Coach Richt gets new deal!

It has been well known in Dawg Nation that Coach Mark Richt was going to get a contract extension after the dawgs went 10-2 in the regular season last year. Discussion about the contract started in December of 2011 and it finally seems the discussions are over and they have come to an agreement. Only Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity has made a point to mention that it is not merely a contract extension, but it is a whole new deal.

“It is a different contract,” McGarity said of the five-year deal that will pay Richt through the 2016 season. “In other words, we’re blowing up the old contract. I shouldn’t say blowing up, but we’re basically starting over with new terminology and things like that that will probably make it easier to read, easier to understand.”

Sounds like the main reason for the new contract is the buyout clause but Richt continues to say he has no desire to leave Athens. “I’ve never really changed my stance on how I feel about Georgia from the first day I got the opportunity to be here,” Richt said. “My goal and my wife Katharyn’s goal was to build our life in Athens, Ga., and raise our children here and finish my coaching career here. That thought has never changed for me.” So Dawg fans and the fans of CMR, we are set for a few more years!

Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham did receive a true contract extension. He was given two more years of his current contract. This will solidify the defense and help with recruiting on the defensive side of the ball.

Go Dawgs!

Fun Run!

Over the weekend, the boy’s school had a 1 mile fun run and both of my little guys were excited to participate. The run was to raise money for the school PTA so the boys hit up all of their family for donations. Thanks to everyone who made a donation, you helped us reach our goal and helped the school raise a good deal of money.

You might recall that Mac signed up and ran in the fun run last year (Not so Fun Run), but it was not such a fun run due to the weather that day. It was cold (mid 30’s) and rainy. It was absolutely miserable weather yet he, his mother and Papa all toughed it out and completed the run. Well, I was worried about the weather again this year and again it was not good! It was not nearly as cold, but still rainy and wet. Even though it rained all night and up until it was time to leave for the run, the boys were still excited about running. Both boys did great and finished the run strong. Mac jumped out in front of our group but Henry wasn’t too far behind. Henry wasn’t in it for speed; he was more interested in running along side of some of his classmates than posting a good time. Both boys finished the mile run in under l2 minutes, which is a pretty good pace for a 4 and 7 year olds! I am very proud of them and I am glad this run was actually fun! Maybe this will spark their interest in running more races and start them down the path of a healthy and active lifestyle. Here are some pictures from the fun run.

Henry at the start line.

Here is start of the race while we are all still together. Henry is in the yellow coat and Mac is wearing the orange coat.

This is at the half way point and you can see Mac ahead of us while Henry is running with his friend Alexandra.

Here are the boys after the race showing off their finishing medals. They were really proud of themselves, just as their mother and I are. It is a tough thing to get up early on a rainy Saturday morning and run a race.

Good job guys!

USA 1 – Italy 0

The US Men’s Soccer team faced the powerhouse Italians on Leap Day and escaped with a 1-0 victory. The win against the four-time FIFA World Cup champion was the first in U.S. history, breaking a previous 10-game losing streak against Italy that dated back to 1934. The match was played at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, Italy.

“We are really pleased with the game and with the result,” U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “If you beat Italy on its own soil, then that means a lot. For us, the goal was to come here to learn. The challenge that this game gave us, especially on the tactical side – to read the game ahead, to think one step ahead – for our players, it was big. It was a big step for them to be constantly on high alert for 90 minutes.”

Clint Dempsey scored early in the second half and the US never relinquished the lead despite several chances for Italy to tie it up. Dempsey’s game-winning goal came from the left side as Fabian Johnson crossed the ball in to Jozy Altidore. With his back turned to the goal, Altidore touched the ball back toward the top of the box where Dempsey ripped a right-footed strike beating a pair of Italian defenders and the goalie to sneak into the lower corner of the net.



Dempsey is only the 4th player in US Soccer history that has scored a goal against Italy. Also, that goal moves Dempsey to fourth all time on the US scoring list with 25 goals wearing the US colors. The Italian team controlled the ball for a majority of the game and had several solid chances only to be stopped by US goalie Tim Howard. This win gives the US three straight shutout victories in 2012. The next two games for the US will be on home soil, taking on Scotland on May 26 in Jacksonville, Florida, and then playing on May 30th against Brazil in Landover, Maryland.

USA! USA!

Wooderson Returns!

A music video which stars Matthew McConaughey reprising his iconic turn as David Wooderson in Dazed and Confused, what is not to like? This movie is one of the best coming of age movies ever made and Wooderson is a classic character that totally makes the movie. Now Butch Walker has talked McConaughey into reprising his role and has gotten the blessing of the Dazed and Confused writer/director Richard Linklater. Butch Walker is a well established pop song writer and producer and has had several hits throughout the years. I am not saying this is his best song ever, but the video is worth a look. If nothing else, just to see Wooderson again. That guy never ages!

Wine Review- Merryvale 2002 Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon

Merryvale is a family owned Napa Valley winery and was the first winery built after the repeal of Prohibition. It is located in downtown St. Helena just adjacent to the wonderful Tra Vigne Restaurant. (That is where Meg and I got engaged!) It is a beautiful winery and they produce elegant wines. Meg bought this bottle direct from the winery the last time she was out in the Napa region. We enjoyed this bottle on Valentines night with a nice grilled rib eye with an arrabbiata sauce and a side of linguine with shrimp and lemon oil sauce. The pairing was delicious!

The 2002 Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc. It is relatively high in alcohol 14.5% but this is basically the norm for Napa Cabs. In the glass it has a dark rich plum color with strong legs. You will get aromas of violets, blackberries and cassis. On the palate, you will experience the well rounded tannins from the merlot along with flavors of dark fruit, subtle oak and a long smooth finish.

I have been cellaring this wine for several years and we opened it at just the right time, 10 years from the harvest. It probably could have gone another couple of years in the bottle, but I am glad we opened it when we did!

Cheers!

The Hangout Festival Line up is announced!

Recently named Pollstar’s “Best Festival of the Year,” The Hangout Festival will return to the sandy beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama from May 18-20. The line up was announced this week and it is pretty good. Nothing close to last year or even the first year of the event if you ask me, but I guess it all depends on the person and their individual tastes. The three headliners are The Dave Matthews Band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Jack White. Those are the acts that will close down each night. Then there is Wilco, The String Cheese Incident, Dispatch, Steve Winwood, The Flaming Lips, STS9 and Michael Franti and Spearhead for the next level of acts. There are many more acts scheduled for the weekend and you can see the full line up for the three days here:

http://lineup.hangoutmusicfest.com/

I am excited about the event, but not as excited about the lineup as I was last year or even the year before. It is a strange festival season without Widespread Panic making the circuit this year and this line up is not as jam oriented as I would like. I don’t really consider DMB as being jam anymore; they are more pop than jam now. I will be excited to see the Chili Peppers since I haven’t seen them since the early days of Lollapalooza. Jack White should be interesting, he is technically solo now and this will be his first tour as a solo artist. I love the White Stripes and the Raconteurs but wasn’t a huge fan of The Dead Weather.



It will still be a great time due to the setting, how can you beat having a festival literally on the beach? Your bare feet in the sand, with a cool breeze coming off the ocean while enjoying a cold beverage and listening to live music! It really is the best scenario for a festival. Tickets go on sale on Friday February 10th and will go pretty fast. Also the condos and hotels in the area are moving quickly as well. So if you are interested you need to act swiftly! Hope to see you there!

Rock on!

Athen's musicians take a stand!

Patterson Hood, front man for the Drive By Truckers, has assembled a variety of Athens, GA musicians including Mike Mills from REM and John Bell and Todd Nance from Widespread Panic to record “After It’s Gone.” The song is an effort to protest a proposed building in downtown Athens anchored by a 94,000 square foot Walmart. The group known as Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13 has recorded the song for the Protect Downtown Athens organization. All of the musicians involved are long time Athens residents and would like to keep downtown Athens vibrant and dynamic with small local shops, restaurants and bars. Check out the video for the song below.



The band on “After It’s Gone” features:
Patterson Hood - Lead Vocals, Guitar (Drive By Truckers)
Mike Mills - Harmonies and Piano (REM)
John Bell - Lead Vocals (Widespread Panic)
Todd Nance – Percussion (Widespread Panic)
John Neff - Pedal Steel
David Barbe – Bass
Jay Gonzalez - Wurlitzer Electric Piano
Brad Morgan - Drums
Claire Campbell - Banjo and Harmonies
Lera Lynn - Harmonies
Brannen Miles, Carter King and Payton Bradford - Backing Vocals
Henry Barbe - Electric Guitar

To learn more about the project to protect downtown Athens go here:

www.Protectatdowntownathens.com

Wood Tour

Over the weekend, the well oiled machine that is Widespread Panic rolled back into Atlanta as part of their small venue acoustic tour appropriately named “Wood Tour.” It is a 4 city tour where they play the entire night acoustically. Due to the fact that they are playing relatively small venues, tickets were hard to come by. I was lucky enough to score some tickets for the Saturday show in the ATL at the famous Tabernacle.

First of all, I love the Tabernacle! What a great venue! The sound is really good and there is not a bad seat in the house. This is the smallest venue I have seen Panic play in person in many, many years. It was really cool!

Over their three night run in Atlanta, they played some great stuff. Of course they played some of their best know songs and dusted off some older ones that don’t get played too often. They also played some new ones both originals and covers. On Saturday, they ended the show with Many Rivers to Cross which was written by the great reggae artist Jimmy Cliff. I loved their version! It was a great way to end a great night of acoustic music.

The boys from Athens only have a few more shows to play before they take a hiatus for the rest of the year. They totally deserve it since they have been touring relentlessly for years. So, as of right now, that was my last Panic show for a while. I am glad I was able to catch them in such a great venue so in case they decide to stay on permanent hiatus. But I am totally expecting them to come back refreshed and ready for many more years in starting in 2013. They head down to Mexico for a few shows then back to Colorado to finish the mini tour. I really wish I could have worked things out to make any of those shows! They should be good ones!

Rock and Roll!

Bubba’s drive against Cancer

Professional golfer Bubba Watson, like most of us, has several people in his life that have had to deal with some form of cancer. His father died recently of throat cancer. Even when he was playing on the mini tours he still found a way to make donations and contributions to charity and charity events. Now that he has become very successful on the PGA tour he is extending his goals and contributions to cancer research. He has come up with Bubba and Friends Drive to a Million. For a couple years now, he has played with a driver that has a pink shaft, this year he is going with a full on pink driver.

Click here to read the official PGA Tour article:
http://www.pgatour.com/2012/tournaments/r004/01/24/bubba-farmers-ross/index.html

Not only is he playing with a pink club, for every drive over 300 yards that he hits, is sponsors will donate $300 to a cancer charity. Since Bubba is one of the longest drivers on the tour, I don’t see him having a problem hitting his goal by the end of the PGA season. You can track his progress on his website: bubbawatsongolf.com .

With the PGA season now in full swing, he is already making progress in his goal.

Nice job Bubba and good luck!

Happy B-Day Meg!

I promised not to make a big deal of it, but today is my wonderful wife’s birthday!

Happy Birthday Meg!

Viva Italia!

This was the name of the class that Meg and I attended this week at the Atlanta Wine School. As you might have guessed by the name of the class, it covered Italian wines as well as many other things Italian. The class was taught by Kelly Wheeler who is not has several wine certifications but he is also a chef so he had some delicious cheeses and a special Italian sausage and peppers dish he served with the wines.


The class included an overview of the different wine regions in Italy, some tips on how to speak Italian, along with some history facts and personal stories of his many trips to the beautiful country of Italy. Mr. Wheeler was very knowledgeable and entertaining and he did a great job of explaining the differences in the grapes, the style of the regions, the different techniques of wine making and of course nuances of the wine. Some of the descriptions he threw out there I really wasn’t getting but his pallet is much more sophisticated than mine so that make sense. For example, he said he could smell some brioche in one of the wines where I wasn’t getting anything resembling bread at all! I did get it when he said he smelt some road tar. I totally got that one!

Anyway, I wanted to share the fact that there is a wine school in Atlanta and they do a great job. I have been to several classes there now and I have never been disappointed. If I had the time I would definitely go more often and might even think about getting certified in wine there, but that just isn’t in the cards now. The wine school is a great place to learn more about all aspects of wine and I highly recommend taking a class or popping in for one of their wine and cheese tastings. I hope to post some reviews of the wines we tasted soon.

Cheers!

Another College Football Season in the books!

Now that the BCS Championship game has come and gone we can officially close the books on the 2011 College football season. The BCS Champions are the Alabama Crimson Tide and congratulations to Coach Saban, his team, and the fans of the Tide. They completely dominated LSU on both sides of the ball. It wasn’t a high scoring game but still exciting to watch.

With the win by Bama, that gives the SEC six straight National Champions, it give the University of Alabama two National Championships in the last three years and it gives the state of Alabama 3 straight National Titles with Auburn winning last year. That is pretty impressive and proves the best football is played in the south and in the SEC.

So now what? Well, for me it is exciting to follow the recruiting battles that are currently going on. By the way, UGA landed the top defensive player in the state of Georgia this week when Jordan Jenkins committed to play in Athens on Monday. There is still a good deal of top talent that hasn’t made any commitments so it will be interesting to see where they go.

Of course there are still the NFL playoffs but with my Falcons out, I am not nearly as interested. I will continue to watch because I love football and I am also intrigued by the Tebow phenomenon! The NBA is in full swing and the Hawks are playing pretty good, but I just don’t see them stacking up against Miami and Chicago this year. They will have a descent season and make the playoffs, but I see them losing in the first or second round of the playoffs. I wish I could say the Thrashers were hanging in there in the NHL but we all know what happened to them. As a matter of fact, the former Thrashers are actually doing pretty good in the standings. Winnipeg is currently 2nd in their division and in a playoff spot. The PGA tour also starts back up this month so that is a good thing and of course, Braves spring training are just around the corner.

So there are things sports related that interesting to watch and follow. Maybe now I will have time to get back in shape and work on my new years resolutions!