GT a "top athletic center"

Hey recruits, facilities matter. GT has great ones. Some schools even come to GT to figure out how to make theirs better - link here.

Associated Students of the University of Utah leaders have been traveling across the nation to explore some of the country's top athletic centers including Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Washington State and the University of Idaho at Moscow.

Heck, they're mainly focused on the regular student portion, which is only a fraction of what's there.

"All the Really Good Stuff Comes from the South"

Link here.

The very best athletes and sports teams come from the South. Why, right here in Georgia we enjoy both the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the University of Georgia Bulldogs, both nationally known and respected, with colorful and storied sports histories.

More Prognostications

Link here. On GT:

8. Georgia Tech: Quarterback Reggie Ball set the Yellow Jackets' freshman records for passing yards, pass completions and total offense, and running back P.J. Daniels led the league in rushing. Yet somehow Tech ranked next-to-last in scoring.

Al Ciraldo

A nice article on Al Ciraldo, that was written in 1979. Someone over at the Hive found the link. Story here.

Recruiting - Hoops

Mention of Andrew "Lee" Bynum - link here. Per RamblinRed, Duke is now out of the running with a commit from E.Boateng:

Andrew Bynum, a 6-10, 260 power forward from St. Joseph's in Metuchen, N.J., is scheduled to visit Saturday. St. Joe's produced Duke's Jason Williams.

Bynum impressed the UConn coaching staff at the Nike Camp in Indianapolis over the summer and has become a priority for the program.

North Carolina, Duke, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Georgia and Rutgers are in the mix for Bynum. While Duke has shown interest recently, the Huskies are believed to have the inside track.

Speaking of Boateng, here's an article on the Duke commit. GT did offer him....... Here's another article on Boateng........... And here's one more.

GT Hires a Marketing Firm

Did you know that out of 4.3 million people in metro ATL, only 34,670 are GT grads? UGA In fact there are only 43,065 alumni know to be living in the entire state. So how do you fill a 55,000 seat stadium? Obvioulsy, you try and build some more attraction to the other 4.3 million.

We can bitch and make excuses as to why GT doesn't attract larger crowds, but the facts are that UGA and the Falcons have sold out all available tickets with seating of 92,000 and 71,000 respectively. At GT there are tickets available for ALL home games, even Miami, and BDS holds 55,000.

Now, some of the ways they are looking to help the situation sound interesting
- creative a more festive game-day experience
- pre-game radio show from Bobby Dodd Way
- fan festival area "Wreckfest" on top of Peters Parking Deck
- interactive games, kids activities, concessions
- have GT famous sports figures to meet fans
- create a marketing campaign around the "hometown team" concept
- more visibility of coaches / players around the community
- increase radio coverage of night games (weak signal now)

Sounds like a good start to me. Story here on increasing attendance.

The "Herbie Awards"

Kirk Herbstreet has recognized James Butler and Jon Tenuta in his 4th annual "Herbie Awards" - link here. (thanks Tom for the link)..... Tenuta gets the nod as the 9th best defensive mastermind in the nation...... Butler gets the nod as the 3rd best "centerfielder" (free safety) in the game.

Football: Dixon an unsung contributor

Nice story on FB Jimmy Dixon. No doubt that he was a big reason why PJ Daniels had such a great season last year, leading the way with his blocking........Mike Knober over at AJC picked up the same story - link here.... How about this - we follow all these recruiting gurus. Max Emfinger ranked him the #2 tailback in the nation out of high school. Wow!!

On the recruiting front, here is a brif mention of Marcus Ball - yes, Reggie's younger brother. He is a stud LB - I mean a real stud, and certainly GT is in the mix to land him. Of course he is class of 2006, so it's a bit early.

Stephenson's Marcus Ball, younger brother of Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball, had 15 tackles in the 14-13 overtime loss to McEachern. . . .

Here's another mention of recent commit Taalib Tucker, another stud LB, but in the class of 2005. Link here.

Westlake linebacker Taalib Tucker became the first area player to commit to a Division I-A school this school year.

The 6-foot-1, 245-pound linebacker said he will sign with Georgia Tech on National Signing Day in February. Tucker chose the Yellow Jackets over Florida, Oklahoma and Ohio State.

He was a member of the South Metro Super 11 team coming into the season after registering 96 tackles, two fumble recoveries and a touchdown despite missing several games with a knee injury.

"I feel that I can get some early playing time at Tech," Tucker said Monday. "I think I have a chance to play, if not start, my first year. Besides, it is one of the best academic schools in the country."

Tucker said with the decision behind him, he can fully concentrate on his final season for the Lions. "Now I don't have to worry if there is a scholarship for me," he said. "I can just go out and play."

The Tag-Board is Back

Well, we had some problems a few months ago, and I have decided to give the Tag Board another try. The spyware issue should be all worked out. It is possible that a few popup ads are pushed you way as a result, but it's the tagboard service, not my site. Hopefully you have a pop-up blocker which everyone should have any how.

So start the lively conversations again.

Predicting the ACC

Man do these guys get it all wrong:

9) Georgia Tech: Hard times hit Atlanta last November when the Yellow Jackets when 1-3 in the month, including losses to Duke, Virginia and Georgia.

Seven starters return on offense, including sophomore QB Reggie Ball. Coach Chan Gailey's ball-control offense will have to execute to protect his slumping defense, which gets back DE Eric Henderson and six fellow returning starters.

On another note, looks like "lists" are really back in style. The 10 best this, and the 20 best that. Looks like they will be naming the 10 Greatest College Football Coaches of all-time - link here. The writer mentions Bobby Dodd, although it is not clear that the 200-name list he was supposed to vote for had Dodd on it:

S'cuse me, Gen. Bob Neyland (Tennessee), Fielding Yost (Michigan), Joe Paterno (whose career goes on) and Bobby Dodd (Georgia Tech).

This article from the Washington Post is a good one about the expansion in the ACC. This quote from Ralph Friedgen:

"You see all this media here?" Friedgen said. "We're going to be the most powerful media league in the country. Boston, you're probably going to end up pulling part of New York and Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami. That's pretty powerful.

"And we're truly an Atlantic Coast Conference now. You go from Miami to Boston. You want exposure? As time goes on, I think TV contracts are going to get better. I think the bowl games are going to get better. The media coverage is going to get better. Eventually every kid this side of the Mississippi is going to want to play in the ACC."

Updated 2005 Recruiting Board

I have updated the recruiting board. It is still a work-in-progress with a lot of guys missing. I have added Ryan Wright, Austin Jackson and others, updated a number of guys, added a list of known official visits, and taken Eric Boateng off the board, as he has now committed to Duke. I have also started to add some of the guys to the "off the board" section so you get an idea of who we were after and didn't get.
Link to the 2005 Recruiting Board.

Remember that the permanent link to the board can be found under "recruiting" on the link list.

Where are they now - Matt Weibring

Nice blurb on Matt:

Father Knows Best

Matt Weibring knows what it takes to win at the TPC at River Highlands. He watched his father do it eight years ago.

In 1996, D.A. Weibring was struggling with Bell's palsy. Matt, then 16, spent the week in Cromwell watching his father's GHO victory.

"The only time I've ever been here was for my dad's win," said Matt Weibring, who has a sponsor's exemption for the Buick Championship - his first PGA Tour event this year. "It was pretty cool. He was just happy to be out there playing and maybe make a cut. But all of the sudden he played great and won."

Matt talked his father through that final round, and D.A. gave his son credit for his victory.

"When I do motivational speaking engagements, I talk about that GHO week and role reversals, how your son or daughter can help a parent, just like a parent can help their children," D.A. Weibring told The Courant three years ago. "It was an unbelievable experience."

After an All-American career at Georgia Tech, Matt played on the Nationwide Tour last year and received sponsors' exemptions to the 2002 and '03 John Deere Classic. That event is played at the TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., a course designed by his father.

Matt said he has received some tips from his father on the TPC at River Highlands.

"I have a lot of good memories of this course, so hopefully it will carry over to this week," he said. "Hopefully I'll have some good luck like Dad did."

Recruiting - Hoops

First, Lewis Clinch is visiting GT this weekend - let's hope it's a great visit and he'll end his recruiting. However, he does have visits schedule with WF and UGA. And now Duke is involved and the evil one has an in-home visit with him soon.

Adrian Thomas, who plays the 3/4-spot, seems to be favoring GT and will be visiting campus soon.

Here is an article on Russell Robinson, a NY guard who was recruited by GT and ended up in Kansas. Here's who he was rooting for in the Kansas/GT game in last year's tourney:

No doubt Self wishes he had the luxury of a stopper-type defender like Robinson last March in St. Louis when point guard Aaron Miles logged a lung-searing 43 minutes in the Jayhawks' 79-71 overtime loss to Georgia Tech in the NCAA Elite Eight.

Robinson, who had considered signing with Georgia Tech as well as Kentucky a few months earlier, watched that game on television at a friend's house back home.

"I was rooting for Kansas," Robinson recalled. "You always wish you could be out there playing, but my time will come."

Surely, if Self had been able to give Miles more bench time, Miles would have been more effective against Tech point guard Jarrett Jack, who led the Yellow Jackets in points (29), rebounds (9) and assists (6) in the game that prevented the Jayhawks from making a third straight Final Four appearance.

The 1990 Football Title Controversy Referenced

Our 1990 Football National Championship "split" with Colorado gets some play in the media this week due to the whole Paul Hamm Olympic deal. Check this out.

Besides, sports provide us so many great examples of nobility.

The Soviet Union gave its 1972 Olympic gold medals in men's basketball to the United States. The Kansas City Royals sent their 1985 World Series championship rings to St. Louis. The University of Colorado football team forfeited its fifth-down touchdown victory over Missouri and shipped an undisputed 1990 college championship trophy to Georgia Tech.

Wait. You say they didn't? Well, slap me with a silly stick. You mean we're supposed to accept human error? Display grace even in defeat? Get over the bad hands life sometimes deals us and move on? Even in sports? Even in the Olympics? Run ahead, you say? Mercy!

Even the Rudy movie gets a mention - link here

Screenwriters would hammer out rough drafts of Hamm's story before the plane returning him home was off the runway. (Hey, if a movie can be made of a Notre Dame walk-on football player who got onto the field for a few seconds against Georgia Tech, surely a movie could be made of the gymnast who went for the gold, and then gave it up.)

More On Owings Transferring

From his hometown paper, Micah isn't saying anything negative about GT or the staff - link here.

"This has been a great time in my life," Owings, a 19th round selection (576th pick) of the Chicago Cubs, said. "However, I feel that I need to make a change. Change is not something anyone loves, and especially me, for those who know me and the routines to which I am accustomed. I have fond memories that I will carry with me throughout my life of the times and experiences with the athletic department, faculty and staff, and, of course, my teammates."

"I appreciate the opportunities, in every respect, that I've had these two years at Tech," he said. "It's a terrific program. My family has been Tech fans all our lives and always will be. I never have or will have any negative comments to make about Georgia Tech."

This from AccessNorth.

More on Logan at QB

Story here........ Here are some team notes, including an O-Line that is STILL limited in action due to injuries. Also note the comments on one of our latest recruits, Todd Walker. Like I said, he wants to be a QB....period.

Here's a rundown of the new look ACC.........And of course it has had a positive impact on recruiting - link here.

Mercifully, a new poll is up

Ok, I got lazy on the poll. A new one is up. The results of the last one to the question:

How many more years will Paul Hewitt coach GT hoops?

34%.....7-12 years
23%.....3-6 years
21%.....13-20 years
14%.....21+ years
7%......1-2 years

Bottom-line - YOU DON'T KNOW. But I think you got the answer right. 7-12 years would get his oldest daughter off to college. He might start really thinking about the NBA lifestyle at that point. We'll see.

Pre-Season Sagarin Rankings

Well, the Sagarin rankings are out for the 2004 pre-season and GT comes in......drum roll....... #33. Of course anyone who follows these rankings closely knows they become more significant as the season progresses and more games are played. Just not much data to work with right now. Link here.

Here is how ACC / SEC teams stacked up:

1...Miami
3...FSU
5...UGAg
6...LSU
11..Florida
13..Tennessee
14..Maryland
16..Auburn
19..Virginia Tech
20..NC ST
21..Arkansas
23..Mississippi
26..Clemson
28..Alabama
31..Virginia
33..Georgia Tech
34..Boston College (to be)
47..South Carolina
54..Wake Forest
66..Kentucky
68..North Carolina
77..Miss St.
90..Vanderbilt
98..Duke

The ACC overall is ranked #1, with the SEC at #2. However, the conference rankings are very close, so it looks like we will have to play the games after-all.

Football Fix

LOGAN TO FOCUS AT QB
RamblinWreck.com

Well, isn't this interesting. I don't know if it says more about the strength of the WR core or the depth of the QB position. Looks like Taylor Bennett will redshirt for sure. Don't tell me some guys aren't team players. They're not all about the PT. Check out this quote from Mark Logan:
"If Coach needs to me to go in at quarterback, I can be a quarterback," said the Greenwood, S.C. native. "If he needs me to go in at receiver, I can be a receiver. If he needs me on special teams . . . wherever he needs me, I can go in and do it.

"I just look at this as a chance to help the team."

Now that is leadership. Heck hearing things like that just makes me root for the guy to get into the games.

LOGAN WORKING AT BACKUP QB
Mike Knobler - AJC
Well, here's the same story from AJC.

LANDRY GLAD TO BE BACK IN ACTION
Rana Cash - AJC
Glad to see Dawan Landry hungry to get back on the field. By the way, did you read what I said below in the Todd Walker post about the value of recruiting high school QB's? Check this quote out:

Just how much that helps him add to last season's production is unknown. Landry delivered bone-jarring hits and finished the season as Tech's fourth-leading tackler with 85, including six tackles for loss. He also contributed two interceptions, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. Against Florida State, Landry was a menace: He recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and broke up a pass. To punctuate his performance, he caught a 12-yard pass for a first down on a fake punt.

That's the kind of play the former quarterback is capable of, but even he needs practice to avoid taking a step backward.

TERPS ANNOUNCE SELLOUTS
Well, the GT/MD game in College Park is sold out. No doubt they are going to want revenge.

ALL TEXAS SPORTS, 24 HOURS A DAY
Well, Texas has created a 24-hour network devoted to Texas sports. For $3.95/month you can subscribe. If GT offered the same would you pay? I would (if only to feed this monster). Notice this comment about content:

The university reached deep into its archive for some of the programming, Plonsky said. The channel will broadcast coaches' game films, some of it transferred from the old 8-mm film, to show classic UT contest dating back to the Longhorns' 14-7 win over Georgia Tech in the Cotton Bowl in 1943.

Just thank ESPN Classic for this.

TENNESSEE TO START FRESHMAN QB
Notice Stewart Mandel's reference to true freshman QB's, including Reggie Ball.

Olympic Update

Angelo Taylor falls short in his bid to repeat gold in the 400m hurdles. He didn't even make the finals, coming in 4th in a semi-final. I saw the race on NBC and I have to tell you, I wasn't impressed. Of course I know nothing about the sport, but when you see guys doing hurdles, you are used to a certain form with the front leg shooting out and the other tucked tightly under your body, just hugging the hurdle as you go over. I also am aware that in the 400m the form is not as clean. But man, see Taylor jump over those hurdles did not look graceful. He just looked like a big dude trying to jump and run fast, with not much form and a loping runner.

Again, I don't know squat, and he was a gold medalist, but I didn't get it.