Sorry, Mikey, but...

... Athens is hosting a night game. Ha. I'm sure ole Mr. Adams loves this one. ESPN has confirmed to the Athens Banner Herald that the network has chosen the Alabama Crimson Tide @ Georgia Bulldogs game slated for September 27 th at Sanford Stadium. And with the selection comes a 7:30 pm kickoff time that excites everyone, except for, of course, the prez.

How can you not like a night game when everyone is that much more drunk? Aren't the fans more rowdy and loud? Doesn't it make for a better atmosphere? Oh wait, who am I kidding. Of course it doesn't...

Well anyway, with the Tennessee Volunteers game still to schedule, perhaps we can have TWO games after 1:00. Hey, I'm all for a racoon-eyes sunburn, but let's be serious. With the promise of this year's team, I wouldn't be surprised to see the stadium like it was last year for the Auburn game at least twice this year. But that comes at a price... a 3:30 or later kickoff time. Come on, Adams, let the kids have their fun. Sanford Stadium will be rockin' all night.

The ABH also reports that Raycom Sports, formerly Lincoln Financial Sports, has reported an upgrade to (gasp! Don't say it!) High Definition (wooooahh, preeeetttyyy), which some people are starting to dub HD (or something like that. I don't know... never heard of it).

In related news, the big whigs of the conference and each school have been holding meetings down in Destin, Florida to discuss an SEC TV network similar to that launched by the Big 10 last year. I hate the Big 1(1), but I think they finally had a good idea. An SEC network only means more televised games and matches for sports like tennis, gymnastics, golf, and baseball, the sports that don't get enough credit from ESPN and the likes. Hey, maybe even the lacrosse or hockey teams can make it...

See Also:
Georgia Sports Blog - ESPN confirms plans to televise Georgia vs. Alabama

Dawgs snag national seed and are set to host...

The Georgia Baseball team started the week after a disappointing showing in Hoover with a bang with the announcement of the top 8 national seeds for the 2008 NCAA college baseball tournament.

The Bulldogs grabbed the #8 spot despite losing 4 of their last 5 games. Georgia will host the Athens, Ga Regional site Friday through Monday. The regions other teams are rival Georgia Tech, Louisville and Lipscomb.

Here's the schedule for the week:

2008 NCAA Baseball Athens Regional
Friday, May 30

Game 1: Lipscomb vs. GEORGIA, 3 p.m. ET
Game 2: Georgia Tech vs. Louisville, 7 p.m. ETSaturday,
May 31

Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 3 p.m. ET
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, June 1

Game 5: Loser of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 3, 2 p.m. ET
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m. ET*
Monday, June 2 (*If Necessary)

Game 7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6, 7 p.m. ET

More updates as the week progresses.

We're Sorry

... for the light posting. The fallout from exams, graduations, and the start of summer is finally coming to an end. Some of us are back home, some are still holding down the fort in Athens. Soon we will cover the SEC baseball tournament, recap the baseball team's regular season, direct praises to the golf and tennis teams, and start the football season preview. Once again, sorry for the light posting, but it's about to pick back up. Go Dawgs!

Another notch on the belt...

...what belt? We don't wear any belts?

That is, except the co-SEC east football notch, basketball SEC championship notch, Gymnastics national championship notch, and men's tennis SEC championship notch...

Oh and add to that a regular season SEC champion notch in baseball!

This part of the blog is biased for us at Dawgs on Top. Not because we love everything red and black, but because we hold the Georgia baseball team dear to our hearts. Two of us were lucky enough to live in the houses on the top of Kudzu Hill in the right outfield of Foley Field. They are lovingly known to the Athens public, television commentators and Jeff Dantzler as the "green house" and the brick house. 

We came into the season with high expectations for this year's squad. Not because Dave Perno loves winning big every other year. Not because we saw the SEC in a down year. Not even because we returned national player of the year candidate Gordon Beckham and "let's start up the bus" closer Joshua Fields. For some reason, we looked at the lineup and felt like Beckham, Fields, Peisel, Demperio, Poythress, Olsen, Cerione, Fuller, Allen, and the veteran pitching staff could once again bring glory to the Diamond Dawg program. 

We knew we would find out quickly what the Dawgs were made of with early series against nationally respected Arizona and the defending national champs, Oregon State. And yet, after a disappointing 2-4 start against these ballclubs, we still saw some potential. 

Ok. We saw a lot of potential. 

Gordon Beckham was a bright spot. He was at the top of the Rivals.com power rankings for middle infielders and coaches across the country were claiming he saw the baseball like one looked at a beach ball. Little did they know that he would enter Tuesday's game against rival Georgia Tech with 22 HRs (leading the nation). Little did they know that Josh Fields would be working with a sub-1.00 ERA (and an SEC leading number of saves). 

The squad left that tough opening stretch only to win their first 6 conference series, including sweeps over talented Kentucky and South Carolina teams. Georgia won with pitching when it was needed, hitting when it was needed and even the heroics of Beckham when he was needed.

So, UGA entered its series in Nashville with a lead in the SEC that needed only wins in 2 of the 3 games to lock up the regular season title and after a disappointing loss on Friday, the team looked poised for a late-season letdown. Saturday and Sunday, however, provided perfect examples as to why this team may be bound for even greater glory. A 4-2 win and a 12-10 win both locked up the regular season title and showed that the Dawgs can pull it of from the mound and the dish.

We're not saying that Georgia will  claim a top 8 national seed, walk through the SEC tourney, or make magic happen in Omaha, but we want every casual Georgia baseball fan out there to know that these kids are for real. They perform when they need to and think that they can play for anyone. 

Georgia plays GT at the Ted (Turner Field in ATL) Tuesday and host Alabama in Athens on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Show them the support they deserve because they truly are fun to watch and you may witness some of the magic two of the best players in UGA history have been creating all year long.

From Dawgs on Top to the 2008 Georgia baseball team, congratulations on the regular season title and good luck this week. We'll be out there loud and proud. 

Fear the Megaphone. 

What Happened, Techies?

So everyone is going bananas about the NCAA's release of the academic progress ratings (APR) released the other day, and I noticed something interesting...

All of you know how annoying the Techies are. All I've heard about since I got to UGA is how we stink at everything, from life to academics. I have honestly and seriously heard a Tech fan tell one of my friends that he should study hard because one day he will need a good job and GT alumni look down upon bad grades coming out of UGA. It was kind of hard for us to reply, because I mean let's be honest with each other, we're not nerd majors. I'm sorry that you graduated from Tech, but please, we're not coming to you, the executive VP of the engineering department, looking for a job. We're actually coming to your company, looking to be your CEO. Not only that, but we may even own that company. Looking to you for a job? Ha!

I bring that story up because in the new APR list of scores, someone's football team comes in at #34 overall, and someone else's football team ranks around #64.

Of course, your immediate reaction was to put GT ahead of UGA right? Not so fast my friend. UGA's cumulative score came out at a 965, while Tech averaged a whopping 951. What's going on over there guys? Everyone leaving for the NFL? Your argument for rigorous academics will get a laugh in the face because schools like Penn, Stanford, and Duke all scored over 25 points higher than you. Academics shmacademics. You also better keep your coaching staff on a leash if you want to improve these numbers, because let me tell you, if your coach can smoke pot and drink and drive, your kids will to. Have fun with that one.

I will also note that UGA lined up 5 spots behind Notre Dame, 7 ahead of the Gaytors, and, surprisingly to me, 17 ahead of Vanderbilt.

Also See: Bein' 34th ain't all bad (Gridiron Gate)
APR numbers released (GB Blog)
Official UGA Release (GeorgiaDogs.com)

Dawgs take 2 out of 3 from Ole Miss...

The Georgia baseballers returned to their winning ways this weekend with another SEC series victory. Using wins on Friday and Sunday, UGA maintained a 3 game lead in the Southeastern Conference. The boys in red and black left the weekend with increased offensive output coming from the bottom of the lineup (Demperio, Cerione, and Lyle Allen all with HRs Sunday). However, Mike Demperio left the game after a terrible collision as he hustled towards first base while trying to beat out a throw. He will get an MRI tomorrow and we hope the speedy second baseman comes out of it with a positive report. 

On a slightly different note, Joshua Fields' streak of innings without an earned run ended on Sunday. Fields didn't cut his hair while the streak was intact and we imagine he will sport a new hairstyle in the near future. With that in mind, we here at "Dawgs on Top" thought we'd provide a few suggestions...

1. Josh could sport the "Dos Cinco" mohawk?

2.  Does Carlos Valderrama need explanation?

3. This would make him even more unhittable...

3. Or this?

4. "High and tight, no sideburns no mistakes"

5. Is this even allowed?

6. Or he could leave his coiffe the way it is and cruise around campus like our man P. Swayze.

That's all I've got. The Dawgs play the 'Nerds from GT on Wednesday before a huge series next weekend in Nashville. A couple of wins would hopefully lock up a national seed. Let's hope whatever hairstyle Josh chooses helps the team continue their impressive season. 

We're all for equal opportunity but...

(Photo courtesy washington.edu)

...when will college football's postseason stop expanding. I'm not talking about the BCS right now, and apparently neither is the BCS committee. Unfortunately, I'm speaking of the Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee and their decision to add two more bowl games to the schedule next year. The Congressional Bowl and the St. Petersburg Bowl will be played in relatively large markets and may be economically viable, however I already get sick of mediocre football during the holidays. 

At this rate, teams will stop celebrating the concept of "making a bowl game" because any .500 team will be in a bowl. 71 teams reached bowl eligibility last year and the creation of two new bowl games will provide a grand total of 68 teams with postseason invites. Don't get me wrong, I love bowl season and rarely peel myself away from the TV during the holiday games. However, games already exist between teams that are barely mediocre. Why do we need two more?

The Big East has 7 tie-ins for its eight team league. While leagues of twelve teams like the ACC and C-USA now have 8 and 6 tie-ins, respectively. So you're telling me that everyone in the Atlantic Coast Conference but Duke, Virginia, NC State and Maryland could go bowling? Or that I have to name 7 bowl-worthy teams in the Big East (um Syracuse and Pitt please...)?

Next thing we know, we'll be watching the 'Ol Ball Coach Bowl in Columbia, SC between two "vastly underachieving teams with brilliant coaching minds". I know it's a cheap shot but its not that far from reality (they did finish 6-6 last year after losing their last 5).

So that's my rant for the day. I'll leave the BCS and the Bob Costas debacle to my fellow bloggers.

Evaluating the NFL Draft - Part II:The Tweeners

As we move on in our three-part series, let's explore some teams who had some interesting drafts that could go either way. These teams had some questions going in, and still have some questions going out. What should we make of these teams?

The Tweeners:

St. Louis? – I was close to putting these guys in the L column. What held me back was the overwhelming promise and potential Chris Long carries with him. Long has all the fundamentals down and is a balanced rusher. He lacks elite speed or strength, but he is a smart rusher who can run sideline to sideline. Simply a pure football player. Adding to that, I think the Rams got steals in CB Justin King out of Penn State and WR Keenan Burton out of Kentucky, both taken in the 4^th. The Rams don’t have to overpay either of the two, allowing a grace period where the two can be groomed into elite players at the next level. Both have the potential, but only time will tell. However, what knocks the Rams down are their other choices. WR Donnie Avery in the second round? I think there were a few other winners available here at the same position. Avery has elite mobility and speed, but there are too many question marks. OT John Greco won’t make an immediate impact, and neither will OG Roy Schuening. LB’s Chris Chamberlain and David Vobora are excellent options in the seventh round. Both have assets of their own, and can be developed over time.

Atlanta? – Is Matt Ryan the answer at quarterback? That is the major question here. I do not doubt his physical skills as a passer nor his playmaking ability in the clutch (a la at Virginia Tech), but he simply threw too many INTs in college to make me believe in him as an NFL kind of guy. 31 touchdowns is an impressive number in the ACC, but 19 interceptions is just average at best. Sam Baker should pan out, but he needs to develop his run blocking skills. WR Harry Douglas out of Louisville is quick and a great route runner, but he doesn’t have the top end speed to run away from DB’s. I also obviously like the selection of hometown player Thomas Brown for his quickness, agility, and raw power, but does he have the durability to play in the NFL? Questions like these also hold true for the rest of the players taken. Will Curtis Lofton continue to overcome his size to be an effective linebacker? Will Chevis Jackson’s experience as an SEC corner be adequate enough to overcome his lack of elite speed? Will Kroy Biermann make a smooth transition to OLB from defensive end? There are just too many questions you could ask about this draft class. But in the end, you cannot be measured until there are results.

Cincinnati? – Keith Rivers is a polished OLB ready for the NFL. Pat Sims could also make an immediate impact at DT, but he lacks consistency and stamina. Cincy took a few more shots at defensive players, picking a second DT in Jason Shirley, a safety in Corey Lynch, and another OLB in Angelo Craig. Cincy’s defense has been their downfall the past few years, so any help is help. There are several questions about each of these three, but they all have upsides that could pan out. Matt Sherry adds depth at the TE spot with his receiving abilities and mismatch capabilities. Perhaps the most surprising move is drafting three WRs. Is Cincy preparing to move on without Chad Johnson? It would appear so with picks of Jerome Simpson, the tall, speedy receiver out of Coastal Carolina, Andre Caldwell, a speedy guy with good YAC potential out of Florida, and Mario Urrutia, the tall Red Zone threat out of Louisville who has great hands. But the main question is, are these picks adequate enough to make up for the losses of Chris Henry and Chad Johnson? Carson Palmer hopes so.

New England? – It is obvious what the Pats were after in this one. With Asante Samuel gone and the linebacker corps aging, New England specifically targeted cornerbacks and speedy linebackers. All three of the linebackers drafted have great speed and all project as outside linebackers. Jerod Mayo (thank God he’s gone) out of Tennessee should make an immediate impact, and Shawn Crable from Michigan and Bo Ruud out of Nebraska could soon follow. All three have experience at big schools in big conferences, and all three have pretty good skill sets. The Pats also addressed their CB needs with Terrance Wheatley out of Colorado and Jonathan Wilhite out of Auburn, two more big-school big-conference players with speed. But other than Mayo, do all these guys have what it takes? Big time schools don’t always translate into big time plays at the next level. Another issue with this draft class is NE’s third round pick of quarterback Kevin O’Connell out of San Diego State. Who saw this one coming? O’Connell has a solid skill set, but he is too highly inaccurate to make an impact in the NFL. Besides, doesn’t some guy named Tom Brady or something play under center? Wasting a 3^rd round pick on this guy is a little too much for me. Perhaps Bill sees something I don’t…

Buffalo? – Buffalo got three players they needed, two of which could make an immediate impact. Cornerbacks Leodis McKlevin and Reggie Corner have the speed to stay with receivers and both are very athletic. James Hardy fills a need for a top-end, tall WR who can make catches in traffic and has quickness. But other than those three, the rest of the picks are all potential hit or misses. I see a few position changes and no other outright players, other than maybe Xavier Omon, the RB out of Northwest Missouri State. He is a big back who can make the first cut, which can be a nice complement to Marshawn Lynch, but don’t expect a Brandon Jacobs. If some of these other guys can produce above expectation, huge props to the Bills scouting and draft teams. But at the same time, if they turn out to be flops, I don’t think many people will notice.

Detroit? - …didn’t draft a WR in the first round? Times really are changing in Detroit. Godser Cherilus is a gifted run blocker who has the abilities and frame to develop into a good pass blocker as a right tackle, but Jeff Otah was a better selection. Jordon Dizon’s size will be under a lot of scrutiny, but he possesses the speed and coverage ability to be an effective OLB. He is also a gifted tackler and can react quickly. Kevin Smith may turn out to be the best RB in this class. I love his style. He is a big back who isn’t the fastest, but he is quick to the hole and has good vision. It isn’t easy to run for 2,000 yards in a single college season, I don’t care who you are. Andre Fluellen out of Florida State is a potential steal in the late third round at the DT position. But the rest of the picks, with the exception of Army’s feel-good story in Caleb Campbell, are undersized at their positions. Can they overcome their small frames to compete in the NFL?

A few reasons we're glad to be Bulldogs...

1- Our mascot has never been killed by its son. As random as that sounds, UNC-Chapel Hill's mascot Rameses XVII was mortally wounded by the horns of its own son, Pablo. The blue-horned ram died at the age of 8 following an injury sustained while butting heads with its son. When the football team needed overtime to beat Duke last year we thought things couldn't get any worse.

2-We made it through the spring with not only our starting QB but his backup too. Both of UCLA's top two signal callers went down in consecutive plays during spring practice last week. Patrick Cowan will miss the entirety of the 2008 campaign with a torn ACL while Ben Olson suffered a broken foot that will keep him out of action for 6-8 weeks. When it rains it pours Mr. Neuheisel...good luck with the Men of Troy.

3-We aren't subjected to a Paul Johnson system overhaul. It blows our mind that some Tech fans are so excited about the upcoming season. Yeah Paul Johnson is a great game coach and knows the "triple option flexbone" offense better than just about anyone, but will it work in the ACC? Or more important for Tech fans, will it work against Georgia? We won't go as far as to say that he will never be successful, but he won't do it until he gets the recruits he needs in the program. With the transfer list at 4 and climbing, we don't see the new coach winning the instate recruiting battle anytime soon. So, GT will look like a juiced up high school team with a dominant defensive end (Michael Johnson) in the fall and may not improve until Johnson hits the road. 

4-We get to watch the best players in the country week in and week out. It's fine. You don't have to believe me. Just ask Todd McShay. His mock draft for '09 slots 7 SEC athletes in his top ten drafted while his first round includes 13 from the best conference in football. Stafford, Moreno, Tebow and Harvin aren't even guaranteed to leave early so we may get to watch these highlight makers for more than another season. Add to that list the UGA players we see getting drafted at some point in the next few years: Brannan Southerland, Reshad Jones, Asher Allen, Jeff Owens, Kade Weston, Geno Atkins, Caleb King, AJ Green, MoMass, and Trinton Sturdivant just to name a few. Considering this list there has never been a better time to catch a game in Sanford Stadium or make a trip to the Cocktail Party. 

Five More Dawgs Make the Cut

Following up the article on the drafted Dawgs, five more former Georgia football players have signed free agent contracts.

Going back to what I said before, I mentioned seven former Dawgs in the 2008 class that had the potential of getting picked up. So far, I am 5/7, but 0/2 on the guys that I thought had an outside chance. Those two, RB Kregg Lumpkin and OLB/DE Brandon Miller have both been offered free agent contracts by the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons, respectively. Lumpkin fits into Green Bay’s running scheme, and his power and abilities as a role runner should work out for the Packers. Brandon Miller may be a bit of a stretch to make the Falcons, but the chance is his to take.

The three others earning contracts are S Kelin Johnson with Seattle, WR Sean Bailey with Kansas City, and C/G Fernando Velasco with Tennessee. As I mentioned earlier, these three possess several traits that will allow them to achieve some success at the next level. I don’t see any of these three missing cuts with the teams they have signed with.

We wish all these guys good luck at the next level.

With that being said, this year, the graduating seniors and departing juniors overall as a class did not rate as high as the classes in previous seasons under Mark Richt.

This means two things that actually aren’t bad at all. For one, these guys were great roll players at the college level. Similar to David Greene’s current situation, these guys left Athens as great system players that excelled under Richt. This doesn’t mean they are bad players, it just means they don’t quite fit into every scheme at the next level. Therefore, their draft status takes a hit, but their opportunities continue through the free agency process. Teams can get a feel for these system players, and if they fit, they can and will contribute. Most of these players can compete at the right level. It just takes a little bit of luck in finding the team that wants them. The most important thing coming out of this situation, however, doesn’t have anything to do with this class. It has to do with the classes behind them. A team that goes 11-2 and wins a BCS bowl has talent. NFL Draft-type talent. If none of the departing players were drafted in the first four rounds, what does that say of 2008’s team? Loaded. Not to take anything away from the departing guys, because many of them had huge impacts, but next years team and the following classes are that much better. If anything, we should be happy that no player from last year’s team cracked the first four rounds. That means we have plenty more guys that are that caliber. They’re just back for more.