Monday Links (1/26)

Some Monday afternoon reading material (sorry... I slept late)...

-- ESPN's Chris Low writes about the big money going to special teams coaches. Obviously, that's not an issue for Georgia. A few of you have asked me about the prospect of UGA hiring a FT special-teams coach, and while I haven't been able to corner Mark Richt on the question, I really don't see it happening. For one, a move likely would have been made already -- or at least been discussed. Secondly, internally the staff seems pleased with the work Fabris and the the other coaches have done overall. Last year's special teams were particularly victimized by the high number of injuries, and the punting/punt return units still managed to be among the best in the SEC.

-- Speaking of Georgia assistants, this is an excellent piece from the AJC's Chip Towers on the price of loyalty for the Bulldogs coaching staff. Chip discusses the matter further -- i.e. how competitive Georgia is with salaries -- in his blog.

I know we're all football fans here, and I understand the revenue that the sport brings in, but when you look at Chip's articles and compare them to stories like this, it's hard not to wonder how much we've lost perspective.

-- I came across this story by way of the excellent Get the Picture blog, but it fits in very well with the discussion of money in college sports, detailing how scholarships and stipends work for student-athletes.

-- As you probably have heard, Cameron Kenney chose Oklahoma over Georgia. This will matter not of UGA can land Marlon Brown though.

-- Chris Low is taking a look at each school's recruiting needs -- and here's Georgia's.

-- Georgia is also going after a wide receiver previously committed to Tech, according to Rivals (subscription required).

-- TotalUGA also updates the Greg Reid sweepstakes (another day, another favorite) at its site (subscription required).

*As a side note: I've had a couple people ask me to pass along the "subscription required" info to you so you don't have to shell out for the subscription. Given the economy, I understand your reasoning, and I'll admit a good portion of my music collection came by way of peer-to-peer sharing. But please keep in mind that these pay Web sites are the livelihood for the reporters who work at and run them, so I can't give out the details for free. After all, I may want one of those reporters to buy me a beer sometime, so I need to make sure they have a steady income. I link to the stories here because I know many of you also have subscriptions or may want to purchase one. If you want free recruiting info, the AJC's Michael Carvell does a nice job and can keep you relatively informed.

-- The Charlotte Observer has a nice piece on Joe Cox and his new gig as Georgia's starting QB.

-- In case you missed it over the weekend, I had a story on Trinton Sturdivant's recovery from his knee injury. Two things: 1.) The injury was far more severe than the team really made it out to be, and for a few weeks, Sturdivant really didn't know if he would ever play again; 2.) Trinton might be one of the nicest kids I've talked to on this beat. It's a shame Searels' rules have kept him from the media for so long!

-- A couple other stories I missed over the weekend: The Banner-Herald says the tight ends could play a much bigger role next season (and I like the idea of a heavily involved Aron White in the passing game). Meanwhile in Washington, the UGA-Florida rivalry reached the halls of Congress.

-- Georgia Sports Blog looks at the Bulldogs sixth straight loss on the court.

-- While the men are struggling, the Lady Dawgs stayed hot against Alabama, pulling out a close win on the road.

-- The AJC's Steve Hummer takes a reflective look at the distinguished career of Suzanne Yoculan.

-- 960 the Ref chats with baseball coach Dave Perno. Also, how many baseball polls are there? Georgia seems to be ranked anywhere from fifth to 23rd and just about everywhere in between and a new poll comes out like once every three days. This one has the Diamond Dawgs ranked ninth.

-- The sheer quantity of vomit I saw on the streets before the Bama game last year might disprove this, but Georgia was voted one of the top five "Family Atmosphere" programs in the country.

-- Hey, here's a reason to be happy you don't live in Dallas.

-- To tell the truth, it had probably been too long since there had been a John Rocker story in the news. He apparently flipped out on an Atlanta radio host over the weekend, and but Deadspin also has his side of the story.

-- Speaking of obnoxious baseball players, I absolutely loved TJ Simers column on the retirement of Jeff Kent.

-- I've been working on turning over a new leaf, getting into the gym, eating healthy and all that... but a chicken wing shortage just before the Super Bowl? That's just terrible.

-- And lastly, does anyone still watch "The Real World"? Regardless, I'm sure this will be some sophisticated programming.