We interrupt this hiatus to announce another hiatus...

OK, as you can tell, I have gotten off of whatever posting “schedule” that I was ever on…sorry (again) for the intermittent posts. I could give you a long list of excuses, but instead I will just say that I probably won’t be back on a schedule until after the first of the year.

Here’s what I expect will happen, as far as future posts: I will almost definitely have a reaction to whomever the Dawgs get as our next defensive coordinator. I will certainly post some sort of recap to the Independence Bowl, and hopefully a season recap as well. If any big recruiting news breaks, I will likely react to that here as well.

After that, I plan on doing the same type of posting for American Idol and Lost as I did last year…consider yourself warned!

So, here are all of the posts I have been saving up for the past few weeks to tide you over until I get off my lazy butt and start posting regularly again…I’ll warn you ahead of time to pack a lunch. Even by my standards, this is gonna be a long one.

THE TECH GAME

- Maybe the most satisfying win of Coach Richt’s tenure, at least for me. Others may have been more important (the SECCG wins, Auburn ’02, etc), but there is nothing more fun than beating the gnats when they are just SURE that it can’t happen. Add in the fact that so many of them were such turds after the passing of UGA VII, and what happened last year, and the fact that this is supposed to be THE year for them while it’s certainly a down year for us…”sweet” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

I also work with a bunch of Techies, and it’s amazing how much better I feel about having to interact with them on a daily basis now vs. how I felt for the past year. Many jokes have been made about how that win “set the universe right” or whatever…there is at least a kernel of truth in that for Dawg fans. I spent the last year simmering with rage every time I passed one of them in the hall…now we can all be friends again. Sort of. Until next year.

- And while it may not have been the MOST important game of Richt’s career, I don’t think you can overemphasize the fact that this win was definitely important. As bad as this season has gone (and a 7-5 season with a blowout loss to a mediocre UT team and a home loss to Kentucky is putrid), can you imagine what the fallout would be from 6-6 with 2 straight losses to the gnats? This game, plus the postgame decisions that showed that he was serious about fixing what went wrong this year, went a long way in restoring confidence in Coach Richt that some had lost.

- Many have asked where that team was all year, especially the running game. I think the resurgence of the running game started about 8 games into the season, and it can be attributed to two factors:

• Stabilization of the offensive line. Once Sturdivant went down in the opener, the o-line was in a state of flux until around the Tennessee Tech game. Once the current lineup was settled, things really began opening up.

• Caleb and Washaun got healthy. I think this was the biggest factor. Washaun is a true freshman who missed a lot of camp due to injury, so there was a definite learning curve. Caleb battled hamstring problems and then a broken jaw early in the season. Once these two got healthy enough to share the bulk of the carries (and send Samuel, God bless him, off to learn the linebacker position), the running game became a real threat.

- Overall, it was a best case scenario for me…we beat Tech, but it is not enough to keep from having to make changes. Which brings me to my next point…


THE COACHING CHANGES

- I let you know how I feel about the ongoing search here.

- As far as the actual move goes, I think it absolutely had to happen. There was no way to justify the steady decline in defensive output over the last four years, beginning with the Sugar Bowl debacle against West Virginia. I was still worried that Coach Richt would still find enough excuses to keep his friend around for another year, so I was very happy to see him make the tough move.

And once that decision was made, he decided to give whomever the new DC is the ability to hire his own staff by sending Jancek and Fabris away as well. This was less of a no-brainer for me, especially Fabris and his history of developing NFL-quality defensive ends, but it was probably the right move. Part of what doomed the Tony Franklin experiment at Auburn was the fact that Tubbs didn’t let Franklin bring in his own guys, and the old staff just never bought into his philosophy. If we’re going to go after a big-time DC, then I think a total house cleaning was necessary.

All that being said, I want to publicly thank all three of these guys for their hard work and efforts during their time in Athens. I didn’t always agree with the decisions that they made, but I never doubted that they were trying their best to bring a championship to the Dawgs.

- A couple of interesting notes that have come out in the last couple of days:

• Nickell Roby, the cornerback out of Frostproof, FL that I think is a MUST get for this class, expressed some concerns right after the decision was made to let Martinez go. Martinez was the coach who recruited him, was going to be his position coach, etc. Robey took his official visit to Athens over the weekend and had some interesting things to say ($), including that Coach Richt told him he was going to hire “somebody that I like”. That sounds to me like maybe Coach Richt might already have an idea who that person will be, especially since…
• Several reports out of the GALA banquet this past weekend are saying that Coach Richt “has his man”.
  

I have no idea what any of that means, especially in light of the fact that Kirby Smart was supposedly “in the building” over the weekend. I stand by the fact that I would be shocked (happy, but shocked) if Smart leaves Alabama, but the timing is interesting.

Oh, and also…somebody needs to take Twitter away from David Pollack. If you are following him, you know what I am talking about.

- One more quick note on the Dawgs…the Outback really screwed us by taking Auburn. If not for that, we would most likely be in either Atlanta or Nashville, instead of 5PM on a Monday on ESPN2 in Shreveport.


NON-DAWG SPORTS STUFF

- Did the Falcons build their training facility on some sort of Indian burial ground or something? We are rapidly approaching having to hear for ANOTHER year about how the Falcons have never had back-to-back winning seasons.

How has this promising season gone wrong? Let us count the ways:

• Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Harry Douglas, Harvey Dahl, Sam Baker, Jerious Norwood, Todd McClure. All offensive starters, and all have missed significant time due to injury.

• John Abraham has been MIA all season.

• Jason Elam has Steve Sax Disease (or Mark Wohlers Disease for you whippersnappers who don’t remember Steve Sax).

• The defensive secondary is atrocious, just like we all knew it probably would be.

Add all of that up, and what do you get? Probably 8-8, and that’s fairly amazing when you take another look at that list.

- I have no idea what the Braves are doing in their bullpen. We have replaced Soriano and Gonzales with Wagner and Saito…basically the same amount of money, but about 20 years older combined.

Wagner, in particular, concerns me…he’s 38 years old, coming off of Tommy John surgery. It always concerns me when these tiny little power pitchers start having arm trouble. They just have to produce so much torque to get the velocity that they are used to. Would not be at all surprised to see his arm fall off about halfway through the season. Maybe Lowe becomes the closer if we can’t find a taker in the trade market?

Still think the Braves are one big bat away from being contenders, but blowing up their bullpen really doesn’t help.

- I know most of you probably don’t care, but the Hawks are really good, and tons of fun to watch.

It looks like the light has finally come on for Josh Smith…he no longer fancies himself a three point shooter, and is instead going to the basket, attacking the offensive glass, and will probably make the All-NBA defensive team this year with his shot-blocking and skill at getting his hand into passing lanes.

If Jamal Crawford continues what he’s done so far, he will walk away with the Sixth Man award. Seems like he puts up 20 points off the bench every night. And we got him for Speedy Claxton and Acie Law?!?! BWAHAHAHAHA!!

Speaking of things most of you don’t care about…

NON-DAWG, NON-SPORTS STUFF

When I do get back on a regular posting schedule, I will be in all-TV, all the time mode. In fact, many of you who may have found this blog via various Dawgs football sites will probably have a whole different opinion of me once the winter TV season starts.

In that spirit…

Top 5 favorite returning shows I have been watching:

1) Mad Men. I’m counting this one even though the season is over now. Terrific storytelling, amazing writing, perfect acting performances…if you have not been watching this show, do yourself a favor and find copies of the first two seasons and enjoy television as an art form. This season was probably not as fantastic as season 2, but still better than 99% of what else is on.

2) The Office. Still makes me laugh harder than any other show, but can also pull off an episode like “Niagara Falls” that has as many heart-tugging moments as laugh-out-loud funny ones. The best ensemble comedy since Cheers.

3) Fringe. The “weird case of the week” stuff gets sort of pointless and monotonous sometimes (although no show has more cool gross stuff on a weekly basis), but when this show does shows like last week where they focus on the “big picture” story, it’s really superb stuff. Not to mention the fact that those episodes usually focus on the Emmy-worthy performances being turned in by John Noble as the heartbreaking and eccentric Dr. Bishop. Plus, it’s always good to have Pacey around, isn’t it?

4) Big Bang Theory. I just picked this one up about halfway through last season, but I have gone back and watched the entire series. Just when I thought the three camera sitcom with a laugh track was dead, this show comes along and consistently cracks me up. The only drawback is that the laugh track is overused, and it’s a little distracting. But the writing and acting more than make up for it, and Sheldon Cooper is in my top 5 favorite TV characters right now (the others, in case you were wondering: John Locke, Benjamin Linus, Betty Draper, and…Ryan Seacrest).

5) Dollhouse. I know we should consider ourselves lucky that we even got a second season of this Joss Whedon production, considering the abysmal ratings. But the geniuses at Fox really outdid themselves by pairing it with “Til Death” on a Friday night. Regardless, this season (especially the last few episodes) have been television at its best: funny (Topher Brink is hilarious), thought provoking, action filled. And the cast, especially Olivia Williams (Adelle), Enver Gjokaj (Victor), and Fran Kranz (the aforementioned Mr. Brink) have been amazing, along with superb guests Summer Glau and the always fantastic Alan Tudyk.

Honorable mention: The Mentalist, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Amazing Race, How I Met Your Mother


Top 4 favorite NEW shows I am watching:

1) Glee. Now THESE are my people. I watch this show feeling like I am watching home movies. As I’ve said before, I grew up a performing arts geek, and so much of this show is dead-on.

This show doesn’t feature great writing, subtle plot development, or any of the stuff I normally look for in a television show. It’s just FUN. Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester is…well, I can’t think of an adjective that would accurately describe my love for Sue Sylvester. It’s also fun to watch this cast of virtual unknowns (most of them had little to no prior television experience) get a chance to show off every week. And, man, do they show off…the musical performances are outstanding and are prominently featured on my MP3 player.

2) Modern Family. Best new comedy of the season. By FAR. I’m still cracking up about Fizzbo the Clown three weeks later. (People are GOING to stare. They’re not used to seeing only one clown in a car).

3) V. I was looking forward to this show more than any other one besides the very frustrating FlashForward. So far, so good, other than the incredibly annoying and clichéd “Teenage Moron” storyline. Alan Tudyk shows up on this one, too, and is his usual awesome self, as well as Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet from Lost) and the perfectly cast Morena Baccarin as the stylish, sexy, slightly murderous and evil leader of The Visitors. Tons of good stuff here, with nods to philosophy, religion, psychology, fascism, etc, etc. I think this one is going to get really good once it comes back from the long winter break, at which point it will be paired with LOST on the ABC schedule.
4) White Collar. Continues a great run of new shows on USA (Burn Notice, Psych, etc). I love how the shows on USA have a kind of “network TV in the ‘80s” feel to them. This is just another fun little show that they are getting really good at producing…likable characters, witty writing, nothing too challenging. The perfect show to tape on Friday night and then watch over breakfast on Saturday.

(Dis)honorable mention: FlashForward. This one has been a big disappointment, but still I keep watching. I feel like maybe the concept is too big to handle on a TV show. I keep thinking of all the ramifications of a blackout wherein the entire world gets a glimpse of the future, and all the cool things they could do with that, and instead...I am just waiting for something to actually HAPPEN. Not to mention that the lead is played by Joseph Fiennes in one of the most excruciatingly boring performances I have ever seen.


- On a semi-related topic, have any of you been watching Sons of Anarchy? If so, would you recommend going back and watching the first couple of seasons?


- One more note…if you are looking for a good book, and your tastes lean towards the slightly geeky (as mine obviously do), I strongly recommend the “Song of Ice and Fire” series by George R.R. Martin. There have been four written so far, and I am about halfway through the fourth one. I would describe it as either Narnia for grownups or a slightly more modern Lord of the Rings.

There is also production being done on a possible HBO series based on the books that I think has the potential to be phenomenal, so by reading the books you can actually be ahead of the curve!


OK, and with that…I am probably gone until the Dawgs DC is hired, unless something comes up that I REALLY want to write about.

Merry Christmas to all of you, and thanks for reading!

Weekend thoughts

- First of all, I was slightly wrong about the Hawks, in that I said they were done after game 3, and they in fact ended up winning the worst 7 game series in NBA history. That's not an exaggeration...look it up. You won't find another series where all 7 games were such blowouts. It doesn't even seem possible that a seven game series could be as un-compelling as this one was. If two teams are so close to each other that the series would go the distance, you would think that at SOME point there would be a tightly contested game. You would be wrong.

Some encouraging signs:

• Josh Smith posting up, trying to get to the rim, and taking fewer stupid shots. There were only 2 or 3 times in game 7 where he decided to take a long jumper. In all of those situations, he was wide open, so I can see why he thought they were good shots...but if he has that much room to work, he needs to be using it to drive to the basket. Dude just can NOT hit a jump shot consistently.

• Joe Johnson's play in Game 5, when he was being aggressive and attacking BEFORE the double team arrives. He drives me crazy receiving the pass and then patiently waiting for the double team before making a move. In game 5, he was better, and was much more effective. Unfortunately, that's the only game in which he did that. Sure, he was very impressive in Game 7, but you shouldn't have to count him on heating up from 3-point land the way he did in order to get a big game out of him. He has the ability to get to the front of the rim, he just doesn't seem aggressive enough to want to use it.

And, yes, these were encouraging signs, but ultimately I don't think it matters. Lebron is not just hungry this year, he is STARVING, and I expect that he will do what superstars do and lead his team to a pretty easy series win. Cavs in 5.

That being said, Woodson probably deserves to keep his job, I guess. I'm still not happy with the way this team plays a lot of the time, especially on offense, but you can't argue the fact that the team has gotten progressively better every year under his tutelage, nor do I see any other candidates out there who I think would be a huge improvement.

- Dollhouse season finale is this Friday night...this show got progressively better, in my opinion, and I would love to see Joss get the chance to finish telling the story. Last week's episode was pretty mind blowing, with the reveal of Alpha (which I was not spoiled for, thankfully) and a whole new batch of possibilities. I think the show could get even better. The ensemble cast has proven to be very talented and enjoyable to watch, and they could probably expand some of those roles and not ask Eliza to carry the show. Because, sorry to say it, but she is the weak link on this show. She is great to look at, but I only really buy her performances about half the time.

Here is how I know this is a well-written and conceived show: during the last episode, there is a fight scene between Ballard (the FBI agent) and Boyd (the head of security for a company that basically specializes in human trafficking)....and I wasn't sure who to root for.

- Also, since I have lost a few shows here recently, I picked up a couple of others...How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory. I am THOROUGHLY enjoying both of them, especially Big Bang Theory. Really, really funny stuff.

- Braves ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE! Decent pitching, absolutely ZERO offense, especially with B-Mac out of the lineup. Chipper went 0-0 with FOUR WALKS the other night, because there is nobody else to be afraid of in this lineup. Francouer is definitely better with his new stance, but he seems to be sacrificing power for contact...which is fine, and probably better for him, but this team needs some power somewhere.

And good grief, Jordan Schafer...kid's got loads of talent, but he is currently on pace to strike out 205 times. He has 30 strikeouts in 77 at bats. Yikes. Wouldn't be surprised to see him take a trip to Gwinnett, although Bobby still seems to have a lot of faith in him...he batted him leadoff the other night. Which is probably not a bad idea, as he should certainly see more pitches to hit batting in front of Yunel Escobar than he does in the 8th spot.


- Sympathies and prayers go out to the family of David Cook, who lost his brother Adam last week after a long battle with cancer. David still made his scheduled appearance at a 5K fundraiser for cancer research.

- Nothing much going on in Dawg news, except that the Diamond Dawgs are in the middle of a horrible free fall after spending much of the year ranked #1 in the country. I'm starting to think it's just not good for any Dawgs team to be ranked #1. We don't seem to handle success very well.

- Only 124 days until kickoff!

Corny Fox commercials and Dollhouse hitting its stride

OK, I feel better about these commercials knowing that Eliza and Summer apparently thought they were as corny as I did.

"Do we get to say, "You go, Girl!" at any point?
"Girl Power!"



Also, I can't even begin to describe how amazingly hilarious last week's episode of the Dollhouse was, but here is just a taste:

*******UPDATED!! NOW WITH MORE AWESOMENESS!!!!*********

Dollhouse kicks it up a notch

Warning - Don't read this if you haven't watched last night's episode and you intend to:


Well, THAT was an improvement. A highly entertaining hour of television. Last week, I felt like I was kind of grading on the curve...if it hadn't been a Joss Whedon creation, I probably would have been a lot harder on it, but because I WANT it to be good I gave it a pass.

No need for a curve on this week's episode...that was an intense, tightly written episode. The two main concerns I had last week were Eliza Dushku's acting and the lack of a compelling reason for the client to engage the Dollhouse. I had neither of those concerns after this episode.

This week, I was very impressed with Eliza...you would expect her to do well in the kick-butt outdoorsy persona, and she did. But she was also more believable in the other aspects of the character as well, like when she was terrified in the cabin and, especially, as she went through the internal struggle when Boyd was trying to get here to "come in." Her facial expressions started to go "soft" as the "Everything is going to be all right" conversation started, but then you saw her imprinted persona (maybe...or maybe it's Caroline's persona?) take over and she flipped the script, literally, on both Boyd and the client. Nuanced and effective performance.

As for the client, well...it makes perfect sense for him to go to the Dollhouse for this particular little "adventure." He needed somebody that wouldn't be missed if she didn't get away, and somebody who wouldn't/couldn't go to the authorities if she did manage to escape. Also, he's obviously done this many times before, and was looking for more of a challenge, so the idea of having the "perfect" prey would have certainly appealed to him. Psycho.

Also, got a good bit of background on Boyd and Echo's relationship, and the active/handler relationship in general, as well as the Alpha story (think he's the creepy naked guy who is helping out Ballard?).

Wish this one would have been the pilot...hopefully, enough of the "casual" fans who tuned in last week decided to give the show another chance, because this one would have hooked me even if I wasn't predisposed to enjoy it.

Dollhouse premiere

Well, last night was the long awaited premiere of Joss Whedon's new creation, Dollhouse. I am a late addition to the Whedonverse, as I have embraced my inner geek late in life. I never really watched Buffy or Angel. My first real introduction to Whedon was Dr. Horrible, which I loved enough to go back and watch Firefly on Hulu. Firefly was fantastic, and my summer viewing project is to go back and watch Buffy. So, I was excited to be able to get in on the ground floor of a Whedon project for once.

On to the show...I thought it was pretty good as pilots go, but it's always tough to gauge how good a show is going to be just based on the pilot. In a pilot, there is always so much more to "do" than just tell a story, and that can lead to some clunkiness. You have to introduce all of the characters and give them a voice and a personality that can later be delivered in a much more nuanced way, you have to lay the groundwork for the overarching story, etc...

Overall, I think this pilot served its purpose...we know what the Dollhouse is (an illegal service that employees "actives," who have their own memories and personalities wiped and replaced with whatever the client wants, only to be wiped clean again once that job is over), we're introduced to the FBI agent who is trying to bring them down, we are introduced to the main characters. So, as a pilot, the job was done.

What I really didn't like about the plot of this one is that I never really bought the motivations of the client. If all he wanted to do was pay the ransom and get his daughter back without police involvement, why couldn't he just do it himself? In fact, if not for the amazing (and reality-stretching) fact that Echo was implanted with memories of a person who was kidnapped by these SAME kidnappers, then he would have in fact turned out worse by employing the Dollhouse...he still wouldn't have his daughter back, he would be out an additional $3M thanks to Echo's "negotiations," plus he would be out whatever ridiculous sum that he paid for Echo's services. I actually like the Dollhouse concept, and I think there are many different situations they could have portrayed that made more sense.

And...I'm not a big fan of Eliza Dushku as an actress, so I'm concerned as to whether she can pull this off. She's hot, no doubt...but she has always come off as wooden to me. And in a show like this she has to have the range to play essentially a different character every week. But, Joss has a good track record, so hopefully she'll prove me wrong. And, like Shan pointed out on his recap, it could be that the "characters" that Echo is portraying may be filtered through her original personality, so that would make it more feasible.

Despite what this post is starting to sound like, I actually thought it was an entertaining and engaging hour of television, and I will certainly be back next week. Some of the interviews and reviews I read said that due to network pressure, the first few episodes were written almost as stand-alone episodes, and the story will really start to pick up around 4-5 episodes in...hopefully, Fox will give the show time to build an audience, and I actually think the dreaded Friday night timeslot may actually take some of the pressure off when it comes to that.

I would probably give the pilot a B-, with definite potential for improvement.