Orson Charles is a Dawg

Orson Charles has chosen the Men of Athens over the men of troy. The star tight end has chosen to be a DAWG over a part of the "Wild Boys". In the end neither a pair of overalls nor all the glitter in glitztown could sway the Plant HS product away from CMR and the greatest city in the history of civilization.

That's right, not only did this kid shatter Urbie's first national championship trophy, he shattered KiffyBaby's dreams of pulling the last minute coup. Not only did he refuse Petey's

hand, he refused to send him a fax. The fax went to Butts-Mehre instead.

Charles becomes the 20th signee of the '09 class and the second TE prospect, joining Arthur Lynch of Massachusetts.

About a month ago Bernie predicted CMR would land Charles, Greg Reid and Marlon Brown. Hindsight tells us Reid went to Papa Bowden and Kwame Geathers chose UGA. 

I'll take that trade.

I also pointed out that if the Dawgs could land three signatures of the six prospects they were still pursuing it would be quite the finish to the commitments already expected to sign. Well, all of the commits signed (a feat in and of itself) and CMRs staff landed three of the six targets.

Turns out the Georgia coaching staff can close pretty well. Even if it does take overtime to do it. 

Welcome aboard Orson Charles.

No Wonder the Cost of PVC Pipe Goes Up Every February

Tomorrow begins another soccer season with my girls' first game. Mother Nature has been brutal to the brief pre-season practice schedule. But tomorrow looks beautiful. 

If you've been with BDB since Tennessee week back in October, you undoubtedly recall that Bernie is quite the soccer coach. That, or the admins of the rec league stacked the team for him....

Meanwhile Mat Drills have continued as planned. CMRs Facebook status says the team is doing well. But I'm sure Murray, Mettenberger and Lee especially are looking forward to spring break next week. 

According to Hale's superb write-up, seniors Bryan Evans, Reshad Jones and Prince Miller were the only A's last Saturday. CVH has a gradebook as tough as the conditioning program he designed with a little creativity, an emphasis on team unity and a trip to the local hardware store.

Maybe my five year olds should hit the mat. Well, we'll see how tomorrow goes...

Friday's Feedbag

• I heard a rumbling this week that President Obama was seen having a beer at an NBA game and that people were upset over that. Get a grip! Prohibition ended like, years ago. I generally fall short of putting my hands together for democrats (or politicians in general for that matter), but I applaud Obama kickin' back with a brew. If my financial portfolio in any way resembles his, I'm just glad several tequila shots weren't lined up instead...
• Congratulations to Torrin Lawrence on being named the SEC Male Runner of the Year. Well earned and well deserved. No wonder Coach Norton is excited at having this guy in red and black.
• Speaking of athletic accomplishments this week, how about Hermann's Hounds. Two years ago Tubby Smith was (encouraged to) run out of Lexington for not...well, not being Pitino or Rupp. After Woodbury went for 30 and Trey Tompkins had a double-double in leading Georgia to the 90-85 win, some fans in the Sea of Blue may be rethinking that decision. As long as they don't give Gillespie the Tubby treatment and enter the '09 coaching search with us. No, don't want that.
  
• Orson Charles ends the recruiting season with a bang! this afternoon from his HS gym. He's caught some criticism for delaying this decision so long. But evidently he has been waiting for the HillBilly coaches to dress appropriately. Does Charles follow his QB to Athens? Did southern cali make too good of an impression to pass up? Or does KiffyBaby avoid an all out tantrum by pulling the coup?
• The chances of Stafford falling in the draft have increased with Kansas City trading for Matt Cassel. KC is slated to pick third. It seems more and more likely that Detroit will select the Georgia star, but if they get nervous about the not so great history of early entry QBs in the NFL, Stafford could start to experience what Brady Quinn did a couple of years ago.
• The Mountain West Conference is attempting to parlay Utah's beat down of the sabanites into a weakarmed proposal for a playoff. As the great Senator breaks it down, the problem is it comes across more like Bernie asking Catherine Zeta-Jones to dinner...easy to turn down, amid lots of laughter.
• And SURPRISESURPRISE!!...Jerry Jones does run his tackle football team with his eyes open. Terrell Owens was released yesterday. TO did not take it well...it's really unfair...that's his quarterback...

Suddenly all the inmates that were running the asylum in Big D have been summarily discharged. They're out on the streets like about 7.2% of the nation's citizens. Hope they took their medication with them.

Thanks for the visit reader. No snow forecasted this weekend. In fact, it's practically at the opposite end of the weather spectrum. Enjoy some sunshine, short sleeves and maybe a good game of futbol on your local pitch. 

With or without hair ribbons.

Bernie

Orson Charles Private Signing Day Preview

Plant High School's super star athlete brings his natonal recruiting saga to a close tomorrow. Orson Charles has broken a national championship trophy that was spray painted orange and dressed in jorts, has been text message harassed by his former QB and has flown out west to rub elbows with LA's biggest name in showbiz.

No, not Burt Reynolds. Pete Carroll.

Seriously, the kid won a state title back in December and felt he had gotten a late start in the recruiting game. So February 4th came and went without a fax bearing his signature. Since then he's eliminated floriDuh and has kept KiffyBaby as giddy as the day he first ate a creamsickle.

Tomorrow the hybrid TE/WR/Athlete will let it be known where he intends on furthering his education: Knutsville, Los Angeles or Athens. CMR may not have the BCS resume Carroll has or the staff willing to bare their chest in the name of inciting 17 year olds to scream "Wild Boys". But he has Charles' former QB in Aaron Murray. He has a jersey ready for him, #7. And he has Athens...the greatest college city in America. 

Unlike Knutsville, we have cell phone service and toilet paper. And unlike LA, we don't have Britney or Paula Abdul.

Seems like a no-brainer to me. So I'll stand by my word from about a month ago...OC is a Dawg.

BDB workup on Charles leading up to NSD from about a month ago. 

TotalUGA's bio.

AJC interview with the guy.

And Brett Jensen of TotalUGA has a special series going with the recruit. Good time to join.

Georgia Basketball Coaching Search for Dummies

The facts, Jack:

• UGA DOES have a basketball program
• We do NOT know who will be the next b-ball coach
• The new coach will have MORE to work with than Felton did...duh!
  
• AD Evans would LIKE to have him in place in about a month
• We do have AN IDEA how much coin exists to fetch him
• We WILL have competition in the market (Arizona, Bama, possibly Virginia to name a couple)
• Bob Knight panders MORE than Charles Grant on Finley St.
• UGA has NOT hired Furman Bisher to conduct it's search. They went with Parker Executive Search of Atlanta instead.
  
• Evans could be in a position of STRENGTH (think pocket Jacks before the flop) or somewhere south of that (think trying to draw into a flush before the river)
• With the serious coin, Evans will NOT be in a position of weakness
• So far Master Adams has only COMPLEMENTED the search by having a sit down with Eddie Munster, aka GatorDon

IF that doesn't help, try this. Given what we actually know, Evans should be able to avoid this guy...

YouTube Makes the Clock Tick Faster

Bored? I've found YouTube a more useful tool than thumb twiddling. For your viewing pleasure, here are a couple, one for business and one for pure sillyness...

From DawgPost, your new co-DC, circa NSD '08:

Status Update!! This may help you rethink who you "befriend"...

Two for Tuesday...

....a couple big doosies for your Tuesday evening headlines.

John Jancek is your new co-defensive coordinator. It was a move many thought CMR would make, just with a different person.

I'll be honest. This produces more questions for me right now than answers. When news broke early Tuesday that Jancek had turned down South Florida's offer as DC it produced barely a ripple. But late this afternoon the phone vibrated and this news came through the nearest cell tower.

It appears Martinez is still the signal caller. Jancek will be "instrumental" in the game planning on the defensive side of the ball. The Monday after the Tech loss BDB suggested this move, just with Garner as the co-DC.

Like I said, I have a lot of questions. But in CMR I trust.

In hardcourt news, a story has been leaked about Georgia's interest in Oklahoma's Jeff Capel. The fact that Evans is interested in the young, successful coach is not really news. But the fact that UGA Athletic Dept is ready to hand over $2 million is HUGE news. Chances of Capel leaving Norman for Athens decrease dramatically with this story's leakage, like from 5% to .5%. 

Ok, that may be a little dramatic. But you get my point.

PWD has a thorough rundown of the undertones, high and low. It could shape up to be a good month for the Georgia basketball program. Suitcases with that type of cash have been toted around Butts-Mehre before, just not by a round ball coach.

Don't forget to celebrate Herschel's birthday. And don't skimp on the gift...he can still kick your tail.

Bilas is STILL a Pimp

Bob Knight and his PR Department

The basketball coaching search is sure to heat up soon. Evans wants someone in place by this time next month.

I found this article over at the Times Free Press about the perception of the Georgia program from outside of northeast GA. In my opinion, it doesn't really say anything we don't already know: great talent-rich state, conference competition ripe for the pickin', shiny new practice facility, and that with some talent signed out of Norcross, Felton would still be coaching at Stegeman today.

But it is an interesting read, if for nothing else than to see what other analysts think of the UGA round ball gig. Unfortunately the writer (Darren Epps) felt it necessary to call Jay Bilas. More unfortunately, Bilas is still pandering to lose Bob Knight as an ESPN colleague.

(Editor's note: we here at BDB do not endorse hiring a coach who will be 69 before he takes the floor. The only worse decision for the program would be having Bernie start at the point Wednesday in Lexington.)

Happy Birthday Herschel

The first thing you notice from this play is the size of the hole. You could fit Fulmer's ass through it. But what makes it so special is the cleat marks on Bill Bates' chest. My God a Freshman!

Happy Birthday Herschel! Take a break today 

and celebrate...maybe only do 1,980 

situps and 1,982 pushups.

Vols gone Wild!

Maybe it's just me.... but THIS reminds me a little too much of Lord of The Flies. Rife with male teen pre-pubescent angst...lots of shouting...and partial male nudity.

So...is Coach O Piggy...? If so...what does he do before the season opener?

Monday's Meatloaf with Cupcakes on the Side

Three fifty for about an hour...give those ingredients time to heat up...

The great David Hale started a discussion over the weekend about retired jerseys. It seems Texas likes to give them out to student-athletes who were light at both ends of the word. But the more local question is: if UGA were to go against recent practice of not retiring jerseys, who would you like to see receive such an honor? You'll recall that UGA's most recent Circle of Honor inductees were Hope Spivey, and football All-Americans BenZambiasi and Royce Smith.

(image: georgiadogs.com)

Where the "cyber" conversation really gets interesting (I think) is with ANON 2:38pm's comment/suggestion at using Pollack's #47 as a jersey of honor, like LSU's #18. The jersey would certainly go to a player who plays with relentless passion, boundless energy and a nose for the ball.

It got me thinking on 47's career at Georgia; some of the great plays he made. You couldn't help but jump to your feet anytime he started waving those arms, imploring the fans to hunker down with him.

Pollack's INT in chickumbia is undoubtedly his signature play. But this INT in Clempson will always be one of my favorites. Probably because I was sitting in the middle of a sea of urranjah next to my Dad, he was rooting for his alma mater and I was barking for mine. 

This just in...47 = DamnGoodDawg

Despite the fact that Pollack couldn't return it for 6 like Dobbs against CMU, the Dawgs won 30-0. After stopping by a post-game tailgate for a while, Dad and I walked to where we were parked. Just in front of us was a young Tiger who evidently had been charged with being half of the double team assigned to Pollack. He was explaining to his dad how difficult a task it had been. 

Poor kid...

Time for Dessert

• Diamond Dawgs packed their brooms on their way to the desert. They dispatched 'Zona 10-5 Sunday to improve to 8-0, one win shy of the best start in school history. Wofford, Wednesday, 6pm.
• GymDogs beat Florida with the help of some Kupets Perfection. The Georgia senior bestowed red boxing gloves upon her teammates before the meet and then posted a career high 39.850 in helping to dispatch the No. 7 gators in front of a packed Stegeman.
• It takes a lot of blogging integrity to explain the depths of one's hate for AllBarn AND argue for the merits of the WarTigers moving to the Eastern division of the SEC. T Kyle King was up for the difficult task...
• Orson Charles will use his gymnasium as the spring board for his collegiate career Friday. He'll announce his choice between UGA, UTenn and USC (the real one) at 4:30. At 4:31 the 2009 recruiting class will finally be in the books.
• And was it really any surprise that Herschel was the team leader in Celebrity Apprentice's season premiere last night? May have been even less of a surprise that Rodman wants to be micro-managed. I enjoyed the part where Trump put The Worm back in his place before the tatt'd and pierced freak could start with the waterworks. 

Maybe Herschel shoulda done the same thing out on the street...

If you missed last night's episode, I think it is replayed Saturday. It's a great chance to see some fire in 34 that many fans of his football career are not used to seeing, sans helmet. I wouldn't want to be in the board room across the table from Trump, but well above that on a list of avoid these...next to Herschel when I'm acting like a punkasscoward. I was about ready to see Herschel flatten Dice like he did Bates.

Lastly, a Dawg fan sent Paul Westerdawg some photos back in October of the scene on the street where the cupcakes were being sold. If you missed that, CLICK HERE. A bold prediction comes true.

Place your dishes in the sink. I'll get to them later. The kids are dying to go play in the snow....

Bernie

Get Out Your Brooms...

The Dawgs are lighting up the scoreboard in the desert. After starting the series with Arizona off quickly Friday, Georgia's baseball team scored eight runs in the first four innings and cruised to a 12-5 win, their 7th in as many games. In fact the only thing to rival the Dawgs' hot bats Saturday night may have been the left arm of Alex McRee. The junior pitched five scoreless innings and improved to 2-0 on the season.

Joey Lewis tied a career high with five hits and four runs in six at bats, including a homer. And Matt Cerione played in his first game of the season. The junior had four RBIs on four hits - two singles, a double and a triple - in helping the Dawgs to a 12-0 lead. 'Zona scored its only runs of the game in the final two innings after having no answer for the Georgia pitching or bats.

The Dawgs have outscored the Wildcats 23-10 and go for the sweep this afternoon.