"It's Saturday In Athens!!!" Well...not anymore...but it WAS Saturday in Athens...finally.

Words can't express...

When I first stepped out my door Saturday morning, it was as if the weather knew it was the official start of fall: Saturday in Athens. After weeks of blazing heat, there was suddenly a cool breeze, red and black as far as the eye could see, and a clean slate for the Dawgs and their hopeful fans.

As I made my way to campus, I could hardly believe it was here. It was like Christmas morning for this 31-year-old kid. I counted at least four different occasions that induced chill bumps that day:

1. That first breeze I felt on my back patio around 9 a.m.

These aren't my trees, but they could be. They look a lot like the ones I saw on my back patio Saturday morning and I'm pretty sure I see a similar breeze blowing through these.

2. Hearing the trumpet solo from the southwest corner of Sanford Stadium's upper deck as I crossed Sanford Bridge minutes from kickoff.

Really would have preferred a picture from the angle from which I usually view this, but I couldn't find any pictures of the trumpet solo guy in the upper deck of the southwest stands from my tailgate spot. This works.

3. This was kind of an extension of #2 since the trumpet solo led into it, but hearing Larry Munson's introduction (accompanied by the montage of Georgia highlights that I couldn't see from the bridge and the Red Coats joining the solo). This isn't official, nor is it terribly recent, but here is an excellent fan-made recreation of this moment from a few years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EipPYh_JcmY&NR=1
This one captures the atmosphere better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QECWAoJzcrA&feature=related
But you can see and hear this one better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSaXlmuN4SI&feature=related

"GLO-ry, GLO-ry to OLD GEOR-gia..."

4. Hearing the roar of the crowd as the second and third montage flashed across the big screen accompanied by "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and the The Who's "Baba O'Riley" ("Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals...") blaring throughout the stadium. The "Baba O'Riley" montage is second only to the Munson one in my book, but it's very, very close. Unfortunately, I was anxiously pushing my way through the gates at the time, but I got in just in time to catch the end of the "Baba O'Riley" montage/song and see the big screen message "It's Saturday In Athens!" This video shows last year's equivalent of these two montages (I promise I won't say montage again...in this post). If you can get past the drunk guy trying to sing along with The Who, it's as close to being there as you'll get on YouTube (and actually, the drunk guy singing along is pretty close to what it's like being there as well): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VO0cHJQaEI

Nothing left to do but destroy an inferior opponent...as they all are.

And whoever came up with that perfectly simple message that I see every home game Saturday (that I get to the stadium before kickoff) was absolutely correct. It actually was Saturday in Athens...finally.

More on the game, the NCAA/A.J. Green, etc. later.