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...]
Unsolicited advice for Greg McGarity
Dear Mr. McGarity, I hope you'll forgive my presumption that you might listen to me -- on the other hand, if this message resonates with the Bulldog nation and becomes viral, and you won't be able to ignore it. I tried this "unsolicited advice" tactic once before, and things worked out pretty well. While I can't claim that my effort led to things working out to UGA's advantage, what I wrote obviously didn't hurt the Dawgs. And Roquan Smith sure looks great in red. Now I know you have a very difficult job, trying to keep the Bulldog fan base happy. Some "fans" have called for you to fire Mark Richt, even though our coach has managed to win nine tough games, including both Auburn and Georgia Tech on the road. This is in spite of the fact Coach Richt currently has the highest rated recruiting class during his entire tenure, with the chance to finish strong and dramatically improve the final ranking. Georgia could finish with the top ranked recruiting class. If Coach Richt and his staff can persuade blue-chip players like Isaac Nauta, Mecole Hardman, Derrick Brown, E. J. Price, Willie Allen, Demetris Robertson, Shyheim Carter, Tyler Simmons, Brian Burns, or a few similar highly prized recruits to come to Athens to play with Jacob Eason, we could have the necessary talent needed to play for SEC titles and national championships against the likes of Nick Saban, in spite of the advantage in financial support for his program at Alabama. Most of these kids have expressed strong interest or said they want to come to Georgia, but they want Mark Richt and Jeremy … [Read more...]
Should Mark Bradley and Jeff Schultz be fired?
My father used to say that opinions were like anuses -- everybody has one, but they shouldn't be shown in public. Of course, he didn't actually say "anus" but used a very similar word that clearly meant the same thing. Before I start, I must confess to be perfectly honest, it feels...wrong to speculate about another man's livelihood. Nevertheless, I am compelled to ask this question: should the Atlanta Journal-Constitution fire sportswriters Mark Bradley or Jeff Schultz for their failures to perform their job with peak efficiency every day? Before we make any quick decisions, let's look at some of the evidence: Mark Bradley has been with the same newspaper for twenty-five years. But exactly what has he accomplished in all that time? According to his online biography, Mark Bradley freely admits that he "Has won some awards but lost many more." Sorry, but doesn't that make him a loser? If he's truly lost more awards than he's won, his overall record is below .500. By comparison, Mark Richt's winning percentage at Georgia is currently .739. His teams are ninety games above .500. Yet curiously enough, it was Mark Bradley who recently suggested it was time for Mark Richt to be fired. As if to further confirm my belief that it has become time for the AJC to make a move, Bradley put in his own bio that he "Isn't as smart as you might believe." However, Mr. Bradley might be surprised to learn just how smart I don't believe he is. And as for Mr. Bradley's co-defendant to my charge of journalistic malpractice, what should we say about Jeff … [Read more...]
Mark Richt: the best man for a difficult job
Famous tennis instructor Dennis Van der Meer has often said that a player's IQ is cut in half as soon as he or she steps onto the court and the games begin. His quip translates to mean in the spur of the moment during heated competition, people tend to make ill-advised, emotional decisions as opposed to rational and reasonable ones. Apparently, that would also be an appropriate way to describe many Georgia Bulldog fans, especially during football season. Fans who are calling for a coaching change have let emotion shape their comments, which often lack logic and intelligent thought. People are called "fans" for a reason. It's short for fanatic. These "fair-weather" fans have unrealistic expectations for the present, and a very myopic vision for the future. The truth of the matter is that Mark Richt is an excellent football coach. However, his team has already lost twice this season. Some of our fair-weather fans (apparently those few suffering from temporary insanity) have called for Mark Richt to be fired. To fire Coach Richt at the end of this season wouldn't just be dumb, it would be one of the most stupid decisions in school history -- and that even includes Jake Scott's legendary death-defying ride over Stegeman Coliseum on a motorcycle. Coach Richt is currently one of the best in the business, and when he finally retires, he will ultimately be considered one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. The fair-weather Georgia fans currently calling for his ouster may be wondering -- how can anyone make such an outlandish claim, … [Read more...]
Why the Georgia Bulldogs will win a National Championship in football in the next two years
I had the pleasure of attending the University of Georgia at the same time Herschel Walker was in school -- the undisputed best running back in Bulldog history thus far, and arguably the greatest college player of all time. Bulldog fans got spoiled rotten. The Junkyard Dawg defense coached by Erk Russell rarely gave up very many points, and it seemed that nobody could stop Herschel in the red zone. Then again, nobody could really even slow Herschel down for very long, period. He ran by people. Herschel ran through people, and even leaped over them. Mr. Walker simply wore defenses down. When asked how he could carry the ball thirty five or more times per game, Herschel famously replied, "The ball ain't heavy." You might be wondering if I've lost my mind: am I living in the past? What does reminiscing about the past and the great Herschel Walker have to do with the chances that UGA will win a national championship within the next two years? What gives me confidence to say the Bulldogs can and will win it all under Mark Richt, other than the fact I love our coach and think he's fantastic? Well, I can summarize my answer to that question with only two words: Nick Chubb. If you haven't noticed, satellite television and TIVO are wonderful inventions. Several UGA football games recorded from last season remain on my play list to satisfy the occasional urge to watch football between seasons. One of the recordings I've kept was the Auburn game. Watching the replay this afternoon I was absolutely mesmerized by what I believe to be the most amazing play … [Read more...]
