Dawgs vs Wildcats, preview

Tonight, 8pm at the Steg. Get your tickets here. Student tickets are only $2, available online or at the Bookstore until 3pm.

On the Air with Coach Fox

On the Air with Coach Calipari

Monday's Meatloaf - the enigmatic awkwardness of medical intimacy

Apparently I missed a family memo sometime last year as heart surgery became as commonplace as fried catfish in my family. Dad flew through with flying colors, nephew aced his like a champ and my uncle completed the family trifecta last week. But the writing was in the chili and I can read, despite reports to the contrary. I figured I better go visit the doc.

Breathe easy Bernie.

After checking with my local politicians and congressional "representatives" to see if I qualified for healthcare I asked the wife to remind me where our doctor set up shop. Once there they put me through the usual routine: sat me in a waiting room 30 minutes past my appointment time. Weighed me. Made me piss in a little cup. Made me wait another 15 minutes. Took my blood. Hooked me up to a machine. Tried to confuse me with four and a half pages of forms that ask you your name every 10 questions. Weighed me again. Sent me to x-ray. Scheduled a stress test. And then...


Well, after "skipping" about 4 years worth of physicals I had somehow forgotten about the whole "turn your head and cough" portion of the exam. What's worse is then the test goes all Fletch on you and you're asking Doc if he's ever served time in between verses of Moon River.


In the end, acing the stress test brought my overall physical exam to a C-. Which is to say Mrs. Bernie will raise my cholesterol 10 points by hassling me about each bourbon I pour while lowering it 15 points by serving fish on steak night. One step back, two steps forward. Or did I get that backwards.


Drop your shorts and bend over Mr. Babar.....You using the whole fist Doc? Ugh. Pass the gravy and let's all get to the lunch table. 


Today's Ingredients

Coming soon to a running
lane near you?

• Not a good weekend for Fox's Dawgs on the hardwood.
• Along that line, Hoopdawg breaks down the loss to Ole Miss.
• Luckily the women were able to avoid Admiral Ackbar's trap. Easily.
• Weiszer brings us the Dooley and Richt reactions to Joe Paterno's passing.
• In case you missed it, Streit has begun a series looking back at the careers of some Damn Good Dawgs. Here's his take on Brandon Boykin.
• Remember leading up to the SECCG when Richt couldn't stop talking about LSU fullback JC Copeland's size and ability to clear the running lane? Well, sUGAr falling is hearing Mike Thornton may move to fullback.
• the Senator observes the Phil Steele's returning starter numbers for the SEC. Should Lil Dools find enough coaches for his tackle football team, they should have the most experienced group to work with...you know, assuming no one else leaves the program.
• Over at Leather Helmet there's another podcast up where Socrates and the guys set things up for the stretch run on Recruiting Rd.
• Kipp Adams has a complete rundown ($$) of who the top remaining targets are for the Dawgs.
• Meanwhile Chad Simmons tell us that Memphis hotshot Sheldon Dawson could announce sometime soon ($$).
• Gene Chizik pries Addazio's right hand man from Temple.
• Over on the flats, the engiNerds are sick of losing recruits to other schools so now they're just dropping them. Even ones that have been truly committed. 
• Lastly, last week I told you about a new children's book centered on Hairy Dawg, written by Josh and Wendy Torres. Now they are making This Little Dawg available to you at 20% off until the end of January. Click here to order and use this code when checking out -  JWJAN12.

Now that college football season has drawn to a close, I've sent Darren the Intern on a new assignment. Over the next few months he will update us on Atlanta suburbanites' use of the infamous Peach Pass lane. This morning I have him straddling the concrete lane divider just north of Pleasant Hill Rd. I think he's set up, let's check in:

HERO unit express lane!

Bernie: Darren...are you there? How's the pay lane looking this dreary Monday morning?

Darren: Well sir, so far the HERO units outnumber the rush timers 4 to 1. Also saw one bicycle rider as well. So I guess it's 4-1-1. Ha ha.

Bernie: Terrific. And what do the "free" lanes look like?

Darren: Pretty congested. Another 15-20 minutes and they'll be at a standstill. Can someone at headquarters bring me some coffee?

Bernie: I just poured the last cup Darren. Sorry about that. See ya at lunch. And don't forget to set up the webcam for next week's update.

Darren: But I could really - [transmission drops]

What a great kid. Has a real future in hard hitting journalism, assuming he eventually gives up pursuing his degree in Enigmatology like yesterday's word jumble. 


Or he might pursue accounting as he's also been keeping close tabs on the donations during this month's pledge drive. Thanks to those of you who've taken the opportunity to pass along some cash. Still a couple weeks left, and I truly appreciate your support. We might even buy Darren an umbrella for next week's Peach Pass Update. Or some worcestershire sauce for the meatloaf. Until then, here's a napkin Reader. Your stress test awaits.

Bernie

Beer of the Week: Midnight Train to Duluth

Actually, this is Beer of Last Week. Just couldn't get the post finished Friday night.


Allow me another chance to plug Duluth's Best of Brews. It's Thomas Creek month at the Gwinnett growler stop. And if you're not familiar with this brewery they do a lot of "freelance" work brewing recipes for others. For instance, I believe Decatur's Wild Heaven brews it's beers through Thomas Creek among others. In addition, Thomas Creek has their own selection of great craft beer including Up the Creek and Dockside Pilsner.


All that to say, Greg at Best of Brews had Thomas Creek brew this special beer for his patrons. Midnight Train to Duluth is obviously a tribute to the train tracks that run right through the city's stylish downtown. And the beer chugs along well too.


Listed as a cream ale, I had some preconceived notions of a sweet beer with a lot of flavors. And I pick up some caramel on the aroma after the pour. Overall this does have plenty of flavor, lots of vanilla and malty caramel give each taste a creaminess. But the taste doesn't linger long, as the vanilla dissipates leaving a sticky goodness on your lips and tongue.


In the interest of full disclosure, I love vanilla. I like to think I'm one of the major reasons Vanilla Coke lasted a full three years instead of one. Plus Breckinridge's Vanilla Porter is one of my favorite beers overall. The vanilla taste in that one is deep and smooth. I get that with Midnight but it takes a little more work. And although I drank both of those this weekend I should refrain from comparing them because they are vastly different. 


The Midnight has more alcohol and there are times when you can taste that a little too much. Once it warmed up some it was a little easier to pick up the roastiness and the malt flavor. I like the way the vanilla doesn't overwhelm the ale, simply gives it an anchor on your taste buds.


Final thoughts: this one is very drinkable, smooth and packs a nice punch at 6% ABV. My guess is that Midnight Train to Duluth is a heartier version of the Thomas Creek "Vanilla Cream Ale", but I've never had the latter. The Midnight is a little pricier than I expected, but a good brew nonetheless.




**Since Son of a Peach is the official brew of BDB, I feel it necessary to pass along that Best of Brews will have it starting sometime this week. Get there before I do or it might be gone.


Just kidding. Not really.

On Commings' faceplant

I don't know what Sanders Commings' future holds. It shouldn't be easy going through something like this. I hope he's squirming around more than a little as to his status on the roster in the very least. An arrest of any nature puts a lot of pressure on Coach Richt and the UGA administration. And despite what some papers and blogs would prefer you to believe, I'm glad we have someone like Richt who will go through the process with everyone's best interest at heart. Not just his depth chart in hand.


Commings entertained the idea of going pro, but he stands a chance to gain more than any of the others by returning another season. Especially with Rambo coming back which all but assures he'll get plenty of time where he truly wants to play - cornerback.


But now his status is an uncertainty. Any type of violence is a serious matter, regardless of who is involved or where it happens. But when a man hits a woman, it's time for some serious self-reflection as well.


Now I'm sure the young lady is not totally innocent, and I'm not attempting to try and convict Sanders Commings without due process. However, several witnesses were around a busy pedestrian intersection in downtown Athens. Nothing good comes from being there at 1am on a Saturday morning. 


Plus...dumbass, you just don't hit a woman. A lot of his teammates are rallying around Commings, providing support at a time when he needs it. If I were them I would probably do the same thing. And it would start with handing him a mirror.

Georgia-Ole Miss highlights

Ugh.

Recruiting Roundup: 11 days til NSD

So late Thursday night Ricardo Louis decided not to visit Athens, clearly an attempt to derail BDBs Recruiting Roundup: 12 days til NSD. Yet....we move on...teetering on the whims of teenagers.


Louis is a tremendous athlete and word was he was close to committing to FSU anyway. Now that he's not visiting Athens I think we can expect a commitment to Jimbo sometime soon. Like as soon as I click Publish probably. Anyways...

Sheldon Dawson

Defensive back update: this continues to be the most intriguing storyline of the class of 2012 here down the stretch. Smart money says Richt and staff are sticking with the Tennessee duo in Sheldon Dawson and Will Redmond, but if either of those were to fall through it appears they are ready to offer Kenneth Crawley of DC. And Crawley may visit next weekend.


Speaking of visits, Dawson decided he would visit Memphis instead of Ole Miss. To me this appears to be a last chance for Memphis to turn him from signing with Georgia. The Dawgs have the advantage in that the Memphis coaches are new hires and Richt's staff has done an exceptional job recruiting Sheldon. Unless something drastic happens I think you can certainly expect his signature in 11 days.


Josh Dawson is about 50/50 for Georgia/Vanderbilt. He's been committed to the Commodores, but Grantham has really gotten in the Tucker LB's ear. Consider this Grantham vs. Franklin, round II.


There is a lot of buzz that the Georgia coaches expect a big surprise come NSD. Take that to mean someone who is committed elsewhere will sign with Richt and staff instead. If this happens, the donut table at Butts-Mehre will likely fold under the pressure and excitement.


I can't wait.

Recruiting Update: 12 days til NSD - UPDATED

Doesn't look like Dalvin Tomlinson will make an official visit to Athens. He's encouraging people not to read anything ($$) into that since he's still listing UGA in his top three and has been to Athens on many other occasions. It's just with his wrestling schedule (he's preparing to defend his state title and wants to win it for a third consecutive year) he can't fit in another visit.


Regardless, going against Bama and Tech here it's going to take some special attention from Richt and staff to land this big one. Hard to have much confidence we'll get his LOI.


Former UGA defensive back prospect Yuri Wright has been expelled from his high school for explicit tweets dating back to July. Evidently one had an anti-semitic remark and that left the school no choice. Him visiting Athens was always up in the air and the relationship between Wright and the Georgia staff has cooled considerably recently. Perhaps AD McGarity follows the 4 star's twitter feed.


(UPDATE - Louis will NOT be visiting. Sounding like a commitment to FSU could be coming soon) In town this weekend will be commits John Theus and Leonard Floyd, as well as two Auburn "commits" - Jaquay Williams and Ricardo Louis. The other day we looked at JUCO target Cordarrelle Patterson. Losing 2010 non-qualifier Lonnie Outlaw as well as former commit CJ Curry puts wide receiver as a position of need. I'm sure Richt would like to sign a couple good ones at least, in addition to current commit Blake Tibbs.

From watching that I like Williams' size and quickness. He has great hands that rarely fail him, even when the pass is closely contested. He could develop into a big target and good possession receiver for whoever he signs with.

Louis played a lot of quarterback in high school. But projects as a safety or wide receiver in college. Maybe both. By Sunday night or Monday morning we should have a feel for just how solid these Auburn commits are and whether we can turn them into Dawgs.

"I don't care about pretty"

I would laugh at this, but this is almost exactly how it played out for me following the 2008 Bama blackout. 


Nama told me to do the sparkles.

Georgia-Tenn highlights

Fox's Dawgs notch their first SEC win in dramatic overtime fashion.

Recruiting Roundup: 13 days til NSD

We're inside of two weeks now, so let's regroup.

• Kenderious Whitehead (OLB). Word spread yesterday that UGA was out and he was down to Clemson and NC State. That may or may not be the case. But it does seem that he is having serious thoughts as to whether he would be better in Grantham's system or somewhere else with his hand in the dirt. So it looks like we're on the outside looking in here. Looks like whatever Whitehead decides the commitment will come later this week, so we'll know one way or the other soon. And then he committed to NC State last night. Done.
• Georgia's not out of the running for Dalvin Tomlinson (DT) just yet. It looks like his official visit wasn't canceled earlier this week, it was simply postponed due to family reasons. This is a quiet kid that recently lost his mother pretty suddenly. Sounds like he is a little overwhelmed by all the pressure here down the stretch. I've made my position clear, this kid is going to be a real playmaker on the defensive line. Unfortunately it feels like we're playing catch up to Tech. Hopefully he gets on campus and falls in love with Athens...where we have actual girls.
• Dalton Santos (ILB) also appears to be a longshot. BUT, there is a chance. The Santos family have not set up Dalton's final visit yet for the last weekend before signing day. If we can get him on campus perhaps we can make up for getting in too late and steal him.
• Jaquay Williams and Ricardo Louis are both Auburn commits that aren't feeling so all in anymore. Looks like they'll both be in town this weekend to compare things. Williams is a large receiver from Sandy Creek HS and Louis is an athlete (likely a safety or wide receiver in college) from Miami Beach.
• At defensive back we're still pressing hard for the boys from Tennessee, Will Redmond and Sheldon Dawson. But it appears the back up plan is Kenneth Crawley out of DC. Here's his junior highlight reel.