SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Holly Andersonhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46601/atlanta-fave.png2011-03-24T14:58:26-04:00https://atlanta.sbnation.com/authors/holly-anderson/rss2011-03-24T14:58:26-04:002011-03-24T14:58:26-04:00Athens PD Does Something Right, Rescues A Distressed Kenny Powers
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<p>Please sit down and swallow any beverages you may be consuming before reading the following, as its contents may be quite alarming: The legendarily enthusiastic Athens police department interacted with a famous athlete near UGA property, and the encounter did not end with the athlete in handcuffs. Of course, it helps that the party in question was a fake athlete. Perhaps that did the trick.</p>↵<p>Statesboro's own Danny McBride, of <i>Eastbound & Down</i> hurling fame, was <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2011/03/24/danny-mcbride-cops-police-georgia-college-bars-university-bike-eastbound-and-down/" target="_blank">recently swarmed by locals</a> while partying in Athens, and rescued by, of all things, a bike cop. All credit to the boys in blue for getting a national treasure out of an escalating situation, but we're genuinely shocked McBride didn't end up being booked on charges of, I don't know, walking too jauntily.</p>↵<p>(HATERS, ALERT: This is about where you'll want to start implying, ever so politely, that Mark Richt is leaning on local law enforcement to take it easy on ballplayers of all sorts, to further prop up the house of cards he's building at ThUGA. You're welcome!)</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bulldogs/2011/3/24/2070060/danny-mcbride-kenny-powers-athens-cop-rescue-photosHolly Anderson2011-03-21T15:42:34-04:002011-03-21T15:42:34-04:00Georgia Football Pro Day 2011: What Could Go Wrong?
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/georgia-bulldogs">Georgia Bulldogs</a>' 2011 offseason has been by and large a magical one, with Mark Richt's latest signing class drawing coast-to-coast raves. The coach himself has been busy upping his street cred with the introduction of his<a target="_blank" href="http://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bulldogs/2011/1/31/1966610/butts-mehre-renovations-georgia-football-facilities"> swank new digs</a>, and honing his edge as the bad-boy-with-the-heart-of-gold by reporting a couple <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/3/14/2050484/isaiah-crowell-recruiting-violation-georgia-football">recruiting violations</a>, just to remind onlookers he ain't no square. The Dawgs' 2011 pro day is set for this Wednesday, and are you thinking what I'm thinking?</p>↵<p>That's right. It's the perfect time for something to go terribly, terribly wrong.</p>↵<p><a href="http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2011/03/21/georgias-pro-day-will-be-on-espn3-com-w-list-of-participants/?cxntfid=blogs_uga_sports_blog%20" target="_blank">According to the AJC</a>, players on display will include <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10332/clint-boling">Clint Boling</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10320/shaun-chapas">Shaun Chapas</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10295/vance-cuff">Vance Cuff</a>, Chris Davis, Josh Davis, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10322/akeem-dent">Akeem Dent</a>, Demarcus Dobbs, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10283/kris-durham">Kris Durham</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10321/darryl-gamble">Darryl Gamble</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10284/chad-gloer">Chad Gloer</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36143/a-j-green">A.J. Green</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36164/justin-houston">Justin Houston</a>, Derek Rich and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10364/kiante-tripp">Kiante Tripp</a>. By our most scientific estimate, we're predicting five of them will be arrested en route to the stadium for nebulous and inexplicable traffic violations. If you'd like to watch the two or three that manage to make it to the event without being handcuffed first, the workout will be broadcast on ESPN3. </p>↵
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bulldogs/2011/3/21/2063993/georgia-pro-day-2011-bulldogs-footballHolly Anderson2011-03-18T09:37:12-04:002011-03-18T09:37:12-04:00Tennessee Vs. Michigan: Survive And Advance
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<p>This year's Vols team has seemed particularly psych-able, and is contending with a double handful of distractions this week that would try the patience of even the most stoic of squads. In so many ways, this is a team very much at the end of the line, but they're not without reasons for fighting today.</p> <p>This afternoon, the ninth seed <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/tennessee-volunteers" class="sbn-auto-link">Tennessee Volunteers</a> will meet the eighth seed <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/michigan-wolverines" class="sbn-auto-link">Michigan Wolverines</a> in what the television networks are apparently insisting on referring to as the second round of the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2011-ncaa-tournament/2011/3/15/2052374/ncaa-basketball-tournament-2011-schedule-preview-michigan-tennessee" target="_blank">[full preview]</a>.</p>
<p>It's a low seed for a team that began the year on a 7-0 run and knocked off current top seed Pittsburgh, and despite its less-than-lofty ranking, Michigan fields a bizarro offense that's not easy to defend despite a marked size advantage. Compounding matters is the empirical fact that this year's Vols team has seemed particularly psych-able, and is contending with a double handful of distractions this week that would try the patience of even the most stoic of squads. In so many ways, this is a team very much at the end of the line, but they're not without reasons for fighting today:</p>
<p><b>For Bruce Pearl. </b>A loss today could mean <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2010/9/10/1681249/bruce-pearl-tennessee-ncaa-recruiting-violations-investigation-lie-sanctions" target="_blank">no more Bruce Pearl</a> on the sidelines, given their head coach's recent unpleasant dalliances with the wrong side of the NCAA.There's every reason to believe the team will fall apart in his absence, for reasons roster-related (see below) and of general interest, as the vocal majority of Pearl fans in Knoxville return their attentions to a certain other basketball team at their university that wins and wins and wins.</p>
<p><b>For the team.</b> And if Pearl's gone, it stands to reason junior <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/53466/scotty-hopson" class="sbn-auto-link">Scotty Hopson</a> and freshman <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/124430/tobias-harris" class="sbn-auto-link">Tobias Harris</a> will cast their lots with the NBA, effectively gutting the team's talent core. (Those two, in particular, have excellent reasons to come out with hefty chips on their shoulders: Hopson's underachieved from whistle to whistle this season, and Harris was snubbed just last week with a second-team Freshman All-America selection.)<b><br></b></p>
<p><b>For Mike Hamilton. </b>Whether in support of firing Pearl or not, reaction to Tennessee's athletic director revving up a bus, pitching the head basketball coach beneath it, and driving back and forth several times over his limp form (we're speaking metaphorically here, barely) has been <a href="http://www.rockytoptalk.com/2011/3/17/2055323/should-bruce-pearl-be-fired-what-about-mike-hamilton" target="_blank">overbrimming with loathing</a>. (Yes, that's the NFL's leading rusher <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ArianFoster/status/48223664675622912" target="_blank">firing public shots</a> at his alma mater's AD.)</p>
<p>Not known for his excellent timing with coaching decisions, is Hamilton: The last time he fired a coach, Phil Fulmer was made a lame duck the week before Homecoming, a game which the football Vols proceeded to shuffle through quarter-heartedly and lose to Wyoming, all in the name of hiring Lane Kiffin.</p>
<p>Alert viewers will recall that did not work out. If ever there were a time for a team to buck up and show Hamilton that perhaps college athletics' biggest stages are not the appropriate venue in which to cattily and clumsily maneuver to save his own job, now would be ideal.</p>
<p><b>For Pat Summitt. </b>A common fixture in Thompson-Boling Arena for men's games, particularly Pearl's suspension, Pat Summitt is perhaps the last person on earth you want to come home to and find disappointed. (If Pearl is shown the door, and Hamilton follows suit, can she be considered for both positions? Don't tell me she couldn't run two teams and the athletic department by herself. <i>It's Pat.</i>)</p>
<p><b>For Peyton Manning. </b>It's been just more than 13 years since the Heisman Trophy was cruelly wrested from its rightful owner and bestowed upon an unworthy Wolverine we shall not name here. Let's get one back on them, Vawls, shall we?</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2011/3/18/2057972/ncaa-basketball-tournament-2011-tennessee-vs-michiganHolly Anderson2011-03-03T10:59:43-05:002011-03-03T10:59:43-05:00Pat Summitt IS Scotty Hopson IN 'Dunk Of The Year' (Rated PG)
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<p>Pat Summitt is known for lending a hand to University of Tennessee programs that aren't her women's basketball team. She stepped in to keep up communications with recruits the last time the Vols were in between football coaches, is a regular fixture in the crowd at the men's basketball games, and has even been known to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA-e1hl-tcg" target="_blank">dress up for the orange and white cause</a>. Today, you'll notice, she's in disguise:</p>
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<p>Is that a hastily-constructed Abraham Lincoln costume for a belated Presidents' Day celebration? Is she appearing as a Pilgrim in a local school play? Nay, dear readers: That thing on her head is a tribute to Tennessee guard Scotty Hopson's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scotty-Hopsons-high-top-fade/167077353314881" target="_blank">legendary high-top fade</a>, complete with racing stripes on the sides. Summitt is undergoing this transformation in support of Hopson's candidacy for a CBS dunk of the year contest, following his monster three-dunk showing against South Carolina. You can view the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq7fdBMDQgY" target="_blank">dunk in question here</a>, and vote for Hopson <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dunksoftheyear" target="_blank">on Facebook</a>. <br><br><i>[HT: Hopson's own invaluable <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/shopson32" target="_blank">Twitter feed</a>.]</i></p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2011/3/3/2027329/pat-summitt-scotty-hopson-dunk-videoHolly Anderson2011-02-25T11:37:49-05:002011-02-25T11:37:49-05:00Know Your Enemy: The Murky Origins Of The Rocky Top 'Woo'
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<p>A Knoxville television station is actually <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wbir.com/rss/article/158228/5/Three-East-TN-residents-say-they-started-the-woo?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">investigating the origins of the "woo"</a> in the chorus of Rocky Top. (It's the offseason everywhere; just take this as irrefutable evidence that every fanbase is just as bored as yours.) Turns out there's quite the commotion up Tennessee way over who, exactly, is responsible for the pointiest end of college football's most potent psychological weapon. The wrapup is all very inconclusive, but if you want to know who might be to blame, there's names in there and everything.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bulldogs/2011/2/25/2014904/rocky-top-fight-song-origins-wooHolly Anderson2011-02-21T17:01:20-05:002011-02-21T17:01:20-05:00Everybody Stop Accusing David Pollack Of Injuring Aaron Murray
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<p>All y'all just settle down and stop accusing David Pollack of complicity in <a target="_blank" href="http://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bulldogs/2011/2/21/2006071/aaron-murray-injury-broken-ankle">Aaron Murray's injury</a>! No, seriously, you guys; you are tarnishing the great sport of racquetball with your careless accusations, and <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/davidpollack47/">Georgia's most sterling hairdo</a> will not have it:</p>↵<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/549452/Screen_shot_2011-02-21_at_4.50.36_PM.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Screen_shot_2011-02-21_at_4" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/549452/Screen_shot_2011-02-21_at_4.50.36_PM_medium.png" height="124" width="295"></a></p>↵<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/549456/Screen_shot_2011-02-21_at_4.55.09_PM.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Screen_shot_2011-02-21_at_4" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/549456/Screen_shot_2011-02-21_at_4.55.09_PM_medium.png" height="167" width="295"></a></p>↵<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/549460/Screen_shot_2011-02-21_at_4.50.56_PM.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Screen_shot_2011-02-21_at_4" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/549460/Screen_shot_2011-02-21_at_4.50.56_PM_medium.png" height="150" width="295"></a> <br id="1298325503113"></p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bulldogs/2011/2/21/2006518/aaron-murray-injury-ankle-david-pollackHolly Anderson2011-02-14T10:58:30-05:002011-02-14T10:58:30-05:00The Best Atlanta Sports Bars: A Guide To Public Drinking For The Discerning Fan
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<p>Going out with friends to catch the Falcons, Dawgs, or Braves on TV? You don't have to drink watery beer on an Applebee's barstool to have a good time in the 404. After careful research, we recommend these destinations as Atlanta's best sports bars for the discerning fan:</p> <p><b>1. <a href="http://www.themidwaypub.com/" target="_blank">The Midway Pub</a></b><br><i>Where:</i> 552 Flat Shoals Ave SE<br><i>What: </i>Tucked back from the drag of Glenwood Avenue is this unassuming joint with a giant patio. Midway housed what seemed like half the city during the dog days of last summer's World Cup, and did bang-up business thanks to its early operating hours, intelligent beer selections, free (and fast) Wi-Fi, and a menu that strives to rise above the lowly potato-skins-and-mozzarella-sticks fare. <br><i>We Recommend: </i>The breakfast burrito, which showed up as thick as our forearm and which they will fill entirely with tater tots if you ask. <br><br><b>2. <a href="http://www.brewhousecafe.com/" target="_blank">Brewhouse Cafe</a></b><br><i>Where:</i> 401 Moreland Ave<br><i>What: </i>Why this is called a cafe, we're still not sure, although they do serve food and it is tasty. The bartenders at the Brewhouse can and will find any obscure sporting event you can imagine, and will show it on one of their many televisions with all speed. Patronize them for everything from the Division III college football championships to rugby to cricket. There's another voluminous outdoor patio here that's thankfully covered for most of this sleety, nasty winter we've been having. <br><i>We Recommend:</i> The pizzas, big enough to share and clearly not sealed in plastic or microwaved prior to arriving at your table. <br><b><br>3. <a href="http://www.tacomac.com/" target="_blank">Taco Mac</a></b><br><i>Where:</i> All over the ATL metro area and lately expanding into Tennessee and North Carolina, but the original is at the corner of Virginia and Highland Avenues. Two crucial locations for sports fans sit conveniently close to the Georgia Dome and Phillips Arena.<br><i>What:</i> Remember our knock on potato skins and mozzarella sticks? If you want bar food done right and deliciously, Taco Mac is our very own chain. They make a fine wing, have a staggeringly expansive selection of beer from across the country and around the globe, and stuff their cavernous locations with as many televisions as the fire marshal will allow. Also: Wi-Fi!<br><i>We Recommend:</i> The Buffalo ranch salad. Remember that old radio commercial? "Is it healthy? Of course it is. IT'S A SALAD." <br><br><b>4. <a href="http://www.statsatl.com/" target="_blank">Stats</a></b><br><i>Where: </i>300 Marietta St.<br><i>What: </i>Stats has five locations, but the first U.S. outpost is right here in town. The draw is a novel one: The beer taps are at your table, and you pay by volume dispensed. This is just another step on the downward spiral en route to total world domination by robots, but judging by the crowds, people seem to like it. <br><i>We Recommend:</i> Prop bets with your buddies to see who can down the most disgusting concoction of mixed-together brews. Bottoms up!<br><br><b>5. <a href="http://sweetwater420fest.com/" target="_blank">Sweetwater 420 Fest</a></b><br><i>Where: </i>Candler Park, April 15-17.<br><i>What:</i> Not actually an Atlanta sports bar, for starters, but Atlanta's own <a href="http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com/" target="_blank">Sweetwater Brewing Co.</a> is throwing another park party this spring to celebrate Earth Day. There's live music, and lots of dancing, which counts as a sport when there's been five months of sleet outside and all you want to do is see the sunshine. (You can run around, bike or play tennis at the park, which are actual sports, if that helps.)<br><i>We Recommend:</i> Local brewers will pour into this place, but if we're drinking Sweetwater stock, we're probably drinking Sweetwater Blue, which has enough berry flavor to please the delicate palate of a lady without cloying the sensibilities of a gentleman.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2011/2/14/1992950/best-atlanta-sports-bars-falcons-braves-soccerHolly Anderson