I woke up this morning missing the good ole days.

For you longtime members of UGASports, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

National Signing Day was an unofficial holiday.

Going to show my age here, but paraphrasing Dana Carvey’s Grumpy Old Man character from his old Saturday Night Live skit, “Back in my day, we’d all gather at the Blind Pig for National Signing Day, and we LOVED it.”

We truly did.

For those who have no unearthly idea what I’m babbling about, Signing Day was a HUGE deal for UGASports and our Dawgvent faithful.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that people would come from around the state.

Staff like myself, UGASports Godfather Steve Patterson, and Radi Nabulsi would wake up at the crack of dawn and head over to the old Blind Pig Tavern that used to be located on Thomas Street.

There, restaurant owner Rob White would have a big breakfast spread, and Bulldog fans, many of them members of our site, would begin arriving to watch the signees roll in.

By 7 a.m., the place would be packed.

National Signing Day may not have been an official holiday, but it might as well have been.

Besides the camaraderie, we’d often invite an assistant coach from the football team to come over around lunch to regale the group with tales about the class and answer whatever questions they might have on their mind.

We’d have a big board, and as soon as a signing became official, we’d post it on the board to the cheers of the room.

I still remember the laughter when Isaiah Crowell reached down and lifted a Bulldog puppy to stamp his decision to sign with Georgia. I remember the groans when a player thought to be signing with Georgia chose a rival school.

I miss the opportunity to shoot the breeze with many of our longtime subs.

Tee and Ghost would be there. Rest in peace to both of those gentlemen.

But like everything else, life changes, and traditions fade away. Heck, the old Blind Pig we used to have the Signing Day party was razed. An apartment building now stands in its place.

December’s Early Signing Day has reduced today to one like all the rest with all the excitement of sweeping your kitchen floor.

We can discuss the timing of the current signing setup, and the pros and cons, at another time.

Today, we’re just remembering how it used to be.

It would be nice if it still was.