Nothin’ but the Dawg in him

For a guy whom I see get blasted now and then on the Intertubes for a supposed lack of loyalty to Georgia, David Pollack sure sounds like a fan of the program here:

“In the key moments they haven’t made a lot of key plays, and in big games they’ve come up small a lot of times,” Pollack said. “I think that’s one of the things as a fan of the team – because I’m not a fan of any team except Georgia. I don’t have a team that I cheer for across football, the only one I want to win every week except Georgia. I think that’s one of the frustrating things, that in big games, big moments, not stepping up or not winning them or not making plays, or sometimes not even being competitive, which is even more frustrating.”

Of course, what does Pollack know compared to a bunch of random dudes who’ve never actually met him?

“Ed O’Bannon ruined that for all of us.”

Kirk Herbstreit may not be an antitrust lawyer, but he certainly can be a selfish prick when the mood strikes him.

Musical palate cleanser (this one with music!)

Springsteen rips into “Rebel, Rebel”:

(h/t)

Nice to meet you.

Here’s a brief snapshot of each of Georgia six early enrollees in the class of 2016.  Lot of talent and a lot of rawness there.

By the way, if you need further proof that hanging on to a coaching staff simply to protect a recruiting class is a dumb idea, this bunch is good evidence.

Jacksonville’s money still spends.

At least that’s what I gather from the news that Georgia will remain under the crushing burden of playing the Cocktail Party south of the state line for another five years.

Name that caption, feelin’ loose edition

Kirby Smart seemed to enjoy himself last weekend.

My 🐶 pic.twitter.com/bWZEATbhPo

— MWS (@MackWilSr) January 16, 2016

Tongue out of cheek, I guess.

SEC Power Poll, final edition

And so, friends, it’s time to put another season to bed.  Alabama won the national championship and the conference showed up to win most of its bowl games, but I think it’s a bit of a stretch to see the SEC as dominant as its been in certain recent seasons.  Too many strange losses, too many underachievers… too few great quarterbacks to make that sort of assertion, at least in my humble opinion.

The tough part about doing a power poll after the bowl games is that motivation plays so much of a role in how most teams play in their bowls, so it’s not always a reflection on their underlying qualities.  I’d like to think I’ve done a decent job of separating that from confirmation of second-half trends – I’m looking at you, Gators – but I have no doubt that my mileage will vary from yours, in some cases, probably significantly.

1. Alabama.  Okay, not it in this case.  This wasn’t the greatest ‘Bama squad of all time, or even of Saban’s tenure, but it was plenty salty.  And in the title game, it managed to outlast the kind of team that gives Saban the greatest trouble.
2. Mississippi.  Remind me again – this was the team that got smoked by Florida and beaten by Memphis, right?  Weird.
3. LSU.  A little too uneven on offense to be great, but good enough otherwise to make the maneuvering to oust Miles seem silly.
4. Tennessee.  Welcome to the land of great expectations, Booch.
5. Mississippi State.  Another solid year, although you wonder how many of these Dan Mullen can lead before he decides to coach somewhere else.
6. Arkansas.  If there’s an art to making eight-win teams look better than their records, Bert is a master.
7. Georgia.  I still can’t figure out how a team can win ten games and emerge totally irrelevant, but the Dawgs somehow managed to pull off that trick.
8. Florida.  It’s a power poll, remember?  I don’t see how you can overlook how badly the Gators fell off in the second half of the season.
9. Auburn.  On the bright side, nobody is going to be taking the Tigers’ 2016 national title chances too seriously.
10. Texas A&M.  The bloom has come off Kevin Sumlin’s rose with a vengeance.
11. Vanderbilt.  Of all the seasons the Commodores have had, this was certainly one of them.
12. Kentucky.  The only difference I can see between UK’s 2014 and 2015 is that Mike Stoops didn’t get another mid-season raise.
13. Missouri.  Had a season to forget.
14. South Carolina.  Had a season Steve Spurrier wishes he could forget.

Not your usual Musical Palate Cleanser

For one thing, there’s no music.

That’s because this is a recommendation of a magazine issue.  If you love music, Georgia music in particular, then this issue of the Oxford American is a must get.  As you should be able to tell from this blurb, it’s a great read.

In the magazine, more than 45 writers take on the task of chronicling numerous musical traditions and artists from Georgia—including legends, innovators, and the state’s brightest visionaries. A few highlights: Peter Guralnick on his discovery of Blind Willie McTell and the electrifying experience of seeing the James Brown Show in 1965; Kiese Laymon on the influence of OutKast; Amanda Petrusich on the Allman Brothers Band and Capricorn Records; Elyssa East on Gram Parsons and his “Nudie suits”; and Brit Bennett on Janelle Monáe and Wondaland Records. The issue has a special section called “Athens x Athens,” in which musicians from the famous scene share stories and anecdotes about what makes the town an unmatched hub for creativity.

A few more highlights: David Ramsey contemplates Little Richard; a profile of the swing jazz bandleader Fletcher Henderson by Cynthia Shearer; Creative Loafing senior staff writer Rodney Carmichael talks Dungeon Family with Rico Wade; rapper Killer Mike turns 40; Wyatt Williams goes in search of Dust-to-Digital’s magnum opus; Dom Flemons pays tribute to “Father of Gospel” Thomas A. Dorsey; new poetry by MacArthur Fellow A. E. Stallings; and much, much more.

The section on Athens really gets into the weeds.  (If you think I’m kidding about that, there’s even a bit in there about Ort.)

Did I mention the issue comes with a 25-song CD?  Well, it does.

… the issue comes with a 25-song CD compilation that features music by Georgia artists such as James Brown, Sandy Gaye, Gram Parsons, Otis Redding, OutKast, Indigo Girls, Drive-By Truckers, the Allman Brothers Band, and many more. This showcase of Georgia music also includes a cover of the song “Midnight”—written by songwriting legends Boudleaux Bryant and Chet Atkins and recorded by Ray Charles—by the Athens-based band Futurebirds. This song was recorded exclusively for the Oxford American. The compilation ends with a recently discovered 1961 demo recording of Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer performing “Moon River.” The CD was mastered by Grammy-winning producer Michael Graves of Osiris Studio in Atlanta.

There are a couple of omissions – I’ll leave it to you to figure those out – but taken as a whole, the magazine and the CD are a total blast.  Go get ’em here.