the Georgia Bulldogs in the title, that you have been able to avoid commenting, very negatively, might I add, on.
GSU (GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY) grad
November 22nd, 2011
5:05 pm
My thoughts:
UGA will be tight and GT will be loose.
UGA is in a low confidence point. GT is at a medium confidence point.
CMR should give AM the day off, so to speak, and pound the ball up the middle like 2009.
CPJ should stick with the TO.
Both teams will try at least a few trick plays.
GT must stop UGA’s kick/punt returns to have a chance.
GT must get good field position on kicks/punts to have a chance.
UGA must force a few turnovers (not too hard to do).
Look for an interesting dual between GT’s linebackers and UGA’s running backs (if the good ones can play).
Ga Rolls!!
November 22nd, 2011
11:10 pm
Take this to the bank—Ga blows out tech again and beats lsu by 10! Ga 27–lsu 17!!!
UGA vs Tech
November 23rd, 2011
2:52 am
I’m thinking it’ll be a high scoring affair for UGA and mid-level scoring for Tech
so UGA will get … 35 or so and Tech ….. 14-17 pts (they scored 7 pts against Miami and allowed Duke 31; beat Clemson but followed that up with a big loss in a big game)
UGA vs Tech
November 23rd, 2011
2:55 am
“UGA is in a low confidence point. GT is at a medium confidence point”
…. both teams should be in pretty good spirits for the most part.
regardless of the weekend outcome UGA is still going to play in the SEC Championship game and Tech will still play in some weird sponsored bowl game
yogih
November 23rd, 2011
7:50 am
Tech will have the advantage if uga counts chop blocks because after 10 they they will have to take their cleats off.
Mitchell
November 27th, 2011
12:07 pm
Georgia: Champion of the SEC East, the winner of nine in a row, the author of a rebound season. Think back to August: Would Georgia fans have taken all that and been happy? Sure they would. Heat Index: Mark Richt has gone from sitting atop the ol’ Hot Seat to sharing a warm moment with Mrs. Richt in front of 90,000 friends and neighbors.
Maybe if a Braves manager was ever put in the position Mark Richt has been in for the better part of the past two seasons, to have to win or lose his job, we might see a little more inspired play with the Braves… for once.
But everyone knows that’s about as likely as Georgia beating LSU next week.
Hey, could happen. I’m surprised Mark Bradley hasn’t already predicted the upset since in his mind the Braves are destined for World Series glory any day now.
And of course that was only about a week or two after they put the finishing touches on one of the worst collapses in baseball history.
What is there to lose at this point, Bradley? Except, you know, even more credibility.