“Are you satisfied with the job Mark Richt has done?”

I just don’t see how he can come back from this.

The big question now: was President Adams made completely aware of what would be in the police report when the two spoke on Thursday? If not, Evans has sealed his fate. If so, all of that wasn’t enough to bring about a very strong recommendation that Evans resign? I understand President Adams wanting to confer with legal staff and follow the book on something like this, but I’m amazed Evans made it through Thursday if the additional details in the report were known.

It was the perfect modern apology. Emotional, apparently sincere, and generic. Evans is deeply sorry for the shame and black cloud he’s brought upon the University. He has his shortcomings – don’t we all? If you relied upon Evans’ statement, you wouldn’t have known if he had been arrested for DUI, littering on North Campus, or kicking Russ the bulldog. Of course that’s the way it has to be – no lawyer this side of Lionel Hutz is going to let his client speak to the specifics of an incident with charges still pending.

Mark Bradley wants him gone yesterday, but that’s not how it works. Evans has taken resignation off the table, so Evans’ future lies with Michael Adams. There’s a difference between a forced resignation and termination, and the latter won’t happen without a whole lot of negotiation and bases being covered. There’s a lot of the story still out there – Evans’ past, how candid he was with Adams, and what comes of the charges themselves.

David Hale sums up the feeling among a lot of us that this could end up going either way.

The biggest question: Do I think Evans will keep his job? Honestly, I don’t know…But the truth is… this is going to be very, very hard for Evans to overcome at Georgia. Which isn’t to say it can’t be done.

This is going to be a riveting decision in the respect that it could go one way or the other and no one would be surprised. The case can be (and has been) made for both choices and all sorts of disciplinary permutations. It seems incredulous that such an allegation, if true, wouldn’t mean the end for a high-profile administrator on a campus that’s put the issue of alcohol under such a glaring spotlight. If he remains on, it’s going to be a long and painful – and public – road back. This will always be a black mark on his reputation. Would it be better for him and the University for that process to occur someplace other than under the glare of public scrutiny? That’s part of Adams’ decision.

In either case, it’s just a sad, sad story all around. One of Georgia’s own, a home-grown star in the world of athletics administration, has fallen. Then you have the damage brought on his family. Most importantly, it’s no small thing that this night just ended with an arrest. Evans’ decisions could have had a much more tragic outcome. The University community on up to the governor’s office is very tuned in to the subject of DUI right now.

If Evans remains on, how does he go forward? On this point I’m with Kyle – Evans has more to own up to if he is really interested in redemption. I understand that the legal process makes that impossible right now, but there will come a time when it’s necessary. Not for my sake – he owes me nothing. In terms of credibility with the student-athletes at Georgia, the ability to be frank and candid about the experience will go a long way towards rebuilding his character. Once this is over, I’d even suggest that he re-cut that infamous PSA in much more personal terms as a way of addressing his shortcomings head-on.

Is it really impossible for Evans to maintain credibility with the people within the athletic department and also the student-athletes under his direction? I don’t think so. Give the kids more credit – right and wrong aren’t foreign concepts. Certainly a measure of discipline is expected and due even if he isn’t let go, but the program isn’t going to become Ciudad Juárez because of Evans’ bad example. It’s also not as if the student-athletes are guided by day-to-day interaction with the athletic director. He’s there at games and certainly available when needed, but most of the experiences the student-athletes will have when it comes to building character and discipline comes from their individual coaching staffs.

A few random observations to close with:

1 – I do credit Evans for taking questions. Some of them were tough and pointed, and he answered them. The press conference was open and carried live. He could have issued a written statement and then hid behind spokesmen and lawyers, and I’m sure someone advised him to do just that. I mean, it’s not like he was changing jobs or anything.

2 – Not to dig up the ghosts of Dooley/Adams, but there were concerns when Evans was hired about the autonomy a relatively young and inexperienced athletic director would have under the supervision of President Adams. To put it more crudely, would Evans just be a yes-man? Some still think so. I thought that unfair to Evans, and – maybe I’ve got my head in the sand – the partnership of Evans and Adams has been productive. That said, how will this decision change their relationship going forward if Adams decides to retain Evans – will Evans feel that he “owes” Adams?

3 – There are a lot of lessons to take from this story from Evans’ alleged actions, but his passenger provides an important lesson too: if you’re in the car while the driver is being questioned by the police, shut up. Ms. Courtney Fuhrmann could have easily remained anonymous in this story, and it seems as if she wants to, but now her name and mug shot are all over the most salacious story to hit the UGA beat in a while. [insert Ron White joke about having the right to remain silent]

UPDATE: Evans’ first court date has been set for July 12th when he will answer to the DUI charge in Atlanta. He’s consulted with Athens lawyer Ed Tolley, but Tolley cannot represent Evans due to Tolley’s longstanding relationship with the athletic department.

As we expected, the final NACDA Directors’ Cup standings for 2010 were released today. Georgia was in 17th place pending the baseball postseason, and the Bulldogs ended up being passed by Texas, LSU, and Minnesota in the final rankings. As Marc Weiszer reports, the 20th place finish is Georgia’s lowest since 1997.

The trend isn’t good, but it’s not like football or men’s basketball was in that much better shape during Georgia’s better Directors’ Cup finishes. The drop-off has more to do with sports like gymnastics and the spring sports that have usually contributed to Georgia’s more successful years. The Bulldogs have had several national titles and second-place finishes in football and baseball during this “slide”, so it’s not like the wheels have come off the program.

But a drop into the 20s wasn’t going to be a great bit of news for athletic director Damon Evans. If only that were the worst thing he’d face today.

UGASports.com dropped a bombshell when they reported this morning that Evans was arrested last night in Atlanta for DUI and was released on bail from the Atlanta city jail. Other Atlanta media have since confirmed, and Fox 5 was able to provide this stunning mugshot:

The facts seem to be these: Evans and an unnamed passenger were pulled over around 11:55 p.m. at Roswell Road and Chastain Drive in Atlanta. He refused a Breathalyzer test at the scene. Evans was charged with “charged with DUI and driving in an improper lane” according to the UGASports.com report, citing an Atlanta City Jail spokesperson.

Evans is headed back to Athens, and it will be a very interesting afternoon. WSB-TV reports that “UGA President Michael Adams said he would make a statement “soon.”” I’d be surprised if this led to Evans’ dismissal, but you never know – there are sure to be more details to come. There will also naturally be questions about Evans’ ability to lead a program that’s seen more than its share of alcohol-related incidents over the past few years.

At the very least, it’s definitely going to make that second half DUI public service announcement a little awkward.

UPDATE: A press conference is scheduled for around 6:00. Meanwhile, the identity of the car’s passenger has been released, and it’s not at all good news for Evans.

South Carolina won the College World Series last night, and the accomplishment gives them their first national title in any men’s sport. It has to be a big day in Gamecock land, and congratulations are due. Any observer of SEC baseball knows that this was no fluke – South Carolina has been a solid program for many years now and are often a legitimate contender in the SEC under one of the conference’s top coaches, Ray Tanner. That they’d go on a little tear and win it all at Omaha is not surprising, and it has to make it all the more enjoyable that they got to eliminate Clemson along the way. The story of Bayler Teal and his relationship with the team adds a much deeper meaning to the championship, and it makes it seem to us that there couldn’t have been any other outcome.

But South Carolina’s title serves to underscore an unpleasant point around these parts. Georgia is joined now only by Vanderbilt as the only SEC East programs without a national title in any of the “big 3” men’s sports since SEC expansion in 1992. Seven of the 12 SEC members have managed the feat, and Auburn would really like to remind you of their 2004 football season. A club whose other members include Vandy and the Mississippi schools is not the company Georgia wants to be keeping.

As Kyle noted the other day, track season wrapping up means the end of competition for Bulldog student-athletes for the 2009-2010 academic year. No one from Michael Adams to Damon Evans is pretending that it was a great year for Bulldog athletics, and even another second-place finish for the SEC All-Sports trophy does little to mask the disappointment.

The final standings for the NACDA Director’s Cup will be released on July 1st. Georgia is currently in 17th place with only baseball left to figure in to the final tally. It’s possible that both LSU and Texas could pass Georgia based on their participation in the baseball postseason. If that occurs, Georgia would drop below their 18th place finish last year for the worst performance as a program in well over a decade. We’ve been over this ground before, but it’s not an impressive trend for the athletic department under Damon Evans. But, hey – we’re still rolling in cash, right?

This might be the best news I’ll get all summer: Georgiadogs.com is changing networks.

I don’t know of anyone who has had a generally pleasant experience with media from Georgiadogs.com. Between browser incompatibilities (this isn’t 1998), constant buffering, and poor quality, it’s been a chore just to watch the occasional ballgame or get any kind of value for the monthly subscription. I can get news elsewhere, but the site’s exclusive broadcasts of games made it something you had to deal with.

The move to the CBSSports.com network is outstanding news. I’ve seen the CBS product in action for other schools, and it blows away the experience I’ve had to this point with streaming media from UGA. CBS intends to continue improvement with “a new Flash-based audio/video player”, integrated stats (familiar to anyone who watched March Madness On Demand), and mobile offerings for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android platforms. It’s no surprise that CBS has “the online rights to 55 of the 73 schools from the big six conferences” – they know what they’re doing, and I’m relieved to see UGA address the woeful experience on their site.

ESPN is reporting that Boise State will join the Mountain West. A few weeks ago, that made sense. The MWC is positioning itself to lobby for an automatic BCS bid, and the addition of a program like Boise makes their case much stronger.

But with this week’s news that there will be at least two vacancies in the Big 12, already an AQ conference, was there an effort made on either side to get Boise (and possibly fellow MWC member TCU) into the Big 12? True that Boise and other MWC members don’t measure up in terms of basketball or other sports, but this is a football-driven expansion boom. I hope someone asks the question – otherwise this just seems like moving into a nicer apartment in the same complex.

Congratulations to the Georgia legend who is being welcomed into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday night – a long overdue honor for one of the greatest to play the game. Edwards made a name for herself at Georgia, but she excelled at the international level where she played in a record five Olympics and brought home four gold medals.

Edwards is the third person associated with the Lady Dogs program to be enshrined. She joins Katrina McClain and coach Andy Landers.

With the movement of Colorado and Nebraska, we’ve begun the much-anticipated shuffling among the major conferences. With the process set in motion, the question now is how far conferences will go during this round of expansion. Is the 16-team Pac-10 going to happen? Are other conferences going to be as aggressive or settle with 12 or 14 members?

The race towards megaconferences might have one interesting side-effect: the rise of the divisions as their own unique entities underneath the umbrellas of the larger conferences.

In a 16-team conference, you’ll have two eight-team divisions. Yes, there are alternative structures (see Clay Travis’s 4×4 arrangement), but most conferences will choose the traditional model and tie everything together with a championship game.

Currently the Pac-10 is the only major conference that has a nine-game league schedule, and that is (was) in order to facilitate a round-robin schedule. The practice actually puts the league at a disadvantage relative to other conferences in terms of bowl eligibility. It will be interesting to see if the expanded Pac-10 continues the nine-game schedule or if it bows to pressure to be at parity with other leagues who can schedule eight conference games and use that other game for a nonconference opponent of varying quality.

The number of conference games is a big deal to coaches and a key point going forward with expansion. Mark Richt said recently, “As far as I’m concerned, you can add more teams, but I just don’t want to play any more league games.” Richt can’t be alone in that sentiment – unless the nine-game schedule is imposed on all conferences as the new norm, those signing up for an extra conference game are making things tougher for their teams.

But an eight-game slate in a 16-team conference all but cuts off one side from the other. You’ll have seven league games in your own division and then one against the other side. If that one game rotates, it ends any traditional rivalries against teams in the other division. Even with nine conference games, you’re still only playing two schools out of eight from the other division, so things aren’t all that much better in either scenario.

At that point, the larger megaconference is just an administrative abstraction between its divisions. It exists for revenue-sharing purposes and for the clout it brings negotiating for collective deals and postseason positions. I realize we’re not that far away under the current structure, but the solidarity of a single Big 10 or Pac-10 is gone now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But for the conference championship games, we’re almost back to the days of eight-team conferences.

Divisions in our future of 16-team conferences will take on a much greater importance. They’ll be relatively more isolated and even develop identities of their own. The Pac-10 will have its Route 66 / Tom Joad schools and then the Pac-8 schools of the 1960s and 1970s. Nebraska’s division of the Big 10 will certainly have a different feel than one oriented around the Rust Belt. Give me Alabama and Auburn in the SEC East, and we’ll send LSU a postcard every now and then.

This idea about giving the new Pac-10 two automatic BCS berths is definitely full of itself, but it’s going to be the kind of thing you’ll hear more often as these 8-team divisions begin to take on lives of their own. The Senator asks, “What in the hell do they even need a conference for in the first place?” This is a perfect example of the conference-as-abstraction that allows two more or less distinct entities to pool together for TV deals and revenue sharing and still claim two separate places in the lucrative BCS.

I know that other Georgia fans and I are wondering if the SEC will dip their toe into the expansion market and push towards 14 or 16 teams. It’s not too early to start thinking about what we’d like our SEC East “conference” to look like.

I think Andy Staples has it right here: differentiation.

“The league would allow the Aggies to offer an interesting alternative to Lone Star State recruits enthralled by the SEC schools they grew up watching on television.”

Right now the Aggies are second-tier in a Big XII dominated by the Longhorns. If we’re being honest, they’ve even been passed by Texas Tech recently. If they join the others in the exodus to the Pac-10, they remain an afterthought along for the ride. But if they split off and join the SEC, they take a step from out of the shadow of the other Texas schools. Sure, they still wouldn’t be the marquee in-state destination for top prospects as long as Texas remains a title contender. But membership in the nation’s top football conference would be a selling point that would at least make the Aggies a unique option in their area. It’s over 330 miles to Baton Rouge and over 500 miles to any other SEC destination – that’s a lot of fertile recruiting territory to occupy for a prospective SEC member.

Tim Tucker leads with what will be good news to would-be Georgia season ticket holders:  "The cost of getting into Sanford Stadium as a first-time season-ticket buyer is dropping." The picture Tucker paints might be seen as one of declining enthusiasm surrounding the program evident in "a rise in ticket cancellations and a decline in donations."

Fan frenzy certainly isn’t what it was heading into the 2008 season, but let’s be clear what’s going on here:  there will still be a cut-off score for new season tickets, and there will be some Hartman Fund donors who ordered first-time season tickets but will see their order refunded due to excess demand.

The current cut-off will be nowhere near the lofty 10,651of 2008 or even the score of 4,205 that was required a year ago.  But the fact that there will be a cut-off at all is still news.  The cut-off was as low as 1,991as recently as 2007 and non-existent prior to that. Even with a down economy and a disappointing 2009 season, demand hasn’t cooled off to the point that Georgia will have unsold season tickets.  

For perspective, here’s what other schools around the area are dealing with.  These are all major programs who are having to go beyond donors by selling season tickets or ticket packages to the general public.

• Clemson’s IPTAY members bought 48,039 season tickets.  That’s about 1,000 more than last year but well short of selling out.  Clemson sold a record 58,134 season tickets in 2008.  The remaining season tickets are now on sale to the public.
• South Carolina is dealing with a general decline in interest and will also likely come up short of selling out of season tickets.  "Attendance at some Gamecock Club meetings was light this spring, according to Spurrier…Spurrier said enrollment for his football camps is down and figures season-ticket sales are off as well."
• Tennessee is selling groups of 3-game "mini-packs" to the public. They claim that these mini-packs are available "based on the number of tickets claimed by visiting teams," but the deals include the Florida game. Remaining individual seats will go on sale later in the summer.
• Georgia Tech also hasn’t sold out of season tickets, but their numbers are slightly ahead of last year as of late April.
• Auburn is currently selling season tickets to the public as of June 1st. They’re also offering a mini season ticket which excludes the Georgia and Clemson games.

It was announced this morning that Georgia’s September conference games against South Carolina and Arkansas would both start at noon E.T. with either ESPN or ESPN2 televising the games. David Hale mentioned yesterday that Damon Evans had spoken with SEC officials about campaigning for a few earlier kickoffs, and boy did he get his wish. I can only say that I’m glad to be skipping the South Carolina game this year – I’m sure it will be just lovely in Columbia for a noon game in early September.

We also learned that the Florida game will kick off at 3:30, but that’s no surprise given the perpetual relationship of that game with CBS. The Georgiadogs.com announcement also has more information about other SEC start times announced today.

Colorado announced that the Georgia game on October 2nd will start at 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time (4:30 eastern). The game will be nationally televised by Fox Sports Net. Colorado fans will find Bulldog partisans very receptive to the guests of honor for that game: the Buffaloes plan to honor the 20th anniversary of their 1990 consensus national champion team. We’ll be right there with them.

Are the two early kickoffs the result of Georgia losing some prime time stature? It’s possible, but it’s more likely that there are a few games a little more interesting nationally. CBS will be broadcasting the US Open tennis through Sept. 12, so they’re not an option that weekend. CBS will take Florida @ Tennessee matchup over the Arkansas @ Georgia game. Can’t argue with that. Prime time slots those weeks will go to a pair of interesting nonconference games: Oregon @ Tennessee, Penn State @ Alabama, and Clemson @ Auburn. Each of Georgia’s first two conference games should be compelling, but I don’t think they rate over those big name nonconference games. Most other weeks remain wide-open, and the networks will use their option to wait to see how the season goes before slotting those games. If Georgia comes out of September in good shape, they’ll be in line for several 3:30 or later starts.

Count me among those who think that Armando Galarraga’s imperfect perfect game should stand as it is. I’m not an anti-replay Luddite and would welcome the expansion of replay and technology in sports. But I’m also a believer in leaving the game as settled on the field – imperfections and all – and recognizing (and even appreciating) that sports serves up crap sandwiches at the worst possible times. Just mention the Jasper Sanks play to a Georgia fan or bring up the 1972 Olympic basketball gold medal game to anyone old enough to remember. Working to improve and avoid blown calls is the objective, yes, but the calls still stand.

I expect over the next day or so we’ll get plenty of stories bringing up other huge blown calls. SEC football fans submit the 2009 season. Oklahoma has a tape of the 2006 Oregon game ready. Baseball historians will point to Don Denkinger’s call in the 1985 World Series. There’s an entire book devoted to the subject. This 28-out game will stand alongside the Fifth Down Game. They’re all infamous, but they’re also still on record.

Galarraga won’t have his name added to the short list of perfect game hurlers, but he’s now on a list of one. That won’t help or change that fact that he had a perfect game yanked from him, but his place in baseball immortality is set. So, for better or worse, is the place of umpire Joyce. It’s a good postscript to this story that the umpire and pitcher handled this about as well as one could expect. I can’t imagine had this ump been Joe West.

We learned today that Georgia will be without a permanent mascot for its season opener on September 4th. Russ, the dawg who stood watch over Georgia’s season-ending wins against Georgia Tech and Texas A&M, will continue to fill in during the first few games of the season. Sonny Seiler told the Athens Banner-Herald that “we will use (Russ) for the first two or three games.” It’s true that Russ has yet to be tested against an SEC opponent, but he’ll get his shot in Columbia.

Since it’s unlikely that a new Uga would make his debut anywhere other than Sanford Stadium, the first opportunity to introduce a new mascot would be against Arkansas in the third game of the season. It’s not unprecedented that an Uga would make his debut for the SEC home opener; Uga V gave way to Uga VI before the 1999 South Carolina game, and that turned out just fine. The problem is that a new mascot might or might not be ready by the third game.

Seiler is waiting to see how a few young pups develop over the summer. It’s even possible that the next mascot will come from a litter that won’t be born for another few weeks. We know that selecting a mascot is a long, solemn, and thorough process, and a lot of thought will be put into the decision. As Seiler explains, it would be “at least two months” to determine whether or not any new pup has the stature and other characteristics needed by a dawg that can reign for the 8-10 years Seiler is hoping for.

If a replacement isn’t ready by the Arkansas game, Georgia’s next two games are on the road. Georgia wouldn’t return home until the October 9th game against Tennessee. By that point, Georgia could well be 5-0 with a seven-game winning streak under this interim mascot. Seiler admits that “it could be homecoming before (he) picks a permanent mascot.” Do you mess with that kind of a streak at the midpoint of the season?

I know that Russ is considered too old to become a permanent replacement, but giving him a Shockley-esque one year in the sweater isn’t too much to ask, is it?

While most of us spent the weekend next to the grill, the pool, and hopefully mindful of the reason for the long weekend, many of the remaining Bulldog athletes in action decided that winning was the best way to enjoy the holiday weekend.

Softball

The Georgia softball team completed an impressive sweep of Cal on Saturday to earn a consecutive trip to the Women’s College World Series. Can’t blame the ESPN crew for trying to build up as much SEC vs. Pac-10 drama as they could, but Georgia made sure that the series was as far from dramatic as you can get. The Bulldogs won the series by a combined 17-1 score, and they had each game more or less in hand by the second inning. LF Megan Wiggins was the star with a fantastic diving catch in the field and a grand slam in Saturday’s clincher. With Taylor Schlopy and Alisa Goler, I can’t imagine a more potent top third of a lineup in the nation.

Georgia gets to face a familiar postseason foe in the WCWS. Top seeds Alabama and Michigan were upset in their super regionals over the weekend, but third-seeded and defending champion Washington avoided the upset bug and will be Georgia’s opening opponent in Oklahoma City as they were a year ago. The Huskies lost their first super regional game to Oklahoma but stormed back with consecutive shutouts.

Georgia lost their opener to Washington last year but battled back through the loser’s bracket to earn another shot at the Huskies. Georgia won 9-8 in a thrilling extra-innings game to setup yet another game against Washington with a trip to the national title game on the line. Washington proved to be too much and went on to beat Florida for the title. If Georgia can take one positive from last year’s experience, it’s that they got to untouchable Washington pitcher Danielle Lawrie for ten earned runs over those final two games. They were also the only team to defeat Washington in the WCWS. Georgia’s offense is every bit as potent as it was last year, and they’ll have a bit of confidence going up against a familiar and talented foe.

Georgia faces Washington at 9:30 on Thursday evening, and the game will be on ESPN2.

W Tennis

The weekend was topped off with an individual national title: sophomore tennis player Chelsey Gullickson pulled off upset after upset during the women’s singles tournament and defeated Cal’s Jana Juricova 6-3,7-6(7)to claim the program’s third individual championship. Her quest to add a doubles title fell just short as her team fell in the national semifinals.

Though Gullickson was ranked a respectable 12th in the nation, her path through the field included four matches against higher-ranked players.

Gullickson’s road to the national championship featured six wins including over top-ranked Irina Falconi (Georgia Tech), second-ranked Juricova, fourth-ranked Hilary Barte and eighth-ranked Allie Will (Florida).

A national title that included wins over Florida and Tech? Chelsey Gullickson accomplished every Bulldog’s dream.

…and Bass Fishing?

How good of a weekend was it? Georgia’s Ben Cleary and Bo Page even claimed the 2010 BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. (h/t David Hale)