It goes without saying that David Hale is a longtime friend to all of us here at Dawg Sports. He has earned our respect as a reputable and reliable beat reporter covering the Georgia Bulldogs, maintaining journalistic objectivity while still offering insights as a human being with a personality rather than as a robotic drone. We have gotten to know David, and we consider him a friend as well as a colleague, so we will be sad to see him go, even though we wish him well in all things.
It also goes without saying, though, that I am a superstitious fan. I engage in numerous game day rituals, and I have attempted in various ways to improve the fortunes of the Red and Black.
It therefore pains me to say this, but the truth must be told: David Hale is dadgum jinx.
Hale officially arrived on the scene in Bulldog Nation on July 22, 2008, but job changes do not happen overnight. Word of his impending departure from his present post had leaked by June 18, 2010, and, although his last day on the job will be on July 17, Hale’s first contact from his new employer occurred a couple of months beforehand.
It’s fair to assume, then, that David Hale was hired for his current job at least a month before he began work in late July 2008. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was just under a month, and that he was hired, oh, say, June 24, 2008. On that date in Bulldog Nation, Georgia lost the second game of the College World Series finals. It’s been all downhill for the ‘Dawgs, virtually without exception, in every sport ever since.
So what happened as soon as Hale announced that he was leaving? Former Georgia tennis star John Isner began the match that made history.
To recap, things were good for Georgia, then David Hale was hired, then everything immediately started to suck, then David Hale announced he was leaving, then everything immediately started to get better. Coincidence? I think not!
I like David Hale. I’m going to miss David Hale. David Hale is a friend of mine . . . but I’m ready to hop in the car and help Hale load the U-Haul so we can get him out of town sooner rather than later.
Some of you may interpret this posting as a slam on David, but nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, I am grateful to David Hale. I applaud David Hale. He is truly taking one for the team.
Think about it: David is going to take his bad mojo off of the Bulldogs and transfer his jinx to the Philadelphia Filthies, whom every good Peach State baseball fan has hated since the 1993 NLCS. It’s a win-win for folks who frequent SB Nation Atlanta: Georgia gets better, while a Braves rival gets worse.
We at Dawg Sports salute you, David Hale. You are a good man for recognizing that ill sports fortune follows you like the cloud of dust surrounding Pigpen from "Peanuts," and for using that knowledge for good rather than evil. Thank you, David, for the two years of service you have rendered to us as a reporter, and for the many, many years of service you will render by leaving town and cursing another team with your Sports-Illustrated-cover-like power.
Good luck and Godspeed, David. Wherever you go, our best wishes go with you, but remember the words of Thomas Wolfe: you can’t go home again.
No, seriously, dude. You can’t come back here. Not ever. Really.
Go ‘Dawgs!