What's up everybody? I'm just testing out the new blog format. My recent blogs have been wiped out so I will try to get some new entries in there within the new few days. Tell me what you guys think about the new changes. GO BRAVES!!! GO FALCONS!!! GO DAWGS!!!

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE ATLANTA BRAVES?!!

Isn't that the million dollar question in Atlanta and throughout the Braves nation-wide fanbase. I saw an article recently by one of the Fox Sports writers asking that question. When an organization goes 14 straight years of winning division titles, 5 National League Championships, and a World Series ring, you expect that team to always do well every year.

Not in Atlanta.

It's been said 500,000 times (or more) that the Braves are not what they used to be.

DUH!!!

The Braves haven't made the playoffs since 2005; they haven't been to the NLCS since 2001; they haven't been to the World Series since 1999; and they haven't won it all since 1995. I could go all day telling why we were able to sustain such a long run and why we've since collapsed, but I'll spare you.

Here's What Needs To Be Said:

Chipper Jones goes on and on whining and complaining about the recent struggles and I'm getting tired of it. Those problems can be settled on the field, not in the media. The problem all year has been the offense, the defense has been shaky, but the main problem is the offense. The starting pitching has been lights-out but they get no run support. Someone needs to step up and be a leader because it's clear that we don't have one. I'm afraid that Chipper has fallen asleep on the job. Someone needs to light a fire under the team's hindquarters. The Braves are living off of yesterday's glory and not focusing on today. It's not enough to sit and wish for some offense, you have to put in the work on the field. I mean, we are the Atlanta Braves. Wearing the tomohawk across your chest used to mean something, it doesn't anymore. The crooked 'A' on the hat and helmet used stand for something, it doesn't anymore. As a fan I'm apalled at what the team I grew up loving and watching has become. Smoltz is gone, Glavine is gone, Maddux is gone, it's time for someone else to take the torch and carry my team back to the promised land.

Let's Go Braves!!!

It's the biggest game in the SEC every year. It is usually the game that decides who will represent the SEC East in the title game every year. It is also played in the state of Florida.

Which begs the question:

Is Jacksonville Municipal Stadium really a neutral site?

It's been brought up almost every year, mainly by the UGA Athletic Department. Georgia does hold the series lead 47-38-2 but has recently struggled against the Gators which has prompted the department to ask for a change. You may call it 'whining' but they do have a legit beef.

What Are the Positives of Playing In Jacksonville?

1. The big story, especially in Jacksonville, is the revenue; the almighty dollar. The city profits from UGA/UF weekend every year for obvious reasons. Is it outrageous that a city doesn't want a money machine to leave town? No.

2. It's a great tailgating experience for fans. It's a great college football rivalry atmosphere and a great experience for any fan that visits no matter which colors you bleed.

Positive for UGA: Out of all the 87 games that have been played in this series, only 6 games have been played in the state of Georgia. The Dawgs hold the all-time series lead which means the Dawgs can beat the Gators outside of Georgia. Another thing few people talk about is the fact that the Dawgs are undefeated against Florida when the game is played after a bye week. When given an extra week to prepare, Georgia has never lost. A recent example would be back in 2007 when Georgia beat Florida 42-30; it came after a bye week. Guess who has the bye this year?

Positive for UF: To quote Coach Richt, "Georgia flies to the game, Florida drives." With the game being in Florida, the Gators don't have much travel hastle to deal with. Couple that with the fact that Florida has had a bye week almost every year, and you've got yourself an advantage. That's fact, not opinion. Yes, Florida is very successful having won two SEC and National Championships and have a Heisman winning QB. There, you have your credit.

Should the Game Move?

It's been proposed that the game be moved to the Georgia Dome every four years so that the fans in Georgia can have a break from having to go all the way to Jacksonville. There's another proposal that the game should become a home-and-home series. I'm a proponent of the game being played in Georgia every two years. When UGA is the home team, play the game in the Dome or Between the Hedges. When Florida is the home team, have the game in Jacksonville or the Swamp. It's time to even the playing field. We all know that Florida can beat Georgia in Florida, but can they in Georgia?

We may never know.

 

 

There's a report out of Mississippi that Bret Favre sneezed! We tried to get to the scene to cover the event but couldn't for all of the other media that was there. As we anxiously await to see whether or not he's coming back to the NFL; we're covering every thing (I mean EVERYTHING) that Bret Favre does, including every fart, sneeze, and burp. He even threw a football around with a group of high school football players, WOW!! Now it's come out that he might have to have surgery, SO FASCINATING!!

We'll have more as soon as we find something else he done!

 

Disclaimer:

I posted this to make fun of the media's obsession with every move that Favre makes. I'm not trying to be crude, I'm just trying to give you a picture of how ridiculous it's getting. Yes, I respect Favre, but enough already!! The guys at NFL Network have nothing better to talk about (besides my old pal Vick).

There are many different views about many different topics; be it sports, or religion, or politics, etc. Some people's opinion is viewed more favorably than others, but that's one of the things that make America great. We live in a day and time where if you disagree with someone, then you are labeled a politically correct term, such as hatemonger, racist, bigget, you get the idea.

So What's Does This Have To Do With Sports?

The sports world is full of different fans of different teams of different sports. Everyone has different motivations for supporting the teams and sports that they support. You may be a New York Yankee fan because your dad or someone else in your family took you to Yankee Stadium as a kid, and you were raised to love the Yankees and hate the Red Sox. Or, you may be a Los Angeles Dodger fan that grew up loving and emulating your favorite men in blue. I grew up loving and watching the Atlanta Braves with my paw-paw (that's Georgia speak for my grandfather). I also love my Falcons of the NFL and the UGA Bulldogs of College Football. As a Dawg fan, I hate the Florida Gators, Tennessee Vols, and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. I also hate the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies.

So What's The Point?

Fans of different teams can be so degrading to other people with opposing views. I saw a blog posted by Lisa Horne talking about how she gets inappropriate hateful comments on her blog and in private messages. Yes, there have been times when I have disagreed with her but I also understand that everyone has different views. You can disagree respectfully without having all this other nonsense.

Closing Comments:

I posted this blog because of things I've seen in blogs and on message boards. So called "fans'' come on team pages with no purpose to have a legit conversation. They come on there just to stir up things and cause trouble. I don't have any personal axes to grind I just think it is necessary to remind people that this is sports, and it's okay to disagree, as long as it's in a respectful way without personal attacks.

Thank You