Last night reminded me again of one of the reasons I’m so enamored with college football. Despite the greed, the stupidity and the arrogance that routinely drive me up the wall, there’s also that wonderful sense of community we fans share with each other. Just because the suits running the game treat us like wallets doesn’t mean we have to.
I’m in Austin, Texas. Not Athens, Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia or even Jacksonville, Florida, places where I can count of a bevy of like-minded Dawgs. Yet the scene when I walked into The Tavern in downtown Austin managed to feel oh so familiar.
An entire floor given over to Georgia fans, who had a blast with each other all night. Okay, sure, there were a few anxious moments, but the last two minutes of the game reminded me of the pleasures of the shared experience.
It will always be great to be a Georgia Bulldog. Keep rocking, Austin Dawgs.
Get The Picture 
Now you have to tell us where you went for brisket. 🙂
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So far, La Barbeque and Franklin’s. Both to die for.
But I’m not finished yet… making a run to Lockhart to hit three more joints today.
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I heartily recommend Louie Mueller’s in Taylor, about 20 miles north.
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(of Austin.)
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Three in a day? An impressive gastronomic feat!
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Brisket at Black’s and sausage at Kreuz; skip Smitty’s, as it has gone downhill. Sorry I missed you out here, had to stay home last night. The Tavern is a decent spot though and always full of Dawgs. Glad you enjoyed.
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Diet tomorrow, Senator. Diet tomorrow.
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I used to frequent game watchings there in my Austin days (back when I wrote the weekly newsletter for the Austin Dawgs). Great venue. Great people. I’m glad you made it!
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You gotta come visit TAMU when UGA comes to town- there are a few UGA fans here and the atmosphere is pretty impressive. TAMU has some of the best fans in college football.
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” Despite the greed, the stupidity and the arrogance”
Please tell us more about your past
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You’re very fortunate the Senator hasn’t dropped the ban hammer on you years ago.
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I hope it felt good to type that, Juan.
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Why did you feel the need to say that?
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Because John couldn’t think fast enough to get some tree poison, or eggs, or something else juvenile enough to get attention.
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Same type of experience (with a very different outcome) with the San Francisco alumni group for USCe 2012. It definitely reminded my wife and me of the best about our years in Athens.
Glad to hear you’re enjoying the Austin experience.
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I wouldn’t mind a whole post on brisket and music while you were there, Senator. 🙂 We need pics!
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Here here. I rarely make it to the games in person these, but I’m less than 3 hours from Oxford and fully taking advantage of an invite from friends to join them in the Grove for some comaraderie, beverages and great food….not to mention some kick ass tickets on the 50 yard line! Go Dawgs!
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In Memphis at the airport and it is pretty much just bama and ole miss fans. Everyone is still wearing their game day gear
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I was traveling from western Co. to home the last three days. Spoke with a guy wearing a red “G” cap in Tennessee. We exchanged “How ’bout them Dawgs” comments and on home I went to catch the second half. Good win.
No brisket for me but every little town in west TX has at least one wonderful place to feast on it. But as LG once said, “If it ain’t pork, it ain’t barbecue”.
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Not to get all cheeseball, but Dawg Nation is alive and welcoming all over the country. When I moved to Los Angeles I worried about being so far and feeling disconnected from team, only to find out there are 4(!) different bars in the LA area that host UGA game-watching parties, each one of them packed even during cupcake games. I think Bama has one bar and it sucks.
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Glad to see you spent time with the Austin Dawgs. I was in grad school at UT from 2011-13 and the Austin Dawgs made me feel at home in a strange land.
One of the top 5 experiences I’ve had as a Dawgs fan was at The Tavern for the 2012 SEC Championship game. We had almost 150 Dawgs fans and Alec Ogletree’s punt block return for a TD was the most exciting, nearly vomit-from-excitement-and-8-beers inducing moment I’ve enjoyed. That crew was a blast and still consider the Tavern as the second best place I’ve ever watched a Georgia game.
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It was really great meeting you last night – glad you got to have The Tavern experience. It’s something else when Georgia gets a late, nailbiting win like that.
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Can you imagine Munson’s call on last night’s game? It was a game tailored for his style…and the end was a “Hobnailed boot” in Missouri’s face. Instead we hear PusMalmer…but it was great to hear those two blowhards deflate when Georgia pulled off the late win.
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I thought of his “a freshman” call would love to have heard his call.
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Nice long run to break in the new car. 😉
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I was in Key West, inadvertently during bike week. Could not find the game in any of the several bars I went to, but heard some fabulous live music. Found out that the motorcycle community is outstanding company to hoist a few beers with, and we took a backcountry fishing trip (Will do that again!) with an FSU grad as Captain. He listened to the FSU game on the radio while Mrs. Cowdog and I caught fish till our arms were sore. We celebrated 28 years till the wee hours, then our bartender pointed at the TV as the Georgia final scrolled across the screen. What a great weekend.
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I was in Boston this weekend when out of curiosity, I searched if there was a Boston UGA watching party and to my surprise, there was indeed a very well attended and spirited one we found to watch the Missouri game. There were at least 100 Red & Black, barking fans at Crery’s in downtown Boston. What a blast it was.
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Coming late to this post, but I, too, ate a lot of BBQ this weekend, but in KC. And I was at Faurot Field on Saturday. For the second straight time when attending a Dawg road game, I was shamed by an obnoxious Georgia fan and his interactions with our very nice hosts. After a bitter loss to us, the Mizzou fans were unfailingly gracious. And their BBQ was pretty damn good (especially the brisket-based Z-Man Sandwich at Joe’s Kansas City).
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Addendum: after we won, my favorite fellow Dawg fan was a woman who went around the stands high-fiving everyone and saying with a smile: “Ugly! That was ugly!”
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