It Could Be Another LOOOONG Season

Georgia has a strong baseball program, among the most stable in the SEC, but there have certainly been some down stretches. And, judging by the Diamond Dawgs 2012 so far, we're in the middle of another one. Last season, Georgia only won 16 games. Sixteen! That's awful, especially for a team only 2 years removed from the CWS finals. Well, this season's not looking any better, folks. The Dawgs are 2-5, which includes being swept by Stetson and a mess of errors and unearned runs against Baylor. Let's hope we can take the game with Furman Wednesday, because the looming weekend home stand with Florida State does not look good...

Oh, well. I did a good job of keeping up with basketball this season, Dawgs and Hawks both, and hope to do the same with baseball. Granted, it's way harder for me to keep up with baseball once we hit game 700, but I'm gonna try. I'm even hoping to get to a Braves game or three this summer, and of course, there's no excuse not to see the Diamond Dawgs; I live five blocks from Foley Field.

And, just to keep the mood alive, here's a video someone made of John Fogerty's "Centerfield" playing over clips from baseball movies:

Murray's Injury

This morning the Red&Black reported that Aaron Murray has broken his ankle in two places. Across Dawg nation, people reacted and re-reacted to this and other reports that expounded on the severity of the original article. However, the school never confirmed the report. This just set off more speculation, ranging from a simple sprain to, fuck, I don't know, a severed limb it seems like. According to Bulldogsblog, though, the injured body part is a foot, not an ankle, and, though the team trainer has inspected Murray, no final word has been released. Realistically, this could be a very low-impact injury, despite the sky-is-falling reaction:

"One thing to remember: Georgia has scheduled its first spring practice for March 10, the day before spring break, and then doesn't practice again until March 22. So conceivably Murray could be held out the first spring practice and then have nearly two weeks to heal."

So, let's not panic...yet. Until the program officially announces the details of the injury or just how severe it is, speculation just serves as agitation.

Too Meme-tastic to pass up...

Yep. Nate Montana has transferred to....Montana. BTW, who uplaods pics to that Montana blog, someone's grandma? And, if you're not familiar with the xzibit meme, go here....also, where have you been the last five years?

Ealey Out.

Washaun Ealey has been suspended indefinitely. Maybe we're starting to see just what exactly Richt's new approach to the team is going to be like. Maybe Ealey finally did something too egregious for a simple slap on the wrist. Either way, I like the message it sends. A new approach to discipline would go swimmingly with the fresh approach to "toughness" of the new strength and conditioning program and the brand-new facilities the team has at their disposal. Thins just could be headed in the right direction...but I'm still cautious. A top-5 class and a suspended star do not a turn-around complete.

More Crowell

Chill Dawg is Chill, brah.

Crowell.

Sign on the Line Which is Dotted.

Isaiah Crowell will be a Bulldog. Jeoffrey Pagan and Antonio Richardson will not. Kent Turene will. Johnathon Jenkins will let us know Saturday. Beyond these big names who were waiting to announce today, Georgia's class comes in as expected. No big verbals flip-flopped, no big names swung our way. I guess the closest call we had was Turene, who walked in to the gym in a Texas tech hat then switched out to a UGA one. But, our biggest signee put on the biggest show. Crowell, wearing a crimson tie to throw off the audience, brought out a live bulldog puppy after signing his LoI. Awesome. More later...

Signing Day's Eve

Tomorrow is singing day, ladies and gentlemen. Some of you will hit up Blind Pig or Buffalo's, maybe take the shuttles to Butts-Mehre, and generally revel in the celebration of glorifying teenagers' egos. But, most of us will just go to work and sneak peaks at cellphones or recruiting sites, hoping that our programs got who they were going after; actually, most will just wait and see when we get home later. See, despite what anyone tells you, tomorrow is more hype than anything - just ask a Georgia fan. We are a top-ten recruiting program over the last decade and what have we gotten out of it? Nothing. That said, I do hope we get our big targets. Isaiah Crowell and Kent Turene are the key guys to look for tomorrow and Johnathon Jenkins is waiting until Saturday. There's also still a very slim outside shot at getting Gabriel Wright, too, but it's doubtful. Honestly, if we land Crowell, we'll all feel better and think we've accomplished something. But will it matter? We need results on the field. Period.

Oh, well. Enjoy it, folks. It's Signing Day and then the Super Bowl and then that's it until the Draft. Honestly, I think Bulldog nation will be very disappointed tomorrow; I think Crowell signs with 'Bama, Turene balks, and Wright's a non-issue. Maybe we can wrap the class up with Jenkins on Saturday, but missing out on the over-hyped Crowell will certainly put a damper on all that 'Dream Team' drivel.
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UPDATE: Here's the best announcement timeline I can give you right now:
Jeoffrey Pagan: 9:00
Antonio Richardson and Kent Turene: 10:00
Isaiah Crowell - 1:30 (I would assume Wright will announce then, too, but that will probably better news for Auburn fans)
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Oh yeah, at least we got another spot open today. Logan Gray won't be here next season. Instead, he'll be transferring somewhere closer to his family after he graduates in May. He'll work on a Master's while he plays his final season of eligibility, likely at a small school in Missouri or Illinois.