Vote for Paul Johnson!

Voting is now open for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award. Let's make sure Paul Johnson wins this thing for his great job at Georgia Tech this year.

Reasons to vote for Coach Johnson:

• Sports Illustrated projected the Jackets would go 3-9 this year. They finished 9-3, tied for the ACC Coastal Division lead.
• Pundits and talking heads argued that Coach Johnson's triple-option offense wouldn't work in a big-time, Division IA BCS Conference. Johnson's offense dropped over 400 yards on preseason #1 UGA, in Athens. They did the same thing to Miami.
• Coach Johnson had success in his first year at the helm at Tech, winning without players he recruited, and turning unknowns into nationally recognized names.

It is plain to see that the man can coach. He deserves to be Coach of the Year. Click the banner below to vote for Coach Johnson!

Paul Johnson

~E~

Sting Me, Baby!

For the first time since 2000, Georgia Tech can claim to be the best college football team in the state of Georgia, beating the Dawgs 45-42 on Saturday in the 103rd meeting of "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate." Tech rushed for over 400 yards and Roddy Jones had over 200 yards on the ground.

It was a great, if tense, game. At halftime it looked like it has for the past seven years, with UGA up 28-12. However, things changed quickly after the break, with Jonathan "The Diesel" Dwyer rumbling for a 60 yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. That lead to 26 third quarter points, and a lead that the Dawgs could not overcome.

Of course, in our house, this game is never good, because a win for one means a loss for the other, but we handled it pretty well I think. I tried not to rub it in too much.

It was a great day for Georgia Tech football, and hopefully a harbinger for wonderful things to come.

~E~

What a show!

Well, that was some game! The Wreck stalled the Hurricanes last night, whipping them 41-23 in a game that was nowhere near as close as the final score. The 'Canes scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter after Tech had built a 41-10 lead, and began playing the subs.

Tech gained 472 yards on the ground, and had 518 total yards. Running back Jonathan "The Diesel" Dwyer ran for 128 yards (all in the first half), and both QB Josh Nesbitt and wingback Roddy Jones came close to having 100 yards apiece on the ground (93 and 97 yards, respectively) .

Now, the cynic in me wants to say "Great! Now we have no chance at beating UGA, because we used up all our ammo against Miami!" However, I think that we are finally seeing a different football team at Tech. Paul Johnson's attitude is beginning to sink in, I think. This isn't the same-old Tech.

We were picked by most experts to be the cellar-dwellers in the ACC this year, with a new coaching staff and a new offense. Most doubted that Coach Johnson's offense would work at a big-time Division I school. I think he has proven his detractors wrong, and I believe the team is only going to get better from here.

Now, if we can just ride this momentum, and not get overconfident against those Dawgs, we'll be alright.

~E~

Crazy Days

Yeah, so I haven't updated in a couple of weeks. It has been pretty crazy around here. I've been so busy at work, that I haven't had time to update here. I have a few newish pics that I do plan to post sometime soon, just not exactly sure when I will get to them.

Until then, I'll just say "MASH ON THE GAS" to my Ramblin' Wreck as they take on Miami tonight.

The Big 30!

Well, we had a "surprise" birthday party for me this weekend, as my 30th birthday is coming up (November 8th). I put surprise in quotation marks because I knew it was coming. Ever since we got my brother Ken on his 30th, I knew the same would hold for me.

They actually had a better cover story for this party because Taylor, my youngest niece, has a birthday a few days before mine (Happy Birthday, Tay!). So, her party was the real reason everyone gathered this weekend.

I was actually surprised about what the theme of my party was gonna be. I figured it would be the same old "Over the Hill" stuff, but I was pleasantly shocked when I saw this:That is an old-school Georgia Tech logo from the 1950's.

It was a good day to be a Tech fan, too, with the Wreck squeaking out a much-needed victory over Florida State, putting us back in the top-25, and back into the lead for the ACC Coastal. Of course, we still need Virginia and Virginia Tech to lose another game, and we really need to win out (or at least win our remaining ACC games) to fully take advantage.

Thanks to Jessica, Mom, Dad, Ken, Terri, Kerry, Emily, Cami, and especially Taylor for the party (Taylor -- Thanks for sharing your party with me!).

Misadventures in Officiating...

Well, I just knew that the Phillies were going to prove me wrong, and win this year's Fall Classic. But the Tampa Bay Rays got a reprieve in the form of a timely RBI single, and an even more timely call to suspend Game 5. That's right, the series is on hold until better weather surfaces.

I don't disagree with Bud Selig's decision in this matter, probably because I am rooting for the Rays. But you have to admit that it hurts the Phillies because you know that Cole Hamels wasn't done when they called this thing. He was only at 75 pitches, going into the 7th inning (his spot is due up first in the bottom of the 6th). But with the delay, he will not be on the mound for the remainder of the game.

Then again, with the bullpen that the Phillies have, maybe this isn't such a bad thing after all. All I know is that if the Rays can get going, especially if Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria get hot like they showed last night, and get this thing back to Tampa, they have more than a legitimate shot at taking the whole shooting match.

Now, the umpires, on the other hand, need to figure out what is going on. The umpiring for the Series has been horrific, with numerous blown calls and inconsistent strike zones. This seems to be part of a bigger trend right now in sports. Off the top of my head I can think of several missed calls in the past weekend: the no-call of blatant holding on Michael Johnson in the Tech-UVA game that led to a Virginia TD; the missed call on the Eagles punt that claimed that the Falcons touched the ball (they didn't), giving the Eagles possesion leading to a score; the entire sequense of plays at the end zone in the NY Giants-Steelers game with the back-to-back challenges of touchdowns; the whole World Series. Coupled with numerous mistakes already made this year in officiating, it looks to be an atrocious year for the officials. Glad I'm not one of 'em.

Speaking of Tech, the Jackets looked horrible this weekend. Hopefully this isn't the start of the Wreck's annual fade, and more of a one-off bad game. We gotta play better next week against a decent FSU team that is trying to prove it is still the class of the ACC.

~E~

House Divided

Yeah, so, in my house, this is sort of par for the course. Jessica and her family are big UGA fans. Personally, I grew up loving Georgia Tech, and hating UGA. So, of course, it only makes sense that I would end up married to a Georgia fan. But, if that is the only blemish on her record, I think we'll be OK.

One compromise we have made is that we root for each other's teams when they are not playing one another. Works pretty well, but sometimes I have a relapse and find myself rooting for the Dawgs to loose. It is ingrained, and I can't help it.

But that last Saturday in November every year is really interesting, and has the potential to be brutal this year. Tech is ranked at #18 in the BCS standings, and #21 in the Coaches and AP polls. Georgia is at #7 in the BCS, and #9 in the other polls. If both teams continue their winning ways, that showdown could be huge for the BCS Bowl implications.

Of course both teams have a lot of games left before they get to that rivalry match-up. Tech has Virginia this week, and they have been improving. Tech will have a fight on their hands, and our offensive line has to play better than we have in the last few weeks. Meanwhile, Georgia has LSU, and the Bayou Bengals are not an easy foe. It will be interesting to see how that game turns out.

All I can say is Go Jackets! (And from Jessica and Zachary, "Go Dawgs!")

~E~

Things that make you go hmmm....

Well, nothing real earth-shattering today. Just some musings on sports.

GT played an underwhelming game this weekend, and almost seized defeat from the jaws of victory, but somehow, we managed to pull out the win. I can't say that a 10-7 win against Gardner-Webb inspires confidence, but with all the injuries and personnel changes for the week, I am just happy we didn't loose the game.

Georgia played well and won, and that is good. I can say that because they were playing Tennessee. And I hate the Vols.

Yesterday made for an amazing day of sports. The Colts destroy the Ravens, the Falcons squeak one out against the Bears, and Arizona shocks Dallas. All good things. It was nice here, because we watched most of the Falcons game, which directly preceded the Arizona game, which was then immediately followed by Game 3 of the NLCS in LA, which the Dodgers took with ease.

Speaking of baseball, go Rays! I'd love to see Tampa Bay win it all this year. I think they will beay Boston in 6 games. I think that the Phillies win the NLCS in 6, as well. My World Series prediction: Rays in 6.

Later,
~E~

Lord, I was born a Ramblin' Man...

Another week, another Tech win. This week they dismantled Mississippi State. The team looks really good, and looks like they are really starting to gel. The off week this week should help get some of our guys healthy again, and then we have Duke, which looks a bit tougher than it did to start the season.

Georgia also won this week, so the family teams are doing well. I've got a feeling it is going to be an interesting season.

Five more days until vacation! We can't wait. This time next week, we'll be in the mountains!

~E~

How I wish, How I wish you were here...

It was such a sad day yesterday, hearing the news of Richard Wright's passing. He was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, and an integral part of the band's legendary sound. Without his touch, some of the most iconic albums of all time would never have been. Below is a video from Pink Floyd playing Echoes at Pompeii, which, in my opinion, is Rick at his best. RIP.

In other news, Tech lost on Saturday, in a game they really could have (and should have) won. We are turning the ball over way too much, and we have to fix that. Hopefully we can get the kinks worked out in the next few weeks, and get back to our winning ways. And I have to say, UGA won again. Didn't look all that impressive, but a win is a win.

~E~

Another Tech Win (feels good to say that!)

Well, The Wreck won again, this time at Boston College, and I've gotta say, it was a little shocking.  I didn't get to see the game, but I listened to what I could, and we didn't play all that well.  But we pulled out the win, and that is all that matters.  We've got Virginia Tech coming up, and I know they will be tough.  We always have problems with them, and they are looking to show they still rule the ACC.  I think we can beat them, but we need to play better than we did this weekend.

As I did last week, here is my obligotory bragging picture:

Also, I feel compelled (by my wife, and most of my family) to say that UGA did win this weekend as well.

The family is doing well.  Zachary has started saying more words in the past week or so.  He is really starting to talk.  It is pretty neat.

~E~

I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech....

Well, you know the rest.

Tech opened their season last night, and what a fine open it was. Destroying Ryan Perrilloux and the Jax State Game Cocks 41-14. Of course, it was only Jax State. Next week, we've got Boston College, a much tougher opponent. We'll see if the Yellow Jackets can build on this game and take it to the Eagles. Should be a real good test.

And what about the Braves? Well, they have been stinking it up lately, but Jeff Francoeur has started to hit a little bit better, and Brian McCann had a huge 3-run homer last night to lead the Bravos past the fish, 4-2. Hopefully Chipper can hang on and win the batting title (which would be his first, at age 36). He leads Albert Pujols by 2 points, .359-.357. Gonna be a tight race from here on out, you can bet.

Just because I can, here is one of my favorite pictures of Zachary. I think I might post it after every Tech win this year.

~E~

Ready, Set, Go...

Well, so much for those World Series aspirations, huh? Can't believe the Braves are this bad this year. Tough year with injuries, though.

Oh well, I guess there is always football. Maybe my Jackets can surprise everyone with the new regime and rough up the ACC (and, of course, take it to those dirty rotten Dawgs). Will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Zachary and Jessica are on their way to Ohio, Michigan, and Canada. They have to take a couple of puppies to Canada, and are visiting Grandpa and Mary and Grandma and Grandpa Hodge while up there. They'll be gone all week...so it will be a bit like being single again for me. I guess that means some TLC for my guitar!

Here is a video of Zachary yesterday, "getting ready to go." He was holding two boxes of puppy food like suitcases at the door. It was cute.

~E~