Georgia

A tribute to ‘Senator Blutarsky.’ The Bulldog fan (and critic) behind ‘Get The Picture’ blog

Published

10 months ago

February 10, 2024

A tribute to ‘Senator Blutarsky.’ The Bulldog fan (and critic) behind ‘Get The Picture’ blog

Writing about Georgia football serves a passionate fan base that wants to know about every nook and cranny going on with the program.

We have metrics that tell you which stories click with readers and which ones fizzle.

There are writing awards that are a measure of quality work. A pay increase shows you are appreciated as well.

Really, though, there’s probably nothing as a beat writer that validated your work more than if Michael Brochstein, who posted under the handle “Senator Blutarsky,” thought it was worthy of offering his sharp insight into a story you wrote on his “Get The Picture,” Georgia-centric blog.

If he did, it often times felt like hitting a home run. If he didn’t, you thought, huh, maybe that wasn’t as good an angle as I thought.

We bring all this up because it’s a sad weekend for the countless Georgia fans who went to Brochstein’s blog for his perspective—not hot takes—on everything from Mike Bobo and Todd Monken’s playcalling, Kirby Smart’s “manball” philosophy to players emerging from an alley on scooters and getting ticketed by UGA police years ago.

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In the fall, his “Observations From the 35,” gave his sharp-eyed take on what he saw from his Sanford Stadium seat of the game that just passed.

It was an online community for fans to gather to see and chime in on Brochstein’s view on hot button issues in college football and everything and anything related to Georgia football.

The blog had some stops and starts more recently due to health issues—”getting old leaves something to be desired” he wrote in the first week of January after a slowdown on the blog. His final post came on Jan. 23 asking how much Georgia fans were contributing to the Bulldogs’ collective given Ohio State fans reportedly were shelling out big bucks.

Brochstein passed away Thursday, according to a post on his blog Friday night.

Who was the man behind Senator Blutarsky? Here’s what he said in an email to me on Oct. 20, 2014 when I had him and other Georgia bloggers join us for our old podcast.

“As far as background goes, I’m a 1980 graduate of the UGA law school and a season ticket holder since 1981. I live in Atlanta. I started the blog immediately after the 2006 Georgia-Georgia Tech game and haven’t looked back since.”

The photo on top of the blog was Vince Dooley and James Brown together.

“Dooley’s Junkyard Dawgs” is the greatest college football song ever,” he wrote as a truth that is self evident on the blog.

That fit perfectly for someone who did musical palate cleansers with videos of the likes of the Rolling Stones, Muddy Waters, Beatles and most recently the Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York.’

The tributes poured in starting Friday night on X (formerly Twitter):

“This hits hard. Georgia fans have lost one of their best voices. I enjoyed everything he wrote (envy and jealousy, indeed,) and I marveled at how he kept at it day after day. I hope he knew how essential he was to so many of us. RIP, Senator.—Brian Sugrue who posts at Dawgsonline.com.

“The Senator was the gold standard of CFB blogging, an inspiration. Legend. From his daily guidance of NCAA muddy waters, to fun sh** like the Montana Project,the @MummePoll,his viewpoint ‘tween the hedges…deeply sad. So RIP good Senator Blutarsky, will miss you daily—Chris Burnette of Bernie’s Dawg Blog.

“Damn this is really, really terrible news. He had by far the best Georgia specific blog that I’ve been reading for 15 years at least. I always looked forward to his recaps And good Lord did he hate Auburn Rest in Peace Senator Blutarsky. We’re really gonna miss you.”—Three Year Letterman, a light-hearted account that portrays himself as a “Youth Football Coaching Legend.”

“The Senator was the best of Dawg Nation. There aren’t really any words, only he might would have the right ones. Prayers to his family and Heaven got another DGD tonight.”—CoachBG30.

Brochstein was born in Houston and lived in Athens since 1960, according to his LinkedIn page. He graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Economics in 1977.

“Three years of watching Virginia’s football program go down the toilet had soured me on the sport as a whole,” he wrote for a Bill Connelly SB Nation story in 2013 where he listed his 10 favorite college football games. “ [Georgia radio announcer] Larry Munson rekindled my love in one night with a radio call that Lewis Grizzard aptly described as ‘better than being there.’ Munson never did call the winning kick good. It didn’t matter.”

Brochstein practiced law in the areas of residential and commercial real estate after becoming a cum laude graduate of the UGA School of Law. He was a speaker on regulation and compliance topics to bank and mortgage companies.

Brochstein surely would have had something to say Friday about Chip Kelly bolting from the UCLA head coaching job to become Ohio State offensive coordinator.

His voice will be sorely missed.

Marc Weiszer is the UGA beat writer for the Athens Banner-Herald. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @marcweiszer.

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Georgia

NC State football vs Georgia Tech score: Live updates, highlights from ACC game

Published

1 hour ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

NC State football vs Georgia Tech score: Live updates, highlights from ACC game

The N.C. State Wolfpack and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets play in primetime on Thursday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Week 13 of the college football season.

Coming off an idle week, the Wolfpack (5-5, 2-4 ACC) needs to win one of its final two games to become bowl eligible for the fifth straight season. But it won’t be an easy task taking on the Yellow Jackets (6-4, 4-3) in Atlanta, where N.C. State has lost 11 of 15 games in the series.

The Wolfpack hasn’t won at Georgia Tech since 2010.

NC State vs GT preview, prediction

Keep this page refreshed and bookmarked for live updates for N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech.

NC State vs Georgia Tech score

Live scoreboard:

What channel is NC State vs Georgia Tech today?

TV Channel: ESPN

Livestream: Fubo (free trial), ESPN+

Watch NCSU vs. GT on Fubo

N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech will be broadcast nationally on ESPN in Week 13 of the 2024 college football season. Matt Barrie and Dan Mullen will call the game from the booth at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with Harry Lyles Jr. reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers. Matt Chazanow, Johnny Evans and Tony Haynes will have the radio call on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

NC State vs Georgia Tech start time

Date: Thursday, Nov. 21

Start time: 7:30 p.m.

Buy NCSU vs GT tickets here

The N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech game starts at 7:30 p.m. from Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

NC State vs Georgia Tech history

Series record: Georgia Tech 20-11

NC State’s last win: 2020 (23-13)

Georgia Tech’s last win: 2019 (28-26)

NC State vs Georgia Tech prediction

Georgia Tech 30, N.C. State 23: The Yellow Jackets will remain undefeated at home behind a big effort from quarterback Haynes King. The Wolfpack will head to Chapel Hill for the regular-season finale, needing a win to play in the postseason.

NC State vs Georgia Tech spread, betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM will be posted as they become available.

Spread: Georgia Tech is an 8.5-point favorite

Over/under: 52.5 points

Moneyline: N.C. State (+270), Georgia Tech (-350)

NC State vs Georgia Tech weather

Temperatures for kickoff will be around 44 degrees under clear skies in Atlanta, Georgia. Winds will be between 8-16 mph, with gusts up to 38 mph.

NC State vs Georgia Tech injury updates

This section will updated in the pregame.

NC State schedule 2024

Aug. 29: Western Carolina (W, 38-21)
Sept. 7: Tennessee (L, 51-10)
Sept. 14: Louisiana Tech (W, 30-20)
Sept. 21: at Clemson (L, 59-35)
Sept. 28: Northern Illinois (W, 24-17)
Oct. 5: Wake Forest (L, 34-30)
Oct. 12: Syracuse (L, 24-17)
Oct. 19: at Cal (W, 24-23)
Oct. 26: OPEN
Nov. 2: Stanford (W, 59-28)
Nov. 9: Duke (L, 29-19)
Nov. 16: OPEN
Nov. 21: at Georgia Tech (Thursday)
Nov. 30: at UNC

Georgia Tech schedule 2024

Aug. 24: Florida State (W, 24-21)
Aug. 31: Georgia State (W, 35-12)
Sept. 7: at Syracuse (L, 31-28)
Sept. 14: VMI (W, 59-7)
Sept. 21: at Louisville (L, 31-19)
Sept. 28: OFF
Oct. 5: Duke (W, 24-14)
Oct. 12: at UNC (W, 41-34)
Oct. 19: Notre Dame (L, 31-13)
Oct. 26: at Virginia Tech (L, 21-6)
Nov. 2: OFF
Nov. 9: Miami (W, 28-23)
Nov. 16: OFF
Nov. 21: NC State (Thursday)
Nov. 29: at Georgia

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

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Georgia

Critics accuse Georgia sheriff of silencing them on social media in lawsuit

Published

9 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Critics accuse Georgia sheriff of silencing them on social media in lawsuit

Three Georgia residents are accusing Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens of violating their free speech rights, alleging in a lawsuit that he silenced their critical opinions on Facebook following a viral incident in which he called deputies to a Burger King over a botched order.

The legal filing in U.S. District Court lists David Cavender – a Republican who unsuccessfully ran against Owens for the sheriff position this election season – as one of the plaintiffs.

“Defendant Craig Owens was displeased that certain persons, including the Plaintiffs, were publicly criticizing his performance as the Sheriff of Cobb County, Georgia,” the lawsuit says. “Instead of upholding the First Amendment and stomaching speech he found personally distasteful, Owens decided instead to utilize the powers of his office to censor the speech of Plaintiffs, and others, based on viewpoint.”

An attorney wrote that in October, in the weeks leading up to Election Day, a video that emerged of “Owens utilizing Cobb County Sheriff deputies to intercede in a personal dispute with Burger King employees became viral” and that the plaintiffs “had been leveling harsh criticism against Owens” over it and other matters.

GEORGIA SHERIFF CALLS DEPUTIES FOR HELP AFTER BECOMING UPSET THAT BURGER KING GOT HIS ORDER WRONG

READ THE FILING BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE

In that March 2023 incident, three deputies were dispatched to the fast-food restaurant in Mableton with sirens blaring.

“Hey, do me a favor. I need to get, all I need is the owner name of whoever owns this damn facility or the manager,” Owens is heard telling one deputy who showed up on scene.

“I wanted her [to get his female passenger] a Whopper, no mayo, cut in half, right?” he continued.

The sheriff added: “I don’t need no damn money back no more. I just need to find out who owns this place so I can do an official complaint.”

The lawsuit says on Oct. 29 of this year, Owens put in place “sweeping restrictions” over who can post comments on the Cobb County Sheriff Office’s Facebook page.

EX-GEORGIA POLL WORKER INDICTED FOR MAILING BOMB THREAT TO POLLING PLACE: FBI

Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens called his deputies to the Burger King on Veterans Memorial Highway in Mableton on March 4, 2023. (Cobb County Sheriff’s Office)

“On information and belief, these restrictions were put in place because of the viewpoint of commenters’ posts grew increasingly critical of Owens and his performance as Sheriff; in other words Owens put the restrictions in place to prevent the expression of a viewpoint,” the lawsuit says, adding that some of the posts made by the plaintiffs were deleted or hidden by the Sheriff’s Office Facebook account.

The Sheriff’s Office then wrote on Nov. 1 that it is “committed to providing a safe and respectful space on our social media channels.

“To keep our posts focused on community safety updates and educational info, we’ve turned off the comments feature,” it added.

The lawsuit is asking a judge to “declare the actions of Defendant Owens… to be view-point based restrictions in violation of the First Amendment”, prohibit his “unlawful practice of retaliatory censorship” and to prevent him “from deleting comments, blocking posters, or restricting commenters to those who are friends or referenced within posts,” among other damages.

The lawsuit against Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens states the plaintiffs posted critical comments of him online following an incident involving the sheriff at a Burger King in Georgia last year. (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Both the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office and the law firm that filed the lawsuit did not immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

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Lefty Georgia DA in Laken Riley case faces outrage after killer migrant avoids death penalty

Published

17 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Lefty Georgia DA in Laken Riley case faces outrage after killer migrant avoids death penalty

The progressive Georgia district attorney who was prosecuting nursing student Laken Riley’s illegal immigrant killer refused to seek the death penalty even after removing herself from the case – drawing outrage when the defendant was sentenced to life without parole.

Athens-Clarke District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, who appointed a special prosecutor to take over the prosecution of Jose Ibarra at the end of February amid criticism over her own prosecutorial record, laid out her soft-on-crime reforms when she assumed office in January 2021.

Gonzalez said her office would “no longer seek the death penalty” and when considering charging defendants, she would “take into account collateral consequences to undocumented defendants,” according to a copy of the district attorney’s policies shared by Georgia State Rep. Houston Gaines.

Ibarra, a 26-year-old Tren de Arangua gang member, was sentenced Wednesday to life without parole after being convicted of murdering the 22-year-old college student. His sentence angered many Republicans, including Gaines, who felt the killer should get the death penalty.

Gonzalez announced this spring would not seek the death penalty against Ibarra, stating, “our utmost duty is to ensure that justice is served and that the victim’s family is an integral part of the deliberation process.”

She also acknowledged critics will seek to “exploit this case for political gain,” but legal decisions must “always transcend political considerations,” according to WRDW.

The decision appears in line with what Gonzalez told staff in 2021.

“Cases which are legally eligible for the death penalty are eligible for sentences of life without parole and life with parole eligibility after serving thirty years,” she wrote.

“Both of these sentences constitute very substantial punishment. Decisions to seek the sentence of life without parole are a sentence of death in prison.”

She also reportedly said the office would take into account “collateral consequences to undocumented defendants,” when making charging decisions.

GOP lawmakers were incensed that Ibarra would not face the death penalty.

“If there was ever a case where the death penalty was appropriate, this is it,” Gaines tweeted Wednesday.

Meanwhile state Sen. Colton Moore called on the state attorney general to intervene.

“I am officially calling on Attorney General Chris Carr to file an emergency motion to intervene and demand the death penalty for the murderer of Laken Riley,” he tweeted.

“District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez let her radical political agenda stand in the way of justice. By refusing to seek the death penalty, she denied Laken’s family, friends, and community the full measure of justice they deserve.”

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene also weighed in.

“Jose Ibarra deserves the death penalty,” she tweeted. “Just as Laken’s mother Allyson asked the judge, Laken’s evil (murderer) deserves exactly what he gave to Laken.”

Gonzalez lost her reelection bid this month by a 20-percentage point margin.

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