I have a confession to make: I've enjoyed watching the movies of Harrison Ford as he pretended to be tough-as-nails archeologist Indiana Jones and rogue space smuggler Han Solo. He's a pretty good actor. Unfortunately, Mr. Ford has also been known to make headlines by saying words that were not scripted for him by a very talented writer. For example, he was recently quoted as saying the human race would soon become extinct unless some form of collective action wasn't immediately taken to "combat climate change." Please stick to your script in the future, Harrison. Now I am not the first writer that noticed a man who owns multiple airplanes -- a man who is completely unqualified to offer an informed opinion about the potential impact of "climate change" still felt free to lecture those of us who can't even afford to fly coach. This man is the same actor bragged to a magazine in 2010 that he would "often fly up the coast for a cheeseburger." Because he could. Apparently we should all pay higher taxes for energy and drive hybrid vehicles so Mr. Ford won't feel guilty about flying to Europe on his own private jet. But if we seriously believed his Chicken Little mentality, why shouldn't we force people like Mr. Ford to immediately give up their private jets in favor of (gasp) commercial air travel? This prima donna burns more gas on one flight to get a cheeseburger than I burn in my much more modest form of transportation over an entire year. Please get over yourself, Captain Solo. Sadly, Mr. Ford is hardly alone with his holier-than-thou attitude. The … [Read more...]
Georgia’s next defensive coordinator
First of all, let's get something straight up front. I have no special access to insider knowledge. I don't have a mole inside the UGA athletic department. No little bird has been whispering in my ear. Nobody who knows anything has told me anything that no one is supposed to know. In other words, take my analysis with a grain of salt, if not the whole shaker. I've been blessed with the God-given ability to use my brain to think like a private detective, which coincidentally comes in quite handy because my day "job" is to write detective novels. I use the pseudonym Rocky Leonard to differentiate the novels from my nonfiction writing. Kirby Smart does not have my number on speed dial. Nobody has divulged any Georgia Bulldog secrets to me. I'm a writer, not a sports journalist. Like Sergeant Schultz from the old television show Hogan's Heroes, I hear nothing. I know NOTHING! But I think I know who Kirby Smart might be planning to hire as his defensive coordinator, given only the fact that he didn't retain former UGA defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. Coach Smart's hires for the offensive side of the ball seem to be excellent choices, especially considering the overwhelmingly positive reaction that came from the experts in sports journalism and the fact the new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach have experience working together. Nothing has been said about the defense, though. If we have confidence that the (soon-to-be) former defensive coordinator at Alabama has a clear plan in mind for the Georgia defense, we should assume that Coach … [Read more...]
A quick memo to my fellow UGA fans regarding social media
The University of Georgia Bulldogs have recently experienced the turmoil caused by the firing of a head coach with a .740 winning percentage. Whether or not you agree with the move no longer matters. The change has been made. What's done is done. Now if you are a fan of Georgia Bulldog football, you should want even greater success for the team, and that is exactly what Kirby Smart promised to deliver in time during his press conference. Coach Smart doesn't need to begin his career as the UGA head coach under a cloud of negativity and a set of unrealistic expectations. Just because Mark Bradley pointed out that Jim McElwain won the SEC Eastern division in his first year doesn't mean we should make that the standard for Coach Smart. Coach Richt didn't win the SEC until his second year in Athens. Mark Bradley knows basketball. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop him from sharing his opinions on football or baseball. Coach Smart said that he will demand excellence in every facet of the program, and that we will continue to do things The Georgia Way -- we will win with integrity, and lose (on those rare occasions) with dignity. That's really all we can ask...the titles will come in time. He also promised that he and his staff will bring the best athletes he can find to Athens and then make them into highly skilled players. Several top-rated potential recruits for the defense have already moved Georgia to the very top of their list because of Coach Smart. Coach Richt had been in the process of assembling a stellar recruiting class, the best in his tenure by … [Read more...]
The end of a delusion
My career as a writer was inspired by the word delusion, more than any other word which can be found in the dictionary. Delusions are defined as "fixed false beliefs or opinions" that are resistant to reason even when confronted by actual facts. For this reason, the term is frequently used to describe symptoms of mental illness. The book The God Delusion by renowned atheist and biologist Richard Dawkins was the inspiration for my first published book, Divine Evolution, after I heard Dawkins say in an interview that cars, computers, and even his book were all intelligently designed, but human beings were not. I still haven't gotten over the absurdity of his comment -- I began learning about computers while matriculating as a student at UGA, which was followed a long career as a software developer before becoming a professional writer. So I am well aware that the capabilities of an "intelligent designed" computer actually pales in comparison to the human brain, that DNA is exponentially more complex than computer machine language, and that the "software" that operates the human body works independently of our conscious brain is infinitely more complex than the source code for Google's search engine. Richard Dawkins made it crystal clear in his book that he believes supernatural phenomena does not exist. According to him, only the "real" or material world exists -- no gods, devils, ghosts, angels, or demons. No miracles, no answered prayers. Of course, I couldn't write Divine Evolution until I'd done quite a bit of research into the science of evolution … [Read more...]
Georgia Fans Who Support Mark Richt
Dear President Morehead, I only have one football team I care about -- the Georgia Bulldogs. I've been a fan for more than forty years, as long as I've cared about the game. I'm a member of a Facebook group called "Georgia Fans Who Support Mark Richt," which has more than 13,000 members. I'm going to ask these friends of mine also voice their objections to the ridiculous, ill-conceived decision by Greg McGarity to fire Mark Richt. I'm fairly certain that Greg McGarity has destroyed the future of our football team by firing Coach Richt at this moment in time and set our program back for years to come. There just aren't that many coaches of the caliber and with the character of Coach Richt. When the coach who finishes the season at 9-3 is fired and the coach who finishes 3-9 keeps his job, something is really screwed up. If somebody needed to go, it was Greg McGarity. As long as Mr. McGarity remains as your athletic director, I cannot in good conscience continue to support Georgia football until he's gone. Neither shall I wear Georgia gear, attend games, wear the UGA apparel that I already own, or donate money to the school. Mr. McGarity has been the problem, and now he just fired the solution. No Georgia fan is dumb enough to believe the reports claiming this decision was mutual. Greg McGarity fired Mark Richt, and now you need to fire Greg McGarity. Please. Today. Get rid of him before he can do any more harm. I am asking my fellow members of the Bulldog Nation and UGA alumni to consider joining my boycott of UGA until Greg McGarity either resigns … [Read more...]
