So here we are, summer -- or what represents for me a relatively quiet time.
For yours truly, the next eight to 10 weeks allows a moment to decompress and catch my breath -- which is especially needed this summer, following an exceptional 2012-13 sports season that saw our small sports staff trekking from Rabun County to Jekyll Island and Savannah to Columbus (and many points in between).
That said, sports -- like time -- stops for no man, and these days there's no such thing as an offseason. With that in mind, after a few days to re-set my sites, I'd like to present what I hope to make a regular feature over the next few weeks. I don't have a catchy name for it yet, and may never, but for now I'll simply call it Lee on Sports.
This weekly column will meander throughout different topics that concern the sports world (both in northeast Georgia and well beyond) in an attempt to enlighten, spark debate and, often, bring some light-hearted humor into your day, by pointing you to some of the best media pieces of the day/week.
Sometimes the focus will be in on college and high school football, and, sometimes, I'll bring you a look at how the Australian national soccer team once played against South Vietnam in the midst of the Vietnam conflict -- in Saigon... but more on that later.
1. To lead off I present an extraordinarily intriguing article by Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples in which he takes a look at the National Letter of Intent and what it means for some of the athletes that put pen to paper.
Staples contends that the Letter of Intent takes much out of the hands of the highly-recruited prep football star and then offers an option that I have yet to see play out.
If it did, it might turn NCAA football on its head.
2. Switching to baseball, the University of Georgia recently landed a new head coach for a program that has had plenty of highlights -- but also a few lowlights over the past few years.
Scott Stricklin, recently of Kent State, has been tabbed to take over from David Perno, who put together some great teams but also failed to find consistency before resigning after the 2013 season.
Stricklin led the Golden Flashes to five NCAA Regionals appearances and the 2012 College World Series during his time in charge of his alma mater and has an impressive resume -- which included a stint as Georgia Tech's baseball recruiting coordinator (a role in which he excelled).
Stricklin also comes across well in a press conference, and Georgia fans -- who flock to Foley Field when the Bulldogs are in contention -- should take a look at Stricklin in Wednesday's introductory conference in Athens. (It's the second option on the right.)
3. And remember that Australian soccer piece I referenced earlier? Yes, it's not a relevant subject for many of you, but, I promise, it's an extremely well-written and unique article, penned by The Guardian's Richard Cooke. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
4. If that doesn't interest you, maybe you should take a peek at the 401st annual shin-kicking championships at the Cotswold Olympicks in England. By the way, I think I've just had an idea for a great fund-raising event at the next Mule Camp Market -- now to get some hay, and start kicking practice...
That's it for this week. By the way, area weightlifter and Georgia IronDawgs' member Tim "T" Moon of Gainesville will be lifting this coming weekend at the WUAP United States Powerlifting & BenchPress Championships in Peoria, Ill. Moon, who bench-pressed over 733 pounds to win a Best Lifter award in March at the Georgia State American Powerlifting Championships in Macon, has set his sights set on a benchpress of 755 pounds. I've seen Moon and some of his teammates lift. It is truly impressive to behold. Good luck to Moon this weekend.
Enjoy the start of summer, and I'll see you here again soon.
-- Morgan Lee is sports editor for Access North Georgia.com
Saturday
July 5th, 2025
2:12AM
