Thought I would strike first in the feud this morning and after all this negative campaigning coming out of London, I thought I would take the high road like a good Georgia alum and gentleman should. As an academic, I’ve spent a lot of time in school and a few different schools at that. I work for Oxford University now, got my Ph.D. from the University of Missouri and did stints at Presbyterian College and Florida State University. But it is the University of Georgia that gets my fanatic loyalty and passion to the point that I am willing to publicly embarrass my infant son for its honor. I’d like to try to tell you why.

When I started as an undergraduate in Athens in 1996 it was after a few aborted attempts at college that had begun several years later. I had a little problem with finishing things and being fairly easily distracted and thus tended to wander in and out of courses and schools. Despite this history, the University of Georgia gave me another chance and some money to help. I started out at Georgia as a design major, but looking around me at the hulking men that populated my classes I realized that I had inadvertantly joined the Athletic Department’s major of choice. I was enjoying my chemistry class more than any of the others so I made a quick change to major in Biology. That department was where I finally clicked – I did well in classes, got involved in clubs and ended up teaching other undergraduates in my final year.

Our graduation day – a hot, muggy Georgia June day – was one of the proudest of my life. Myself and thousands of other Georgia undergraduates filed into Sanford stadium for a long, rather dull ceremony with Ted Turner as the keynote speaker (that part was entertaining). It wasn’t the ceremony, it was the pride of completion. I’ve completed other things since then, including aPh.D, but until recently I’ve never felt so proud as I did sweating under a black polyester gown in Sanford Stadium.

That’s why on Saturday night I will be tense in front of the computer in my Oxford terraced house, cheering along with Scott Howard and Eric Zeier and thousands of Bulldog fans throughout the world. That’s why I’ll cheer on Matthew Stafford and Co. as they march into “Fort Neyland” and spank the Vols in their house for the fourth time in a row. That’s why I will get so much pleasure in seeing Baby Cletus and the Vol Abroad adorned in glorious red and black. That’s why I dress my son Z in red and black, because he’s my pride now. When he reaches a certain age, he may pick another team to cheer for and that’s fine. As long as its not Tennessee…. or Florida… or…

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