As A Georgia fan, I've heard all the hype surrounding my team, and equally as much hatred. Those of you that have read any of my previous posts know that I like to do informative and persuasive blogs. This time, I thought I would take a break from the numbers and stat books and stick to my opinion. So with that in mind, there are a few people that I would love to thank:

1. All the Georgia Haters

You continue to inspire me and drive me to looking even more forward to proving your sorry butts wrong. It's true that when your team is on top, the haters will increase. When you're the top dog (no pun intended) people gun for you. Saying stuff like "Florida is better because of Tebow" and "Knowshon won't win the Heisman" and "Stafford is overrated" and "Georgia's schedule is too tough" only motivates us to win. If you think that hating on my team because we're #1 is going to somehow hurt us, you need to think again. No one thought that we could beat Florida or Auburn, but y'all know how that turned out. The #### Mark May on ESPN thought that Hawaii was going to win the Sugar Bowl, and of course didn't. Come on naysayers, keep it up, keep picking Florida and Tebow and their weak secondary to win the SEC and National Championships and I'll stick to my Dawgs.

2. Urban Meyer

I want to thank Urban Meyer for being the biggest crybaby in college football. Yes, I'm throwing down the gauntlet with Florida. Everybody talks about what is now being called 'The Celebration'. That celebration took place 10 months ago and I'm still hearing Florida fans and Oscar Meyer complaining about it. Come on, Urban is mad because he didn't think of something like that and his team and his beloved Heisman winner got their butts handed to them!!!! I heard a member of the media at the SEC Media Days ask Meyer if they had something special planned for the Nov.1 showdown. Please!!!! You can't top what we did. We've only got better since then, so expect another beatdown. By the way UGA leads the series 47-37-2.

3. Mark May and ESPN

Here are some notable quotes from Mark May: "I pick Hawaii in the upset", "The SEC East doesn't have any power teams", "I think that Pitt will contend for a National Title". Thank you Mark May for proving that you don't have to be smart to be a college football fan. I thank ESPN for hiring idiots like him to entertain us while we wait for the season to start.

4. Myself

Lastly, I would like to thank myself for coming up with a blog like this. I wish I'd have thought of this sooner. 

5. Everyone

Thank everyone that takes time to read this and drop me a few hate notes. (I know you Florida fans are boiling right about now)

It's been awhile since I last posted a blog, so I thought I'd spout off a few thoughts about what I think about the upcoming season for the SEC.

1. Who will win the East?

That's the million dollar question. Florida looks to be scary good, but they have no defense so look for UGA to run up the score. I know, you Florida fans think you own UGA but let me remind you that WE own the series lead 47-37-2. The winner of the Cocktail Party will win the East and the SEC.

2. Who will win the West?

This is a toss-up because there's no stand-out team. LSU has lost too much talent to compete, Bama is Bama, MSU is improved but not enough to matter, Ole Miss (goes without saying), Arkansas has no offense, and Auburn is going through transition. Really, you could put any team in this slot. I really don't know who will win this division. I'll have to go with LSU because they're the defending champs.

3. Who will win the SEC Championship?

Like I've said before, I think the winner of UGA/UF will win the SEC and go to the National Championship and win. The Atlanta showdown could be Georgia vs. LSU or Florida vs. LSU with the Eastern Division team winning. I'm personally biased if you couldn't tell already for Georgia. We're just too loaded to bet against.

4. Can Georgia successfully navigate the tough schedule?

ABSOLUTELY!!!!! Why not? I encourage everyone to go on georgiadogs.com and check out our depth chart. We have the guns to do it. I'm not saying we'll go undefeated, I think at best we'll go 11-1. Yes, the schedule is tough, but we have one of the best coaches in college football that knows how to motivate his team and keep them focused. I have all the confidence in the world in my team. I'm not ignorant, just confident.

5. Who will surprise?

I know it may sound like I was dissing the SEC West, but I think Mississippi State is the one to watch. I'm not saying that they'll win the division or the SEC, but I think they could be this year's Kentucky. They have a good coach, but they need to get that offense going. I think they'll make a bowl game again this year.

Thank You

Towards the end of 2007, when the national title talk started to heat up, one thing kept coming up among the team message boards: Strength of Schedule. The national title talk for next year has already started, so I did a little research on next year's top 3 teams. I looked at all three schedules and analyzed them. This is what I found:

1. Georgia

Aug. 30 Georgia Southern (7-4, 4-3) Div. 1-AA
Sept. 6 Central Michigan (8-6, 6-1) MAC
Sept. 13 South Carolina (6-6, 3-5)
Sept. 20 #16 Arizona State (10-3, 7-2) Pac 10
Sept. 27 Alabama (7-6, 4-4)
Oct. 11 #12 Tennessee (10-4, 6-2)
Oct. 18 Vanderbilt (5-7, 2-6)
Oct. 25 #1 LSU (12-2, 6-2)
Nov. 1 #13 Florida (9-4, 5-3)
Nov. 8 Kentucky (8-5, 3-5)
Nov. 15 #15 Auburn (9-4, 5-3)
Nov. 29 Georgia Tech (7-6, 4-4) ACC

Schedule Analysis:
* Faces 9 bowl teams from last season
* Faces 5 ranked opponents (based on the final AP poll)
* Highest ranked opponent: #1 LSU
* Lowest ranked opponent: #16 Arizona State
* Faces 9 teams with winning records (excluding Georgia Southern)

Recruiting (according to Rivals.com):
2 Five Star
13 Four Star
23 Total Commitments

Final AP Ranking: #2

2. USC

Virginia (9-4, 6-2) ACC
#5 Ohio State (11-2, 7-1) Big 10
#25 Oregon State (9-4, 6-3)
#23 Oregon (9-4, 5-4)
#16 Arizona State (10-3, 7-2)
Washington State (5-7, 3-6)
Arizona (5-7, 4-5)
Washington (4-9, 2-7)
California (7-6, 3-6)
Stanford (4-8, 3-6)
Notre Dame (3-9) Ind
UCLA (6-7, 5-4)

Schedule Analysis:
* Faces 7 bowl teams from last season
* Faces 4 ranked opponents (final AP poll)
* Highest ranked opponent: #5 Ohio State
* Lowest ranked opponent: #25 Oregon State
* Faces 6 teams with winning records

Recruiting:
2 Five Star
13 Four Star
19 Total Commits

Final AP Ranking: #3

3. Ohio State

Youngstown State (7-4, 3-3) Div. 1-AA
Ohio (6-6, 4-4) MAC
#3 USC (11-2, 7-2) Pac 10
Troy (8-4, 6-1) Sun Belt
Minnesota (1-11, 0-8)
#24 Wisconsin (9-4, 5-3)
Purdue (8-5, 3-5)
Michigan State (7-6, 3-5)
Penn. State (9-4, 4-4)
Northwestern (6-6, 3-5)
#20 Illinois (9-4, 6-2)
#18 Michigan (9-4, 6-2)

Schedule Analysis:
* Faces 7 bowl teams from last season
* Faces 4 ranked opponents (final AP poll)
* Highest ranked opponent: #3 USC
* Lowest ranked opponent: #24 Wisconsin
* Faces 8 teams with winning records (excluding Youngstown State)

Recruiting:
4 Five Star
9 Four Star
20 Total Commits

Final AP Ranking: #5

Final Comments:
Based on all of this, I would have to give the toughest schedule award to UGA (not just because I'm a dawg fan). I put this blog together to hopefully shed some light on the schedules and settle the debate about who has the toughest schedule. Georgia and Ohio State both play one Div. 1-AA team, while USC plays none. The reason UGA has the toughest schedule is because we face more ranked opponents, more bowl teams, and more teams with winning records. The lowest ranked opponent is #16, while the other two lowest teams were near the bottom of the poll. Georgia also faces the 2006 and 2007 National Champions, back to back, on their turf. This isn't just opinion, it's backed up with facts.

Thank You

As everone knows by now, Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt got an $800,000 raise for finishing #2 in the final AP Poll. According to the AP, his salary has increased from $2 million to $2.8 million. Also according to the AP, he is the fifth highest paid coach in the SEC behind Nick Saban, Les Miles, Urban Meyer, and Tommy Tuberville. All of those coaches have won national championships. That being said, here's some quick UGA facts concerning Coach Richt:
Under Mark Richt:
Georgia has a 72-19 record
Won 10+ games in 5 of last 6 years
Won 2 SEC titles
Finished first or tied for first in the SEC East four times
3 BCS bowls (2003, 2006, and 2008 Sugar Bowls)
2-1 in the Sugar Bowl

Poll History Under Richt:
BCS
2001- NR
2002- #3
2003- #12
2004- #7
2005- #7
2006- NR
2007- #5

AP
2001- #22
2002- #3
2003- #7
2004- #7
2005- #10
2006- #23
2007- #2

What Does This Mean?
As you can see, Georgia has done quite well since Mark Richt came to Athens. Georgia has four top 10 finishes in the BCS, and five top 10 finishes in the AP. As I've stated earlier, the coaches ahead of Richt in the salary department have won national championships. Next season, Georgia returns 17 starters and will be ranked among the top 3 in the preseason poll, if not #1. We're better next season than we were this past season and I expect Coach Richt to get his National Championship.

It would do us Atlanta Braves fans and players good to take a look back at the only world title we've been fortunate enough to celebrate. I'm doing this blog because going into 2008, we need to look back at what we had to keep us hungry in the future.

Before 1995:
1991- We had the worst team in the NL, and then we came back to win the pennant. We did farely well against the Twins in the World Series, until Game 7. We had our hearts broke. We lost the World Series.
1992- We won the NL Pennant again, only to lose in the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays.
1993- We made the playoffs, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS.
1994- The strike...

The Dream Becomes A Reality:
This was the year after the strike and baseball was trying to recover. The NLDS was instituted, and the Braves prevailed, defeating the Colorado Rockies. It was on to the NLCS, where we defeated the Reds.
Ah, at last, another NL Pennant and another World Series. Do you remember the jitters, the anticipation, the hope?

Game 1:
Atlanta 3
Cleveland 2
Series 1-0
Winning Pitcher: Greg Maddux
Losing Pitcher: Orel Hershiser

Game 2:
Atlanta 4
Cleveland 3
Series 2-0
Winning Pitcher: Tom Glavine
Losing Pitcher: Dennis Martinez

Game 3:
Atlanta 6
Cleveland 7
Series 2-1
Winning Pitcher: Jose Mesa
Losing Pitcher: Alejandro Pena

Game 4:
Atlanta 5
Cleveland 2
Series 3-1
Winning Pitcher: Steve Avery
Losing Pitcher: Ken Hill

Game 5:
Atlanta 4
Cleveland 5
Series 3-2
Winning Pitcher: Orel Hershiser
Losing Pitcher: Greg Maddux

AND THEN IT HAPPENS:
Game 6:
Tom Glavine pitched shutout ball the entire game, the only run scored in the whole game was a David Justice home run. The ball was turned over to closer Mark Wohlers. It's the bottom of the ninth, two outs, Carlos Baerga at the plate. One out away from finally winning our only world title AND THEN IT HAPPENS!!!
"Grissom on the run... YES! YES! YES! The Atlanta Braves have just given you a championship!" Skip Caray calls the final out on Braves Radio with utter excitement!!! We were World Champions!! There's no feeling like it.
Atlanta 1
Cleveland 0
Series won 4-2
Winning Pitcher: Tom Glavine
Losing Pitcher: Dennis Martinez

Being from a small town, it meant so much to me that my favorite team was a world champion. Since then, we've made the playoffs every year with the exception of 2006 and 2007, with nothing to show for it. It's been a disappointing ride over the last few years, but I'm confident that we will prevail this year. We have a team that, if healthy, can go back to the World Series and win. I know that sounds like a stretch, but I have every right to be confident going into this season. I'm proud of my Braves and we deserve to celebrate another championship. GO BRAVES 2008!!!!!!

sources used: baseball-almanac.com

As we all know, the 2008 Season is near and I'm very excited. I've put together some stats and information to get you ready for the Atlanta Braves 2008 Playoff Campaign. Here we go.............

Projected Starting Line-Up with 2007 Stats:
1. Kelly Johnson .276 16HR 68RBIs
2. Yunel Escobar .326 5HR 28RBIs
3. Chipper Jones .337 30HR 102 RBIs
4. Mark Teixeira .306 30HR 105RBIs
5. Jeff Francoeur .293 19HR 105RBIs
6. Brian McCann .270 18HR 92RBIs
7. Mark Kotsay .214 1HR 20RBIs
8. Matt Diaz .338 12HR 45RBIs

Comments on Line-Up:

Kelly may be used further down in the line-up and Yunel may wind up being the lead-off man.
These are just my projections and how I'd put together the line-up if it was up to me.

Starting Rotation with 2007 Stats:
1. John Smoltz 14-8 3.11ERA 197K
2. Tim Hudson 16-10 3.33ERA 132K
3. Tom Glavine 13-8 4.45ERA 89K
4. Mike Hampton*
5. Chuck James* 11-10 4.24ERA 116K

Comments:

John Smoltz has made it clear that he wouldn't mind being behind Tim Hudson in the rotation on Opening Day. I think Hudson is the real ace here. Hampton has shown promise in Spring Training throwing live BP on a daily basis without any problems (knock on wood). Chuck James has a torn left rotator cuff and may miss a lot of time, but for now, he's my #5 guy. Personally, I would put Jair Jurrjens as the #5 guy and put Jeff Bennett in the bullpen where he's needed.

Bullpen with 2007 Stats:
Closer
Rafael Soriano 3-3 3.00ERA 9 Saves 70K

Set-Up
Peter Moylan 5-3 1.80ERA 1 Save 63K
Mike Gonzalez 2-0 1.59ERA 2 Saves 13K

Relievers
Will Ohman 2-4 4.95ERA 1 Save 33K
Jeff Ridgway *no major league stats*
Manny Acosta 1-1 2.28ERA 0 Saves 22K
Tyler Yates 2-3 5.18ERA 2 Saves 69K
Royce Ring 1-0 2.70ERA 0 Saves 21K

Starting Rotation Candidates:
Jair Jurrjens 3-1 4.70ERA 13K
Jo-Jo Reyes 2-2 6.22ERA 27K
Jeff Bennett 2-1 3.46ERA 14K

Bullpen Candidates:
Chris Resop 0-0 4.15ERA 2K
Jairo Cuevas
Charlie Morton
Zach Schreiber

First Week of the Season:
March 30 at Washington
March 31 vs. Pittsburgh
April 1 off
April 2 vs. Pittsburgh
April 3 vs. Pittsburgh
April 4 vs. Mets
April 5 vs. Mets
April 6 vs. Mets

Braves Bits:
Since 2004, Mark Teixeira ranks 5th in the Majors in RBIs (471) and homers (144). He won Gold Gloves at the end of the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Hitting behind Chipper, he collected an RBI in 32 of 54 games and batted .509 (27 for 53) with runners in scoring position.

Quote:
"Let them keep talking about the Mets and Phillies and let them put pressure on themselves and we'll just go out and do our jobs." - Mark Teixeira

I whole-heartedly agree with Mark. It's ignorant to say that the NL East is a two team race. We have depth, we have pitching, we have offense. Let them keep talking, we'll do our jobs. You see the numbers that the Braves put up offensively last season, the loss of Andruw WON'T HURT US!!!! Chipper Jones, Mark Teixeira, Yunel Escobar, Jeff Francoeur, and Brain McCann will have a big year this year. We may miss Andruw's sense of humor and his Superman catches, but we will compensate for his bat. I'm tired of hearing people that have never lived in Georgia and know nothing about the Braves try to sit and make predictions based on ignorance. Last year was a respectable year, we put up decent numbers last year, but the pitching hurt us. That's been the case for the past 2 years. We have pitching now, and other options should something happen. With that said, I'm not going to sit and make predictions, but I will say this: Look Out For The Braves!!!

Sources: mlb.com and atlantabraves.com

I saw an article on mlb.com where Carlos Beltran sat down on the bench at the Mets spring training camp and said "To Jimmy Rollins, we're the team to beat." As a rabid Braves fan, this did not sit well with me. The whole Mets team and their fans are putting all their stock in Johan Santana, like he's going to win every game he pitches in and will carry them to the World Series. Beltran only said that because of Santana, only because the Mets were stupid enough to pay him more than he was worth. If Glavine hadn't of came home, the Mets wouldn't even have Santana. Another reason this upset me, because this shows the anti-Atlanta bias that everybody has. I know you can't expect a Mets player to respect the Braves, because respect is something not practiced in NY, but the article went on to descibe how the NL East race would be between the Mets and Phillies, I beg to differ! Sure we have question marks concerning whether or not Mike Hampton, Chipper Jones, and Mark Kotsay will stay healthy, but we have DEPTH, something we haven't had in recent years. If one man is unable to be effective, we have another one that can take his place. I'm tired of hearing people say that Glavine isn't what he used to be, and the Braves can't expect him to be an ace, here's the thing: WE DON'T!!!!!!!! I've said this time and time again but people don't seem to get it, HE WASN'T BROUGHT BACK TO BE AN ACE!!!!!! He was brought back to provide a veteran influence on the younger players and to eat up innings to give the bullpen guys a break. Smoltz will also benefit from having his old buddy back in the fold. Don't count out the Atlanta Braves.
Also, Rafael Soriano will stricking fear in the hearts of hitters in the 9th inning this year.
With all that said, here's my note to Carlos Beltran:

You better focus on the team that kicked your can all year long last year. You're so busy watching the Phillies that the Braves are going to sweep the rug out from under your feet. Look at what we did to Pedro Martinez after he went to NY, Santana better watch it. I got news for you and Jimmy Rollins, WE ARE THE TEAM TO BEAT IN THE NL EAST!!!!!

My 2008 outlook is in the works and will be posted soon, thank you for your time. Oh, congrats Phillies fans on your NL East title. Look out for the red and blue.

GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!!

I know this is a little late, but I found this information and I thought I would share it with the sports world.

2007 Football Recap:
Sugar Bowl Champions
11-2 (6-2 SEC)
#2 AP, #5 BCS, #3 USA Today/Coaches

Facts:
- Nation's second longest active winning streak
- One of only 12 schools to win at least 11 games in 2007 season
- Heading into bowl season, Georgia (#5) was the only school in the final BCS top 8 that hadn't lost a game since Oct.13
- Five wins over ranked teams: #9 Florida, #10 Hawaii, #16 Alabama, #18 Auburn, #22 Kentucky

2007 Team Notes:
- Finished season on a 7 game winning streak
- Senior class posted 40-11 record, three bowl wins and one SEC Title, 5th straight class to post at least 40 wins, 6th in school history
- Brandon Coutu set the BCS record for longest field goal in a BCS bowl (52 yds.)
- Marcus Howard tied the BCS record (3) for most sacks in a BCS bowl

Attendance:
- Average home attendance of 92,746 ranked 5th best in the country for the 2007 season according to NCAA statistics

Coach Richt Notes:
- 72-19 in seven seasons including 42-17 in the SEC, 5-2 in bowls, 2-1 in BCS Bowls
- 30-2 against non-conference opponents
- Posted 10+ wins in five of his seven seasons at UGA

Postseason Honors:
Academic All-District
P Brian Mimbs

2008 Senior Bowl
PK Brandon Coutu (kicked game-winning field goal)

2008 Hula Bowl
DE Marcus Howard

East-West Shrine Game
TB Thomas Brown

2008 Houston Bowl
OT Chester Adams

AFCA National Good Works Team
SS Kelin Johnson

SEC Good Works Team
SS Kelin Johnson

SEC Players of the Week
C Fernando Velasco (off.line) vs. Ok State
DT Jeff Owens (Def.line) vs. Western Carolina
TB Knowshon Moreno (Fresh) vs. Alabama
TB Thomas Brown (off.) vs. Ole Miss
TB Knowshon Moreno (Fresh) vs. Vandy
TB Knowshon Moreno (off.) vs. Florida
TB Knowshon Moreno (Fresh) vs. Troy
C Fernando Velasco (off.line) vs. Auburn
DT Geno Atkins (Def.line) vs. Kentucky

2007 Player Honors
First Team All-SEC
TB Knowshon Moreno (coaches,AP)
DT Geno Atkins (AP)

Second Team
C Fernando Velasco (coaches, AP)
LB Dannell Ellerbe (coaches, AP)

Coaches All-SEC Freshmen Team
TB Knowshon Moreno
OT Trinton Sturdivant
OG Clint Boling

*All of this information was taken from georgiadogs.com

Since Tom Glavine is back in Atlanta for the first time since 2002, and since Spring Training is just a few weeks away, I decided to do some research and put together a little tribute to the guy I grew up watching, Mr. Tom Glavine. Consider this a 'Welcome Home' tribute.

Bio

Thomas Michael Glavine was born on March 25, 1966 in Concord, MA. He has a brother named Mike and is friends with Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. He was drafted by the Braves in the second round of the 1984 amateur draft and made his MLB debut on Aug. 17, 1987. He struggled his first couple of seasons with Atlanta, but eventually found his form. He has went from the young kid who went 7-17 in 1988, to the 300-win future Hall of Famer. He pitched for the Atlanta Braves from 1987-2002, and the New York Mets from 2003-2007.

Stats and Info.

Bats: Left

Throws: Left

Height: 6' 0"

Weight: 205 lbs.

Born: Mar. 25, 1966 in Concord, MA

MLB Debut: Aug. 17, 1987

Career Pitching

Pct.        W        L        G       CG        SHO         IP

.604      303    199    669    56          25          4,350

Career Hitting

G        AB       R         H        2B         3B       HR        RBI         SB      AVG       OBP       SLG

679   1,304  91      244      25           2          1           89            1       .187       .244       .212

Postseason

14-16  3.42 ERA

All-Star Selections

1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006

Cy Youngs

1991, 1998

MVP

1995 World Series MVP

Other Awards

1991- TSN Pitcher of the Year

1995- NL Babe Ruth Award

2000- TSN Pitcher of the Year

2007 Stats

W       L         ERA        SO

13       8        4.45         89

 

I hope that you've enjoyed this little piece of info. on Tom Glavine. Out of fairness, the sources used are: baseball-reference.com and atlantabraves.com.

Thank You

I'm so sick and tired of hearing about Johan Santana. WHO CARES?!! Do you think that the we (Braves) and the rest of the division are just gonna lay down and concede the East? I'll answer that, NO!!!! Santana got knocked around throughout the playoffs and went 2-4 with a 5.11 ERA in his last 7 starts. And I realize that Glavine has had his struggles but in his last 7 starts he went 2-2 with a 4.97 ERA, better than what Johan posted isn't it? Let's look at what the Mets have in their starting rotation, Santana, Martinez, Maine. Looks good on paper doesn't it? Johan will be good but not what people are expecting. Pedro can't stay healthy to save his life and the last time I remember seeing him was when he got knocked around by the Braves. Maine will be good but not good enough. Mets fans think that everybody should just bow down because they have Santana, in Georgia language, it ain't gonna happen! Here's our rotation, Smoltz, Hudson, Glavine, nuff said. I'm not counting Hampton but it would be nice to see him get at least 15 starts (I'm being generous). To all Mets fans and the media, GET REAL!!!!! Keep doubting us, people doubted us during our run of 14 consecutive division titles, 5 pennants, and our WS championship in '95. We're still the winningest team since '91. The only thing left to say is, GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!

This is my preseason Top 10. It is based on other polls that I have seen and I have ranked each team based on how many times they appeared in the position they are in. First place votes are in parenthesis.

1. Georgia (4)
2. USC (3)
3. Ohio State (1)
4. Oklahoma (1)
5. Mizzou
6. LSU
7. West Virginia
8. Clemson
9. Wisconsin
10. Texas Tech

Here are the sources I used if you would like to see for yourself:
SI.com
sportsprojections.com
statfox.com
CFN.com
CBSsports.com
sportingnews.com
CSTV.com
rivals.com
Chattanooga Times Free Press

I've been silent long enough about this issue. I've given my opinion on Clemens, but not the whole steroid issue. Here's my take: The focus should not be on past players. Baseball can't do anything about the past players who no longer are employed. The focus should be on the here and now. The only past players to look at are the ones who are on the Hall ballot (McGwire, etc.). Selig needs to put into practice random drug testing whether it's urine testing or blood testing, whatever works. If a player is caught once, he should be banned for life, no second chance. That will take care of your steroid users. Selig better get his act together before MLB goes bye-bye. I have been a baseball fan my whole life and I have never seen anything like this. I suspected McGwire but you didn't really hear much about it. I partially blame Selig and the owners for letting it go and letting get as bad as it did. Why are they waiting until just now to handle it? I guess I'll never understand it and the issue will never go away. When spring training starts, the talk needs to be about baseball, not steroids and all of the he said-he said bullcrap. Selig needs to either own up to his mistakes or resign. Believe me, I'm a huge baseball fan, but they really have to get their act together, no excuses. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know.

As us dawg fans know, we have something big to be excited about next year. We finished the season very strong finishing at 11-2. Despite losses to Tennessee and South Carolina, we managed to win 6 straight to go to the Sugar Bowl, where we won 41-10. Finishing with 7 straight wins, and a #2 ranking, we have a lot to be excited about next season. We are only losing about 6 starters (don't shoot me if I'm off), and our recruiting is one of the best in the country. Caleb King will be Knowshon's backup, which provides depth at the TB position, we'll still have Stafford at QB. Our key players we're losing includes Thomas Brown, Fernando Velasco, Brandon Coutu, Kelin Johnson, and Marcus Howard. Those losses won't hurt us too bad because we have pretty good backups that can take their place. I have faith in our recruiting.

2008 Schedule
Aug.30 Georgia Southern
Sept.6 Central Michigan
Sept.13 South Carolina*
Sept.20 Arizona State
Sept.27 Alabama*
Oct.11 Tennessee*
Oct.18 Vanderbilt*
Oct.25 LSU*
Nov.1 Florida*
Nov.8 Kentucky*
Nov.15 Auburn*
Nov.29 Georgia Tech