Although I expect this Monday morning to be a bit less hectic than last Monday morning, there's only so uneventful the first day of a new work week can be, so I won't take up too much of your time. Just give me a few minutes and, while you ease into that morning cup of coffee, I'll do what I can to bring you up to speed:
- While Dawg Sports is a Georgia Bulldogs weblog first and foremost, I try to cover all of college football and not just the S.E.C. Consequently, I have branched out a bit by interviewing Utah blogger Block U, identifying 10 non-conference games you need to see, and mending fences with the Mountaineer faithful.
- Uga VI celebrated his eighth birthday over the weekend, thereby sparking speculation about the Georgia mascot's retirement plans.
Damn good dog. (Photograph from Georgia Sports Communications.)
- Bulldog Nation is in mourning after the death of Kevin Brophy and A.C. has offered a personal reminiscence to help us cope with the loss. Thanks, A.C.
- Burnt Orange Nation's Peter, fresh from a week spent guest hosting at Every Day Should Be Saturday and digging deep inside the details of the preseason polls, has asked what would qualify as a successful season in Bulldog Nation this fall:
Just a curious outsider wondering what the mood is among the Bulldog faithful.
I'll take a whirl at offering my own answer to that question shortly, but, in the meantime, you are welcome to offer your own thoughts upon the topic . . . and, while you're at it, let us know when we're going to run this play again.
- I don't know how many of you are Atlanta Braves fans, but, if you're like me, you wondered why Dale Murphy wasn't one of the top five "hometown heroes" for Atlanta's National League baseball franchise.
- Podium Cafe follows cycling, but I don't, so maybe I'm misunderstanding, but did Jason Lee's character from "My Name is Earl" win the Tour de France?
That can't possibly be right, can it?
- Kit Kitchens doesn't like Georgia Tech. Now we know why . . . in full detail.
- Here's a fascinating tidbit for you: Coach and Mrs. Steve Spurrier recently renewed their wedding vows in a ceremony attended by Pepper Rodgers, among others. I don't know which amazes me more . . . the idea that anyone would marry Darth Visor twice or the fact that Pepper Rodgers is still alive.
Am I the only one who didn't remember that Pepper Rodgers used to coach in the U.S.F.L.?
- It turns out that Southerners are serious about their football and their religion. Well, duh!
- Nico has been working overtime, demonstrating Alabama's dominance over frequent foes and occasional opponents alike while also confirming conventional wisdom with mathematics by showing just how much Tyrone Prothro's injury hurt the Tide offensively.
Apparently, without this guy, they were less good. Go figure.
- The Paragon has revealed his preseason top 10. Judging by the top 10 lists compiled by Peter and me, I'm starting to sense a consensus emerging, with respect to the 10 best teams in the country, if not to the order in which they will finish.
- The Wizard of Odds has noted that Mark Richt's son, John, has been offered a scholarship to play quarterback at Clemson.
I don't believe I'd take that offer, John.
- I'm a day late and a dollar short on this one, but my old Red and Black colleague C. Trent Rosecrans was kind enough to share my state-by-state breakdown of N.F.L. players' points of origin with the good people of Ohio. Much obliged, Trent.
- Finally, I once argued that, contrary to popular belief, intercollegiate athletics webloggers had real lives. For instance, Matt and Ian have been preparing to take the bar exam and I have been settling cases. Whether being a lawyer counts as "having a real life" I leave to your determination.
Back in the day, Michael Kuzak, Arnie Becker, Victor Sifuentes, and I co-authored one heck of a college football blog. We weren't bad at lawyering, either.
Speaking of lawyering, I'd better get back to it and I'd recommend that you commence performing your day job, as well. We'll talk again soon.
Go 'Dawgs!