Gantt and Felton to receive awards

During a slow Monday there was some welcome news to a few UGA figures that work mostly behind the scenes. Among them was Bryant Gantt, whom many will recognize as a former player, current program coordinator, as well as also a key figure in helping to bring a peaceful ending to the Jamie Hood cop killer saga last year.

The Western Circuit Bar Association today will honor the University of Georgia Athletic Department’s program coordinator for helping bring the hunt for an accused cop-killer last year to a peaceful end.

Jamie Hood shot and killed Senior Police Officer Elmer “Buddy” Christian and wounded SPO Tony Howard on March 22, 2011, and three days later Bryant Gantt helped negotiate Hood’s surrender from a house where authorities say the suspect held eight people hostage.

“It’s always an honor when someone is recognizing you for doing something, whatever it is, because you feel like you must be going something right,” Gantt said.

The local bar association each year presents the Liberty Bell Award to a person who embodies respect for law and the courts and engenders a sense of civic responsibility, among other positive attributes.

Gantt, a former UGA football player and lifelong Athenian, is respected by police and civilians alike. He’s worked for a local bail bondsman and as an investigator for a defense attorney, and people who run afoul of the law know that he’s a man of his word.

Gantt was familiar with Hood and had been friends with Howard for years, so the day of the shooting he posted an offer on Facebook to help bring in Hood peacefully.

Also being recognized once again for their work as liaison between the sports department and the public is UGA's Sports Information Department. Claude Felton is widely recognized as one of the best SID's in the business.

Georgia's sports information department, led by Claude Felton, has once again been recognized by the Football Writers Association of America. The FWAA announced its Super 11, the top sports info departments this past season, and included Georgia, Auburn and Georgia Tech.

The others are Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Southern California, Syracuse, Utah State and Western Kentucky.

The sports information department is charged with providing stats and notes, securing interviews, and basically acting as the liaison between the football team and the public. They play a very key role in shaping the news.

This is the third consecutive year Felton and his team has been recognized and named to the Super 11. Also...I'm assuming Tech was named solely for their stellar efforts of keeping the AJCs news hounds at bay despite arrests and NCAA violations going on behind the scenes.

Monday's Meatloaf - plucking at the right pitch

How is it that being a parent can be so exhilarating and at the same time scare the hell out of you? Went to a wedding last night that really has me contemplating sending my girls to a boarding school...on an island...with no boys...at all. And it's surrounded by sharks that are genetically designed to be attracted to AXE cologne and Justin Beaver haircuts.


The wedding capped off a whirlwind weekend that kept us on the go. Especially Saturday morning when the 8 year old had a soccer game at 9am, followed by the awards and end of season party and then a guitar recital at 11am. We had barely stopped patting her on the back for being selected as an All-Star fútbol player before it was time to throw the cleats in the trunk and change into something that matched her pink electric. 


Sitting between her parents, you could feel the tension rise. She'd never played in front of anyone but her family before and now she was about to go onstage in front of 60 or so strangers. A tear came next, but she quietly whispered to Mrs. Bernie that she was going to "face her fears" and do a good job.


By the time she finished strumming, I was having trouble finding a time I've been more proud of her. I've said it many times, but I learn from my kids tenfold what they could possibly learn from me. Ode to Joy was her piece. It was followed soon thereafter by hugs, high fives and fist bumps. The joy was indeed pitch perfect.


Today's Ingredients

• In the wake of Prez Adams' pre-retirement celebration, Groo wonders what's next.
• Diamond Dawgs swept AwwBarn over the weekend.
• Last year former Dawg Russell Henley won. This year it was Hutson Swafford who took home the hardware from the Stadion Classic.
• Superstitions aside, it was a record setting round for Swafford.
• DaugMan finds former HoopDawg Terrance Woodbury doing pretty well in D-league.
• In case you missed it, Garbin wonders if Orson leaving early was worth the late pick.
• Blutarsky finds yet another punch the Spartans have beat us to.
• The GymDogs are confident moving forward after Coach Clark's resignation.
• ecdawg points out that Clemson's Sammy Watkins can expect a pretty stern hand slap. That's what he gets for stealing Mudcat's car.
• Spring practices are in the books. So College Football Zealots has some power rankings ready for your perusal.
• Up in the hills, Holly Anderson picks up from where we left the Vols - "Despondent in Lexington" - to post spring where the children have aged at least a little. (h/t AHD)
• Lastly, did you get your copy of the 2012 Jorted Helmet Schedule?

Remember back to GDay when Russ was laying on that bed instead of chilling out in his air-conditioned house? That had been rattling around in my head for a few weeks and I finally decided to investigate some more. Our chocolate lab Munson loves to dig up a cool spot in Mrs. Bernie's flower beds, and with temps stretching into the 90's I was anxious to help the pup find a better solution.

ChillSpot - COOLER than the other side of a pillow

We bring him inside to cool off, but the wood floor and the rug just adjust themselves to his temperature which makes him more miserable. I would send him up to the bathrooms and the tile floors, but as we discussed last week...with three females in the house, those rooms spend a good amount of time "ocupado".


So I did some investigating and found out it was something called a ChillSpot that had Russ so comfortable back in April. And if it's good enough for Russ it's good enough for our Munson. So I reached out to the ChillSpot guys and they told me all about how they won the Seilers over to get the GDay sideline approval. Turns out that bag of ice some of the Ugas have enjoyed isn't so good for their skin. This unique dog bed stays a nice cool 55 degrees or so and simulates a tile floor that dogs love. They've even put ChillSpots in the Atlanta Zoo for the Panda habitats. It's simple to use and can move with Munson inside or out.


Now if I could just find a way to Mrs. Bernie proof the thermostat. Speaking of hot, the meatloaf is finally ready. Here's some utensils Reader. Go stick a fork in it.


Bernie

Ma!!! MEATLOAF!!

Ma's back there somewhere. We never really know what she's doing. I'm sure the meatloaf will be out shortly. In the meantime, in case you missed the link last week...here's Chaz once again in his glamorous robe.

N S F W

via

Jorts and Helmets, meet in a 2012 schedule

Even though she's carrying a future middle linebacker in her belly, Kerri ain't complaining. Instead she took it upon herself to create a jorted version of the 2012 SEC Helmet Schedule. Sure, there's others out there. But she found them unsatisfactory.


High Four Kerri! GATA.

Coach Mark Richt in cell phone purgatory, vol II

This time he didn't pocket text by accident. But he lost telephone privileges for two weeks for mentioning Josh Harvey-Clemons as a signee before the recruit actually signed.

Mark Richt's premature commenting on Josh Harvey-Clemons on signing day cost the Georgia head coach two weeks of telephone priviledges. 

Back on Feb. 1, Harvey-Clemons announcement his commitment to Georgia. It was the day's major signing for Georgia - except Harvey-Clemons didn't sign until the next day, as his grandfather wavered on signing the letter-of-intent. In the meantime, however, Richt had talked about the defensive standout from Valdosta during an interview on ESPNU.

Georgia reported the secondary violation the next day. The SEC returned its verdict on April 23, according to documents provided by UGA: Richt was prohibited from "placing recruiting telephone calls for a period of two weeks." The violation was also termed a Level II violation, the lesser of the secondary violations.

That is the only secondary violation the football program has reported since February. The men's tennis and volleyball programs have each reported two.

Meanwhile I mentioned JHC WAY early, yet received no punishment. Life of a blogger. And I hate talking on the phone.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2012/05/04/2014564/harvey-clemons-talk-sends-richt.html#storylink=cpy

Diamond Dawgs mow down Barners

Behind a stellar pitching performance behind Alex Wood, the Dawgs get some good at bats late to edge Auburn 5-2 in the first game of the weekend series.

Flashback Friday: Dominique Wilkins

The early to mid 1990's will always be my favorite era for men's hoops. (Neville Austin from the charity stripe anyone?) Carlos Strong and Terrell Bell were Jaguars that stayed home to play for Durham. I happen to be a product of Cedar Shoals HS. The fact that I couldn't dribble a basketball somehow kept me off the gym floor....*sigh*...


Back on point, Shandon Anderson was probably my favorite player to watch. But Dominique Wilkins is considered the best to ever play ball in Stegeman. And yet it was the year after he left that we made the Final Four for what has proven to be the only time in Men's Basketball history. 


The pic below is from a Sports Illustrated in the early 1980's obviously. Thanks to Dawg19 for sharing. I was a little too young to remember much from #21 in a Georgia uniform, but remember plenty of The Human Highlight Film in The Omni after he left Athens. Is Dominique the best ever? He's the record holder for points in a season, but Litterial Green has the career point record. Aside from the best ever discourse...who's the Hoop Dawg you think of most? 

DING DONG! The bastard is finally...

...taking his yankee carpet baggin' ass out of Athens.


Michael Adams is a polarizing figure. Some see his long tenure and applaud the growth, development and academic achievements. But while Adams enjoyed taking credit for those I prefer to see things realistically. The University of Georgia has long needed new leadership from the top. Now the Board of Regents will have several months to find it.


The campus and university as a whole has enjoyed tremendous growth since Adams took office in 1997. He deserves credit there. Maybe not as much as he demands, but for the most part he helped raise a lot of money and stood out of the way of UGA's brick and mortar expansion.


Athletics has been more of a mixed bag. Sure, the UGAA has enjoyed profits and success during Adams' time on campus. But there's just as much of an argument that he stood in the way of greater success as one that he was responsible for what Georgia has enjoyed.


Overall, if you ask me how I'll look back on Adams' time as President of the University of Georgia I would say it was a good time to be a student and part of the alumni. I'll always wonder if it could've been greater. I don't care for his hands-on style meddling ways when it comes to athletics. I hope the successor gets along better with the faculty and stays away from Butts-Mehre as much as possible.


But that's just me. I eat grits and don't wear jeans to the Intramural Fields.

"An almost boring" game "explodes in the waning seconds"

A couple weeks ago we looked at the night Herschel's jersey was retired. It was Labor Day 1985 and Bama was in town for a night game. Well now, carlmilton has uploaded the final minute of that game. It was more than a little nuts, with a blocked punt, an excessive celebration and then a drive by future Bama head man Mike Shula.


And now, here's the dulcet tones of Keith Jackson...circa the Reagan era...

Shula was 5 of 8 for 67 yards before that last drive. Nice of Bill Lewis to give us a preview of WilMart's pass defense so early and before it's time.

Adams almost done bagging carpet in Athens

It's not effective until June 2013, but Prez Adams in retiring from his post at UGA. The Chapel Bell should be ringing all night. I just cracked open a celebratory beer. Join me.


More tomorrow.