A random trip around the Bulldog media and blogs as we wait for practice to begin next week…

A big welcome to Seth Emerson who takes over for David Hale. I thought Hale would have a big job filling the shoes of David Ching, but he only improved the resource. I look forward to seeing what Emerson brings. I appreciate his take on the “objective-homer thing”, but I also note that a lot of writers become so self-aware about their objectivity that their coverage turns contrarian. It’s easy and seductive to become the pot-stirring anti-homer. I think objectivity was a hallmark of Hale’s coverage, but he still managed to build a great relationship with easily-offended Georgia fans.

Congratulations also to Kit – he’s not only moving to fancier digs; he’s also going to be ramping up the content at his new location. Best of luck.

Agentgate. We’re not likely to get a resolution or even much more information soon about the NCAA’s interest in a Georgia player. Mark Bradley has a good take on what’s probably going on and why a visit from the NCAA, while never good news, doesn’t necessarily mean trouble. The player in question might be completely in the clear, and the NCAA might even know that. But if the player were contacted by agents, he could provide important information about how he was contacted, by whom, what was offered, and possibly even details about others involved. That’s information that would not only help them tighten up and focus their investigation; it would also give them something against which to compare the statements from other interviews to spot any inconsistencies.

Paul’s got some more good thoughts about the situation. I’ll add one more – the NCAA interviewing one specific current player at least tells us that former players aren’t part of the story. That might seem like an odd and random statement, but there was rampant speculation last week that a former player might have been the target of the investigation – especially once Green established that he hadn’t visited Miami. If they were coming to Athens looking to dig up dirt on a former player, they’d cast the net much wider.

Two-a-day. When the news came out about Georgia’s preseason practice schedule, I wrote that certain fans and media would be right on top of the lack of two-a-days as a root cause if Georgia hit a rocky patch during the season. It didn’t even take that long. John Crawford is on the job before the season even starts. Good news, though – a readjustment of the practice schedule means that the Dawgs will have at least one day (August 9th) with two practices. Of course a preseason without two-a-days would hardly make Richt a “trend-setter” even among coaches of major programs, but maybe the magic second practice of August 9th will make sure that the Dawgs are plenty tough this fall.

Social distortion. The athletic department seems to be having some trouble playing within the rules when it comes to social networks and recruiting, but UGA can at least be proactive when it comes to the media. Media who cover practice have been informed that there will be no texting or tweeting from the football practice fields.