I have to ask . . .

There's an old saying among attorneys that the law is a jealous mistress. This week it's been more like Kathy Bates' character from Misery, strapping me to the bedposts and breaking my legs to keep me from running away to Blogistan. I'll be back with more substantive thoughts later, but until then I think it's fair to ask . . .

Is Stephen Garcia just Steve Tannyhill on Botox? Seems he's been drankin' again, in addition to the not going to class that got him in trouble with the alleged genius just last week (To me the "evil" part isn't really in question. But I just can't bring myself to call anyone who leads his team to a 6-6 record a genius.) It's also worth noting that if Garcia attended the University of Georgia he would officially be on his way to either a fast-paced career in the sanitation industry or junior college. Just ask Akeem Hebron. Granted, we Georgia fans have precious little room to talk about alcohol-related indiscretion. Let's be honest, the Classic City is about as well lubricated as any college campus in America, as many of us can attest to from personal experience. But Garcia is really beginning to look like a guy who doesn't have the personal discipline to lead himself to victory, much less his teammates, and may be out of the race to start for the Gamecocks before really getting into it (Cue the Chris Smelley Heisman watch !!!). In any event, it looks like he'll have some time to think about his actions. Conveniently, Garcia's timeout expires just in time for fall practice.

Can Coach Richt bring peace to the Middle East? Probably not. But he will be joining Charlie Weis, Tommy Tuberville, Randy Shannon and Yale's Jack Siedlecki on a tour of U.S. military bases in the Middle East. I wasn't aware prior to reading this story that Yale was nearly undefeated last season. I also had a quick chuckle at the thought of Coach Siedlecki bringing some of his players along on the trip to hang out with Tray Blackmon. Successful sitcoms have been built on far less. Oh, and if this trip doesn't result in at least one snapshot of Weis being kept away from the Mess Hall at bayonnet point, I'm going to be sorely, sorely disappointed.

Is Travis Leslie the savior of Georgia basketball? Not likely. The Columbia-Atlanta star is not even one of the top 100 prospects in the country for 2008-2009. But he is a 6'4 small forward/shooting guard who can run the court, shoot well enough from outside and drive the basket with authority (warning, audio link). As Paul noted yesterday, this basketball program still has some significant holes. But one of the keys to filling the holes will be to consistently bring in and retain solid talent, especially instate talent. Leslie's recruitment is a good step in that direction. It's also tangible evidence that if Coach Felton can make good things happen around the Stege, high school players will in fact notice.

Is Tony Wilson going to be back for the start of the 2008 season? It looks that way after the sophomore receiver had surgery on his broken ankle. Wilson is a guy who really began to emerge last season as a stout blocker and a better than expected receiver. He's also become something of a fan favorite because of his blue collar play last season. Here's wishing Tony a speedy recovery.

That's all for now. I'll be back tomorrow with another installment of The 'Dawgs of Spring. Until then . . .

Go 'Dawgs!