Georgia Sports Edition
The New Trick Dawgs
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I know many of you Dawg lifers like me are wondering if last year was a fluke.
Let me ease your mind and tell you all that UGA, under Kirby Smart, will be in position to compete for National Championships for years to come.
Georgia just hauled in the best recruiting class in the nation during the last cycle and has five 5-star recruits committed for the next cycle so the talent pool is as deep as it has ever been in Athens, Georgia with top talent at every position on the two-deep roster.
At QB, Jake Fromm is the starter after that fantastic freshman season last fall that came a blown coverage away from a Natty. Fromm will be a starting NFL QB one day and then you have a once in a generation talent in Justin Fields that UGA will have to figure out ways to get in the game in special packages that will make opposing defensive coordinators binge eat at night trying to keep their jobs.
UGA is running back U. Sony and Chubb are gone but Swift, White and Cook to the rescue. Oh yeah, Georgia still has Holyfield too. This is a nasty sick positional group.
Now that UGA has a head coach that knows how to recruit offensive lineman, the run game looks unstoppable. D’Andre Swift may be in Heisman discussions in October. Wow, I left out Brian Herrien.
Where’s the beef? That used to be the question, but not anymore. Sam Pittman may the best offensive line coach in the business. Andrew Thomas moves to LT, Kendall Baker, Lamont Galliard, Ben Cleveland, and stud recruits coming in like Jamaree Salyer, and Cade Mays make this group a team strength. UGA has recruited this position well and has quality SEC depth in place now.
Terry Godwin leads a talented WR group. Mecole Hardman, Riley Ridley and if transfer Demetris Robinson can get a favorable hardship ruling from the NCAA then this unit will be the best UGA has had in a long time.
Isaac Nauta looks to play a huge role at TE this season. Watch out for newcomer Kearis Jackson.
The Dawgs are going to need more production in the passing game this fall. Yeah, I know that sounds like I’m looking for something to be critical about but better balance makes this offense almost unstoppable.
On defense, UGA lost 6 out of its top 7 tacklers in 2017. Am I worried? No, I am not because talent is ready to step in.
On the defensive line, look for Tyler Clark to have a big season. Notre Dame Transfer Jay Hayes will provide depth. Jonathan Ledbetter will clog the middle. Oh yeah, I almost forgot Julien Rochester.
UGA lost some awesome linebackers from last season. Get ready to hear the name Monty Rice who will step in and be the next all conference LB for UGA. Natrez Patrick has all-American potential on the inside if he can get his head straight. Walter Grant, D’Andre Walker, and newcomers Brenton Cox and Adam Anderson make for a deep and talented unit but very young.
Georgia could be special at DB. Deandre Baker is the best corner in the country. J. R. Reed could make many All-America teams. Richard LeCounte is a potential superstar at safety, William Poole, Tyrique McGee and some talented others provide depth. Watch out for incoming freshman Tyson Campbell at CB.
Mecole Hardman could end of being the best kick returner in the SEC. Rod Blankenship will be the best FG kicker in the conference. Punter will sort itself out in fall camp.
Road games at LSU, South Carolina and Missouri will be tough. Auburn at home in November will not be easy. Florida and Tennessee are still a year or two away.
Georgia wins the East with an 11-1 record and plays Alabama for the SEC title and playoff berth. This team could go 12-0, but will slip up against someone in the rugged SEC.
Enjoy this ride Dawg fans. You have suffered long enough. In Kirby we trust. Georgia begins the season ranked #4 in the first coach’s poll just released.
Buzzing In Atlanta
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I have to start this with full disclosure. I’m from Atlanta and I’m a huge Georgia Tech fan. I grew up going to spring practices and home games. I wish George O’Leary never left the program for Notre Dame.
I’m also not a fan of Paul Johnson, at all. He started well when he got to Atlanta in 2008 because he had the players recruited by Chan Gailey.
Things have gotten progressively worse each year because of poor recruiting. The Yellow Jackets were 3-9 in 2015 and 5-6 last season. It seems like CPJ does just enough to not be fired but he’s not good enough to leave for a job at any other Power 5 school.
Not to sound pessimistic but as long as Johnson is the coach Tech has accepted mediocrity. They have attempted to make a positive change by getting rid of defensive coordinator Ted Roof and replacing him with Nate Woody.
Woody comes from Appalachian State and the scheme he uses is an attacking 3-4 defense. I’m not sure if Tech has the athletes for this so we will see how this goes.
The best player on the team is quarterback TaQuan Marshall. He’s the prototypical option quarterback meaning he runs well but struggles throwing the football. He led the team in rushing with 1,218 yards and 18 touchdowns. He passed for 936 yards, 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He only completed 37.6% of his passes.
Georgia Tech’s 2018 slate is balanced with six home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium and six road contests.
Eight of the Yellow Jackets’ 12 opponents advanced to postseason play in 2017, including all four ACC teams that will visit Bobby Dodd Stadium — College Football Playoff participant and ACC champion Clemson, Quick Lane Bowl champion Duke, ACC Coastal Division champion Miami and Military Bowl participant Virginia.
Game 1 is September 1st against FCS opponent Alcorn State. This is an easy 50-point blowout win.
The next week is on the road at South Florida. USF was 10-2 last year so the Bulls have some talent. They lost 25 seniors from the 2017 team so they have lost talent and leadership. The Yellow Jackets will get the W.
Game 3 is also on the road at Pitt. GA Tech beat them 35-17 in 2017 and I expect a similar result.
They return home to face Clemson who will be ranked in the top five. The Tigers have drastically superior talent. Clemson will obliterate Tech.
Bowling Green comes to town September 29th. This will be a rebound win.
Friday October 5th is at Louisville. I’m not sure if the Cardinals can replace superstar Lamar Jackson so I anticipate them struggling on offense. Yellow Jackets should win.
They return home the following week to face Duke. The Blue Devils have had Tech’s number recently. This is a tossup.
After a bye week the Jackets travel to Blacksburg for a Thursday night game. VA Tech will win the game.
Game 9 is at North Carolina. UNC is coming off a 3-9 season so they may not be very good in 2018. This should be another win for the Yellow Jackets.
November 10th is home against Miami. The Hurricanes have also dominated Tech since CPJ has been head coach. Canes will win.
Virginia travels to Atlanta after that and Tech should win.
The finale is in Athens against a much more talented UGA team. Jake Fromm will be better in his second season and Georgia gets an easy win.
I think Georgia Tech will win 7-8 games and return to a bowl game.
That’s My Guy
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Babe Ruth. Ted Williams. Nolan Ryan. Chipper Jones. Frank Robinson. Rod Carew.
Do any of those names feel out of place with the rest? None should. They are all, as of July 29th, Hall of Famers. First ballot Hall of Famers, in fact – and all deserving. But seeing Chipper’s name among those legend is a bit surreal.
And to reiterate my point, he absolutely deserves it. Anyone who watched him play knew he was a Hall of Famer years before he hung up his cleats for good. It’s no surprise that he was voted in, or that he was voted in first ballot, or that he got as high as 97% of the vote on that first ballot. The guy was as all-time great, and everyone knew it.
You’ve seen the numbers. You’ve seen the resume. Top ten in this, top ten in this, top ten in this. The numbers he put up in his 19 years as a big leaguer were getting him in.
Plus, he was one of the few (one of the last?) players to retire having played their entire career with one team.
Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter are going to follow him in 2019 and 2020. Chipper was a lifelong Brave and that was just as special as his numbers.
I wonder if watching him play every night for all those years is what makes his induction so strange. Hall of Famers are to be revered and while I have always admired and respected and even been in awe of Chipper’s talent, he never had that ‘legendary’ aura to me.
Maybe it’s because I got to see him interviewed on Braves Live every few days, or because Fox Sports South won’t stop replaying that episode of Driven about him, or maybe even because he laughed at a stupid joke I made when he signed my baseball bat a decade ago; he was a consistent part of my life for years and so it’s surreal to see his name among those greats. He’s just our Chipper, after all.
I wonder as well if kids who just recently started watching baseball will see him go in and it seem completely normal. They’ve heard about how great he was, they can look up his stellar numbers and agree with the consensus that he belongs in the hallowed grounds of the Hall. Anyone who started watching baseball in 2013 and anyone who watches baseball from now on will just think of Chipper Jones as a legendary ballplayer, a Hall of Famer who rightfully went in on his first shot. And they’re right. He is those things.
He’s also our guy, our family member getting a prestigious award. Everyone claps and applauds for the accomplishment because everyone claps and applauds for the accomplishments because they dictate that he is deserving. I will clap and applaud for the guy I spent so much of my time with for more than a decade because I saw him earn it.
Maybe what I’m trying to get at here is that I’m actually proud of him. I’m not proud of Derek Jeter, even though I think he’s one of the great shortstops of all time and will deserve his probably record-breaking vote percentage. Why would I be? He isn’t my guy the way Chipper is.
And Chipper definitely is, more than Maddux or Glavine or Smoltz was, even more than Bobby, I think. Being that, being my guy, being our guy, makes this surreal, and strange and absolutely deserved, and absolutely wonderful.
Congrats Chipper. We knew you could do it.
Family Tradition
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The University of Georgia football program added a huge commitment to the recruiting class of 2019 last week with the pledge of offensive tackle Warren McClendon Jr. of Brunswick, Ga., who picked UGA over South Carolina.
“First, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to play on the next level,” McClendon wrote in a tweet. “I would like to thank my parents for supporting me during the recruiting process. Also, I would like to thank all my coaches and teammates. With that being said I’m 100% committed to … THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.”
Sam Pittman has and is assembling the most talented offensive line position group in the nation. McClendon is a four star recruit out of Brunswick High and his head coach Sean Pender calls him the best offensive lineman he has ever coached.
So, what are the Dawgs getting in McClendon? I have watched the kid for four years now pretty close and they are getting a quality young man from a great family.
UGA is getting a good student who will graduate in four years from the University of Georgia. UGA is getting a humble young man with a competitive mean streak that can’t stand to lose at anything.
UGA is getting a kid that is a leader that you don’t have to worry about making bad decisions in his free time. UGA is getting a pretty good athlete at 6’5 310 who plays basketball during the winter for the best high school basketball program in Southeast Georgia.
McClendon will now turn his focus to his senior football season at Brunswick High School. He will lead the young Pirate squad into the 2018 season.
He will play right tackle this fall for BHS. Look for the talented senior to lead BHS to a playoff berth this fall. The recruiting services have McClendon rated as the 26th best tackle in the country. The senior should be awarded with several post season honors after his senior season is complete.
McClendon will join a star-studded class of offensive lineman at UGA and will develop under Pittman, who is the best offensive line coach in all of college football.
Kirby Smart and his staff in Athens now are recruiting 4 and 5-star talent at every position on the roster and that will tough to beat over the next 5-10 years in Athens, Georgia.
One thing Warren McClendon Jr. is not afraid of is competition and look for him to compete hard and become a starting offensive lineman at UGA. Also, don’t be surprised to hear the commissioner call the name of Warren McClendon Jr. at the 2022 NFL draft.
McClendon said UGA felt like home and that led him to choosing the Dawgs. His uncle Willie was the SEC Player of the Year in 1978 at UGA and another uncle and cousin were starters and producers at UGA.
A McClendon wearing the red and black at the University of Georgia is a family tradition.
Jones About The Benjamins
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If you ask a team what is the one thing that can derail a promising season, aside from injuries, it would be distractions.
Whether or not those distractions have any influence on the outcome of season, probably depends on who you ask. Depending on how the next few weeks play out which Julio Jones and his desire to renegotiate/restructure his contract, the Falcons may find out about soon enough.
Normally I’m all for a player getting as much as money as he or she can. Even though as fans we love the idea of loyalty, from both player and organization, professional sports are all about the bottom line. I don’t begrudge anyone trying to make as much as they can, while they can.
So, while I fully respect Jones’ decision and understand where he’s coming from, it’s just a little hard to get on board with the timing of it all.
When Julio signed his current 5-year deal, two years ago, he was the highest paid wideout in the NFL. He’s currently the 7th highest paid wideout and you could argue that he’s better than all the players making more than him, AJ Green being the one possible exception.
With the way NFL contracts are set up, in order for Jones to get as much guaranteed money as he can, he’s got to sign for an extended period. Essentially, he’s sacrificing prime market value down the road for the upfront cash. Regardless of how you or I feel towards football contracts, that’s just the way it is.
There are two main reasons I have an issue with timing of it. For one, he still has three years left on his contract. When most contracts are signed, depending on the player, management almost figures in that with a year or two left they are going to have to renegotiate.
Acquiescing to Jones’ request with more than half his contract still on the books, could have a rippling effect on other players Atlanta has intentions on extending down the road.
The second reason is I’m not sure his last two seasons have really warranted a renegotiation. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely think Jones is one of the 3-4 best receivers in the league but he is coming off his two least productive seasons, back to back, since his first two years in the league. (I’m excluding the 2013 season when he was injured and only played in 5 games.)
Normally when you see a player wanting to revisit his contract it’s because he has outperformed his current salary; kind of hard to make that argument in this situation.
Trust me, I’d love nothing more than to have two years of subpar reviews at work, only to get a larger pay raise. It just doesn’t normally happen that way.
And I get that his dip in production isn’t solely on Jones’ shoulders; Atlanta’s offense as a whole struggled last year adjusting to Steve Sarkisian’s play calling. But having a solid season this year, proving that 2017 was more of anomaly, would only strengthen Julio’s case in asking for more money.
At this point it doesn’t look like the Falcons are going to bend and I can’t really blame them.
I suspect that at some point Jones will be back on the field with an understanding they’ll address his contract after the season. If he doesn’t, you probably won’t even have to ask how the distraction affected Atlanta’s season; I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to tell.
One Fell Swoop
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In a blockbuster move that stole headlines all across the United States of America, the Atlanta Hawks traded for Oklahoma City superstar and future NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony.
Okay, that might have been disingenuous way to start this article but I just couldn’t resist.
Plus, it’s technically true. Melo was sent to the Hawks from the Thunder. It’s just there’s a caveat that Melo won’t be donning an Atlanta jersey anytime soon. Or ever, probably. Let’s back up a little bit, shall we?
It was pretty much the exact moment after the sound of the buzzer that ended the Finals faded away that the rumor mill started cooking up the notion that Dennis Schröder was not long for Atlanta.
Schröder himself stoked the flame by removing all mention of the Hawks from his social media (granted that has never meant anything relevant, but it was noteworthy at the time). Turns out, those prognosticators were right and Schröder has left Phillips Arena, never to return again. Except as a visitor from the Midwest, of course.
The visiting team will have to be the Oklahoma City Thunder, where Schröder was shipped off to in exchange for Melo, one of the biggest NBA stars of the century, as well as a 2022 first round pick.
The Philadelphia 76ers contributed to the swap as well, sending Justin Anderson to Atlanta and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to Oklahoma City and receiving Mike Muscala, also from Atlanta.
To be fair, while this was a headline-grabbing trade due in large part to Anthony’s involvement, it doesn’t exactly come as a surprise for those paying attention. It seemed inevitable that the Hawks would make a move like this one.
And it’s a doozy. In a good way. They acquired some breathing room in their salary cap going forward and in turn gave themselves plenty of routes to play with their roster.
For the more immediate future, Muscala and Schröder will be missing from the roster, and that is not a benefit. They managed to keep the Hawks afloat last season, or as much as the Hawks could be kept afloat, anyway.
They have been Atlanta staples for the past several years and with good reason. They were consistent in their performances on the court, in the regular season and in bright spots during the playoffs.
But despite the hurt that their being traded will reign down on the team’s quality, let’s not forget that this is a rebuild and eggs must be broken before omelets can be made.
This was a trade for the future and that draft pick is half the battle. The other half is Justin Anderson. Anderson is a young player with potential that Philadelphia failed to unlock.
This was also a trade for financial flexibility so that the team can maneuver as needed in the months to come, having less than half of the $109 million they can spend committed for the 2018-2019 season.
That’s three goals: draft pick, young talent, cap space, accomplished in one fell swoop.
There’s no way to argue that this is a trade that made the Hawks better for the upcoming campaign, it did not. It made them worse.
But that’s okay, because they weren’t very good to begin with and this trade, while immediately detrimental to the team’s win-loss prospects, sets Atlanta up for the future in a big and bright way. It’s the kind of trade that needed to be made, and Atlanta pulled the trigger at seemingly the right time.
Oh, and Carmelo Anthony was immediately waived. Had to get that salary cap space. Sorry.
The Blue Devils Looking For Red
By: Josh Aubrey
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
With the 2018 high school football season fast approaching, the Statesboro Blue Devils have been getting in some summer work in an attempt to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
Despite a 2-7 record in 2017 and missing the postseason for the fourth straight season, the Blue Devils did show some improvement last year.
Statesboro actually had fourth quarter leads against three playoff teams last season and despite losing some key seniors, coach Jeff Kaiser is excited about 60 freshmen coming out for football this year.
“We’ve managed to have about 40 of those 60 ninth grader make it regularly out to summer programs,” Kaiser said. “Our kids have seemed enthusiastic about being here this summer and are excited about the upcoming season.”
One of the keys for success this year for Statesboro will be filling the holes left by graduation, particularly in the offensive backfield, where the Blue Devils lost four seniors, including leading rusher Tupac Lanier and three year starting quarterback Davis Wiggins.
“We don’t have many seniors playing those positions, so we will be young,” Kaiser said. “We’ve had nine running backs get reps this summer and four different quarterbacks. Everybody’s competing and that’s a good thing.”
Defensively Statesboro will be anchored by leading tackler senior Chris Hill and a host of Blue Devils who saw playing time last season but Kaiser says he will also be using many players on both sides of the ball.
“You’d think on a 5-A team you wouldn’t need to play people both ways,” Kaiser said. “Unfortunately, that is where we are but I’m hoping we are in good enough shape where that won’t be a huge issue.”
The Blue Devils will also have a bit of an old school look offensively this season, as Kaiser plans to implement more of a power game.
“Our brand of football this year will be a little different from today’s trend of ‘basketball on turf’ with everyone spread out all over the field,” Kaiser said. “We don’t have the personnel to do that successfully in my opinion, so we are going to slow it down a bit and will be more of a traditional wishbone attack, with some spread elements to it as well.”
The Blue Devils also have to remember how to win. The 2006 State Championship seems like a lot more than just 12 years ago. Statesboro hasn’t even advance to the state playoffs since 2013 and coach Kaiser feels some of the losses from last year can be attributed to the team’s lack of confidence.
“I hate to use the cliché, but it is about trusting the process,” Kaiser said. “The kids have put in an incredible amount of work and have made huge gains in the weight room. You try and develop a team that is mentally tough – not that we weren’t tough last year – but there in the fourth quarter we have to be tougher physically and mentally.”
“You hear that winning ways are habitual but for us losing ways have been habitual,” Kaiser said. “Finding a way of win, instead of trying not to lose. That needs to be more of our mindset this season.”
The Blue Devils open the 2018 season August 24th at Greenbrier.
Terrorizing 2018
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the 2018 football season rapidly approaches, I had the opportunity to sit down with Glynn Academy head football coach Rocky Hidalgo to chat about the 2018 Red Terrors.
Hidalgo is entering his 5th season at GA with a 41-13 record, a couple of region championships and 4 deep runs in the state playoffs. It is safe to say Glynn Academy is a state football power now under Coach Rock’s watch.
The coach says this about the 2018 team “We are young in spots and could end up starting 7-8 sophomores and could struggle some early, but the key for us is to use that time to peak for region play and have that carry over into the state playoffs”.
On offense the Terrors will be led by Nolan Grant at RB, who his coach describes as “special” and is as good as any running back in these parts. Allen Partin, Caden Hutchinson, and Tyshawn Wallace may give Glynn the best running back position group in South Georgia and maybe the state.
Shane Wells is returning on the OL and Hidalgo thinks his offensive line will have a lot of upside this fall. “We may have as many as three new starters on the offensive line, but our strength and conditioning program gets our kids in position to play early in our system”.
At QB the battle comes down to Sam Wagner and TJ Lewis. Hidalgo is watching closely as the battle progresses over the summer. Lewis is tall and athletic at 6’3 and Wagner will start at WR if he doesn’t win the QB job.
At WR Hidalgo spoke about Deandre Frazier doing a fine job and thinks TJ Bradley and Jaden Miller will develop into fine players at the position.
On defense, Hidalgo raved about DL Marlon Taylor. At 6’2 265 the head coach called him the best defensive lineman in this area.
The junior is a two-year starter with a great attitude. James Dyal, Torrez Davis, Kedrick Adams, Jordan Swain, and Drez Wilcox make this talented group as deep as any position on the roster. The head coach says they will rotate 9 players on the defensive line.
AT LB look for Jamarcus Sims, Johnny Bradley, Tashaun Lane, and Miles Smith to get snaps at the position. Hidalgo thinks he has some good talent at the position. AT DB Byron Bacon and Travis Clinch will lead a talented unit this fall.
“One thing we are going to do here is play defense and this group has the potential barring injuries to be the best unit we have had here”.
Chase Gabriel will handle the punting and place-kicking duties this fall.
Hidalgo raves about his coaching staff. “I have the best coaching staff in the state and they work their tails off and the kids believe in what we are doing here and that makes all the difference in the world”.
The early part of the schedule is very tough. Fort Dorchester a South Carolina state power in the opener at Glynn County Stadium. Fort Dorchester went 13-1 in 2017.
Three straight road games with Camden, Ware, and Wayne in September.
The region slate has Glynn traveling to Richmond Hill and Bradwell while playing Effingham on the road. Glynn will be the designated road team in City Title game with Brunswick.
This writer sees 9-10 regular season wins for this Red Terror squad and a region championship. Hidalgo says the Terrors have 3 goals every season.
“Our goals here never change here and they are 1. City Championship 2. Region Championship 3. State Championship”.
Don’t be surprised if you see the 2018 Glynn Academy Red Terrors playing in Mercedes Benz Stadium this December. Glynn doesn’t rebuild anymore they reload.
Wildcats On The Hunt
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This is the year that the Camden County Wildcat faithful have been pointing to as far the proud program getting back to powerhouse status.
The last few years have been lean in Kingsland and it has shown on the football field.
The Wildcats are coming off of a 3-7 campaign, which included losses to rivals Brunswick High, Glynn Academy, Lowndes, Colquitt, and Tift.
Camden has not won a region game in 2 years and have not made the playoffs in that span. A two-year absence from the playoffs is a huge deal for this storied program when you consider this is a program that won 14 straight region titles, yes 14 straight. Likely, a feat that will never again be accomplished again. Not to mention, 3 state titles in that same time frame.
Second year head coach, Bob Sphire is looking to get Camden back to being at least respectable.
The Wildcats will have the most talent in Kingsland that they have had since their last region championship. This roster will consist of mostly juniors, who are very talented and have taken their lumps in a tough region the last two years.
Camden will open up with three straight home games against West Forsythe, Wren and Locust Grove. All three of these games are winnable and I expect Camden to start undefeated through these first three.
Camden will then hit the road Richmond Hill and Brunswick. I look for Richmond Hill to play a competitive game against Camden but fall in the end. I also look for the Wildcats to beat BHS, as the Pirates will be young and inexperienced. However, look for the Camden/BHS game to be one of the better games of the season.
The Wildcats will return to Chris Gilman Stadium to take on Glynn Academy, who has blown Camden out the last two seasons. This game may be a little closer but the Terrors are loaded and may win a state title. Look for another Red Terror win against Camden.
Next up for Camden will be Colleton County from South Carolina. Camden will have too much depth for the Cougars and Camden will get the W at home.
The Wildcats will begin region play the following three games. Two games on the road against Colquitt and Lowndes in back to back weeks will be tough. Camden needs to split these two games.
I like Camden to take down Tift at home in the season finale and get back into the playoffs for the first time in a couple of years.
Prediction: 8-2.
Non-Sports Day
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It probably won’t come as much of a surprise to people that my radio is always on. For as long as I can remember, sports have always been my biggest interest. While baseball and college football are my favorites, I can get wrapped up in just about anything.
A few weeks ago, in the waning hours of a program where the hosts were trying to fill out their last segment of the show, the topic of the ‘sports calendar’ was brought up.
Obviously, there is no right answer to the question. Plenty of sports jump the normal calendar from December into January and there is enough of a following in each sport to keep one from being the league that opens or closes a ‘sports year’.
But I’d like to nominate today – July 18, 2018 – as the official unofficial singular day of the sports offseason.
This being the day after the MLB All-Star game, we’ve arrived at one of only two days each year in which none of the United States’ major professional leagues host games.
And that’s what makes today perfect for ending one year of sports and starting another
In this way, we’ll have wrapped up the last sports season with tennis’ most popular major at Wimbledon and the most watched all-star game of all major sports. We can all take inventory today and begin again tomorrow with the start of the British Open.
Using this timetable, the next ‘year’ should be an exciting one for sports fans in Georgia.
When MLB play resumes, the Braves will pick back up just half a game out of first place.
Atlanta is now popping up in many trade rumors as they look to add a piece that can put them over the top and each passing day is reaffirming that the success of the young roster is no fluke.
One of the newest sports on the scene in the Peach State is also turning some heads as the sports year begins.
Soccer is still trying to gain a strong foothold in the hierarchy of American sports, but it always gets a boost after the World Cup and those who give Atlanta United a chance will be pleasantly surprised.
The second-year franchise had a solid expansion season and has kept up the momentum in year two as United currently leads the Eastern Conference.
As fall arrives, the biggest fun starts as football returns.
On the pro side of things, the Falcons again figure to be a playoff team and will get a good barometer check from the get-go as they visit defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia in the first NFL game of the season.
Down in the college ranks, UGA fans might still be having nightmares of a national title game that got away but the Bulldogs have every reason to believe they can contend for a national title once again.
Football undoubtedly carries the bulk of the weight in this unique calendar and takes us into the early days of February. Georgia fans will face a lull for a month or two as Atlanta has no NHL team and the Hawks are only an NBA team by the most charitable of definitions.
But Georgia Tech, UGA and Georgia Southern all have solid baseball teams that will be in full swing by March and April brings The Masters, easily the most prestigious golf tournament in the world, to Georgia.
The end of the Masters coincides with the beginning of the MLB season, taking us into the dog days of summer where the head and grind call for this solitary day of rest.
Now enjoy your one day of sports offseason and get to bed early. The first groups at the British Open tee off at 1:35 a.m. Eastern time.
