Greg's lack of creativity

Updates

2011-10-03T11:47:00.003-04:00

Georgia now stands at 3-2. The defense is starting to really play well. The offensive line can run block OK but can't pass block. Murray is getting hit. Murray is making too many mistakes that are uncharacteristic of him.

Falcons are now 2-2. They have talent and are making plays, but they can't put it all together. The pass rush hasn't materialized. The offensive line can run block OK but can't pass block. Ryan is getting hit. Ryan is making too many mistakes that are uncharacteristic of him.

I'll break down some things later on this week.

Gamecocks @ Bulldogs : Some shallow analysis

2011-09-09T15:32:00.003-04:00

OK, after whiffing on last week's game, I feel the need to recalibrate my season predictions. However, I'll just address them one game at a time. I can't go back and predict the 2011 season. That would be cheating.

So, how do I see this game shaping up?

Georgia got whipped on both lines of scrimmage against BSU. All of the off season talk about the strength and conditioning program improvements seem like a bunch of dung right about now. I heard that BSU had the #1 rated defensive line (Bama is #2), so that would make me feel a little better.....except that I don't really believe it....although they sure looked awesome.

Center Ben Jones said that we had problems when Boise State started stunting. They couldn't communicate and couldn't block anyone, despite having a tremendous size advantage. Even Coach Richt said that we kept jumping off, then we went to the silent count and couldn't get off the ball in time. So, maybe it was a communication problem.

Ben said the problems on the line (what the heck was new offensive line coach Will Friend doing during Fall camp???) were fixed and wouldn't happen again. However, it's hard to get the image of Murray getting the line pushed into his face by 280 .lbs linemen out of my head. Plus...our great conditioning improvements had us cramping up in a 72 degree Georgia Dome. WTH??? Not really the recipe for winning in the trenches, is it?

Anyway, I see our lines being manhandled again. Lattimore may be contained early, but Garcia (there are 2 Garcias..the good one and the knucklehead) can still move the ball with Jeffrey and his own 2 feet....as long as his line is blocking. Georgia probably won't have to deal with quite the frantic pace as last week, but will be without Ogletree in the middle. As the game goes on, the inhuman man-beast that is Lattimore will become more effective and control the clock.

Maybe I'm just really negative about the upcoming game...but it's hard not to be after watching the BSU game.

I see South Carolina winning by 13 points based on the 2 teams...and nothing else.

29-16

Now then, the intangibles.

Georgia is at home, and has revenge after last year's loss to the cocks and last week's loss to BSU. Also, the may be desperate. The Cocks have been told how great they are all Summer. That doesn't really give you an edge. So, based on intangibles...I'll take 6 points off and say that the Cocks win by a TD.

23-16

Here's what can happen to help the Dawgs:

Garcia can play like the Garcia of old...which isn't great and could give the Dawgs a couple of turnovers. That may happen if Georgia gets pressure, which will take Grantham calling a more aggressive game. If they are desperate...which they should be...then that might happen.

Also, there is a chance that Ben Jones was right. What if the line really really did get the problems corrected?? What if playing in the friendly confines makes all the difference in the world? Maybe Georgia takes a couple of those field goals and turns them into TDs ?

Final Score:

Cocks: 23
Dawgs: 24

So, the game is riding on Ben Jones being right, and the defense getting some turnovers. Also, if the intangibles play to the Dawgs favor.

Translation: The Dawgs can win...and stand a half way decent shot. The Cocks ain't the 95 Cornhuskers, after all. However, I haven't see anything in one week that makes me think it will happen. I'm just reading practice reports, gathering information, and trying to read into it all.

If Richt wins, then maybe the Dawgs can tread water until the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. If he loses, he's in deep trouble. I don't think they would fire him in midseason unless he loses to the Cocks, Vols, and has another blowout vs the Gators. At that point, give Gruden a blank check and ask him to make it all go away.

Atlanta Falcons 2011...Season Prediction and Bears prediction as well

2011-09-08T13:31:00.004-04:00

OK. The changes to the 2010 team have been modest. We added a #1 Draft pick WR and by some accounts the top DE in free agency. Now, we're ready to get the ball rolling.

I went through the schedule for a worst case scenario season...a simple gut reaction to each game..in order to get a prediction to the season. Normally, I would assume a divisional split because they are rivalry games and nobody can predict those. However, in this instance, I'm going to assume we sweep the panthers because they have a completely new....well, almost everything.

I have the Falcons as 10-6 and making the wild card.

In addition to the 4-2 in the division (split the Saints and Bucs, but sweep the Panthers), I have us beating the Bears, Seahawks, Lions, Titans, Vikings, and Jags.
I have us losing to the Eagles, Packers, Texans, and Colts. It's possible we could lose to the Vikings, because they still have a lot of talent.

Now....one week at a time.

Can the Falcons new explosion on offense and hopefully improved pass rush take on the might Chicago Bears in the Windy City?

Cutler is a pretty good QB, and the Bears have a tough defense and good running game. They went to the playoffs last year and were eliminated by the Packers (hey...we have a lot in common).

However, it's 2011.

It's only September, which is a good time to play in Chicago. The Bears lost their center, cut 2 of their big 2010 free agent signings, and Lance Briggs wants a trade and he's perhaps their best defensive player.

Cutler was hit last year more than any other QB (maybe losing their center wasn't a bad thing).

Altanta has another big offensive weapon, hopefully an improved pass rush, and a recently bolstered secondary.

Bear runningback Marion Barber is likely out for the game.

To me, too many things are going in Atlanta's favor in this game.

Falcons 27
Bears 20

Boise 35 - UGA 21

2011-09-04T10:41:00.002-04:00

All of the things that were supposed to be addressed appear to be the same as it was last season.

No poise. No conditioning (Even Boise players are saying that they were in better condition than we were....we had cramps, injuries...it was in a 72 degree Dome, for crying out loud).

We couldn't block a soul during the first half. Therefore, we couldnt' sustain any drives. We had to have big plays to score. People were quitting out there, and I don't care if Coach Richt tells us that they didn't.

Coach Richt said that he was encouraged by the Seniors in the locker room after the game. Uh Coach...you can't keep counting on leadership from the players and stupid emotion to carry us through. We ride a wave of emotion, then we start pulling facemasks when we get frustrated. A lack of poise and leadership is the culprit.

Richt had better take over play calling and give himself a chance. He'll point out how many points were scored per game last season to prove that everything is fine. Long pass on 1st, run up the middle on 2nd....sounds like 3rd and long to me. We are affecting the game when we call plays like that, I don't care if the play is open. We throw deep on single coverage and then say, "Well, the play was there we just didnt' execute".....Dude, it's hard to execute deep passes. Stop trying to do it just because it's open. It's open because they are daring you to do it.

YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO RUN THE BALL WHEN THEY ARE EXPECTING YOU TO RUN IT. Easier said than done, I know....but that's how you win, ain't it?? Most of the time, that is. Even if it ain't great results, you gotta keep running it. If the other team can stop you're running game, and you can't complete a pass....you're finished.

He needed to slow the game down when our defense was gassed. Instead, we're throwing up incomplete passes.

I have no confidence in Richt....a man who I used to call a hero of mine....to pull us out of the ditch. Time will tell if he does. If we lose next week, the East will likely be out of reach. The only chance of redemption for the season will be the chance to beat our hated rivals. Not optimistic right now.

OK...here's the Disney Dawg in me. Some positives and excuses:

First game....we had "first game" problems and turned in a clunker. We'll be better next week. Our competition will be different too, though.

Both inside backers got hurt, and the nose tackle was gassed. Everyone was cramping. Those are real excuses.

Boise State was the #5 team in the country. I think they are over rated still, but they still must be up there somewhere. Maybe we would be a better match for them down the road.

And....we are still young. Very young. We played a lot of freshmen.

Maybe this will make us better down the road for SEC play. If you have to lose one, lose it early. Lose it to a top 5 team. Lose it in nonconference play.

As for next week, we gotta see who is healthy before we can consider stopping Lattimore.

Football has arrived....for real

2011-09-02T12:05:00.002-04:00

As has been the case this year, I've been very busy. New job, infant son, etc. My bloggin has been sparse. However, with college football kicking off for everyone tomorrow, what better time to start back?

Georgia will have a MUCH improved defense, great special teams, an experienced QB and a better running game. They lost one of the best WR to ever play at UGA, so that will hurt. Still, I believe the changes to the nutrition, strength and conditioning program will pay huge dividends. We are in year 2 of the 3-4, with a lot of new faces...including actual nose tackles for the 3-4.

My prediction for the SEC is going to be pretty simple since I don't have a lot of time to break down everything and I'm out of time.

I thought LSU had the inside track for the SEC west until their QB got arrested. Now, I'm thinking Bama will win it. Nobody else will be much of a threat...unless Arkansas pulls off a couple of upsets. To me, it's probably Bama.

As for the SEC East...well, I'm sorry, but I can't take South Carolina seriously. Not with Garcia at the helm. Having a great, physical team that puts together a great season is one thing, defending a division championship is another. I'm sure Garcia will regain his starting position soon. He can have some good games, but he still has to overcome a knucklehead factor that makes him not very trustworthy. I think the Gamecocks will lose a few games, despite the fact they have 2 of the best players in the SEC...Jeffery and Lattimore. They'll go 9-3 if they lose to UGA, 10-2 otherwise.

Gators will have some growing pains. New coaches, system, etc. I think they'll wind up being good, but they'll probably lose to Bama and LSU, and I think they'll drop another one...maybe to South Carolina or Tennessee since they'll play them early and it will be their first SEC test. I think they'll go 8-4, losing to Tennessee, LSU, Bama, and FSU. I can't predict Georgia to beat them because Georgia hasn't been able to get over the hump. Georgia takes better teams to Jacksonville and lose close games, inferior teams and gets blown out. I can't predict a victory there, can I?

Tennessee doesn't have the muscle this year, although they'll be a better team than last year. They'll lose to Georgia, Bama, LSU, South Carolina, and Arkansas. That's a 7-5 team.

I don't have time right now to break down Kentucky and Vandy...but suffice it to say, I don't think they'll win the East.

Now then...Georgia..

Boise State...I can see Georgia giving up a lot of yards some a few TD's. However, I can't accept that Boise State has the athletes to stop Georgia either. I think Georgia's new D will stop Boise State enough, and will use a Samuel/Crowell 1-2 punch to control the game. Plus, those freaky new uniforms.

Georgia 34-27

Although I think UGA will lose to UF...not as much "THINK" as just that I can't predict otherwise...I think the SEC will be decided on 9/10. South Carolina at Georgia. Last year, Georgia's defense was weak at the point of attack, and it was Lattimore's coming out party. Georgia didn't have AJ Green. It was Murray's first SEC road game. The game was 17-6 or something like that. A big play here or there might have turned the table, but Georgia deserved to lose due to their refusal to tackle Lattimore. Tackling him is hard, but I saw some Georgia linebackers turn down the opportunity.

South Carolina won the East when UGA, UF and UT were all having down years. They lost to Auburn, got pummeled by Arkansas, and I think Kentucky even got them. They got destroyed in the rematch against Auburn in the SECCG...and I believe that FSU or somebody beat them in the Chick Fil A bowl. Hardly the resume of a Juggernaut, is it?

This year is at Georgia...Georgia has revenge, will have already played a top team (according to some) in Boise State, and maybe even desperation. Plus, it's at home.

I think Georgia will win against the Gamecocks and will eventually win the East. It's hard to predict what will happen after that, althouh Georgia is mighty young to beat whoever the SEC West champ is. LSU, Bama, or Arkansas...any of them will be a tough matchup.

For now, I'll leave you with this...

Georgia beats boise state. Take the point and laugh all the way to the bank.

2011-08-26T15:08:00.002-04:00

The kids had a wonderful Summer. It's sad end came on August 1st. Since then, the kids have had a GREAT time at school. Collins is transitioning to Kindergarten very well. He is also playing baseball and might be a natural left hander. Hard to say at this point.

I gotta get back starter doing this more regularly.

2011-07-02T08:25:00.000-04:00

I am the reflection of perfection, the #1 selection.

July 2nd is here. As soon as I can leave work, I'll have MOST of a 3 day weekend.

Hooray

Man oh Man

2011-06-04T14:05:00.000-04:00

Again...I've been a bad blogger lately.

I'm at work on a Saturday.

BIG FIRST DAY TRADE

2011-04-29T09:35:00.002-04:00

The Falcons made a huge move last night, swapping 1st round picks, next year's 1st and 4th, and I think a 3rd and 4th this year. I don't have it in front of me right now, but I think that's the breakdown.

They wanted to get AJ Green with the 4th pick, but got Julio Jones with the 5th pick.

Everybody in the world thought we needed defense. I'm included as being "in the world".

However, after the initial shock wore off, I considered the move.

Obviously, they must have thought we need more explosion on offense. If we can score more points, it will help out the defense for a couple of reasons.

1) make the other offense 1 dimensional if we're scoring more points because they'll be forced to pass

2). Make our defense more relaxed and play loose if we can put some points on the board early.

Our defense? Well, they are still very young and might get better with age. They will play better with the above two points in mind (Offensive explosion). There is still time to add a defensive end that might not be too much of a drop off from what we could have gotten at the end of the 1st round (I'm guessing at that, from Dimitroff's point of view that is).

Plus, we have wiggle room in free agency.

So..after further review, I think the move makes us better. The running game will be better with the players we have at receiver. Think about it? Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzales in the middle...being thrown to by Matt Ryan.

I gotta tell you, I'm excited about the move.

Thoughts?

Falcons schedule

2011-04-29T09:30:00.002-04:00

Tough start to the season.

Bears (divisional champ) on the road, then Philly (divisional champ, with the Vick circus back in atlanta...which I dread more than anything), then at Tampa (big 10 win team, divisonal rival, on the road), then fly all the way across the country to play Seattle (divisional champ, on the road where they are very good), and then back to the ATL to play the Super Bowl champion Packers.

To me, if we survive this intial 5 game stretch at 3-2, it's wonderful. If we're 2-3, it's not a disaster. The rest of the schedule will ease up a little after this tough start.

2011 Falcons Schedule

2011-04-20T11:54:00.001-04:00

The Falcons 2011 NFL Schedule

Week 1 –- Sept. 11 at Chicago, 1 P.M. (FOX)

Week 2 – Sept. 18 PHILADELPHIA, 8:20 P.M. P.m. (NBC)

Week 3 – Sept. 25 at Tampa Bay, 4:15 P.M. (FOX)

Week 4 – Oct. 2 at Seattle, 4:05 P.M. (FOX)

Week 5 – Oct. 9 GREEN BAY, 8:20 Green Bay P.M. (NBC)

Week 6 – Oct. 16 CAROLINA 1 P.M.. (FOX)

Week 7 – Oct. 23 at Detroit 1 P.M. (FOX)

Week 8 – BYE WEEK

Week 9 – Nov. 6 at Indianapolis 1 P.M. (FOX)

Week 10 – Nov. 13 NEW ORLEANS 1 P.M. (FOX)

Week 11 – Nov. 20 TENNESSEE 1 P.M. (CBS)

Week 12 – Nov. 27 MINNESOTA 1 P.M. (FOX)

Week 13 – Dec. 4 at Houston 1 P.M. (FOX)

Week 14 – Dec. 11 at Carolina 1 P.M.. (FOX)

Week 15 – Dec. 15 (Thur) JACKSONVILLE 8:20 P.M. (NFLN)

Week 16 – Dec. 26 (Mon) at New Orleans 8:20 P.M. (ESPN)

Week 17 – Jan. 1 TAMPA BAY 1 P.M. (FOX)

Arrival of the Prince

2011-04-13T22:06:00.002-04:00

Not many things in life go exactly as you expect. My second son's arrival home was memorable for it's lack of ceremony. Not that it's anybody's fault but his. His extended hospital stay and the confusion regarding his release made it impossible for any type of public displays signifying his birth. Compounding that was the awful sickness that has completely wiped out my daughter for the last 3 days. So...the first 2 days at home have been bizarre.

Jack, who is being checked by a nurse 3 times a week for breathing difficulties, has been isolated in the bedroom with his mother in an attempt to keep them from being infected by this stomach bug from Hell. The result? Nobody can see him right now. His brother and sister who have been crazy about him before he was ever born can't see him. His daddy can't hold him, because I'm the one risking personal health to take care of Grace (a shell of her normal self...I swear I've never seen her this sick before) and Collins...who chose this week to be an ox and fight off all the germs. I'm taking him to school and picking him up,,and in between, I'm taking care of Grace and the house.

Kristin has been recovering from the C section and having to take care of Jack by herself.

This is all temporary. It's crazy for now though, and I'm getting further and further behind at work.

Prayer? Pray for Gracie's recovery and Jack's lungs and his need for restful sleep. Pray for Kristin to get over this week's trauma. Pray for me to have patience with Gracie and her uncontrollable diarrhea. Pray that Collins stays healthy.

Speaking of Collins, we regsiter him for Kindergarten tomorrow. What a miraculous change in him, praise be GOD!!

We thank GOD and Jesus, and we praise his name.

Jackson Gregory Puckett

2011-04-07T20:04:00.002-04:00

Well, this is a huge time for the family. Finally...after what seems like 3 years...the baby has been born. He wasn't as big as they thought (ONLY 10 .lbs and 13 oz), but he was sure huge enough for us.

What with work settling down and the pregnancy over, I hope to get back to bloggin' like the old days.

As far as today goes, it was a success and a celebration. A rough pregnancy has given way to a restful night sleep. Jack is spending the night in the NICU due to some breathing issues and his blood sugar being a little low. This might be our best night of sleep for awhile.

Jackson is sweet. He's an angel. I fed him today. He ate 27 ml of formula. That was a lot. They were hoping he would eat 15 mls.

Jackson Gregory Puckett

2011-03-30T07:08:00.002-04:00

2 days until the baby is born. Where did all the years go? Gracie will be 8 this year, Collins will be starting Kindergarten, and now we're starting over with another one.

I remember taking Gracie to the playground and having to follow her around like a hawk. I remember those hot mornings at the pool when she was too scared to get into the water and I had to sweat while hunting ladybugs in the bushes. I was working off shift and had the days with her.

Then, Collins came around. His baby years were a blur. It seemed like he was a toddler forever. His progress has been a miracle. It seemed like he was going to be a lifelong work...and now he is the heart of the family.

Kristin was made to be a mother. She wanted kids, and has 2 good ones. Jackson will be the icing on the cake, because I don't think she could do it a fourth time.

He's supposed to be big. I can't wait to meet him.

Football wrap up

2011-01-13T22:05:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I've been such a bad blogger. I can honestly say I don't think I've had a lot of time. Things have been crazy with the pregnancy, the kids, and work the way it's been lately.

I can wrap up the sad Bulldogs season like this. We're sick. I do'nt know if we've taken our meds or not. I'm hoping we improve, without knowing that we're on the right track. Changes have been made. Are they enough? Time will tell. I dread the thought of another dismal season in 2011, and then a rebuilding year in 2012 with a new coach. GOD willing, we'll turn it around.

Dirty Birds play the Packers Saturday in the NFC playoffs. Most of the country is picking the Packers. Why? They are all stating that the Packers ONLY lost by a field goal to the Falcons in the regular season. In other words, we barely beat them last time. If anything, you could use that as a reason to pick the Falcons, not the Packers. The only states to pick the Falcons in the ESPN poll were Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, and ...........New Hampshire.

really? yup.

My daughter loves New Hampshire because she thinks it's "New Hampster". I gotta say, I like them myself right now

2010-12-25T07:22:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting in the dark, waiting for the kids to wake up so we can have Christmas presents. I used wait on my parents to wake up on this morning, now I'm waiting on the kids. I guess the difference is that when I was little, I didn't dare get out of bed early. I don't trust Collins to wait on us.

Merry Christmas from the Pucketts!!!!!!

The first Japanese Steakhouse...Christmas time with the kids

2010-12-18T10:37:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy lately, it's been hard to find the time to blog. Since it's that special time of year....for family and friends...I started feeling great regret about not keeping up with the blog.

Not only have I not kept up with the blog, I haven't kept up with my fantasy football teams either. I dread looking at the standings. I don't want to see how far behind I am.

To sum up the last few weeks, Christmas fever has over taken the family. I put a row of big bulbed colored lights along the gutter of the hours, and I think they look great. I plan on putting up lights along the porch of my parent's house when we visit tomorrow (hopefully after Church).

Another bit of news I have is that we took the kids to our favorite Japanese steakhouse last night (Sapporos). It was a big hit. Collins played like he was the "baker", hitting his knife and spoon together and trying to give us his food. He liked the onion volcano (of course), and he got tricked 2 times. They pretended to squired him with liguid and then "get" him with a spider in a box trick. He loved it. He knew something was coming. So did Grace (I felt the wind from her when she ran past me to stand behind my chair). It was a great time. Expensive...yes...but it was a special Christmas dinner.

2010-12-04T08:29:00.000-05:00

Man. I have been busy. I plan on catching everyone up soon

Violent Crime.....whoa...

2010-11-11T11:49:00.002-05:00

An Athens Ga man was indicted for murdering a man with a toilet tank, and then raped the woman who witnessed the attack. Talk about a rampage!!! Geez...

It's all in the name....

2010-11-11T09:40:00.002-05:00

Well, the beans have been spilled. We are expecting our 3rd child....it's going to be a boy!!

The list of possible names include:

Andrew (Andy)
Archie
Ezekiel
Garrett
Harry
Jackson
James
Joshua
Jude
Munsey
Robert
Zane

Middle names include: Robert, Munsey, or possibly Roy again.

some catching up to do

2010-11-08T05:34:00.002-05:00

I apologize for my terrible blogging. There has been so much going on lately, I can't even remember where to start.

The kids had a great Halloween, and we're already in the Christmas spirit. I'm looking forward to Thankmas.

Gracie has some funny stories lately...she was upset when her AR book "We are all a rainbow" didn't have anything to do with paper dolls, and also how she fell in love with Captain D's. We ate there after we voted.

Collins got sick in the middle of the week, but he rebounded.

The kids played their last soccer games this season. It was sad, but it was kind of a relief, too. They got trophies, and Collins slept with his. Gracie got to play goalie and made 2 stops. She got praise from her Coach, who told everyone how Grace gave him a colored picture, and how much he loved her. Grandma teared up.

Thanks to the Sharks and the Fireballs for getting us out of the house this Fall.

It's Halloween.....do do do dooooooooooooo

2010-11-01T06:59:00.002-04:00

It was relatively late for us, but we got the pumpkins carved and what not. The kids had a great time trick or treatin' with their cousins (Katie and Sean). The day before that, the kids played their best soccer games ever. Only 1 game left of the season, though.

More later.

catching up on thing

2010-10-25T05:34:00.003-04:00

I apologize for my terrible bloggin' lately. I've been insanely busy, and unable to get online at home for very long.

Work is....well, work. However, I'm more excited about the possibilities here than ever before. Let's see what happens.

My kids...both of them...played their best soccer games of their lives on Saturday. Both of them got into the middle of the action and kicked the ball. I never thought I would enjoy soccer...but when it's your kids playing, I guess it changes everything. They've only got 2 games left. It's going to be sad. They've made so much progress.

Sports? Well, I've missed a couple of weeks.

The Dawgs hammered Kentucky. It was the 3rd game in a row where we looked like a football team. Richt realized what we all realized...we weren't physical. He's taken steps to change that, and to make the gameplan simple. I think simple is good. If you have to think too much, you slow yourself down.

The Dirty birds are headin' into the bye week on an upswing, after beating the Bengals. If memory serves, I thought we would lose the last 2 games we played. I need to go back to my preseason predictions and see how it looks.

Dawgs, Dirty Birds, Braves

2010-10-12T06:33:00.003-04:00

The Dawgs finally put together a physical game. We got momentum and a few turnovers and hammered a reeling Tennessee team. It was good to see. Murray has been one of the bright spots of the season. The lack of physical play has been addressed, according to Richt, and we've now seen some evidence. Let's see how the Vandy game goes.

Falcons...what can you say? Tough game against a team that I thought would be tough. The Browns played inspired defense, but we were able to salt the game away with one of the greatest plays I've ever seen by Kroy Biermann (sp?). You knock the pass up in the air, lay out and catch it, and return it for a TD....and you're a defensive lineman???? Terrific.

The tenure of Cox came to a merciful end last night. No Prado, No Chipper, No Wagner, No hope. We were spared the humiliation of being swept by the Phils, who will destroy the Giants in 5 games. Funny...I was reflecting on how the I almost cried when in '91 when we lost to the Twins. Now, I'm relieved to have escaped.

Despite not being one of the big spending ballclubs in MLB, we still spend a lot of money. There is reason for optimism with the future. Our lineup next year may look like this...(not in batting order...and I'm assuming Chipper retires).

C - McCann
1st - Freeman
2nd - Infante
SS - Gonzalez
3rd - Prado
Left - who knows..probably platooning, but I would like to see Hinske get a chance.
Center - this needs to be upgraded
Right - Heyward

Jurrgens, Hanson, Hudson, I don't know about Lowe.

The bullpen has been great.

Obviously, we need an offensive weapon in the outfield, either at left or at center. A star, in my opinion.

My only complaint with Cox had to do with his lineups in critical games, but more importantly, his constantly switching of relievers. I know GMs want to do the righty -righty thing...but good grief. My philosophy is...your entire bullpen can't all be in a zone...all on the same night... night in and night out. If you get a man in there who has some control...then leave him in there until he gets into trouble. Somebody will probably have an off night. Don't keep switching them until you find him and then you're stuck.

I thought Glaus was worth the money this year. Good move. I thought getting Gonzalez was a good move, although it didn't quite pan out like I had hoped. I thought getting Lee was a good move, but he sucked.

Frank Wren...he made some good moves. I was impressed.

Maybe...the Braves have some good years ahead in store for us. This is a good young lineup. We need a offensive weapon in the outfield.

Lemonade, Dawgs, and Falcons beat the 49ers

2010-10-04T07:03:00.002-04:00

I haven't had time to blog as much lately. I can't get online consistently at home, and I have no time at work.

Suffice it to say, big things are going on right now.

First, I had a delightful weekend. The soccer games were good, and we had some time for lemonade and goldfish crackers on the driveway for our Saturday afternoon picnic. I think I got a lot accomplished.

The Bulldogs might have finally sunk to rock bottom. Changes must be in store now, barring a miracle turnaround for the 2nd half to the season. We may not be getting the best players anymore, but we seem to be getting pushed around on the field. I think the new AD Greg McGarity will take swift action.

I really like Richt and I really liked his staff. I don't know what the answer is, but this isn't work for me anymore.

For the Falcons...good job. It was quite a role reversal from my chidhood. The Falcons vs 49ers...the Falcons were the heavy favorite but got outplayed most of the game, only to win in the last seconds due to special heroics and send the 49ers home in gut wrenching fashion. Hey San Francisco....you're lucky we aren't in the same division anymore. You could be geting a taste of this 2 times a year.

PAID IN FULL, you losers...

Bulldogs vs Bulldogs, Falcons vs Saints

2010-09-27T06:42:00.002-04:00

I missed the UGA/Miss State game due to my cousin's wedding. In reality, I was saved from having to watch one of the low points of college football in my life time.

I don't know what is wrong, but we're clearly more sick than I realized. Our recruiting went downhill, but I thought we would have better player development than this. Sadly, our defense is only marginally better. It is married to an offense that can't get out of it's own way. Our enemy was the same as it's been for the last few years....penalties and turnovers. There isn't anything else to say about it.

We get AJ Green back. He'll make everything better....however, if 1 player means the difference between winning and losing, then we've got more problems than I realized.

Falcons gave away 1 big punt return and had a blown coverage, leading to 2 TDs for the Saints. We pounded them on offense. The game went to OT, where the Saints missed a field goal, and we hit one.

We're an impressive 2-1...with 2 OT games already on the young season.

By the way, the wedding was GREAT and the reception was a lot of fun. My kids behaved better than I could have hoped for, and I was proud of them.

More later on that.

Dawgs vs Razorbacks, Falcons vs Cardinals

2010-09-21T06:28:00.002-04:00

Well, UGA lost another tough one on Saturday. Richt is 10-12 in his last 22 SEC games, I think. Our once proud program went through a decade long decline, only to be teased with the intial promise of Jim Donnan (back in the 90s). Are we going through that again? I think we were, but I still believe we made the right changes last year. We need to stay the course. I'm not the most patient man in the world, but I really want Richt to be the one who changes around our fortunes.

I read a great blog the other day, it had to do with people who commit suicide and live through it. The thought man of them had, after they jumped off a bridge for example, is...."WHAT HAVE I DONE"? Calm and rational decisions were immediately regretted. I think that is how we would feel if we fired Mark Richt.

Back to the game. The offensive line didn't do as bad as people think. Most of the QB pressure came from running backs who missed their blocks. Arkansas gave us the deep stuff and gave us the short passes, we just didn't get it done. Would AJ Green have made a difference? Considering a comeback bid was undone in the final 2 minutes, it's hard to get anyway around it. AJ Green would have allowed us to hit the deep stuff at least a little, and that would have opened up the inside routes and the running game.

Defensively....aside from the final drive and biting on a play action pass on the first drive of the game...that didn't play too badly.

Special thanks to the Bizarro World Greg Puckett, who gave me a gracious taunt after the game on Facebook. His name is being added to my list of people to take revenge on after the Dawgs regroup. It was funny, writing my own name down on the list.

Falcons, on the other hand, performed very well. I didn't think the game was going to be close...unlike a lot of hand wringers out there. It wasn't. We won 41-7. We smashed them in all 3 phases, and with our 3rd string running back. It didn't hurt that Kurt Warner retired.

Next week...the Saints.

By the way, it was weird watching MNF last night. It was old school 49ers uniforms against the Saints. One time division rivals...from my childhood, going after it.
Unlike back then, the Saints were the defending Super Bowl champs and the Niners were trying to upset them. Talk about bizarro world.

Canton Fair

2010-09-17T06:34:00.002-04:00

I took my kids to the Canton Fair....or as I call it, the "Olde Tyme Canton Fair". I met my sister and her kids there, and we had a grand 'ol time.

Gracie...bless her heart...still doesn't' want to ride very many rides. She may never change. It helped save money on tickets, because Collins wanted to ride everything. He rode the Ferris Wheel with my sister, and I think it was the only ride he wasn't crazy about. He told me it was "awfully high", or something like that.

I thought it would be cool to take my kids to the Fair...which used to seem like a magical place when I was little...and I often thought about sitting back in the Ferris wheel with my family, enjoying the lights and a cool breeze and a nice view. Small town-like, and cozy.

Instead, my wife doesn't like Fairs or carnivals. She likes the food, but she is uncomfortable about Fair people. Plus, she isn't feelin' very good right now. So, it was just me and the kids. However, Gracie didn't want to ride it. Collins wanted to ride it, but didn't want ME to ride it with him. I couldn't let him get on there by himself, so Aunt Amy rode it with him. I watched the other 3 kids (while I got Sean off the big boat swinging thing) until that is, Katie went off to ride another ride. I guess she's big enough to do that, but Uncle Greg is mighty protective in certain ways. I was in a panic. I had Grace and Sean following me while I began to look for Katie. They were in no big hurry, and seemed interested in everything else. Finally, I grabbed both their hands and said, "LOOK...you two might not care that we don't know where Katie is, but I do....Amy is up there with Collins (on the Ferris Wheel) and I don't know where Katie is".....and I began to drag them behind me.

Gracie finally said, "There she is". She was on a ride called the Scat, which is a terrible name for a ride. Everything worked out.

Katie and Grace won little dolphins at a shoot the ball in a basket game. They lost, but they got a prize anyway. All the kids played a game where you throw a ping pong ball into a cup in a wading pool. You won a rabbit...a real one....if you did it. Gracie hit the man working at the game with a ping pong ball because she thought she was supposed to throw it back into the bucket. Collins got yelled at for breaking the little thing that holds the balls (he pulled it down while he was trying to look inside).

Gracie road an off road truck ride, the boats, and the merry go round. Collins rode those, plus the Dragon and the Ferris wheel and a big slide and the fun house. He had a blast. We got cotton candy on the way out.

I'll tell you what....there must have been 20 policemen there. I felt very safe. I guess they scare off the more troubling making teenagers.

Gracie wants to go back before they leave. We may do it. It's cheap to get in, and the snacks are cheap, but the rides really stick it to you.

I did tell my kids how sad it was that I didn't get the ride the Ferris wheel with my family. Little guilt trip there.

We've got soccer games tomorrow. More on that later.

I have new teams I pull for..........Dragons and Sharks.

2010-09-14T07:43:00.002-04:00

It's strange, but I'm very excited about attending my kids soccer games. I'm proud to be an assitant coach for the Sharks. I'm proud to take Gracie to her practices. I'm going to see if I can take her to the soccer clinic today.

Aftermath....UGA vs USC, Falcons vs Steelers

2010-09-13T06:40:00.005-04:00

So many times, the Falcons and the Dawgs have mirrored each other. They both frequently lose on the same weekends, they have had defensive problems on the same years, they had "athletic" QB's who battled injuries at the same time (Vick and Shockley).

First, the Dawgs.

I'm completely baffled by the offensive line's inability to run the ball. They were rated by everyone as one of the top lines in college football. Truth is...they are great. We've seen them do great in the past. I think they just got outworked on Saturday. I know the practices this camp were NOT as physical as in the past (only 1 two-a-day), due in part because they wanted more days to teach the defense. You only get so many practices, and they wanted to implement more by teaching on more days. After the soft defense we had in 2008, Richt vowed to be more physical. I could see a difference by the end of that year. I think we got away from it in 2010, because we weren't the more physical team on either side of the ball on Saturday. Being physical is all about intensity.

Ealey didn't do awful...we just had to get away from the running game in the second half. He had 75 yards, but the big fumble was the killer. We were going in for a chance to tie the game up. We never threatened again.

Defensively, the story of the game was that our linebackers and secondary were ran the heck over by Marcus Lattimore. Again, poor tackling which was most likely due to the lack of physicality over the last 2 months. Let's face it...ULL offered no challenge in the first game. Our first challenge was South Carolina and the man-beast that is Marcus Lattimore. He was one of the top recruits in the nation last year (my GOD a freshman....sorry Mr. Munson). He almost signed with Auburn. Can you imagine Cam Newton handing off to Lattimore? Thank GOD he signed with the Gamecocks.

Can we take away any positives? Well, yeah.

Murray didn't do a bad job. The reigns will certainly be off of him now, since the Arkansas game is now a must win.

AJ Green. He'll come back soon. If we can just beat Arkansas, we should be favored in the next several games even without AJ. The NCAA will hear our appeal this Tuesday.

I said going into the season that South Carolina was a toss up game and we may lose it, and that was before I knew that Lattimore was going to be THIS good and that AJ Green was going to be suspended. Each team has a Superstar right now...our's was in Athens (suspended) on gameday, while their's got the ball 37 times. They were favored to win by 6. We were supposed to lose. With all that knowledge, it still hurts to lose to them. We had our chances to affect the outcome, and we couldn't do it.

The defensive tackling improved in the 2nd half until the final drive. Obviously, Grantham invented some new curse words at half time which have never before been uttered. They wrapped up, which is something they failed to do in the 1st half. So....they CAN do it. I think this game has put our backs against the wall and has identified where focus needs to be placed.

Grantham, Belin, and Lakatos. The new coaches can at least communicate. The scheme was good and the teaching has been excellent. Nobody can say we didn't have people there. WE HAD PLAYERS IN POSITION TO MAKE PLAYS. We had linebackers making contact. They just got their butts ran over. Even Spurrier conceded that we had covered well in the secondary. We sacked Gracia 5 times. They caused a turnover. Had we been able to tackle Lattimore and not let him get 5 yards a carry, you might could have given the defense an A for their performance. Sadly, tackling is a key factor in playing defense. They only scored 17 points, and only 3 in the 2nd half.

One final positive....South Carolina is still South Carolina. They could lose a couple of SEC games. I think they draw Bama out of the West. We are in the thick of it. There is just little room for error at this point. If you're going to lose a game, lose it early. We have time to recover.

Let's wait and see if AJ Green can get his suspension reduced. We might know something by Wednesday. We have to beat Arkansas. If we lose to them, this season could be another 5 loss season. Richt might actually...truly...experience a hot seat if that happens.

OK, the Falcons.

First, it's a shame either team got to win that game. Both teams were "holding" throughout much of the game. It was rarely called....until OT when they nailed Sam Baker. Truth is, he was holding...don't get me wrong...but they weren't calling it throughout the game.

I knew this game would be tough, and might have conceded it as a loss if Roehtelischeeseburget had been playing. I didn't think we would be able to run the ball effectively, but I thought we would do better than THAT. We ran the ball like crap.

I'm a big Matt Ryan fan...but he HAS thrown a lot of late game interceptions. That was the knock on him at College, and it was excused because he was trying to come back late in the game. Which...was what he was doing at the end of this one. That pick should have ended the game, but Reed missed it wide right. In OT, we screwed up in all three phases of the game....Special teams (holding on the kick return, and a terrible punt), offense (1st down called back for holding, Turned slipped down after a 3 yard gain, Norwood dropped a pass), and defense (lost gap assignment which got us beat on 1 play).

As an aside....I know the Steelers are one of the more popular teams, and I know they have passionate fans (Atlanta is a college football town, with the NFL being the 2nd banana), and all that....but one of the reason I used to hate them (before they became my 2nd favorite team by marriage) is that the announcers have to cram them down your throat for the entire game.

Steelers. Steelers. Steelers. Yeah, I know. Hey...EVERYBODY WANTS TO PLAY GREAT DEFENSE. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT THE STEELERS FRANCHISE HAPPENS TO PLAY IN PITTSBURGH, FOR GOD'S SAKE. They have players from all over the nation...they aren't good just because they signed to play in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Steelers are good because they are smart, they are physical, and they play hard. If they were the St. Louis Steelers, they would still be good. The franchise in the NFL role model.

That is similar to how most of the nation feels about New York and Boston. You get them crammed down your throat in every sport. At least for Pittsburgh, you only have to have the Steelers praised every 2 minutes on the NFL broadcast. I've watched the Atlanta Braves play the Houston Astros and the announcers for our game were talking about the Yankees and Red Sox.

Anyway, back to the Falcons.

I can't say we learned anything that will make us better. I thought the defense played well....although it was the 3rd string QB we were playing. I have to say I'm encouraged about the defense, though. They didn't look good in the preseason. I thought our offense would have a chance to be elite this year, but not playing like that. We might need to spend more money on the line. I guess if you go up to Pittsburgh and play the mighty Steelers, and it goes to OT...you can't be too hard on yourself. It's a LONG LONG LONG NFL season. It was only the first game, and they'll be playing until after Christmas, and hopefully longer than that.

Next week, we've got Arizona and Derek Anderson. I'm glad Kurt Warner retired. This is a winnable game, at home. I think we'll rebound nicely.

1st Soccer games

2010-09-13T06:29:00.004-04:00

The soccer games went well. Collins was one of the first team captains for the Sharks. The coach asked if the kids knew what a captain was, and half of them said "a pirate".

Collins came off the field crying 3 different times. First, he was frustrated that they weren't taking turns kicking the ball. Second, he fell on his already scraped up knees. Third, he was worn out , but he wasn't really crying so much as he was just beaten down. There were a lot of kids crying, or running off the field because they had enough. Collins, at one point, took the ball from net to net with the entire field chasing him. The ball rolled harmlessly wide left of the goal when he got there, but he came back to the sidelines professing to have done "his best". At one point, he had the ball between his feet with all the kids from both teams circling him. I think he knew someone would get it if he turned it loose...which shows that he's at least thinking out there. There were a lot of ups and downs, but I was pleased overall. Collins blew everyone away in all the pregame warm ups and drills..which is what I think wore him out so quickly and why he was named as one of the captains. I think he needs a haircut and for the temperature to be about 20 degrees cooler. I helped the coach out, and he told me to grab a coach jersey...which I wore with pride.

Gracie's game had special visitors....both sets of grandparents. Gracie was somewhat timid...and she wilts in the heat...but from what I heard, she got through it fine. Everyone was pleased and she was happy with herself. She said she had fun, which is all that I want. I think she got in there and kicked at it a couple of times. Here team names is the "Dragons".

The soccer was a success. The football for the weekend was a different story.

Soccer and Football

2010-09-10T14:26:00.003-04:00

Busy day tomorrow.

Going to work on Saturday, but I'm leaving early. I'm going to go to Collin's soccer game while Kristin goes to Gracie's game. Afterwards, there is a lot of footballl to watch.

UGA at South Carolina
Georgia Tech at Kansas (that game looked better before Kansas fired their coach)
Penn State at Alabama
FSU at Oklahoma
Miami at Ohio State

All good matchups. Enjoy.

I took the following teams in the pool:

Miami +9.5 over Ohio State
Tennessee +13.5 over Oregon
Penn State + 11 over Bama (I'm waffling on this pick)
Michigan +4.5 over Notre Dame
FSU + 8.5 over Oklahoma
Georgia +2 over South Carolina (that spread is up to 6 now!!!)
Georgia Tech - 12.5 vs Kansas (Kansas looked bad, surely Tech can cover that)
Stanford - 8 vs UCLA

Falcons +1.5 vs Steelers
Bengals + 5.5 vs Patriots

I took a lot of underdogs. Stanford and Tech are the only 2 favorites I'm picking.

Good luck

Essay on AJ Green and the Gamecocks.......by Puckett

2010-09-09T08:13:00.005-04:00

Our best player, AJ Green, won't be playing against South Carolina. Or Arkansas. Or Mississippi State. We (er...UGA) is appealing.

The NCAA has been doing several investigations. Some players went to Miami to attend a party held by an agent...a big no-no. Green didn't go. Some were living in great hotels for reduced rates. Not Green.
Some players have been suspended for 2 games. Green got 4 games.

What did he do? He sold his Independence Bowl jersey on the Internet for $1,000. That is making money from college football while being a student. I heard his dad lost his job and he was trying to help, but I don't know if that's true.

Anyway, he sold it to a "runner", which is someone who meets the NCAA definition of an agent. I guess the man is some how affiliated with an agent in some way, I don't really know what a "runner" is. I have yet to look it up. AJ Green has since repaid the money to a charity.

4 games??? Seems a little stiff to me.

So..we're headed into a really tough game, on the road, without our best player. South Carolina is also probably going to be without one of their best players too, who is also suspended.

Our ability to stretch the field has been hampered, and we now have nobody who is feared at the WR positions. Orson Charles probably comes closest to someone who will draw respect in the passing game.

Our offensive line was ballyhooed (whatever that means) and failed to open up tough yardage against ULL. They said they were rusty. Let's hope so, because we need to run the ball (I may change my name to "Captain Obvious") against the Gamecocks.

Will this be an example of young WR's stepping up when needed? Will this be the opportunity Gray needs to explode on the scene? Marlon Brown? King? Wooten? Will Murray's ability to scramble and create time be the deciding factor in our passing game?

I doubt we'll be able to run the ball for tough yardage when we need it. I'm not saying we can get some long runs on 3rd down, but rather, the "grind it out" yards on 1st down when USC is expecting it will be tough to come by early on.

We need Murray to play mistake free...no running the ball into the secondary while carrying the ball like a loaf of bread. He'll need to scramble to let some receivers come open, so he can't go into a shell. Steal a few first downs while running out of bounds...create time.....that's fine. I don't want him to turn it back inside unless we're behind in the final minutes.

We need Grantham to demonstrate the NFL difference of his defense. Pressure, smothering coverage, sure tackling. Indeed, we may need a turnover. The formerly knucklehead Garcia (South Carolina's QB...who is playing well these days) may revert back to his old days given some heavy pressure. We need our secondary to step up because South Carolina has some big big fast receivers.

Special teams will need to put us in some good positions, and Walsh needs to connect on all his field goals.

To be honest, I'm less worried AJ Green's suspension against South Carolina than I am against Arkansas. That game may be a high scoring affair, not the primeval slug fest of USC/UGA.

Here is the thing though...I was personally expecting this to be the best South Carolina team we've played in years. All the things above that I mentioned....well, we needed those anyway. We needed to step up. This will force us to do it. I hope.

So, where are we? We need the entire team to step up. If they do, we'll win. If not, we may win anyway depending on the big plays and the changing fortunes of war.

No reason to fear. No reason to panic. Our mission is clear. Victory. Our weapons are talent, speed, strength, heart, training, coaching, and luck. We can and will lay morale destroying first downs on the enemy, with or without AJ Green. Grantham knows what to do with the defense.

In short, if everyone pulls together, we'll be a better team than South Carolina. If not, we'll lose. If not, would probably would have lost even if Green played.

Get past this game, and maybe we can ride "big mo" for 2 additional games. Then, we'll get AJ Green back in time for October. A fresh AJ Green. Uninjured. We'll need him for our big push of October.

September? I think we can secure a few ugly wins without him. We'll see.

Gracie and Collins and Georgia Football.

2010-09-07T07:03:00.005-04:00

I woke up early Saturday. It was the first day of a new season. I was excited about the year, about new beginnings. Problems that I had hoped were fixed last year (the defense, QB play, special teams coverage), I'm now almost certain are fixed.

It was very quiet when I was loading the van. It was also cool. The coolest it's been in months. It was like mother nature knew it was football season, and that Summer had given up the ghost. It turned Autumn in 1 single day.

There wasn't any sound at all. No cars. No birds. Nothing. It was weird. It was very overcast as well. If I didn't know better, and if it was colder, I would have thought it was Thanksgiving morning. I was putting the cooler into the car when a slight gust of wind blew a dry leaf across the driveway. It slowly scraped it's way into the grass. I loved that sound. That sound was Fall. Fall means football. That one sound brought back years of memories....going back to my freshman year at UGA.

I thought of going to games with Brad...Brannon and Chris.....Albanese....Michael.....Kris, Sara, Joel, Vickie, Stephen....Kristin... my dad....and finally, Gracie. I was happy to start sharing the experience with my wife, who bought in and supported the Dawgs with eagerness. She went to her first game in 2001, against South Carolina. That was Richt's first loss, which came on a long bomb in the final minute, seventeen seconds. In 2004, I took my dad to his first game...against Georgia Southern. It was a squash game against an overmatched opponent who tried to keep the score down by holding onto the football with an option attack. 2 years ago...homecoming in 2008, I took my daughter to her first ever game. We rolled Vanderbilt. I was stunned when Matthew Stafford threw an interception by UNDER THROWING somebody. I thought he only knew how to over throw receivers. Anyway, Gracie loved the game. She loved riding the UGA bus to the stadium. I got her some cotton candy, and we left our section to go to Sara and Joseph's section when it was in the 2nd quarter. Gracie cried when we left the stadium (she wanted to ride the bus back to the tailgate). The memories came flooding back to me when I heard that leaf on the concrete. I smiled. Today, I'm getting to take my son to his first ever game. There was a bounce in my step when I hoped back inside the house.

We left later than I intended...which is pretty much a constant thing for me these days. Kids slow you down. We had to stop for gas, ice, a little bit of cash, and Burger King breakfast. On the way to Athens, we stopped at the Kangaroo at Bethlehem (everybody that goes on 316 on Georgia games either stops here or at the QT just before 316 hits hwy 20). Collins had to "stinky". I cleaned up the bathroom for him. I insisted Gracie go as well.

When we arrived at the tailgate, the lot had already filled up. I left the kids and the cooler with Sara and Joseph, while I drove to a nearby parking deck. We tailgated. The kids played, while Joel and I enjoyed some bratwursts and a Bud.
The kids played in a grass covered quad in front of a dorm that wasn't there back when I was student. Before you knew it, it was time to head to the bus, which the kids loved.

I had to buy another ticket on the bridge at Sanford. While I was there, I ran into Albanese, my old college roommate. We had a brief conversation, and I met his lovely wife for only the second time. It's a shame we didn't have more time to talk. We need to schedule a trip to Athens for just a social visit.

I got a ticket. The kids were wide eyed and enjoying the game, despite the heat. The heat wasn't bad for a home opener, but for kids who are just sitting there, it wasn't great. I had to take Gracie into the men's room...which was probably the last thing in the world I wanted to do..but she had to go and it was too long of a wait for the women's restroom. We were blessed with a decent toilet. It was early, and the first game, after all.

Sara bought the kids a treat...pretzels, popcorn, and a frozen lemonade for Collins. After UGA built a small lead, we went down to the field level. I filmed the kids at the Uga tombs, but the camera didn't work for some reason. I filmed the hedges, though. The kids got to see the game up close and personal...Collins on my shoulders and Gracie in my arms. I debated trying to find our brick that Kristin and I bought in 2002, but decided to save it for another time. We (Collins, Grace, Joseph, Sara, Joel, and me) began the long trek back to the parking lot. There wasn't a bus for us, since we were leaving early.

I left the kids at the tailgate while I jogged back to the parking deck to get the van. We were back on the road and headed for home. The kids watched a little Spiderman while I listened to the game on the radio. I heard Hutson Mason throw a TD in his first ever pass. I guess it was a day of firsts.

I stopped at Wendys so that the kids could go to the bathroom. We got celebratory milkshakes. On the way home, Gracie told me that she wished she was still at the game.

When we got home, Collins made a sign that was basically advertising Georgia Pre-K, and Georgia Bulldogs football. It made me smile.

To me, the whole excursion was a rousing success. The Dawgs looked like some of their problems have finally been addressed after 2 consecutive letdowns (2008 and 2009). The team looked good. My own pups did a fine job...behaving very well and listening about as well as could be expected.

One day, I'll get my sister's kids up there with us. One day, I'll get my wife back up there. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll have another pup to take to his/her first ever game. It will be a special memory for me, just like all those other firsts.

I may not back able to leave my kids a lot of money, but I can leave them with a firm grounding in Jesus and some good memories. Undoubtedly, a lot of those will have to do with Fall, the most special time of the year. Fall means holidays, cooler weather, and football

Six Flags, Movin' Jews, Football

2010-09-02T12:25:00.004-04:00

Six Flags is getting a new roller coaster. #11 comes next season. EXCITING!!!

Here is something to think about...

There has been a story on WSB the last two mornings about a high number of Atlantan Jews moving to Isreal. I think they are being paid to relocate. Since many are out of work, it seems like a good move. They had a quote from a Jewish woman who stated that she couldn't figure out why her friends in Georgia were worried about her safety, because she had to lock her door in Atlanta. In that particular town in Isreal, nobody locked their doors.

Does she have a point?

Not quite.

They may not be worried about Jewish break in robberies...but I think RPG attacks are slightly more common is Isreal.

The Falcons' last preseason game kicks off tonight. It's also college football kickoff and the first ever Georgia State Football game. Just FYI.

RESPECT

2010-08-31T12:04:00.002-04:00

I think we Dawg fans put up with a lot. After Goff and Donnan (yes, their names will be brought up forever, so get used to it), I think I wound up scarred for life. I want...bare minimum....respect. I really want some MNCs to start rolling in...and I'll settle for mere respect during the off years.

That brings me to the following...here is an excerpt from Dennis Dodd:

Dennis Dodd, CBSSports.com: Start with the fact that beyond Ala and Fla, the SEC isn't particularly strong this year. What is the third-best team -- Arkansas?, LSU?, South Carolina? (Please don't give me Georgia).

Our name brings up mockery. We've done it to ourselves. We tolerated mediocre results. People look at us and see

No defense
Turnovers
Penalties

Some of my favorite football writers (Fiutak, Steele) look at the offseason changes and the recruiting classes and the schedule...and predict big time improvement.
To me, it's obvious a big rebound season is in store. Maybe not the SEC Championship...or even the East....but regaining respected. I think we'll win 10 games and clobber some over rated Big 10 team in a New Year's Day Bowl. After another year of recruiting, watch Grantham's Defense begin to grow.

To be honest, I'm hoping we run the table...but I'm trying my best to be realistic.

The East is within reach. I think the West is wide open. Who knows? I would love to nudge our way in there.

2010-08-30T07:19:00.002-04:00

Collins did great at his first soccer practice...to whatever extent you can call it practice.

He ran the whole time, only got frustrated once, and got the ball in the net a couple of times. He also pulled another kid down. Sounds like he's got the commitment to excellence I always had. :)

Gracie meets her coach this Friday. They said, "No cleats, no shin guards, no water, no soccer ball....no practice and no play". So, we need to buy cleats and shin guards.

I've told them both that I have four rules..

Play Hard

Don't quit

Don't cry

Have Fun!!!

When they get older, I'll tell them proper mindset to keep during life, where I paraphrase Freddie Blassie.

"Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat".

Happy Birthday Gracie.....7 years

2010-08-25T04:08:00.002-04:00

Where did the time go?

It's been a sweet and wonderful time. There have been hard times already, but that's part of life. We have to deal with learning problems. We have to deal with a girl who wants to take the easy road. We have to deal with a girl who has such a great imagination, she gets things worked up in her head so that she's scared of everything.

Our reward for all this hard work? Our reward IS Gracie. We get to be her parents. I get to see her everyday. I get to see her progress. I get to see her blossom. I get to talk to her. I get to show her stuff. I get to be called Daddy. I'm proud of her.

Having kids has been harder than I thought it would be, but it's also been more rewarding.

Sometimes I get stuck being the fun friend, and it's hard to downshift to being the father. That's my responsibility. I don't get to be the friend all the time. I have to be the Father. She needs me to be a Father. That means trying to teach, trying to grown, trying to instruct, holding her accountable, having some discipline, etc.

I'm big on being a disciplinarian at work. I'm afraid I'm not consistent at home. It's not for a lack of effort. I know I screw up a lot, but at least I come home every day. A mediocre father is better than no father at all.

Back to Gracie....

Her birthday will never go pass without me thinking about her first day. We had the infamously bad nurse Vickie...or Torrey.....I'm sure her name was Victoria. I think she was a "Vickie". We were rescued from the failed inducement by Dr. Harvin. We had the C-section. I got merconium (sp?) pottied on me (Grace loves that part of the story). Family was there, and it was a happy time. That night....it was just us together...my brand new family. I had to change my first diapers. When I changed my first stinker, Gracie cried the whole way through while Kristin gave me panicked instructions while hitting the "noise making crib toy" repeatedly...thinking the sound would relax her. I knew I had to get Gracie clean, but I was trying to be so easy that it was taking longer. When I was done, I went immediately to the bathroom. I sat on the side of the tub and I cried. I was overwhelmed. The thought crossed my mind..."hey, what if I was to get in the car and drive away, never to return". For one brief moment, my spirits were lifted. Reality hit me a moment later, realizing that this was impossible. I couldn't escape, I'm too loyal to run from my brand new family, and my parents would kill me anyway if I tried. I tried to compose myself, and then headed back into the room for more.

It wasn't long before we were home. I drove slower than I had ever driven on the way home from the hospital. It was like all these cars were flying 100mph. Didn't they know I had precious cargo?

The first month was hard. It got easier with time. It seemed like she was a baby forever. On the other hand, it seems like it was no time before she was arguing with me. Now, she's one of the oldest 1st graders at school.

We're going for cupcakes today, if I can get away from work. I'm obsessed with trying to make more money for my family. I want for her to have the option to do so many things in life, and you need money for everything. I want to put aside money for her...for her future too, not just the present. At the rate I'm going, she'll be having to take care of ME after paying for her own college tuition.

Like they say, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. My goal in life is to is to make GOD happy...and I know being a loyal and doting father makes him happy.

Happy Birthday Gracie. I see so much of me in you. That's probably the parts I want to change about you. We're the same person in so many way. You're wired up to be a "Puckett", so you will probably have the following traits:

You'll be smart, but you'll be tempted to take the easy road because the desire to have fun will be overwhelming. You'll be emotional...in both good ways and bad ways....so much so in fact, you'll have to be careful not to let the bad times get you too far down in life. You'll be fast runner. You'll be fiercely loyal to family. You'll be inclined to be very religious...which I believe is the result of generational prayer from our ancestors (I pray for future Pucketts, too). In the end, it's a good mix if you can balance it with level headed decision making...balancing the big decisions in life with equal parts wisdom/passion.

My advice for your future? Accept Jesus and read the Bible. Relax and enjoy life because you trust him. Find a career in something you love. Don't be a quitter. Never turn your back on your family. Don't kid yourself on anything, because there are enough people out there already who are lying to you. Try to be a good woman, don't try to be perfect...you'll break under the pressure. If you say something, do it...you just have to watch what you say (Guard your tongue). Have confidence in yourself. Don't get worked up over what people may say to you, or about you. You can do anything if you want it bad enough. Take care of your health...take the time to exercise and try to eat right. If you get overwhelmed in a situation, find some privacy and cry (it will keep you from going crazy because it will relieve you).

In the end, I want you to be a Christian. I want you to be happy. I want you to be healthy. I want you to take care of yourself emotionally. I want you to find a good, Christian man who LOVES you...and I want you to treat him with respect. When you get married, I want you to stay local and stay close to your family....but in the end, it's a decision you two have to make together. I will keep my nose out of it. I want you to have some kids so I can be called Grandpa.

I'm getting ahead of myself. I feel like I'm recording things down for posterity on this blog. I hope it lasts forever. If they start dumping archives, I'll have to save some of it.

I don't have to give you your marriage instructions yet, though. You're still only 7, you know!!!!

LET'S JUST HAVE FUN AND PARTY!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

2010 Atlanta Falcons Prediction

2010-08-23T08:01:00.004-04:00

I could go on all day about the Falcons and their upcoming season. I'll try to keep this relatively brief, but I'll fail miserably.

The 3 things we need to analyze including the following:

2009 results and circumstances
Improvements made with offseason changes
2010 schedule

One thing people have asked me when blog about football...is it all from memory? It mostly is, but not entirely. I'm a big football fan, but even I had to look at the schedules to verify bye weeks, and to verify how many field goals Jason Elam missed last season. Sorry if I let any of you down, but even I need to look some stats up. Well, I guess I could make them up out of thin air. I'll have to remember that for next season.

2009 Season

The Falcons had, according to some, the toughest schedule in the league last year. If it was not the toughest, it was one of the toughest. We are in a pretty tough division (NFC South produced the Super Bowl Champion Saints...ugh, it made me sick to type that). In addition, we had to play 2 divisions that are usually two of the toughest ones in the NFL, the NFC East and the AFC East. Out of the 16 game regular season, 6 games were against playoff teams (2 against the Super Bowl Champions) and 4 of those 6 were on the road. In addition, we had to play 4 games against teams that were just coming off of BYE WEEKS!!! That is a huge disadvantage that isn't talked about enough. Your opponent had players resting and coaches planning an extra week, while you're involved in a dogfight with somebody else. Chicago, Dallas, Washington, and the Giants all had BYE weeks before they played us. We lost 2 of those games, but the Giants only managed to beat us with a Field Goal in OT. What could we have done with an even playing field??

Let's look at those losses. 2 of them were by a field goad (Saints at home and Giants on the road). A couple of those other games were close until late TDs made the score look worse than it was.

Circumstances: We made the playoffs in 2008 when we had stayed relatively injury free. That good streak of fortune ran out last year. Our offense did OK, considering we lost Ryan for 2 games and part of another, Turner for 5 games, Dahl for 2 games, Norwood stayed hurt, and Douglas for the entire season. We knew we were going to have growing pains with a young defense last year, but it went badly when our best corner back was lost for the season against the Bears in the 6th game. From that point on, we were much easier to pass on, until the end of the season when our younger players started to gell. We lost our #1 draft pick DT Jerry in the 2nd or 3rd game, and #2 draft pick S William Moore for all season, and our best CB Williams against the Bears (stated previously). Maybe most importantly, our Hall of Fame (possible) kicker went downhill mid season. Elam started missing crucial kicks in close games (he was 12/19) and we released him with 5 or 6 games left to play. Undoubtedly, those missed field goals changed the complexion of many of those losses. Instead of going for a field goal at the end of the game to tie, after an earlier miss, you're having to go for touchdown. That desperation resulted in some of those scores not being as close as they should.

To me, our best corner back (Brian Williams) getting hurt and the kicker going haywire were 2 of the biggest things that hurt our ability to handle that tough schedule. The very next week, Dallas passed on us with impunity. We had substandard corner backs and no pass rush from the line. We needed a force in the middle to help free up Abraham, and Jerry got hurt. Uh-oh. The offense had pressure on it at the end of games because the defense couldn't stop the pass, and we were missing field goals early.

Am I making excuses? Not really, I'm citing "reasons".

With all of that working against us, what did the 2009 Falcons accomplish? A winning season at 9-7!!! Amazing. The offense still produced, and the younger players on defense stepped up towards then end of the season as they got more experience. Turner and Ryan returning from injury gave us a consistent offense, and we replaced Elam with Bryant, who was (is, I hope) a reliable kicker. We upset the Jets on the road, beat the dog squeeze out of the Bills, and beat the Bucs to finish the season strong. With one extra win, we could have made the playoffs.

Offseason changes:

Jerry will be back from injury. Brian Williams (who was our best CB) is back from injury. Our big free agent pickup was Dunta Robinsion from Houston (Georgia native and former Gamecock, which we'll forgive now that he's a Dirty Bird...although if a Gamecock isn't the definition of a dirty bird, I don't know what is), who will NOW be our best Cornerback. I don't know if he's a "lockdown" corner, but he's close to it. Our "used to be" best corner will be on the other team's secondary option. Our draft yielded LB Weatherspoon, which from what I've read, might actually have exceeded expectations and will become a starter by game 1....which is excellent. Our 3rd round pick (that tackle out of Kentucky, whose name I can't remember right now...Peterson maybe?) might wind up contributing more than anyone thought. I'm sure he'll just rotate in and out like the rest of them, but the staff is apparently delighted at his progress.

Jerry and Brian Williams coming back, and the addition of Robinson, will surely address our biggest weak point from last season...pass defense.

2010 Season

You can't predict injuries, but these things have a way of evening out over time. Chances are, the amount of injuries won't be as bad as last year. If our starters and stars stay healthy enough, we should be fine. It's not like our opponents won't be getting hurt, too.

Turner has admitted that he was out of shape when last season started. This year, he came in with 15 .lbs less of fat on him. Ryan is entering year 3, which is normally the year where you see the biggest jump. I believe he has what it takes (hard work, desire, intelligence, leadership, toughness) to succeed. Nobody ever mentions his arm, but his arm is fine. Ryan worked out a lot last season, and reportedly has improved his arm strength.

So...with these improvements noted, less look at the schedule and make predictions, shall we? This will be based on shallow analysis and gut instinct. This will be fun!!!

at Steelers
Normally a tough team that always stresses defense and running the football. Last time we played them, I believe, Vick beat them in the dome. Last time we played them in Pittsburgh, Vick tied them. I think that might have been 2002. At any rate, it's good that we're playing them early in the season because:
A) it won't be cold
B) Roethelisphamburgeler (sp?...I don't care enough to look up how to spell his name...not because I don't like him, but because I just don't feel like looking it up ) will be suspended for the game.

Leftwich will probably be the QB. He's good, but there isn't any reason to fear him. I really think their runningback Mendenhall is pretty good. I thought this game would be a WIN for us...but then I waffled. I'm going to stick with a win here, because of the change in QB for the "Picksburgh Stillers". WIN

Arizona
I really like their coach. They are only 2 years removed from a Super Bowl appearance. They beat us that year in the playoffs. This game is at home (dome field advantage, I guess) and they don't have Warner anymore because he retired. I'll say WIN

at New Orleans
When I look at the NFC South, I see a lot of hate filled rivalries, which have only intensified with time. It's awfully hard to predict rivalry games. Normally, when I make predictions in rivalry games like this, I say that the teams will split the season series. We'll just assume that we go .500 in the Division, with the exception
of Tampa Bay, who will be better but will have no real reason to beat us. So, let's say that we beat the Saints and Panthers at home, and lose to them on the road. We'll beat Tampa at home and away. LOSS here.

San Francisco
Did I ever tell you that I hated the 49ers? Old habit die hard. They are the enemies of my blood, being as how I was a Falcons fan since I was a child. I think Singletary is a tough SOB, and he wants to have a team of tough SOBs. He's also probably motivated after he and Dahl got into it last year. Either that, or he could care less. The 49ers are trying to be a physical team, but I think we can beat them in that area. One of their runningbacks just retired early (Coffee). Unless they got a new QB, they are going to be substandard there. I think we'll have a harder time on offense for this game, but we'll win with our defense because the NIner offense will suck. WIN.

at Cleveland
They made some moves. I think they'll be exciting with some of their young players. They've got a good brain trust with Holmgren and Mangini. I think they signed Delhomme in the offseason. They drafted Colt McCoy to be their QB. Still...it's the Browns (I mean...come on, right?) and we really ought to have enough bullets in the gun to beat them. WIN

at Philadelphia
I really want to beat the Eagles, partially because of John Kincade (680 The Fan), but also because of the dog-slaughtering Mike Vick. They've got Kolb at QB instead of McNabb. I really want to beat them, but for some reason, I think they'll have our number in this one. Maybe because things don't always work out the way I want them to work out. We haven't had great success against them. I think they'll miss McNabb more than they realize. Still, part of my prediction process is based on gut instinct, and I just have a bad feelin' about this game. I could be wrong, though. LOSS

Cincinnati
I, for one, think the Bengals are going to be great. They have a defense that is getting better, and a very good QB in Palmer, throwing to Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. Plus, I believe, they are coming off a bye week. I think we might lose this one, too. LOSS

BYE WEEK

at Tampa Bay
I think we'll sweep this rivalry game, remember? Especially coming off a BYE week, this game should be a cake walk.
WIN

Baltimore (Thursday night, for some reason)
I don't know why this is on Thursday night. It's not even Thanksgiving, for crying out loud. There are several Thursday night games scheduled this season. It's a tough tough team after only 4 days rest. Again, I got a bad feeling about this game. I see our offense struggling a little, and our defense failing us late. LOSS

at St. Louis
Because of the stupid Thursday night game, we'll have 10 days of rest before we play the sorry Rams. We'll kick the livin' crap out of them. WIN

Green Bay
They are supposed to be great this year. For some reason, I'm not particularly scared of their defense. I think we can handle them with our offense, and can withstand a barrage by Aaron Rogers and still win. Plus, we're at home. I think they are over rated, although I'm not really giving you any reasons to think that. Just a hunch, maybe? I think we'll take this one because our defense will bother Rogers more than their defense bothers Ryan. WIN

at Tampa Bay

WIN

at Carolina

I said we would lose the home games against the Panthers and Saints, and they will have a few extra days to prepare for us because their previous game was on a Thursday night. LOSS

At Seattle

I don't see the Seahawks being very good, although they got the foul stench off of them by firing Jim Mora. They just hired Pete Carroll, and he would need some time to turn them around. The NFL already pays it's players, so he doesn't have an advantage there. I don't think they'll be all that good this year, certainly not a playoff team, and therefore I have no reason to think they'll beat the Dirty Birds.
WIN

New Orleans - Monday Night
We've had a traditionally tough time on Monday night, but this isn't your daddy's Falcons. It's our turn to beat them...... WIN

Carolina

.....and...it's our turn to beat Carolina. WIN

So, where are we? 11-5, and most assuredly in the playoffs, probably with a NFC South division crown.

Truth is, the Green Bay game could be a toss up....but, there are plenty of reasons to think we'll beat the Eagles and Panthers...so, hopefully I've erred on the side of caution with these predictions.

Certainly, if we drop an extra game...10-6 should still get us in the playoffs. Then, all bets are off. We just need to get in there. If we avoid injury, we should be a pretty dadgum good team. Defensive depth might be a problem, and our kicker was out of work this time a year ago (take from that what you will, if he was great he probably would have been some one's kicker at this time a year ago)...so we might be in for some hand wringing. It wouldn't be football without hand wringing, now would it?

Final thoughts

I've been writing this over the course of a week or so. During that time, I watched a terrible preseason game against the Patriots. It should be noted that we didn't play our starting cornerbacks, and Jerry STILL didn't play. They are all supposed to play this week against Miami.

Brady looked good, throwing to Moss and Welker. We couldn't get off the field on 3rd down (much like last year) and didn't tackle very well. Offensively, we dropped some passes. I was relieved that we didn't leave Turner in there very long. I'm sure we'll pound it better than that during the season.

When it was 3-7, the Pats were about to kick a field goal, and missed it, but we got a silly roughing the kicker penalty. Brady then threw for a TD, with Weatherspoon giving what looked like good coverage.

What can we take away from the preseason? Well, nothing...because our best CB's didn't play, and I would want to see Jerry in the game before I made any predictions about our defensive line. I would be lying if I said I was thrilled with what I saw on defense....but, I'm not going to panic based on the preseason.

I'm holding with my prediction. I said 11-5, possibly 10-6. 10-6 would be the worse we could do without me feeling like the season was a failure, if (big "if" here) we won a playoff game or two once we make it into the playoffs. I really think we have the talent to compete with any NFC team....but probably not the depth should we sustain injury. We've got to stay healthy. And that, my friends, is all about being lucky.

2010 Season kicks off in a few weeks...we know we're good, let's hope we're lucky, too. I think making the NFC Championship game would be a wonderful goal to have. Then again, if you make it that far, you might as well pull another couple of wins out of your rear end and take the whole dadgum thing.

The University of Football at Knoxville

2010-08-23T03:51:00.002-04:00

The University of Tennessee is paying the University of North Carolina in order to drop a scheduled home/home series. They cited money issues (they would rather have the extra home game to make more money), but also admitted that the football team wasn't where they expected it to be.

They've been playing impressive OOC (out of conference)games lately (eg. UCLA, California), which they need to do if they want to continue to recruit nationally. They want a foothold in California. Tennessee doesn't normally have the strongest Division 1 high school prospects, although some years are better than others. They generally need to dip into North Carolina and Georgia and Florida and even California.

They story broke that they backed out of a chance to play the University of Southern California at a neutral site, which would have been delicious revenge against Lane Kiffin. Now, they are paying to back out of the UNC game???? I'm sorry, but I've got a problem with that, and I would wager that a lot of their fans have a problem with it too.

I don't care if it was for the money (not having to have to play an extra away game), although they admitted that it was a combination of that and their football team not being ready.

FIGHT!! I would rather play a big game and lose, than to mow down some creme puff. Who knows? Play a little defense, get a couple of turnovers, and you're in the middle of it. An upset would go a lot way to bringing you back. I mean....UNC? I respect Butch Davis, but darn.

North Carolina has a lot more talent than UT. I'm sure UNC wanted to beat UT in order to make a statement in their own state. UT would rather back down.

I'm sure the diehard UT fans are wanting to crawl under a rock...of course, they always crawl "out from under" their rocks. So, I guess they are already there.

To be fair, a lot of the Dawg fans are wailing that the we scheduled too tough of a slate...such as Oklahoma State, Arizona State, etc. Hey, we've gotten good press out of playing a tough schedule. Bill King on Rivals radio made a point that, perhaps, we had gone overboard. I like that. We learned more about our team (some of it wasn't good) by losing on the road against Oklahoma State than we would have learned by playing a creme puff. I believe that experience better equipped us for handling South Carolina the next week.

This year, we play a cupcake before we play South Carolina. I hope we don't have a problem with that.

Gracie's Birthday Party

2010-08-21T08:20:00.002-04:00

We think Gracie might be too old for big birthday parties. Today, we're having Build a Bear, and then Chick Fil A for Supper, with cake and family. Her actual birthday is Wednesday.

She's excited out of her mind. This makes me very happy. All of us have (or will have) some level of misery in our live here on Earth. All the time that she can be completely overjoyed...well, that's something to celebrate!!!

Daddy is excited because she is excited.

Crazy couple of days

2010-08-21T08:16:00.002-04:00

I'm dissapointed that Kerry Meier got hurt for the Falcons. He's a rookie wide receiver, and I thought he was going to help us out this year. He's out of the year with a knee injury.

I was headin' to Mentone, Alabama. I was going to meet my cousin. I'm relieved that I checked my email before headin' out the door. Steve had to postone. I could have driven the 1.75 hours to Mentone before I realized. I would have been feelin' pretty stupid.

I had to work today, but I'm already almost finished. Hopefully, I'll be home by 11am.

Hey...it was just preseason.

2010-08-20T08:02:00.000-04:00

The Falcons defense didn't overwhelm me yesterday, but they weren't playing any of their top 3 cornerbacks, and still weren't using Jerry in the middle, or Babineaux who is suspended for a few games. So, in reality, that wasn't anything resembling our real defense we saw on the field.

Also, consider that we were playing Brady/Moss...and had them stopped when a roughing the kicker penalty got called on Chevis Jackson

How was my day today? I'll let Johnny Cash tell you

2010-08-17T21:54:00.002-04:00

The head folks in charge - Atlanta Falcons

2010-08-13T12:59:00.005-04:00

OK. Let's take a look at the Dirty Birds.

First the first time...ever..the Falcons are coming off consecutive winning seasons. I think most of us feel better about the leadership of the team than we ever have before. Arthur Blank is easily the most motivated and focused owner in Atlanta sports history. Although Ted shelled out the cash in the 90's, he was (and still is today in his private life) a knucklehead for most of his ownership. Arthur is great, and saved this franchise.

Dimitroff, to me, is an example of a man whose talents were seen, and his promotion was a speculative venture as opposed to a proven commodity.....and he was given a job where he could succeed. In other words, he was promoted ahead of his resume to a job that he was meant to have, and he has performed exceptionally well. Blank gave him the freedom to choose his coach, and he picked out a diamond in the rough in Coach Smith. Together, they hand picked a QB of the future, a man with a brain and toughness to spare. Blank-Dimitroff-Smith-Ryan. Boom Boom Boom Boom.

Never have I had more confidence in the Atlanta Falcons. Unlike most of the years of my life, my confidence in the team is actually matched with equal confident by national pundits. It's not "Greg the Falcons Idiot" preaching them, but the chorus singing national sports writers are saying the same thing. Most prognosticators are looking at the Falcons and predicting playoffs in some fashion. Some think we will upset the Super Bowl champions!!!

I'll be breaking down the season.

A moment of insanity

2010-08-13T07:23:00.003-04:00

In early July, I came home from a hard day from work. The kids met me at the door and demanded to be taken to the pool. I complied.

As we turned into the entrance road to the Pool, work out center, tennis, and Featherstone's, there were a large group of young men jogging down the road. They looked to be high school seniors, training for some sport...perhaps football, I don't really know. Most of them were athletic looking, which makes me think it was a sport OTHER than football. You'll usually see some big bodied men in a football group. The lineman may have still been in the "eat potato chips" mode of Summer. So, who knows. They weren't super big kids, but they were in great shape.

At any rate, all of the kids moved to the sidewalk or right along the road (to make room for my car)...except one. He refused to give me access to my side of the road. He continued along his original path, which was just to the right (my right) of dead center. I slowed and continued, and finally when it looked like he really really wasn't going to move, I veered into the left lane. There was no traffic at all, so it wasn't like I was putting my kids in any danger.

I did, however, throw up my right hand to the heavens in bewilderment. This was some testosterone filled kid, pushing the envelope and feelin' his oats. None of the other gaggle of kids had a problem with giving the car the road, but him.

As I drove passed him, I look in the review mirror. Undoubtedly, he saw my gesture. He stopped running, and standing in the middle of the road, stared at my car and gave me "the finger".

Now, I might be an older man, but I'm still a man.

Naturally, I reacted instead of thinking. I shot a bird out the sun roof back at him. Nobody saw it but him, since the other kids had continued their run.

He, for great dramatic effect, flipped me a two handed "double bird" with a lot of wrist action, I think he may have been standing on his toes too. His was a high quality "bird shooting"...probably a 9 out of 10. I saw this out of the rear view mirror, he was perhaps 15-20 yards behind me.

My reaction was predictable. I stopped the car and slammed the parking break on, while climbing out of my car. I was angry.

When I looked at him, I saw the glimpse of panic on his face before he turned and bolted in the opposite direction, trying to make his way back to his friends who were now far down the road and turning down Bridgemill Avenue towards the main entrance.

He turned back to look at me. I was still standing by my car with the door open. By this point, I had calmed down and realized that my kids were in the car, I wasn't in any situation to be fighting in the middle of the road. The kid slowed down and stopped running away, although he was still backing away.

I motioned for him to come back to the car, and yelled "Come back, you little punk". He continued backing up as I climbed back into my car. He yelled something back at me, but I was unable to distinguish what it was. My mind tells me it was something derogatory about my appearance, but it may have been a more generic cut down...like calling me a name or something.

I then continued to drive to the pool, and Collins said "He was going to get squished". Referring, of course, to running in the middle of the road. I said, "yeah, he was"....but I meant something along the lines of DADDY doing it.

Grace may have commented on it, I don't know. She may have been lost in her own world. I think I covered up my actions with the kids with a little spin action, talking about road safety. While at the pool, I made a point to check back over in the parking lot...making sure that the kid hadn't come back to do anything to my car. That would have been pretty ballsy thing to do in the broad sunlight.

Aftermath:

So, who is to blame?

He was being a little punk, and he stated it. So there.

However, I'm older and I'm supposed to have wisdom, and lead by example. As a man who attempts to be a Christian standard bearer, this wasn't a good example. He was probably 17, and is entitled to be a punk. I had my kids with me. I should have behaved better. Most of the time, I would have. This kid just caught me on the wrong day. The scary thing is, had the ENTIRE group of young men participated with him, I would have done the exact same thing. I think I would have jumped back in the car though, since I had my kids with me. If I was alone, I might have pressed the issue further.

Had I been in a bad part of Atlanta, I would haven't done anything but kept driving. Even when I'm angry, I have enough sense to assess my situation. I don't want to get shot. These were clean cut, suburban kids.

Who would have won the fight?

I was probably 3-4 inches taller and outweighed him by 50 .lbs. Despite being older and overweight, I'm not considered an "old" man, and I'm pretty strong. Plus, I was angry and he became scared really quickly.

In his favor, he was young and in great shape. No doubt he would be a lot quicker than me. He looked to be somewhat strong in his own right. I would say it would depend a lot on what sport he was training for, and if I could have gotten my hands on him.

If I could have gotten my hands on him, I would have won...unless he was wrestler. Then, I would have been playing into his hands, so to speak.

Another factor to be considered....I have no problem fighting dirty. I would have gouged at his eyes pretty early on. So, take that for what it's worth.

I didn't post this at the time, because I didn't want to get yelled at by my mother or my wife. Since a month has passed, it's probably not a big deal.

I'll behave better next time. In fact, I was hoping on the drive back an hour later that they were still on the road. I would have apologized, and explained that sometimes men in their 30s forget that they are grown ups, and not teenagers themselves.

They might be Giants....

2010-08-12T05:12:00.004-04:00

Guess who Sports Illustrated thinks is the #1 improved NHL team this year?

Take a wild guess? Go on.

Well, it's not taking the link at this moment. Suffice it to say, if I'm bloggin' about it, it could only be about 1 team. Right?

Hey, I'm thirsty.

2010-08-11T02:56:00.003-04:00

Only a couple of days until the first Falcon's preseason game. Somebody gave me a funny look one time because I had planned on watching a preseason game. Truth be known, I "start" watching them....but when 3rd stringers are in the game AND merely running out the clock, I don't always stick around. If they were still trying to score, that's one thing. However, when they stop caring, I stop caring.

I do intend to watch it, though. How can they tell me that I'm crazy to watch preseason?

It's like a man, about to die of thirst, comes crawling out of the desert. He finds the strength to run when he sees a water hose on the ground. He turns the spigot and begins to drink. A person, who isn't thirsty in the slightest, sips on a martini and says, "That man over there is crazy, that's tap water for GOD's sake".

My point? I've been without water for a long time. Ice cold bottled spring water would be refreshing, but I'll settle for something "wet" when I'm this dehydrated.

Yes, I'll be watching the Falcons preseason game.

Forgiveness for Willie Martinez

2010-08-10T14:58:00.002-04:00

There has been a lot of hurtful words on this blog about former Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez.

I had said he had the job chiefly because he was Richt's old college roommate. Truth be known, Willie has been known as a good teacher of defensive backs. Possibly, he's a good asst. coach, just not a great coordinator. In addition, he was the DC during the SEC Championship year of 2005, and the 2007 season when we finished #2 in the country. I think his downward spiral correlated with some sub-standard defensive line recruiting. You can tell by the way the NFL stopped paying attention to our defensive players and started paying MORE attention to our offensive players.

Let's give him a round of applause. He contributed while he was here, and he will forever be a Bulldog.

He was guiding our ship during some rough waters. Off the top of my head, the WVU Sugar Bowl fiasco where we were down 4 TDs and were woefully unprepared. The 2006 and 2007 UT disasters. The UF routs of 2008 and 2009. The awful Bama game in 2008 when the team didn't show up until after halftime. The Georgia Tech meltdown in 2008. The 2008 defense that was the worst in our school's history. The 5 loss season of 2009. The 2005 loss to Auburn that was one of the more painful ones. Losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky...both at home.

Geez....I'm glad he's gone.

"The Hollow Tree", by Puckett

2010-08-09T14:26:00.005-04:00

(a poem....like a good poet, which I'm not, I reserve the right to make up words. I'm no Dr. Suess, who is one of the best poets I've ever read)

a black hole of love
has swallowed the stove
on which burned my kettle of fears,

never again,
to dream wide awake,
of the oncoming futureless years

a man is an oaf,
who fools himself,
into thinking he'll never grow old,

He'll die unprepared,
for the sobering fact,
that he'll go whenever he's told,

But what is life,
if you do not care,
for family or love or the truth,

perverted joy??
and if you live long enough,
the exchange of disease for your youth.

BUT TO GOD'S CREATION,
HE EXTENDS INVITATION,
FOR YOUR SALVATION,
TO BECOME BLOOD RELATION,,
AND SPARK JUBILIATION,

TO AVOID DESOLATION,
AND OUTRIGHT DAMNATION....
LIFE IN A LOCATION,
....of illumination
ETERNAL CELEBRATION!!!!

so run through the fields,
and laugh your life through,
and enjoy a holy fraternity,

don't embrace this world,
for what is today?
compared to the whole of eternity

the rain will come down,
and smothering sheets,
will choke out your joy with strife,

but fight evil hard,
you have nothing to lose,
why bothering protecting this life?

Jesus died for man,
we slaughted the lamb,
in so doing we covered our sin,

loved enough to pay,
accept him today,
because he may never knock again.

forgot the seal

2010-08-09T11:08:00.003-04:00

Neti Pot

2010-08-09T11:02:00.003-04:00

I used a Neti Pot for the first time about 2 weeks ago. It was amazing once it was finished. It's like getting an enema for your sinuses.

I had to make myself breathe through my mouth, because I kept thinking I was going to forget and breathe through my nose, which would have had me snorting.

Once you're finished, you need to blow your nose.

I thought I had things figured out when it hit me that I needed to go to the sauna when I had a stuffy nose. I think this Neti Pot is worth the effort.

They are pretty cheap, available at CVS.

I give it my seal of approval.

Family Tradition

2010-08-06T09:49:00.002-04:00

Collins R. Puckett

son of

Gregory R. Puckett

son of

Garry R. Puckett

son of

Roy Felton Puckett

son of

Laudric Jackson Puckett

son of

John E. Bird Puckett

son of

Wesley Puckett

son of

Richard Puckett

son of

Douglas Puckett 2nd

son of

Douglas Puckett

son of

William Puckett 2nd

son of

William Puckett

son of

John Puckett

My wife's birthday, 1st day of school, no dryer

2010-08-03T12:13:00.002-04:00

My wife got a good birthday surprise. I got her an I-pod I-touch. She's wanted one forever. Not only that, but she got a great cake from Jill's cakes and bakes.

Yes, I'm back at work after taking yesterday off for the first day of school. It went better than could be expected. I always used to say that the 2nd day was the worst, so we'll see how it goes after today.

Our dyer is dead. I'm locating one on Craigslist. More on that later

Atlanta Falcons report to training camp

2010-07-30T06:44:00.002-04:00

Hey mom...we made it one more year!!!

There will come a time when I can't pick up the phone to call my mom and talk about football. I don't know if it will make this day seem like a fun day to remember, or just a sad day.

Nevertheless, we have made it one more year. The Bulldogs kick off fall camp this weekend, or early next week. I think they are starting earlier than any other school in the BCS.

Although the last couple of years have really taken the wind out of my sails for the Georgia Bulldogs, I think we're in for a comeback. I thought 2009 would be a comeback year, but some of the things I was banking on didn't come to fruition. I though Cox would provide accuracy, leadership, smart decisions, and ball security. He didn't really deliver on any of that. The defense that I had hoped would improve was only marginally better.

Since we have an NFL'er over the defense, and the #1 rated offensive line with proven RBs (unlike last year when we were replacing Knowshon), I think we really will see improvment. Don't forget...the schedule looks to be much easier.

The Falcons had a crazy amount of injuries and arguably the toughest schedule the NFL last year. The still finished 9-7. I think this will be a big year for them too.

As a side note...the Braves are still in first place and I'm excited about what the Thrashers are doing.

Although I don't claim to be a fan, look for Georgia Tech to continue the push. They are also breaking in a new DC, with years of NFL experience. They are also switching to a 3-4.

The Dawgs have an up and coming "bassett" ball team.

Of course, the Hawks made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs last year.

This might be the start of a new era for Georgia Sports.

France

2010-07-29T09:17:00.002-04:00

I read that the French have declared War on Al-Qaeda.

Normally, I'm one of those Americans who demean the French. However, in an age where everybody hates us, it's kinda nice to have another allay...or at least is gunning for the same people we are.

Welcome aboard, France. The more the merrier.

Sick and Tired....but we're in a motel.

2010-07-27T22:27:00.003-04:00

I've got some type of sinus infection. It's not strep, apparently, but it's bad. The doctor said the drainage was as bad as he's ever seen. Collins is sick, and so is Gracie. Last night, I was so clogged that I couldn't swallow without feeling like I was going to drown.

Today, I went to the doctor and got a steroid shot, which reduced the swelling in my throat that was making me feel like I was drowning. It helped, along with the antibiotics. They also go onto me about not taking the cholesterol medicine. We did another blood test. I will finally take the stuff now. I'm satisfied that I can't reduce it on my own. I need medical help, but I promise to monitor my liver to be sure I'm not causing any damaged to it.

So, we're all sick....and the AC died. The man is coming tomorrow to fix it. Both unit are kaput. It probably just needs freon.

I would have made the kids stick it out in their 90 degree house for the night, but I didn't have the heart to do it while they were this sick...with fevers, etc.
To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it myself, either.

We got a GREAT deal on a hotel room at the Best Western here in Canton. That's where we are right now. It's pretty new...very clean. We used to stay in these all the time when we were on trips growing up, but I haven't stayed at one in years. I will recommend it, and will stay here again (the next time I need a hotel room in my own town..which I've never needed before)

Crappy crappy day.

The best thing that happened for my kids is to stay in a hotel. They love them as much as I do. Everybody felt like we were on vacation when we got here, and it brightened everyone's spirits. Even though I'm sick, I found myself wanting to take the kids down to the indoor pool and order a pizza for supper.

Beach Vacation : Isle of Palms

2010-07-26T11:58:00.003-04:00

Let me see if I can break this down.

We left for Charleston Friday afternoon. The kids were already screaming for the beach before we had made it to Atlanta. Still, it was fun to be on the way and traveling.

We made it to our Hampton Inn. Kristin was scared of it's location and clientele, but it was fine. We went downtown to walk Charleston. We didn't have a lot of time with Collins' approving "brat" mode. It was late. After walking into pizza joint and Mexican place WITHOUT buying anything, we settled on what looked like a charming pizza place. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was a Mellow Mushroom. We ate upstairs and sat outside. Collins was tired, wired, and being a full blown basket case until the food came. He settled down and ate, which actually made us enjoy the meal. Gracie was just happy to be there eating pizza. We remarked about the old buildings.

After spending the night, we drove to Sullivan's Island and toured (briefly) Fort Moultrie. We walked to the beach, where we saw a sign that said it was illegal to get into the water there.

After locating the beach house, we drove around for awhile. We had something to eat at the Marina, but the kids complained about how hot it was, and again, Collins was falling apart because he wasn't at the beach already. Finally, we went back and waited for the others to show up. We all began to congregate and wait for the cleaners to be finished. I took the kids to the beach, and we had a great time.

The week was filled with beach fun, pool fun, and Euchre. We rode some bikes. We played some toss across (or corn hole, depending on your preference). The kids were outside more than any other set of kids, but due to our thorough sun blocking, they didn't get too much sun.

Wednesday, the men went to Hymen's, which was a wonderful seafood place. My father in law paid for his son's in law, and did the rest of the fathers in law. The names of the attendees were as follows:

Greg, Dush, Doug, Rudy, Terry, Michael, Don, Chet, Chet, Bill, Bill, and Bill. I feel like I'm missing someone. It was a lot of fun. When someone mentions Hymen's, I can truly say "Been there, done that, got the T Shirt". Why? I got a T Shirt.

The kids had about their BEST day on Friday, our last day. We were at the Beach for hours and hours. The kids boogie boarded, made sand castles, etc.

We had a sad night packing.

Saturday morning came, and we were among the last ones to leave. We bought some souvenirs, and killed some time until Jack's Cosmic Dogs opened. I had been planning on stopping there for months after hearing Alton Brown comment on it on the Food Network. I finally got to try a Cosmic Dog...which was blue cheese slaw with sweet potato mustard. I had REALLY high expectations. The verdict? It was very very good. My expectations might have been a little too high. I don't think I've ever tasted anything it before. It's good, and I really liked it. I think that critique might sound like I was disappointed based on my expectations. The blue cheese slaw wasn't very blue cheesy, and the sweet potato mustard could have been honey mustard. Still, it was a very very good hot dog. I wouldn't hesitate to eat there again...but, I don't know if I would hang around for an hour waiting on one either with the long drive home waiting on me.

We had a great time all week long. I heard of some minor complaints during the week, but it didn't affect me too much. The worse parts were Collin's attitude swings, and my mom broke her shoulder when she tried to hold back my bulldog with a leash. Talk about a buzz kill, huh?

2010-07-25T07:34:00.001-04:00

back from the beach. I plan on bloggin' about it tomorrow when I get time.
I'll probably head over to my parent's house today to get the notorious D O G's.

Before vacation, something to think about

2010-07-15T06:41:00.001-04:00

My dad said,

"If I don't see you before you leave, have a good time. Be safe. Enjoy it while you can".

I've been thinking about that last sentence. "Enjoy it while you can".

Did he mean:

The kids will grow up fast, enjoy the family vacations.

or

You'll be back at work soon. Enjoy your time away

or

When you get older, you may not be able to run around and have fun...kinda referring to his own mecial condition.

or

something else.....

That was nice....

2010-07-14T06:56:00.002-04:00

I got my hair cut yesterday. It was the expensive hair cut at the salon. It was nice. I don't think the scalp and neck massage was as long as last time, but it was excellent. She about put me to sleep.

I wonder if this is how "johns" get started. First, it's paying for a nice hair cut. Next, it will be getting a full massage. Then, you're getting an "oriental" massage at an Asian place. Eventually, you're out cruising the streets for hookers.

Maybe this is just something I should dip my toes into, and leave it at the occasional "nice" hair cut.

700 POSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-13T15:34:00.001-04:00

My last post was my 700th post on my blog.

Thank you. Thank you.

It was about Moby Dick. What was the chances it would have been about something other than my kids or football?

I'm going to get my beach haircut today. Jyl Craven. I'm just as nervous as I was last time.

Moby Dick

2010-07-13T07:50:00.002-04:00

I haven't seen the classic Moby Dick with Gregory Peck since I was very young. I used to think it was great. It was on the other day, and I was mesmerized. It was really a great movie.

I had heard, but had forgotten, about Khan from the Wrath of Khan being loosely based on Captain Ahab. Indeed, Khan quoted from Captain Ahab directly.

Another interesting thing was an older actor who had been in a lot of war movies (name escapes me) was in this movie as a young man.

However, the main thing I took away from the movie was the thought that Captain Ahab looked like a really really pissed off Abraham Lincoln.

Thoughts?

Moby Dick

2010-07-13T07:50:00.000-04:00

I haven't seen the classic Moby Dick with Gregory Peck since I was very young. I used to think it was great. It was on the other day, and I was mesmorized. It was really a great movie.

GO UTAY

2010-07-09T14:12:00.001-04:00

GO UTAY!!!

Football team gets drunk, unruly, and a fight breaks out. An off duty police officer is knocked out. Players arrested. 2 of them were Georgia players who were highly rated, one of whom backed out on his commitment at the last minute to sign with the Vols.

Pardon me, but LMAO.

More to come later, but it's an exerpt from a blog about the possible NCAA violations.

While NCAA violations are the least of Tennessee’s worries after a brawl involving seven to ten Volunteer football student-athletes sent another customer to the hospital and knocked a cop unconscious, it’s never a fun day for the compliance office when things like this get published in the paper:

Basically, it was a normal Thursday night — Thursday’s our big night,” [bar co-owner Sandy] Morton said. “We had all the UT football players come in. They’re on a first-name basis with my husband (and co-owner), and they get VIP status, which means they pay no cover at the door.
Kudos to Dan Wolken of the Memphis Commercial Appeal for narrowing it down to the exact bylaw involved in the violation, rather than the more general extra benefit legislation:

Bylaw 16.11.2.2.3 – Entertainment Services.
A student-athlete may not receive services (e.g., movie tickets, dinners, use of car) from commercial agencies (e.g., movie theaters, restaurants, car dealers) without charge or at reduced rates, or free or reduced-cost admission to professional athletics contests from professional sports organizations, unless such services also are available to the student body in general.
It’s hard to argue that there isn’t a violation here, especially if the bar owners fall into the definition of boosters, which invokes another, more general bylaw:

Bylaw 16.11.2.2 – Discounts and Credits.
A student-athlete may not receive a special discount, payment arrangement or credit on a purchase (e.g., airline ticket, clothing) or a service (e.g., laundry, dry cleaning) from an institutional employee or a representative of its athletics interests.
The question now is how severe the violation is, specifically whether it rises to the level of a major violation. That’s always more of an issue in the “little” extra benefit cases like those involving textbooks and telephone access codes. The benefit received by an individual student-athlete might meet the definition of a secondary violation in Bylaw 19.02.2.1 as it may be isolated or inadvertent, did not provide a significant competitive advantage, and was not a “significant” extra benefit. But the aggregate violation is much harder to fit into that box.

Statements from the bar owner like the fact that “all” of the UT student-athletes visited the bar and at least some were on a first-name basis with the owner (meaning they were presumably regulars) means the total value of the benefits could be up into the thousands of dollars even if the benefit was only $2 to $5 a pop. The key issue will be time and how far back UT can find evidence of the extra benefits.

If this has been going on for longer than just this summer or involves more than the handful of student-athletes who got into the brawl last night, UT is likely looking at a major violation. As far as major violations go, it wouldn’t be one of the worst, but no major violation is anything to sneeze at. Penalties might be a loss of a couple scholarships, vacation of any wins the involved student-athletes participated in, and repayment of the impermissible benefits to charity.

Likely to come off the worst in a potential major infractions case are the bar owners. UT would almost certainly be required to disassociate the owners of the bar. That means they would not be able to donate to UT, not be permitted to purchase tickets, now allowed to purchase sponsorships, essentially banned from the UT athletics program.

But that is well down the road. UT will need a great deal of time to conduct the interviews, nail down dates and times, and come to some conclusion about the extent of the benefits received. Given that we’re talking about bar cover charges, there is not likely to be a big paper trail. So expect there to be a lot of estimates and averages, and expect not to hear much about this for a while.

Early Georgia Bulldog Predictions

2010-07-07T06:47:00.003-04:00

We finally got that for which we have asked. A new defense, one that is aggressive....one that will provide pressure...one with a STRONG Coordinator with NFL experience. When he shows his footage to recruits...it will be of Dallas Cowboys players.

He was the DC at the Cleveland Browns, and then was over qualified for the Cowboy's line coach. He has coached with the following people:

Frank Beamer
Bud Foster
Bill Belicheck (I think)
Nick Saban
Romeo Crennel
Wade Phillips

He was the coach Saban was trying to hire when he was with the Dolphins to be his DC, but had to settle on Kirby Smart (not a bad choice, either)

He has hired a LB coach and a DB coach that seem like really really great teachers. The LB coach has a good resume as a special teams coach, too. We really needed that because, aside from the kickers and kick return, the special teams have been substandard.

I think we don't have to worry about this side of the ball by 2011....this year, though, is a different story.

This defense will be quick...they will be allowed to play up to their ability and not bogged down so much mentally. They'll apply pressure. Applying pressure is the whole objective to this type of 3-4. The Secondary will have the same players, but coached by the man who coached the UConn Secondary that snuffed out the 'Ol Ball Coach in their bowl game.

We may not have quite the prototypical players for the 3-4...and they'll be new at it....but if they are better coached and generate more sacks, it can't help but be a drastic improvement. In 2011, we'll have a better idea of what we can be on defense. I think this year will be exciting. However, our opponents might be able to run on us until we get an NFL caliber nose tackle. We shall see.

On offense...we have the one time #2 rated pocket passer (in the Nation!!!) in High School lining up behind an offensive line that has been rated the BEST IN THE SEC by Lindys, Athlon,and Phil Steele. The Ealy/King combo was really pounding people by the end of the year last year. The WRs should be good...AJ Green is obviously one of the best WR in the nation....but the Tight Ends could be wonderful. We may throw it to them a lot instead of the WRs NOT named Green.

Our Special teams have a new coach (the LB coach Warren Belin) who was the ST coach for Vanderbilt. They have great coverage teams. Our return game was great last year. We have the returning winner of the Ray Guy award for the nation's best punter (Butler) and a finalist for the Lou Groza award for the best kicker (Walsh).

So...better defense, better running game, better QB (though inexperienced), better special teams.

Last season, we had narrow losses to LSU and Kentucky...games that we should have won had it not been for a terrible call by an official in one game, and repeated turnovers in the other.

That 8-5 team could have been 10-3. Thank GOD we lost those games, or Richt might have chosen to stand pat with his coaching staff.

Now..the REAL secret as to what our improved team could accomplish... the schedule.

I'll say the team, and then say "WIN" or "LOSS" or "Toss up". This isn't based on in depth analysis, just shallow analysis with some gut reaction. Obviously, we could win or lose any game.

UL Lafayette..........uh...win

South Carolina.....Lakatos had his UConn secondary stop South Carolina. He must know what he's doing. Still...it's early on in the season (when South Carolina's lack of depth isn't an issue) and it's South Carolina. They play us tough. Based on recent history I would say win. I'm going to say "Toss up" because it's so early, though.

Arkansas.....darn tough game last year. Petrino is coming back to the Peach State. This game is probably a toss up. They'll probably score a lot, but they did last year. Much like last year, they may not be able to stop us either. I'll go with a win because they haven't beaten us in a coon's age. This game is probably a toss up.

Mississippi State....They are getting better, but there is no reason to expect a loss to them. Win.

Colorado...big game on the road against a Big 12 team (not for much longer) before a big conference game at home. Colorado seems to be OK at best, but we should really have more talent than them. In reality, they kind of suck. Again...there is no reason to expect anything but a win.

Tennessee....Four things going against UT in this game...1) they are breaking in a new coaching staff...and 2), Willie Martinez isn't the Defensive Coordinator at Georgia any more......3) we have revenge....4) we're at home. UT will be better by the end of the year, but again...there is no reason to anticipate a loss here this early in the season. I just don't think they've got the horses. Win.

Vandy....they play us hard and beat us 3 years ago, but blah blah blah. Win here.

Kentucky...new head coach probably won't help or hurt. They are tough, but again....there isn't any reason to think we'll lose. They only won last year because we kept turning the ball over. Win.

Florida....I think there is a chink in their armor, and we're going to be ready for them with a professional attitude on defense and a pro style attack and NO Tebow....but since we're basing this in gut instinct and recent history, there isn't any reason to expect a win for us. Loss.

Idaho State....win

Auburn....As history shows us, the team having the better season usually has trouble in this game. If the season unfolds like this, we might be in really good spirits. Not a good omen. This is going to be a toss up in many respects. Based on talent, it's us. Based on history, it's Auburn. Why? Because we've won 4 in a row. We may have a lot to lose at this point, which will make us tight. Like I said, we've won 4 in a row...I don't know if that's good or bad. I would say we win it because we're probably a better team. The better team loses sometimes. Toss up.

Georgia Tech...this is a toss up if there EVER was a toss up. Tech has a new DC with NFL experience like we do...and they are ALSO breaking in a 3-4. The Paul Johnson factor gives me some pause. I'll say toss up.

So based on this initial look at the schedule, we have
7 wins, 1 loss, and 4 toss ups.

All of those toss ups (Gamecocks, Razordbacks, Tigers, Yellow Jackets) were beaten by Richt's worst team EVER (2009 squad). No reason to fear them for any reason. I think our new DB coach (Lakatos) will really be a difference maker. The improved pressure from the blitzing linebackers should further help out the secondary. I would think we could win 3 of the 4 toss up games. Dare I say, 11-1 is possible? Does 10-2 seem more reasonable?

UF has to play LSU and Bama. We don't. We might could slip up against an Auburn or Arkansas and still be OK in the East if we can win the tie breaker with Florida.

If we win the East...our opponent from the West could be anybody. Bama is great, but it's awfully hard to repeat. LSU is unpredictable but talented. Arkansas and Auburn could screw up some one's season. Ole Miss has a great coach. Anything could happen.

If I had to bet, I would say we go 10-2, tie UF for the Eastern Crown but lose the tie breaker, and finally beat some over rated Big 10 school in the Capital One bowl.

We are shaping up to have the best signing day in YEARS in early February 2011 based on early recruiting news. Get some more experience on defense and some tailor made 3-4 linemen, with a Sophomore QB returning...and 2011 looks like the year to make the next jump.

As always, it's great to be a Georgia Bulldog.

2010-07-06T11:27:00.002-04:00

My computer is down for the moment. I have to get some tech support.

I'm just now bloggin' after the long holiday weekend.

We had such a fine time. Saturday was running around with the family, and I can't remember what we did after that. Sunday was Church, Nana and Baba's, and a Sunday afternoon meal at Grandma's and Papap.

Yesterday was pool, and movie, some yard work, and just a good family time. It was great. It really was.

What is exciting now is that the beach is coming up soon. I need to find some dog sitters.

........not exactly

2010-06-29T07:34:00.001-04:00

My son saw the stained glass window at Church, and noticed the big angel. He pointed to it and said, "look, it's the tooth fairy".

VBS

2010-06-26T09:00:00.002-04:00

I have it recorded.

Gracie did the best performance of her life. She sang and did hand gestures for the Canton Methodist Church Vacation Bible School commencement.

Collins did VERY well in practice...but

During the performance, he was uninterested and walking around. He finished strong, though.

He almost stole the show when he started making faces at the audience.

Robocop 2

2010-06-25T09:28:00.002-04:00

I watched Robocop 2 last night.

I loved the 1st one, and demanded my dad take me to the theatre to see Robocop 2. It was a little disturbing...more so to me NOW than it was when I was little.
I mostly remembered it for a hilarious scene where the Robocop 2 prototypes were malfunctioning and killing themselves. I think I laughed harder at that scene than anyone else who ever saw it.

I saw it again last night, and didn't find it remotely funny.

However, the movie was better than I remembered. It had a lot of action, and was a worthy sequel

oh yeah

2010-06-22T11:24:00.002-04:00

The really funny part about Mr. Collins was that he closed the story with "GOD threw everything up".

Either it was the rain drying up....or it was the rainbow going up.

Throwing up? Must be a vague translation.

Mr. Collins Class

2010-06-22T07:32:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I get frustrated with my kids. I get anxious for them to improve in several areas. I need to stop worrying. GOD intended for them to be my kids.

Mr. Collins had class yesterday. We had a detailed "circle time", where he was the teacher. He had Kristin, Me, and Grace to specific things.

Later on, he sat on the fireplace and had circle time. He took the "Stocking up" book my mom loaned me, and told us the story of Noah's Ark. It was amazing...a little messed up, but amazing.

Birthday wishes to myself

2010-06-17T07:52:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Greg!!!

I think you're a great man. You're a loving husband (don't laugh Kristin), and a doting Father.

Remember to let patience have her perfect work. Don't get frustrated so easily with the kids. Treat your wife like the woman who AGREED to spend her life with you.
Take care of your parents.
Take care of your sister and her family.
Take care of your dogs.

Most of all, take care with the word of GOD. Study it, and let it run your life.

GOD BLESS YOU.

Greg

Dawgs 2010 Season

2010-06-14T20:56:00.010-04:00

We finally got that for which we have asked. A new defense, one that is aggressive....one that will provide pressure...one with a STRONG Coordinator with NFL experience. When he shows his footage to recruits...it will be of Dallas Cowboys players.

He was the DC at the Cleveland Browns, and then was over qualified for the Cowboy's line coach. He has coach with the following people:

Frank Beamer
Bud Foster
Bill Belicheck (I think)
Nick Saban
Romeo Crennel
Wade Phillips

He was the coach Saban was trying to hire when he was with the Dolphins to be his DC, but had to settle on Kirby Smart (not a bad choice, either)

He has hired a LB coach and a DB coach that seem like really really great teachers. The LB coach has a good resume as a special teams coach, too.

I think we don't have to worry about this side of the ball by 2011....this year though is a different story.

This defense will be quick...they will be allowed to play up to their ability and not bogged down so much mentally. They'll apply pressure. Applying pressure is the whole objective to this type of 3-4. The Secondary will be the same, but coached by the man who coached the UConn Secondary that snuffed out the 'Ol Ball Coach in their bowl game.

We may not have quite the prototypical players for the 3-4...and they'll be new at it....but if they are better coached and generate more sacks, it can't help but be a drastic improvement. In another year...then lookout. I think this year will be exciting. They might be able to run on us until we get an NFL caliber nose tackle. We shall see.

On offense...we have the one time #2 rated pocket passer in High School lining up behind an offensive line that has been rated the BEST IN THE SEC. The Ealy/King combo was really pounding people by the end of the year last year. The WRs should be good...AJ Green is obviously one of the best WR in the nation....but the Tight Ends could be wonderful. We may throw it to them a lot instead of the WRs NOT named Green.

Our Special teams have a new coach (the LB coach Warren Belin) who was the ST coach for Vanderbilt. They have great coverage teams. Our return game was great last year. We have the returning winner of the Ray Guy award for the nation's best punter (Butler) and a finalist for the Lou Groza award for the best kicker (Walsh).

So...better defense, better running game, better QB, better special teams.

Last season, we had narrow losses to LSU and Kentucky...games that we should have won had it not been for a terrible call by an official and repeated turnovers.

That 8-5 team could have been 10-3. Thank GOD we lost those games, or Richt might have chosen to stand pat.

Now..the REAL secret as to what our improved team could accomplish... the schedule.

I'll say the team, and then say "WIN" or "LOSS" or "Toss up". This isn't based on in depth analysis, just shallow analysis with some gut reaction. Obviously, we could win or lose any game.

UL Lafayette..........uh...win

South Carolina.....Lakatos had his UConn secondary stop South Carolina. He must know what he's doing. Still...it's early on... and it's South Carolina. They play us tough when it's early and they aren't all beat up. Based on recent history I would say win. I'm going to say "Toss up" because it's so early, though

Arkansas.....darn tough game last year. Petrino is coming back to the Peach State. This game is probably a toss up. They'll probably score a lot, but they did last year. Much like last year, they may not be able to stop us either. I'll go with a win because they haven't beaten us in a coon's age. This game is probably a toss up, but I'll say win.

Mississippi State....They are getting better, but there is no reason to expect a loss to them. Win.

Colorado...big game on the road against a Big 12 team (not for much longer) before a big conference game at home. Colorado seems to be OK at best, but we should really have more talent than them. In reality, they kind of suck. Again...there is no reason to expect anything but a win.

Tennessee....Four things going against UT in this game...1) they are breaking in a new coaching staff...and 2), Willie Martinez isn't the Defensive Coordinator at Georgia any more......3) we have revenge....4) we're at home. UT will be better by the end of the year, but again...there is not reason to anticipate a loss here this early in the season. I just don't think they've got the horses.

Vandy....they play us hard and beat us 3 years ago, but blah blah blah. Win here.

Kentucky...new head coach probably won't help or hurt. They are tough, but again....there isn't any reason to think we'll lose.

Florida....I think there is a chink in their armor, and we're going to be ready for them with a professional attitude on defense and a pro style attack and NO Tebow....but since we're basing this in gut instinct and recent history, there isn't any reason to expect a win for us. Loss.

Idaho State....win

Auburn....As history shows us, the team having the better season usually has trouble in this game. If the season unfolds like this, we might be in really good spirits. Not a good omen. This is going to be a toss up in many respects. Based on talent, it's us. Based on history, it's Auburn. We may have a lot to lose, which will make us tight. We've won 4 in a row...I don't know if that's good or bad. I would say we win it because we're probably a better team. The better team loses sometimes. Toss up.

Georgia Tech...this is a toss up if there EVER was a toss up. Tech has a new DC with NFL experience like we do...and they are ALSO breaking in a 3-4. The Paul Johnson factor gives me some pause. I'll say toss up.

So based on this initial look at the schedule, we have
8 wins, 1 loss, and 3 toss ups.

All of those toss ups (Gamecocks, Tigers, Yellow Jackets) were beaten by Richt's worst team EVER in 2009. No reason to fear them for any reason. I think our new DB coach (Lakatos) will really be a difference maker. The improved pressure from the blitzing linebackers should further help out the secondary. Dare I say, 11-1 is possible? Does 10-2 seem more reasonable?

UF has to play LSU and Bama. We don't. We might could slip up against an Auburn or Arkansas and still be OK if we can win the tie breaker with Florida.

If we win the East...our opponent from the West could be anybody. Bama is great, but it's awfully hard to repeat. LSU is unpredictable but talented. Arkansas and Auburn could screw up some one's season. Ole Miss has a great coach. Anything could happen.

If I had to bet, I would say we go 10-2, tie UF but lose the tie breaker, and beat some over rated Big 10 school in the Capital One bowl.

We are shaping up to have the best signing day in YEARS in early February based on early recruiting news. Get some more experience on defense and some tailor made 3-4 linemen, with a Sophomore QB returning...and 2011 looks like the year to make the next jump.

As always, it's great to be a Georgia Bulldog.

College Football Changes ( I love this stuff )

2010-06-11T09:11:00.004-04:00

Georgia's malaise had cooled off my excitement for college football. It's amazing what a new defensive staff, new QB, and promising recruiting news can do for your mindset. I'm starting to get the fever back.

In addition, the Superconference talk has been intriguing. I have long promoted my own plan for the creation of Superconferences. Here is the latest news...

The PAC-10 is offering several Big 12 teams to break off and form a behemoth on the West coast. Colorado is leaving the Big 12 to join the PAC 10, which has all those California schools, Oregon and Oregon State, Washington and Washington State, and Arizona and Arizona state. Seems natural that Colorado is close enough to give the PAC 10 the Denver market. They are also trying to get the Texas schools (Texas, A&Mminus Baylor), with Oklahoma and Okie State. Presto. You have the PAC 16. Personally, I have always had some respect for the PAC 10, and getting Texas in there will only promote that.

The Big 12, having already lost Colorado officially, is about to lose Nebraska. Nebraska is leaving to join the Big 10 (giving them 12 schools....yeah, I know...there are 11 schools in the Big 10 right now). Missouri wants to leave the Big 12 for the Big 10 too, but they aren't invited. Who knows why?

Nebraska had to make the switch, or risk being left in the dust. They weren't invited to the Pac 10.

With the loss of Colorado and Nebraska, the Big 12 will try to hold together with 10 teams. I doubt it will work.

The Big 10 (12 teams) will still try to gun for Notre Dame, who clings to the past more than any school. They want to remain an independent school, but they'll give in eventually. The Big 10 will then try to grab at least another school to give them 14 teams...perhaps Pitt or West Virginia or somebody like that. They may try to go up to 16 team, too.

The SEC is strong enough and powerful enough to stand pat, but probably won't. They'll probably raid the ACC for some combination of 4 from the following teams (Georgia Tech, Clemson, FSU, Miami, Maryland, Virginia Tech). The SEC has also apparently stated they would move to Western schools (Bama and Auburn) to the SEC East if Texas and Texas A&M would leave to join the SEC. Texas doesn't want to join the SEC, but Texas A&M might. They are in debt while Texas can't manage to spend all the money they are making. If Texas and Texas A&M split, it would be defecating on over 100 years of tradition. I doubt they'll split, but who knows. Texas A&M might bolt for the SEC.

If the ACC loses 4 teams to the SEC, then they'll try to raid the Big East. They might try to fight the Big 10 for Pitt, Maryland (if they aren't SEC bound), WVU, Rutgers, Syracuse, etc....but they would probably lose the northern most of those teams.

The Big East will be decimated, as will the Big 12. Those are the only certainties.

Cute pool things

2010-06-10T06:59:00.003-04:00

Gracie is slowly getting used to the idea of going down the water slide. She's done some tests...she's walked up and watched her brother go down the slide, and she's swam briefly in the current to see how hard it is. I think she's getting closer to getting the nerve to go down by herself.

Collins does the cutest thing. After we leave the pool, he goes to the window to tell the girl goodbye. He's gotten more hugs from lifeguards (after he slides off the slide) than he's gotten from me here lately.

Gracie drank from the water fountain at the pool yesterday, and then told me that it tasted like "throw up". That's about as big of a THUMBS DOWN as you can get.

Summer updates

2010-06-09T12:22:00.002-04:00

We've been hitting the pool hard. Collins now walks up the waterslide by himself, and slides down it by himself, sometimes not even being caught by the lifeguard. He has to bob a little, but he can make it. I'm bribing Gracie to try it...again, for the first time in 3 years. If she can do it, and like it, then we're next to golden. All I have to do then is see her swim to the surface and make for the side of the pool in the deep water....then, I'll know she is totally self sufficient, and I can ignore her.

Kristin has been talking to her new friend....the mother of one of Gracie's best friends. I've gotten along with the father in the few times I've talked to him, and they live in our neighborhood. Maybe we've found a compatible family with whom to be friends.

The baby shower Kristin is throwing is this Saturday, but I just found out today that I have to work. So....I won't be of much use to her. That probably just means I'll be cleaning up earlier in the week instead of Saturday morning.

I'm 34 next week. I plan on going to the doctor the week after next for a heart test, or whatever it's called.

We were going to celebrate Kristin's mom's birthday today....after a terrible week last week which I won't get into at the moment...but we're postponing it because Will is sick.

UGA recruiting is going very well. They've (we've) refocused on recruiting Georgia FIRST. I think it will pay off.

Summer at the pool

2010-06-02T06:36:00.002-04:00

I grilled some Chicken split breasts the other day. When I bought them, I bought a small pack of skin-on thighs. I grilled them yesterday. They might have been the best thing I've ever grilled. I had some Sweet Baby Ray's sauce on them. Man, was it good. I ate all of them, after letting my wife take a bite.

The watermelon was great too. It was juicy and sweeeeet....GOSH, was it ever sweet. It might have been the best one I've had since I was a kid.

Collins went down the waterslide by himself yesterday. He did it about 5 times. Granted, I had to go up with him to be sure he waited his turn. The lifeguard at the bottom had to be ready to catch him. I think his head went under the first time because the lifeguard, despite being warned that he was coming down, was expecting him to reach out and grab the red floatation device. After the lifeguard was aware of what he needed to do, he did a fine job.

Gracie met one of her friends down there. They frolicked.

Memorial Day weekend

2010-06-01T12:23:00.002-04:00

So much has happened the last week, I dont' even have the time or the energy to explain it all.

We kept Olive last week. Thanks to Amy for her help.

I attended a 2 day training course for waste water. I made some good UGA contacts.

I attended the kids respective graduation ceremonies.

We went to the pool a couple of times.

We enjoyed the 3.5 day weekend.

We had the family over for burgers on Memorial Day.

There are a lot of stories that stem from all of those things.

I'm going to have to start posting something everyday, or else I'll get behind again.

Softball Challenge.

2010-05-23T20:23:00.003-04:00

The company softball games today were a lot of fun. We (the management team) won 3 games, and then got creamed in the final.

I haven't played in about 14 years, and I thought I looked like someone who hadn't played in 14 years. I think I did OK, but I was completely worn out BEFORE I took my first swing. We had the kids at the playground 1.5 hours earlier.

I got a few hits and scored a few runs. I misjudged a couple of liners in the outfield, but I caught a few as well. I think I need practice. It makes me want to join a league.

I almost left after the first game. I was worn out, and I thought I was going to puke.

I have some more comments about the other teams, but they're not fit for public consumption. I'll have to tell you privately.

2010-05-19T07:22:00.002-04:00

I read a delightful recap of my sister's anniversary trip. They hiked the beautiful Silver Comet trail from Smyrna to Rockmart. 40 miles. I've done it on a bike, but only parts of it. I've done the Smyrna side 3 times and the Rockmart side 1. I would like to do the whole thing, whenever I can find a bike riding partner to go with me.

Other than that, this 2010 year is moving right along. 2 weeks of school left...or as we call it in my house, "screwool".

Collins is asking to play baseball, which is exciting. The only negative feelings I have about it is the anticipation of frustration of trying to explain things to him. It's hard to explain things to someone who WILL NOT LISTEN. It's not that he can't. He wills to not listen. It is his will.

He has a stubborn refusal to listen. It's hard to listen when you won't stop talking.

2010-05-10T07:39:00.002-04:00

GOD is trying to teach me through my kids....since I won't listen to him and I haven't gotten my rear end in gear enough to act.

I'll say this about my current situation in life...

The two most important things to me, I'm not achieving at the moment.

It makes me anxious.

I need do the things I know to do....like I was doing earlier in the year when things were looking good.....and trust GOD.

Bulldogs....2009 was rock bottom, but it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

2010-05-05T11:56:00.001-04:00

2008 and 2009 were two of the more painful years for me, being a Dawg fan. We've had worse years, but the frustration of not getting the most out of the program had been dealt with, or so I thought. I thought we were passed the point of making UT QB's look great. Those were the only 2 seasons where I was actually glad the season was coming to an end. The long Winter months proved to be cruel.

We've had a lot of excuses...and they are all valid. I think we can all agree that we are relieved that Richt seems to have taken corrective action on the program.

We are certainly flying under the radar. The defense and special teams (doubtless that they will improve this year), QB (I think we all believe Murray > Cox), and offensive line (yet more experience..and building of the impressive running performances that closed the year last in 2009)...should pave the way for a bright future. The schedule is easier and arch nemesis UF should be a little weaker.

For just a minute, let's look at what the crappy 2009 Bulldogs did for us.

8-5. We've had worse years.

We gave away a win against Kentucky, and arguably got screwed out of one against LSU...which, I wouldn't have been surprised had we been beaten soundly that game. We weren't far away from being 10-3.

The two humiliations were UT and UF, where we were unprepared and mailed it in. They lead the way to a defensive over haul, which we might not have had happened otherwise. Right? Those losses were a means to an end.

The other loss was to OK State...which was loss based on a myriad of factors, but I'll lay most of the blame on a geeked up QB with limited game experience missing open receivers on the road in a season opener. It was a loss, and a loss is a loss.

So, what else? That's it. Those are the losses.

We beat surging Auburn and ACC Champion Georgia Tech. Is any year a complete disaster when you beat Auburn and Tech? We also beat Petrino (who I hate as a Falcons fan), which probably had Arthur Blank donating something to the University under the table. We shoved a fist into the face of the Pac-10 and redeemed our Big 12 loss in the bowl game. We grew up a lot, found a replacement for Knowshon, and got the defensive changes we needed.

We could make the argument that 2009 was a turning point. We hit rock bottom and got the coaching staff changed, which was needed.....but, rock bottom was still 8 wins, a bowl victory, and beating 2 of our most ancient rivals in painful fashion. Joe Cox, bless his heart, got to leave the field after a bowl victory and holds a share of the record for most TD passes in one game for a Bulldog.

Now...the time for revenge is at hand. The problems have been addressed in some form or fashion, including some changes to the S&C program.

2010 is coming, but isn't quite on the horizon yet. Now...we wait. We hope. We bleed. We dream. We will all summon our inner Pollack this season. We will step back into the discussion.

A journey finally ended

2010-05-04T20:58:00.002-04:00

I used to watch nature shows when I was younger. I like most of them.

The theme to one in particular has always been in the back of my mind. Remembering it has always brought me back to a simpler time. I remember playing in the back yard, playing with G.I. Joes, and overall...just playing in general.

I was never able to locate the themes, for one very simple reason. I had the wrong name and narrator. It was William Conrad, not Lorne Green. It was Wild, Wild, World of Animals.

check out the two different themes. I can finally rest, having solved the mystery.

Little Man Moose Turns 4

2010-05-01T08:13:00.004-04:00

What a difference a year makes!!!

We heard negative things a year ago about his development, but everything sounds great today.

I had to go to work today, at least for part of the day, and am missing the start of his birthday party. However, I'll be there for part of it, and we're going to have fun afterwards.

He is sweet and is funny. He is asking the "why" questions that I couldn't wait to hear from him. He is a delightful jerk at times. He is a contrarian. He's rough and tough and loves to fight...and then walks around in a princess dress and tiara that his sister puts on him. He's a clown, with his Groucho Marx sunglasses.

He is so lovable, and he loves in return. He loves like nobody I've ever known.
Kristin has always commented on how he looks so deeply in her eyes. She knows he loves her deeply. I feel the same from him. As much as he loves his parents, he loves his sister just as much. He loved his grandparents.

I'm reminded of the Edgar Allan Poe poem....I think it was Annabel Lee, or something like that. To paraphrase it, he used the expression that she was loved with a love that was more than love. That's how Collins loves us. He loves with a love that is more than love.

I always do this on my kid's birthdays. I reflect on their lives so far, their lives in the future, and their lives RIGHT NOW. I get teary eyes thinking about them. Their precious childhood is inching along it's timeline. I may never have another 3 year old. It's sad, but happy sad.

He's a good kid, and a good Moose.

I called him Moose because he seemed like he was going to be a big boy. That was before we realized the restrictions of his diet. He's a good size, thanks to the protein he gets from his milk drinking.

I've called him the following names....

Moose
Mooseport
The Bull Moose Party
Bud
Buddy
Dorkster
Crazy Pants
Wildman
SuperCollins
Collins Roy the Puckett Boy
Runaway Milk Truck
Thundar the Barbarian
Spiderman
Phil Spiderman
Volcano Boy

I just called him to say happy birthday. It just turned 8:30am. I'll be home in a couple of hours, hopefully. He told me to come home, and he wouldn't let me hang up. Pretty sweet.

We're going to the playground, and then we're going out for Chips and Cheese. It should be the Pucketts, McGees, Collins, the Kochs, and Aunt Mary Alice.

Today will be a good day, no matter what the weather turns out to be.

My All Time Braves Team.....

2010-04-27T21:40:00.003-04:00

Here are the rules....there are no rules. I'm choosing former Braves that I like. I don't care if it was for 1 year. This is my dream team....except it's ONLY involving players I remember playing. I ain't going back to the 70s.

Here we go....

Catcher: Brian McCann. I really like Javy Lopez, but I think McCann is probably a better catcher and a better player over all. Plus, he has a good beard. I also liked Charlie O'brien because he was on Sports Illustrated hitting a player that was attacking Smoltz.

1st: Andres Galarraga. He didn't play long for us, but he was better than everyone else in my opinion. I got sick of McGriff and his feast or famine results. Bream holds a special place in everyone's heart, but he didn't have the offensive production of several other people.

2nd: Glenn Hubbard. He was just a great fielder with a great beard. Lemke and Prado are pretty good fall backs. Hubbard wasn't much of an offensive threat.

SS: Escobar. His first name is escaping me for some reason. He's really good if he can just quit having mental screw ups. I started to go with Blauser here.

3rd: I guess you have to go with Chipper, although I'm partial to Bob Horner. I guess Terry Pendleton wouldn't be a bad choice.

Outfielders:

Brett Butler
Dale Murphy
Ron Gant

I probably would have had Justice or Franceour on here, but they both ended pretty badly with us. I used to really like Claudell Washington.

I would bat them like this...

Butler
Gant
Chipper
Murphy
Galarraga
McCann
Escobar
Hubbard

Pitchers:

Smoltz
Maddux
Hudson
Hanson
Niekro

Closer:

John Rocker

Signs that it's getting warmer.....allow me to VENT

2010-04-27T08:19:00.003-04:00

We've reached the time of the year where children left in a car will die. Every year, we hear this.

I can understand....if you're really only going to be out of the car for 10 minutes, leaving an older kid in the van with the doors locked and it running. The older kid can unlock the door for you when you return.

However, I'm dumbfounded at the stupid women who leave a kid, under 2 years of age, in a freakin' car seat while they GO TO WORK!!! The most recent example of this involved the woman going to work at an elementary school. Who exactly is teaching our children?

Yeah yeah yeah...It's hard when you don't have child care. Single mother needing a job? I know it's hard. Leaving your kid in the car isn't an option. It's better to give the kid up for adoption than to let him/her cook to death in a car. I may sound callous, but I'm unable to feel sorry for the mother in this situation. I may sound insensitive, but she's just stupid, and insensitive in her own right, and should have her uterus removed. She came out, saw her kid was dead, and rushed to the hospital. Little too late, huh? Whatsamatter? Scared you'll have to face charges?? You obviously didn't care enough to take care of your child at your time. She deserves lethal injection. She deserves left in a hot car all day, strapped to a seat, with no fresh air or water.

To me, this is worse than drunk driving. Drunk drivers kill people because they are impaired when making decisions. This woman is just stupid and careless and insensitive.

I'm not saying she's evil. I'm not saying she didn't love her child. She's just really dumb. She's selfish. She put a job in front of the safety of her child. Who in the world would have thought it was OK to do that? No telling how many times she did that when the weather was cooler. The kid may have had to sit there screaming with a dirty diaper....calling to a mother who was inside teaching children and gossiping..but at least the kid lived through it. It's late April now...in Georgia. Getting hot and muggy.

Before long, it will be the time of the year when old people die because they don't have box fans. Sigh.... Did they just all of a sudden get old enough to die without a box fan? If not, what happened to the one they had last year? Those things last for years. WHY AREN'T WE CHECKING UP ON OUR PARENTS BETTER THAN THAT?? If they are refusing to take care of themselves, then they need help. They need Supervision, like the little children stuck in car seats.

The normal, healthy adult is to blame.

Draft and Stephen Hawking

2010-04-26T14:08:00.003-04:00

Weatherspoon....a Kentucky tackle...and Alabama Guard....a Las Vegas Center....an Oklahoma Cornerback......a Kansas Wide Receiver...a Montana Safety. Am I missing someone? Oh, and 12-15 free agents.

I trust the Falcons GM to makes smart decisions because he knows what he's doing. He drafts hard workers, who are smart and are team leaders. High Character. No dog fighting allowed. No dope smokers. You get the idea.

While this is probably a very good draft, it lacks a lot of oomph. Probably because I'm not familiar with some of these players. However, if you look at some of the great players today, a lot of them came from out of nowhere or just weren't very highly touted. We'll have to wait and see...but we should have some more hands on deck, included last years 1st two draft picks who were hurt all year. So...perhaps we were smart and prudent. We'll see.

OK...Stephen Hawking.

Sometimes when you're really really smart, you start thinking everyone else is really really stupid. You don't know where the line is drawn, and you live in your own world.

Hawking is now stating that dealing with extra terrestrials could be dangerous. They might want to colonize and/or make us sick with germs. He then cited European settlers giving diseases to the native Americans.

A brilliant man made a public statement about on the same level of an 8 year old. I didn't know if I should ask him for his scientific evidence (like Christians are always asked to prove the existence of GOD) or make a funny face and say, "DUH".

1st Draft pick.

2010-04-23T07:41:00.002-04:00

Falcons said they wanted Weatherspoon all along. They might have said that anyway. Most of the other people they wanted were already gone. They said they thought they needed a speedy linebacker. Peterson is 34 and getting old, and Nicholas sucks. Well, he doesn't suck. I don't think he's made the most of his ability. I think they were hoping for more. He was a draft pick from the previous GM.

Anyway, Dimitroff said they had a chance to do the trade with Denver and move down, but decided it was in their best interest to draft 'spoon.

They may try to trade up tonight.

NFL DRAFT ROUND #1 IS TONIGHT

2010-04-22T11:41:00.002-04:00

NFL DRAFT IS TONIGHT. Falcons picked 19th. To be honest with you, I hope we trade down and add an extra pick in the 2nd round. We don't currently have a 2nd round selection.

This draft is pretty deep because a lot of underclassmen came out early. That should be mean that the 3rd round had 2nd round talent in it.

We need to make a push now. It stinks that our arch rivals in football (Saints for the Falcons, Gators for the Dawgs) have had so much success lately.

It's time to take out the trash.

a lot of random thoughts

2010-04-20T06:46:00.003-04:00

We had a pretty good weekend. We worked around the house because we're trying to clean up and straighten up for a very good reason. It's classified right now.

Kristin has been having fun planing a Disney vacation for the dorksters for next fall break. I'm sure they'll be pleased.

This pollen is really puffin' out Collins' eyes. I thought I had it bad.

I took Gracie to Chucky Cheese last Sunday because she it was the birthday party of a classmate. I thought she was kinda bored (she told me she was) UNTIL she saw the Mario Kart Arcade game. Business picked up after that. She ran through her tokens in no time.

Kristin has one of the worst cases of poison ivy I've ever seen. I have no idea where she got it. She's been looking around, but we're not sure where it happened.

I'm supposed to go to a March of Dimes walk this Saturday for work. Maybe I can take the kids and have them walk it with me. Better yet....the whole family.

I was invited to a co worker's draft party on Friday. She has a cousin who played for Kentucky that will probably get drafted. She told me his agent was rented out the local bowling alley, but that changed. Now they're renting out an old theater. I'm still invited, but I don't think they are expecting me any longer. I asked her if they were still giving out money, and she didn't know. She told me that she knew I wasn't coming because it was just going to be a bunch of black folks acting crazy (her words). Now....I need to make an appearance just because she said that. I don't want to be accused of not wanting to hang around black people.

Management is trying to hurry up and throw together a softball team because the employees have a couple of teams. I don't have a glove and haven't played in about 14 years. Plus...it's in 2 weeks. I said they need to give me a chance to practice next time.

busy busy busy

2010-04-12T07:58:00.002-04:00

Man, have I had a busy couple of weeks.

To start with, we went to Midlothian Texas to visit my wife's sister's family for Easter. Considering both my kids got sick, and we spent 4 hours in Mansfield on Saturday at Urgent Care, and a few hours in Irving at a Minute Clinic, and then had to drive the whole way back on Monday in one day.....we actually had fun. I got to see the old Texas Stadium...and I found out that they just imploded it 1 week later.

I started trying to swing the clubs again. I'm still pretty awful, but I'm going to do what I can to improve. I'm going to become a decent golfer..or else.

We had Jenny and Jason over last Saturday night and had a lot of fun.

I went fishing Sunday and shot two snakes. I was kinda paranoid about turning my back after that. I'm going to clean the area up so we can enjoy it down there.

I've got 5 more weeks of dieting for this contest, and I'm joining another contest today as well.

a little response to a response to a response

2010-03-30T09:40:00.004-04:00

I typed a response to a comment on Facebook. I thought I would add it here.

Mr. XXX...I know your comments are always welcome. I appreciate the confidence you have in us to engage in a political discussion without it turning ugly. We're all friends here, and you are well respected by your former students.

If I understood you correctly, you said that we have the right to complain, but it won't do any good (you cited your past history with complaining about losing elections), and complainers will sound like sore losers, and other people have the right to respond. I don't think anyone will disagree with that. Certainly, he IS the President. I'll go further and agree that most of the opposition wouldn't have voted for him anyway.....but, I believe the vast majority of the anti-Obama crowd are against his views on issues and his policies.....it isn't personal, or related to his race. I don't think you were implying that, but I wanted to state that for the record.

I'll say this in response....Conservatives were frustrated with Bush. However, Bush was bashed without mercy for years, and will probably go down as a complete failure JUST DUE to the intensity of the public backlash...which was in part created via the popular sentiment displayed by the media and the entertainment industry. The economy would have hurt whoever the president was during the last decade...the causes of which are multiple. The War? I was against how we handled it because I would have turned part of Iraq 20,000 degrees and saved the lives of a lot of American soldiers. I wouldn't be a very good President.

Anyway....I said that to say this.....the Bush bashers (not you, per se....because I don't know) will have to get thicker skin with Obama. His opposition isn't going anywhere, but at least Obama will skate by with some elements of the media and the ability to claim that Bush had the country FUBAR. You'll probably have to take 4-8 years of complaining. Hey....at least you won the election, right? Putting up with some complaining should be a small price to pay.

The country has 35% of the voters on one side, 35% of voters on the other side, and 30% in the middle can't commit to anything, can be swayed by GOD knows what, and pats themselves on the back for being nonpartisan.

Non religous liberal brothers

2010-03-27T23:42:00.003-04:00

Special note to one of the anonymous responses...

I 99% certain I know who it was who posted that. Thanks for your patronage.

And....don't worry. As far as non religious brothers go....you've got a good one. Somewhere...deep inside outward persona....is the same person from the past. The clutter from the present can't totally bury the real person within...the person we knew when times were simpler.

While acknowledging my own ignorance, foolishness, weakness...and overall failures...I can still pray for and believe in someone else to do "right". Doubts grow when your faith is weak...and weakness comes from not spending time in the word. A spark will start a wildfire at some point.

We need to, with humility, praise GOD for everything and thank him for everything (both good and bad). Let him take over from here.

Christ in us. That's the secret.

Old guns

2010-03-26T11:13:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Kelly for her loyal patronage.

I stopped by a garage sale yesterday. Well, it's going to be a garage sale. I was looking to buy stuff first a couple of days early.

They had lots of stuff there. Tools, gadgets, videos, furniture, etc. They had a few firearms too.

I asked how much he wanted for each of the rifles. He picked up an old rifle and studied it....he finally said, "this was my dad's....I can't sell this one"...then he placed it off to the side.

I said I understood.

He then looked at the remaining ones...and picked out another one. It was a 410 shotgun. He said, "This was my son's...we lost him". He looked at it up and down, and placed it next to his father's old rifle....which meant "Not for Sale".

Seeing subtle sad things can stick to your soul like glue. Had he broke down crying...I would have excused myself and left. The fact that he talked about them calmly...with sincere words....slowly...and set them aside together...well, I haven't gotten it out of my heart yet.

His dad and son were long gone. This man wasn't ready to let go of them yet, and undoubtedly, he won't ever let them go.

Time doesn't heal all wounds, at least not during our time on Earth. Eternity is the ultimate healing. There can be a reunion in Heaven for this man, with his son and father. That is the only way to put a happy spin on things like that.

Nobody ever liked the French

2010-03-25T06:06:00.003-04:00

Odd story that appears to be true.

There is a crazy French man running around Cherokee County Georgia. He is armed and trying to buy a 5 yr old boy. My wife and daughter were talking about this story yesterday, and then I heard someone else talk about it last night. So....I guess it's true.

I told my daughter not to worry. She isn't a boy and my son isn't 5. She's now worried that the man will be on the loose for a year, and try to buy my son when he turns 5 years old.

She also asked if there was a website where you could buy children.

I haven't been bloggin' regularly. I've been on Craigslist a lot. I partially blame you....the reader....because I'm not getting any comments on anything. That's one less reason I have to blog. I'll probably get to where I'm bloggin' more when Craigslist wears off a little.

New Uga....

2010-03-16T06:58:00.002-04:00

This is a candidate for the new Uga. He has determination, and would do well on the road (in Tennessee)

OK, the link didn't work for whatever reason.

To make it quick, a bulldog chewed the tires and bumper off of a police car in Chattagnooga. The officer used pepper spray, but it didn't work.

The officer new something was wrong when his car started shaking.

Cherokee Indians

2010-03-15T06:57:00.002-04:00

I've been reading about the history of Cherokee County, Ga. Before gold was discovered, the Indians really had it made.

They were a fairly peaceful tribe (a few massacres of white settlers in counties other than Cherokee), and their life seems pretty fun with varying degrees of sophistication. Some lived in tents in towns, others had framed houses.

Basically, as a man, I would hunt and fish all day long. My wife would farm and raise the kids. We would ride up to Ball Ground on horseback every now and then, and tailgate the ball games for a few DAYS!!!

Basically, you're camping out and eating fish, wild game, and corn.

I mean.....sounds like a great life, huh?

Everything was OK because the US Government wasn't enforcing the agreement to remove the Indians for Georgia, which was agreed upon when Georgia gave the US Government Alabama and Mississippi. When gold was discovered, it marked the beginning of the end. And, of course, when the Cherokee nation declared themselves a sovereign nation WITHIN the state of Georgia. That effrontery wasn't taken too well.

Merlin Olsen died

2010-03-11T13:30:00.002-05:00

One of the most famous NFL'ers ever had died. Merlin Olsen, who later started on Little house on the prarie, died of cancer.

He was a member of the "Fearsome Foursome", the Rams defensive line in the 1960s. Funny thing is, I just heard his name brought up a couple of days ago. They were talking about 3 players that had NEVER taking a down off in their life....meaning, they have 100% every play no matter what the circumstances were, and gave it their all.

One was Merlin Olsen, one was David Pollack...and I can't remember the other one.

Appreciate your time

2010-03-11T08:11:00.002-05:00

I heard a sweet, gut wrenching story the other day. Well, it was a long time ago, but it's been on my mind.

A couple had 2 sons. One was 5, the other was 2. The 5 yr old was abducted and murdered while at a local playground just a block or two away from the home. Devastated, the mother was having a nervous breakdown. Over the course of the next few weeks, it got worse and worse. She had received death threats from people who were mad that she didn't pay closer attention to her children and that it was her fault her son wad dead.

She had decided to kill herself. Her 2 yr old son was sleeping in the crib. She called a neighbor to come by the house and be there while her son slept, until her husband got home. She was going to drive off into a field, park the car, and end her life. She had made peace with the selfish and cowardly decision to abandon her family and damage her status in eternity.

After hanging up the phone, she turned around and saw her 2 yr old standing in the doorway of the kitchen, blocking her way to the car. He was just standing there and holding his blanket. It was the FIRST time he had EVER climbed out of the crib. She looked at him, and was filled with love, compassion, and a purpose for her life.

When I saw this story, she was holding the young boy, who was now 7 yrs old, or something like that. The boy wasn't paying much attention to the story being told. She began to cry, and called her youngest son her "hero", because had saved her life.

It makes me want to hug Collins. For a long time, Collins was the cute and silent. Now, he's just cute. He doesn't shut up. His words are music to my ears.