WE HAVE THE ANSWER

At first, I wasn’t sure if I would have anything to say about Jim Tressel’s decision to resign as the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. I mean, what could I add to the story? We can all get the news from any number of locations in any number of varied forms. Then I remembered an exchange I had with a Buckeye fan back in December after the news came out that Georgia and Ohio State had agreed to play a home-and-home series beginning in the year 2020.

In my line of work, virtually everyone has an opinion on virtually every sports related topic. I mean, it’s what we do. However, some people are better at taking off the “team-colored glasses” than others are when debating a topic that involves the squads with which they are allied.

In the wake of the home-and-home announcement back in late December, and at a time Ohio State was in the midst of its (still) ongoing investigation into wrongdoing involving the football program, I had a Buckeye fan say the following to me during a discussion about the two storied programs finally meeting in a regular season game:

Has anybody checked Georgia's record lately? At this rate they will be in the Mountain West conference or Division II by 2020. What happened, did The Little Sisters of the Poor book up early with "grudge matches" with USC and Notre Dame? Here's an interesting bet....who is still coaching OSU/GA in 2020....Tressel or Richt? Mark who??

Can you believe it? I was stunned at the time, and frankly I still am, that a fan of any team mired in the type of an institutional NCAA investigation that Ohio State was (and is) could so blatantly disparage Mark Richt and the University of Georgia.

Rest assured DAWG Nation, I proceeded to quickly and without prejudice inform this Buckeye that Tressel had a history of being shady before arriving at Ohio State, that there have been questions about Tressel and his program during his time (and championship) in Columbus and, OH BY THE WAY, the Buckeyes were right in the middle of a scandal that has now proven to be the undoing of The Sweater Vest’s tenure as the head coach at Ohio State and possibly their entire 2011 season.

Well, I guess we have the answer to that Buckeye’s question today don’t we? Granted, none of us are happy with how the last couple of seasons have played out ‘between the hedges’ in Athens and we will not be satisfied until the DAWGS are once again on top of the SEC East and playing for a conference title in Atlanta, but there is none among us that is working any harder to make that a reality than the head coach and leader of our program, Mark Richt.

It has recently come to light based on statements from the people that actually make the decisions at the University of Georgia, that for all of the belly aching and sometimes misplaced and delusional complaints from the rabid Georgia fan base, Coach Richt actually is NOT on the ridiculously speculated hot seat. That is how it should be. I would absolutely rather lose a game or two, and do not misunderstand…losing stinks, than win by taking shortcuts only to suffer the shame of those “successes” later.

I’m as excited today as I was in December when the 2020-21 games with the Buckeyes were announced. In the AJC article by Tim Tucker announcing the home-and-home series between Georgia and Ohio State, Coach Mark Richt stated that he will be looking forward to the game, too.

“Yeah, man,” Richt said. “I hope I’m here to go to Columbus.”

I agree with you on that one, Coach. I hope you’re still leading the DAWGS too. Either way, one thing is for sure…Jim Tressel won’t be there to take it all in.
I wonder what that Buckeye fan would have to say about the state of things today.

Glory, Glory.

POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE

We bring this video to you courtesy of Russ Doogin (@russdoogin). One Damn Good DAWG.

Yes.

We are JYD. We are Junkyard DAWGS!

THERE’S NOTHING SOFT ABOUT THESE LADIES OR THEIR GAME

The NCAA announced on Sunday night that the University of Georgia is one of 16 regional host sites for the 2011 NCAA Division I Softball Championships. The DAWGS are the number one seed in the Athens Regional and the sixth-overall national seed.

Georgia head coach Lu Harris-Champer has built A DAMN BEAST!!! of a softball program in Athens. For the tenth consecutive year, and for the tenth time in school history, Georgia will be making a NCAA postseason appearance. That is quite a feat. From the head coach’s bio at www.georgiadogs.com:

Prior to Harris-Champer's arrival in Athens, the Georgia softball program produced just a 115-123 record with no Southeastern Conference championships or NCAA appearances. Under the direction of Harris-Champer, the Bulldog softball team has compiled a 502-181 overall record with nine-straight NCAA tournament appearances and two SEC championships, establishing Georgia as one of the elite programs in the country.

If that’s not impressive enough, check out Coach Harris-Champer’s full BIO when you get a chance.

Under Harris-Champer, the Bulldogs are 36-18 overall in NCAA postseason play, and advanced to the Women's College World Series final four in 2009 and 2010. Those are pretty strong numbers regardless of how many outfielders you play with.

You can read more about the NCAA Division I Softball Championships HERE.

Best of luck in the postseason ladies and GATA!!!

Glory, Glory.

DAWGS NEED TO FIND SOME NASTY ON THE ROSTER

Whether any of you have noticed or not, things have not been just rolling off the presses here at the BEAST this spring. There are a myriad of reasons for that (and all of them are justified), but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been paying attention.

There are several reasons that I believe the 2011 football season will be a bright one for the DAWGS, but we can save those for a later date. First things first.

One reality of my time away is that I have been forced to watch and listen as Auburn and its fans have reveled in their MNC glory. And they should. The Tigers earned it on the field with outstanding performances from many, not the least of which those turned in by Nick Fairley.

Fairley was quite possibly the most disruptive single player the Southeastern Conference has seen since David Pollack was unleashed “between the hedges” back in 2002. And that is where the rubber hits the road in this discussion.

Georgia fans probably won’t like any comparison between Fairley and Pollack regardless of the argument, but they should be a little more willing to listen. Both were All-Americans and both changed the game for their opponents every time they stepped on the field. The glaring difference here, especially when viewed through DAWG-red colored glasses, is the association of Fairley with a “less than fair” style of play and the “poster boy” image that has followed Pollack both during and since his time in Athens. Some would go so far as to call the Auburn defensive lineman a dirty player, while most any recollected memory of Pollack sparkles like a shiny penny in the Sanford sun on a brilliant DAWG day afternoon. But those perceptions have absolutely no impact on what made each player a dominant force in the SEC and in college football.

I would argue that along with being very good football players and all of the other attributes that made each player a championship-caliber difference maker on their respective teams, there was one underlying factor that set each player apart from the rest. Nasty. A nasty that falls in the blind spot of adoring fans, draws the ire of the opposition colors and wins games in the fourth quarter. A nasty that defeats an opponent before they step on the field. A nasty that demands a “chew your kneecaps off’ performance from the player and his teammates at the biggest moments in the biggest games. THIS….this is what Fairley and Pollack share.

Now, I’m not saying Fairley has not earned his reputation (at least in the eyes of Georgia fans) on the field. I offer you exhibit A:








The video speaks for itself. However, in the months since the season has ended, while scouring game film and breaking down season stats in my top secret CFB bunker that is dimly lit only by the flickering light of the projector, I have been forced to admit a sobering fact to myself…I want that player on my team. NOT that player that crosses the line and intentionally attempts to injure an opponent, BUT that player that slams right up against that line and then dances back from it wreaking havoc all along the way. Admittedly, this is a dangerous zone in which to live. As for Fairley’s play against Georgia last season, I will just say that if the DAWGS didn’t like the way he was treating our players and namely our franchise quarterback, they should have…wait for it…BLOCKED him. And yes, I feel the Georgia players were absolutely justified when they finally stood up for their teammate late in the game, but I would much rather they had handled business between the whistles. I expect this piece will bring responses from all across the DAWG Nation and they are welcomed.

There have been others that have played with this type of nasty for Coach Richt….Thomas Davis, Kevin Breedlove, Daniel Inman, Sean Jones and Max Jean-Gilles to name a few. What is it that all of these players had in common? They were champions and they would just as soon whip your ass as look at you between the lines.

If Georgia is going to get back to the pinnacle of the SEC under Coach Richt, then the lead DAWG and his staff are going to have to cultivate a few more of these balls-to-the-wall type players that will push the program over the top when the going gets tough in the crucible that is college football in the Southeastern Conference.

Glory, Glory.