Grab yourself a nice piece of tailgate.

He's tanned, he's rested, he's ready . . . to sit on his icebag and accept some more table scraps.

As Kyle from Dawgsports has pointed out, the big G-Day Bloggerpalooza '06 (we're still toying with the name, sorry) is just a few days away. Georgia's spring football game (otherwise known as G-Day for the n00bs) kicks off at noon this Saturday, April 8, and a bunch of us Atlanta-area sports bloggers will be getting together 9:00ish to drink, eat and, in many cases (certainly mine), meet each other in person for the first time.

For those who haven't spent any time on UGA's campus -- or those who have but were usually too drunk to remember anything about it -- here's a hastily modified map (original courtesy of the Georgia law school) and a brief explanation:


(click on the map if this image isn't big enough, which it probably isn't)

Mayor Kyle had the very excellent idea that we all meet up at the Arch on Broad Street, right at the edge of North Campus, with our tailgate junk and and then head onto the North Campus quad to set up shop. (The Arch, you will note, is marked by the word "ARCH" in big red letters on this map.) I've circled an approximate location where we may set up, but we may put the tailgate a little closer to the Arch itself to make it easier for people to get from one to the other.

On that note, for those who can't quite drag their bleary-eyed selves over to the Arch at nine a.m., we'll be periodically sending search parties back to the Arch to meet up with stragglers.

Again, the game starts promptly at noon; after it's over, for those who are interested, some of us will almost certainly be venturing back into downtown Athens, denoted by the passed-out guy and the word "bars" on the map, to finish whatever endrunkening was not completed during the tailgate. (Look, it's a perfectly cromulent word.)

Now then. Mayor Kyle has graciously offered to bring fried chicken to start off the feast; Orson from EDSBS mentioned something about bringing various Bloody Mary ingredients; and with my Lenten no-hard-liquor sacrifice still in full effect, I'll be toting cheap champagne and orange juice for mimosas, along with probably some chips or something. This is a good start but leaves some critical Georgia tailgating items still unaccounted for, including, but not exclusive to:

· Beer. (Now, I'm confident we'll have plenty, it's just that nobody has specifically said they're bringing it. The point is, if you wanted to be a sport and throw in a six-pack, we're certainly not about to stop you.)

· Picnic blankets, card tables, camp chairs, etc.

· Some kind of salsa, if that's your bag.

· Sorority girls in little black dresses. Can never have too many of those.

· Krispy Kreme donuts. (You think I've never enjoyed a tailgate with a Miller Lite in one hand and a Krispy Kreme plain glazed in the other? Oh, how little you know me.)


But if it comes down to sorority girls or Krispy Kremes . . . well, look, I can get my own damn donuts.

Anyways, if you're interested in bringing anything or just stopping by while you do other G-Day-related stuff, or if you have any questions about the day's events, drop a note in the comments thread or e-mail me at dougisthesoulmachine at gmail dot com. (No comments on the e-mail address, please, unless you're Cee-Lo.) With any luck we'll have a pretty big crowd, we'll get to put names and faces with blogs, and at least a few people will finally experience the unbridled joy and intoxication of a Saturday-afternoon tailgate in Athens.

Further updates as events warrant . . . hope to see y'all there.