Access Sports Weekly: Dogs burned by Zebras? Uggla warming; and Spurrier's scheming

OK, I still don't have a catchy name for my weekly summer column -- I know, I know, anathema in today's press relations, pop culture, Internet, zing, fizz, boom, etc. media market, but there it is. The best I could come up with is "Access Sports Weekly."

Don't dwell on the name, however, because what I do have for you in this installment of "Access Sports Weekly" is five more tidbits from around the world of sports that are sure to entertain and get you thinking -- one of which might even make you nauseous (unless you are into bad 80s baseball uniforms).

1. College football fans around the state will likely never forget A.J. Green's touchdown catch against LSU in 2009 -- and not necessarily because the play was another astounding example of Green's amazing abilities in a tight SEC showdown.



It was all that for sure, but the penalty flag that ensued for "excessive celebration" gave the visiting Tigers a great shot at responding with just over a minute remaining -- an opportunity they ran with (quite literally) in a 20-13 finale that had Dogs fans gnashing their teeth over a perceived bias from referees against the red and black.

Now, I am not saying Georgia fans are right or wrong, but a recent study of penalties for and against SEC football teams shows that, indeed, the Bulldogs are quite often on the wrong side of the yellow hanky.

Thanks to the analysis laid out by Mr. SEC.com we can see, in fact, that over the past five seasons Georgia is near the bottom end of the league (the wrong end, that is) of penalties received at home. Meanwhile, the Bulldog's opponents' at Sanford Stadium over that same period have earned the fewest flags of visiting teams in any SEC venue.

Granted this factor has not cost Georgia many home games over the past two seasons -- in which the Bulldogs have won back-to-back SEC East division crowns. But it can only add fuel to the ire of Georgia fans, who feel they are being wronged. Whether they are or not is up to the eye of the beholder. But it's the kind of stat that should certainly bear noting by some in the Bulldogs' athletic department.


2. In case you haven't noticed -- and if not, you probably don't care about baseball -- the Atlanta Braves have put together a pretty impressive few months, especially considering that a few big pieces in the line-up have been less than impressive.

True, Freddie Freeman, Evan Gattis, Brian McCann and Justin Upton have each announced their collective presence with authority this season. But those performances have nearly been balanced by an inconsistent Jason Heyward, slump-prone Dan Uggla, and an underwhelming B.J. Upton -- making Atlanta's hot start all the more remarkable.

Yet, according to Yahoo sports' Anthony Schreiber, at least two of those cold-hitting potential stars are starting to warm to the summer.

If that were to happen, the remarkable could turn into something massive indeed.


3. The continuing saga of a handful of diva NFL receivers has proved a veritable virtual inkwell for the sports media over the past decade or more.

This week added another chapter to that long and, train-wreck-like storyline when
Chad Johnson did what comes natural to all football players after a good play.

Certainly it seems harsh, but Johnson was already in hot water for allegedly having a hard time keeping his hands to himself, and -- well -- judges aren't exactly known for their senses of humor are they?


4. Steve Spurrier has never been shy about voicing his opinion -- on anything.

Now the Ole' Ball Coach has come up with an idea that he thinks will satisfy those who want more SEC football games in a regular season slate, while avoiding the loss of traditional rivalries -- specifically Alabama vs. Tennessee -- and ridding the conference of some of the unbalanced scheduling that has affected a number of teams over recent seasons.

It seems a bit of a stretch, but Spurrier has been harping on this issue ever since 2011. And while he does have somewhat of a point, the cynic in me says we probably hear not a peep from the coach had his Gamecocks found a way to defeat a pedestrian Auburn at home in that season (an outcome that would have sent South Carolina back to the SEC title game).


5. Finally, it is a great time to be a Louisville Cardinals sports fan. The school's football team is coming off a Sugar Bowl win over Florida and is among the teams thought to be in the running for a BCS title next season. The men's basketball team also won the NCAA tournament, overcoming an horrific injury to a team member in the process. And now Louisville's baseball team is headed to the College World Series after beating SEC regular season champ Vanderbilt in a Super Regional.

Congrats to Cardinals fans, but I ask you, is it necessary to burden the rest of the collegiate sports world with these uniforms?

I lived through the 1980s and the hideous uniforms of teams like the Houston Astros -- of which Louisville's bear a gut-wrenchingly similar picture -- hoping we would never go there again. Apparently EVERYTHING comes back around eventually.

-- Morgan Lee is sports editor for Access North Georgia.com