Kicking Off the Fall Season Remler Style

Football season may have begun four weeks ago, but the fall season began this weekend. And it was a busy kickoff for the Remlers.

First, I got my kicks watching the Georgia game. The Bulldogs won! Against an SEC team! And there was actually competition during the game! Nevertheless, Davis fell asleep in his chair. We'll give him a pass on that because he was under the weather. But Stephen was also snoozing during the first half, and Lawson just abandoned the game to play X-Box Live. I don't understand. I found the game rather interesting to watch. And here's why:

Two seasons ago, when I started my Learning the Dawgs blog, I could not understand the reasons for all the different kicks. When do you punt, and when do you kick with a tee? And why do it two different ways to begin with? What's a pooch kick? What's the point of it? When is it appropriate to catch the ball after a kick and run it down the field, and when is it appropriate to let it fall to the ground and watch it roll toward the end zone? Kicking made very little sense to me.

But this year I get it. My light bulb moment occurred at the end of the first quarter. The score was 10-0, and Ole Miss punted but then watched the ball roll down the field, and I realized they wanted the ball to get as far into the Bulldogs' territory as possible. That way, when the Dawgs got the ball, they'd have farther to run. Makes sense.

Then, during the second quarter Ole Miss punted and Brandon Smith tried to catch it, but then he decided not to. He jumped out of the way and again, the Rebels watched the ball roll. But uh-oh! The ball almost rolled into the end zone! And Rebels floundered around, eventually swatting the ball back onto the field, where it ended somewhere at the one foot line. And that's when I got the end zone business. If the ball goes into the end zone, then the opposing team gets its first down at the 20 yard line. But by swatting the ball back onto the field, Georgia had to have its first down at that point, and they had farther down the field to go.

But I still didn't understand why Brandon Smith didn't catch the ball to begin with. Why did he jump out of the way? Fortunately, Davis had awakened from his Ny-Quil induced nap, and he said that sometimes the receiving team decides not to catch the ball because the receiver will get sacked and might fumble, thereby giving the opposing team possession.

So now everything about kicking makes sense except the decision not to catch the ball. I  mean, in every aspect of the game, nobody seems to mind getting tackled. At kickoff, the receiver catches the ball and runs right into the middle of a bunch of hulking defensive linemen waiting to tromp on him. Then, after the snap, the quarterback passes the ball to a receiver, who runs like the wind toward the goal post until a faster defensive player pulls him to the ground. Or the quarterback passes the ball over to a running back, who (if he's a Bulldog) runs right into the middle of a wall of defensive linemen, just salivating for a morsel of running back meat. After all, isn't that what all those pads are for? But punt the ball to a player, and all of a sudden, he's the Wimpy Kid. Oh, no, he thinks. Somebody might knock me down. And he jumps out of the way, allowing his opponents to tippie toe around the ball as it wobbles on its side toward the goal line.

I don't know. That "I might fumble if I get tackled" excuse seems kind of lame to me. If only the Georgia Bulldogs leaped out of the way of each punt, I'd understand it. After all, their chin straps still don't work (How long must we watch red helmets bouncing all over the field like popcorn?). But every team I've watched avoids catching that punt at some point. I say man up. Catch that ball. Run it down the field like your pants are on fire. Isn't football about mayhem and carnage?


And that's all I've got to say about football, because once the game ended, it was time for the next phase of the Remler Fall Kickoff:

Road Trip!
Shortly after half time, the Taylors came over! Dawn and Jim, after attending a fascinating legal conference, drove from St. Simons to Savannah for a short visit on Wilmington Island. And after some time to catch up with each other and enjoy a refreshing libation, we all showered up and put on our party clothes for a trip to beautiful Vidalia, Georgia, where we attended the surprise birthday party for BB and Hugh. 

Boy, Hugh and BB were flabbergasted to see the host of friends and relatives who had gathered at the home of Nancy and Tom Peterson. And we all had a fine time catching up with our cousins, aunts and uncles. After the party ended, Sabra and Martin joined us for the drive home, and after a short stop at the Vidalia Dairy Queen for a delicious dip cone, we went back to Savannah for a good night's rest.

This morning, after a light breakfast, the Taylors and the Neffs departed for the metro Atlanta area, leaving me and Stephen in the driveway wondering, What do we do now? 

Stephen looked at me and said, "Why don't we drive to Brunswick?"
I shrugged. "Why not?"
"Let's not tell Davis and Lawson where we're going," he said.
"Fine by me," I replied before returning inside to tell our boys, "We're going to run some errands."
And off we departed to travel down I-95 because we had not had enough of the interstate the previous day. And on our journey, we brought home...

Clifford
We found ourselves at the home of Stephen's brother, Brett, who had recently purchased a new truck from the Ford Motor Company. And because we didn't like to see Brett suffering from a lack of garage space, we decided to take his old Chevrolet Avalanche off his hands.

"Let's surprise Davis with it," Stephen said. "After all, he's been a good boy. He might enjoy driving a truck with a working radio."
"I think Davis will like that," I replied. And we were right. Here's the big smile on Davis's face upon receiving a new truck.

Lawson's mighty excited too, because now when Davis picks him up from school, he'll get to depart in a cool ride. Not only that, but Lawson soon discovered that the tool boxes in the back are too small for Davis to stuff him into them. He feels a lot safer now.

 

Of course, when one sees a vehicle of this size and color, one immediately feels the urge to call it Big Red. But Davis, Stephen, and I all declared that name too cliche'. We thought a while about a different name for the truck, and Stephen eventually came up with one just right: Clifford

Just like that big red cartoon dog. 

So now the weekend is at an end. Fall is here. Barbara and Hugh have celebrated the big 7-0. I understand punts. Davis gets to ride in comfort. Everybody's happy.

Praying for Troy--And Ourselves

Ironically, on this International Day of Freedom, Troy Anthony Davis is living his last day. Scheduled for execution tonight, Davis is spending his final hours visiting with family and friends while protestors stand vigil outside the walls of the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson, Georgia.

I’ve been listening to reports about Davis’s scheduled execution over the past couple of days. Most pundits refer to this case as a travesty of justice, citing repeatedly that seven of the nine witnesses in his case have recanted their testimony. If there’s any doubt to his guilt, they say, he should not die.

I agree. So do Pope Benedict XVI, former President Jimmy Carter, FBI Director William Sessions, and the European Union.

At the same time, I must acknowledge that there’s much I don’t know about this case. All I know about Davis’s appeals process is what I’ve read in the newspaper. Those reports are sketchy at best. While they inform the public that Davis’s appeals have been denied over the past several years, they have not specifically explained the reasons behind those denials. I must rely on newspaper reports, such as this one in today’s Los Angeles Times: 

Yet appeals courts have opted not to reverse the jury's decision because even with all the troubling new details, defense attorneys haven't been able to prove by clear and convincing evidence that Davis is innocent. That's a different burden of proof than is required at trial, where prosecutors need to demonstrate guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

While I don’t dispute the Times’s claims, I also have not read court documents, which might explain the denials more specifically. I wonder how many people have.

What I can infer is this:  Davis’s relentless attorneys and supporters have taken his case all the way through the state justice system, unfortunately being denied a new trial. Then they’ve been through the federal courts, eventually to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to give Davis a hearing. As judges have considered Davis’s case through these phases of state and federal justice systems, they must decide according to the law as it’s written. If we need to change the law, then we should do so. But we should not point fingers at the officials we have elected and appointed to abide by it.

The Los Angeles Timesfurther claims that this failure in the justice system is “why the death penalty should be abolished.” Fair enough. But just before I watched TV reports about Davis’s pending execution, I saw another report about the trial of Joshua Komisarjevsky, one of the two accused murders of the wife and children of Dr. William Petit.  Komisarjevsky and his accomplice Steven Hayes were charged, among other things, with beating Dr. Petit and sexually assaulting his wife and daughters before murdering them and burning down their house. Komisarjevsky has admitted to the crimes. His accomplice, Hayes, has already been convicted and is on death row. Still, Komisarjevsky has pled not guilty to all seventeen charges. Overwhelming evidence points to his guilt. And if a jury finds him guilty and sentences him to death, I can’t say I’ll be sorry.

Meanwhile, the Davis case serves as a tragic example of how state laws should be modified to avoid devastating consequences for those wrongly accused. Some of my friends in other states, understandably outraged, are getting online and calling Georgia’s lawmakers “a bunch of barbarians.” Those friends are entitled to say what they want, but I think this is not the time for name calling. That does Troy Davis no good. Instead, if my friends (and I) want to make a difference, we should read the court documents to understand better why our state and federal lawmakers made their decisions. Then we should take action to change the law so that no other convicted citizens find themselves in Troy Davis’s situation.

We might be able to make a difference to other victims of our flawed justice system. For today, I think the best thing we can do is pray for Troy Davis and his family.

A Good Day for Football

Yesterday morning demonstrated I have much to learn about college football. First thing, I turned on the TV to set the DVR to record the Georgia game. But I couldn't find it anywhere.

"It's not playing on TV," Stephen said. "It's not a good enough game."

Fair enough. So then I started searching for it on Pay Per View. That's when the sticker shock hit me:"Thirty four dollars? Jesus Christ! That's ridiculous!" I screamed. "Who'd pay thirty four dollars to watch the Bulldogs play the Chanticleers?"

"Why don't you to go Coach's Corner?" Stephen asked. "They're bound to be playing the game there. Or maybe the Wilmington Island Club."

Then Lawson got up."Lawson, do you want to go to the Wilmington Island Club to watch the Georgia game with me?"

"No," he said. "I'd rather watch it here."

"Oh, but do you  know how much it costs to watch it on Pay Per View?" I asked, arms akimbo, nodding with that omniscient parental nod that I've gotten pretty good at.

He turned to face me. "'Thirty four dollars? Jesus Christ! That's ridiculous!' I know, Mom. I bet the whole neighborhood knows by now."

Okay, so maybe I should have sticker shock with my inside voice.

Turns out the manager at the Wilmington Island Club wasn't interested in forking over thirty four bucks to watch it either.

I get the logic of playing the game on Pay Per View, but I don't understand the logic of the price. I can watch a big game, like Georgia vs LSU for free, but if I want to watch a little game, I have to go to the ATM first. It seems to me Comcast would get more takers if they asked customers to cough up five bucks instead of thirty-five. But that's just me.

But know I know this: not only do I have to learn the rules of the game. I also have to learn the rules of cable sportscasting.

Nevertheless, yesterday was a great day for football, and here's why:

• Georgia Won:  Big time. No surprise, though. See my previous post about the Chanticleers*. 
• Notre Dame Won!: Woo hoo! Now, I don't really follow the Irish that closely, but I can't remember when they won a game. And they beat Michigan State  too! Big rivalry. So I am happy not only for Notre Dame, but also for my dear friends Beth Howells and Nylce Prada Myers, devoted Notre Dame fans. Last night was a good night for them. 
• Clemson beat Auburn! Wow! Now, it's not that I'm so anti-Auburn. I have several friends who are Auburn alums, so I mean no disrespect to them, but if the Tigers are going to play the Tigers, I have to go with, well, the Tigers. After all, one of my football mentors, former football star Mike Gasque quarterbacked for Clemson during their championship year. If he's going to teach me the ways of the game, the least I can do is root for his team.  
• BC Won!: Last night Stephen and I joined Kelley and David and Michael and Shelley at Memorial Stadium to watch what the football announcers called Georgia's oldest football rivalry. I'm not going to do any fact checking on that; instead, I'm just going to enjoy the fact that the BC Cadets put a hurtin' on Savannah High School.

So there you go. I'm feeling pretty good about how I kept up with four different football games in one day. But I also realize I have to pull my notes out from last year. I've already forgotten what a nickel back and a dime back are because half the time, I'm trying to keep up with where the ball is. One of these days, someone will figure out how to put that yellow first down line on the field during a high school football game. Next weekend when Georgia plays Ole Miss, I'll have my notebook with me again.

*Nota Bene: Regarding my last post about the Chanticleers, I was rather snarky about the team's coach. Thanks to my friend and former football star Mike Gasque, I now know that Coastal Carolina's football team has only been around a couple of years or so, so they haven't even developed callouses on their feet yet. So I'll back off some. Still, I think they should reconsider the name of their team.

Commissioning's Over: Back to Football

Last weekend was just too busy to write about football. It was all I could do to upload my commissioning photos and post on the blog about Davis's big day. But now that's over, and I can think about football again.

I recorded the Georgia-South Carolina game on the DVR, and I watched it Sunday night. I have to say, it looks like Mark Richt did light a fire under his Bulldogs last weekend. Although the score didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, that last half was pretty darn exciting.

This week, Georgia's shifting gears, transitioning from a contest against Steve Spurrier's Division I SEC team to playing Coastal Carolina University, a school I'd never heard of until I saw Georgia's schedule a few weeks ago. I didn't even know what their team name was until a few minutes ago. It's the Chanticleers.

We're playing roosters again.

At least South Carolina's roosters have a tough name. Gamecocks fight each other till the death. What do Chanticleers do? They crow. In fact, they crow so loud that they fail to notice the lurking foxes that eventually take them by the throat.

I should have more respect for the Chanticleers. Obviously, someone in their athletic history read The Canterbury Tales.  I suppose I should recognize that Chanticleer was a proud rooster, pride's always a good attribute for a team. But Chanticleer's pride was also his downfall. The only reason he saved his own life was because the fox was just as prideful as he was. But I'd be willing to bet that many football fans don't know (or have forgotten) who Chaucer's fictional rooster is, and even if they do remember, Chanticleer is, well, it's just not a good football team name. It's not tough enough.

Chanticleer is only slightly better than the football team name Macon, Georgia's former Central High School had. When the school still operated under the name Lanier High School, named for Georgia's Sidney Lanier, the athletic teams were named the Poets. I get the connection, but honestly, poets just aren't at all intimidating. It seems to me that if a school is going to name its team after poets, at least make them epic poets. And if a team is going to be named after a chicken, why not the Leghorns? Or the Wyandottes? Even the Appenzellers.

But the Chanticleers? 

But let's set the name aside for now. The Chanticleers don't even talk tough. I guess they know they'll be playing out of their league this weekend. During yesterday's press conference, CCU head coach David Bennett said, "We are the small guys. Hey, they're the dogs. We are going to have to fight the dogs off." He also added, "We can't worry about the score. We've got to go play the game." Hmm. To me, that's code for "We're going to lose. But that's okay because the Dawgs need a win. We'll be the ones to give it to them."

If Georgia doesn't beat this team, those Dawgs will have egg all over their faces.

Commissioning Weekend Remler Style

Davis Remler's parents were so proud of him they were about to pop. So they couldn't let the weekend pass with just a ceremony at the school. Instead, they invited Davis's grandparents, aunts and uncles to Savannah for the weekend, threw a party, and generally had a big time. Davis's mom took more than 200 pictures of the occasion, but that number would be too great to post here. Instead of uploading a bunch of individual photos for readers to scroll through, she created this short video of weekend highlights. We had a beautiful weekend, which we enjoyed with barbecue, water balloons, ladder golf, washers, shark fin hats, pretty dresses, and a military saber.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Show Us Some Nellie!

This week's Bulldog report appears pregame because this week is packed with activity. My son's commissioning is Saturday evening, and the ceremony conflicts with the game.

Hence, I'll have my DVR going, and I'll watch the game, but I'll be avoiding the news until I'm finished.

I've been reading the post-Boise State sports blogs this week. It seems that the Remler family's sports conversations sounded just like those at Bill King's family reunion: "Some were ready now to write fini to the Richt era," writes King. "Others took the tack I did in my postgame blog, that losing to the Top 5 team in the country in the first game doesn’t necessarily mean a doomed season." Fair enough, but the Remler consensus is that Mark Richt needs to change his tune if he wants to remain a Bulldog. My father in-law says that Mark Richt is too nice a guy and his players know he's too nice a guy, so they don't perform.

Maybe he has a point. The way I see it, Mark Richt is the Pa Ingalls of SEC football coaches.

 

He's youthful looking, has lots of kids, is handsome enough, and he plays fair. Okay, Richt doesn't cry at every warm and fuzzy moment, but in every other respect, he's Pa. And there's nothing wrong with Pa. He's a great guy. People love him. In fact, when he breaks his ribs and can't go to work and his farm is on the brink of foreclosure, all his friends rally around him and do his work so the bank will back off. We all cheer for Pa. 

The problem this week is that if Mark Richt is Pa, then Steve Spurrier is Nellie Oleson. 

 

Who doesn't want to tackle that onion face? But what the Ingallses have learned time and again is that to beat Nellie, you have to give her a taste of her own medicine. That means that if the Dawgs want to be Carolina this weekend, they've got to show us some Nellie on that field. And Richt has to show us some Nellie on the sidelines too. 

I don't want to see any of this Pa Ingalls, glass half-full, positive outlook stuff. Nuh-uh. 

I want to see some of this business.

 

And this.

Not so much of this, though. He looks like he's yawning there. No time for naps on the gridiron.
In other words, maybe Mark Richt ought to get a little bitchy out there, scare some touchdowns into those Dawgs. Can't hurt. Might help.

P.S. If you're reading this blog on Facebook, please go to my blog at Remlerville (http://remlerville.blogspot.com) to answer my question about those rubber bands the players wear on their arms and legs. Thank you.

Not a Happy Night for the Dawgs

It was not a good night for Georgia fans last night. For most of the game, the Dawgs looked little different from how they performed last year. Brandon Boykin's beautiful run down the field lifted spirits in the first quarter. But then Bulldog performance was underwhelming until Orson Charles's touchdown pass completion late in the game. But it's a little disappointing when the team's reason for celebrating is that they're only losing by two touchdowns. 

Eventually, I changed the channel and tuned into "Little House on the Prairie." I think the Dawgs could use some of Nellie Oleson's vinegar.

Watching "Little House on the Prairie" inspired me to think happy thoughts, so with a positive football attitude, I wish the Dawgs better luck next week. Then I reminisce about happier Georgia days when Stephen and I would take our coupon books to the Georgia coliseum and get our football tickets. We'd sit with a block of our friends and cheer on the Dawgs. In 1986, Georgia beat South Carolina, Old Miss, LSU, Clemson, Kentucky, and Tech. Vince Dooley was the coach. Football was fun.

 
Still, I can't help playing a small role of the armchair quarterback. 
 
If I were Mark Richt I would have:

1. Worn less  makeup:  I know he has to look good on HDTV, but honestly, his face was so orange he looked like a Broncos fan in a red shirt. 
2. Told Jarvis Jones to keep his helmet on:  Last I checked, chin straps weren't high tech, and even if they were, ninety-nine other guys on the team managed to figure theirs out. Jones lost his lid so much I began to wonder if he just wanted to get his face on TV. 
3. Told the team to chill after the first touchdown: My father in-law made the observation a couple of years ago that when Georgia scores early in the game, they act like they're going to win 7-0 and the game goes downhill from there. His observation was right on the money last night. Yes, Boykin's TD was lovely, and he deserved some pats on the back, but everyone in a red uniform acted as if he'd turned water into wine. 
4. Asked Nike to put players' names on the backs of those new uniforms:After last night's debacle, we'll probably never see those uniforms again (which might be a good idea since Jones's helmet seems defective), but for the season opener, it would have been nice to tell which player was which. I had to keep a team roster with me the whole time, and I still had trouble telling the difference between Orson Charles (#7) and Jesse Jones (also #7). Branden Smith and Isaiah Crowell both wear #1. At least I can tell them apart because Crowell has those awful long braids and Smith keeps his hair cut short. Still, names would have helped.
5. Asked Herschel Walker to suit up and get on that field: Apparently Walker's been mentoring the Dawgs over the summer, and he was on the sidelines cheering them on in the Georgia Dome. But last night, they needed more than his moral support. He still looked in good shape. Maybe he could have helped. 
6. Polished up that resume at halftime: He might be using it in the near future.     

Here's hoping the regular season fares better than the Chik-fil-A Classic. Maybe the Dawgs should have eaten more chikin. 

It's Football Season Again!

Last year I took a hiatus from my football postings because, well, the Dawgs had such a disappointing season. But this year the Football Idiot postings are back! I'll start with the Georgia-Boise State game tomorrow and keep posting as I can. However, instead of posting on a separate blog like a did two years ago, I'll put my posts on the Remlerville site. It's just too complicated managing multiple blogs. This year simplicity is key.

Go Dawgs!