Ramblin’ On

‘lo all…I’m still here and will still be blogging.  Some faces have changed at the AJC recently, as everyone is aware.  But rest assured that there are no plans to remove the GT fan blog.  We’re just going to put things on haitus for a bit during the hot (100+ today?!?!), quiet summer and then ramp back up in the Fall when football starts up again.

That suits me fine, since the beat guy will be handling and commenting on miscellaneous GT information on a weekly basis.  He’s alot more plugged into the sports information office than I am and is doing a good job so far.

So…don’t despair if the Ramblin’ On blogs are few and far between over the next few months.  August will get here soon enough with practices and Fan Photo Day find their way onto our calendars.

A few things before I hang up the virtual pen this week…

1) Gani Lawal returning to the Jackets squad is huge.  His skill and experience combined with Favors and a deep roster of athletic teammates should make the 2009/10 …

Continue reading Gani Lawal, Recruiting, and Summer Heat… »

The Jackets avoided being swept in the ACC tourney for the first time by way of a 9-2 trouncing of FSU this past Saturday. That win effectively ended a dreadful 2-5 slide here at the end of the season…a slide that very nearly cost the Jackets their chance to host a NCAA Regional at Russ Chandler Stadium.

But as luck would have it, the 35-17-1 Jackets have been named the #1 seed in the Atlanta regional and will face the 39-20 Georgia State Panthers on Friday at 7pm EST. Elon (40-16) and Southern Mississippi (35-23) join the Panthers and Jackets in Atlanta to round out the four team elimination bracket.

Looking at the brackets, it appears that the winner of the Atlanta regional will face the winner of the Gainesville regional. That would potentially pit the Jackets against Florida, Miami, Jacksonville, or Bethune-Cookman in a Super Regional.

Of course, the Jackets would have to win their home Regional first.

Florida (39-20) looks like the #8 national seed and would be …

Continue reading Looking at the CWS Atlanta Regional and Beyond »

There are a dozen bell ringing, loudly laughing women upstairs playing bunco.

That makes it a perfect evening to hide out in the basement and watch Tech and UGA face off down at the Ted.

Both teams have slipped a bit from their lofty rankings earlier in the season.  Tech is ranked 7th at 33-12-1 and are coming off a dramatic series win against #6 FSU this past weekend.  UGA is 34-17 and ranked around 15 after a recent 8 game losing streak.  The fact that they were able to lose 8 games in a row and maintain a ranking of any sort speaks to the regard pollsters have for the Bulldogs.  They’re not a team to be overlooked.

Tech knocked off UGA earlier in the season when the Dawgs were ranked #1 and right now, in the top of the third inning, the Jackets are leading 2-1.  UGA scored in the opening frame to go up 1-0 before the Jackets took advantage of an error and a balk in the second inning to go up by the current 2-1 margin.

It looks like UGA has a runner on base in the third with …

Continue reading Go Beesball Jackets! »

I suddenly find myself watching an NBA game for the first time in my adult life.

I rationalize it as a combination of the home team playing well, a 7th game sudden death situation, and the fact that Mario West has been coming off the bench for the Hawks to play defense against Dwayne Wade.

The AJC had a great picture earlier this week that showed Mario reacting to a big defensive play against Wade.  Some of the talking heads around the internet made noise about how West should act like he’s been there before or that he was over reacting.

I don’t think so…

Remember, West came to Georgia Tech as a walk-on, earned playing time as a defensive specialist who gave 110% every possession, quickly became a crowd favorite, and then became a veteran leader and senior team captain on a team that needed one badly.

Becoming a starter on an ACC team after arriving on campus as a walkon is one thing…but West took it a step further when he showed superior athleticism on the way to winning the …

Continue reading Pulling for the Hawks and Mario West! »

What a great day and a great crowd this past Saturday.  It was the best spring crowd I’ve seen in years and a clear sign that Paul Johnson is resurrecting the idea of getting the fans involved in the spring.  (This was something I don’t think Chan Gailey really understood…being an NFL guy.)  I can’t think of a better way to stimulate ticket sales, except maybe winning more games and continuing to beat UGA.

The lower east stands seemed packed and there were a fair number of people in the north stands as well.  I would estimate maybe 8-9 thousand fans in attendence.  This is a marked improvement from previous years where we had maybe 1500 or so.

The weather was great…not too hot and not too sunny.  It was just right for people like myself who took the opportunity to get out with the kids and enjoy a day on campus.

There were also reportedly 75-100 former players and lettermen in attendence and more than a few notable names and faces wound up on the matrix board where Wes Durham …

Continue reading Thoughts from the Spring Game »

The Georgia Tech T-Day Spring Football game kicks off at noon tomorrow.

Festivities begin at 10am and the gates open at 11am.  Football begins at noon.  Be there or be Square!

Personally I’m looking forward to seeing Shaw and Washington get alot of reps.  We all have a good idea of what Nesbitt can do and there is no reason to risk him if he’s a bit dinged up and needs to rest his shoulder.  I’ve heard enough good things about Shaw’s progress and Washington’s elusive running to think that we’ll see some good offensive output tomorrow.

I’m also VERY anxious to see Anthony Allen get some action.  Allen is a bit of a wildcard going into this season.  We all know he has serious skill as evidenced by his time at Louisville and the success he has had in our practices and scrimmages.  But I’ve yet to see him live and in action and he intrigues me greatly.

It’ll be nice to see Jerrard Tarrant back on the field in the white and gold.  Tarrant has a chance to really step in and improve …

Continue reading Toe Meets Leather, April 18…Noon! »

You know, fellow Tech fans, there are some days when you just have to relax and enjoy the warm, sweet embrace of success while savoring the just rewards of pulling for the “Good Guys”…

Today … is one of those special days.

Lets take a quick inventory of what makes today so great.

First and most noteworthy is Derrick Favors signing his official letter of intent to be a Yellow Jacket.  Favors is the Scout.com #1 ranked basketball recruit in the country.  That’s right…in the country!  At 6-9 and 220 lbs he’s the type of recruit who can do it all and can instantly have an impact on a struggling basketball program.  Think Kenny Anderson and Stephon Marbury level recruit here…a starter from day one on campus and a difference maker.  He may be the most highly regarded recruit in the history of the program.  Not only was he the MVP of the much heralded McDonald’s All American game but he’s also the winner of the coveted Naismith Award…presented to the best highschool basketball player …

Continue reading Great Day to be a Yellow Jacket! »

Greetings again fellow GT fans and bloggers.

Although I was able to attend Sunday’s baseball game
between the Jackets and the Tar Heels (can’t beat a
good team with defensive errors like that!) I’ve been
unable to attend a football spring practice session.

I have, however, been avidly following the practice
reports here on the AJC.com site and places like The
Hive and Stingtalk.  All provide great insight and info.

There seem to be a few things that everyone agrees on:

1.  Josh Nesbitt is the #1 QB and looks more fluid and
competent in his decision making.  His passing has
improved but he is still working on hitting his receivers
in their routes so that they have the optimal chance
to make plays.

2.  Anthony Allen is going to be a big factor in the offense
in 2009.  Not only will he be able to relieve Dwyer at B-back
but he’ll be able to play out of the A-back slot and bring
some attitude and power to that role.  I’ve also read in
more than one report that Allen shows great …

Continue reading Consensus Postitives from Spring So Far? »

Are spring and summer the slow period for  collegiate sports fanatics?

The football and basketball seasons are over…only baseball is really active as one of the “Big Three” sports.

The baseball team is certainly playing well and are sitting at 18-4 (8-2 ACC) with a Top 5 national ranking.  The rainout against UGA this past week took a little wind out of the season’s sails but with four ACC teams ranked in the RPI Top 10, there is a TON of great baseball coming up.  I only hope that we’re able to make up the UGA game without giving them a doubleheader on their own field.  I hate the fact that we lost our home game this season because of the weather.

Men’s golf is doing well and are hosting the United States Collegiate Championship this coming weekend.  While the team is a bit behind where we’re accustomed to seeing them, the squad does boast one of the top players in the nation in Cameron Tringale.  Tringale is ranked #4 nationally.

Women’s softball is sitting at 26-9 (4-2 ACC) …

Continue reading Are Spring and Summer the Slow Period? »

I was lounging by the pool at Disney’s Coronado Springs resort when I got the word that the men’s hoops team had fallen to Florida State.  Looking at the numbers it appears like Clinch vs Douglas came down to the bitter end…a situation that hasn’t favored the Jackets much this season.  I take solace in the fact that the Noles were able to knock UNC out of the championship game.  At least the rest of the ACC wasn’t subjected to another Duke vs UNC media lovefest.  I can only take so much of that each year…

Coach Hewitt and the hoops underclassmen now enter a much anticipated off season.  The team and the coaches have to be aware of the expectations coming up in the 2009-10 season once Derrick Favors and the other signees join the fold.  The Jackets must be competitive and must reach the post season next year…or every last shred of Hewitt’s capital from the 2004 San Antonio run will have been spent.

The women’s hoops team will tip off against Iowa at 9:30pm EST…in Iowa City.   …

Continue reading Lady Jackets Tip off Against Iowa »