YellowBlazer's World

Could the Falcons Get Calvin?

2007-04-26T10:06:00.000-04:00

From The Scores Report.

Falcons’ owner ‘orders’ GM to trade up for Johnson?
Posted on Thursday 26 April 2007

One of the most talked about pre-draft rumors this offseason has been the possibility of the Atlanta Falcons trading up for Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The rumor got juicer Wednesday as SI.com’s Don Banks reported Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank has, “ordered” GM Rich McKay to do whatever it takes to land Johnson in this weekend’s draft. The most likely trade scenario is for the Falcons to package their first, third and pair of second round picks to move up to the No. 2 spot, which is currently occupied by the Detroit Lions. It is well perceived the Lions want to trade down and certainly would take a deal involving Atlanta’s top three picks.
I’ve been adamant for weeks saying this trade won’t happen. Atlanta has too many needs, not enough cap space and would be foolish in my opinion to trade three potential starters for one player. I’ll never argue Johnson isn’t worth it, because he’s a phenomenal athlete. But it’s not like the Falcons are one player away from a postseason berth, in fact, they’re multiple players away and when has Michael Vick – from an accuracy standpoint – proven he even knows what to do with a talent such as Johnson? To think Atlanta would be instantly better because of Johnson would be a gross miscalculation. The offensive line, defensive line and secondary all have to be addressed well before another receiver. This move looks better in “Madden” than it does in reality.
Blank should allow his general manager to build an entire team, not add one shiny piece to an uncompleted puzzle. If McKay makes this trade for Blank, it’s clear the Atlanta Falcons are only interested in one thing: selling tickets.

Ramblin' Wreck Roundtable Pt. 2

2007-04-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

Alright guys, after a great first round we have decided to do it again. Check out the other blogs (the links are to the right) to see their responses to this round of questions. These are my answers. If you have others or have different questions you would like to see asked next time, please post. Enjoy, yb.

1. A group of playoff proponents have a questionable theory on how to break out of the bowl system and get a D-1A playoff: Boycott the Rose Bowl. What's your take on the never-ending playoff vs. bowls debate?

Personally, I think one of the reasons college football is so relevant and is so popular is that the debate is never settled. Even if your team gets crushed 39-0, the only thing you can think about is how you are actually better than them because you beat someone who beat someone who almost beat them. Some people might say that the lack of a true champion takes away credibility from the title "national champion", but I would argue that the emotion that underscores college football is created from this turmoil. I want to see traditional matchups. I do not want to see Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. I want to watch Michigan v. USC in the Rose Bowl. After all of the games are done, let each team go to the voters with its body of work. I do think they should get rid of all the non-traditional bowls and restore all of the original bowl names to those who have opted out in favor of corporate sponsorship against tradition. Is Atlanta better represented by a bowl named after a fruit synonymous with the state or by a fast food chain?

2. What change to our football personnel makes you happier this year: Taylor Bennett at quarterback, or John Bond as offensive coordinator?

Taylor Bennett. The system might have some slight changes, but Coach Gailey brought in someone who likes to run and play ball control offense, the passing is going to be even more critical. That is why I like the height and judgement improvements over the staff changes.

3. Last weekend, Steve Spurrier spoke out against South Carolina's practice of flying the Confederate flag over the state capitol. Should football coaches get political like that, or just stick to coaching?

Whether they like it or not, these coaches are molding their young men. They should stay away from areas where they are not willing to be quoted as an influence. I am sure that several of Coach Spurrier's players agree with his statement. Maybe he was doing it for recruiting and put himself out there as in opposition to the State's policy. My only question is whether he was speaking as a private citizen or as an employee of the state. Might need to clarify before coming out publicly against a policy of your employer.

4. There are always rumors at Georgia Tech of expanding our varsity athletics programs. What programs would you like to see added next? One for men, one for women.

This is easy. Soccer. It is kind of a joke that with the conference we belong to and the area from which we could recruit we do not participate in this sport. But let's balance the budget before we go adding more sports.

5. The matchups were just announced for the 9th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge in basketball, and GT plays at Indiana (the teams' first meeting since 1969). In the history of the challenge, the ACC has won 48 out of 75 games, and has "won" every year. Is this a tradition you care about, or would you rather see something started with another conference, e.g. an ACC/SEC Challenge or ACC/Big East Challenge?

I like this, but I wish it were held more as an event at a rotating site. I actually would like this for football with the SEC every year (not counting UGA/GT, FSU/UF, or Clemson/SC) as part of the regular schedule, but I think for basketball it is better if they play all the games in a weekend and go back and forth between a city in Big Ten and ACC parts of the country. Making it more like a tournament would make it mean more to most people, especially when they are in an unfamiliar matchup that might not draw the crowds.

6. Lightning Round!! Other Conferences Edition!! (Cue "The Matrix" fight music) Name the first thing that comes to mind:

Big East: Half their conference doesn't offer football. Why are they still in the BCS?

SEC: Need to work on the regular season schedules. You can't play LA Tech every year.

Big Ten: More like Big Two. Either play everyone in the conference or split in half and have a championship. Quit screwing up the polls.

Pac-10: Joke except for USC. Respect that they at least play everyone in the conference.

Big XII: South is awesome, the North needs to step it up and make this a real conference. What is the deal with Texas A&M? Were they actually ever good? I am starting to think that was an urban legend.

Sun Belt: Take the OVC, MAC, C-USA, and WAC and go to D-IAA where you belong.

Ramblin' Wreck Roundtable

2007-04-05T15:22:00.000-04:00

So we're back... Call me a poor fan but I kind of go into hibernation mode during basketball season. Its nothing against the sport, it is just that football season is a three-month long journey with delicious treats, great games, and good friends. Just can't get hooked on college basketball since I left school. If Tech is on, I will watch the game, but it does not conjure up visions of weekend-long fun the way football season does for me.

So the rest of the GT blog-nation is participating in what we are calling the "Ramblin' Wreck Rountable". Jeff at Ramblin Racket is heading this up and this figures to start becoming a more regular thing, especially now that the AJC is posting a new Tech story once a month again until August. So here it is, my responses to the first inaugural Ramblin' Wreck Roundtable:

1. (Single obligatory basketball question) What do you make of the ACC's postseason in basketball? Was the conference overrated, or did the teams just get unlucky draws in the tourney?
Honestly, I think this year's bunch of ACC teams that made it to the NCAA tournament were all streaky basketball teams who had ups and downs all year. I think a lot of that came from being relatively young (as in the case of GT) or relying too heavily on one aspect of the game (perimeter shooting in the case of UVA). I think the selection committee did not overrate the ACC, I think the quality of basketball was poor all this year - there were only a few marquis regular season games (Duke v. UNC only mattered because Hansbrough was busted in the nose). Was that a sign of conference parity? I do not know. But I do know that I agreed with every selection from the ACC that was picked to go to the dance and it seemed that whenever it was time for an ACC team to go down, either 1) they went on a cold streak in the one aspect of their game that made them special or 2) they ran into a team who was perfectly designed to shut them down or 3) they had a first round game that was a microcosm for their whole turbulent season and caused you to almost wish you were back at work instead of watching them lose to UNLV.

2. On to football! Where will Georgia Tech be ranked in the preseason polls, and where do you think the Jackets should be ranked?
I think the Jackets will come out somewhere in the 35 - 45 range due to a new offensive coordinator, the loss of CJ, and a new starter under center. I think after we lay 42 points on the Irish that we are going to quickly jump up to where we should have been all along, in the 15 - 20 range. I think we are a preseason top 20 team with 9 starters returning on defense and Tashard and an extremely deep O-line coming back to set the Flats ablaze this year.

3. All due credit to Tech's 2006 squad, but we benefited from Miami andother teams' lackluster seasons. Will the big-reputation programs likeFSU and Miami be back in 2007?
I think the Hokies will be back in full and looking for revenge big time in our house. Everything I have read makes them look BCS worthy. The game is so late in the year it should be the ACC Coastal Championship. I think Miami is going to have atheletes, but you cannot have so much off the field drama and hope to reignite a new dynasty overnight. I think Miami will end up #3 in the Coastal. They will pull off a signature win this year, probably on the road against FSU, but it won't be against us in front of an empty Orange Bowl the week before. Every year in the ACC I hear the same thing, "FSU should contend for a National Championship if they get their act together" and "Is this finally Clemson's year?" FSU will be back (somewhat) and will be in the mix for the Atlantic title if Clemson or BC doesn't shatter their fragile psyche too early in the season. Even if they roll through the ACC, the Gators are going to be loaded and should dismantle them (and their egos) before we have to face them in Jacksonville.

4. Our out-of-conference schedule is exciting, with Notre Dame and Georgia bookending the season, and while Army is a cupcake, playing a military academy is kinda cool in my book. Which game are you morestoked about between ND and UGA? Also, what ACC games are you mostexcited about?
I think I am going to have to go with UGA. While ND is going to be awesome, we lost that game last year and it ended up not really mattering for either of us. I think ND v. GT is good TV, but I think GT v. UGA is a great rivalry. They think they own us. Stafford and the Bulldogs are going to be better, but so are we. I think this is the defining moment of Coach Gailey's career. He needs this game to avoid premature banishment to Coach Donnan-land. UGA v. GT is a bigger game no question. It means more to both schools, their fans, the teams, and the coaches than GT v. ND ever will.

When it comes to the ACC regular season, the two games I think mean the most and that I am most looking forward to are VPISU and Clemson. Both are home this year, so that much the better. Hopefully we can get them both at night. Nothing like the way BDS@HGF shines under the lights. On a lesser note, I want to finally win again at Charlottesville.

5. Lighting Round! (Cue "Eye of the Tiger") Name the first thing thatcomes to mind, as fast as you can:

Calvin Johnson: Buccaneer, hopefully not a Brown

Tailgate Food: Grilled pork tenderloin, Sister Shubert rolls, coleslaw, and potato salad

Beesball: ACC Champs, unsure about what happens in Omaha.

Taylor Bennett: Amazing what being 6'3" will let you do with a football

6. How do you deal with the football offseason? Prayer? Hibernation?Blogging?
Last year I got married. This year I am getting out of the Army and moving to Lexington, KY. I try and line up my major life changes in the offseason.

Well there you have it. Please check the sites of the other guys in this roundtable and give us your feedback as to what you think about it or any ideas or topics you might like discussed. -yb

Dr. Z is Back!

2006-11-15T16:29:00.000-05:00

Sorry to everyone for not posting as often as I would like. A lot has gone on in the last several weeks and I am sure I speak for all Jacket fans in congratulating this very special team. That being said, this weekend the focus of the football world is on Columbus, OH and not our huge battle with the Devils of Durham. For commentary on that, here is my friend Dr. Z. Enjoy, yb.

A Reason To NOT Watch Ohio State vs Michigan….Plus 7 More.

I love college football. But on Saturday, I will not be watching the game between Ohio State and Michigan because to me it is unwatchable. I would rather rake leaves. The fact that ESPN is trying to shove the hype down my throat is reason enough, but for me there are many more reasons. Most importantly, I have no one to root for or against. A loss by both teams is impossible, yet all that I could hope for. I can watch any game on TV as long as I can find the slightest reason to root for or against a team. More often than not, I find a reason to root against a particular team. I do not like the Big Ten and I dislike Ohio State and Michigan equally. The "epic" match up for me on Saturday is Army vs Notre Dame. It has everything a fan like me could want: A team I love (Army) and a team I really hate (Notre Dame). As I avoid ABC like the plague, I'll leave you with 6 more reasons not to watch Ohio State vs Michigan.

1. ESPN. For the last 3 weeks ESPN has done nothing but over-hype this "epic" matchup. If I have to watch one more heart wrenching profile of Troy Smith's "smarts", Anthony Gonzales's "oxygen tent" or Lloyd Carr's pep talks I am going to throw up. The only speeches Carr should be giving are to teens at Alcoholics Anonymous who have been convicted of DUIs. (We'll get back to that drunk later though)

2. Rivalries. A rivalry is only important to people who care. Despite ESPN's best efforts, I will never consider OSU-Michigan the biggest rivalry. In my eyes, Auburn-Alabama, Army-Navy, and Texas-Oklahoma are bigger. Growing up in the Southeast, I didn't even know that Ohio State was Michigan's rival until I went to college up North. Why isn't Michigan's biggest rival Michigan State?

3. Brent Musburger. I'm sure this jerk will be announcing the game...a variable that makes it unwatchable in itself. Brent has never masked his bias towards Big Ten football, so the sound of his drooling over the microphone like a puppy welcoming its master home is inevitable. The only thing that could be worse is a pairing with Keith Jackson (we'll get to that).

4. Lloyd Carr. Back to him. I know I am straying away from the game, but this drunk is an example of how winning can get you a pass for anything. The fact that this man could be responsible for the discipline and mentorship of hundreds of impressionable student-athletes and barely get a slap on the wrist for his DUI conviction is a testament to the values of his institution. "Keep winning big guy, or else we'll stop looking the other way."

5. Keith Jackson. I'm sure he'll come out of retirement for this one. The only thing that gets this guy worked up more than a Big Ten match-up is a classic PAC-10 defensive show-down. Big Ten football gets Keith salivating like Mark Foley in an internet chat-room. As far as this old man is concerned, no other conferences exist and all roads lead to a PAC-10 vs Big-10 bowl game. My over-under on how many times he'll find a way to use the phrase "this is the grand daddy of them all" is 42. While we're at it, Keith, you can't call the Rose Bowl the grand daddy of them all until they stop playing in a stadium with a running track circling the field.

6. Lee Corso. This guy should be a poster child for the Republican efforts to prevent an increase in minimum wage. If this nutcase can make a decent salary, anyone can. When he isn't spewing absolute nonsense and putting stuffed animal heads on his noggin, he has been campaigning for his agenda and this match-up from day one. After Michigan beat Ball State on the last play of the game he said they are "a dominant team that must have been looking ahead." The next week when Florida edged a good South Carolina team and Michigan soundly beat an awful Indiana team, Lee pointed to the narrow Florida win as proof to why Ohio State and Michigan are the best teams in the land.

7. The Big Ten (err Eleven). Ohio State and Michigan are both very good. That can not be taken away from them. But, the Big Ten will not earn the respect they might deserve until they start playing a conference championship game. All this talk about a possible rematch in the BCS championship game is nonsense. If you want a rematch to establish conference dominancy, play a conference championship game like everyone else (oops...almost everyone. PAC10…wink, wink). Don't use our National Championship game to hide from other conferences and settle your backyard squabbles.

If that is enough to keep you away, enjoy your Saturday. Maybe you'll watch Arizona vs Oregon and root for Oregon if you like the green and yellow uniforms or Arizona if you don't.
-Dr. Z

Maryland Uses Bye Week to Improve

2006-10-04T01:52:00.000-04:00

This game may be a bigger statement game than the VPI game. Sure it will not be as nationally important, but is our first chance to prove the pollsters right and trip over ourselves. The guys seemed to have turned a corner and seem to be focused, let's just get out there Saturday afternoon and take care of business. -yb

From the Washington Times...

Offensive line looks to fix errors

By Patrick Stevens
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
October 4, 2006

The Maryland offensive line looked across the field in its last game, only to find Florida International in an unusual set. The unit saw the look briefly in practice that week, though not nearly enough to be able to quickly decipher the correct blocking scheme to use.
Seconds later, the Terps returned to the huddle after another unsuccessful play.
Those things happen from time to time. The problem was it was typical of the entire night, a 14-10 victory that was hardly a statement of superiority heading into an eight-game ACC schedule.
The numbers were unwelcome. The Terrapins' offensive line accounted for 22 of the team's 37 mental errors, and Maryland didn't score in the second half. Instead, a night that could have yielded a relatively easy victory wasn't decided until the final play.
Yet a look at the film didn't turn out to be so painful. Sure, there were plenty of mistakes, but nothing so complex it couldn't be worked through during the Terps' week off.
"It made me feel like it's something that can be fixed," center Edwin Williams said. "It's not like we weren't giving effort, it wasn't like we were just packing it in. It was just mental errors and detail things that can be cleaned up quick."
The Terps (3-1) can only hope all those mistakes were corrected during their only bye week of the season as they prepare to visit No. 18 Georgia Tech (4-1, 2-0 ACC) on Saturday.
The most beneficial aspect of the week off might have been an opportunity to heal nagging injuries. Both left guard Donnie Woods (cramps) and left tackle Stephon Heyer (sprained right thumb) briefly left the Florida International game with injuries, and reserve guard Garrick Clig had time to rest a pulled hamstring.
The depth reassures the Terps, but it doesn't assuage the concern over the line's protection of quarterback Sam Hollenbach. The senior absorbed three sacks against Florida International, and he frequently shared the backfield with defenders and was forced to quickly jettison the ball several times.
"Anytime somebody takes a shot at your quarterback, it's a little hit on the offensive line," Woods said. "It's kind of a pride issue for us. Sam got banged around a little bit, and we didn't take that too lightly. I think we have a new focus coming into this week."
The Terps will need it against a tenacious Georgia Tech defense that held Notre Dame to 14 points in its season opener and hassled Virginia Tech on Saturday throughout a 37-27 upset.

Huh? The score was 38-27. I know it is only a point, but get your facts straight.

The bye week afforded Maryland the opportunity to spend more time than usual reviewing film, and it also allowed them to take an extended look at Georgia Tech.

Follow link below to read the entire article.

What is with all the Bulldog Love?

2006-10-04T01:27:00.000-04:00

Normally I reserve my critical posts for hypocrisy or problems I see with the game of college football as a whole, avoiding attacking one particular team, except for one time where I let a friend rant about Notre Dame. I do not believe I have ever made a post directly attacking our in-state rival, the University of Georgia. Before the Dawg Patrol comes out en masse against me, let me say this is not a flame, it is really just a question.

What is with the love for the Bulldogs this year?

I thought about this tonight as I watched yet another UGA love-fest on CSS where they interviewed some defensive lineman and did actually a nice bio piece on the kid. Then I thought about the full page spread on Matthew Stafford in the AJC a few weeks back after they put him in the game for the first time after Joe T 3 was injured. Then I watched their game against Ole Miss last weekend (honestly the first time I had watched them play this season), and was perplexed by their #10 national ranking. This team struggled against Colorado, seems to have some quarterbacking and general offensive issues, and has the Volunteers coming to Athens this weekend. It would seem they have some serious problems, but I have only read one columnist who mentions that they might be overranked.

Where does this free pass for UGA come from? Why is no one talking about how they have the potential to be seriously exposed this weekend? Why is everyone talking about Cox, Stafford, and Tereshinski as if they provide options to St. Richt instead of headaches?

Before the legions of mutts overload the server responding with infuriated tidbits or with simply "51 - 7", please hear me out. I may be alone, but I don't sit around all day hoping UGA will lose every game. It simply does not matter that much to me. There are more than enough recruits in this state for their to be two nationally relevant football programs and I think a little parity is healthy for the rivalry. I like that our game means something. I am honestly curious about the state of UGA football.

The Bulldog defense is playing well, but I have been a Tech fan for some time, so I know what it is like to watch a great defensive team with no offense to back it up. Tech didn't get the benefit of the doubt when this was the case for us last year, why is UGA getting it this year? I realize the last few years UGA has been pretty good and maybe they have earned it, but am I totally off base in thinking UGA's national relevance this year might be just a little inflated? -yb

Clemson Stud Receiver Breaks Foot In Practice Yesterday

2006-10-04T01:20:00.000-04:00

Chansi Stuckey, Clemson's big-play wide receiver, seems to have broken his foot in Tuesday's practice. He will likely miss the Wake Forest and Georgia Tech games. I feel bad for the kid because these games will likely be some of the most important of the season, with Wake being the lone obstacle to Atlantic Division dominance, and Georgia Tech being Georgia Tech. Really tough break for the Tigers. -yb

From the State - South Carolina

Stuckey breaks foot

The State - South Carolina
October 03, 2006

CLEMSON - No sooner had one key Clemson player returned from a broken foot that another one went down.

Senior receiver Chansi Stuckey, ranked second in the ACC in yards per game, broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot during Tuesday's practice and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

The injury - the exact same one that sidelined safety Michael Hamlin for the past three games - occurred when Stuckey said he made a cut during a non-contact, one-on-one drill and put too much weight on his outside foot.

He will undergo surgery today to have a pin inserted in the foot, forcing him to miss Saturday's game at Wake Forest and likely a pivotal showdown against Georgia Tech in two weeks.

'It was something that happened and you've got to deal with,' Stuckey said.

'It was good to see how quickly Michael came back, and hopefully I can do something similar to what he did.'

Stuckey, a 6-foot, 185-pounder from Warner Robins, Ga., said that the best-case scenario is a return for the Oct. 26 game at Virginia Tech, and barring complications he does not foresee missing the Nov. 4 game against Maryland.

His absence could be a major blow to Clemson's passing game.

The reigning first-team all-ACC selection served as the Tigers' primary threat to stretch defenses, and he was clearly senior quarterback Will Proctor's favorite target.

In five games, Stuckey has accumulated 25 catches for 331 yards and three touchdowns. By comparison, his totals are more than double those for Clemson's second-leading receiver in each category.

The temporary void created by his departure is as large as 'the Grand Canyon, as big as you can get,' receivers coach Dabo Swinney said.

Swinney said two players will share Stuckey's role as the A-receiver.

Sophomore Tyler Grisham will be used in two-receiver sets opposite either Aaron Kelly or Rendrick Taylor, while freshman speedster Jacoby Ford will be featured in the slot along with Kelly and Taylor in the Tigers' three-receiver sets.

Grisham ranks fifth on the team with seven catches for 82 yards and a score, while Ford has one catch in limited time at the position.

Stuckey becomes the fourth prominent player in Clemson's starting lineup to suffer a significant injury, joining linebackers Tramaine Billie (broken foot, out indefinitely), Anthony Waters (torn knee ligaments, out for the season) and Hamlin, who is slated to play this weekend.

'I thought we were done with these,' coach Tommy Bowden said.

Stuckey also ranks as one of four players to endure a broken foot this season, a list that includes Billie, reserve lineman Jamarcus Grant and third-string quarterback Tribble Reese, who suffered his Tuesday as well.

Looking Ahead to Blacksburg

2006-09-22T19:49:00.000-04:00

Great win Thursday against the Cavs, nice to finally get one back against those guys. They are rebuilding this year and I am sure they will get better, but it seems like things are lining up for this year and we caught an opponent who traditionally gives us fits on a down year. Next week we travel up to Lane Stadium, last year's House of Horrors. I remember being on such a high when we went in there last year and how quickly it came crashing down after we got it handed to us. Hopefully this year we get some payback against those guys and move into the driver's seat for the ACC Championship Game. Don't think we will beat them 51-7, but it promises to be a tough, defensive battle which we will need to play smart, turnover-free football to win. I found this on the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer Site, enjoy. -yb

From the Associated Press...

Yellow Jackets get ready for another Tech-Tech showdown

PAUL NEWBERRY
Associated Press

ATLANTA - A year ago, Georgia Tech traveled north with hopes of becoming a force in the Atlantic Coast Conference race.
After a 51-7 blowout by Virginia Tech, it was clear the Yellow Jackets weren't ready to make a serious run at the championship.
Next week, they'll get another chance to see if they're contender or pretender.
"You don't get over it, especially a loss like that," said quarterback Reggie Ball, who wasn't at full strength for last season's game after being hospitalized with meningitis. "We've got to practice that much harder next week because we know what we're facing."
The Yellow Jackets (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) had no trouble in their league opener, coasting past offensively challenged Virginia 24-7 Thursday night.
That left nine days to prepare for a road game against the No. 11 Hokies (3-0, 2-0), who will host non-conference foe Cincinnati on Saturday.
"We're putting points on the board and the defense is doing a real good job of stopping them," said Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech's star receiver. "We're real confident right now."
This is yet another chance for the Yellow Jackets to break out of the seven-win rut they've been stuck in since 2002. The winner of the Tech-Tech matchup becomes the obvious front-runner in the ACC's Coastal Division, which doesn't look very formidable with Miami struggling and the other three schools - Virginia, North Carolina and Duke - already heading toward miserable years.

Follow the link below to read the entire article.

Macon Telegraph Tech Roundup

2006-09-14T15:16:00.000-04:00

If you don't regularly check out the Macon Telegraph, you should. Their Tech coverage is usually on par with, and sometimes better than the AJC. Here is what they have to say about the Jackets as they gear up to face Troy. Enjoy, yb.

From the Macon Telegraph...

Troy Spreads Around Offense - Charles Odum, AP

Lewis Adjusts Easily to Position Change - AP

Follow the link below to check out all the M-T content.

That's What I Love About Gameday...

2006-09-12T19:36:00.000-04:00

EDSBS first reported this, and if it holds true for the rest of the season, it could be the most disturbing thing to happen to college football since Tulane went undefeated. Apparently, ESPN/ABC Gameday now is going to forgo big matchups if they are being broadcast on rival networks, CBS in this case. This would mean that ESPN Gameday, an awesome institution which has made it worthwhile for people to get up before 11 on Saturdays will now pass if the biggest matchup of the week is not being carried on ABC that night.

This weekend, the "Game of the Week" is now Nebraska v. USC???!?! On the same weekend that UF and Tennessee square off and both sets of Tigers go at it? You have to be kidding me. Florida v. Tennessee is one of the classic rivalries in college football and you are going to tell me that Nebraska v. USC is more important in the scheme of things? This game is only going to expose Nebraska as a pretender or make the pundits look smart so they can say, "See USC hasn't missed a step." Is ABC going to tell me that Auburn v. LSU holds less implications for the National Title picture? This is a joke.

I am a capitalist and I would not ask ABC to not do its best to make money, but Gameday should broadcast from whatever game has the most importance that week in the grand scheme of things. This is a subjective measure and I am sure Nebraska thinks this game is huge, but it matters if you are calling something the "Game of the Week". More often than not, this will not be a problem, it is just a particularly awesome week in SEC football. Most weeks, this new move by ABC will serve to promote the biggest non-conference matchup in the country, a noble goal. Unless the biggest non-conference matchup in the country is being played at an SEC (read CBS) stadium. -yb

Dawan Landry to Start in Ravens Opener

2006-09-08T19:06:00.000-04:00

No mention of P.J., but it looks like Landry will get to start for Baltimore against Tampa Bay this Sunday. Is P.J. still on the team? Need a PJ update.

From News Channel 8, Washington D.C. -

BUCCANEERS OFFENSE VS. RAVENS DEFENSE

Patrolling the Baltimore secondary and looking to make Simms pay for any mistakes will be free safety Ed Reed (37 tackles, 1 INT), yet another Ravens player attempting to rebound from a substandard 2005 showing. One season after notching a league-high nine interceptions, Reed was severely limited by a high ankle sprain last year, missing six games and looking like a shadow of his former self in several others. When healthy, Reed (who shifts from strong safety) will combine with corners Chris McAlister (1 INT) and Samari Rolle (1 INT) to form one of the most talented secondary units in the league. The newcomer to the starting group is strong safety Dawan Landry, a fifth-round draft choice out of Georgia Tech who picks up a first-string job following the free agent defection of Will Demps to the Giants. Anchoring the Baltimore pass rush will be ends Terrell Suggs (8 sacks, 2 INT) and Trevor Pryce (4 sacks with Denver). Pryce comes to the Ravens after amassing 63 sacks in nine seasons with the Broncos.

Follow the link below to read the entire article.

AJC GT Roundup

2006-09-07T22:32:00.000-04:00

Samford coming up doesn't necessarily create a lot of buzz in the sporting world, especially with the Dawgs and South Carolina squaring off this weekend, but here are the links to the GT content on the Journal-Constitution. -yb

Dietician Tips the Scales in Jacket's Favor - by Mike Knobler

Nix: Third-down intensity needs work - by Matt Winkeljohn

Tech Beat Blog - by Matt Winkeljohn

Molder Shares First Round Lead in Utah

2006-09-07T22:26:00.000-04:00

From Golf Magazine Online...

Molder and Parel ahead in Utah

Sandy, UT (Sports Network) -

Bryce Molder and Scott Parel each fired rounds of eight-under-par 64 on Thursday to share the first-round lead at the Utah Classic at Willow Creek Country Club.

Ken Duke and Craig Lile are knotted in third place at minus-seven. Aaron Barber, Michael Putnam and former U.S. Amateur champion Jeff Quinney share fifth place at six-under-par 66.
Molder began on the 10th hole Thursday and promptly chipped his third shot to three feet to set up birdie at the par-five hole. Two holes later, at the next par five, he pitched inside a foot for his second birdie.

At the par-three 15th, Molder hit an eight-iron to eight to set up birdie. The former Georgia Tech standout closed his opening nine with a 12-foot birdie putt at 17 and an eight-footer at the par-four closing hole.

Follow the link below to read entire article.

Notre Dame Thoughts

2006-09-07T16:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was hump day and now it is time to start focusing on Samford, but let me just throw in my thoughts on the game and ND in general.

1. ESPN Gameday was awesome. Our tailgate was set up right next to Bunger-Henry and so we could see almost everything. I love that this game had so much press and excitement around it. The only thing I was surprised about was how quickly they tore everything down after the show. I was a student when they came to campus in 2000, and I don't really remember that much about it, so maybe this is the way they do things. Either way, it was awesome to have so much of the college football world focused on Tech and our game with the Irish. And there were no UGA flags.

2. The game was great. It seemed like 12 hours of tailgating had worn people out by the second half, but everyone still managed to get up for the big plays and for the most part the stadium was going bananas. Notre Dame fans were really cool and with few exceptions have I ever had such football focused discussions with an opponent's fans. I was very impressed and would look forward to a game with Notre Dame any time. I think a lot of the Tech fans I spoke with felt the same.

As for my last post which drew so much fire from Notre Dame fans, not that I think any of you are reading now that the game is over and you have Penn State to think about and post angry comments on their blogs, get over it. You are Notre Dame fans, your school is probably the greatest football program of all time. People love to take shots at those who are on top. Because you are so prolific the times when you fall short or take missteps, perceived or real, it gets noticed. Do you think the Yankees care that everyone wants their team plane to crash in a fiery inferno?

I posted my buddy's article to stir up emotions before the game. He constantly rants about Notre Dame and chose to collect all of his thoughts in one article. I do not care that much about Notre Dame but he does, so I did not fact check. If there were factual errors, I am sorry. Please note that my friend's article was posted BEFORE THE GAME. I have nothing but respect for Notre Dame and their fans and I hope you run the table from here on out. Your team was classy and so were your fans. I have no hard feelings about the game and I hope no one else does either.

Now onto Samford...lets score at least one touchdown a half, and show the world we got game. -yb

I'm On My Way to See the Jackets Play!

2006-08-30T09:58:00.000-04:00

Wow, only three more days until TML! Goldtimer at Wreck Ramblin has got all your Tech news covered today. This guy is a machine. Look at the time stamp on those posts! Two o'clock in the morning! Goldtimer, if that is what you call "gearing down", "full speed ahead" has got to be insane. You put the rest of us to shame. Glad to see you are back.

This will be my last post until after the game. I have to work this afternoon and all through the night, then I am jetting to Atlanta around noon tomorrow, but not before being promoted to Captain. I am being promoted because I have been in the Army for three and a half years, not because I am special or anything, but it is an honor nonetheless.

With the Notre Dame game so close and with everyone putting up information as to how important this game is, I thought I would join in. This is one of the original posts we ever had on this site, way back when we were broadcasting from an abandoned building on an airfield south of Iraq. It was awesome then and it is especially good to read now. I hope it gets you fired up as you make the final preparations for the opener against the Irish. -yb

From way back to Monday, December 12, 2005...

Ten Reasons to Hate Notre Dame

This is by Mark Zais, a guest YBW contributor, enjoy.-yb

Notre Dame is the devil. I know that it sounds harsh, but there are some of us who believe that Notre Dame signifies everything that is wrong about college football: big money, media bias, and the BCS system.

For years, football fans have been forced to hear about the "rich tradition" of Notre Dame and made to feel guilty for finding reasons not to like the Fighting Irish. From the constant barrage of praise and adoration given by the media and their fans, one almost feels blasphemous or sacrilegious in rooting against them. Listed below are some of the top reasons why I believe that Notre Dame football is undeserving of its sanctimonious status and should be exposed as what they really are, nothing more than an elitist football factory that is far from the image of football purity and righteousness they try to project. (These ten are in no particular order, bad is bad)

1. NBC. I am tired of hearing about the "obstacles" Notre Dame has with recruiting due to their high admissions and academic standards (I will specifically address those standards later as they are an issue unto themselves). If they hadn't already, Notre Dame established itself as a full-fledged football factory when they signed the contract to air all their home games on NBC despite the opponent. By prostituting themselves to football and subjecting the public to perennial matchups against the likes of Navy and Stanford, Notre Dame secured its elitist image and largest recruiting base of any school. It's not out of jealously that I find this disturbing but more because when hard times hit Notre Dame, they immediately point to their "insurmountable" recruiting obstacles. Give me a break. I don't blame other schools for being jealous, though; there is a distinct disadvantage when one school rakes in millions and millions of guaranteed dollars each year no matter how good or bad they are. For everyone else, gaining more money is performance based and means making it to a good bowl game. Plus, Notre Dame rakes in bowl money and doesn't have to share it with other conference members, but that will also be discussed later. Probably the most glaring and insulting display of arrogance between NBC and Notre Dame is presented in the telecasts themselves. Should you by chance be forced to watch NBC because your favorite team is playing Notre Dame or you simply hate them enough to watch and hope for their defeat, NBC goes ahead and makes the assumption that we aren't interested in any other games across the country. While every other telecast has frequent updates or a scoreboard streamer at the bottom of the screen, NBC entices viewers with one or two random score updates in a 3 hour period. Why would you care about what any other teams are doing when you are watching Notre Dame?

2. Lou Holtz. I have nothing against the man personally. In fact, I think he would be an interesting guy to sit and talk to at a bar. I also like his quotes, motivation techniques, and ability to always paint a dire scenario of impending defeat whether he is playing USC or Toledo. That doesn't mean I would invite him to be a guest speaker at an ethics conference. The reason Lou Holtz is on my list is because his tenure at Notre Dame symbolizes the nationwide bias towards the success and sanctimony of Notre Dame. History shows us that throughout Lou Holtz's career he has left a wake of scandal and probation, always managing to get out of Dodge one step ahead of sanctions hitting his school. Every school that has had Lou Holtz as a head coach (NC State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Notre Dame, and South Carolina) has been hit with probation in sequence with his departure. A common theme in the probation verbage has been that his programs have a "lack of institutional control". The poignant issue that I have with all these sanctions is that of all the Lou Holtz schools found to have violated NCAA rules only one was subsequently given an "informal probation", giving them the right to address the issues internally. Which school was that? That's right, Notre Dame! How convenient. If anyone believes that Lou Holtz sandwiched a spell of integrity at Notre Dame with a career of cheating, they are either ignorant or a Notre Dame fan. A book, "Under the Tarnished Dome", has even been written about this period of Notre Dame tradition, which includes one National Championship. In this book, the authors and ex-players make allegations of prevalent steroid use and illegal loans to players. Oh, how pure Notre dame is. There is no difference between Notre Dame and any other football factory, to include Florida State, Oklahoma, USC, or Texas. The only difference is that fraudulent Notre Dame portrays itself as being above the fray. Thank you Lou Holtz for showing us the light.

3. Touchdown Jesus. Nothing highlights the arrogance of Notre Dame football more than Touchdown Jesus. Relishing an image of Jesus overlooking the football stadium is synonymous to the whole football team kneeling in prayer in the end zone and thanking God for allowing them to score a touchdown. Only Notre Dame fans could think that with all the suffering and atrocities in the world, Jesus cares whether or not Notre Dame wins. It is because of this type of blasphemous arrogance that more Notre Dame fans pray for victory than any one else.

4. Academic Standards. I am tired of having Notre Dame's academic standards shoved down my throat. Notre Dame's academic standards are used as excuses for their poor performance and as an example of their "purity" in relation to other programs. I don't buy it for one second. Notre Dame is like any other school: if you're good enough to help the team, you're good enough for Notre Dame. Let me rewind back to the days of my man Lou Holtz who said his biggest recruiting regret was not being able to land Randy Moss who chose Florida State instead of Notre Dame. Lou said Moss was the best high school player he has ever seen. Randy Moss was accepted to Notre Dame and it wasn't due to his sparkling academic record or his admirable high school arrest record. I have no doubt that had he been hurdling defensive backs while wearing the gold helmet, he would have managed to pass his classes. Just as recently as three years ago, the battle for arguably the best high school player in the country, Lorenzo Booker, once again came down to Notre Dame and Florida State. (He chose Florida State). My point is that the Notre Dames and Florida States of the football world are fishing from the same pond and keeping any big fish they catch. As an exclamation point, the list of academic heavyweights that played for Notre Dame include the likes of Tony Rice, Chris Zorich, Ron Powlus, Demetrious DuBose, Ricky Waters, and Jerome Bettis. I don't think any of these guys were on their high school brain bowl team.

Follow the link below to read the entire article.

LLWS Champs from Columbus to Visit Tech

2006-08-30T09:49:00.000-04:00

The Little League World Champion Team from Columbus, GA will be visiting Tech sometime in the upcoming weeks as part of their victory celebration tour. Hopefully Coach Hall can start working on some of these guys to put GT in their ears early. Never hurts to get a head start. Sorry to take the focus off the pigskin so close to the game, but I thought this was interesting. Enjoy, yb

From The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer...

Victory lap

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
BY ROBERT SPRUCK

August 29, 2006

Some Northern players rubbed their eyes Tuesday in an attempt to stay awake as they made their way through Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
It was a long day for the Little League World Champions, who left South Williamsport, Pa., at 7 a.m. They finally walked into the Atlanta airport about 7 p.m., after spending about an hour in the plane on the runway.

'I'm kind of tired,' Brady Hamilton said.

And Hamilton wasn't the only one. Kyle Carter fell asleep on the plane and missed the congratulatory water salute over the plane from the airport fire trucks.

'I didn't get a chance to see the water thing,' said Carter, who went 4-0 in South Williamsport.
But some did have the chance to watch it.

This was just the first stop for Northern. The team will be honored with a parade today. A motorcade will leave the Welcome Center and head down Veterans Parkway toward the Columbus Civic Center starting at 5:10 p.m. Ceremonies will begin at the Civic Center at 6 p.m.
The players expect a big turnout for today's parade. Hamilton is already preparing for the event.
'I know I'm going to have some hand cramps,' he said. 'We will be signing plenty of autographs.'
This will only be the first celebration for the World Champs. Manager Randy Morris said they will also be honored at Six Flags, an Atlanta Braves game, and Georgia Tech in the coming weeks.

'We are still waiting to hear from President (George W.) Bush,' Northern coach Richard Carter said.

Follow the link below to read the entire article.

Other News

2006-08-25T23:31:00.000-04:00

I would like to direct your attention to the list of links on the right of this site. You may notice there is an addition, Southeast College Sports by our friend NickGT from the Hive. Please check it out and add it to your list of "sites to read while at work". It is great because it does not have the word "blog" in the URL, so it gets by Websense filters. Seriously, the site is great with information from around the SEC/ACC, I definitely recommend it. -yb

Georgia Tech Has Tenth Toughest Schedule for '06

2006-08-25T23:26:00.000-04:00

According to this guy. Follow the link at the bottom of this post to read the entire top 10. -yb

From Sports Central...

Are Ya Tough Enough? (Part 2)

By Jonathan Lowe
Continued from part one.

So now that the lesser-known have had their day, we turn our attention to the big boys of college football. One day, the nation's toughest overall schedules could include a team you only hear about as fodder. But for now, let's stick to the powers that be. So which teams will be kept up late at night thinking about their slate of opponents?

10) Georgia Tech
The Yellowjackets' schedule in '06 starts off with a couple of ends. Bookend contests against Notre Dame (beginning) and at Georgia (end) highlight a fairly intelligent slate. And smack dab in the middle of the collection are works such as Trip to Death Valley, The Blacksburg Experience, and How to Host a Hurricane and a Turtle. This should be one well-read Ramblin' Wreck team.

1976 Tech Victory Over Notre Dame

2006-08-25T23:18:00.000-04:00

For those of you who were not alive or do not remember, we won this game without throwing a single pass. For some of you this will be a trip down memory lane, for others it is a very interesting history lesson. Enjoy, yb

From CBS Sportsline...

Beat Notre Dame without throwing a pass? Georgia Tech did it in 1976

ATLANTA (AP) -On Georgia Tech's second series of the game, quarterback Gary Lanier faked a handoff to the fullback, as he usually did, and began running along the line of scrimmage, as he usually did. Then, he tried something he hardly ever did.

He dropped back to pass.

Before the 5-foot-8 1/2, 170-pound Lanier even had a chance to look for a receiver, he was enveloped by Notre Dame's massive defensive star, Ross Browner. On the sideline, Yellow Jackets coach Pepper Rodgers watched with disgust as Browner and teammate Willie Fry celebrated the 8-yard loss.

"They jumped up and started strutting around, like they always do when they sack somebody," Rodgers recalled. "I turned to one of my coaches and said, 'I'll tell you this. We may not win this game, but that's the last time they're going to strut on our field. From this point on, they're going to play against the option."'

That's just what the Yellow Jackets did. They never attempted another pass. On a memorable November afternoon in 1976, Georgia Tech and its wishbone offense won 23-14 over mighty Notre Dame - ranked No. 11 at the time and the team that would win it all the following season - without ever putting the ball in the air.

Follow the link below to read the entire article.

AJC GT Roundup

2006-08-25T22:58:00.000-04:00

Normally I let Goldtimer at Wreck Ramblin cover the Macon and Atlanta papers, but as he is gearing down for a while, I will humbly fill in where I can. We here at YBW wish Goldtimer the best of luck and hope he will be able to step it back up soon so that the rest of us will not have to spend so much time reading so many different websites.

The AJC has updated their content and there are several new articles for your perusal. Enjoy ... yb.

"Tech One of Eight to Get All Recruits In" by Mike Knobler and Jeff D'Allesio

"Irish Mysteries Challenge Tech Defense" by Matt Winkeljohn

"Ex-Coach Lewis Returns to Tech with Irish" by Thomas Stinson

"Just Give Calvin the Darn Ball" by Terence Moore

"Tech's Changes Point to 7-5 Again" by Jeff Schultz

Yet another "Our Season Rests in Ball's Hands" Article

2006-08-21T22:14:00.000-04:00

I know this is the most cliche GT storyline of the offseason, but at least it is someone other than the AJC telling us we are doomed. If nothing else, it reinforces that Calvin and Coach Gailey still have faith in Reggie. I remember that first Auburn game, when everyone was chanting his name. Those were the days. -yb

From The Star-News Correspondent, Wilmington, NC...

Rise, fall with Ball

By Andrew Jones
Star-News Correspondent

Calvin Johnson may be considered the nation’s premier wide receiver and Jon Tenuta one of the country’s top defensive coordinators, but Georgia Tech won’t reach its goals unless quarterback Reggie Ball finally reaches his potential.

Ball has started 36 consecutive games for the Yellow Jackets, and at times he’s been excellent, engineering wins over Auburn and Miami and two straight over Clemson. But he’s also been horrible, as displayed in bad losses last year to Virginia Tech and Utah and a 41-17 drubbing at Duke in 2003.

Tech has won 21 games, seven in each of Ball’s three seasons, while losing a total of 16. He completed 48 percent of his pass attempts last season for 2,165 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The athletic Ball has run for more than 1,000 yards and scored nine rushing touchdowns. But he’s a quarterback first, and he’s missed on more than half of his passes the last two seasons and has 37 career touchdowns to 41 interceptions.

So why should Tech fans expect something different this season?“Because Reggie knows what he’s doing,” Johnson said.

Follow the link to continue reading.

SHNS Clemson Preview

2006-08-21T22:00:00.000-04:00

This is my second favorite game of the year, and definitely my favorite road trip. The rest of the season for Clemson is previewed if you follow the link, I have posted the Georgia Tech lookahead here. Memorial Stadium is a tough place to play and we always seem to play close games against the purple panthers no matter where the game is, so I am not guaranteeing a victory, but I definitely don't think they will beat us by this much. Enjoy. -yb

From the Scripps Howard News Service...

Good record, but no title for Tigers

By GREG WALLACE
Scripps Howard News Service
21-AUG-06

_ Oct. 21 vs. Georgia Tech: Clemson wants revenge after a 10-9 loss in Atlanta last year likely cost it a division title. Wideout Calvin Johnson is good, but his teammates are mediocre. Clemson 27, Georgia Tech 14

Weis is the Master of Focus

2006-08-21T21:48:00.000-04:00

It seems amid all the people telling his players how great they are, Flat-top Buddha still remains focused.

From WSJV - South Bend, IN...

Coach Weis Won't Say Two Words

The Notre Dame Football team is trying to keep away from distractions. When you're the hunted it's not easy. Coach Weis told us today he's keeping his focus on Georgia Tech.Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis said he doesn't talk about future games and he certainly doesn't use two words that everybody else wants to bring up. Alluding to "National Championship", he said the only 2 words he wants his team to be thinking about is Georgia Tech. He said there are a lot of distractions and he wants his players to be thinking of things one game at a time. He said if they don't, "It's pretty simple. We'll get beat."

I don't know about you all, but I can only take so much more of this buildup. Bring on the game...-yb

Southern Pigskin Prediction: Georgia Tech Will Win More than Seven Games

2006-08-17T21:07:00.000-04:00

From SouthernPigksin.com's "True or False with B.J. Bennett and Charlie Kay":

Georgia Tech will win more than seven games:
B.J. Bennett - True. Call Chan Gailey whatever you want, just make sure you call him consistent. The Yellow Jackets have won seven games every season under his tenure and have been in a fixture in the postseason. This season Georgia Tech takes the next step forward. There is experience and talent at the line of scrimmage. All five starters return on the offensive line and Joe Anoai and Darryl Richard will lead a talented defensive front. With Miami and Virginia Tech reeling some from personnel losses, it's fair to call this team a contender in the coastal division.
Charlie Kay - True. The experience of Reggie Ball should not be discounted. Sure he has been both up and down but it is rare to have a quarterback with starting experience in the game today, much less one with three years of being the man to his credit. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson is the best player in college football. I don't think Georgia Tech will beat Notre Dame in week one but eight wins should be feasible.

I think Georgia Tech can win at least nine games this year. Check out the rest of the article, some good insight on some of the preseason hype that has been surrounding the SEC and ACC. -yb

Injury Report

2006-08-14T23:04:00.000-04:00

From the AJC...

Looks like Darrell Robertson went out in Monday morning's practice. Hope everything will be okay. Wrotto, and Johnson are still out.

On the good side, Calvin is back up to full speed, Mike Cox says he'll be back for Notre Dame, and Jahi Word-Daniels seems to have recovered without losing a step.

Injuries happen, but for the most part, aside from Tongo and Gaston the guys have been able to bounce back and the coaches have been able to give some practice time to guys who we will need to use down the stretch anyway. -yb

Ichabod, Poppy, and Tinkerbell

2006-08-14T23:01:00.000-04:00

From the AJC...

Pretty interesting list of all of the nicknames the guys use on our team. I am sure this will provide fodder for opposing fans, but we can just sick the "Duke of Brookwood" on them. -yb

Tech Must Get Rid of Quit

2006-08-14T22:50:00.000-04:00

From the AJC...

Brings up some things about last season that might have been the case, but then uses those events to try and make predictions about this season. This is probably going to fire up the Hive. Only a couple of weeks until the Jackets can make Mr. Moore eat his words. -yb

Georgia Tech Football Program 31st Over Last Three Years

2006-08-14T19:17:00.000-04:00

According to Collegefootballnews.com...

31. Georgia Tech
Score: 50.96
2005 Ranking: 49 2004 Ranking: 36 2003 Ranking: 23

Attendance Score: 5.04 (average yearly attendance divided by 10)
NCAA APR Score: 7
Drafted Players: 5 (total over three years divided by two)
Total Wins: 20
Quality Wins: 9
Elite Wins: 2
Bad Losses: 0
Conf. Wins: 5.42
TOTAL: 50.96

Program Analysis: Talk about consistent, Georgia Tech has won seven games in the each of the last four years. There are Elite Wins over teams like Auburn and Miami last year, but there are also strange losses like the ones to BYU and Duke (who each finished 4-8) in 2003. The Draft Score should eventually go up, but the more ACC wins, the higher the ranking will go.

We are ahead of Alabama but behind Southern Mississippi? There is an explanation to their scoring method that I recommend you read before getting too confused about where schools ended up in the rankings. -yb

Great News Day Today

2006-08-07T17:11:00.000-04:00

I do not know how many of you were like me today and came to work only to find five new posts on the GT section of AJC.com, in addition to a post by Mr. Furman Bisher about our new AD, Mr. Radakovich. It is about time we got some press. Maybe the Sports Information Department finally has gotten their acts together and are starting to make sure our voice is heard in Atlanta.

In other news, I would like to say thanks to whomever pointed out that the reason we went with the boxing theme is because the star corner for Notre Dame is also a boxer. If that is the case, then it makes a lot more sense. Don't know if I agree with choosing our whole team poster theme based on a connection like that, but it is at least a lot less random.

WHAT!?!?!

2006-08-02T16:08:00.000-04:00

Someone please explain this poster. Explain how this instills fear into the hearts of our foes. I am all for the cocky slogan, but the picture and the boxing montage are a bit much. This is silly.

Now for those of you who are just tuning into this blog after my long sabbatical, I am normally loathe to criticize Ma Tech. She stands for all I believe is right in the world, 99.9% of the time. But I have to take exception to this poster. What is the point of it? Do we want to say that if we cannot beat you on the field you had better believe we will take you down in 2 rounds? Are we shifting our recruiting strategy to former street brawlers? What does boxing have to do with football other than in both cases you have to be in relatively good shape and there is a possibility you will get seriously hurt? I guess I would have stuck to showing a still photo of CJ's sick catch in the NCST game, or Reggie holding up the Champs Sports Bowl trophy, or Tashard Choice blasting through the Miami line. We have so many great football moments for every single one of our would-be pugilists, it seems silly to focus on anything but their football glory on a promo poster.

What is even worse is that Tech fans, specifically me were just recently making fun of the slobbermouths for taking a shirts-off photo of their team. What is the deal with this? Are we campaigning to the NCAA to play shirts vs. skins football? I am all for a team slogan and promoting our team, but can it be about our tradition or the talent we have on The Flats this season, instead of how good we look all greased up?

Lets just hope we can move on from this embarassing episode. In the future, lets let the Co-Op department deal with Johnson & Johnson. Thanks to In Dodd We Trust for the photo. -yb

Tension is building...

2006-08-01T21:18:00.000-04:00

So two new GT previews come out and I get my season tickets all on the same day. If you haven't read the Tech previews on CFN.com and NewsObserver.com, you should check them out. Definitely worth the read. There is another Wreck preview that picks us to win the Coastal. Don't have the link on hand, but it is floating out there and if you know it, please post it in the comments section. The CFN preview is the same old same old stuff we always get from them, but the N & O one is pretty good, if not a little skewed. It is optimistic in some areas and assumes losses where I would think we had a chance, namely Miami. Check it out and see for yourself. Nothing much else to report, I check Wreck Ramblin for my daily updates, I recommend you do too. -yb

Engineers vs. Irish

2006-05-15T16:25:00.000-04:00

"They will beat us about nine times out of ten, but in losing we will learn a lot of football. We will gain a lot of prestige nationally. And when we win, it will be a mighty sweet victory." Coach William Alexander

So I enjoy watching a baseball game here and there, but I have a hard time getting into the Stanley Cup and the NBA playoffs. That pretty much means there is very little sports related news I can get excited about except for the World Cup “A ball can change everything” commercials on ESPN. While I am on that note, make plans to come up to Nashville on the 23rd to see the National Team warm up against Morocco in the Coliseum. It is going to be the closest some of us ever get to the National Team and it is an opportunity not to be missed. All of you who bellyached about not going to the Music City Bowl, this is your chance to show them how big they screwed up. Alright, enough on that tangent. Back to football.

For me, the first game of the season holds all of the excitement from the previous year in one game. There are no regrets, no what ifs going into that game. It is a fresh start, like crisp dollar bills. Maybe that is why we do so well in opening games. Since 1990, we are 11-5 in opening games. Since 1999 we are 6-1 with wins over Auburn, Syracuse, and Central Florida, among others. The tailgate party at the opening game is second only to the Georgia game. Everything is exciting, “Up with the White and Gold” is a little louder, the Wreck looks a little shinier, and even Buzz doesn’t seem as gay.

Maybe that is why I am so optimistic about this year’s game against Notre Dame. Terence Moore wrote an article in the AJC last week about what playing Notre Dame has typically meant for programs in regards to the boom a game with Notre Dame means to teams financially and in terms of national prestige. While I don't necessarily agree with Mr. Moore, in case you haven’t read it here it is. Playing Notre Dame in itself is exciting, but when two teams like Georgia Tech and Notre Dame square off, one cannot help but be giddy at the possibilities.

Since 1922, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame have met 32 times, with the Jackets only winning five contests and tying once. While those results seem pretty lopsided, so do the results of the Sox-Yankees series, but that does not keep it from being one of the best rivalries in sports. Now I am sure that Irish and Jacket fans alike will downplay this game in the overall scheme, much like when Georgia fans try and tell us that Florida is their biggest rival. While we may not be on par with Army, Michigan, or USC to Notre Dame, few schools have ties going so far back. While we have not played as often as some of their other opponents, the thought of Knute Rockne and Bill Alexander squaring off every year from 1922 to 1929 is exciting to think about. Even though Tech won only once in those eight games, 13-0 in 1928, these guys were Tech's original FSU. We couldn't seem to beat them consistently, but I don't think anyone would trade away the memories of some of the games between the two.

So we all know how hyped up the Irish were last year, but who are they going to be this year. A preliminary, uninformed analysis would say they are going to be in the hunt for the national championship. But my gut tells me that Tech has a legitimate shot at winning this one, and not just by squeaking one out. Collegefootballnews.com and ESPN have posted their Notre Dame previews already, and I recommend all Tech fans do their homework and scout the competition. Here are just a few things I found interesting from the previews I’ve read:

The Irish really have no backup QB. With our game being at the beginning of the season, injuries to Brady Quinn are probably not a factor, but if he goes down in preseason workouts or during the game, look for this to be an issue, especially since...

Notre dame has some key holes to fill on the offensive line. This plays right to our strength at defensive line. Hopefully we will be able to exploit this weakness and get pressure on Quinn so he does not have the time to exploit our weak secondary. All this will be easier if...

The Shark is Quinn’s only real option at receiver. With everyone else gone, Samardzija seems to be the only accountable option at receiver. Hopefully this will allow our secondary to shut down the passing game, forcing them to rely on an inexperienced O-Line to open up holes for their running game. On the other side of the ball...

They still have questions on defense. Notre Dame didn’t really light anybody up on defense last season and this one does not seem to be any different. They seem to have a weak pass rush, no real standout at linebacker, and a very vulnerable secondary. With all of our questions on offense, I think this is the best possible scenario.

These are my minimally informed and obviously very biased observations on our coming foe. A lot can happen in the three and a half months until our nationally-televised battle. In the eighty four year history of the series between Notre Dame and Georgia Tech, wins for tech have come about once every 10 years and never twice in a row. With our last victory over the Irish coming in 1999 at the Gator Bowl, it may be too soon to expect another win. But coming out of Spring practice, the conditions are good enough for their to be more than just a chance that the Golden Tornado will once again triumph over the Golden Dome. -yb

So much to say...

2006-05-12T12:11:00.000-04:00

Alright, so I know I have not been as dedicated to updating this site as I would like to, but there has been some news of note lately that deserves mention. Today we will cover the open letter from our new Director of Athletics:

The Good Word with Dan Radakovich
Message from the Director of Athletics
May 9, 2006
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics
FROM: Dan
Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics
I'm excited to launch
this series of letters to you, our supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics, to
outline our vision for excellence for your athletics program. "The Good Word"
will deliver to you regular updates on the issues facing our athletics program
as well as provide a forum for feedback and discussion on topics that are
important to you.
Our vision is simple but challenging: to position Georgia
Tech to be one of the top athletics programs in the nation - year in and year
out - for the next quarter of a century.
Let me begin this first letter by
telling you a few things that are important for our future.
First, Georgia
Tech needs to alter the way business is conducted in the Athletic Association.
We must become more transparent in our dealings and more cognizant of the needs
of our customers.
Second, we must grow our customer base. Our location in
the city of Atlanta provides tremendous marketing opportunities, but we must
provide value for the competitive entertainment dollar. We must make each
customer feel that no matter the outcome of the contest they have attended, they
made a wise choice by attending a Tech event.
Third, we must value our
product. College athletics has grown into a very large industry, one that
requires a substantial revenue stream each and every year. In subsequent
writings, I will detail more about our financial status, both present and
future, and how we may need to alter our current business practices to achieve a
level of financial stability.
Over my first six weeks on the job, I have met
with many Tech alums and supporters. One message has come through loud and
clear: There is a deep passion for the Institute and a great sense of
philanthropy. We must continue to capitalize on that generosity and grow it to
constituents who may reside outside the current Tech family. We need to announce
that there is room on the Ramblin' Wreck for everyone.
In the coming months,
through this correspondence, I will continue to paint a detailed picture of the
state of Georgia Tech Athletics so that you can have a better understanding of
our goals and plans.
We have some very important decisions to make in the
near future. We want you to play a role in the future success of Tech Athletics,
so we welcome your feedback at goodword@athletics.gatech.edu
While I cannot guarantee a personal response to every email that we receive,
please know that they will all be read, so I do encourage your participation in
this process. Some of your questions could become topics for future issues of
the The Good Word.
I also encourage you to share this letter with any Tech
fan who may not have access to the Internet. Our goal is to inform and engage as
many Yellow Jacket supporters as we possibly can.
I want to personally thank
you for your continued support of Georgia Tech Athletics as we move forward with
our vision for excellence.
Go Jackets!

Alright, I like the tone of this letter, and it paints a pretty picture. Based on this what can we expect from our new, more focused Athletics Association? I think the biggest thing to take from this is that we can expect to see a revamped effort to market our program in the Atlanta area and probably beyond. We should be at least able to pull in more than we have from the surrounding area. Cities like Chattanooga are ripe for the taking. Also, I think this guy generally gets it. In the world of big-dollar collegiate athletics there are two routes: stay above it all and hope you don’t wither up and die, or jump in and play ball the way the large programs do it.

I am not saying we should chuck academic standards and start giving Escalades to players. I do think, however, that we can learn a few tricks from the big boys. Get the program covered more on local news stations. Get some of the spring scrimmages televised on CSS or something. Get a feature about how awesome Calvin is on ESPN sometime other than during halftime of a Thursday night game. This is the spring lull, and the sports news agencies are clamoring for anything college football related. As long as it is well done, I think we can sell ourselves to anybody. Here’s another idea, get Bill Curry back in the mix. I know he may be a little disgruntled after not being hired, but the man is the face of Tech Football. Find something for him to do in or around the program. He makes a brief reference to our financial situation, I imagine that means something like more expensive season tickets, but I will hold off my take until after he puts out something more specific.

Here are some things I would like to see addressed:

1. Marketing. How do we plan to sell out the stadium? I think this all goes back to getting the word out about Tech, but we are surrounded in a sea of Dawg and Falcon fans. They are not instantly going to switch allegiance because we run a gay commercial with Buzz dodging defenders to score a touchdown. Who is our market? Are we just trying to energize Tech fans or are we hoping for converts from other teams that are not UGA or Clemson? A demographic analysis must be done to make sure we do not waste our marketing efforts.

2. Tailgating/Gameday Experience. I know this may seem like a minor issue, but it affects gameday atmosphere, which affects recruiting, attendance, national perception, and so much more. There needs to be an effort to encourage tailgating on Tech’s campus. Our urban campus does not lend itself to big RVs but there are plenty of spots that are totally underutilized. Here’s a suggestion: move the lame inflatable playground or something like it that is always set up on top of Peter’s to around the Campanile. Allow the top of Peter’s to be tailgate central. This is so close to the stadium, we need to make sure this is representing what we want the world to see. If you don’t want tailgaters, allow vendors to set up on top of the deck. Regardless of what happens to Peter’s, there should be a comprehensive effort to improve the gameday experience. Part of the reason tailgating is so popular at most colleges is that most of the fans of that school do not live in the small town that houses the college (see Athens, Clemson, Tuscaloosa). They live far enough away where driving to the game is a commitment but not prohibitive. This creates the desire for a whole day experience, which means tents, food, and beverages. Tech is at a disadvantage in this regard, but the point is still valid: if we can create a desire to spend a day on the Flats, not just the four hours you are inside the stadium, we will have a great gameday experience.

3. Ticketing/Seating. This ties into the previous two, but how we represent ourselves inside the stadium affects our image and prestige as a program just as much, if not more so than how great we are outside the stadium. For all intensive purposes this means a full and energetic stadium for every game. We need to look at the layout of BDS. Who sits where, how often they sit there, which parts of the stadium are generally full, which are empty, what games are they traditionally empty, what is our record at this point, does our record have an effect on attendance, which parts of the stadium are full or empty when our record is good, and what are the hardest/easiest parts of the stadium to fill are all questions that need answers. Steps in the right direction are being made, especially in the chairbacks, but we should look at the stadium seating chart with fresh eyes.

Obviously there will be more to come on this, but I don’t think I am alone in saying this letter is a nice first step. I look forward to hearing what Mr. Radakovich has to say in the future.

I have been lax in my efforts to keep this site updated. Thanks to a friend who came up with a good solution to getting stuff on this blog in a timely fashion. We will try the new system and hope it works well.

Coming up next: my official Notre Dame look ahead. -yb

Spring Game

2006-04-17T22:39:00.000-04:00

So let me first say that I am glad to be back. Sorry it took so long to update this site, but married life is great and I am finding time in short supply. However, after seeing Tech players live on the Flats after almost a year and a half, I was motivated to write again.

I was down from Clarksville last weekend and had a chance to catch the Spring Scrimmage with a couple of friends. While it was nice to see the boys back in action again, I was on the whole disappointed with the experience.

For starters, I was ezpecting a Spring Game, like other schools (read SEC) have. You know, game clock, refs, announcer, band, the works. UGA has like 40,000 people attend their version of the Spring game. Ours was decidedly low key. When I first walked up to the stadium, there seemed to be a good number of people attending, and I was pumped. Then I walked through the gate and hoped to buy some lunch. Much to my surprise, none of the concessions stands were open. Our scrimmage was really just an open practice. On a table at the entrance to the stadium there was a pamphlet trying to get people to buy season tickets. I think the only people there already had season tickets.

What a wasted opportunity. A "Gold and White" Game would have been an awesome way to fire up a fan base that doesn't know what to think. What was the band doing on a Saturday morning. Get them out there! Cheerleaders, where the heck were you?! This could be such a huge deal and a huge boost for how the fans and outsiders alike perceive our program. As it was, a baby could have slept through the entire practice. Give the fans a free game, give them a real show, and they will not let you down. The entire SEC and a bunch of schools across the country understand this, I hope we figure it out. This is a priority fix for next year, D-Rad. -yb

I am sorry

2006-02-25T20:08:00.000-05:00

To all of my readers who have been devotedly checking this site for updates, I am very sorry. Between getting my life in Clarksville set up again after a year away as well as getting ready for my wedding in April, I have been swamped. In addition, as anyone knows, the best time to work on a blog is at work, and the Army blocks all blog sites, so I have no access to anything but Wreck Ramblin and the AJC.com. Hopefully, I will find a way around our web filter or things will start to settle down and hopefully I can get back on track. Again, I apologize for my inactivity. -yb

Signing Day

2006-02-01T09:43:00.000-05:00

As of 9:16AM Eastern time, Tech has signed 9 of the 15 players we were projected to sign. The AA will continue to update this site as more players commit.

Still out there as of 9AM:

Osahon Tongo (LB, Naperville, IL)

Correy Earls (WR, Macon, GA)

Sedric Griffin (RB, Winnsboro, SC)

Byron Ingram (QB, Stone Mountain, GA)

DeRon Jasper (S, Dunwoody, GA)

Dominique Reese (WR, Auburn, AL)

4th Best Gameday Experience in ACC

2006-01-26T12:18:00.000-05:00

To those of you who haven't seen it, go check out this article on SouthernPigskin concerning the best gameday experiences in the ACC. Out of 12 Georgia Tech is fourth! To be ranked just behind the likes of Clemson, FSU and Virginia Tech is truly an accomplishment to be proud of. Here is the GT portion of the column:

"4. Georgia Tech – Looking for an inimitable and distinct college football setting? Bobby Dodd Stadium at historic Grant Field is dripping with history and tradition. First and foremost, the stadium is the oldest on-campus facility in all of 1-A college football. Grant Field was built in 1913 – and it's been cattycornered amongst Atlanta skyscrapers ever since. Georgia Tech isn't home to the biggest stadium, thought recent expansion has pushed capacity to 55,000, but you can't place a limit on much else. From the right seat in Bobby Dodd, you can see most of Atlanta; from any seat, you can see the city skyline. It's a rare scene, one unlike any other in college football. Georgia Tech fans are knowledgeable and refined. Tailgating is more high-class, though a trip to The Varsity is never beneath them and the whole atmosphere simply has a more polished, professional feel. The pre-game entrance of the Ramblin' Wreck, a restored 1930 Ford Model A, sends the Georgia Tech band into a rendition of perhaps the most famous fight song in college football and sets the stage for the team's run onto the field. With so many great teams and legendary names having played at Grant Field, it's tough not to get caught reminiscing. Better bring your best game, too. The Yellow Jackets once beat an opponent 222-0 at this field."

Congratulations to all you fans who made this great gameday writeup possible. Here's for number three next year. -yb

86 - 74: Flashes of Greatness and Flashes of Crazy

2006-01-25T22:31:00.000-05:00

Well with no television it is difficult, but I went to my local pub, the Blackhorse and pulled the "lone Tech fan cheering for GT in the midst of a sea of red pulling for Lousiville" act. Here is my preliminary analysis: we are not good at running a half court offense. It seemed to me that we were in slow motion. Our passes were not crisp enough, it seemed that the guy the play was designed for was always double covered before he could do anything with the ball. And what is with these crazy passes? How many times did we throw it away tonight when Maryland went to a full court press? Maybe it just seemed like a lot to me. There were times we looked really good, but what is with these peaks and valleys throughout the game. One field goal in the first 12 minutes of the second half. That is not the way to take down a top 25 team like Maryland, even with their best player gone. It is not like the effort wasn't there, it just seemed like we went as cold as a penguin's bottom. I don't know enough about basketball to explain it, maybe you can.

Now we're only one game above .500, my goal for this season. We've got some winnable games coming up in Virginia Tech, Miami, and FSU before we have NC State again, UNC away, Maryland away, and then Duke and Wake at home before trying to get some road revenge against Clemson. Not too much room for error there. -yb

2006 Football Schedule

2006-01-25T15:42:00.000-05:00

Well it is out, the thing we have all been waiting for, our schedule for next season. Just in case you haven't seen it, here it is. Thanks to GoldTimer at Wreck Ramblin for finding it.One of the first thing I notice no Thursday games. Thursday night games were a Georgia Tech tradition since O'Leary and I hope our departure from playing on this day that always gave us good publicity and a nationally televised game is for a good reason, like that our atheletes need the time to study for Friday tests or that all of our Saturday games have already been picked up by ABC and ESPN.

Secondly is our busy September and November. We have four home games and a road test against Virginia Tech to round out a very busy first month. UVA moves over from its traditional spot as a November dweller to now being a warm up for the Hokies. One good thing, getting through the Commonwealth in September means we don't have to worry about the pesky Cavaliers right before the Dawgs. I look for wins over Samford, Troy, and UVA, and for us to go 1-1 against Notre Dame and VT. Notre Dame is the higher ranked team, but Notre Dame is also a home game and our first game of the season, and Coach Gailey seems to be pretty good at getting guys up for the openers. Virginia Tech will be depleted, but still very good, but Lane Stadium is insane and always a tough place to play. That makes for a 4-1 September.

We only have three games in October: Maryland, at Clemson, and Miami. Maryland should be a tough game but a definite win for us. PRESEASON prediction: this might be this year's NC State, a team we should beat 9 times out of 10, but some how we come out flat and they pull off the miracle. Hopefully this will be our Homecoming game and that will pump the guys up enough to avoid the upset. Going to Clemson is always my favorite road trip. Athens is a fun place to play, but the game is always good in Clemson and the fans are a little nicer to the visitors. Just a great ACC matchup where anyone can win any year. I expect for Clemson to be around 5-2 by the time they play us so this has all the markings of a big time national matchup. Georgia Tech should have the better team, but playing in Death Valley evens the odds. This is anyones game. After last year's 10-9 homecoming game, and with Jay Davis returning, I am inclined to give this one to Clemson. I hope I am wrong. Miami is next and they look like they are going to be pretty tough. Last year's miracle will still be fresh in their minds and they should have most of that team back next year. Coming off an emotional game against Clemson, Tech might not have the juice at this point to get it done. They will probably be in the top 10 at this point and this will be a big time game. I look to beat Maryland and split Clemson and Miami for a 2-1 October.

November's theme is simple: beat up on the Tar Heel state and get ready to feast on Dawg meat. After road trips to Raleigh and Chapel Hill, we get to play Duke at home before heading off to Athens. UNC and NC State should be worse than last year, and we are very capable of being 3-0 for the month of November heading into Thanksgiving. The Slobbermouths are due for a good old fashioned beat down, and at home no less. This is going to be a game for the ages. Reggie finally gets the monkey off his back and overturns two straight years of agony. I am going to be bold and predict a 4-0 November for a 10-2 season. It will be difficult, but we are entirely capable of making this happen.

This should be a season for the ages. The ACC Championship Game is within reach. Playing in January is within reach. This is going to be the signature season for an embattled coach and a new Athletic Director. The board is set, the pieces are in motion. Toe meets leather in 219 days... -yb

Correction: I misread the schedule. We are playing a Thursday night game against Virginia on the 21st of September. Sorry for the error. I knew it didn't look right. -yb

The Curry Tree

2006-01-25T14:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks to GT Sports Blog for coming up with this idea. I agree that one of the most important things the Athletic Director does is hiring. So who has Curry hired during his stints as head coach from 1980 to 1996? Scott at GT Sports already has a couple of hits with guys like Ianello, one of the best recruiting coordinators in the country who Curry hired while at Alabama. Another one that I found: Romeo Crennel. He was defensive line coach in 1980 under Coach Curry and left for the Giants. He is currently the coach of the Cleveland Browns, but he is most famous for crafting the New England Patriot defense that won three Super Bowls in four years. He was the 2003 NFL Assistant Coach of the Year. So hop online, do some research. Who else of note was Coach Curry responsible for bringing to his staff? -yb

Georgia Tech Football News in January?

2006-01-17T22:12:00.000-05:00

Just when you thought it was over, GT football is back in the news again. I personally put the AD situation in the football arena since basketball is in such capable hands with Coach Hewitt and the frontrunners for Braine's replacement all seem to be football-first kinds of guys. Then there is the resigning of two Tech coaches, most importantly Coach Wilson, special teams coach and recruiting coordinator. That is two GT football related stories in January. We might as well had been in a BCS bowl game.

I will first address the coaching situation. I hate to say it, but good riddance. Special Teams were awful this year. Someone had to go. If it was voluntary, then Mr. Wilson, you have class. If not, then Chan, way to make something, anything happen. I don't understand the deal with the offensive coordinator thing, I wish Chan would take back the two minute offense and let Nix work in where he can, but I will accept this scrap for now. Tight ends coach I could care less about, I hope Chan didn't put any pressure on him to leave thinking it would appease the fan base. There is only one or two things that would get the hive swarming again, a new offensive coordinator or...

A new Athletic Director. The replacements for Braine have all been listed and debated at length, but I would like to formally throw the weight of this publication behind one man, Bill Curry. Coach Curry's achievements are numerous and his qualifications extensive, so I will not list them all here. Let me just say that I believe this guy bleeds white and gold, something I think Braine was lacking. Most people will acknowledge that the one improvement that could have been made to the athletic association very easily but was never implemented for whatever reason was a first class marketing agenda. I believe the reason behind this is because Braine never got tears in his eyes at the last home game of a football season. Braine did not seem to be the kind of guy who would gush about Georgia Tech every chance he got. To me, Curry is a true believer, someone we need at this stage. Our facilities are no longer some of the worst in the country. More national prominence would be nice, but our national awareness is there. People have heard of us. At this stage in the life of our program, we need someone with the national prestige of Mr. Curry's caliber to come in and take us to the next level. We do not need a cheerleader, but would it hurt us so much for recruits and outsiders to see someone like Mr. Curry who loves this institution so much? Mr. Curry would be the most well known athletic director in the country. His departure from ESPN would make national headlines and create national anticipation for the direction of our program. People know Bill Curry. When Bill Curry leaves broadcasting to take over a school like Georgia Tech, people are going to be paying attention, mark my words.

Some would knock his credentials. But I believe that there are some leaders who do not need to necessarily know how to do everything as long as they have the self-awareness to appoint good people around them who can handle those areas in which they might not be as strong. I am sure there are others out there who are just as qualified as Mr. Curry and share equally his love for Georgia Tech. Mr. Stansbury, you seem like a stud. Mr. Curry probably only will be in this job for about 10 years. We would love to have you run our Athletic Department. Please come on board as Bill's aide de camp and prepare to take the job you seem to have been born for. I am all in favor of giving the young guy a shot, but I am even more in favor of giving the guy who has dedicated his whole life to Georgia Tech a chance to live his dream and bring GT back to glory while you learn the ropes in anticipation of your incredible reign to follow. It will take humility, but great things come to those who wait. An athletic department after 7 years of Bill Curry's lovefest will be a much more desirable inheritance than that which you will receive now. Give the old guy his chance, yours is coming.

Sorry I have not updated for a while. I am getting married in April and being out of the country for a while has left a few things on my plate to take care of in anticipation of the upcoming. I will try harder to keep this site updated in the future. Thanks for your loyalty -yb

Thug Life

2006-01-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

So I am in my new apartment and have internet set up, but I haven't gotten my television out of storage, so I am only following sports from my computer and from the two bars we have here in Clarksville. From what I can tell, Virginia Tech is the new Dennis Erickson-era Miami. These guys are thugs and they should be called out for what they are: another football factory with a glaring disconnect between the majority of the athletes and the rest of the student body. Virginia Tech gives a bad name to schools with "Tech" in their title.

I am all about smash-mouth football, but these guys were insane this year. I watched most of Virginia Tech's games this past year and what struck me was how few execution penalties they received but how many "The Replacements" style tomahawk death chop penalties they committed. How many personal fouls did Virginia Tech have this season? A cursory glance at the penalty statistics shows nothing too extraordinary: in 13 games Ron Mexico Tech committed 81 penalties. They were 46th among all D-1A schools in least amount of penalty yards per game with 108.8. None of this is too spectacular, GT did worse. Nothing really stands out until you look at the game by game. The Miami loss seems to me like a turning point. Against Miami, VT had 8 penalties for 56 yards, not too crazy. But compare that with the FSU game, where they committed 17 for 143. That is only about eight and a half yards per penalty but consider this: one 15 yarder and two five yarders average to about the same. That is a personal foul or agressive play penalty (pass interference, etc.) once out of every three penalties! Against Louisville they averaged over 13 yards a penalty (seven for 93 yards).

This, coupled with recent events involving Little Mexico point to a larger issue. Saint Beamer has lost control of his program. The fact that it was the university and not the coach that dismissed Vick should show that. On the bright side, the dismissal does seem to indicate that VPSU is intending to clean up their act. If not, maybe VT should issue body armor to its opponents during pregame warm-ups. -yb

I'm Back

2006-01-05T14:47:00.000-05:00

First of all, let me say thank you to all of you who did not give up on this site after there was no new material for over a week. I am back here in Tennessee and life is starting to return to normal. I got back on the morning of the 29th, just in time to watch our boys show absolutely no desire to beat a Mountain West team that seemed to have it in spades. Totally inexcusable. Since I have been back I have had the chance to read a bunch of the writeups, so I will not burden you with another rant about failing to play to our potential, but let me just say that we should rename our teams the Georgia Tech Golden Opportunity Wasters.

In other news, I am sure some of you already know, but Georgia's loss to West Virginia kept them tied at 22 total bowl wins with us. I think we are tied for 5th overall. God was not smiling on the Peach State this postseason, but UGA lost their game, so we know he exists.

I will try and get back into the swing of things and put out more stuff soon. Until then -yb

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T15:04:00.000-05:00

I am in Kuwait now, we are only a couple of days out from our return to the States. Let me just say Merry Christmas to all of you reading this blog. I promise to have some new material soon, but for right now my access to the internet is limited and I don't think many of you are checking this anyway. Anyhow, it has been a great year and I cannot believe it is finally over. Thank you to all my friends and family who have kept me sane and kept me tied back to the world I left. It is because of you that this year was such a sacrifice and actually had meaning. Without people like you to come back to it would have just been another year.

They did a big meal here at Camp Victory in Kuwait, but no dignitaries or anything. Sometimes low key is nice too. Enjoy your holiday, I will be seeing you all soon. Merry Christmas.
-David

"Sailing round the world in a dirty gondola...Oh to be back in the land of Coca-Cola..."

Big Ten Self Help

2005-12-22T02:03:00.000-05:00

First off, let me say that we are due to leave Iraq for Kuwait later on today and I do not know how much access I will have to a computer and the internet for the purposes of updating this blog. I am sure I will be able to check it from time to time over the next week, but no guarantees on articles for a couple of days. Secondly, thanks to Goldtimer for promoting this site again on Wreck Ramblin. I am sure you already check out his site - it is the place to find news about Georgia Tech Athletics from across Georgia and the rest of the country. Goldtimer, thanks for all your help in getting a new thing like this blog rolling. Lastly, and most importantly, congratulations are in order for YBW guest columnist Dr. Z, or CPT Mark Zais. This West Point Engineer has finally seen the light and is coming to Georgia Tech next year as a graduate student in Operations Research. I will make sure he is brought up to speed (songs, traditions, history) so there is no lag time in his becoming a true fan on the Flats. To celebrate this occasion, I thought it only fitting that he be allowed to write the last post on this blog before we leave Iraq. Welcome home, sir. -yb

Big Ten Self Help

I'll start off by acknowledging that I am an SEC fan and consequently biased against the Big Ten (don't you mean Eleven?). Nevertheless, I feel it is my duty as a Yellowblazer columnist to point out all inadequacies in the college football system and address obvious issues of competitive imbalance. The Big Ten's ability to dodge competitive bowl matchups while skating on soft schedules is unprecedented. Despite this edge, they have still managed to be recently overtaken by the ACC as one of the top two football conferences, primarily due to a lack of vision. We felt the pain of losing a powerful enemy and antagonist when the Soviet Union collapsed; let's not let it happen to the Big Ten also. I will use this forum to highlight some of the flaws. I am here to help, so all constructive criticism will be accompanied by viable solutions to make it once again as close to a legitimate conference as possible.

The Big Eleven. The name of the conference itself is embarrassing and a discredit to academic merit of many of the participating institutions. Arguably, The Big Ten has more Engineering programs ranked in the top twenty than any other conference. How do you flaunt a blatant error in arithmetic and deem it acceptable? There are eleven participating schools in your athletic conference! From here on out, I will make the obvious correction and refer to the conference as The Big Eleven.

The Rose Bowl. Can we please stop calling it "the granddaddy of them all"? First of all, the word "granddaddy" signifies weakness. It's like calling your father "pappy". You should be beaten and then forced to chop wood until you start saying "dad" or "old man". I get that the Rose Bowl is the oldest bowl game around, but tradition is regional. Don't try to tell me which bowl game is more important to me. I grew up watching the SEC and my family is from the South. Therefore, when someone talks about the pinnacle of bowl games, I immediately think of the Sugar Bowl. On New Years Day (before all the bowls where spread out over three weeks) my family used to stack three televisions in the living room so that we could view multiple games at once. The Rose Bowl was the one that ended up muted on the small TV. Keith Jackson is also annoying (we'll get back to him though).

Most importantly though, the only good thing that ever came out of the BCS was that it forced the Rose Bowl to divert from its annual Big Eleven - PAC 10 match-up. Until the BCS, the Rose Bowl was just a place for the Big Eleven champion to go hide out and play weak a second-tier PAC 10 team. Many a Big Eleven champ earned recognition or even a national championship by going undefeated and heading out to Pasadena to stamp its place in history by beating a double-digit ranked PAC-10 team with zero defense. Unfortunately, Penn State fans are still whining about the one time that the AP voters actually made a stand and called them out. You might remember in 1994 when #1 ranked Nebraska defaulted to playing #3 Miami in the Orange Bowl. Why not play the #2 team? Well, that's because #2 Penn State was guaranteed a game in the Rose Bowl against the #12 ranked Oregon Ducks (there's big money in that Rose Bowl contract). After both Nebraska and Penn State won, the Nittany Lions fans actually had the nerve to cry foul when the pollsters voted Nebraska outright national champions. What's the lesson in all this? When you prostitute your conference to big money and "tradition" rather than competitive match-ups, you get what you ask for.

Michigan vs. Ohio State. This is another issue where my regional upbringing kicks in. I don't understand this rivalry. I understand Auburn-Alabama, Clemson-USC (the other one), Florida State-Miami, Ole Miss-Mississippi State, and even Oregon-Oregon State. But I don't understand this one, especially when mentioned in the same breath as the words "all-time rivalries". Youth provides the most clarity on many issues, and kids are often the ones who ask the most simple, yet clear, questions. I still remember watching football as a kid and hearing the announcers talk about the big rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State. I turned to my father and asked, "Why isn't Michigan's biggest rival Michigan State?" The question was so simple, but the answer just wasn't there.

The MetroDome. Nothing says college football like a dome, astro-turf, and half-capacity seating. The University of Minnesota's stadium is a disgrace to all that is pure and traditional about collegiate sports. I've never been to a game there, but I wouldn't be surprised if they piped in canned music like "Who Let the Dogs Out" and "We Will Rock You" between plays. This abortion of a stadium makes Boise's blue field feel like a tribute to the days of Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis. Minnesota, get some grass and play in the snow. You chose to live in that icebox, now deal with it.

Keith Jackson. Keith, when are you going to retire, again? I know the first swan song was a boost to your ego, but you are only supposed to do it once. Your bias towards PAC-10 and Big Eleven football is unmatched, but your ability to act like the SEC and ACC don't even exist is legendary. Every time I hear your bubbling uncontained excitement as Michigan or USC scores a touchdown, I have to suppress an unconscious desire for the Rose Bowl to be interrupted by an earthquake. You make me a worse person for watching you; leave so I can get better.

Pam Ward. Whose idea was it to use a female commentator for college football? Nothing against Pam personally, but Big Ten football at noon on ESPN2 is absolutely unwatchable. There is something about hearing a woman call play-by-play that causes the voice in the back of my head to continuously respond with "How would you know, did you ever play ball?!" There is no credibility to her play-by-play and I don't need someone to tell me that #34 ran for 3 yards up the middle. I can see that, give me some insight! Even if USC and Texas were playing the national championship game on ESPN2, Pam Ward would make it unwatchable.

Before the anti-chauvinists fire back, I am willing to make a compromise. I agree that women are good for sports and there are even places that men should not be. Much like women shouldn't announce football telecasts, men should not coach women's basketball. There is something seedy, perverted and slightly suspicious about a man who is content to settle for women's basketball as the pinnacle of his coaching career (yeah, I'm looking at you Geno Auriemma).

Many Big Eleven fans will undoubtedly respond with the excuse that they didn't pick the announcers on ESPN2. That's true, but I have yet to hear about a single Big Eleven fan that is up in arms about it. Do think that fans of Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, or Ole Miss would settle for it? I think not. In the SEC, we have to much chauvinistic pride to let it happen.

Conference Championship. If the Big Eleven doesn't change anything, it needs to fix this atrocity. The conference needs another team and a championship game like A.J. Hawk needs a haircut, badly. All the other legitimate conferences have expanded to twelve teams and added a championship game. The importance of this game is not just money, it's to ensure that the top two teams in the conference are forced to meet. I'm tired of seeing an SEC, Big 12, or ACC team get punished for going undefeated in the regular season and tripping up in the conference championship game against a team they have already defeated, while the top Big Eleven team play eleven games and doesn't even play the second best team in their conference.

Here's a hypothetical scenario (which has happened before) for you to chew on to show you the inequity. LSU finishes the regular season 11-0 and happens to defeat Georgia during one of its non-divisional games. Georgia goes on to finish the regular season 10-1 and makes it to the SEC championship game. Now, LSU is forced to beat the second best team in their conference twice in order to even be considered, and most likely overlooked, for the BCS championship game. You might say, "why did they set themselves up for failure by using this system?" Because the alternative is worse.

What can happen in the Big Eleven, and happened a few years ago, is this. Iowa and Wisconsin both finish the regular season 10-1, but the two teams never play each other and divert to a tiebreaker system. The best Big Eleven team never even plays the second best Big Eleven team! Both teams advance to the BCS with sparkling 10-1 records and bypass either both SEC teams (if Georgia beat LSU on the second try) or at least one SEC team (should Georgia fall to 10-2 after losing to the same #1 team twice). It is no longer debatable which system is best. The fact is that all the other major conferences (PAC-10's major status being arguable) have moved to twelve teams and included a championship game. It's time for the Big Eleven to turn in the leather helmets and enter the modern football world.

- Dr. Z (soon to be a Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an Engineer)

Against Jerseys

2005-12-21T05:38:00.000-05:00

So the last post started a firestorm over what is acceptable behavior, music, and dress on gameday. Most of it is really up to your preference, but one thing that stuck out to me is this whole jersey debate. In my opinion, unless you are a child or a direct relative of the player on the field, wearing a jersey is a definite no-go.

Please do not misunderstand me, I appreciate everything the boys have done on the Flats and in the AMC. I will be with them through bad times and good. This issue is not about supporting the team - wearing a jersey brings up two huge issues for me. First, jerseys are sportswear, not even casual clothing. From here it is just a very short hop before we start to show up for games like our neighbor to the northeast and you know what that means: sweatpants, body paint, and velcro sneakers.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, wearing a jersey makes a statement about your own feelings of self-worth. It is essentially saying that you would prefer the athlete's life over your own. Just for the record, no matter how much you like to see them play, you are not and never will be Eric Henderson, Calvin Johnson, or P.J. Daniels. If you are going to pull a "Talented Mr. Ripley" with our gridiron heros, why not go all the way? Why shortchange the collapse of your self esteem when you can very easily make a fake ID and start picking up chicks a bars as Chris Reis? Why not go all the way and apply for a few credit cards as Damarius Bilbo? It would at least make your double life as George Godsey more real. I know that whenever I see Reggie Ball in the airport looking closer to 42 than 22, weighing in at about 300 pounds, and scarfing chili dogs like the apocalypse is upon us, I am always confused. He looks much more in shape on the field. Those compression shorts work wonders.

Fans, no matter how much these guys appreciate our support, most of them will never even know who we are. Do you think Tashard Choice would ever show up during your shift at Spencer's Gifts wearing your namebadge just because he likes the store? Even if deep down he wanted you to be employee of the month, the answer is probably no. And that is okay. You have a great job, and a nice life. More than likely, there is someone out there who would trade places with you in a heartbeat. Does that mean they should give up their identity for yours rather than making it work on their own? There are people who do this, and the majority of them are in jail. Why should this behavior be acceptable for athletes? It takes a degree of self esteem to root for Tech, and you should be proud enough of who you are and what you've accomplished not to have to pretend to be someone you are not. So the next time an athlete gives you his autograph, show your self pride and go ahead and hand him yours.

Thanks to Dr. Z for getting me so fired up about this issue and for helping with the post. -yb

Tailgating 101

2005-12-20T04:41:00.000-05:00

I know it is a bit early to start talking about next year's football season, but some of my friends and I thought it would be important to offer instructional help on one of the most important aspects of football season, tailgating. I spoke earlier about stealing tailgate spots, but my friend whiskeyjacket has comprised a set of guidelines to which all Jacket fans should take heed when planning next year's pregame parties. Next year we have some big games at home and away games at some of the best locations (i.e. Clemson), so we as a fan base really need to make sure we do it up right. Enjoy, but take notes if you need to. -yb

Tailgating 101

The following is in my opinion how to perform a proper southern tailgate. Let me first say that a tailgate is a living thing, it is constantly changing and adapting to what you have seen and what has been done before and worked for you. In any case, there are several important things that must be included in any good tailgate:

1. Necessities: In my opinion, there are things which must be included in every tailgate. They include but are not limited to: a grill, a tent, coolers, tables, chairs, a stereo, and a flagpole.

2. People: Your personal preference will entirely dictate the number of people you wish to include. A more organized tailgate normally has fewer people. I have struggled finding the right number of people to make the tailgate organized and efficient. It seems our tailgates always attract more people than we expect (I suppose this has something to do with having been in a fraternity). Some people will say the more people the merry, but you can still have a great time and experience with a smaller number of friends. In either case, bring as many folding chairs as you can, you should always be able to fill them. Tailgating is a great way to mingle with old friends and to make new ones. Our group sets up shop next to another group of friends and it is always good to talk to people you don't see often.

3. Location: Location is key to any good tailgate. You must choose a spot where you can see and be seen. The more people that walk by, the better. The more people that look in awe at your tailgate, the better. It is also important to tailgate close to other fellow fans, especially at road games. I personally do not enjoy the anxiety of tailgating solely amongst rival fans, as the tension in the air supersedes my ability to have a great experience, which is what it is all about. You should include a tent in your tailgating if you have the room. It gives your tailgate a focal point, and a place for people to gather out of the elements.

4. Food: There are many choices when it comes to food at a tailgate. You don't want to get stuck doing the same thing for every tailgate, and you want something that is both appropriate and enjoyable. For instance, chili is a great tailgate choice, it can be made the night before and heated easily, but it should not be brought to your tailgate in August or September. It will be enjoyed much more when the weather is cold. Look for other things besides hamburgers and hot dogs. Although this is a good choice occasionally, it is pretty standard and your "ideal" tailgate is better than standard. There are plenty of options out there, including beer-can chicken, brats, shrimp, and ribs. If anyone you know has a turkey fryer and knows how to use it, this is an excellent choice for tailgating. you can prepare a myriad of foods quickly and easily. There are plenty of books and websites devoted to recipes. If you don't feel like preparing food at every tailgate you've still got some good options. A tray from subway or blimpie will do fine, as will fried chicken. [Note from Yellowblazer's fiancee Elizabeth: unless a hurricane destroys your house the night before the game, buying the main course for a tailgate from a fast-food restaurant should be seen as a last resort. Good tailgates require prior planning and nothing says "thrown together" like a sandwich tray or a chicken tenders platter. If this does become your main course, it then becomes necessary to bring dishes from home and take the food out of the store provided container to at least make it look presentable. It also helps if you triple the amount of homemade side dishes and desserts. If you and your tailgating friends cannot plan a tailgate far enough in advance to allow time to make homecooked food, your tailgate will probably be lacking in other areas besides the meal.] Another important part of the food for a Saturday soiree is the side dishes. You don't want to be stuck offering only meats and their accompanying buns to your participants. Any number of sides will work for a tailgate, you should just be creative. One thing that I have found goes over well is having a theme to your tailgate's food offerings. for instance, when playing Virginia Tech, why not fry a turkey (hokie = castrated turkey). Some themes are easier to come up with (Hurricane Party) than others (what do you do for Wake Forest?) but if the core group of your tailgate participants will sit down and brainstorm, it is not normally hard (especially if you also invite at least one woman) to come up with a main course, a featured beverage, and a few key side dishes. Be creative with your side dishes, as they can make or break the meal. Anything you prepare the night before can be re-heated on a grill. I think it is very important not to try something for the first time at a tailgate. Chances are you will be feeding too many people for there to be any room for error. It is also important to bring more food than you think you will use. Leftovers always find their way to unanticipated tailgate friends and family. Don't forget to bring the tables, plates, napkins, condiments, and utensils. [Note from Elizabeth: Try and make this stuff conform to the white and yellow color scheme if possible.] If people at your tailgate start eating potato salad with their hands, things will get messy.

5. Drinks: Your tailgating drinks can be included in your theme (i.e. hurricanes when we play Miami or devil's punch when Duke rolls in to town). This, along with changing the food will keep up the excitement week in and week out for those members of your group that may enjoy feeding people more than seeing them play football (women). Other than that, the standard drink offerings at my tailgates are bourbon and beer.

6. Attire: this is often overlooked by most tailgating groups, but it is a good way to distinguish yourself as a superior clan. Everyone must wear their team's colors, not the accent colors like navy that might be easier to wear. There not much difference between "old gold" and yellow, and most true fans will appreciate it if you go the extra mile and sport the "old gold" instead of "citron". That being said, all yellows are better than no yellow at a GT game. Jerseys are never acceptable to wear to a tailgate and football game. You are not in elementary school and you do not go to Miami or Southern Cal. Those are not southern schools, so act like a gentleman and dress accordingly. The ideal outfit includes khakis and team-colored polo style shirt for men. Women can get away with most anything and most women will conform their level of dressiness to that of their male counterpart, so guys, the onus is on you. [YB's note: The one thing we see over and over again is women trying to pass off colors other than gold and yellow as team colors. Ladies, beige is not a team color. Sandstone is not acceptable on the Flats. Blue might bring out your eyes but we are not from North Carolina. Fellas, let your lady friend go out and splurge on a few crucial yellow or gold pieces for the game. It will be well worth it in the long run.] The older you are, the more important this rule becomes. There is nothing worse than a 60 year old, well respected alumnus who shows up wearing a fanny pack and tevas. If you have children, dress them in the team's colors. If you have a dog, do not put a shirt on him, never do that. Ever.

7. Other Things: A flagpole is a great way to demand respect from all who pass by. A telescoping flagpole can hold several flags, and can easily pack in the trunk of a car. Upon this flagpole you must fly your teams flags, that is not an option. A stereo is important to listen to pre-game analysis, other games that may be going on, or music. The music should be proper southern tailgating music including The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alabama, and any other southern rock or manly country (that means no Keith Urban or Rascal Flatts) bands of which you are aware. Jerry Reed's "Amos Moses" is a classic and all who are not aware of this fine song should immediately purchase "The Essential Jerry Reed", a great album. Your discussion at your tailgate is entirely up to you, but should always include your own analysis of the teams playing and your team's chances. You may and should revert to discussing the old glory days often. Again, it is important to change your tailgate from week to week. If you tried a new food that didn't work out, learn from your mistake. It is also important to include as many people as will commit in the planning of a tailgate so that they can help cover some of the costs and provide ideas. This will also keep you from forgetting anything important. If you want to have a proper southern tailgate, follow some of my advice. If you want to have a proper miami hurricane tailgate do the following: wear a jersey, jean shorts, and sketchers with your black socks pulled up as high as they'll go, listen to marc anthony, gel your hair, drink your coronas (they are for the beach, not tailgating), eat your fish tacos, grow out a nasty moustache, and talk down to women.
-whiskeyjacket

Reggie Bush to Go Pro?

2005-12-19T13:49:00.000-05:00

I don't think this should really surprise anyone, but according to this ESPN article, Reggie Bush will more than likely enter into the draft this year. While this doesn't particularly affect me, I am happy because hopefully USC will be able to play like a normal team next year and maybe, dare I say it, lose a few games. I know people, it happens. This will finally knock the PAC-10 off of their high horse for a couple of years. Does anyone care about west coast football anyway? It is like watching an NBA game, no team defense, just a bunch of one on one matchups. With USC back to winning, say only 9 or 10 games a year, maybe the rest of the PAC 10 will have a little less room on those coattails to ride and maybe they might even fall off and come to grips with reality. The PAC 10 is just not that good. USC might have been keeping them respectable these last few years, and they do have a bunch of exciting players to watch, but in regards to the teams, there is just something missing.

When your best team can't even sell out their stadium week in and week out and your next best two teams wear powder blue and yellow and green in the worst combination humans could have possibly come up with, you have a problem. Did anyone else watch that College Gameday from the USC-UCLA game? Did anyone else get the feeling that those fans had probably just come straight from a rave and figured, "hey what the heck, we're number one, might as well try and get on tv." Could the PAC 10 even fill an 11 man defensive all star team? There are definite issues with PAC 10 football and this string of Southern Cal dominance has covered them up from the light of public exposure for too long. Congratulations to Reggie Bush, and here's hoping that USC comes down to earth just long enough for the PAC 10 and the rest of the interested world to see west coast football in its true light. -yb

ACC Bowl-a-rama Continues

2005-12-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

First of all, let me say congratulations to the winner of the Caption Contest, Jeff Foxworthy. On a personal note, let me also say that I loved you in Blue Collar Comedy Tour. You rule.

The bowl season is upon us, but there are still ramifications from this year's bowls that should have effects into next year. First, the ACC further clarified how the selection of this year's bowl participants happened. If you have not read the article on the AJC by Tony Barnhart, here it is. Most of my rancor in my last couple of pieces about this bowl situation has been directed against the Music City Bowl, but now, as my friend Jack has said from the beginning, I am convinced that the Charlotte Oil Change Bowl is at fault. Last year they had to be forced to take Boston College and this year they blatantly went after a team other than the two that deserved it just so their pathetic little regional bowl will not fall away from the earth.

"To me, that was the biggest fallacy of the whole process," Georgia Tech athletics director Dave Braine said. "That bowl is run by Raycom, and Raycom is a partner with the ACC. But as a partner, they pass over two 5-3 teams to take a 3-5 team. That is not what a good partner does."
The Meineke Bowl defended its decision on economics, and executive director Will Webb told reporters the game would always prefer an ACC team from Virginia or the Carolinas.
The ACC has expressed concerns that the Meineke Bowl is becoming a regional bowl and not one that serves the entire conference.
"That is a conversation we will have to have," Swofford said.

Conversation you will have to have, Mr. Swofford? It sounds like this bowl was created specifically with the ACC in mind, wouldn't they be bending over backwards to make sure we don't pull out of this bowl? We have these guys at our mercy! These are the bad guys who screwed this whole thing up and we need to stick it to them in the renegotation. That is, of course, unless they think that a matchup between the Big East #2 and say, Conference USA would be more appealing to them.

One other thing I loved about this article was how stupid the Music City Bowl looked for picking UVA over GT. UVA promised to blanket Nashville in Orange and Blue and now it looks like Georgia Tech will probably donate more tickets to Bay Area charities than the Wahoos will bring to the Music City. MCB Director Scott Ramsey said, "when you have a team on the other side who is only going to bring 3,000 people [Minnesota], you have to do something." Talk about all time backfires. Right now it looks like UVA will bring just over 5,000 people to your game, Scott, bringing the grand total to right around 8,000. Bet that should be a rip-roaring time. It must have made so much since at the time to pass over a team four hours away with a much more fired up fanbase in favor of a team almost 10 hours over the Blue Ridge who just squeaked into the ranks of the bowl eligible. Chump.

Thanks to Jack for sending me another article about UVA and the stench surrounding the MCB snub. It is also a good insight into the mindsight of these boys from the Land of Jefferson. I have already ranted at length about this topic and I am about out of venom, but it does feel good to see this decision bite these guys so severly in the backside. Definitely recommended reading. -yb

SEC Basketball - Can We Get Some Respect?

2005-12-18T05:56:00.000-05:00

I just got back today (early Sunday morning for you folks on the East Coast) from my last mission in Mosul. I am almost out of here and I cannot wait to get back. I will have something more for tomorrow, but hopefully the following article will satisfy your Sunday college sports fix. This article is by YBW guest contributor and resident Auburn/SEC fan, Dr. Z. You may remember him from that article on Hating Notre Dame. Enjoy. -yb

PS - Thanks to Dan, Nathan, and Goldtimer at What's the Good Word?, Golden Tornado, and Wreck Ramblin for the promos for this site on their blogs. There are not too many of us GT sports bloggers and I am glad they saw fit to welcome one more into their ranks. If you haven't checked out their sites, I highly recommend you do. Thanks again guys.

SEC Basketball - Can We Get Some Respect?
College football season is almost over and basketball is now upon us. It’s early, but I have already found myself on the defensive pertaining to an issue that confuses me on a yearly basis. Why doesn’t the SEC get any basketball respect?

The ACC is the king of college basketball. Statistically, the Big Ten is a close second (although recently fading). Take out the John Wooden UCLA years which were an anomaly (no single school should represent and entire conference) and the PAC-10 isn’t even a factor. So which conference is number three? Talk to anyone in a bar or on the streets, and the knee jerk reaction is to say the Big East. Somehow they have accumulated a metric ass-load of street credit without producing corresponding results.

This gross error in the loose conference ranking system can only be corrected with cold hard facts. Just as the ACC has started to separate themselves from the competition over the last several years, the SEC has closed the gap. One thing that isn’t debatable is the fact that the SEC has solidified its place as one of the top three basketball conferences in the NCAA, consistent wit their place in all-time history. The separation between third and fourth place in this topic of water-cooler conversation is so vast that it would take years of Big East dominance and SEC ineptitude to change the rankings. In fact, the odds are greater that the SEC would improve its position before it ever declines. Note to the Big Ten….watch your back.

Conference NCAA Tournament Stats	ACC	Big Ten	SEC	Big East
Champions (Last 20 Years)	7	3	3	3
Champions (All-Time)	10	10	8	5
Final Four Appearances (Last 20 Years)	19	15	13	7
Final Four Appearances (All-Time)	41	40	26	21

-Dr. Z
(Guest YBW Contributor and Token Non-GT Fan brought in to keep YBW from turning into a GT love-fest blog)

Caption Contest

2005-12-16T14:31:00.000-05:00

This was taken by D.C. Bureau Chief Jack Cutts. Click on picture for larger view. Let the captions flow like a mountain stream. Winner will be decided Sunday. -yb

Georgia Tech to SEC?

2005-12-16T14:23:00.000-05:00

As some of you may or may not know, I am eight hours ahead of the East Coast so it is time for me to go to bed. This whole war thing will have me out of the loop tomorrow, so I wanted to put up some topics that should inspire audience participation.

Should Georgia Tech join the SEC? The debate has heated up again ever since we got the royal screw from the bowls this year. Some say yes, we were a founding member, our traditional rivalries are with SEC schools, the UGA game would mean more, etc. Some say no, our values are not consistent with the SEC anymore, they don't have the same emphasis on actually educating players, etc. What do you think? Audience participation encouraged...
-yb

This is Not a Fix

2005-12-16T05:54:00.000-05:00

So maybe I am not getting this, but I don't see how this helps us. The ACC has just announced that the selection for bowls next year is "new and improved". After reading his own description on the AJC, I don't see how ACC Commissioner John Swofford has helped anything. The Music City (Nashville), Emerald (San Francisco), and Car Care (Charlotte) will pick fifth, sixth, and seventh on a rotating basis. Seems like the only difference is the rotating basis part.

Maybe I am missing it, but I still don't see anything about teams finishing at a certain position being tied into certain bowls. I don't see anything here that prevents the Tangerine (Champs Sports) Bowl from picking a team ranked behind us that might bring more fans, like say FSU, and relegating us to San Francisco again. If Car Care or Music City picked ahead of Emerald, as evidenced by this year, there is no guarantee they would pick us. If Emerald picked ahead of the other two, they would more than likely jump at the chance to get a nationally recognized school like ours to increase the national awareness of their bowl.

What I do see is a system where "the Charlotte, Nashville and San Francisco bowls will tell the ACC which teams they want, the schools will tell the ACC which bowls they want, and ACC commissioner John Swofford and assistant commissioner Mike Finn will "go in a smoke-filled room" and make the final decisions." Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't it these sort of smoke-filled room sort of decisions that got GT sent out west in the first place?

This is not a fix to the bowl woes of the ACC. I realize that we are new to big time football, but this seems like painting over a rusty car. Until we get a system in place with some transperancy and the bowl bids go to the teams that earned it on the field, we will always have controversy. This year it was Boston College and Georgia Tech. Who is going to get the shaft by this system next year?

What I still don't understand is why we even have a tie-in with Boise anyway! It seems that if the ACC cannot guarantee that schools with better records will not get snubbed in favor of schools with larger regional fan bases, the only fix would be to move all of our bowl games to this region! How about even this side of the country! I am all about having a matchup with the PAC-10, but where is our matchup with the Big-10? Why is there no bowl game in the D.C. area? Or New York City? Why do we only have one non-BCS bowl after New Year's Day? Why are the majority of our bowls paying the bare minimum to their participants? Why do we have a matchup with the WAC? Even Conference-USA would be better, at least they are on our side of the world. These are the sorts of issues that need to be resolved if we are ever going to fix the ACC's bowl situation, not more wish lists and smoke-filled rooms.
-yb

Rest in Peace, Peach Bowl

2005-12-16T05:23:00.000-05:00

So this trend wherein bowl games drop their traditional titles like Peach or Tangerine or whatever and call themselves solely by the name of their sponsor is the biggest issue I have with college football. Forget the BCS or a playoff or even how Greg Blue gets away with murder on the field. I am old for my 24 years and it is one of my biggest pet peaves when tradition is trampled in favor of commerce.

For those who are unaware, in return for more money, the Peach Bowl, held in Atlanta every year, will drop Peach from its title in favor of the Chic-Fil-A Bowl. In return for throwing a good bowl name to the wayside, the bowl formerly known as Peach will now be the second highest paying non-BCS bowl. This seems like a battle with the Capital One Bowl to see who will be the next BCS bowl if the BCS ever goes to a plus one system to decide the national champion.

I am no socialist and appreciate a market economy as much as the next man, but what was it about the word "Peach" that was holding this bowl back? Do you think anyone but sportswriters are going to call this bowl the Chic-Fil-A Bowl? It is too hard to say! As an Atlanta company, I have always respected Chic-Fil-A, but this move is ridiculous. If bowls like Rose, Fiesta, Orange, and Sugar can have the traditional name coexist with the sponsors name, why not Peach?! It makes the bowl seem chumpish and I don't care how much the payout is, noone is going to get fired up about a bowl with a chumpish name. It just makes the bowl seem like it is on a lower class than those bowls with traditional names like Liberty, Independence, Gator, etc. I cannot believe some compromise could not be worked out. Atlanta is the capitol of the South and had a bowl with a cool name, are we supposed to forget all that and move forward in the name of capitalism!?

If there was any change I wanted to see made to the Peach Bowl, it was to move it to after the New Year. If after ruining the name of this once proud bowl, the powers that be do not change the date and up the prestige of the teams playing in it, I think the college football world would view recent events as a needless grab for more money that backfired horribly.
-yb

SI.com Gives GT Praise for 2005 Football Schedule

2005-12-16T05:13:00.000-05:00

In his column, college football analyst discussed the weakness of certain BCS conference teams' schedules. He also put together a scheduling honor roll for teams that scheduled no D1-AA teams and multiple BCS teams. He further praised Tech with the following statement: "Only 11 of the 66 schools made the honor roll (zero I-AA non-conference foes, at least two BCS opponents). Granted -- and this is not a minor point -- some conferences (ACC) have tougher intraconference games than others (Big East). Nobody's asking you to be Georgia Tech (nonconference games with Auburn and Georgia). Just don't be Texas Tech (non-conference games with Sam Houston State and Indiana State)." Nice pat on the back from the national media. Great season this year, guys. Here is the link if you are interested in the whole story. The part I am referring to is on page two.
-yb

To those Ping Pongs who took our spot, you know who you are...

2005-12-15T18:35:00.000-05:00

Look, I think we all understand your desire to have a keg while pregaming, but your presence in my tailgating area screwed the whole thing up. For the first half of the season, you were content to pregame in your fraternity house and the tailgating world near the Rusty "C" was in balance. There was room for everyone who wanted to tailgate along 5th Street. But then, halfway through last season, you decided all of a sudden that you wanted to take up space along my street. You live on campus so you get out there the night before and screw up the whole order of things. You brought like two people to your tailgate, most of the people there were just filling up their beer glass and walking back over to your house. What a waste.

As a former fraternity member, I appreciate the fact that at a certain point, pregaming in the house gets a bit old. Also, I further understand that the law against public alcohol containers in student housing also puts a damper on things. But you need to understand how important tailgating is to those of us who are not currently in school. We have no home on campus anymore, that piece of grass we occupy 6 Saturdays a year is the closest thing. Most tailgaters go to the same spot every week and generally these spots are allocated during the tailgate for the first home game. As you can imagine, some of us are very territorial when it comes to our spot. You already have a home on campus. Please leave us with ours.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am not mad that you got out there earlier and ruined everyones tailgate. That shows an initiative for which you should be commended. But likewise you cannot expect us who have worked so hard to finally get a spot we can call our own to sit idly by while you trample on everything we hold dear, take up valuable real estate, and ruin the natural order of things just so you and your three friends Lewis, Lamar, and Booger can circumvent the campus alcohol policy!

Luckily for you, I was deployed to Iraq all year and could only listen in horror as my friends recounted tales of your egregious violations of tailgate etiquette. But next season I will be there, my friends, fresh from a year of bringing democracy to the Middle East. I will be ready to defend my tailgating spot as ably as I defended your freedom all this past year. You are Georgia Tech students, so you are undoubtably smart. Unless you enjoy fighting battles you cannot possibly win, stay on your side of the street. Stay in your house, the grass along 5th Street by the Rusty C is our house. You have been warned.
-yb

Portrait of a Superfan, Part 3

2005-12-15T09:32:00.000-05:00

We have been examining some of the characteristics of the Georgia Tech Superfan, and have looked at dress and habits. Today we will look at the habitat and other distinctive features of the Superfan.

Habitat

There are two primary locations where superfans generally live: in the Atlanta area and not in the Atlanta area. Superfans live in the Atlanta area for obvious reasons. Georgia Tech fans live all over the world, but those living outside of the Atlanta area generally have left the majority of their fan friends in Atlanta and are generally alone in their celebration of Georgia Tech athletics. This works together with the nostalgia that all fans feel to create the superfan.
In any environment, especially environments where the population has been put together with people from across the country and from different backgrounds, especially collegiate background, there is a need to be overly supportive of the college you attended. Superfans will generally have some piece of GT paraphanelia somewhere in their office space displayed as one would a picture of a spouse or children.

Distinctive Features

Whenever GT plays the team of a coworker, the superfan begins the trash talk at least one week before the game takes place, longer in the case of a rival or nearby school such as Clemson, Auburn, or Georgia. In the case of a victory over a coworker's school, trashtalking will continue for at least a week. In the case of a loss, complaining about referee bias or ineptitude will be heard for up to a week. Commenting on the lack of moral fiber, dedication to academics, or general thuggishness of an opponents players is also fairly common. Trashtalking to Georgia fans in the workplace is acceptable and commonplace for 11 months of the year, 12 in the case of a victory over leghumpers. In the case of a victory for Hooch Nation, however unlikely, the month of December is reserved for unbridled anger, inward reflection, and the development of new material for the next 11 months. This is the hibernation period for the superfan.
During sports seasons, especially in the fall, the best place to spot a Superfan is on the campus of Ma Tech. Superfans come out early, usually 8-12 hours before game time to begin tailgating. The only exception is if a Superfan has a mate. This will delay the arrival of the superfan to approximately 15 seconds before the game begins. The superfan will make all sorts of excuses for their tardiness to their fellow fans, always maintaining tactful regard for the mate in tow.
At some point during the game, usually the middle of the third quarter, the superfan will make some sort of careless remark to which his mate will take offense. At this point our specimen will have a choice to make: does he console his mate and apologize for stating what he has been thinking ever since 7 in the morning when he wanted to be at the tailgate but couldn't because his mate had to take an hour and forty five minutes to get ready and "didn't see why we had to be there so early.", or does he run with his statement and put off apologizing until the next day?

What would you do? Are you a Superfan?

-yb

Tickets to the Emerald Bowl

2005-12-14T18:30:00.000-05:00

The program to donate GT Emerald Bowl tickets to the military and sponsored charities has really taken off. Georgia Tech has already sold out of its allotment of 40 dollar tickets and is working on its 50 dollar ones. This is a great program and is awesome publicity for GT. This will make every bowl that passed us over wish they had thought twice. If you wish to participate, here is the link.
-yb

Wahoo Wha?!?!

2005-12-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

So the ACC.com is reporting that since it looks like UVA will not be able to sell its allotment for the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Wahoo fans can buy tickets and donate them to the military. As a member of the Army who lives in the Nashville area, let me express my personal disgust with this information. First, UVA weasels its way into a bowl that should have been the greatest coming home from Iraq present a Jacket fan could dream of and now you are telling me that since they cannot sell out the tickets they promised to sell, you want to give me a ticket for free?! Georgia Tech is donating tons of tickets to service members in the San Francisco area. UVA got into this bowl because they promised to bring more fans from the Piedmont than we could bring from Atlanta. If the Music City Bowl had not been so stupid as to believe this garbage, I could be celebrating my return from a war zone in style. Even if GT had not been able to sell out its allotment, (highly doubtful given the pre-MCB hype) a program like the one now in effect for the soldiers of the Bay Area in the Nashville Area would have at least given me a free ticket! Now they kick my team out of a bowl they deserved more, fail to live up to their promises, steal an idea for donating tickets from my Jackets, and then expect me to gratefully accept their charity and wear Wahoo orange while I'm at it? Give me a break. If UVA was going to welch on its promise to a bowl they might as well have done it in San Francisco.
-yb

Georgia Tech on SI.com

2005-12-14T09:30:00.000-05:00

Link

Note the guy wiith the laptop in the foreground. I know its not the best thing for our national image, but publicity is publicity. Whats funnier is that when I saved it off of the webpage, the default file name was "nerd". Nice to know how the rest of the world sees us. Thanks to CPT Zais for the link. -yb

Portrait of a Superfan, Part 2

2005-12-14T08:17:00.000-05:00

Today we will look at another aspect of the Georgia Tech Superfan. Yesterday we discussed the plumage and markings of Superfans that help us identify them. Today we will discuss another important factor for identifying Superfans, their habits.

Habits

The habits of these special creatures are the sum of their background up to the point of becoming a superfan. Most superfans are out of college, normally in their late twenties and early thirties. Since most Georgia Tech fans are either graduates, relatives of graduates, or unlike our neighbor to the northeast, literate, this focuses the population of Superfans in the aforementioned age range. That is not to say there are not older superfans, but being a true superfan also normally requires a lack of any true responsibility in the non-Georgia Tech sports related world.
Most superfans were not the coolest kids in high school so their time at Georgia Tech, while difficult, was undoubtedbly the most fun they have had in their lives up to this point. This experience created a strong link between that leads to severe nostalgia once the euphoria of graduating/dropping out has worn off. This nostalgia, coupled with a job in middle management that allows for lots of free time with internet access at the office, fosters an insatiable appetite for anything related to Georgia Tech on the internet. They know every high school player we are recruiting, every possible coaching change. During the seasons of major Tech sports they are feasting off every word of every article about GT. But then there are the hungry times, most notably most of the month of December, when there is very little happening in college sports and they must rely on the stored fat from the previous season. Superfans are especially drawn to stories of Georgia Tech's glory days. One mention of Georgia Tech during the Heisman Trophy presentation can normally feed a Superfan for a week.
Most groups of GT alumni friends only have one or maybe two superfans. This is because there is normally only one or two guys in a group of friends that got that ridiculous, "Office Space"ish job where nothing actually takes place. Normally the role of the superfan in this group is to attempt to fire his group or tribe up about the most miniscule piece of Georgia Tech sports information that is probably just a rumor anyway. When the response to his calls for enthusiasm is not deemed sufficient, the superfan will send out a group email, normally after reading some feel-good piece about GT football under Dodd, and scold his flock about their lack of dedication and demand that they commit their lives to the Golden Tornado. While this is normally met with only transitory acclamation from the rest of the tribe, even this flash of enthusiasm by the rest of his clan will help make the Superfan feel more at ease and assuage those feelings that "maybe he is taking this stuff a little to seriously."

There are of course other habits, but most of them revolve around other attributes and will be discussed in later editions. Please join us tomorrow when we will talk about the habitats of these prized creatures.

-yb

Portrait of a Superfan

2005-12-13T15:16:00.000-05:00

There has been much made on Georgia Tech websites such as The Hive about the nature and quality of our fans. Some people say our fans are too whiny, they aren't loud enough, they don't wear enough gold, or they just don't plain show up. Well my friends, I have in my Georgia Tech experience come across several people who have devoted their lives to Georgia Tech athletics. They are called Superfans.

Some of you may be asking yourself, "what is a superfan?" Well, for the next couple of days, this column will point out several of the key characteristics of the superfan so that you may recognize them when you cross paths and furthermore thank/congratulate them for their loyalty and spirit.

Portrait of a Superfan, Part 1

Dress: This is normally the easiest way to spot a Superfan. Superfans always stress the importance of gold or yellow in one's gameday attire, even though it is the hardest color to match with anything. White is too neutral and too many teams use it. Navy blue is a good accent color but it tends to take over an outfit. "It is not one of our colors", they will say. This brings up a good point and another good technique for spotting superfans, their habit of critiquing the way people dressed for the game. Their comments normally revolve around the wear of jeans or jean shorts and/or the absence of yellow from another fan's gameday getup. They are normally dressed in business casual for games, however, certain games might warrant the addition of needless accessories, such as a bow tie, suspenders, or seersucker pants. Superfans will always stick with an outfit regardless of the environmental conditions of the game: wearing a three piece yellow suit in 90 degree weather, no problem. Since he already bleeds gold, the superfan assumes that he also sweats white and/or gold as well. Also note that in the world of the superfan, traditional rules of when it is acceptable to wear different types of clothing do not apply. Yellow seersucker suit to a game in early November? No faux pas there for the superfan. One final and crucial piece of the superfan's attire is that his outfit must have the stains or still be wet from spilling some type of beer or whiskey on himself while tailgating. Pouring alcohol on himself to demand respect from fans of the opposing team is also fairly commonplace.

I hope this was fairly helpful. Some of you may already know several Georgia Tech Superfans based on this description. Please join us tomorrow when we will look at a new and exciting characteristic of the Superfan.

-yb

I wish I was a baller...

2005-12-12T17:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I am 24 years old and suck at team sports, especially basketball. There it is. There is no way to disguise it, no way to ignore it, and seemingly no way to improve it. I played soccer two seasons a year from about 2nd to 8th grade, but by then I had sufficiently demonstrated my lack of hand-eye-foot coordination and so it became necessary to concentrate on sports that rely more on individual effort, like cross-country. The problem with that whole individual effort thing is that it requires physical ability, and I fall short there, too. So you see the rut I am in.

I am in the Army now and the problem with the army is that everyone in the army assumes you have some background in team sports. Don't get me wrong, I love to play sports, I am just awful. The other night we played basketball and it became clear to me that my deep, dark secret had become known in this new group, too. I touched the ball three times, all by accident, and I did absolutely nothing with it each time. I was an embarassment. And you cannot explain away missing an easy layup all alone in the paint by saying, "but I was on public access tv every monday night for two years for high school brain bowl." No amount of knowledge of the Seminole Indians will make up for the inability to make a free throw when it counts.

I hate the fact that I know every major player in the Civil War and cannot make a layup in traffic. I hate the fact that the only position my college fraternity would let me play in softball was catcher, because this was presumably where I could do the least amount of damage. I cannot change what I am, I can only hope my teammates will forgive my ineptitude in this one, crucial area of my life. Luckily the woman to whom I am getting married has brothers and uncles that are way over six feet tall and seem to be fairly athletic, so there is hope for future generations.

The problem with sucking at sports is that since you suck, you never get the ball because you are a detriment to your team's chances of success and the best thing that you can do is pretend you are part of the court. But since you never get the chance to do anything, when those rare opportunities occur that fate decides to put you in the spotlight, you always blow it because you didn't even get to shoot around when everyone else was warming up before the game. It is a vicious cycle. I guess the only way to break a 24 year slump is to shoot through it. So pass me the rock, I got the hot hand.
-yb

Ten Reasons to Hate Notre Dame

2005-12-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

This is by Mark Zais, a guest YBW contributor, enjoy.
-yb

Notre Dame is the devil. I know that it sounds harsh, but there are some of us who believe that Notre Dame signifies everything that is wrong about college football…big money, media bias, and the BCS system.

For years, football fans have been forced to hear about the rich tradition of Notre Dame and made to feel guilty for finding reasons not to like the Fighting Irish. From the constant barrage of praise and adoration given by the media and their fans, one almost feels blasphemous or sacrilegious in rooting against them. Listed below are some of the top reasons why I believe that Notre Dame football is undeserving of its sanctimonious status and should be exposed as what they really are….nothing more than an elitist football factory that is far from the image of football purity and righteousness they try to project. (These ten are in no particular order…bad is bad)

1. NBC. I am tired of hearing about the “obstacles” Notre Dame has with recruiting due to their high admissions and academic standards (I will specifically address those standards later as they are an issue unto themselves). If they hadn’t already, Notre Dame established itself as a full-fledged football factory when they signed the contract to air all their home games on NBC despite the opponent. By prostituting themselves to football and subjecting the public to perennial matchups against the likes of Navy and Stanford, Notre Dame secured its elitist image and largest recruiting base of any school. It’s not out of jealously that I find this disturbing but more because when hard times hit Notre Dame, they immediately point to their insurmountable recruiting obstacles. Give me a break. I don’t blame other schools for being jealous ,though; there is a distinct disadvantage when one school rakes in millions and millions of guaranteed dollars each year no matter how good or bad they are. For everyone else, gaining more money is performance based and means making it to a good bowl game. Plus, Notre Dame rakes in bowl money and doesn’t have to share it with other conference members…but that will be discussed later also. Probably the most glaring and insulting display of arrogance between NBC and Notre Dame is presented in the telecasts themselves. Should you by chance be forced to watch NBC because your favorite team is playing Notre Dame or you simply hate them enough to watch and hope for their defeat, NBC goes ahead and makes the assumption that we aren’t interested in any other games across the country. While every other telecast has frequent updates or a scoreboard streamer at the bottom of the screen, NBC entices viewers with one or two random score updates in a 3 hour period. Why would you care about what any other teams are doing when you are watching Notre Dame?

2. Lou Holtz. I have nothing against the man personally. In fact, I think he would be an interesting guy to sit and talk to at a bar. I also like his quotes, motivation techniques, and ability to always paint a dire scenario of impending defeat whether he is playing USC or Toledo. That doesn’t mean I would invite him to be a guest speaker at an ethics conference. The reason Lou Holtz is on my list is because his tenure at Notre Dame symbolizes the nationwide bias towards the success and sanctimony of Notre Dame. History shows us that throughout Lou Holtz’s career he has left a wake of scandal and probation, always managing to get out of dodge one step ahead of sanctions hitting his school. Every school that has had Lou Holtz as a head coach (NC State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Notre Dame, and South Carolina) has been hit with probation in sequence with his departure. A common theme in the probation verbage has been that his programs have a “lack of institutional control”. The poignant issue that I have with all these sanctions is that of all the Lou Holtz schools found to have violated NCAA rules only one was subsequently given an “informal probation”, hence giving them the right to address the issues internally. Which school was that?...that’s right, Notre Dame! How convenient. If anyone believes that Lou Holtz sandwiched a spell of integrity at Notre Dame with a career of cheating, they are either ignorant or a Notre Dame fan. A book, “Under the Tarnished Dome”, has even been written about this period of Notre Dame tradition, which includes one National Championship. In this book, the authors and ex-players make allegations of prevalent steroid use and illegal loans to players. Oh, how pure Notre dame is. There is no difference between Notre Dame and any other football factory, to include Florida State, Oklahoma, USC, or Texas. The only difference is that fraudulent Notre Dame portrays itself as being above the fray. Thank you Lou Holtz for showing us the light.

3. Touchdown Jesus. Nothing highlights the arrogance of Notre Dame football more than Touchdown Jesus. Relishing an image of Jesus overlooking the football stadium is synonymous to the whole football team kneeling in prayer in the end zone and thanking God for allowing them to score a touchdown. Only Notre Dame fans could think that with all the suffering and atrocities in the world, Jesus cares whether or not Notre Dame wins. It is because of this type of blasphemous arrogance that more Notre Dame fans pray for victory than any one else.

4. Academic Standards. I am tired of having Notre Dame’s academic standards shoved down my throat. Notre Dame’s academic standards are used as excuses for their poor performance and as an example of their “purity” in relation to other programs. I don’t buy it for one second. Notre Dame is like any other school….if you’re good enough to help the team, you’re good enough for Notre Dame. Let me rewind back to the days of my man Lou Holtz who said his biggest recruiting regret was not being able to land Randy Moss who chose Florida State instead of Notre Dame. Lou said Moss was the best high school player he has ever seen. Randy Moss was accepted to Notre Dame and it wasn’t due to his sparkling academic record or his admirable high school arrest record. I have no doubt that had he been hurdling defensive backs while wearing the gold helmet, he would have managed to pass his classes. Just as recently as three years ago, the battle for arguably the best high school player in the country, Lorenzo Booker, once again came down to Notre Dame and Florida State. (He chose Florida State). My point is that the Notre Dames and Florida States of the football world are fishing from the same pond and keeping any big fish they catch. As an exclamation point, the list of academic heavyweights that played for Notre Dame include the likes of Tony Rice, Chris Zorich, Ron Powlus, Demetrious DuBose, Ricky Waters, and Jerome Bettis. I don’t think any of these guys were on their high school brain bowl team.

5a. Media Bias. The outright media bias due to an NBC contract has already been described and isn't even needed to substantiate this issue. Luckily there are standards barring pornographic material on TV or we would be subjected to more than the metaphoric blow jobs by network hosts and commentators. This gross bias extends all the way to the BCS selection committee...but we'll address that later. All the TV networks, most notably ESPN (and excluding NBC), seem to have a reel of Notre Dame montages and cover stories within a button push away. Once they string together three wins in a row, we are forced to watch piece after piece describing the resurgence of this "rich and proud program". The media trips all over other programs that do well while rushing to praise Notre Dame. One example is Alabama which had the same record as Notre Dame this year despite being 5-6 last year and having one of the hardest strengths of schedule in the nation (Notre Dame only beat 3 teams with winning records). How come Mike Shula didn't get any of the praise that Charlie Weis received? I wonder. This is a good segway to my next reason.

5b. Charlie Weiss. Charlie Weis...you are fat. Actually you are morbidly obese. I liked Tyrone Willingham, but for anti-domers like myself, the silver lining in his firing is that we no longer have to caveat our Notre Dame hate rhetoric with the phrase "but I wish Tyrone Willingham well because he seems like a good guy." I guess Notre Dame found the white man for the job….oops, I meant right man.

6. 1947: Army vs. Notre Dame. These two undefeated teams met head to head and ended their game in a 0-0 tie. As a result, Notre Dame was declared by the media voters as sole national champions. I present this as evidence of Notre Dame's "rich and proud" tradition of receiving media bias.

7. 1966: Notre Dame 9-0-1. Once again, Notre Dame raises the championship banner with a little help from the media. After tying Michigan State and finishing with a 9-0-1 record, Notre Dame declines all bowl offers, thus ending their season. Undefeated Alabama goes on the paste Nebraska 34-7 in the Sugar Bowl and finishes 11-0. The AP poll subsequently awards the national championship to Notre Dame. The bias and shameless glory continues.

8. Subway Alumni. These are the biggest bandwagon jumpers of all time. It takes courage to pick a perennial powerhouse like Notre Dame as your favorite team. No team has more fans with absolutely no connection to the school other than watching them on TV. Not surprisingly, atleast 75% of the Notre Dame subway alumni are also Yankees fans. The Notre Dame fan is like the guy who pretends to be your best friend until you hit hard times, then he becomes best friends with your buddy who won the lottery. Beware of the Notre Dame subway alumni, they are social leeches. The biggest percentages of subway alumni can be found in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Hey Tony, what about Rutgers? Oh yeah, they suck. I'm sure you'll be wearing scarlet if they ever make it to a BCS bowl.

While I'm at it, let's talk about the fans who like Notre Dame because they are Catholic. They are another species of the subway alumni. Once again, they make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their religion. If being Catholic is all it takes, how come you guys don't root for Boston College, Providence, or Xavier? Even if religion was an acceptable reason to root for a college football team, do you really think that even a quarter of the Notre Dame football players are Catholic? I'm sure Jerome Bettis envisioned blasting through a line of salivating Protestants as he nestled the cradled hopes of persecuted Catholics in his arm. Thank God (and Touchdown Jesus) for allowing our religion to win the national championship again!

9. Jeff Smardzija. Jeff, you need a haircut. If your hair extends beyond the base of your football helmet, it classifies as a mullet. The only exceptions to this rule are Samoans and dudes with dreadlocks.

10. BCS. I save the biggest injustice in college football for last. The BCS might as well publish a memo that states "We want Notre Dame to play in the BCS and will secure every means possible to make sure it happens." The current BCS contract essentially dictates that Notre Dame can play in a BCS game as long as they win 8 games. I thought the BCS was instituted in order to make a distinct and fair process for selecting the best teams for the best bowl games. This year Ohio State, Oregon, and Notre Dame finished fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. Naturally, the BCS bypassed the fifth ranked team for the sixth ranked team because Notre Dame was "contractually guaranteed" a spot and would make the bowl more money. Thank goodness for favorable contracts. It doesn't matter though, because even if Notre Dame was ranked seventh or eighth they would have been in. To add insult to prejudice, Notre Dame gets to keep the $14 million BCS money for itself. Ohio State (and Oregon had they not been robbed) has to share the money with all the other teams in their conference. No wonder Charlie Weis doesn't push for a playoff system. Don't worry though, all will be fixed next year with the BCS changes. Next year when Notre Dame is handed an undeserved BCS game, they will only be able to keep $4.5 million for themselves, the same as other BCS participants. Sounds fair right? Oh, I forget to mention that they agreed to this because the new contract also states that if they don't get into a BCS game (most likely because they are ranked 20 or lower) they still get an automatic $1.5 million. Just to appease the masses...and I guess an offering to the Pope. Thank you Lord.

Honorable Mention

Regis Philbin. It's only natural that one of the most annoying men on the planet is a Notre Dame fan. I'm sure he roots for the Yankees too.

I’m Irish. Rooting for Notre Dame because you're Irish is like rooting for USC because you use Trojan brand condoms. It just doesn't make sense. None of the football players are Irish so it's a weak excuse. Just because your name is O'Neal or Sullivan doesn’t mean that you are Irish...have you ever even been to Ireland? I rest my case.

1996 Bowl Declination. Already having enough examples of Notre Dame arrogance, this one didn't make the cut but is still worth mentioning. At the end of a mediocre 8-3 season, this proud program was not eligible for one of the top 4 Alliance Bowls (major bowls prior to the BCS system). Notre Dame was invited to several other bowls but declined, implying that they don't stoop to the level of second-tier bowls. That same year, Wyoming finished with one of the best seasons ever, compiling a record of 10-2 and a national ranking of 22nd. They were not invited to any bowls. I'm sure that players from schools like Wyoming who dream of playing in any bowl game appreciated the conceit and self-importance of the Notre Dame team. Bravo.

MSNBC.COM. This NBC website has a major news section titled "Notre Dame Centra", once again assuming that the world cares.

Welcome to my world

2005-12-12T16:24:00.000-05:00

With so many blogs out there, you may be thinking to yourself, "all we need is another sports and life commentary blog". That is probably true, but my voice has been silent for too long and it is time too get out some of the opinions I have been harboring for a quarter of a century. A little background: I am from the panhandle of Florida and graduated from Georgia Tech in 2003. I was commissioned as a Signal Officer in the United States Army and am currently serving with the 101st Airborne Division.

This blog will be first and foremost about Georgia Tech sports, secondly about collegiate athletics in general, and lastly, general thoughts about life that I am just tired of keeping to myself. I will be the primary poster, but like-minded friends of mine will drop by and submit from time to time. I hope it is enjoyable for everyone.

-yb