In Other News

Men's Golf and baseball just got a little less deep:

• Closer Tyler Maloof will be out for at least a month with a muscle strain in his arm. Maloof tied the single season save record last year, but had a big ERA. We were looking to have him get stronger in close situations. Now we might not have him available until well into the SEC schedule. Blake Dieterich and Bryan Benzor are the top candidates to get the ball for now.
• Bryden Macpherson has decided to withdraw from school and take up golf as a profession. Macpherson qualified for The Masters with a win in last year's British Amateur Open. Macpherson was the SEC Freshman of the year and a big part of our National Championship runner up finish last year. I expect to hear some muffled 'Go Dawgs' when he tees it up in Augusta.

TD

Diamond Dawgs Returning

Looks like Perno will have a strong nucleus of his NCAA regional team back, including ace Michael Palazzone.  Of the current Dawgs that were drafted, only Cone, who was a first rounder, RHP Cecil Tanner and OF Chase Davidson signed pro contracts.  Tyler Maloof and Peter Verdin will return this spring with Palazzone. 

Also, several of the top rated signing class signed contracts, including first rounder Dante Bichette, Patrick Leonard, Matt Taylor, Nick Delmonico, and Tyler Greene.  Wayne County star Tyler Palmer, who was drafted by Florida early, but got hurt over the summer, not to enroll, either. 

That leaves LHP Jarrett Brown, RHP Mike Mancuso, RHP David Sosebee, OF Hunter Cole, and OF/RHP Heath Holder all joining the Diamond Dawgs for the Spring.  If any one of those pitchers can step up and be a starter, Perno's team will be in good shape. 

Three Diamond Dawgs Sign Pro Contracts

Nothing too crazy.  Chase Davidson and Cecil Tanner both were drafted out of high school, so the likelihood of their draft stock going way up as seniors is fairly low.  Both were drafted later, but with the way the baseball draft works, going out as a junior makes sense unless there is a significant chance you will put up a huge year, or you really want to finish your degree and play for the CWS.  Teams know you have no options once your college eligibility is finished, so senior ballplayers oftentimes will fall later or not be drafted at all.

As for Ben Cornwell, I was looking forward to seeing him next year after his performance in Corvallis.  That very performance probably got him the free agent contract from the Mariners.  He has already earned his degree, so staying for glory was about all he had left.  He'll report next week to some place in low A ball.

Good luck to all three in the pros.

Matt Taylor, a lefty pitcher that had signed with the Dawgs, decided to go pro after being drafted in the fifth round by the Orioles.  To date, he is the only signee to do so, but I wouldn't put money on him being the only one that does.

Final date to sign a contract is August 15th.

From Georgiadogs.com:

Current Georgia Bulldogs In the 2011 MLB Draft

Zach Cone, OF, Texas, 1^st Round Compensation, 37^th overall

Cecil Tanner, RHP, Oakland, 23^rd Round, 706^th overall

Michael Palazzone, RHP, 24^th Round, 731^st overall

Johnathan Taylor, OF, Texas, 33^rd Round, 1,014^th overall

Tyler Maloof, RHP, Cleveland, 34^th Round, 1,028^th overall

Peter Verdin, OF, Washington, 39^th Round, 1,177^th overall

Chase Davidson, OF, Houston, 41^st Round, 1,240^th overall

2011 Bulldog Recruiting Class

Dante Bichette, Jr., INF, N.Y. Yankees, 1^st Round Compensation, 51^st overall

Tyler Palmer, INF, Florida, 4^th Round, 133^rd overall

Patrick Leonard, INF, Kansas City, 5^th Round, 156^th overall

Matthew Taylor, LHP, Baltimore, 5^th Round, 155^th overall

Nick Delmonico, C/INF, Baltimore, 6^th Round, 185^th overall

Tyler Greene, INF, Philadelphia, 11^th Round, 361^st overall

Jarrett Brown, LHP, Boston, 23^rd Round, 712^th overall

Mike Mancuso, RHP, Chicago White Sox, 46^th Round, 1,401^st overall

David Sosebee, RHP, Boston, 48^th Round, 1,462^nd overall

Hunter Cole, OF, Washington, 49th Round, 1,477^th overall

Heath Holder, OF/RHP, Colorado, 50^th Round, 1,518^th overall

Diamond Dawgs Finish Season

For a team that has been to Omaha every third year in the past ten, this season was just about as head scratching as you could possibly imagine.  After the late, late night (American Time) finish Sunday, the Dawgs end up with a winning record, advancing to the NCAA regional finals, making a run in the SEC tournament from the losers bracket, yet making us all feel like we could have, should have had more.

I was going to make this a Profiles in Hope article, but since I don't want to steal PWD's meme, and can't spell porfiles profiles, or hope, without spell check, I took the easy way out.  This team is stocked with guys that have a year or three left.  Of course, the trick is how many of them get drafted high enough for a bonus to lure them away.  You have to think Palazzone is out, since he's been drafted twice.  This season has done nothing but made him look very likely to get a top three or four round pick, at worse.

Zach Cone is already off the board, getting taken last night in the Sandwich Round (between 1st and 2nd rounds) by the Rangers.  Signee Dante Bichette, Jr. (Orangewood Christian, Maitland, FL) was drafted by the Yankees in the Sandwich Round, as well. Nick Delmonico and Tyler Greene are other Georgia signees that bear watching over the next couple of days.  Both are projected top 3 rounders.   Depending on who you talk to (I prefer my liquor store owner), top two rounds is super bonus money, but what is a $100K among friends? Getting them to Athens would be spectacular, but getting one of the two to Athens would be a good goal at this point.  Losing Bichette, Delmonico and Greene to the South Atlantic and Texas Leagues would hurt.

Perno started this season on thin ice, IMHO.  It might be too early to say it, but getting so many players back, coupled with what could have been in 2011 will make it a very interesting year in 2012.

TD
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UPDATE: Delmonico gets drafted by Baltimore early in the 6th. Tyler Green comes off the board to Philly with the last pick of the 11th round.  If I had to guess, I'd say we still get one, but not both of these guys.

Dawgs Face Creighton in Elimination Game

Oregon State took care of Creighton last night 5-1.   First pitch is at 4pm on ESPN3.com.

The winner will face Oregon State at 9pm tonight, with the 'if'game scheduled for tomorrow at 9pm.

Creighton Drops Dawgs in Corvallis

2-1 final.  There is a reason Creighton pitcher Josh Dufek only has one loss.  Palazzone had a great game, going the distance and striking out 5, giving up seven hits.  His only multi hit inning was the two run seventh that proved to be the difference.  That free swinging attitude at the plate hurt Georgia with the Dawgs swinging on seven of Dufek's 10 strikeouts.

Dawgs face UALR today at 4 on ESPN3.com.  Alex Wood will be on the mound for Georgia.

Diamond Dawgs First Pitch is 4pm ET Friday

Not a bad break for the Dawgs getting a regular start time. They take on the Creighton Bluejays at 4pm ET in Game 1 of the Corvallis regional on ESPN3.com. I'm not going all Kyle King on you and give you all the stats you can eat, but it is a break not to play the late game (9pm ET).

The Dawgs will send Palazzone (10-4, 3.20) against Creighton's likely starter Jonas Dufek. Alex Wood will get the nod for Georgia in the second game. It goes without saying that getting a win in the first game is huge, as it gives the Dawgs a chance to limit the number of innings the pitchers have to throw. With 61 games and 532 innings under their belt, any rest is welcome

The winner plays at 9pm ET Saturday against the winner of Oregon State-UALR . Loser plays at 4pm ET Saturday.

TD

If You Can't Spot the Sucker...

You are the sucker.

While I am intimidated by the task of matching the quality work that has been done here before, I am comforted by the reality that I won't reach that level much.

I am an optimistic and ambitious person by nature. While I might not reach the level of writing you have seen here over the past seven years, that won't keep me from working to reach that level. Optimism is what gets your heart stomped flat. Ambition is what gets you rings that you can trade for tattoos and cars in Columbus, Ohio.

In that vein, the Diamond Dawgs' run in Hoover makes me think of the power of optimism. After the loss to Vandy in the opening game of the SEC Baseball Tournament, I thought Perno was in trouble. Putting aside the level of the competition, not showing up for that game, after losing two of three in such heartbreaking fashion the weekend before, was a killer.

However, the heart and fight of the Diamond Dawgs showed optimism, even in the face of long odds, is worth getting your heart stomped flat over. Coach Perno's use of his pitching staff yesterday was masterful. You could say it was out of necessity, but it was masterful. Of course, timely hitting and strong defense makes all coaches look good.

Will the Diamond Dawgs get a bid to play in the regional? I don't know. The selection committee has shown that tough scheduling in a tough conference gets you selected, if you are eligible. The Dawgs got eligible with the run in Hoover. More importantly, they beat top rated teams and played with heart in the second game yesterday. That should get them in.

Do they have enough to make it to Omaha? If they can beat South Carolina and Florida and give Florida all they can handle in the second game of the day, they can beat anyone, anywhere. Seeding and placement is key. Oh yeah, a rain out that gives Palazzone three chances to pitch wouldn't hurt either.

And it looks like Paul has found the sucker.

TD

Our Long National Nightmare is Over

David Perno fired Pitching Coach Brady Wiederhold after four seasons. This year, the Georgia Bulldogs had arms. Five Bulldog pitchers were drafted in the most recent MLB draft. However, the team had an absolutely absurd team ERA of 8.51 (8.48 in SEC play...so it was always bad...not just on weekdays) which was 12th best in the SEC. The 11th best pitching staff in the league had a team ERA of 6.92 and the 10th had an ERA of 5.88.

The low light for me was the 14 walk performance against Georgia Tech in Athens. The team had given up 12 walks before the end of the 5th inning, and the team's "closer" surrendered 3 consecutive walks after entering the game with the bases loaded.

When your ERA is 2.63 runs per game out of 10th place in your league, you're terrible. It would be different if there was no talent at that position. But that certainly wasn't the case.

I sincerely like Coach Perno, and I respect what he has accomplished overall in Athens. But this needed to be done. Badly. Rebuilding the pitching staff will take time, but this was the biggest no brainer termination in Athens in quite some time. Hopefully, more systemic changes are coming because there were problems with last year's team beyond just the pitching coach.

Onward and upward,

PWD

Perno on Draftees & Coaching Changes

Coach Perno discussed the MLB draft's impact on the incoming baseball recruiting class with 960 The Ref Monday. The interview can be heard here. We're almost sure to lose RHP Ralston Cash, but Perno sounds optimistic on the rest of the drafted kids, including RHP Drew Cisco. We still have some recruiting to do with these guys, but Perno thinks the kids will hold fast for big money. If they don't get it, Perno thinks they'll play college ball rather than give in to the minors. Perno also noted that a lot of the big shot recruits we either didn't go after or went after and lost, all went high in the draft and are likely going to the minors instead of college.

Assistant coaching changes were raised in the interview, but Perno sounded like there won't be any. I hope these incoming pitchers have some serious talent.

Quinton

Non-Revenue Roundup

Georgia is used to a solid spring of athletic victory, but this year has seen mixed to no success.  Spring hasn't been all bad so far, but it hasn't been particularly enjoyable either.  Here's an update:

Baseball:  Ugh.  Where to begin?  The most obvious problem with the baseball team is that the pitchers can't get hitters out.  The team ERA is a titanic 8.52, three runs ahead of the the closest competitor.  When the opposition isn't hitting at the plate, they are walking.  We've issued 207 free passes this year, besting our closest competition in that stat by 40(!) walks.  You can't win with those stats even if you are hitting the ball well, which we aren't.  We're also last in the league in average and runs.  Our pitching coach, Brady Wiederhold, should take a long look at his work this year (and last).  Perno, in turn, should take a long look at Wiederhold. The numbers don't lie. 

Gymnastics:  After five straight national championships, losing one of the greatest college gymnasts ever, and the resignation of one of the greatest coaches in UGA history, a letdown was inevitable.  But this big of a letdown? The GymDogs didn't get out of their first round meet this year, much less to the Super Six.  

Men's Tennis:  The NCAAs are still upcoming, but the season ended with a wobble and thud.  The Dawgs were undefeated in conference before their final two matches against UF and UT, the best two teams in the conference.  Those matches resulted in two Ls.  It didn't help that freshman Bo Seal was suspended for the final leg of the season.  He stayed suspended for the SEC Tournament last weekend and the team fell 4-3 to Auburn in their first match.  It appears Seal won't be playing in the NCAAs either, which greatly limits the team's prospects.  Manny Diaz has signed two really good American prospects for next year, but we continue to get burned overseas by players who either go pro early or can't pass the TOEFL exam.

Women's Tennis: The girls fared only a little worse than the guys.  They lost in their first round match up in Athens at the SEC Tournament.  This isn't a championship squad, but the pieces are in place for an excellent team next year.  Gullickson and Gilchrist will be at the top of the line up, but Coach Wallace will welcome what should be the top recruiting class in the country.  He signed four bluechippers and the top prep player in Japan.  

Soccer:  Their season isn't until the fall, but the soccer program had some big news recently with the resignation of Coach Patrick Baker resigned abruptly to spend more time with his family.  It's a sad commentary when that stated reason leads you to suspect seriously malfeasance or perversion, but I haven't heard anything that would contradict Baker's stated reasons for quitting.  But, I wouldn't know anything about the soccer program other than scores.  Steve Holeman, formerly the HC at Ole Miss, will take over for Baker.  

It hasn't been a total loss, though.  We can all celebrate the equestrian team's national title in a sport that doesn't count in the Sears Cup and isn't recognized by the SEC. Hooray.  Maybe softball can brighten our prospects, but by all accounts, 2009-2010 has been a long year for athletics.

Quinton

Thrown to the Tigers

The baseball team lost another series last weekend in Starkville, but they at least pulled out their first SEC win of the season last Saturday. Justin Grimm turned in a good performance on the hill and got the win.  Kyle Farmer returned to starting lineup giving us the middle infield we expected coming into the year.  The Dawgs had a 10-2 lead in the 8th Sunday, but the bullpen gave up nine in the final six MSU outs.  That 10-2 lead turned into a 11-10 loss.  The Sunday game reminded me of some games last year where our talent in the pen couldn't translate into outs.  It resulted in some nightmare innings that cost us some easy wins.  State is likely the worst team in the SEC West, but at least we got a win on the road.

No one will be mistaking State for this weekend's opponent, defending national champion LSU.  The Tigers have returned to the nation's baseball elite and are currently ranked in the top 5 of every poll.  Perno has moved Grimm to Friday night, which I think is a good move.  Tonight, he'll face tall, lanky strikeout machine, Anthony Ranaudo, a sure first round pick in the upcoming MLB draft with a 90+ MPH fastball and a nasty curve.  Ranaudo was injured early in the year with a shoulder ailment.  He returned last weekend in Knoxville and pitched two perfect innings.  I'd expect him to pitch more innings in tonight's start.  LSU also has one of the best hitting lineups in college baseball.  Grimm has to pitch well tonight for us to have a chance at a single win in Baton Rouge. One win this weekend would be a big step forward for this team.

Tonight's game will be televised on ESPNU at 8:30 EST.

Quinton

Diamond Dawgs Slaughtered

As a Georgia baseball fan, it pains me to write that the past weekend was a complete and total demolition of the UGA baseball team, a bloody execution too gruesome for your children to be admitted to watch.  Auburn swept us in the weekend series by a collective run total of 43-9.  If it were a boxing match, they would have stopped two of the three games in the early rounds for fear of Georgia's eminent death. "Quinton," you say, "that's a bit harsh isn't it?"  Here's Perno's quote after the sweep: 

"We’re not good and that’s my fault. There were too many expectations on this group and we’re not a good baseball team on any front — we don’t defend, we don’t pitch and we can’t hit. We don’t have a whole lot of grit or toughness, we don’t throw enough strikes and we sure have a tough time scoring runs."

So, if we can't do any of that stuff, what can we do?  Lose, repeatedly.  

To reinforce the point, Auburn is #29 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll.  They aren't in nor are they receiving votes in any of the other polls.  We just got destroyed by them.  Left on the schedule: #4 LSU in Baton Rouge, #6 Clemson, #8 Florida in Gainesville, #17 Ole Miss, #18 South Carolina, #20 Arkansas in Fayetteville, and #23 Vanderbilt in Nashville.  Plus #5 Tech a couple more times.  If Auburn got 43 in Athens, what could a really good team do?

We're young and we're hurt, but I doubt the team would make it to Hoover with everybody healthy.  Take your lumps, learn from it, recruit, and evaluate the assistants at the end of the year.  This season is done, folks.

Quinton

Baseball in Atlanta Tonight

Perno's boys visit Russ Chandler tonight to play Tech.  The fortunes of the two teams involved are divergent.  Tech is 12-1 and No. 3 in the country while we're 8-8 after last weekend's series win.  Sunday's game saw Siena hold on for a 10-9 win.

The Dawgs will have freshman Blake Dieterich on the hill in his first career start.  Blake's had a few relief appearances with some mixed success (7.1 IP, 8H, 4BB, 8Ks).  Tech will counter with sophomore Mark Pope who has some impressive stats in six innings pitched (0.00 ERA, 4H, 7Ks).  The pitching match up looks to favor the insects.  

The baseball team hasn't looked good so far this season and those performances make sense in light of our youth and injuries.  But, the pitching, long thought to be a great asset in the preseason, hasn't shown up.  The offense, long thought to be a liability in the preseason, has lived up to its billing.  There are a few signs of hope at the plate, the biggest of which is fresh faced freshman Robert Shipman who has been filling in for injured Chase Davidson at first.  In four games last week, Shipman went 7-for-13 with 3HRs and six RBIs. 

A big game against a highly ranked rival might reveal the latent talent on this team.  If we can somehow find a way to pull it out, it could be the spark to better play this season.  If you're in Atlanta tonight, get out and cheer on the team.

Quinton

Super, Craptacular Weekend

By way of a recap, here's what happened this weekend:

• The baseball team got pummeled, repeatedly, in a weekend sweep by Florida State. Imagine your worst nightmare as a baseball coach and that's what Perno got this weekend. The staff ace gave up seven earned in four innings, McRee gave up three earned and three walks without recording an out, and Cecil Tanner gave up six earned with six walks. No one outside of Johnathan Taylor on Friday night had any offensive production to note. Maybe it's the type of beating that wakes a team up, but if we play like that in conference play, it's going to be a long and sparsely attended baseball season.
• The basketball team lost one of the worst basketball games you will ever see Saturday. Both UGA and LSU shot under 37% from the field. Neither team scored a field goal for the first five and a half minutes of the game. It was 20-20 at the half. The Dawgs lost their best chance at a road win against one of the worst SEC basketball teams of recent vintage. As I've told PWD, it's literally impossible for us to win a road game. Impossible.
• The top ranked equestrian team even lost to Auburn.
• The carnage wasn't limited to current Bulldogs. John Isner, representing the USA in the Davis Cup in Serbia, lost his two singles matches. The US got beat 3-2. Isner did help get one win. When Mike Bryan got sick, Isner teamed up with Bob Bryan to win in doubles.
• To top it all off, freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger got arrested for actin' a fool outside a bar in Remerton. Guess that three way QB battle in spring practice just went to a two way race. Just as I am amazed by what otherwise wealthy people will do for a free t-shirt at a basketball game, I am amazed at what a college student will risk for a few beers.

There were a few bright spots. The softball team dominated with a couple of no-nos before conference play starts and the tennis teams won their matches.

Quinton

Baseball Limps to Tally

The baseball team's strategy this year was going to reliant on strong pitching and manufacturing runs without the power bats we've enjoyed the last few years.  So far, that strategy has been working ... against Stetson and Presbyterian.  Against teams that you've heard of, the strategy isn't going as well.  The Dawgs have lost to Baylor, Duke and got popped by Bama Wednesday night, 13-2.  The road gets no smoother this weekend against No. 6 Florida State in Tallahassee.  Sunday's game is on Sun Sports, if you get that channel.

A major contributor to the uneven play has been injuries.  The infield lineup that we'll likely feature in SEC play hasn't even played together yet because of injuries and suspensions.  From georgiadogs.com:

"Georgia’s starting lineup consists of three freshmen and six sophomores, and the infield has yet to feature all four projected starters. Currently, the Bulldogs are without freshmen starting shortstop Kyle Farmer (out 3-6 weeks due to a broken hamate bone in left wrist) and sophomore second baseman Levi Hyams (sore back). Farmer, who is the team’s second leading hitter at .458, has missed the past three games while Hyams has yet to see action this season. Since Farmer’s injury, third baseman Colby May has moved to shortstop while redshirt freshman Kevin Ruiz and sophomore catcher Christian Glisson have split time at third base. Glisson had never played third base in his career while Ruiz saw some time there in the fall. Meanwhile at second base, freshman Todd Hankins has started all nine games this year. Ruiz along with freshman Robert Shipman filled in the first five games at first base while sophomore Chase Davidson was out with an elbow injury. Davidson has returned to first base the past three games. Hyams might see action in the field during the FSU series and could be back full-time by next week."

The young season does have a few sterling performances.  Zach Cone hit for the cycle in the season's second game.  He became the first Dawg to pull that off since Josh Smith in 2004.  Justin Grimm has pitched like the high draft pick he is expected to be.  He's got a 1.69 ERA in two games so far.  It's a small sample size, but Grimm's looked good.  Alex McRee has three saves in four appearances and eleven Ks, but he still walks too many batters.  Peter Verdin has at least one hit in every game this year.  

The team has some palpable talent, but the injuries will hamper us in the early going.  

Quinton

Dawgs Face Baptist Bears Tomorrow

The 2010 Georgia baseball season gets underway tomorrow in Waco, Texas when your Diamond Dawgs confront the angry baseball bears of Baylor.  Justin Grimm will be on the bump.  Walters will go Saturday against Duke and Palazzone and Hawkins will pitch a Sunday doubleheader against those same two teams.  As we've discussed, this year's team looks like it will be heavy on pitching and defense, but light on dingers.

Tomorrow's starting lineup could have four freshmen: C Brett DeLoach, 2B Todd Hankins, SS Kyle Farmer, and the DH Kevin Ruiz or Zach Taylor.  Taylor, Cone, and Verdin will be in the outfield.  Chase Davidson will play first and May will be at third.  That'll be one of the youngest opening day lineups in Georgia history with four freshmen and five sophomores.  Levi Hyams is likely to return to second after our first six games.  I'll bet the infield starters are very fluid all week and we might see a different combination every game.

This year's team starts off at #22 in the preseason Baseball America poll and was picked to finish third in the East by the SEC coaches.  Baseball America also has us as a two seed in the Tech regional in their projections for the field of 64, so take that to the bank.

Quinton

Baseball TV Schedule Released

The SEC released the baseball TV schedule today.  The Dawgs are fairly represented on the slate.  The entire LSU series will be on the tube, but you'll have to tune into three different networks for the three different games.  Parts of the Vandy, Arkansas and Florida weekends are also slated for broadcast.  

It's good to see college baseball getting some serious TV coverage.  The ESPN deal surely helped, as the Dawgs will make appearances on ESPNU and ESPN2 during the season.  Plus, all games that aren't broadcast on ESPNU will be on ESPN360.

Quinton

PING! Baseball is Back

Baseball practice started last week in Athens.  While I'm not complaining because I love college baseball, there's something weird about baseball practice in January and games in February.  At least cold baseball is coming to rescue me from heartbreaking basketball losses and the swift, clean gravity of the gymnastics program returning to Earth.

So what's the outlook this year?  It's an even year, so you should book a flight to Omaha, right?  Slow down.  This year's team should be long on arms and short on bats.  Perno has acknowledged that we haven't replaced the big bats lost to graduation and the draft last year.  Signee Miles Head was going to be a big bat to replace Massanari, but he opted for the pros.  So, offensively, we'll need fewer Ks (how can we have more than last year?), a higher average, and must produce runs rather than wait for a bomb.  It will be National League baseball, rather than American League whacking.

The rotation sets up well.  Justin Grimm should be the Friday night starter.  Jeff Walters and Michael Palazzone will likely round out the weekend rotation.  Alex McRee will start in the bullpen, perhaps as a set up man for closer Cecil Tanner.  McRee was a weekend starter for most of last year, but had some control issues that forced him back to the pen.  Both of those bullpen guys had their issues last year and location is key for both.  Both, when on, can be filthy. 

Those pitchers should benefit from a fast, athletic outfield that will gobble up some outs.  Johnathan Taylor, Zach Cone, and Peter Verdin might be the best defensive outfield in UGA history.  Taylor was awesome during last year's nonconference schedule, but disappeared during the SEC slate.  He might be the key man at the top to help produce runs with speed.  

The season starts in Waco, Texas on February 19.  The first game at Foley Field is February 24 against Presbyterian.  

Quinton

Indiscriminate Tech Hate, With a Lonely Exception

Georgia Tech is a haven for terrorists, drug dealers, cheaters, and dorks (do I really need a link?).  Also, they have no women.  Even if they had women, they still wouldn't stop playing Witches & Warcraft long enough to swab down with an Oxy Pad and ask one out for a date to the Star Trek convention.

With that said, if you see a member of the Tech baseball team collecting money for Chance Veazey Saturday, shake the kid's hand and say "thank you."  That's a class move from Danny Hall and their team. 

Quinton