Manic Kyle Monday: Good News to Start Your Work Week Here in Bulldog Nation

Admittedly, this posting comes a little late in the day, but the idea only just occurred to me, so I thought I should go ahead and roll it out as the first (though perhaps also last) installment of what is intended to be the new feature that will prevent my name from replacing Larry Munson's in the definition of "pessimist" appearing in Senator Blutarsky's Lexicon.

The idea is simple. Since some loyal readers have grown weary of my unfailing ability to declare every glass half-empty (or worse), I'm going to let Manic Kyle out of the box from time to time, and when better than on the day of the week that even the optimists among us regard with disdain? Here, therefore, are a trio of reasons to be upbeat here in Bulldog Nation:

1. Walk-on snapper Ty Frix has been given a scholarship. Snappers are like motion picture special effects; if you're conscious of their existence, they're probably bad. Frix has been a crucial component of the parts of Georgia's special teams that have acquitted themselves well, and, like fellow special teams standout Drew Butler, he is a Bulldog legacy with an admirable pedigree in the Red and Black kicking game. Ty's father, Mitch, handled the snapping duties for Dooley's 'Dawgs in the early '80s. Frix pere is a physician with three SEC championship rings. At the most basic level, this is an example of a damn good 'Dawg being rewarded for his hard work, sound play, and good behavior, which makes it the sort of good news that rarely makes headlines but demonstrates the quality of the character of the vast majority of Mark Richt's players. In the larger picture, though, it also provides hope for the future; after all, there is historical precedent for the proposition that, when a Frix snaps the ball to a Butler, good things happen for Georgia.

2. The Bulldogs' SEC championship men's golf team made the 81-team NCAA tournament field and secured the third seed in the College Station Regional, where Chris Haack's twelfth-ranked Classic City Canines will compete against thirteen other teams, including second-ranked host squad Texas A&M. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like Georgia has been doing all right against the Aggies recently.

3. Speaking of Bulldog clubs taking on squads from the Lone Star State, those of you who prefer softball news to baseball news will be pleased to learn that, although David Perno's Diamond Dogs could have used a mercy rule a time or two this season, the tenth-ranked Georgia softball team took advantage of a similar scoring limitation to claim a 9-0 victory over Texas in five innings. Freshman Alison Owen pitched a complete-game shutout on the road. Frankly, I'm not sure I can articulate an adequate argument against giving her a chance to start an outing for Brady Wiederhold, except that we'll probably need her for the SEC softball tournament, which begins this Thursday in Fayetteville, Ark.

There you have it . . . three reasons to feel good about being a Bulldog fan. How 'bout that?

Go 'Dawgs!