Newspaper Page Text
8 I Wednesday, November 8, 2006 | The Red & Black
SPORTS
Tackle Ray Gant to rejoin starting lineup
By MEGAN HARRISON
mharrison@randb.com
Senior defensive tackle Ray Gant
earned his starting spot back for
Saturday’s game against Auburn.
“I’m excited,” Gant said. “Now I
have got to keep it and have to stay
healthy.”
But Gant does not know what he
did specifically to earn the spot back.
He only said that he came into prac
tice this week, and the coaches told
him that he would be starting against
Auburn.
Defensive line coach Rodney
Garner said that Gant had been pro
ductive in games and at practices,
adding that was a huge factor forcing
FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
them to start the more productive
players.
The change is just one of several on
the defensive end recently.
Linebacker Danny Verdun Wheeler,
another senior, regained his starting
spot last week in place of Brandon
Miller.
“Danny deserves the start,” line
backers coach John Jancek said.
Jancek added that Verdun Wheeler
had shown enthusiasm and made big
plays and forced a fumble during the
Florida game, as well as a big hit on
quarterback Chris Leak.
Road team owns
Auburn rivalry
When Georgia goes into Auburn
this weekend, it will continue the
“Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry,” which
has been played since 1892.
Auburn leads the series 53-48-8 in
the 109 previous meetings of the two
schools.
Despite that record, Georgia owns
Auburn on its own field with a record
of 12-9-2, while the Tigers are 18-9 in
Athens.
“Everyone knows about the rival
ry,” head coach Mark Richt said. “It’s
been close competition. Historically,
Georgia has done well at Auburn, and
Auburn has done well at Georgia.”
Ultimate frisbee team falls in semifinals
By SARAH KING
sking@randb.com
Jojah, the men’s ultimate frisbee
team, competed this past weekend in
what has become the most competi
tive fall tournament for college frisbee
teams.
The team has been holding the
Classic City Classic tournament in
Athens since 1995.
The tournament featured more
than 24 teams this year, including
rivals Georgia Tech, Florida and LSU.
In Saturday’s pool play, Jojah went
4-1, earning a spot in the single elimi
nation championship bracket on
Sunday.
After defeating North Carolina 15-
12 in the quarterfinals, the team took
MEN’S ULTIMATE
FRISBEE TEAM
For more information on Jojah, visit
www.uga.edu/ultimate
on Wisconsin in the semifinals, losing
in a close game 15-11.
Frank Wooten and Dylan Tunnell
led the team on offense, with stellar
defense coming from Paul Schrafft
and Peter Dempsey.
“It’s still early in the season,” said
Dempsey, a sophomore who shares
co-presidency of the team with Travis
Smith. “The more we practice, the
more we’ll come together as a team.”
“We just have to put in the hard
work and put in the time at practice.”
Dempsey said the team’s biggest
goal for the season is to win the
region, which guarantees another
invite to nationals in May.
“We really want a chance to play in
the finals (at nationals) this year,”
Dempsey said. “We’d like to take it
one step further this year and take a
shot at the big one.”
As for last season, despite a 45-11
record, the team lost to Wisconsin in
the semifinals at last year’s National
Championship, but came in second at
the Atlantic Coast Regionals and sec
ond at the AC South sectionals.
“We just need time to give the
offense and defense time to come
together,” Dempsey said. “That all
comes with conditioning and prac
tice.”
Lady Dogs squeak
by makeshift team
By TYLER ESTEP
testep@randb.com
The No. 9-ranked Lady Dogs
basketball team looked shaky
at times in the second and final
preseason game Tuesday night,
but ultimately earned a 71-62
win against Premier Players.
At one point trailing by as
much as 10, the Lady Dogs
looked solid but hardly domi
nating in the first half.
The deficit came thanks to
the strong perimeter shooting
of the Premier Players, who
went a combined 7-14 from
behind the arc in the half.
The Lady Dogs were able to
battle back in the last 10 min
utes and retake the lead before
lagging again and going into the
half on the lesser side of a 45-41
score.
The second half saw a slight
ly better performance from the
Lady Dogs as a whole.
Freshman guard Ashley
Houts seemed to relax more,
totaling 12 points and five
assists for the game.
Fellow freshman Angel
Robinson also had a big night,
with 10 points and four blocks.
“We were better tonight,”
head coach Andy Landers said.
“And we were better in the sec
ond half than in the first half.
We didn’t shoot the ball particu
larly well. It’s a process.”
“It was an improvement,”
added Megan Darrah, who led
the Lady Dogs with 13 points.
“It was sloppy at times, and it
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia 71, Premier Players 62
was good at times.”
“We have work to do. We’re
young, we’re really inexperi
enced, and we’re really short in
numbers. We have to play
smart. The smarter we play, the
better we play. We have to get to
where we play smart all the
time.”
Premier Players is a team
comprised of former college
basketball standouts, including
Bulldog alumna Camille
Murphy, who started the game
and still sports the cursive Lady
Dogs “G” tattooed on her left
arm.
The makeshift team is now 3-
4 and has claimed victories
against Florida, St. John’s and
Syracuse.
Murphy, who played in
Athens from 1999-2002, tallied
eight points in her homecom
ing.
The Lady Dogs topped West
Alabama 76-50 in their first pre
season game and will start their
regular season this Sunday in
Norman, Okla., as they take on
No. 11 Rutgers in the State
Farm Tip-Off Classic.
“These next couple days
before the game will be key for
us,” Darrah said. “The two
games we just played were key,
too. We’ve gotten to see our
strengths and weaknesses.”
Can a Magic 8-Ball predict the future in sports? Outlook not so good
I have been betrayed so
many times this past
weekend by an inanimate
object.
I went road trippin’ this
weekend to Nashville for my
College Jeopardy tryout (a
story for later), and I took a
few of my friends along for
the ride — every potential
game show contestant needs
a posse, right?
We stopped at a Cracker
Barrel (one of 21 between
Athens and Nashville) and in
the shop, my friend bought a
Magic 8-Ball.
This 8-Ball possessed so
much bearing on the actions
of the weekend — where we
would eat, what movie to see
... all determined by a liquid-
filled sphere.
I, of course, wanted to ask
this mysterious psychic
object about the outcome of
my favorite sports teams.
Would Matthew Stafford
throw more TDs than picks?
“As I see it, yes.”
Will the Bears beat the
Dolphins? “Outlook good.”
Lies, Magic 8-Ball. All lies.
Not only did Stafford get
picked off three times (with
one TD pass), the Bulldogs
lost to Kentucky KEN
TUCKY!
And the Bears didn’t just
lose, they were creamed by a
team that was 1-6 prior to
Sunday’s game.
I know I shouldn’t put
stock in what a piece of plas-
De Luca Drivel
Katy De Luca
kdeluca@randb.com
tic filled with colored water
has to say, but it was nice to
live in a state of optimism as
the super-positive 8-Ball
kept churning out answers
to every question it was
asked.
Never again will I believe
anything that 8-Ball has to
say.
► I’m not one for self promo
tion, but since I feel it is
appropriate for this arena, I
will share a few tales from my
game show experience.
I’ve always wanted to be
on Jeopardy, and this is the
second time I have tried out.
The audition was filled
with the kind of people you’d
expect to be trying out for
these things — the quiz-bowl
types.
I felt out of place, especial
ly during the practice round
when one of the guys in the
bunch discussed his model
for weather prediction. I was
out of my league.
These kids were geniuses
— how could I even com
pete? Then it hit me. I have
something these other kids
don’t — my mind has an
endless capacity for useless
information, especially
sports-related information.
I out-buzzed them on
sports hometowns and
national championship win
ners. I was able to say who
won the NBA championship
in 2004.1 was good, hopefully
good enough to earn a spot
on Jeopardy.
I felt that I stood out
more than the others, partic
ularly during the interview
section. The coordinators
asked the question “What
would you do with the
$100,000 if you won College
Jeopardy?”
Some regaled them with
answers of going to foreign
nations for historical
research or charitable dona
tions, while I was completely
up front — I would buy New
York Yankees season
tickets.
I felt being honest was the
best answer, and it’s a fact
that I would drop thousands
on those coveted Yankee
Stadium seats.
Call me crazy, but that
answer might be my ticket to
glory.
>- Back to this whole Bears
losing thing. I wasn’t under
the illusion that they would
run the table, but the
Dolphins? They have been
struggling all season only to
reach their peak against the
best team in football.
My wonderful roommate
pointed out to me that the
last time the Bears were
undefeated and lost to the
Dolphins, they went on to
win the Super Bowl, so
maybe deep down this loss is
a good thing.
>- Gold Gloves were awarded
last week in both the
American and National
Leagues, and many perennial
favorites were winners this
year.
Pudge Rodriguez won his
12th, Kenny Rodgers his fifth
and my boy Derek Jeter won
his third.
However, the Boston Red
Sox, the team whose defense
had the lowest number of
errors in the majors this year
with only 66 (one away from
tying the all-time record)
were shut out.
I may be a diehard
Yankees fan, but even I can
see when a team is getting
the shaft.
Sox third baseman Mike
Lowell, a nominee for
Defensive Player of the Year,
was bested by Oakland”s
Eric Chavez (who won it for
the sixth straight season).
Lowell and Chavez had the
same fielding percentage
(.970), and Chavez had one
fewer error, but Lowell had
90 more fielding opportuni
ties.
I can even see a case
(albeit a minor one) to give
the award to Sox shortstop
Alex Gonzalez over Jeter.
Yes, favorites are always
going to be up for considera
tion every year, but I think
AL managers should share
the wealth and recognize
players that have true field
ing talent.
— Katy De Luca is
a page designer for
The Red & Black
MEET THE ENEMY:
MEET THE ARMY:
LAWSON FAMILY
CHIROPRACTIC
775 Gaines School Rd.
546-4488
Student Discounts
Mention this ad for 20% off 1 st visit.
ivision of Student Affai;
From Reno 911!
The Benchwarmers,
and Grandma's Boy
THURSDAY
PRESENTS
GA HALL
Students: $8 pre-show / $ 10 at door
>lon-Students: $ 13 pre-show / $ 15
^ at door
ENHANCE
the Environment!
UGA MAJOR:
Environmental
Economics
<£y Management
Now Accepting Applications • 542-2481
http://www.careerwize.org/
$15 • doors 8pm
$10 • doors 9pm
sandwiches & fries are still here!
Buy one Kebap IK-B0BI
Get One Kebap FBEE
After 5pm
Expires 11/22/06. Not good with any other offers.
Advanced tickets available at SCHOOL KIDS RECORDS. 264 E Clayton St. 706.353.1666 and at
JUNKMAN'S DAUGHTER'S BROTHER. 438 E Clayton St.,706.5434998 and www.GeorgiaTheatre.coin.
350 East Bread St. - Dcwntewn - 706-546-5362