There they sit on the players' shoulders, little devils with Australian accents, conniving, scheming for their attention, passing out Bloomin' Onions, while the little angel on the other side, who looks a lot like Jim Donnan, preaches focus.

Such is the double-edged sword of going to a bowl game - especially a bowl game that isn't held in a dome, in a city that possesses weather nice enough to allow visitors to leave their hotels in comfort. The list of corporate-titled events that the Georgia players will shuttle to and from during the week leading up to the Outback Bowl is imposing.

These overwrought gatherings, part of the attraction of bowl trips, can distract players who are ultimately there to do a job. "Warm weather, pretty girls, and everything else," as Bulldog center Brad Stafford says, can keep the mind off the task at hand.

But Georgia's ability to handle each challenge presented has been a key component in its success this year (of course, the previous distractions were losses to Tennessee and Auburn, while the upcoming distraction is the Outback Steakhouse Team Welcome Dinner next Friday).

Despite the allure of a lot of free steak - no small attraction to a bunch of people who are large for a reason - the Bulldogs say they are confident they can find a balance between fun and focus in Tampa.

"You've just got to be careful. You've got to distinguish the work from the play," said senior linebacker Brandon Tolbert. "When it's time to work, you've got to go to work and prepare for the game. And when it's time to have fun ... just don't get the two mixed up, and I think we'll be OK."

Tolbert says this, perhaps failing to grasp how thrilling the Busch Gardens Team Outing (Dec. 27), Bowl Beach Day (Dec. 28), and - perhaps the highlight of the week - the Tampa Jai-alai Night (Dec. 29), might be.

Come on guys, Marcus Stroud playing Jaialai? Why think about Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne's physical measurements with such entertainment at your disposal?

This trip will be a great reward for the Bulldogs, without a doubt. Believe me, this column would not have been written had Georgia received a berth in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. There's nothing exotic about the West End MARTA station that would cause anyone's attention to stray.

That's why the players are ecstatic about heading to Tampa, despite the fact that each begins his response to any question with a compliment about the Peach Bowl.

Example: "Hey, Matt Stinchcomb, isn't it great to be leaving the state for a bowl game?"

"I think so, and that's not a throw-off on the Peach Bowl in any way, because we had a great time when we went there. But having been there so recently, and that's our bowl in the state, it'll be nice to go down there to the more pleasant climate of the Florida coast."

It certainly will. Plus, I'm having a hard time picturing the entire team and its travel party packing into the Chick-Fil-A at Beechwood for a celebratory lunch, as the Bulldogs did at Outback Steakhouse last Friday afternoon.

From weather to pie-eating contests to the simple fact that Tampa is a nicer vacation destination than Atlanta most of the year - especially with a team composed of guys who have been to Atlanta countless times in their lives - the Bulldogs will take this trip every year, no problem.

And hey, don't worry readers, this faithful correspondent won't let the temptations of the GTE Wireless/Columbia Restaurant Media Party (Dec. 30) - featuring (and I quote) "Flamenco Dancers, Latin Queens, Live 'Key West style' Band, 'Fire-eater,' mimes and jugglers" - distract him from doing his job.

I'm taking them one story at a time. Pass me some of that bread.