Dick Cheney

Today I got to shake the hand of the Vice President of the United States. He was visiting Georgia today and made a quick stop at Robins AFB, Ga to speak to us. Pretty cool.

Open letter to Joe Tereshinski

On Saturday you will lead your team onto a field of battle I'm sure you have dreamed of since an early age. You probably dreamed of this moment earlier than most of us because of your family ties to the team.

Your Grandfather fought on this battlefield as did your father, and now it is your time. We know you didn't expect it to be like this, but you have prepared for this moment for most of your life.

This is what you have been laboring for during these past few springs and long hot summers as well as fall practices. You have paid your dues in the not always appreciated assignments on special teams and mopup duties; but we have never heard you complain.

In the heat of battle on Saturday against one of our most hated foes, a time will come when things do not go as you planned. You may reach a time when you may be confused and are tempted to get a little down and are tempted to give up. It is then you must look deep inside yourself.

It is then you must feel the red and black running through your veins. It is then you must remember who you are... You are a Bulldawg. You must hear the voices and footsteps of the Bulldawg greats who have ran this field before you and always found a way to beat the hated orange lizards. They all found a way when it was said it couldn't be done... Appleby, Washington, Hoage, Goff, Lindsey and Buck.

We don't expect you to be perfect. We expect you to take a deep breath of Gator Bowl air and enjoy this moment in the sun. This is your birthright. Our beloved coach has chosen you to lead us, and that's all the credentials you will ever need.

This is your destiny, this is your moment. Enter the battle knowing that the entire Bulldawg Nation is behind you and you will not need to fight the battle alone.

We lift our barks as one and say - We are proud that you are a Dawg!
Now go kick the living S*#t out of em!!

With deepest respect,

The Bulldawg Nation

Race tonite at Martinsville

Tonite the Real Racing Online Pro Series takes to the short track at Martinsville,Va. Tune in Live at 9pm est. on RROL TV.
The chase is on and with 5 races left expect some tempers tonite and alot of action.

www.realracingonline.com

Seven Notes on a Trumpet and Erk Russell

It is once again Georgia vs Florida week, and I can't think of any finer time to bring out a couple of classic Georgia Bulldog pieces of Lore. Enjoy.


Seven Notes on a Trumpet
by ibdawg
It is Saturday. All week long you've waited. What started out on Monday as a tight feeling in the pit of your stomach, is now a 10,000-pound gorilla tap dancing on your spleen.

You've done your best to concentrate and do your job this week. You made an honest effort to put "all this" on the back burner and focus on "the important things", but to no avail. The images just kept coming: bright fall sunshine and crisp autumn air painting the classic city in Hellenic splendor. The aroma of a thousand tailgate feasts wafting through the air, and everywhere, everything - - Red and Black.

You've gone from sports page to magazine, to news show, to internet site, and in every conversation in every office, diner, hallway and cubicle you entered this week, you have tried to reassure yourself of the outcome of this week's contest. But in your heart of hearts you know there's only one way to settle it: 'Dawgs gotta tee it up and play.

And now it's Saturday. As you contemplate the day ahead an image of The Hedges flashes in your mind; green grass, crisp white lines, sunshine ricocheting off the instruments of the Redcoats, and 80,000 - plus fans volleying "GEORGIA - BULLDAWGS" back and forth across the stadium, rattling you all the way to the soles of you feet. You swing out of bed, heart pounding. Grab a cuppa Joe and a quick shower as you prepare for the pilgrimage to A-town. You slam in a tape of the Redcoat Band and crank up the stereo. "Hail" bounces off the walls while you don your lucky shirt (socks, hat, pants, whatever) as you perform the pre-game ritual.

The phone rings - - Yes, you're up. Yes, you have the tickets. "No, my cooler's full, we'll have to take yours, too. I'll stop and get some ice on the way." Gather up the tailgate supplies and load the car. Why does it take so damn long for everyone else to get ready? You check and recheck the supplies - - table, chairs, food. No need to check the drinks, no way those'll get left behind! Cigars? Check. Binoculars? Check. Camera? Blanket? Check. 'Dawg flags secured to the car and ready to fly - - all packed up and ready.

Finally! Time to go. You reassure yourself for the millionth time that the tickets are in your pocket and you "saddle up." Headed to The Classic City. Dawg-patch, USA. Larry and Scott and Loran on the pre-game show, telling you how good these guys are gonna be (yeah, like you need something else to worry about!). Loran threads in a history lesson, and hey - - an interview with one of the Dawgs from way back when. Always wondered what happened to him. Corporate exec in N'awlins. Who'd of ever guessed? You smile as you remember a moment of glory for him in a past game. On the radio, James Brown is hammering out, "Dooley's Junkyard Dawgs" and as your friends get in the car, you all sing along.

En route, cars pass by you by: they're singing too, and barking as they pass. It's a rolling party and the gangs all there! You sense the excitement as it grows, mile by mile. Traffic slows to a crawl somewhere near the Clarke County line. It is a long, happy, red and black serpent winding its way toward Sanford Stadium. Dawg flags and bumper stickers. "Boiled P-nuts just ahead". White shoe polish on windshields proclaiming the magnificence of the Dawg nation, and snatches of Larry pleading from the speakers of passing cars and trucks: "He's at the 40, the 35, the 30, run Lindsey, run!" And your heart races, your gut tightens - - you just can't wait to be there.

Now on final approach - - you turn down Lumpkin (Milledge, Baxter . . . ) homing in on THE tailgate spot. Other friends are already there and as you get out of the car, it hits you! Carnival atmosphere. Red. Black. "How 'bout them Dawgs!" "They Hell ain't they?" The fragrance of charcoal heating up and barbecue on the grill. Opposing fans drifting by, good natured ribbing , and "hey, y'all eat some of this, we got plenty". Introductions all around, and then serious discussion and comparison of the teams. Who's hurt? How fast is that wide receiver? That O-line looked awesome last week. Y'all gonna keep that coach around next year?"

Drinks with old friends and new ones. Stories about games gone by. "Man, they've added a lot to the campus since the last time I was here!" and "I don't think they grew 'em like that when I was in school!" Have another drink. Have some more barbecue. And another drink. Or two. And finally, pack it all up, it's time to go! Man, you really didn't need that extra barbecue, that 10,000 pound gorilla is kicking to get out right now!

You merge into the red and black sea that is moving inexorably toward Sanford, the Temple of the Dawg. The sun is as bright as you imagined it would be. Not too hot, not too cold. 'A crisp, fall day' as Larry might describe it. Red and Black everywhere. Sequined coats and polyester pants. Hats. Shorts. Boots. Faces painted with renderings of Uga and "Dawgs". "Buy a program?" "You bet." And, "Oh man, I gotta have that tee-shirt." Barking Dawgs everywhere as you're more or less towed towards the stadium by the throng of the Dawg nation.

But underneath the bridge, near the student center, the crowd stops. And there stands the band in all its splendor, Redcoats blazing like fire. Sequins from the Flag Corps' costumes glittering like diamonds. Notes and rifts fill the air as they mill around, warming up, waiting impatiently for the spectacle to begin. They pose for photos with family and friends. Kisses and hugs all around. "There's Uga!" and everyone tries to get a look and a photo. "Hey Mr. Seiler." "Hey Coach!" Kids run around at your knees; stadium urchins already beginning their collection of souvenirs from a day in Dawgpatch.

The moment freezes in your mind as you notice that somewhere close to the middle of the band, beneath the crowd assembled on the bridge, one lone trumpet swings skyward. . .

The atmosphere is instantly charged with about a gazillion volts, and the crowd waits expectantly.

You KNOW what's coming and still, you can't control your reaction. Goosebumps rise on your arms. The hair on your neck stands straight up and a lump forms in your throat. Your eyes well up. All those memories of all those years and all those Dawgs suddenly converge in your mind and your chest feels like it's gonna explode. And then come the seven notes. . .

Seven plaintive notes, rendered slowly, proudly, reverently into the heavens. "Mine eyes have seen the glory. . ."

And Dawgs all around you, and above you begin to answer back. Just one or two at first, but it continues to grow like a pack of hungry wolves, becoming louder and wilder, until the bridge itself threatens to collapse from the clamor! And then the rest of the band joins in, and suddenly the whole damn world is ablaze with the fire that burns in the breast of the Dawg Nation.

GLORY. Not "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". Not the fight song of some backwoods pretender in Alabama. GLORY, the battle hymn of the Dawg Nation!. Glory, Glory to Ol' Georgia.

The uproar grows and the crowd melds and begins to move in unison, the fans, the band, all one. . . Suddenly it's not a crowd anymore. It has become something else entirely. You can't describe it, but you know its composition. It is Theron Sapp and Mike Castronis; Buck Belue and Lewis Grizzard; Craig Hertwig and Cowboy Parish and Preston Riddlehuber. Larry, and "Loran, whatta ya got?" Ray the quarterback and Ray the coach. Squab the equipment manager and Jake Scott. Hell, it's Hershel Walker the Endzone Stalker, and Vince Dooley and Joel Eaves, with a little bit of Wally Butts and Erk Russell thrown in. It's "He's got a man open - - he's gonna throw a long bomb! and "Look at the sugar falling from the sky!" It's Robert Edwards tight-ropin' down in the corner, and he got in there! And Verron Haynes stepping down in Knoxville with the winning catch. It's every friend you ever sat with through a game on a Saturday in Athens, Georgia.

And suddenly, what moments ago was merely a crowd has transformed into an indomitable entity ; a juggernaut of energy and pride that streams into the stadium like smoke from a battery of double-barreled canon.

It's game time, and so we press - - into the Temple of the Dawg, we enter; a huge machine in Red and Black.




Prior to the 1980 season, Erk Russell wrote this letter to his defensive linemen. GATA! Gentlemen: (linemen) The football season of 80' will be my seventeenth as a Georgia Bulldog. During this time there have been many thrilling Saturdays of competition, each with it's individual memories, because each game has it's own personality. There are two Saturday traditions and experiences which have remained basically the same throughout the years for me and I would like to share them with you. The first one concerns the RAILROAD TRACK CROWD. These are my people because they love the Dogs almost as much as I do. Oh, I know they do some crazy things- like turn over our opponnents's busses sometimes and now and then they throw one another down the bank and into the street below. But they stamp out Kudzu and they pull for us to win and that aint bad. If you can get off the bus to cheers of THE RAILROAD TRACK CROWD and walk down those steps to the dressing room and not be inspired to play football as best you possibly can, something important is missing beneath the Georgia jersey you wear. It is impossible not to be inspired. They choke me up! The season of 1980 will be the last for THE RAILROAD TRACK CROWD. A great Georgia tradition will have passed with the new addition to our stadium. The view from the tracks will be no more. Your team will be the last Georgia Team to be greeted and cheered by the RAILROAD TRACK CROWD. Wouldn't it be fitting if their last team was also the best Georgia Team ever. Think about it! Another Saturday tradition which has meant so much to me over the years can be stated very simply. "THERE AIN'T NOTHING LIKE BEING A BULLDOG ON SATURDAY NIGHT-----AFTER WINNING A FOOTBALL GAME." I mean like whipping Tennessee's ass to start with, then ten more and then another one. This is the game plan. We have no alternate plan. Sincerely, Erk Russell

Joe Tereshinski's time to shine is now

Joe Tereshinski has suddenly become the starting QB for the #4 ranked Bulldogs, and already people across the nation are not giving the Dawgs a chance in the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville this weekend. With starting QB DJ Shockley gone for at least a week or more with a sprained MCL, the dawgnation calls upon a 3rd generation Bulldog to answer the call.

Joe's father was the starting center on the 1976 SEC Championship team, and his grandfather was a member of the 1942 and '46 SEC Championship teams. Joe was a 4 star recruit in 2002 and was ranked 10th in the nation in the Pro Style QB rankings. Among the notables ahead of him were Auburns Brandon Cox, UCLA's Drew Olson, Drew Stanton of Mich St, and Justin Zwick of Ohio St.

This week the task at hand for the Dawgs will be the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville,FL against Urban Meyer's Gators. And while they have had an off week preparing for the Georgia offensive attack under Shockley, they will now have to go back to the drawing board for Tereshinski. Mark Richt will certainly not make any drastic changes to the offensive schemes, and will try to work to Tereshinski's strengths. He will be surrounded by one of the best O line's in all of college football, a great stable of tailbacks, and of course Leonard Pope at tight end. Not to mention a Dawg Defense that has only given up 13.71 pts per game this season, and is leading the SEC in turnover's. I look for Florida to bring the blitz early and often and dare Joe T to beat them throwing the ball under pressure, and they will do so willingly with man coverage on the corners to get to him.

Tereshinski has been in Athens for 3 years prior to this season and has mentored under David Greene and DJ Shockley. This situation reminds me alot of the Cory Philips game when he started in place of the injured Quincy Carter and threw for 400 yards against Kentucky. Don't throw the towel in yet on this undefeated season Dawg Fans, this team has shown there dedication to one another and the team concept. They will band together and play hard, they will play Georgia Bulldog football for 60 minutes. This team wasnt even suppost to contend because we lost all those big names to the NFL last season, but under Coach Richt we have plenty of future stars riding the pine waiting on their number to be called. Joe Tereshinski yours is on the board. GATA!!!!!!!!

States I have been too............

My Dega Wreck

www.realracingonline.com

Georgia vs Tennessee

The Dawgnation has had this date circled on the calendar for a year, after UT came into Sanford Stadium and ruined our 2004 season. Last season was supposed to be the year that UGA had all the pieces to the puzzle to make that run toward the national title game. The expectations were off the chart after the Dawgs dismantled LSU the weekend prior 45-17, the college football world was made well aware of the boys between the hedges. All week long the UGA players heard and read how good they were, what a great win that was against LSU and how UT didnt stand a chance. Georgia was cocky and confident that they would win, and they were riding a 17 game home win streak entering the contest.

The Vols had come into that game considerable underdogs, a team with a season on the brink. They had just came off a devastating loss at home against the Auburn Tigers 34-10, the worst home loss for them since 2003 when UGA beat them 41-14. Another conference loss would have put them out of contention in the always tough SEC Eastern Division. I was on the field that afternoon, and watched the demeanor of the Vol players as they entered the stadium. You could sense a team with a do or die attitude had just arrived for a football game, they had heard enough about Georgia. The bookies in Vegas did not give them a shot coming into the game either, a 12 point underdog and that was being polite. Yet somehow the UT players and coaches tuned it out for 60 minutes, and earned a very close hard fought 19-14 victory.


This season the golden slipper is on the other foot, or so it would appear. UT was a pre-season Top 5 team and to say that expectations put on them by the media were high entering the 2005 campaign would be an understatement. The Vols bubble was burst a few weeks ago with a loss at Florida, but since they have recovered with a road win at LSU and a yawner vs Ole Miss last week. Yet a small percentage of their fan base is acting like this weeks game wont even be close, saying that the dawgs just arent as good as the previous 3 seasons a combined 34-5 record.

The Vol nation need look no further than the archived message board posts from last years game to see that it is the same trap that Dawg fans fell into last year. There are a few very educated fans of the game on both sides of the fan base, who understand this game could go either way on Saturday. This game will have all the makings of an ESPN Instant Classic, with the team that scores 20 points probably coming away with a hard fought win.

Go Dawgs!

The Running Man

Jinxy wanted to be on my Blog too!

Race tonite @ Talladega 9 pm est...........

The Real Racing Online Coca-Cola Enterprises Pro Cup Series is back in action tonite. This is the third race in the chase for the championship, and I am currently 7th in the Chase standings. Tune in and watch all the action LIVE! www.realracingonline.com

Needle Time

Went today and got my TYPHOID and HEPATITIS B shots. Felt so good.

The single-dose injectable vaccine (Typhim Vi) containing capsular polysaccharide antigen became available in February, 1995. The protection offerred by this vaccine is effective starting 2 weeks after injection and should last for 2 years. Subsequent booster doses are recommended at 2-year intervals. This vaccine can be used in children as young as 2 years old. Side effects, while greater than those of the oral vaccine, are much less than those experienced with the old 2-dose injectable vaccine.

The hepatitis B vaccination is a noninfectious, yeast-basedvaccine given in three injections in the arm. It is prepared fromrecombinant yeast cultures, rather than human blood or plasma.Thus, there is no risk of contamination from the bloodbornepathogens nor is there any chance of developing HBV from thevaccine.

My next motorcycle.......hopefully 2007 sometime

This is the 2006 Kawasaki ZX-14, the world's first 200 bhp production motorcycle. This bike is all new from the ground up and it's intended target is the Suzuki Hayabusa. The ZX-14 has the lowest (cd) co-effiecient of drag of any production motorcycle in history as well, making it very slick and very fast with an estimated top speed of over 215 mph.

Tyrone Prothro

This is one of the worst broken legs I have ever seen, except for perhaps Joe Theismann's broken leg in 1985 vs the Giants.

Urban "MYTH" ?

Well it appears the Honeymoon is over for Urban Meyer at the University of Florida. Meyer compiled a 39-8 record in his previous tenures at Bowling Green and Utah. Meyer a media darling when they hired him away after he led Utah to their first BCS Bowl game, is now a media duckling. WELCOME TO THE SEC URBAN!


The last time Florida was held without a TD was during The Evil Genius's 3rd season under the helm. It came at the hands of Miss. St 30-6, on an October day in Starkville in 1992. Spurriers Gators recovered though and went on to win the 92 East crown. Urban's boys also have a shot at redemption and still control their own destiny in the SEC East race. But with games like:

@LSU
Georgia
@ South Carolina
Florida State

Florida could be seeing alot more of this............

It seems unlikely, but the Gator Nation could be looking down the barrel of a 4 loss season. Not quite what they expected when Jeremy Foley AD hired the GREAT URBAN MYTH.

Karate Man

Here is my little Karate Man. This was taken on the first day of his class. And the picture above was taken when he received his Orange Belt!