Lots of stuff to sample today.
- Mark Bradley scores an interview with Greg McGarity and it comes out about as you’d expect, as McGarity fences well with Bradley’s questioning. But it’s interesting to me that McGarity believes he won’t have a tough time pulling the trigger on Richt’s Georgia career, if things come to that, because he’s “had to do it five times already with very popular sports here — gymnastics, baseball, soccer”. Yes, your flagship athletic program is just like those others.
- And in another AD interview, Jeremy Foley describes the breaking point for the decision to fire Will Muschamp: “There was a lot of negativity that was going to be hard to overcome, especially in recruiting. This business is hard when a big ball starts rolling downhill and you have to catch it and roll it back up the hill.” That one I buy.
- A federal judge rejected the NCAA’s preliminary settlement in the concussion case, in part over concerns about the adequacy of the settlement amount. Cue the PR response: “NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said the association is reviewing the decision.” Hey, at least there was a response.
- You’ve probably heard that Leonard Floyd won’t play in the Belk Bowl because he’s had shoulder surgery. Check out Richt’s comment: “We wanted to give [Floyd] the maximum amount of time to be prepared for his senior year…” Think they care about that if Georgia were in the CFP semis?
- Feel free to insert the usual “Mark Richt has lost control” snark here.
- This will come as a blow to Georgia fans yearning for Gary Patterson. The man was already making in excess of $4 million a year and TCU just gave him an extension with a presumed bump to that amount. Care to count how high you’d have to go to make him consider a move to Athens? (Assuming a Georgia Way discount, of course.)
- Bill Connelly explores the predictive value of second-order wins.
- Speaking of Bill, he estimates that he’s written something on the order of one and one-half million words this year. I am in awe, sir.
- Here’s an article on Bobo’s job interview at CSU, from the Colorado side. One point of interest: “The fact Florida, considered to be a deep-pocketed athletic department with considerable cash reserves, balked at paying McElwain’s $7.5 million buyout could have a chilling effect on upwardly mobile coaching prospects not willing to commit to making Colorado State their final stop.” Does that mean Bobo’s interest is an attempt to leverage more money out of Butts-Mehre, or does he offer to take a discount on his proposed CSU salary to get a manageable buyout amount? (Bonus question: which do you think Butts-Mehre would prefer?)
Get The Picture 
“Think they care about that if Georgia were in the CFP semis?”
No, I don’t, and I very much doubt Floyd would either.
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Another example of how far over his head McFrugal is in the AD job, getting more concerned with every glimpse into what level his mind works. Foley may not be much personally but he does have the perspective you want for an employee swimming in the deep water. GM doesn’t seem to realize he is even in the deep water, you have to hope he hasn’t been given the power to make such a move. Looking at the financial contribution UGA football makes, wiser heads must prevail. The AD job might have the higher spot on the organization chart but CMR’s job is the higher paying, and more critical.
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I gave my share of grief to GM over Gurley-gate, but I thought he handled the interview well. In many cases, he’s in a no-win situation. We may disagree with decisions especially in the financial realm, but no doubt the guy loves Georgia.
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Marky Mark has just posted an added exchange about the IPF and closes with speculation that there is a growing tension inside Butts-Mehre.
http://markbradley.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/18/more-mcgarity-ugas-indoor-facility-wasnt-a-big-deal-but-now-it-is/
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Good stuff there – thanks! I’ll give the AUC a click for that.
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Great minds think alike – I just posted something about it.
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When we meet with our board in February, we should have more information on cost and location so we can start the fund-raising.
My question is, Why has fund raising not already begun?
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I hope it’s alright if I bring some pot luck action to the buffet. Hartman Fund brochure hit the mailbox Monday. Here it is online:
Click to access 2015_WCHF_brochure.pdf
I keep looking for the pie chart or bar graph that shows the reserve fund. Based on spam from the ticket office, maybe we’re piling it up to buy unsold Belk Bowl tickets??
That schedule on page 18 looks pretty manageable right now.
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We’ll see what happens with Bobo but I suspect they’d rather let him go and find a bargain than to give him more than a $250k raise. We’re in the wrong conference to be bargain shoppers. It’s mostly worked out for 14 years but I don’t see that continuing much longer.
The way this program is run reminds me of the Braves. Just enough to have a winning team and to keep interest up/seats filled but that’s about it.
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I like that Braves analogy.
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That analogy is so good it is painful.
When Ted Turner sold the Braves, there stopped being any good reason to follow them.
You don’t want to root for a pro team run by a corporation. You want to root for a pro team run by an egotistical billionaire who considers his team an extension of his penis.
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+1 trillion for that one there.
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Much as it pains me, I now have at least one foot in the Blutarsky camp on the AD’s public relations skills.
When you are presented with an obviously speculative question like “do you have the nuts to fire Mark Richt?”…a question that has no actual value to anyone other than the writer…you either dismiss the question or answer it with “Mark Richt is the football coach at the University of Georgia.”
This question is the same as asking McGarity if his wife bought a Jaguar, would he drive it?
A pointless exercise in click-surfing for the AJC.
I hope McGarity took the interview with an agenda more important than proving his balls are big enough.
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Nerd Agent Mark Asshat, under the control of Paul Johnson, is straining his guts trying to “get the ball rolling down that hill” at Georgia.
McGarity totally blew the question. He should have said, “Have you asked the GT AD that question about his coach?” , or , ” I’m going to call your boss and ask him that question concening you”. Or just a simple ” f-you, get out of my office”.
Agent Asshat is just trying to stir up trouble for Georgia. He probably believes that if he can start “the ball rolling” just a little bit, CPJ will give him a wet kiss or something.
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Ug…Asshat is not really trying to stir up trouble for Georgia, he is trying to stir up readership by responding to a small, dumb but vocal fringe of the fringe of the Georgia fan base. Stirring up trouble at Georgia would not be possible if Georgia did not provide fodder.
Trust me that Asshat has no agenda other than keeping them cards and letters rolling in and as long as folks like us respond to his fishing he’s done is job pretty well.
Asshat puts both Tech and Georgia in the fodder sack.
He gives not a shit about either.
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GT also has that “fringe” crowd that thinks their coach should go. He needs to go ask the Tech AD about it.
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I agree. I think that is a very shitty question to ask someone. It is basically a sneaky way to make it sound like CMR is on the hot seat when he isn’t. That’s some yellow journalism right there.
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Bradley and the rest of the AJC “writers” live and die by the attention they generate. Ask the most ridiculous question imaginable, blabber ad nauseum about the answer…this is a proven model provided by the magazines you see waiting in the check out line at the grocery store…with none of the nice pitchers.
By responding to the bullshit we give it value.
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Just about everything in and around the city of Atlanta is an atrocity. A lot of nice people of course, but that’s about it.
I have to drive through Atlanta tomorrow on the way south, and I’ve been dreading it for weeks.
For a two week trip, about 95% of the stress and worry is all related to getting through Atlanta, GA down and back.
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Does anybody know how many job interviews Mark Richt had during his time at Florida State?
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I thought Florida did pay McElwain’s buy out…one way or another.
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Scorp, CSU is ultimately getting their money, but UF only paid about 60% of it, McElwain is paying part and CSU is coming to Gainesville in a few years for a big guaranteed $ game to get to the total $ figure on the buyout. But the buyout almost submarined the entire deal before they got creative with the structure of how CSU would get their money.
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Thanks
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In the beloved South…home to America’s finest looking women and great Americans we can say this.
GO DAWGS!
BEAT THE HELL OUT OF LOUISVILLE [and Clemson, Tech, Auburn, etc]
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Will the AD Stooge pony some comp for the coaches on the football staff?
And will the Belk Bowl folks give those young men a little extra for their Christmas trees?
And park that indoor facility under some tree in Athens. There is a benefit to putting money in circulation and creating jobs.
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Since Floyd is just a sophomore but incredibly talented we can just call him a senior next year? Kids are leaving so early and often we can’t even keep up with what year they are. Prep schools doesn’t count unless your truly heading to the NFL.
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He could have left this winter because he’s been out of high school for 3 years. I think the shoulder injury is what is keeping him in Athens.
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“You have to be 100 percent convinced that it can’t work.”
Maybe I haven’t been following closely, but what’s his precise definition of it working? I think the ADs at Texas and Florida have essentially said their expectation for every team to finish in the top 10. That seems reasonable to me for Georgia — football, gymnastics, women’s basketball, and the country club sports should be top 10, and the laggards should be making consistent progress against that target. I recognize championships require luck, but you only get that luck if you’re consistently knocking on the door.
Regardless, I’d have a lot more confidence in McGarity if he were more transparent about what his goals were for the program. Perhaps I shouldn’t fault him because Bradley asked the wrong questions, but he should have used the opportunity to share his vision (assuming he has one) anyway.
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Gary Patterson
Deserves every penny + some……
Seven (7) titles in fourteen years
Two time Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
One undefeated season
Nobody WANTS to play TCU.
Per Rivals:
2015 recruiting class – #25
2014 – #50
2013 – #30
2012 – #37
2011 – #26
2010 – #46
You get the picture……
GP is amazing – does more with less v. anyone in the country.
Eat it Jabo!
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I wish Bradley had asked Vince one of those no answer questions. He would still be sitting on a cushion.
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Sometimes you just have to STFU. By the way “when did you stop beating your wife”?
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Any word? Has Bobo taken the job.
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