Signed copies Urban's Way, to be released in September by St. Martin's Press of New York City, will be avaiable soon. For more info on how to get your book autographed by Buddy, watch this space or go to gatorcountry.com.
Buddy Martin has gotten to know Urban Meyer as very few will ever know him. Behind the scenes and in the locker rooms, Buddy has spent time with Urban, the Florida coaching staff and players, past and present, to gather the stories and information to write the authorized biography of the Florida football coach that will hit bookstores in the fall.
It takes a real pro to write a book about a coach like Meyer, who in seven short years has risen to the top of the college football coaching profession. Meyer has resurrected football programs at Bowling Green and Utah, and in three years at Florida, he’s delivered 31 wins including a magical 13-1 season in 2006 that produced the Gators’ second national championship. Meyer is a complicated man, driven to win, but driven harder to turn his players into winners in the most important game of all --- the game of life.
In the next few days, Buddy will also be sharing with us some of the things that didn’t go in the final version of the book, which will be published by St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books and released in September. This is a Gator Country exclusive, so sit back, relax and enjoy.
And just think, if the excerpts that didn’t make it in the book are this good, just think how good the book is going to be.
--- Franz Beard
The other day I came out of my hole and saw my shadow, which means we have at least eight more months of football. Unlike Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, or Rip Van Winkle, the narcoleptic, however, I have not been asleep.
I have been living with Urban.
Well, sort of.
More like living with “Urban’s Way.”
That’s the name of the new authorized biography on Florida’s football coach which I recently completed after three years of research, one season of working inside the program and 100 straight days of writing.
The 300 pages of “Urban’s Way” are divided into three sections and, in fact, make up what turned out to be like three books.
1. Urban, the early years. 2. Urban as an assistant, then a head coach at Bowing Green and Utah. 3. Urban as a Gator – the SEC title and national championship. After two years covering Urban Meyer and his Gators, I was invited inside the program for a season behind closed doors with the team in 2007.
I didn’t know quite what to expect, but this was a dream assignment for anybody who loves college football and, of course, anybody who has followed Gator football most of his life.
The only caveat was that I could not write or talk about anything I saw and heard except in the forthcoming book – basically rescinding my rights as a journalist on such matters. I gladly did it, because the chance to experience the inner workings of a major college football program like Florida’s was one that has rarely been afforded a writer.
Those experiences included everything from running through the tunnel on Florida Field with the team for the Tennessee game, observing coaches meetings, listening on the headsets to the coaches’ dialogue during several games, having a team meal on Friday night and riding on the bus on the way to the “Gator Walk.”
All during the season I never really talked to Meyer, but did interview each of his assistant coaches and quite a few members of his support staff. And I even had retired Florida Highway Patrol Major Malcolm Jowers, who has escorted every Gator coach since Charley Pell on and off the field, as my personal guide.
Meanwhile, I was speaking to players at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida about Urban. What I found most remarkable about that is that each of them, without knowing what the other had said, pretty much had the same thought, which was:
If you knuckle down and do the work he requires of you in football, academics and social responsibilities, you will not only succeed in the game, but also in life. And later when you are out in the free world, you will begin to understand why he preached the importance of a good family life and good conduct.
Already, several people have asked me the same questions about Meyer, which were:
1) What did you find out about Urban Meyer that you didn’t know before you started?
2) Did your perception of him change and, if so, how?
The answer to both may sound contrived or corny, but the truth is that Urban is a far more spiritual person that I realized. And the second part of that is that he is equally committed – if not more – to turning around the lives of some players than he is in trying to win.
That was revealed at the end of the ’07 season, when Urban granted me part of two days for long interviews at his lake home, during which he told me numerous stories of his boyhood and early coaching career, gave me a clinic on “The Spread” and then expressed the deep abiding affection he has for former players like Dallas Baker, Ray McDonald, Brandon Siler, Vernell Brown, Jemalle Cornelius, etc.
If this reads like a cheap plug for “Urban’s Way” (it is) which will be published this summer by St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books, don’t blame me. Blame it on GatorCountry.com Managing Editor Franz Beard, who insisted I write this column.
Given that I had to take leave of my duties from GatorCountry.com as a columnist in recent weeks, it’s the least I could do in return from Franz and Ray Hines III.
Since I do have this shot, however let me just go ahead with a full-blown commercial: If you want to know about Urban Meyer and the Florida Gator football team, run, don’t walk, to your nearest book store or go online and pre-order your copies. You can also watch GatorCountry.com for more ways to get your copy – possibly even autographed.
Meanwhile, excuse me while I re-introduce myself to my wife, my dog and the guy in the mirror. I loved doing “Urban’s Way.” But now it’s time for a little bit of “Buddy’s Way.”
Buddy Martin Sunday Best Column/The Spread March 9, 2008 Something old in the new offenses An old football coach told me a long time ago that there really isn’t anything new in the game, that everything is just recycled after 50 years. That football proverb seems truer every year. Auburn, after finishing 104th in passing last season, got rid of its offensive coordinator, Al Borges, before the Chick-fil-A Bowl and replaced him with Tony Franklin from Troy. What the Tigers wanted most of all was for Franklin to bring his playbook and videotapes of The Spread offense. He did and, after installing just eight plays, Auburn beat Clemson, 23-20. Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez, among the first to run it at West Virginia, is taking it to his new job at Michigan – so expect to see it run more frequently in the Big Ten. He and Urban Meyer were among the first to adopt The Spread – Meyer having installed it at Bowling Green and then Utah. When Meyer brought the formation to Florida in 2005, no other SEC team used it. Since then, Kentucky, Tennessee, Auburn and Vanderbilt switched over. LSU runs components of it, mixed in with the I formation. So what’s so magical about The Spread? Basically, it’s designed to put speedy athletes in space and get the ball to them through either handing off the football or passing it to them. What makes it “old school” is that The Spread also has the elements of the old Single Wing in it, run out of a Single Wing-like formation. The difference is that the one of the halfbacks and the wingback are split out with the receivers. And that’s not new, either. Horned Frog coaches Matty Bell and Dutch Meyer first ran The Spread at TCU in 1936. They had a couple of quarterbacks named Davey O’Brien and Sammy Baugh. Offensive schemes are like double-breasted or skinny ties: Hang them in the back of the closet, and before long they’ll be back in style again. Quick Jump Starts 1. I make the over/under on the number of times ESPN uses the term “on the bubble” at 25 times a day during the next two weeks. 2. In answer to several people who have asked, Brett Favre is not in my top six all-time NFL quarterbacks, but he’s my No. 1 for joie de vivre, because nobody had more fun. 3. My top six list would be, in no particular order: Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Johnny Unitas, John Elway and (tie) Bart Starr and Joe Namath. (Waiting in the wings, Tom Brady.) 4. Gotta love the way Florida is spicing up its Orange and Blue spring game this season with the “Fastest Gator” 40-yard dash competition, including a match race with the fastest person from the student body – all because ESPN Game Day will be on hand. 5. It helps when you beat the guy making more than you: Georgia’s Mark Richt was raised to $2.8 million after his Bulldogs beat (among others) Florida’s Urban Meyer, who makes $3 million. Short Stuff Seen at the ballyard: Charlie Weis and his son were in attendance at Legends Field in Tampa to see the Rays beat the Yankees Saturday … Bucs punter Josh Bidwell has a book out called “When It’s Fourth and One” about the experience of surviving testicular cancer and how his Christian faith helped him deal with it … According to the Orlando Sentinel, the University of Central Florida is doing an engineering study to determined whether the so-called “synchronized jumping” will shorten the lifespan of its new 45,000-seat Bright House Networks Stadium – honest! Nothing But ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends Buddy’s E-mail Bag Dear Mr. Martin: I want you to know I was offended and disappointed by your No. 2 “blurb” on Bobby Knight in the Sunday paper. Are you aware of all the support that he gives to reading programs? The chair incident is old news, why do you have to keep bringing it up? I'm a native Hoosier and my youngest graduated from IU while he was still coaching there. Did you see Coach K give credit for his success as a basketball coach to Bobby Knight after he got his 800th win with tears in his eyes? I have enjoyed you articles, especially on Sunday, since moving to Port Charlotte in 2002. Please forget the “chair incident” forever! Thank you, Judie McGlinchey, Port Charlotte JUDIE, JUDIE, JUDIE!Because you are so nice, I promise to drop the chair references on Bob Knight. But do I have to like him, too? Buddy: Arnie had Jack, Hogan had Snead. The main question has been, who will be a rival for Tiger? Finally a dominant golfer has emerged. Last week this golfer won by double digit strokes, a Tiger-like performance. The only problem was this great golfer is a woman, Lorena Ochoa. She bested No. 2 Annika by more than 10 strokes, in what one writer said, “Annika was playing for the B flight.” Until Tiger gets a rival, it will be Tiger against the field. In the last year Tiger and Lorena are so far ahead of the field, it isn't any fun! Phil Banks, Bonita Springs PHIL: You forget that Jack also had Billy Casper, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson, just as Tiger will have had Phil Mickelson, etc. But you a correct: Tiger, right now, is without peer. Clipboard Fly the funny skies Favorite announcements on airplanes: A flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: “We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.” After a particularly rough landing during thunder storms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, “Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted.” On a Continental Flight with a very “senior” flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants.” Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1.If your ship hasn't come in, swim out to it. 2. That’s not a haircut – it’s a cry for help!
3. Peope who think they know it all really anoy those of us who really do.
Bonus: Old Age Bumper stickers (Courtesy of David Baird, via pmcaregivers.com) 1. Birthdays are good for you: The more you have the longer you live. 2. I’m not old, I’m chronologically gifted. 3. The only problem with retirement is that you never get a day off.
4. I was brought up to respect my elders; now I don’t respect anybody anymore. 5. At my age, everything comes with a lifetime guarantee.
Todays' s Proverb For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
Today’s Joke A dog is truly a man's best friend. If you don't believe it, just try this experiment. Put your dog and your wife in the trunk of the car for an hour. When you open the trunk, who is really happy to see you! And good morning ...All you hoop junkies. Ladies and gentlemen, start your bracketology.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best Column/Gator Hoops March 1, 2008
Where have you gone, ‘Gator Boyz’?
GAINESVILLE – Memo to SEC teams who beat Florida: Don’t confuse the “Baby Gators” as being the “Gator Boyz.”
Enough of this “we beat the defending national champions” talk already. Billy Donovan’s “Baby Gators” are no more that than George Bush Sr. is still president of the United States.
Donovan understands why players say after winning in the O-Dome that they felt good beating “the defending national champions” on their home court, as did Mississippi State Saturday. And he understands why coach Rick Stansbury would use that as a motivational tool when his 19-8 Bulldogs took the floor.
Naturally, players like Jarvis Varnado would chirp about after beating Florida, 68-59 for their 10th win.
But hold on, said Donovan.
“If they really want to play the defending national champions,” said Donovan, “the let’s go get (Al) Horford, (Joakim) Noah, (Corey) Brewer and (Taurean) Green. And then see what happens.”
Please, don’t confuse Nick Calathes, Walter Hodge, Marreese Speights, Dan Werner and Jai Lucas as being the “Gator Boyz.” The real defending champions were on the 2005-2006 team that stayed in school another year to win it back-to-back.
They are young, talented and committed, but these “Baby Gators” are fighting for their lives just to make it to the NCAA tournament this year – let alone win it.
“I just hope we can get into a stance to defend something,” said Donovan, who knows full well his team is on the bubble with regular season games to go against Tennessee and Kentucky, plus the SEC tournament.
The best bet is that Florida will need to win both of its final games, or at least split them and win one round in the SEC to make it back to The Dance.
Funny how the goal posts for success can be moved. Donovan recently notched his 21st win of the season, his 10th 20-win season and is bidding for this 10th straight NCAA appearance. Yet some will consider that unsuccessful if Florida doesn’t get past the first round of the SEC and make it back to the NCAA. And his “Baby Gator” roster is made up of seven freshmen and not a single senior.
They’re soft in the middle. They don’t rebound well. They take ill-advised shots. They turn the ball over. And they forget and try and run the big dogs when they shouldn’t.
Like Saturday, they kept taking the ball inside against the best shot-block team in America and they ate it seven times.
“We made the game about athleticism, length and physicality,” said Donovan. “And that’s definitely not what we’re about.”
Donovan isn’t mad at his young team or discouraged, just disappointed he can’t coach them to do the things they need to do. On the other hand, maybe this is all they’ve got in their tank at this young age.
“There’s a part of me that is surprised that these guys have won as many games as they have,” he said.
So don’t look for any banner to be hung in the O-Dome this year. On the other hand, don’t rule out the possibility of more being hung over the next few years. And without the help of Horford, Noah, Brewer and Green.
After all, someday these “Baby Gators” are going to grow up.
Quick Jump Starts
1. This just in: Nobody got caught cheting in sports today -- at least, nobody we know of yet.
2. Bobby Knight has gone to work as an ESPN basketball analyst and I think he ought to throw a chair out on center court in his debut.
3. Welcome to Ann Arbor, Rich Rodriguez: According to a poll in the Indianapolis Star, your Michigan team is picked to win the Big Ten.
4. Riddle me this: How could Rhodes Scholar Garrett Johnson make so many critical comments about his alma mater’s lack of institutional control in the FSU cheating scandal, have those comments read back to him on the phone by Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel and then say later his words were “misrepresented?”
5. Just in case something comes up in this column that you might not like, or that you feel is wrong, consider it was as misrepresented the way you read it.
Short Stuff
Sorry to hear that one of my favorite Yankees, Bobby Murcer, who was operated on for brain cancer in 2006, is undergoing further test to determine of his conditioned has worsened … Offensive guard James Wilson, a former teammate of Tim Tebow’s at Nease, has left the Gator football team and says he will transfer to a smaller school … think … I have no idea who will go No. 1 in the NFL draft – some say it will be Howie Long’s son Chris of Virginia – but if Mel Kiper Jr. says it’s Boston quarterback Matt Ryan, then it’s good enough for me.
Nothing But ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends Clipboard Happy Early Easter
Sunday, March 23 will mark the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives. And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier.
The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that). The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year.
Why English Teachers Retire Young (Actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays)
1. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the East River.
2. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do
3. It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.
Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. I don't approve of political jokes. I've seen too many of them get elected.
2. Stable relationships are for horses.
3. Churches only worship the prophet margin.
Today's Proverb
The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.
Today's Joke
“Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others.” – Groucho Marx.
And Good Morning
… And get well soon to 97-year-old John Wooden, possibly the greatest college coach in any sport, who has been hospitalized in Los Angles after breaking two bones on a fall at his home.
Buddy Martin Front Column/Capital One Bowl
Wolverines just wanted it more for Lloyd Carr
ORLANDO – Urban Meyer calls it “poison,” a term he learned from Florida coaching counterpart Billy Donovan after his Gator basketball team won its first national championship. Simply put, that means players who believe all their press clippings and indulge in self-adulation with those around them, breeding overconfidence.
So widely disrespected and discounted were Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr’s Wolverines that ESPN’s Lee Corso picked the Florida Gators to pound them into submission 41-14, Corso then also predicted that Florida would be ranked No. 1 in pre-season.
Like Corso himself would say: Not so fast, my friend.
The Gators must have been drinking the Kool Aid, because there was apparently some of that “poison” in the atmosphere surrounding Florida’s football team Tuesday when it played and lost to double-digit underdog Michigan, 41-35, in the Capital One Bowl. They got off the bus without their defense. Either somebody didn’t coach them how, or they forgot how, to pass protect.
When it came down to the end of the game, even though the quarterback deemed the best in the land was taking the snaps, Tim Tebow had so many people in his face that he threw four straight incompletions, turning the ball over on downs for the last Florida possession.
In the final game of his career, Carr finally got the respect for himself and his players that has been lacking and went out on his shield, making way for the new and improved spread offense run by successor Rich Rodriguez. His players wanted the victory more than Meyer’s did for Carr’s a going away present.
Ever heard of Chad Henne? The MVP of the game looked like the Heisman Trophy winner, passing for 373 yards and three touchdowns, pitching to a pair of wide receivers who owned Florida’s secondary. Adrian Arrington hauled in 2 touchdowns with 9 catches for 153 yards, including a circus, one-armed catch; and Mario Mannigham caught 5 for 78 and a score. Senior tailback Mike Hart rolled for 136 yards and 2 TDs.
And all of this was done with a new-look Michigan offense called…The Spread. Pre-Rich Rodriguez.
Turns out the Florida Gators lacked the motivation and proper preparation to deliver on the promise that Corso and others said was awaiting them in 2008.Though Meyer called it a “great college football game,” he said he was upset by the “glaring errors” and called out both his players and coaches for the poor pass coverage, as well as pass protection.
So as Meyer called it a day and Carr called it a career. Then the old Michigan coach said to the young Florida coach: “One day you’ll retire, and when you do, I hope your kids play as hard for you as mine did today.”
Dec. 12, 2007
For The Good Times
The booty is adding up. Legacies are mounting. In this remarkable run of dominating sports excellence, the University of Florida is enjoying success unprecedented by any athletic program, laying down footprints for a path that may never traveled again by a Gator Nation.
These are the good times.
Tim Tebow just picked up the school’s third Heisman over the weekend. It’s getting a little crowded in the trophy room, what with the ten SEC football and basketball titles and four combined national championships. And here’s the bad news: More good times are on the way.
Memo to Jeremy Foley: Build a bigger trophy room.
Titletown is still just like brand new --- and it’s not closed yet. And all of “The Gator Boys” haven’t left yet, just the first wave.
Older fans appreciate these delicious days. And you can’t blame those AARP football Gators for excessive gloating. Some 60 years ago Coach Bear Wolf's team was ending a 13-game losing streak in what was known as "The Golden Era." Never mind national championships, how about a break-even season? As recently as 1979 Charley Pell's team was 0-10-1.
Right now, under Urban Meyer, Gator football is at its pinnacle, showing no signs of a descent.
It’s not possibly to quantify the impact of Tebow’s Heisman yet, except to say in addition to him becoming The Poster Boy for college athletics, it is bound to have an immediate impact on Florida recruiting. The word on the recruiting trails is that Meyer is about to harvest a bountiful crop of future stars.
Saturday night at the Hard Rock Café, in the afterglow of The Tebow Show, Meyer was asked if he’d use it as bait for future prospects: “Oh yeah,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tebow is blowing up.Already, because of his boyish charm, winning smile, gentle off-the-field nature and genuine humility --- not to mention his immense football ability --- Tebow is being embraced as the ultimate ambassador for the game of college football. Is this too much pressure to put on one young athlete and can he last? No, and yes.
When asked how Tebow might have reacted had somebody else won the Heisman, Meyer said: “He could handle it.” The key to Tebow’s stability is his priorities as a person which equip him stay balanced and handle success and failure. He puts football No. 4 behind faith, family and academics.
I've watched all three of Florida's Heisman-Men play and, while I can't say all three of them are my friends, I have certainly spent considerable time in their presence. Steve Spurrier's guile as a play-caller and consistency as a clutch performer made him the premier player of his era. Danny Wuerffel's leadership role, poise, faith and passing ability were the hallmarks of his national championship era. Tim Tebow is still evolving as a player and a leader, but his raw talent, ferocity as a competitor and pure physical dominance could put him in the stratosphere beyond compare. Not to mention his unselfishness and adherence to his relgious conviction.
Tebow also has a star quality that could work for or against he and his team in the future. Because of his enormous popularity, there's bound to be a backlash. But not among his teammates, because Tebow and Meyer simply won't allow that to happen. You can count on one thing: Every time somebody brings up the Heisman next year, the two of then will emphasize over, and over, and over that it's a "team award." And Percy Harvin's name will come up a lot. In that sense it will work for the Florida Gators -- as well as becoming a powerful recruiting tool.
It's just tough to find a reason not to like Tim Tebow, even if he appears to be flawless.
In an era downtrodden sports stars --- Barry Bonds and Mike Vick being the chief miscreants --- Tebow comes through in the national limelight like a beacon of integrity. Mamas and daddies embrace him. Mothers want their daughters to marry him. College football gets to keep him around for two more years. And the promise of the 2008 season has Gator football coaches giddy. Perhaps two more trips to the Nokia Theater in Times Square are in Tebow’s future.
By the time Tebow graduates, he could be a regular in The Big Apple and in the Page Six gossip column of the New York Post. He might even have his own table at Elaine’s or a corner office with a window in the Trump Building, or perhaps have a Broadway play written about him.
All the folklore figure talk has been fun and the spirit of the Tebow mythology is priceless.
In final round of the Merrill Lynch Shark Shootout at Tiburon in Naples on Sunday, a couple of Gators came to the final tee, hit their shots, and promptly displayed their colors. Chris DiMarco and Camilo Villegas whipped out white No. 15 Tim Tebow jerseys in honor of the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and finished play.
This is the proper way to cherish blessings and good fortune: Have fun with it. These kinds of riches don’t last forever.
Some people already want to talk about Tebow’s future to a point where they can’t enjoy his current success.
Less than 24 hours after the coronation of their quarterback as one of the 72 greatest college football players of all time, there were discussions on talk radio and message boards about what’s next for Tebow.
Will he play two more years? (yes).
Can he win two more Heismans? (Maybe, maybe not.)
Will he be able to quicken his release to make it in the NFL? (I believe so.)
Yada, yada, yada.
So far, the choices of this 20-year-old have been pretty good. And unless he gets hurt, Tim Tebow will become The Greatest Gator. He’s going to improve and, most importantly, is his the cast around him will, too, as the talent is stockpiled in Gainesville.
Urban Meyer could be about to carve his own likeness on the Gators’ football version of Mount Rushmore (Or Passmore, whichever he prefers).
Life as a Gator fan wasn’t always this good. Back when Bob Woodruff was coaching the post-war Gator football team, anything more than five wins was a stellar season. It wasn’t until 1952 that the Gators played post-season game, beating beat Tulsa in the Gator Bowl. OK, it was only Tulsa, but Gator fans celebrated it like it was an SEC title.
When you’re hungry, table scraps taste like fillet mignon.
It took a while to dig out, starting with Ray Graves in 1960. Steve Spurrier had to reach to bring the program respectability when he arrived as coach in 1990: Twice in the 1980s the UF was put on NCAA probation and may have been only a few breaths from “death penalty.” The Florida Gators have come back like Lazarus.
First Spurrier’s team crashing through with the school’s initial SEC title. Then he delivered Florida’s very for national championship in 1996. It was like Roger Bannister cracking the four-minute mile once Spurrier did it.
What followed was this period of riches. And if you really want to appreciate it even more, imagine yourself --- just for now --- as a fan of Notre Dame, Nebraska, Florida State or Miami.
For most of the decade from 1996 to through 2007, indeed, this has been a spectacular ride. I once thought it could never be any better than it was from April 1, 2006 to April 2, 2007: 366 days, three national titles and three SEC championships.
Now I’m not so sure the flow of blessings will end anytime soon --- even though the titles and trophies may not arrive in such bunches and no doubt will come in a more protracted time frame.
With Meyer and Billy Donovan, the best basketball-football coaching tandem in the business, anything is possible. Enjoy these good times, every step of the way, and make the memories for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. History is being written.
Dominance in life, war, business and sport isn’t forever. Ask the Romans.
Buddy Martin column/Tim Tebow Wins Heisman 12-8-07 The legend of Timmy T. grows
NEW YORK – Tim Tebow didn’t leap tall buildings in Metropolis on Saturday, they bowed down at his feet as he jumped over the moon and picked his own star out of the Manhattan skyline.
The youngest player in college football history to win the Heisman Trophy hugged half of New York City before thanking everybody by name in the entire “Gator Nation” – twice.
First he thanked Jesus, then hugged his childhood hero and fellow Gator Heisman-Man Danny Wuerffel, then his competitors, his coach, his mom and dad, and even the guy handing him the trophy.
“The first person I hugged was Danny Wuerffel,” he said, “and that was special.”
What it took Wuerffel four years to accomplish, however, Tebow did in his sophomore season. And the legend just got a whole lot bigger for Tebow, who received nearly half the 925 first place votes and won every region except the Southwest.
On a chilly evening in mid-town Manhattan at the Nokia Theater on Times Square, Tebow completed the hat trick by winning the Heisman just two nights after he was awarded both the Maxwell Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding player and the Davey O’Brien Award for being the best quarterback.
With 96 percent of those eligible casting their votes – the largest turnout ever – Tebow beat Arkansas running back Darren McFadden by 245 points.
Wearing a light gray suit, blue shirt, silver tie and a big smile, Tebow accepted the trophy from Brian D. Obergfell of the Heisman Trophy Trust with his left hand, since a blue cast was still his right, which he broke with 28 minutes to play in the win over Florida State – but had kept on playing.
Then he led interference for Coach Urban Meyer and wife Shelley on the block-long walk through the teeming masses of Times Square to the press conference in Live Events Room at the Hard Rock Café – where else? On display in the room was such handiwork as the guitar of the Eagles’ Joe Walsh, a black tuxedo worn by Elvis Presley in a Frank Sinatra TV show and the cream-colored suit once worn by the late John Bonham, Led Zepplin drummer.
“We got wooshed behind Tim Tebow,” Meyer said of his encounter with the crowd on Broadway. “It was kinda neat.”
Since the South Carolina game, when he accounted for seven touchdowns, Tebow began to emerge as a frontrunner, a position solidified when Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon was injured. And the pressure began to mount.
I asked Tebow if he felt somewhat relieved.
“You definitely do. There are so many nerves going through you – you’re just anxious and excited … and then you feel a little bit relieved.”
His coach said he got a queasy feeling in his stomach. “I got nervous about 15 seconds before – I got that fourth and one feeling in my gut, like on the 19-yard-line when I called a fake punt against Arkansas,” Meyer said.
Once again, however, Tim Tebow could not be stopped and the now legend looms over The Big Apple like a giant Macy’s Day parade balloon.
Never before has a college football player become so famous so rapidly. Faster than a speeding bullet, accounting for 51 touchdowns in just 12 games as a starter, the 20-year-old Florida Gator quarterback became the first sophomore in the nation and third quarterback at his school to win the Heisman, as well as the 73rd overall.
How happy was Urban Meyer? “He’s not my son,” Meyer said, looking over at Tebow, “but my son gets to go hang out with him.”
That legend that has spawned such Tebowisms as “Superman Wears Tim Tebow Pajamas” and “Tim Tebow ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one.” Or, “The dark is afraid of Tim Tebow.” Or, “When Tim Tebow does a pushup, he doesn’t go down – the earth moves.” So now you can add these:
“Tim Tebow struck the Heisman pose at Grand Central Station and stopped three trains to Westchester dead in their tracks.”
“Tim Tebow grabbed Madison Square Garden by the throat so tight that he made it Madison Round Garden.”
And one more: “Tim Tebow was so good that he won three Heisman Trophies in one season.” Why? Because he wanted to give one to teammate Percy Harvin for next year.
Tebow has said over and over he plans to remain in school for the full four years, which means he could challenge, or surpass, Ohio State’s Archie Griffith as the only multiple winner.
So that means he can’t be president of the United States until 2012.
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Buddy Martin Sunday Best
Spurrier, Elvis sightings are common
Tim Tebow isn’t the only one breaking records these days.
Steve Spurrier has just tied Elvis Presley for most sightings in the first week of the post-season.
Spurrier was allegedly sighted at Duke the other day, then Baton Rouge, then CrescentBeach.
Reached by phone Friday and asked about all the rumors that he was being courted by LSU, Spurrier jested:
“I thought it was Duke!”
Then he explained he had been on a recruiting trip in North Carolina with a South Carolina assistant, just 20 miles from Durham. Word traveled fast – especially back to Columbia.
“My president told me if I wanted to go back to Duke, he’d release me,” Spurrier said kiddingly. Then he went on to say he was looking over the new facilities at his old school, showing them to his assistant. He also noted he would always have a special place in his heart for Blue Devil football.
“But I’ve already been a Duke man.”
What about LSU?
“They’ve got a coach,” Spurrier said, underscoring the fact that Les Miles hadn’t yet left for Michigan.
Maybe he knew something: In less than 24 hours, an angry Miles took the microphone before the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta and announced that he was staying at LSU.
Once Miles made that announcement, one of the major dominoes in the Coaching Carousel was left in play, because his departure was expected to create a big ripple in the profession.
That leaves Michigan to go another direction in replacing Lloyd Carr.
Meanwhile, the rumor mill grinds in doubletime. Spurrier’s name continues to pop up on message boards about the jobs at Georgia Tech, Arkansas and, possibly Auburn should Tommy Tuberville decide to bolt.
I don’t see Spurrier making another move at this point, mainly because almost his entirely family – one daughter and two sons – is entrenched in Columbia.
“We’ve got some issues around here,” Spurrier said, “and two of them are that we were last in the league in rushing and last in defense.”
So it appears the Ol’ Ball Coach, at age 62, is coming back for another round or two.
“I’ve got some really good players here, and I think Stephen Garcia (quarterback from Tampa) is going to be fun to coach.”
Doesn’t sound like a man whose getting ready to pack up and leave.
Hey, remember this guy named Tim Tebow?
A serious case of short memory loss appears to have set in on some of the national TV media regarding Tim Tebow’s legitimacy as the Heisman Trophy.
We all know that the Heisman race is the Flavor-of-the-Week contest and when a player is idle, like Tebow and Darren McFadden are this week, he generally gets overshadowed.
Because Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel played in the Big 12 Championship Game Saturday night, he drew the spotlight and, with an outstanding performance against Oklahoma and a Tigers win, could vault himself into serious contention. He seemed to be the TV guys’ darling this week.
Although I would have to favor Tebow at this point with McFadden a close second, I’m leaving my ballot open to evaluate Daniel’s performance. And I only hope Tebow being a sophomore cost him a chance at the nation’s highest award.
Here are a few stats for comparison:
--2007 Tebow touchdowns accounted for, 51; McFadden career touchdowns accounted for, 49.
--Passing vs. Top 25 teams, Tebow 9 vs. 4 teams; McFadden and Daniel combined, 9 vs. 9 teams
--Tebow had 22 TDs rushing this season and McFadden had 15 – and no other college quarterback in history has scored more on the ground (Chance Harridge of Air Force also scored 22).
While Tebow was pulling off two of his best plays of the year – the 23-yard rumble through almost half the FSU team and a perfect corner route toss to Louis Murphy for a score – the rest of the country was watching Tennessee and Kentucky go into overtime. So if Tebow falls about three votes shy of the Heisman, Gator fans can thank CBS for its part in cutting away from the Gators-Seminoles game.
Quick Jump Starts
1. Some people wondered why Bobby Bowden only got a one-year extension – when you’re 78 years old, long-term, contracts are not of utmost importance.
2. Count me as a fan of the new look and nickname of the Rays (and won’t they have to have a night when all people named Ray get in free?)
3. Say, did I miss that much ballyhooed comeback of Ricky Williams? (It was so short.)
4. Brett Favre is playing so great this year he makes me want to buy a pair of Wranglers.
5. Could it be that Michigan just wasn’t willing to pay Les Miles as much as LSU was?
Short Stuff
Lots of people (like Robby of Obees) are wondering why the Rays would want to build an outdoor stadium in St. Pete, unless they’re new to the area and haven’t heard about humidity and mosquitoes … No wonder Joe Paterno didn’t want his salary disclosed publicly – at $500,000, about 20 percent of the going rate for coaches of his stature, JoePa has been working for peanuts … I will not reveal that final ballot here because of confidentiality, except to say that I will most likely pick my Heisman threesome from these four players listed alphabetically: Chase Daniels of Missouri, Darren McFadden of Arkansas, Tim Tebow of Florida and Pat White of West Virginia.
Nothing But ‘Net
(with a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends
Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.
2. Empty promises. Calculated betrayal. Sociopathic greed. Just another Monday.
3. Challenge authority. Just not now.
Today’s Proverb
You cannot tell which way the train went by looking at the track.
Today’s Joke
Money is the root of all evil. For more information, send me $10.
And good morning …
…To Alexander Francis Gregory, our new grandson born three weeks ago in California – I just wanted to see how his name would look in print as a byline.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best/ Florida-FSU Nov.24
Tebow won’t pose, but looks very ‘Heisman’
GAINESVILLE – As the curtain came down on “The Season That Might Have Been” for the Florida Gators, Tim Tebow took one more bow, front and center. The stage belonged to him.
The crowd was chanting, “Tebow…Heisman! Tebow…Heisman!” as the clock wound down on stellar his five-touchdown night which sealed the fourth straight victory over Florida State. It was a 45-12 domination of the once-proud Seminoles which Bobby Bowden called his “worst ever” beating.
Tebow scored the five touchdowns like he was on a mission. Linebacker Geno Hayes made the mistake of talking trash to No. 15 – “some things you wouldn’t want your mother to hear,” according to the Florida quarterback.
Hayes declared during the week, “Tim Tebow is going down …That’s our plan, go out there and shatter his dream for the Heisman.”
Payback was a brilliant 23-yard dash by Tebow, under one Florida State player, then through four more Seminoles at the 5-yard line. All that was missing was the Heisman mimic.
Senior Andre Caldwell actually tried to goad Tebow into striking that famed pose while the Gators were killing the clock, but Tebow declined. He didn’t need to pose, because he looked very much like the 73rd Heisman winner.
He did take a victory lap after the game, however, which is his customary way of saying thanks to “The Gator Nation.” This time he took a couple of seniors with him.
They should have rolled the season’s credits behind Tebow: 51 touchdowns, 29 of them passing and 22 rushing, in his first year as a starter in the Southeastern Conference.
With three touchdowns passes and two rushing, Tebow also tacked on 351 yards of total offense which pushed him to 3,960 for the season.
Staggering numbers – maybe enough for to make him the first sophomore to ever win college football’s highest individual honor, the Heisman Trophy.
Equally as impressive on the second TD was the looping corner route toss he laid on a dime to receiver Louis Murphy – right on the money, if you will – for a 32-yard score.
Was it enough to keep Tebow as the leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman Trophy to be awarded in two weeks? He needed a big game to match the exploits of Arkansas running back Darren McFadden after a big showing in the upset of LSU Friday – and he got it.
“If he doesn’t win the Heisman, it’s because of that sophomore thing,” Bowden predicted. “But he might win the next two.”
Urban Meyer didn’t choose to say much about the Heisman, but praised Tebow and said he was proud of the effort of his team. He said the 9-3 record was satisfactory, given some of the problems on and off the field earlier this year. “It was awful around here for three or four games,” said Meyer.
There will be no trip to Atlanta to compete for the SEC, no defense of the national championship – no titles, except perhaps that of College Football’s Best Player.
Urban Meyer did manage to win his 31st game in his third season at Florida and collect his 70th game as a head coach. The 9-3 finish put the Gators in contention for a Top Ten position, plus a January 1st bowl game. And with 49 underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) this season, Meyer banking on 2008 as a year to compete for those titles again. And maybe with the 2007 Heisman winner as his starting quarterback.
Quick Jump Starts
1. Alabama coach Nick Saban compared losing to Mississippi state and Louisiana-Monroe to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, but he apparently he forgot about World Wars I, aids and The Holocaust.
2. Out of curiosity, how do these pundits downgrade Tim Tebow for playing on a three-loss team, but have no problem with Darren McFadden’s team having lost four?
3. Here’s how my Heisman ballot would read if I voted today: Tim Tebow, Florida; 2. Darren McFadden, Arkansas; 3. And a player to be named after the Big 12 Championship.
4. See, winning these national championships isn’t so difficult for Billy Donovan, but beating FSU in basketball is yet another story.
5. Sounds weird to say it, but the new coach at Nebraska will be challenged by the task of getting the Cornhusker program up to the level of … Kansas and Missouri?
Short Stuff
It’s gotta be Sylvester Croom for SEC Coach of the Year, whose Mississippi Staters beat Ole Miss to go 7-5 and gain a bowl berth … Memo to Lee Corso and some of those others ESPN “experts:” When you steal stuff from newspapers and use it on the air, at least give credit … It was Senior Day at “The Swamp” as Urban Meyer said goodbye to 14 players, but only two rated a full bear hug from their head coach: Tony Joiner and Andre Caldwell … Before the game, Meyer gave back the captaincy stripe to Joiner he had taken away earlier this year for his brush with the law... Those seniors left with a 24-3 record at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The Nutt Job Is it possible to beat the nation’s No. 1 team one week and lose your job the next? Well, yes, and that’s probably going to happen to Arkansas coach Houston Nutt, whose team lost four games this season. Ever since Frank Broyles retired as AD Nutt’s job has been in jeopardy. We might say he’s been Livin’ on Fayetteville Time.
Heisman Trophy Quiz
1. What was the hometown of the trophy’s namesake, John Heisman?
2. What school has won the most Heismans? 3. Who was the model for the bronze statue?
Nothing But ‘Net
(with a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends
Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
The shortest sentence is “I am.” The longest is “I do.”
I’m busy. You’re ugly. Have a nice day.
If money is the root of all evil, why do all churches ask for it?
(Clipboard)
Things that don’t
last very long
A long time ago, a philosopher of sport told me there were two things that are short-lived: 1. Dogs that chase cars; 2. Professional golfers who have to make four-foot putts to save par.
And now we can add to that: Football coaches who push their luck and have to keep relying on fourth-down plays to win football games.
Les Miles’ luck finally ran out of fourth downs, with LSU losing in triple overtime to Arkansas after a failed two-point conversion.
ESPN’s Jim Donnan, a country music fan, called it “Livin’ On Tulsa Time.” Methinks it was more like “Livin’ on Borrowed Time.”
Heisman Quiz Answers
1. Cleveland, Ohio.
2. Notre Dame, Ohio State and Southern Cal with seven each.
3. Ed Smith of the now defunct New York University team (1934).
Notre Dame Jokes: Part II
Q: Why doesn't Fort Wayne have a Division 1 football team? A: Because then South Bend would want one.
Today’s Proverb
Old age is when former classmates are so gray and wrinkled and bald, they don't recognize you.
Today’s Joke
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up,
he'll never be able to merge his car onto the freeway.
And good morning... …All you Tim Tebow fans. Looks like he did enough to win it.
Buddy Martin Thanksgiving Column
A different kind of 'Thanksgiving' This week marks maybe my favorite holiday of the year because it’s more about family and feast and less about commercial giving. We don’t have to shop for anything, except groceries. And we all come together to give thanks for all that we have. I took a look at the word “Thanksgiving” recently and saw another dimension. The words “Thanks” in this context implies the showing of prayerful gratitude toward God for His blessings and bountiful provisions, followed by a table groaning with delicious food. That’s certainly the appropriate way to embrace this holiday. Most of us will invoke that tradition on Thursday, feasting on sumptuous turkey and dressing, cranberry, pies, etc., topped off by a heavy serving of football. I’d like to add another twist to my Thanksgiving this year. I’d like to say “thanks” as in “thank you” to people to whom I am long overdue in showing my appreciation — people who have made a significant difference in my life. People like Tommy Herren, whose mom gave me his handme-down clothes, including his Cub Scouts uniform with leggings which allowed me to win the “Best Dressed Cub” at the Pot Luck Supper. Before that I had been embarrassed to be the only Cub wearing shorts. To people like Jimmy Stellogeannis, who took the time to teach me how to throw a football and baseball, opening up a whole new world of competitive sports. And to pull my cap down over my eyes and look sternly at the batter to let him know I wasn’t intimidated. To Jimmy Curry’s dad, Strick, who stopped by my house every morning in grade school to give me a ride in his green truck, even though he usually had to blow the horn twice because I was often late. And to Ed Monarchik's dad, John, who provided me transportation in the family's green-and-white Buick during the early high school years. To Don Cobb, who not only coached us in several sports, but chaperoned the Wednesday night dances at the auditorium and kept the youth center open late at nights for the after-hours doubles ping-pong death matches. To Prof. Hugh Cunningham, who taught me the deeper meaning of journalism as a calling and not as a job; whose encouraging words bolstered a bruised ego and raised a sagging confidence. To John Gipson, who rented us his duplex in Nashville and then stayed up late nights to await my arrival from work so that he could share his stories of faith. To Bernard Watts, who took a chance on a journalism student who had dropped out of school for a semester and gave him his first job, probably only because Watts was a former sports editor and remembered him from playing football. To Jim Head, who gave me a job and a column and the benefit of his wisdom about big time newspapering which he brought to the job from the bright lights of big cities. To the Miami Herald's Edwin Pope, whose brilliant writing inspired me at an early age to become a sports columnist and motivated me to try harder (still does). Those are just some of the people in my early years which, through random acts of kindness, enriched or enlarged my life through their generosity. There were many others to whom I am indebted, not the least of which are family members and close friends. It is a time like this, as we pause and reflect, that we come to realize it’s not so much a case of what we “earned” in our lives, or have the right to claim as a result of our intelligence or strong work ethic, as it is a case of people gifting us with opportunity. There should be plenty of thanks to go around for everybody Thursday.These are just a few of mine. So pass the turkey and dressing, cranberry and pie -- and then football -- and let's start emphasizing the "Thanks" in Thanksgiving.
Buddy Martin column Florida-FAU Nov.17 To celebrate or not – that was the question GAINESVILLE-- It was a bittersweet day for the Florida Gators, filled with triumphant moments of personal achievement, buffeted by a convincing team victory for the season’s eighth victory and, yet, weighted with the disappointment of SEC elimination. There will be no trip to Atlanta for defense of their conference championship, as Georgia closed the back door with a win over Kentucky and now must wait to see if Tennessee can win over the Wildcats next week for the Vols clinch. So there wasn’t much celebrating around here after Florida’s 59-20 drubbing of Florida Atlantic, but there was special recognition for senior Andre ( Bubba) Caldwell’s breaking of the reception record. Caldwell hauled in a career-high 13 catches to break the career mark of Carlos Alvarez (172) by five, also enjoying single game high of 167 yards receiving. Alvarez was on the sideline for the special occasion, even cheering for the senior from Tampa Jefferson to break his single game mark of 15 catches set in 1969. After his record-breaking ninth just before the half, a 10-yard screen pass just in front of the Gator bench, the two Gator receivers chatted about the moment. “We had a little laugh, because I said, ‘you know, Bubba, you can break the single game record,’” Alvarez said. “He looked at me and said, ‘how many is that?’ And I said, ‘fifteen.’ “And he said, ‘I’ll give it a try.’” Caldwell fell two shy, in part because he dropped one and another was called back. But the reward from coming back to play his senior year was his name in the record book, with yet two games to fatten up those numbers. “It was a great moment,” said Alvarez. “I was really delighted for him. I was really glad to be here. I was right here when he made that catch on the sideline. What a beautiful catch and run. He really is a gifted receiver.” Coach Urban Meyer asked Alvarez to present Caldwell with the game ball in the locker room, which he did in what Meyer called “an emotional moment” for Carlos. “That tells you what kind of gentleman he is,” Meyer said of Alvarez. Caldwell said setting the record was special because of its heritage: “There have been some great receivers who have played here and to be on top of that category is means a lot for me.” Ordinarily, something as spectacular as Tim Tebow’s individual achievement would be enough for celebration. On Saturday, the sophomore southpaw pitched three more touchdown passes and ran for one, becoming the only man in college football history to run and pass for at least 20 in a single season. We’re talking national college football milestones here. This all came at time when Tebow is being considered the leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman Trophy, yet his coach not only declined to campaign for his quarterback, but was critical of his play. “Tim didn’t play his best game,” Meyer said. “I’ll be critical of Tim, because he needs a little critical analysis once in a while.” Tebow parroted his coach, calling it “not my best game,” even though he accounted for four touchdowns with a career high 25 completions for 338 yards passing. He also had 31 yards rushing, putting his total at 3,600 yards in offense for the season so far. Meyer’s criticism seems a little bit of an odd juxtaposition, what with Tebow being the Heisman front-runner and having added to his SEC records, breaking the mark for rushing touchdowns with his 20th and tossing three more for a season total of 26. Tebow’s conference record for total touchdowns now stands at 46. With Oregon’s Dennis Dixon going down with a season-ending knee injury Thursday, Tebow moved into the pole position for the Heisman race. The Florida quarterback was watching the game when it happened and said he felt badly for Dixon and “I prayed for him.” He said he had no thoughts about the Heisman at that point and continues to put them aside as the Gators prepare for arch rival FSU this week. “This is probably the greatest rivalry we have,” said Tebow, who grew up as a rabid Gator fan. “My dad would probably say Georgia, but I’d say FSU.” Knowing Tebow, I almost believe him. Quick Jump Starts 1. Appalachian State upsets Michigan, Stanford beats USC and now Louisiana-Monroe beats Alabama – yeah, 2007 is just another ordinary season in college football. 2. Boy, I can’t wait to see those Nielsen ratings on NBC for that Notre Dame-Duke blockbuster. 3. Here’s how my Heisman ballot would read if I voted today: Tim Tebow, Florida; 2. Darren McFadden, Arkansas; 3. Chase Daniel, Missouri. 4. Alex Rodriguez took the advice of billionaire Warren Buffett and went around agent Scott Boris to sign with the Yankees, which almost seems so logical that you wonder why other Boris clients haven’t come to their senses and done the same thing 5. This tells you all you know to need about the court of public opinion on Barry Bonds: Until last week, his rookie card sold for up to $2,500 – but now is expected to bring about $100. Short Stuff Tebow would become the third Gator and seventh player from the state of Florida to haul in the Heisman hardware and if we spot you Danny Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier, can you guess the other four? (See answer below) …There are only six players on the Florida Atlantic roster not from the state of Florida – and none of them are starters … Tebow says one reason he likes Caldwell as a receiver is that “he finds the windows in the defense” … Charlotte fans might remember Caldwell as the quarterback of the Tampa Jefferson team which defeated their Tarpons in the playoffs five years ago. Nothing But ‘Net (with a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. Belly by beer. 2. Willing to sell out. Reasonable offers accepted. 3. Excess is never too much in moderation. (Clipboard) Top Ten Reasons I Procrastinate 1. Heisman Quiz Answer Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke of FSU, Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta of Miami. Notre Dame Jokes: Part II Q: What do you call a Fighting Irish with a BCS Bowl ring? A: A thief. Today’s Proverb It is never too late to be what you might have been. Today’s Joke My weight is perfect for my height … which varies. And good morning … … New York City. Get ready to be Tebow-ed!
Buddy Martin Sunday Best/ Florida-S.C. Nov.11 A not-so-Tiny Tim back in Heisman hunt
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Memo to the Heisman Committee: Hold off on the engraving of that trophy just a little longer.
Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon may be the leader in the clubhouse, but Florida’s Tim Tebow is back in the picture after a spectacular game Saturday night and is closing on the lead.
With star receiver/runner Percy Harvin left back home, Tebow chose a good night to pick up the slack – and then some – with one of his best performances of the year. The sophomore southpaw continued his assault on school and conference records as he moved closer to an astounding season in total offense that could approach 4,000 yards, breaking Danny Wuerffel’s touchdown record with seven total.
Tebow rolled up 424 yards total offense, with 120 yards rushing on a whopping 26 carries. He also completed 22 of 32 passes for 304 yards in Florida’s 51-31 thrashing of the Gamecocks.
It was a record-breadking performance for the former Nease High School star which put him in good company as he accounted for those seven touchdowns. He also equaled this year’s best one-game showing nationally with five rushing scores. That gave him 19 rushing for the season, which tied the Southeastern Conference single season high held by three others.
With 42 touchdowns rushing and passing, Tebow broke Wuerffel’s SEC record of 41 for most touchdowns.
Slicing up the embattled South Carolina defense more than 500 total team yards, Tebow passed and ran the Gators to their seventh victory of the season, keeping their hopes alive for the SEC East title.
Rumors were flying before kickoff about Harvin missing the game and possibly Tim Tebow having a hand injury. The latter proved to false, the former true.
Thus the possibilities that existed on the “What If?” Saturday of the Florida Gators began becoming unraveled on Friday when it was revealed that Harvin wouldn’t be making the trip due to some kind of sinus infection/migraine headache combination.
Right up to noon Saturday at the team hotel, teammates were hoping to see Harvin walk through the front door, but he just wasn’t able to make the trip. Didn’t happen.
Next came the chance for Florida to be tied for the SEC East by the end of the day if Tennessee and Georgia would have lost. The Vols demolished those hopes right off, harnessing the tandem of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in a 34-13 win.
The Gators didn’t get any help from Georgia either, as Auburn was unable to knock off the Bulldogs in Athens, losing 45-20.
That means in order for Florida to make it to Atlanta to defend its SEC title, Georgia must lose to Kentucky and Tennessee must lose to Vanderbilt. In any scenario involving a three-way tie, the Gators got the tie-breaker. That would put the Gators in a three-way tie.
The way things have gone this season, anything could happen.
Quick Jump Starts
1. If it’s true that the Florida Gators own the entire state of Ohio, then they’ve got to give the back 40 acres to their former coach, Ron Zook, whose Fighting Illini bounced the Buckeyes out of their No. 1 ranking Saturday.
2. This has to be a first: Nebraska allows 76 points in the loss to Kansas a week ago and scores 73 on Kansas State the following Saturday.
3. With Vanderbilt’s next victory, the SEC would then have no fewer than 11 teams in bowl games.
4. There must be some kind of wardrobe malfunction with college football, because I’ve seen more helmets pop off this season than in the entire four decades I’ve been covering the game.
5. I wasn’t writing sports when Fellix “Doc” Blanchard and Glenn Davis played for Army in the 1940s – they both won the Heisman – but the idea that Arkansas’s Darren McFadden and Felix Jones are better than those two can only be held by those historical revisionists who think all legitimate records began with the founding of ESPN in 1980.
Short Stuff The streak of consecutive points after touchdown by Florida’s Joey Ijjas ended at 48 Saturday night when his second kick hit the upright … Let the coaching carousel begin: Guy Morris is out a Baylor, Dennis Franchione and BillCallahan appear to be on the way out and now there are strong rumors that Georgia Tech may dump Chan Gailey … For what it’s worth, Steve Spurrier says he respects the job being done by his former Gator quarterback, Jesse Palmer, on ESPN because “Jesse does his homework” … The last time the Gators wore all-white uniforms, which they did Saturday night, was two years ago when they lost to – ta da! – South Carolina. Nothing But ‘Net (with a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) Buddy’s E-Mail Bag
Dear Buddy: A couple years ago you mentioned interesting high school mascots in a column, and I sent you a note about the Cairo (Ga.) Syrupmakers. While in Atlanta for a ball game recently , I read an article entitled “What's in a Nickname”? Included in the (Journal-Constitution) article was a section on best mascots of an earlier time in Georgia. Here are my favorites:
Cornelia APPLEKNOCKERS, Lanier POETS, Dasher BIBLE DUCKS, Commercial TYPISTS and (my favorite) the Ocilla ORPHANS!
History has it that the children in Ocilla were so mean, that their parents routinely abandoned them, hence the name. Still, it makes me wonder if a stranger ever walked into a Georgia town on Friday night and asked, “Where are all your residents tonight?” Of course the answer would be, “They're all down at the stadium watching our boys beat the Orphans!”
Steve Rutherford Punta Gorda STEVE: How about the Port Charlotte Webs, Hardee Breakfasts and SarasotaCrackers? Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. I have a dog and I vote. 2. Just say NO to negativity. 3. Bring back the rotary phone, so we don't have to push 1 for English.
(Clipboard) Bye-Bye Can’t say I’m sorry to see the Old Orange Bowl go, though I’ve spent many a day or night there covering football games. I won’t forget seeing Super Bowl II and III there. My first Orange Bowl post-season game was as a spectator in 1963 as I watched Alabama blank Oklahoma, 17-0; after that I covered the first night Orange Bowl game ever played when Texas stopped Alabama, 21-17, as Joe Namath’s fourth-down quarterback sneak was stopped short by Tommy Nobis. To come back and see that same Namath beat the Baltimore Colts as Jets quarterback in maybe pro football’s all-time upset was of the highlights for sporting life. After the ways the Hurricanes played against Virginia Saturday night, they’ve got to be saying “good riddance.” Notre Dame Jokes: Part I
Q: What do Fighting Irish and possums have in common? A: Both play dead at home and get killed on the road!
Today’s Proverb
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
Today’s Joke
To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
And good morning …
… All youBuckeye fans. Now you have this in common with the Gator fans – neither will be back for another crack at the national championship.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best/ Florida-Vandy Nov. 4 Nobody can slow down Percy – not even him GAINESVILLE – Now if Percy Harvin can just learn to slow down. Sometimes he looks like he’s on Mach I fast forward when everybody is in slow-motion. To the Vanderbilt Commodores, at least, Florida’s flashy No. 1 was a blur on Saturday. And that was on a day when Harvin was trying to shift into low gear and await the opening of holes. Just a few weeks ago, it became a concern of Meyer and his offensive coaches that the Gators were getting one-dimensional because every play seemed to involve Tim Tebow and/or Harvin. So what did they do after losing three games in five weeks and winning only one game in October? They decided to give the ball to Percy even more, even using him as abetween-the-tackles runner. On Saturday, Harvin got 20 touches and produced 223 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first player in Gator football history to rush for (113) and receive (110) 100 yards in the same game. He averaged more than 11 yards per touch in Florida’s 49-22 homecoming victory over Vanderbilt. So much for the idea of sparing Percy Harvin. Harvin admitted that as a runner he sometimes outruns his blockers and has been coached to wait more patiently. It’s tough to hold back a thoroughbred. “A lot of times when you get in a zone, you feel like you can’t be stopped – and that’s how it felt today,” Harvin said. Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen once said Harvin “changes speeds like a sports car shifting into another gear” in the middle of his runs. Sometimes Mullen can’t help but stand by and admire the way Harvin slashes through a whole secondary or jets past defenders. Mullen says Harvin also puts on a show in practice “that makes you feel good because you know what you’re going to get on Saturday.” Tebow also finds himself not following through on his fakes because of rubbernecking to see The Percy Show after handing off.And he isn’t quite sure what words to use to describe the 5-11, 187-pound sophomore from Virgina Beach, Va., except that he is “naturally gifted to play football and God gave him the ability to make people miss that He didn’t give other people.” Urban Meyer calls Harvin “one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country – he’s strong, he’s powerful and he’s a heck of a football player.” Coaches know they must beware of the wear and tear on their best players. However, there’s no sign that Meyer is putting his star running back/wide receiver in moth balls anytime soon, or planning to rest him up. “I think you do get concerned – it’s the same with Tim, how many shots can a guy like Percy take?” Meyer said of his decision to Harvin more carries and receptions. “But pound for pound he’s as strong a player as we have on the team. I’ve talked to him about this and we’re going to ride this horse how. It’s down to one game. It’s November and we’re fighting for our lives in the SEC.” Part of the strategy in that “fight for our lives” philosophy is trying new wrinkles, like running Harvin between the tackles. The coaches also had to plug holes on defense because of injuries and decided to take backup freshman Mike Pouncey. Amazingly, in less than one week, 310-pound Gator true freshman Mike Pouncey of Lakeland made the switch from backup center to defensive tackle for the Florida coaches and his “high energy” was credited by Meyer with inspiring teammates around him Saturday. Meyer went to the hotel room of Pouncey Friday night for about 15 minutes and came away convinced that his young lineman was ready and so excited about playing that he told Meyer, “coach I’m not going to be able to sleep.” Well, that puts Pouncey in some good company, because there are at least three defensive staffs that won’t sleep much these next few weeks, trying to figure out how to contain the elusive Percy Harvin. Quick Jump Starts 1. Almost lost in the shuffle because of so many other spotlight-stealing performances was Andre Caldwell’s best game since he was injured earlier this year – nine catches, 103 yards and two touchdowns. 2. When Tebow rushed for his second touchdown of the day and his 14th of the season, he tied a team record held by Emmitt Smith of Pensacola (1989) and the late Buford Long of Lake Wales/Wauchula (1952). 3. Don’t know what it meant, but Florida went to the locker room before kickoff, changed from white pains to blue, matching their jersey color, came out and played perhaps its best game of the season. 4. Meyer said several of the seniors came to him before the game to inquire about wearing the blue pants and after saying no, he recanted because “I’d set my hair on fire if it motivated” the players. 5. Yes, it was only Vanderbilt, but the best Vandy squad Meyer has faced and a Vandy squad that held Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks without a touchdown in the Commodores’ 17-6 victory. Short Stuff The defensive coaches also came to Meyer and asked that they defer on the kickoff and take the field first, which Meyer agreed to do – and they responded with a defensive performance that “the entire Gator Nation has been waiting for, and so has the head coach” … Meyer thanked the former Gator captains for coming out to Friday nights Captain’s dinner and encouraged them to “help me get more of you back here next year” …One of the hits at the Friday night Gator Growl was a mime skit during which Tim Tebow’s “typical day”was depicted, directing rising from bed with a prayer, making pre-snap instructions, scrambling, passing, getting sacked and doing one-handed weight lifting… Gator kick returner Brandon James now leads the nation with seven kickoff returns of more than 50 yards, including two on Saturday. Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. I never thought I’d miss Nixon. 2. Without geometry, life is pointless. 3. I'm schizophrenic and so am I. (Clipboard) Tiger gets own Gatorade blend Tiger Woods is now linked forever with the Florida Gators. Golf’s superstar will get his own brand of Gatorade, which just announced a new sports performance beverage called Gatorade Tiger. It will be available in three flavors selected by Woods – cherry blend, citrus blend and grape. Gatorade was first used on Oct. 2, 1965 when the Gator football team beat favored LSU in 102-degree heat. The drink was invented at the UF by Dr. Robert Cade and three others (Dana Shires, Jim Free and A.M. deQuesada). Laws of Golf Your best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst round ever. The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.
Today's Proverb Life is like a library owned by the author. In it are a few books which he wrote himself, but most of them were written for him. (Harry Emerson Fosdick) Today’s Joke I planted a bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don’t know what to feed it. And good morning … … to the old Head Ball Coach. Guess who’s coming to Columbia on Saturday.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best/ Florida-Georgia Georgia Bulldog ‘Bad Boys’ Storm into SEC contention JACKSONVILLE – Georgia brought a nasty attitude into Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Saturday and the new Bad Boys of the SEC East translated that chip-on-the-shoulder attitude into a huge upset of the division-leading Florida Gators. Right off the bat they showed their nasty intentions when they cleared the bench and stormed the field to celebrate Georgia’s first touchdown – the first of three scores by running back Knowshown Moreno – with the apparent blessings of head coach Mark Richt. Yellow flags rained from the came October sky and the ‘Dawgs drew two 15-yard penalties which forced them to kick off from their 7.5-yard line. But the message was sent and Richt later said he told them if they didn’t get a celebration penalty after the first score “they would be doing morning runs.” Two weeks ago the Bulldogs stomped on the Vanderbilt logo and it made the Commodores so mad they upset South Carolina the next week. Anything the Florida Gator coaches or players say about their 42-30 loss to Georgia is almost irrelevant. Very simply, after 15 losses in 17 years, it was the Bulldogs’ turn to win. From the fans’ perspective, the 85 meeting of Florida and Georgia was an intriguing and exciting serve-and-volley game. Georgia took control in the second quarter and upped their 21-17 halftime to 28-24 halfway through the third period. Any shot the Gators had ended on fourth down and two at the Bulldog 25-yard line when Tebow handed off to Bubba Caldwell, who was supposed to reverse it to Percy Harvin – except Harvin got knocked aside by a Georgia defender. The ball went over to Georgia on downs and, with just under 12 minutes to play, so did the game. Moreno, a red-shirt tailback from Belford, N.J., gashed the Gator defense for a career high 188 yards rushing, which fueled Richt’s offense for a 413-yard offensive day. Meanwhile, Georgia’s defense put a choke hold on Tim Tebow, sacking him six times and holding to 236 yards passing and a minus-15 yards rushing. Tebow, who grew up in Jacksonville, was already suffering a severe shoulder bruise which limited his carries – “he wasn’t as mobile,” said coach Urban Meyer – but said he felt miserable after the loss. He choked back tears when he was asked how badly it felt to lose to a rival in his hometown. “It hurts a lot…” and then his words trailed off. One he regained his composure, the sophomore quarterback said: “It was a game we thought we could win. All the games are tough, but we thought we were in control of getting to Atlanta. We bounced back from the two losses and we were playing well. We thought it was a game we should have won. And anytime you lose to a rival, it’s tough.” It was the third conference loss for Florida, but its first Eastern Division defeat. And while the Gators are not yet mathematically eliminated from their SEC title hopes, at 5-3 they can kiss their dreams of a major BCS bowl game goodbye. Depending on the outcome of Saturday night’s Tennessee-South Carolina game, along with Georgia’s upcoming dates with Auburn and Kentucky, the Gators may still have a slim chance in the SEC – but only razor slim. Meanwhile, it pretty much puts a damper on any Heisman Trophy talk for Tebow and eliminates any miracle finish for a BCS Championship berth. There will be no repeat for the defending national champions. Meyer doesn’t buy that his team is out of the conference scramble because of all the craziness this season and assures himself and others “that some great things are ahead for the Florida Gators.” Perhaps next year, but what about this season? “We’ve five and three and we can still get some momentum and a lot of things can still happen in Florida football,” Meyer insisted. Indeed they can. Sometimes in the Florida-Georgia game the underdog Bulldogs win. And sometimes in bullfighting, the bull wins – but not too often. When that happens, there’s an awful lot of pain to go around. Quick Jump Starts 1. Mark Richt was too good a football coach to be down very long and his strategy of telling his Georgia Bulldogs to “leave their hearts out on the field” worked splendidly against the Gators. 2. Richt even called on former Georgia coach Vince Dooley to speak to his team and, said the ‘Dawgs current coach “really blessed us.” 3. If Jacksonville is every going to be considered a big league city, something must be done to eliminate the parking maze which is one of the worst of any football game I’ve ever done and gets worse every year. 4. We should have known this crazy uprising of the have-nots was coming in college football for 2007 after Boise State’s mammoth upset of Oklahoma, followed by the season opener loss of Michigan to Appalachian State. 5. The pathetic performance of the Miami Dolphins may, instead of promoting the NFL, perhaps set it back 50 years after this weekend’s Miami-New York Giants game in London. Short Stuff The reason arena formerly called AllTel is now called Jacksonville Memorial Stadium is that word of the new sponsor leaked out and the deal went south, leaving the City of Jacksonville and the Jaguars without the 50-50 split of $620,000 annually – although word of a new sponsor may come Monday … Ex-Gator quarterback Doug Johnson, who along with former UF coach Galen Hall was inducted into the Florida-Georgia game Hall of Fame over the weekend, says he was so certain he was going to stick with the Dolphins after a tryout with the Dolphins that he left his truck in Miami – and now has to go and retrieve it … I’ve never heard of a coach switching all three starting linebackers before kickoff, but that’s what Georgia’s Mark Richt did Saturday (although Mike linebacker (Dannell Ellerbee just moved over just moved to the Will linebacker spot) … Another first: Twice in the first half, double personal fouls were called and assessed on one play against Georgia …The 42 points scored by the Bulldogs were the most ever given up in a regulation game under Urban Meyer. Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. I had amnesia once – or twice. 2. All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy. 3. They told me I was gullible and I believed them. (Clipboard) He saw the 1928 Gators in action Over the weekend I visited a 96-year-old Florida grad and devout Gator fan in Ponte Vedra Beach who says “I’ve probably seen more Gator football games than anybody alive, because most of the others are gone.” Louie Badger had just checked out of the hospital and couldn’t help but feel better just because it’s Florida-Georgia weekend. He planned to watch the game on TV Saturday. Badger even remembers seeing the great 1928 Gator (8-1) team play the Bulldogs in Savannah. Of Clyde “Cannonball” Crabtree, the ambidextrous passer and star Gator quarterback, Badger says, “he could really pass the ball and Dale Van Sickel (end) was great at catching his passes.” Van Sickel, of course, was Florida’s first All-American. Today’s Proverb The unexamined life is not worth living. (Socrates) Today’s Joke The Florida Gator defense. And good morning … … All you smug Gator fans out there who thought the Georgia Bulldogs were pushovers and have been lightweight competition over the past 85 games, just remember the boys in Red and Black still hold the upper hand in the series with 46 victories to 37, and two ties.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best/ Florida-Kentucky On ‘Struggling Saturday,’ guess who leads SEC East LEXINGTON, Ky. – It was as though the Red Sea parted Saturday and the Florida Gators could suddenly see land on the other side. In reality, it was just another day in the life of Southeastern Conference football. We’re going to have to wait a while and see if somebody emerges as Moses. However, it does feel a little bit like a tiny miracle that a two-loss team like Florida would suddenly have the upper hand in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division after back-to-back losses the two weeks prior. While the Gators were in a track meet with the Kentucky Wildcats, handing the nation’s No. 7 team (BCS) their second SEC division loss, 45-37, Alabama was upsetting Tennessee and lowly Vanderbilt was knocking off South Carolina. That is not a typographical error – yes, Vanderbilt! All of which at least puts Florida in the driver’s seat, if not on the banks of the Red Sea, ready to go. Urban Meyer was coming off perhaps his two toughest weeks as a head coach, after several of his players had experienced brushes with the law and another was killed in a motorcycle accident – plus consecutive losses in the final seconds of both games. No wonder he was walking around the hotel lobby Friday night like a man with tunnel vision and a mission on his mind. So you know Meyer was turning cartwheels about the win over Kentucky, given that he had been preaching “opportunity” to his players in the SEC chase. No doubt he was telling his team that if they won their remaining five games that they’ll be dancing in Atlanta for a chance to win another conference title. Bite your tongue, you infidel! Urban Meyer’s song sounded more like Ray Charles – Georgia, Georgia, Georgia on his mind. He wouldn’t go for the candy. “We look at those young guys in our locker room and if you’re worrying anything else but going to going to Jacksonville next week then you’re making a mistake,” Meyer responded. “Yes, it’s wide open. It was wide open last week. Who beat who? Just take care of your business. We’ve got a tough game and a great rivlary next week. And (we need) to enjoy this victory against a Top Ten team.” This was a day of spectacular quarterback play by two guys who did nothing to hurt their chances for college football’s top honor. If the Heisman Committee is still screening finalsts, it could have found two of them here at Commonwealth Stadium, as Florida’s Tim Tebow and Kentucky’s Andre Woodson rolled up a combined 50 first downs and 939 yards in total offense, nine touchdowns for a whopping 82 points. They matched each other almost touchdown for touchdown. And the young left-handed sophomore was equal to his senior counterpart, as he used both his legs and arms to propel his team forward. Tebow, who passed for 256 yards and ran for 78, was also the beneficiary of a big game by senior Caldwell, who was returning to top form after an injury in the opening game against Troy. Caldwell caught 6 balls for 73 yards and ran twice for 20. For most of the game, the Gators had a commanding lead, but were forced to play like they were behind. It may have seemed insane that they were clinging to a 38-31 lead with just over two minutes to play, needing only to kill the clock for the win. But Urban Meyer wanted more, so offensive coordinator Dan Mullen called a deep pass play. It was bold enough to make an offensive coordinator pucker up a bit. “Coach Meyer said, ‘take a shot.’ I guess when the head coach says do it, there’s not much of a pucker factor,” said Offensive Coordinator Dan Mullen. Especially after Tebow threw a strike to Percy Harvin at the Kentucky 2, whereupon the Gator quarterback ran it in for a touchdown for the eighth straight game. Turns out it was needed. The spunky Wildcats went down to the final play, as Woodson tossed one up that was caught by Kennan Burton for his fifth touchdown pass of the day. “We all heard the whistle and quit,” said Florida linebacker Dustin Doe. “It doesn’t matter what the final score is. All that matters is that we won.” In the SEC, on “Struggling Saturday,” Mr. Dustin Doe was right on the money. Quick Jump Starts 1. You don’t suppose we’ll be watching Kansas or Boston College – or both! – in the BCS Championship Game, do you? 2. There are no more gimmes in college football, especially in the SEC, where even the second-tier teams like Vandy, Mississippi State and Ole Miss can jump up and bite the Big Boys when they least suspect it. 3. The last time a Florida State-Miami game went this unnoticed, Richard Nixon was in the White House and the Vietnam War was going on. 4. What is there about Manny Ramirez – “if the Red Sox lose it’s not the end of the world” – that reminds me of Ricky Williams? 5. It was more than a fair offer from the Yankees that Joe Torre turned down, but I think Torre looked tired and for the first time since I met him 30 years, he appears to be feeling his age (67). Short Stuff Maybe you didn’t care that the extra point wasn’t kicked after the touchdown by Kentucky at the gun in Florida’s 45-37 victory, but the guys in Las Vegas and those gambles who took Kentucky and 7 certainly did … NCAA rules say if it’s not a “meaningful” extra point that would decide the outcome of the game, then it’s not kicked … There’s apparently a reason Urban Meyer is 9-1 after open dates and 22-2 after a week or more between games … Percy Harvin shot through the Wildcat defense so fast on his 24-yard touchdown run that “he looked like a sports car shifting gears,” says UF Offensive Coordinator Dan Mullen. Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. Silence is golden; duct tape is silver.
2. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. 3. Never let your memories be greater than your dreams. (Century 21, Charlotte Harbor) (Clipboard) Remembering ‘Sunshine’ There’s an old saying, a well-worn piece of mythology, that football in the South is more important than like itself. As the young Florida Gator football team found out, that is nothing but a myth. The death of red-shirt freshman Michael Guilford and a female companion in a motorcycle crash eight days ago shook the Gator football team right down to its cleats. Though not a scholarship player, the defensive back with the long-flowing reddish blond hair and the smile that earned him the nickname “Sunshine,” was popular and the impact of his death will be felt one of two ways: Either the trauma of it will rip the heart out of the team, or it will respond in a resolve befitting of a memorial him. I have a feeling it will be the latter. On Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium, a moment of silence honored his memory. How ironic that would be the only time Michael Guilford’s name was called out on the public address system in a college football game. Punderful 1. The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground. 2. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes. 3. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
Today’s Proverb Technology is a way of organizing the universe so that man doesn't have to experience it. And good morning …
… to all you South Carolina fans who felt the sting of Vanderbilt, but you can blame those Georgia Bulldogs for jumping on the Commodores’ school logo last week and getting them all ticked off.
Buddy Martin Column/Oct. 4, 2007
Anymore Tigers in Gators' future?
There are bad losses and good losses. Urban Meyer is banking on the two his team has suffered as being the latter.
Thankfully, there are no more teams on the Florida schedule with the nickname “Tigers.” Unless, of course, Florida would get to the SEC championship game and play Auburn or LSU again.
With one minor exception, the Florida Gators are right where they were expected to be halfway through the 2007 season. That exception was the hiccup against Auburn. Almost nobody expected them to beat LSU.
Even in the final five minutes of the game, the Gators had what they wanted against Auburn: The ball in their hands near midfield with the score tied and five minutes to play. Because of a bad choice of plays and even poorer execution, the Gators found themselves looking at a third-and-16, which they didn’t covert. Next the punter shanked one 25 yards and Auburn took over, finishing off the job with the winning field goal.
For one play shy of three quarters, Florida played its best football of the year in Baton Rouge. The fumble by Kestahn Moore stalled a promising drive at mid-field at a time when the Gators were leading 24-14 and were about to put the dagger in the hearts of their opponent. Until then, Florida had been near flawless.
There were two other subsequent events that precluded Florida from notching one of its greatest victories in school history: An interception of a Tim Tebow pass that bounced off the helmet of Cornelius Ingram and then an eight-minute drive by LSU for the winning TD.
There has been lots of discussion on message boards and talk radio this past week about Meyer’s handling his time outs during the final minutes of the LSU game. Critics say he shouldn’t have waited until 1:14 to play in order to conserve more time for Tebow to go to work after the Tigers scored.
Meyer’s response was that the time outs were called “about the right time.” He told the Daytona Beach Quarterback Club, “I wanted to save as many time outs as I could because I thought it’d come down to a two-minute drill.”
I had another thought about the clock usage: Maybe on the fourth down and 1 ½ at the Gator 6 ½ when LSU made at the fifth conversion of fourth downs Meyer would have considered a challenge. From the press box level, both Pat Forde of ESPN.com and myself thought Jacob Hester was short after he was hit by Ryan Stamper. So did the CBS announce crew, as well as Sun Network’s Nat Moore and David Steele.
“He didn’t get it,” exclaimed Moore on the Sun Network broadcast, as Stamper wrestled Jacob Hester to the ground on what looked like about a one-yard gain. “If they give him this, the Gators ought to challenge.”
Precisely my thought. In the heat of the moment, watching live, without benefit of a clear replay, you go by instincts. Looking through my binoculars at the body language of Hester, it looked and felt like he came up short. And if he was, the game was going to be won by Florida. But it was not.
“First down LSU!” said Steele. “Unbelievable!”
“It didn’t look like he got it,” added Moore. “Boy, he got a good spot.”
I have since watched that play a dozen times on replay and still can’t conclude if it was the right call. So my question is this: With so much riding on the outcome of that spot, why didn’t Meyer choose to challenge it?
Not being up to speed on the college rules for replay challenge, I asked Urban that question in the post-game press conference. He said he felt the replay booth would “buzz down” if there had been a question and that he didn’t want to risk losing a time out.
Turns out Meyer was correct. A few days ago I spoke to an SEC official who had not seen the play, but spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“I was working another game, but based on what you are telling me, Coach Meyer was exactly right. You can bet that spot was looked at very carefully. We look at all those several times. And we also tell coaches not to take the chance and risk a timeout unless they are convinced it was a wrong call.”
Meyer could not be sure.
The official went on to say that all spots late in the game are closely scrutinized and even though the public doesn’t know it, the officials on the field are “coached up” from the booth.
“On the sidelines there is what we call the ‘eighth official,’” said my source. “If the replay booth sees the spot is off, he will buzz him and he will get the word to the on-the-field officials that the ball needs to be moved up or back a few inches. We absolutely review everything.”
We’ll never know for sure if Hester’s knee touched down before he stretched out to place the ball at the 5, but there is no video evidence to prove it one way or another. But I’ll go to my grave feeling that my instincts say he was short.
SHORT YARDAGE:
--After getting caught up in the massive pre-game crowd just prior to LSU’s Tiger Walk and nearly getting pinned against the stadium in sultry, 90-degree weather, I’m convinced the best place sports writers can be is in the press box, which I eventually reached by taking a short-cut through the LSU locker room. I’ve never seen so many people in and around and arena of any football game as I did in Baton Rouge.
--For a guy who just lost back-to-back games and was beaten by the same coach twice on successive weekends for the first time in his head coaching career, Meyer was highly optimistic about the future of his 4-2 team.
--Tim Tebow has thrown three interceptions this season – all three the result of a receiver running the wrong route.
--The turnover giveth, the turnover taketh away. LSU beat the Gators on a fumble by Moore and the interception of an errant Tebow pass off Cornelius Ingram’s helmet. In 2006, LSU marched all the way to the Gators’ 1-yard-line, only to have JaMarcus Russell’s fumble recovered by Brandon Siler.
--This is just a guess, but I’ve got a feeling Tony Joiner will earn his captain’s stripe back before the season is over – maybe, say, before the South Carolina game?
Buddy Martin Column/LSU-Florida
Meyer thinks he may have found answers
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Florida Gators have been living at Heartbreak Hotel these past two weeks. First a 20-17 home loss to Auburn, then Saturday night they had the big one on the line and let it get away from them.
The Gators had the nation’s No. 1 team on the hook, up by 10 points on the LSU Tigers in the second half Saturday night, only to commit two costly turnovers and lose, 28-24.
It came down to a matter of inches. With under two minutes to play and leading 24-21, Florida stopped LSU running back Jacob Hester on what appeared to be a fourth down, but he apparently lunged forward just enough to get the nose of the ball to the sticks for the first.
As the clock ticked down on a long drive that lasted eight minutes and 11 seconds, the Tigers got three more cracks and finally Hester punched it in for the winning score1:09 to go ahead. Even then the touchdown play had to be reviewed to be confirmed as a score.
That’s how it went for the Gators most of the night, a night when Florida got the better of their SEC West opponent until the two turnovers in the final 15:10.
This football season is getting more difficult to understand than Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, with the nation’s Top Ten teams goingup and down every week like an Empire State Building elevator. Sometimes those teams dodge the bullets, as LSU did against Florida, and sometimes they take a direct hit, as Southern Cal did from lowly Stanford.
It leaves football coaches scratching their heads and looking for reasons for a lack of consistency. The good news for Meyer, after two excruciating losses to SEC opponents, is that he thinks he’s found his answers.
Meet Urban Meyer,philosopher and football coach.
For two weeks in a row, Florida’s coach has dug deep in analyzing reasons why his fuzzy-faced Gators have come up short in close games.
Last week they took what Meyer called “a frontal assault” in the loss to Auburn on a field goal by Wes Bynum as the gun sounded and challenged his players to find their souls after the 20-17 defeat.
After a second straight loss on an LSU touchdown with 69 seconds left, there was nothing to do but “feel the sting” of defeat. That’s what Meyer told his team following Saturday night’s 28-24 loss, after his Florida Gators took the No. 1 team to the mat and couldn’t keep their opponent pinned.
These were particularly bitter pills to swallow, given that both games were so close and so win-able. After rallying from a 14-0 deficit, the Gators had possession of the ball with five minutes left against Auburn and couldn’t convert a scoring drive. And against LSU, they dominated the nation’s No. 1 defense, only to have their hopes destroyed by two second half turnovers.
Painful as it was, Meyer found a silver lining.
“I made a comment about the soul of a man and found out we have some pretty good men on our football team with strong souls,” Meyer said in this post-game press conference Saturday night.
Remember, it was two years ago in his first season that Meyer even shed tears after losing to LSU. This time he was composed and emphatic about the fact that his team wasn’t out of the conference race. The tears he cried were inside.
“Every team in the (SEC) East has at least one loss and some have two,” said Meyer. He said he felt his team wasn’t out of the race.
And he even went a step further, saying that his team was better than it was earlier in the season and that it would use the open date to improve.
"The future of Florida football is terrific, it really is," he said. "I guarantee we'll be back. The Florida Gators will be back. Smokin'."
It just doesn’t feel that way right now.
The Gators are playing at a high level, but not getting much return for their efforts. It seems that they are losing the battles of inches and, as a result, it is costing them miles.
Every time LSU needed a first down – even if it was on fourth – the Tigers seemed to come up with it. Five times they almost stopped LSU and five times the Tigers converted fourth downs, the final one the most critical.
I’m not so sure LSU didn’t benefit from the referee’s generosity on the last one.
With just over two minutes to play and Florida ahead 24-21, LSU had fourth and one at the Gator seven when Hester took the handoff and appeared to be stopped short. Had that been the case, the game was over. The official, however, seemed to give the Tigers somewhat of a generous spot – enough so that Dan Mullen remarked over the headset to Meyer that it looked suspicious.
The chain gain measured it as a first down by perhaps an inch. I asked Meyer if he thought of challenging the spot, but he said he thought they were supposed to “buzz it in from upstairs” on a call by the replay booth. There was no buzz, no call and no challenge.
Maybe it was a bad spot, maybe not, because it’s tough to tell without the benefit of the replay. Yet the officials did replay Jacob Hester’s winning touchdown when it didn’t even look close.
This was just another night of coming out on the wrong end of the close calls. Yet the Gators played some of the best football they have ever played under Meyer – so much so that the opposing coach heaped praise on them.
“I thought Florida was as talented a football team as we have played in my time here,” said LSU’s Les Miles. “Their receiving corps was big, strong and fast. Their running backs and Tebow played well.”
Indeed “their running backs” was actually Kestahn Moore, who ran harder in picking up 79 yards that he probably ever has run as a Gator. Too bad that on his best night he had to cough up the football with his team ahead 24-10 and moving with momentum at midfield. Although it didn’t result in any points when LSU missed the field goal, the fumble may have precluded the Gators from scoring and putting the game away.
Tebow was his spectacular self, especially on his 9-yard touchdown scramble. His one major miscue was throwing a fourth quarter interception.Although it goes in the records as a pick, the ball actually bounded off the helmet of Cornelius Ingram and caromed backwards into the hands of Darry Beckwith. It wasn’t even thrown to Ingram, however, because Tebow intended the ball to be for Bubba Caldwell.
One more bounce of the ball, or flip of the coin, gone bad for Urban Meyer’s team. It takes luck to win a national championship and it appears that after winning all the close ones last year, the Florida Gators are running out of four-leaf clovers and horse shoes.
Tebow saw it as a case of playing well, but not finishing strong.
“We came out here and we played, in my opinion, the No. 1 team in the country,” said Tebow. “We played ‘em, we should have beat ‘em. We played well and if we play four quarters, we know we can beat anybody. So that’s what we have to take from it. This team’s young and we can get better. The sky’s the limit and we just have to keep improving. We can’t have lapses, because we’ve lost two in a row now. We’ve just got to bounce back and play.”
So it’s back to the drawing board – don’t you always wonder where they put that proverbial “drawing board”? – for the 4-2 Gators, who have two weeks before going on the road to Kentucky.
But how do you coach a team to be luckier? Buddy Martin Column: Fla-Aub
Auburn’s back on the Gators’ rivalry radar
GAINESVILLE – There was a bad moon rising, full of upsets, and the Florida Gators were not going to be the exception on “Upset Saturday.”
Even though they say they didn’t take Auburn lightly, Urban Meyer’s Gators must have had something else on their minds the way they played for nearly three quarters — and whether or not it was true, it appeared they could have been peeking around the corner at LSU next Saturday.
The Auburn Tigers, beaten by South Florida and lightly regarded Mississippi State, set out to earn some respect in “The Swamp.”
The way they were ripping through the Gator defense for 192 yards in the first two quarters, they looked more like the nation’s No. 3 ranked team then the impersonators in orange and blue. And the Auburn defense stonewalled the Florida offense in the first quarter, allowing just 16 yards.
At stake for Florida was a perfect 4-0 start, an 11-game winning streak, 18 straight victories at home and, of course, an SEC loss (even though Auburn is in the West). Urban Meyer had never lost in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Meanwhile, the once powerful Gator offense that had rolled up an average of more than 500 yards the first four games could only muster 131 yards the first 30 minutes. Auburn went to the locker room at the half with a 14-0 lead, marking the first time since 1992 that a Gator team had been shut out in the first two quarters.
Auburn is a forgotten enemy, a rival that once ranked right up there with Florida State and Georgia – and ahead of Tennessee. The only team to beat the Gators in their national championship season. A team that knocked off Steve Spurrier’s No. 1 team at “The Swamp” in 1994.
There was certainly incentive enough for revenge, but it was the Tigers who looked more like they were playing in a grudge match.
It wasn’t until freshman safety Major Wright whacked Auburn tailback Ben Tate, causing a fumble that teammate Joe Haden recovered, that Florida began to play with some life.
On the ninth play of a 38-yard drive, Tim Tebow hit tight end Cornelius Ingram for the Gators’ first touchdown of the night, and that didn’t come until the fourth period.
That was the wake-up call Florida needed, because with 11 minutes to play in the game and 89 yards to go, these young Gators cranked up the most remarkable drive of the season. Tebow carried five times for 35 yards and hit on three passes for 48 yards, including a spectacular circus catch by Percy Harvin of 32 yards down to the Auburn 6, where in two plays Tebow plunged in for the score to tie the game at 17-all.
A remarkable comeback for Florida, but would it be enough? The Gators had what they wanted: The ball in their hands and, thanks to a kick interference call against the visitors, placement at the UF 42 with 4:49 to play. With a running game, they could have eaten up clock and negotiated better field position for a winning field goal.
Instead, Offensive Coordinator Dan Mullen went for the screen pass to Percy Harvin, which backfired as the speedy sophomore tried to cut it back and lost a whopping six yards on the placed, creating a difficult second-and-16. The second mistake what Tebow checking off the call to an option, based on what he saw the Auburn defense was giving him. But the Tigers outfoxed Tebow and stuff Kestahn Moore (it was only his third carry for the night) for no gain. On the next play, third and 16, Tebow’s pass was incomplete.
“That (minus) six yards on the screen put us in the hole,” Urban Meyer would say.
And so the Gators had to do the unthinkable – with a tired defense, give the ball back to the visitors in “The Swamp” with too much time. It got worse when Chas Henry shanked the punt just 25 yards, giving Auburn the ball at its own. The Tigers began grinding away behind the running of Tate as the clock wound down to under a half minute to play.
The answer was on the foot of Wes Byrum, a 6-1 true freshman from Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, who had to kick the winning 43-yard field goal twice — a second time because Florida had called time out to freeze him just prior to the first one. Both he nailed, albeit the winning kick just inside the right upright.
And so unranked Auburn knocked off the Gators, 20-17, in perhaps the biggest of all the upsets on “Upset Saturday.”
These are the kinds of games that national champions find a way to win, as was the case when the Gators did things like blocking what would have been the winning South Carolina field goal. They are national champions with a target on their backs this year, however, and the sometimes the breaks don’t always go your way.
This young team has been forced to battle through some issues, such as the loss of veteran offensive tackle Phil Trautwein, plus other nagging injuries. Saturday night they even had a coach in sick bay.
The man who calls the offensive plays for the Florida Gators was on the operating table Friday night, less than 24 hours before the kickoff of the game with Auburn. But even surgery couldn’t keep Dan Mullen down.
Offensive coordinator Mullen was rushed to Shands Hospital after complaining of severe abdominal pains late Friday night and, according to a UF spokesman, immediately underwent an appendectomy. By mid-day Saturday, Mullen was on his feet and attending meetings at the team hotel.
By kickoff Saturday night, Mullen was back in his familiar spot in the coaching booth, calling the plays that he and Urban Meyer had designed for the 4-0 Gators in their third SEC game of the season. Although he couldn’t walk downstairs for halftime, a visual-audio setup allowed Mullen to communicate to his fellow assistants. Meyer said the surgery didn’t impact Mullen and that “he called a fine game.”
Asked how he felt about the loss, Meyer said “I’m very disappointed. I’m not disappointed in the effort. I’m disappointed in losing. It sucks.”
Mostly, Meyer laid it at the feet of poor blocking in the offensive line, partly because of injuries and partly because of poor execution. Several linemen were dinged, notably guard Maurkice Pouncey, who suffered a shoulder stinger and had limited practice reps. “I don’t think it was the running backs (fault) – I don’t think we were blocking them.”
Where do the Gators go from here – besides Baton Rouge? Meyer summed up the defeat thusly: “I have a lot of confidence – I love our players, I love who they are. They are family took a frontal blow and we will see how they come through it. Some families kind of disintegrate and other families keep it going. That’s college football. It happens each week.These guys haven’t experienced that very much. There are some guys who haven’t experienced it that very much. There are some guys who are going to find out. So I talked to them about it. I love the guys, I really do.”
Clearly this team must dig itself out of a hole again to have a shot at competing for championships. The Gators are not alone in this quest, however. Five of the nation’s Top 10 teams lost Saturday – seven of the Top 13 and nine of the Top 25. Despite the loss, Florida remained in the AP Top Ten at No. 9. And if somehow they can pull off a win off no. 2 LSU at Baton Rouge Saturday night, they will be back in the hunt.
"When you get hit, you found out about the soul of a man and the soul of a team," Meyer said, offering the challenge to his players.
Auburn wasn’t one of those games on the schedule that Florida was expected to lose, plus the Tigers already had two losses, which is why the Gators went off as 18-point favorites. Somebody forgot to remind Meyer’s teams of its history, however.
Ever since Auburn and Florida stopped playing in a regular rotation in 2002 the folks from The Loveliest Village on the Plains had sort of dropped off the Florida rivalry radar. Well, guess what — they’re back on it today.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best/Florida Gators-Ole Miss, Sept. 23, 2007
The Tebow-mobile chugs for record yardage
OXFORD, Miss. –Wake up the echoes from 1924 and tell the ghosts of Notre Dame’s Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Layden that Tim Tebow is ready to ride with them. College football may have found its fifth horseman.
The Florida Gators, in fact, rode their horse to a pound-it-out, hold-on-for-dear-life victory, 30-24, over stubborn Ole Miss on the back and legs of their 6-3, 235-pound sophomore quarterback. Tim Tebow ran the ball so many times that his head coach complained about the danger of him becoming a “crutch.”
Twenty-seven times No. 15 pounded the ball against the Rebel defense for record 166 yards, breaking a 40-year-old team mark by Larry Rentz of 109 yards. It was Tebow left, Tebow right, Tebow up the middle – he carried the ball 11 times in the final period, including seven on those times on the 61-yard drive for a field goal that gave Florida a little breathing room.
“We have to be very careful with using Tim too much,” said Meyer. “He’s a crutch. When things got tough, he’s the horse. He carried 27 times, which is far too much.”
Maybe Tebow was more like a pack mule, because out of Florida’s 79 plays, he either ran or passed the football 61 times. His Heisman-like total yardage was a spectacular 427. And had he not been trying to put the game away in the fourth quarter and kill the clock on the final Florida drive,s he may have cracked 500 yards.
The running-style of his left-handed phenom is old school. Tebow either tries to bowl over tacklers at the boundary, or takes the direct snap and patiently waits to see which way the blockers are flowing, then tippy-toes into the pile before thrusting his 235-pound body into the scrum, literally carrying tacklers with him. He makes coaches wonder about the myth of fragile quarterbacks. And yes, Meyer does worry about getting him hurt.
Tebow is a throwback, more like Bronco Nagurski or Jim Brown than Peyton Manning. He wants the ball. He wants to win the game. And he’s “always in my ear,” according to Meyer. As he was Saturday.
So on a day when he wasn’t passing his best and he was missing two of his key wide receivers (Andre Caldwell and Riley Cooper), Tebow resorted to his legs over his arm. The safe play Saturday was running Tebow. Meyer felt like his quarterback was “overstriding” on some of his throws and missed some deep receivers who were open. Had the Gators taken care of business in the second half and expanded on their 27-9 leadwith five minutes left to play in the third quarter, they wouldn’t have overloaded their pack mule.
Trouble is, the Gators couldn’t get out of their own way and kept allowing Ole Miss back in the game with sloppy play, such as the 14 penalties for 127 yards.
If he was tired, Tebow didn’t look or sound like it after the game. He said he really wasn’t aware of how many times he was carrying the ball and wasn’t sure if it was his own personal record, but he knew his team needed to drive the ball as had been doing all day and keep possession from a hot-handed Ole Miss quarterback, Seth Adams, who connected on a 77-yard scoring pass to Mike Wallace.
As Ole Miss closed the gap, there was a moment of truth for this young Gator team when some of that bad Mississippi karma came into play. Here in this Magnolia State, where Florida has lost three of its four games to either the Rebels or Mississippi State, past Gator teams have been known to come unravel. Could they make a big play on defense and stop the Rebels? Tony Joiner’s fourth-quarter interception answered that question.
Meyer knew that a case of the nerves was about to set in on his young team
“I kept telling Dan Mullen – let’s not make our defense go out there again,” said Meyer … Let your quarterback and your offensive line win the game and let your young secondary go sit on the bench.”
And so out came the human battering ram, The Tebow-mobile, ramming the ball for an average of 6.1 yards, including 18 carries in the second half.
“We just tried to get out of there with a victory,” said Tebow. “It was a four-quarter fight. I wasn’t really thinking about the number of carries.”
Or, as Meyer said, “I’m just anxious to get on the plane and get the hell out of here.”
The closeout came with the 12-play drive and a Joey Ijjas field goal. Then the fake punt by Justin Sparks and pass to Robert Lane which was stymied by the tackle of Jermaine Cunningham.
And, finally, the 7-play, clock-killer which ended with Tebow taking a knee for the victory.
Sort of an odd ending to a game with Tebow dropping to his knee – such passive maneuver for a human battering ram who had just broken a 40-year old rushing record.
Quick Jump Starts 1.Lost in all the hubbub about the close game and the spectacular play of Tim Tebow was the impressive first-half play of Percy Harvin, who caught nine passes for 104 yards and a touchdown and 11 for 121 yards over the four quarters. 2.Basically, LSU’s Les Miles out-Spurriered Steve Spurrier in the first half Saturday with a fake field goal and a backwards, no-look, over the shoulder flip by the holder to the would-be kicker for a touchdown. 3. To paraphrase the lead of an old New York sports writer about the choking Brooklyn Dodgers: “The tree that grows in Boston is an apple tree.” 4. All it takes is a trip to Corky’s Barbecue in Memphis and sampling of the roast pork sandwich with cole slaw, plus a little banana pudding, to understand why Elvis weighed 300 pounds. 5. Much as I despise the unethical way he eclipsed the home run mark, I still think the Giants owed him a little more notice of not inviting him back so that the fans could have said goodbye. Short Stuff When they asked Steve Spurrier if he’d best interested in the LSU job should Les Miles go to Michigan, the Ol’ Ball Coach just couldn’t resist a zinger: "This is my college job right here. I got a lot more to worry about than Les Miles going to Michigan. Tell LSU they had a shot at me back in 1986. I didn't even get a second interview back then"… If you don’t think Urban Meyer is concerned about the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, then consider this quote: “This hitting game five now and that’ll cost us a game; I’m busy doing other stuff, and I don’t see the quarterback getting hit.” He says he’ll meet with his defense line coach, Greg Mattison, next week to discuss the matter … Meyer admired Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron’s decision to for it on a fake punt and pass, even though the Rebels didn’t make it: “He’s going to try to win the game . I would have done the same thing.” Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. Body by Fisher, belly by beer
2. So life has a hill. Get over it.
3. You should slip into something comfortable, like your car, and leave.
Today’s Proverb If you are willing to admit faults, you have one less fault to admit.
And good morning … … All you PennState fans who are unhappy about the loss to Michigan, some of whom will starting that same only refrain that old JoeGrandpa is too old to be coaching
The Martin Chronicles/NOW POSTED ON GATOR COUNTRY Gators’ Derek Baldry says Vol defender cried ‘uncle’ In life, it is good to quit smoking. It is acceptable to quit at politics. And, yes, apparently even not so bad these days to quit at marriage. But among the things where quitting is frowned upon is in the heat of sports competition and in fox holes. Derek Baldry has been in both. Baldry never saw anybody quit in Afghanistan, where he served two tours of duty as an Army Ranger. And until last Saturday, Baldry had never seen anybody quit on the football field until a player from Tennessee pulled a “no mas.” On the 49th point, the Vol defender waived the white flag. ‘I don’t to rush this s--- anymore, I’m too f----g tired.” the unidentified player reportedly told Baldry about defending Florida’s extra point. When the exhausted Vol begged off of the contact in the fourth quarter, the Gator tight end couldn’t wait to run off the field and tell strength and conditioning coach Mick Marotti. It wasn’t about gloating or chiding the opponent. In Urban Meyer’s “Plan to Win,” the players begin pushing themselves in the off-season so they can be in tip-top shape. It is uppermost in their minds to win the fourth quarter -- and in doing so, finish off the opponent. They just don’t expect SEC players in big-time programs to give up. Baldry, 25, is a 6-6, 269-pound walk-on senior from Gainesville High School and Santa Fe Community college who plays special teams as a blocker for field goals extra points. His story is one of courage and bravery and tenacity, carved out on the battlefields where he jumped out of planes and waded through ambushes with fellow Rangers. Sometimes Baldry’s teammates didn’t survive. On one mission Baldry was heroic enough to be nominated for a Bronze star. He says this part was “overblown,” but he did decline the nomination because he felt he didn’t deserve it.Others on his team were wounded; he also said his commanding officer was new to combat and didn’t understand what it was like. But it was there, in the hot, arid climate of this foreign soil, that Derek Baldry learned his first football moves. “One of my really good friends over there (Jeff Meredith) was a huge LSU fan,” Baldry said. “So when we beat them in 2003 it was an awesome deal.” In Afghanistan he began tossing a football around – “we ran the red routes” – with Meredith. In their training for the Rangers, they also sometimes emulated football-like conditioning. He had never played football before in his life, but his agility, size impressed friends so much they began encouraging him to try out for football one day. He joined the Army before 9/11, arriving in Afghanistan Oct. 2001 and staying to January 2002. Then he returned on July 2003 and stayed through April of 2004. From there he returned home and finished community college in 18 months. On Valentine’s Day 2006, he went out for the Gator team. Marotti told some of the coaches about his size and agility. They never really asked about his high school football experience until later, but Urban Meyer was impressed with his commitment to physical fitness. Finally, right before two-a-days practice in 2006, Baldry was awarded a scholarship. He soon learned that his conditioning and training as a Ranger was an asset. Around the Florida locker rooms there are signs everywhere, pushing the athletes to the limit that he says “are competitive and almost comical.” Everywhere you turn there is another sign that says “4-6 seconds, go as hard as you can.” The point is that “if you buy into it and work real hard, you can make guys quit if you try real hard,” said Baldry. Right up to kickoff Saturday, Marroti was going around the locker room chanting, “you train for this s---. This is what we train for. They’re over their worrying about the heat.” The heat, and the Gators, overwhelmed Phil Fulmer’s team. Baldry was both amazed and elated that the enemy had been dominated morally, physically and on the scoreboard. This game of football is still relatively new to him, but having lived his live on the principles of his Army Ranger training, Baldry just expected his opponent to fight to the end. As a Ranger, Baldry was taught never to give up. He couldn’t fathom somebody rolling over on his teammates. “This guy was just giving up,” said Baldry, almost aghast at the thought. “The whole week leading up to it, we were told the best conditioned team, mentally and physically, is going to win the game. They harped on this day after today, for five or six days – that preparation was everything and ‘we’re going to out-conditioned them.’ Coach Meyer brought up statistics of how Tennessee dominated us in the fourth quarter in previous games, but also provided examples of how we dominated the fourth quarter since he’s been coaching here. “On the point after attempt, after the 48th point, one of the guys rushing, I guess, decided he didn’t want to go too hard. Instead of shooting through the gap, which is where he would have come through me, he kind of ran into me and kind of pulled up and said ‘whoa, whoa, whoa’ as if I were going to deliver a hit to him. Verbatim he said, ‘I don’t to rush this s--- anymore, I’m too f----g tired.’ That’s what he said. “As he was saying ‘whoa, whoa, whoa,’ I thought the play had been whistle dead or a flag had been thrown or something. I didn’t understand what was going on. I kind of looked around real quick and I saw the refs with his arms up in the air, showing it was a good kick, and that’s when I tapped him on the head and ran off.” Baldry isn’t sure of the player’s number, but believes it was a linebacker or safety. But when he came off the field, he couldn’t wait to tell Marotti and the other coaches and players what had transpired. Why? “Because that was the culmination of everything we worked for. They had harped on us that we were the ones that decided when they quit and they didn’t have a choice. It was up to us when we were going to drive that stake home. Basically we did that. And to have it pan out was phenomenal.” Marroti was pleased to hear Baldry’s news. "We have a philosophy that the most invested and best-conditioned team wins the game,” said Florida’s strength and conditioning coach. “That investment has a lot to do with what happens in the off season. The way we prepare then translates into what happens during the course of a Saturday and our goal is to get stronger as the game goes on. When Derek came off the field and told me what happened, it was a credit to the approach our players take." Baldry said that the Gators “beat them down for four quarters and they just gave up.” As they say in the Army, “Mission Accomplished.”
Buddy Martin Column/Gator Country
Writers get paid to look ahead, and I see hope at Baton Rouge
Please forgive me, Urban, while I commit the mortal sin of looking ahead. But I’m going to have to get back to you later on the next game.
Sure, it’s Mississippi week, an SEC road game. And after that, Auburn at home. There are some injuries. In this wacky year, David is abusing Goliath with regularity. And we all know our history about Florida’s lack of success in the Magnolia State. But, hey, we are paid to stir the pot and so it’s our job to peek around the corner.
All you would-be coaches wearing the orange and blue glasses – turn your heads for a moment and plug up your ears. Here comes some heresy. And please don’t start preaching to me in coachspeak about taking them one at time.
It’s a long way until Oct. 6, but Florida looks very capable of beating the de facto No. 1 team in the nation. The Gators should be arrested for assault and battery, the way they hammered Tennessee. They match up well with the speed of LSU – it’s just a question of how fast this young can learn to win on the road in the land of Big Boy Football.
All we’ve heard is how spectacular LSU’s defense is – and yes, it’s that – but would they be that spectacular against the weaponry of Urban Meyer? And, in fact, how well will they do against Steve Spurrier’s offense on Saturday?
I’m not yet ready to concede that Florida’s trip to Baton Rouge is a Gator Death March.
The Tigers are not ranked first, but you wouldn’t know it. All week long the blabberheads have declared them the unofficial leaders of the pack – superior, even, to Southern Cal. Given the Trojans’ walkover in Lincoln, however, that trendy anointment could be over. But LSU is definitely the team d’ jour with the national media.
Meanwhile, in other anointment news, the blabberheads also have been sending LSU coach Les Miles packing for Ann Arbor.
Such praise can be poison. All Miles needs now is to have somebody prominent in the media say his quarterback, Matt Flynn, is the leader for the Heisman Trophy. Then LSU would have the triple whammy.
Urban must be loving this LSU Mutual Admiration Society and the Les Miles-for-President movement. Meanwhile, Meyer is holding Football 101 Classes for his Gator Kindergarten of 46 freshmen and sophomores – a group Dick Vitale would call his “Diaper Dandies.” And these Dandies are maturing right before Meyer’s eyes as they fly under the radar toward Baton Rouge and, after that, possibly Atlanta. They’re even growing beards.
“That team in there has grown some whiskers since three weeks ago,” said Meyer, then adding that he meant that figuratively and not literally. “There weren’t as many confused looks on young faces.” Some of the Dandies are reading to take off those diapers, but the learning curve can be scary.
While the raves went to the offense, it was the defense which drew the praise from Meyer.
The thought of a football coach looking out there at his secondary and seeing half the back field occupied by true freshman as they up against an experienced quarterback like Erik Ainge – as Meyer did with safety Major Wright and cornerback Joe Haden – is enough to keep you up nights and turn you to sleep aids. Meyer admitted he considered taking an Ambien the night before, but later said he was joking.
Turns out Haden and Wright gave him sweet dreams and appear ready for kindergarten graduation. “They had 19 plays and they made 18 of them,” said Meyer. They tackled like veterans. And they didn’t get beaten deep. Most of all, they look like playmakers, something the defense has lacked since the departure of Reggie Nelson.
Offense and special teams were a veritable bonanza, thanks to Percy Harvin, Tim Tebow and Brandon James. Those three produced a whopping 748 yards and six touchdowns on some of the most exciting, circus-like playmaking in these parts since the days of the Ol’ Ball Coach and even beyond.
Brandon James produced 193 yards in punt and kickoff yardage, setting the tone of the day with an 83-yarder on Britton Colquitt’s first effort and dept putting the Gator offense in envious field position with his returns.
Then there was this pass that Tebow threw which appeared it would be knocked down or intercepted, except that No. 1 turned on the afterburners and dove as the football bounced first off of the Vols’ DeAngelo Willingham and then Harvin’s face mask. While in mid-air, Harvin kept his concentration and came down with it. You don’t even see those plays at the NFL level.
Again, the numbers don’t do it justice. Harvin touched the ball 13 times, catching four passes for 120 yards, and rushed for 75, including that ballet-like move for the score.
This was “The Spread” at its best, the way Meyer designed it – with the concept that the highly skilled players needed to have more than a couple of touches in a game. I asked about the concept of that design and the distribution of touches.
“The best thing we’ve got going is that it’s a street fight for the ball,” said Meyer. “Every skilled athlete … you don’t come to Florida to stand on the sideline and watch others guy play. It’s getting so that at a place like Florida, you’re fighting for the ball starting on Tuesday and Wednesday – the touches. We’re experiencing that and that’s the way it should be.”
Some of the Tennessee writers inferred after the game that Meyer’s only advantage was having more playmakers – that he and Fulmer really weren’t all that much different in coaching skills. One of them finally did admit that the Vols’ defense “might be the worst since the days of Johnny Majors.”
Every week it seems to be inferred that the Florida Gators are lucky to have won 10 straight games and 18 consecutive home games. Earlier this year, they were downgraded by experts for having an inexperienced defense and a green quarterback. Or playing inferior opponents.
Life can be beautiful underneath the radar because you can see what’s ahead of you and who’s above you, too. So sleep well, Urban Meyer. Even though your Gators are No. 3 in both polls this week, they really don’t see you coming to Baton Rouge yet.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best/Florida-Tennessee Sept. 16, 2007
Florida-Tennessee game was like Broadway: So many big plays
GAINESVILLE – The last time I saw this many big plays was on Broadway in New York City, and they were performed over a period of five years. When it comes to football games, however, I have haven’t seen many with the number of game-changing moments as Florida-Tennessee produced on Saturday.
Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators smacked down Tennessee Saturday, 59-20, in their first Southeastern Conference outing of the 2007 season in what surely become known as the “Blowout at the Blueout” for reasons to be named later. And America was introduced to three college football stars of the future – Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Brandon James.
Those three produced a whopping 748 yards and six touchdowns on some of the most exciting, circus-like playmaking in these parts since the days of the Ol’ Ball Coach and even beyond.
Matter of fact, if some of the more venerable Gators fans will forgive the reference, this was like the days of Ray Graves’ “Super-Sophs” team in 1969 when John Reaves, Carlos Alvarez and Tommy Durrance roamed Florida Field before it was known as either “The Swamp” or Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, foraging the end zones.
Sophomores Tebow, James and Harvin were spectacular. The numbers don’t really tell the story of the drama or the superb execution.
The left-handed sophomore quarterback had a hand, or leg, in much of the 556 yards of Gator offense, including 299 yards passing for two scores and 67 yards rushing for two TDs. His offense averaged 8.6 yards a play.
Tebow laid the ball out beautifully for Riley Cooper on a 30-yard connection for Florida’s first offensive touchdown. He leaped through the air to score another one from eight yards. He made two completions on underhanded throws. He made another while falling down. From his own end zone, he lasered a perfect pass into Harvin’s hands for a 49-yard gain while his receiver was on a dead run. His accuracy was remarkable.
One more time: Can Tim Tebow pass? Yes. And can Tim Tebow measure up as a starting quarterback against SEC competition? Yes.
Then there is Percy Harvin, an athlete with so many gifts that he amazes his coach. “I’ve not had one like him before,” Meyer said of the playmaker his teammates call “electric.”
“He is a weapon. I think you witness one of the best players in college football in Percy Harvin.”
Harvin’s two plays were the most spectacular. Those two in particular will go down in his archive as keepers.
Get ready to see this one on Sports Center over and over and over, if you haven’t already. Harvin takes the reverse handoff from Tebow, jukes once, cuts once as he slices through two Vol defenders and, as he does a complete 360-degree pirouette, darts into the end zone for a 19-yard scoring run. Could you please play that back so we can be sure that we saw it, or was that Reggie Bush flying through the air?
Then there was this pass that Tebow threw which appeared it would over Harvin’s head, except that No. 1 turned on the afterburners and dove as the football bounced first off of the Vols’ DeAngelo Willingham and then Harvin’s face mask. While in mid-air, Harvin kept his concentration and came down with it.
Again, the numbers don’t do it justice. Harvin touched the ball 13 times, catching four passes for 120 yards, and rushed for 75, including that ballet-like move for the score.
“This offense is fun,” said Harvin. “Just throw it, catch it and run. We have so many playmakers on this team, you never know when somebody will break it open.”
Somebody did break it open on Florida’s first possession as little Brandon James, still trying to get back into his teammates’ and coaches’ good graces after a late-summer indiscretion that got him in trouble with the law, hauled in Britton Colquitt’s punt and raced 83 yards to put Florida ahead, 7-0. For the day, James had 193 yards in returns and kept his team in good field position.
“Brandon James dug himself out and continues to dig himself out,” Meyer said.
As for the “Blueout,” last week Meyer asked the fans to all wear blue attire and to boycott orange for a week since it’s also Tennessee color.
“This is a great night for Florida football,” said Meyer. “I took a look up there at all that blue – you can’t help yourself sometimes, you just have to look – and I’m thinking how lucky I am to be coaching here.”
Yes, and lucky to be coaching the likes of Tebow, Harvin and James, too.
Quick Jump Starts
1. Tim Tebow and Tony Joiner are roommates, but Tebow would like for his roomie to stop kissing him on the cheek in public places – like he did on national TV Saturday – or people will start to talk.
2. You’ve probably heard how many batteries it takes to beat Michigan, but it’s too good not to repeat: One double A.
3. Apparently Charley Weis brought the wrong kind to Ann Arbor, however.
4. Don’t you think they should invoke the 10-run rule for Tiger Woods today at East Lake in Atlanta?
5. Say what you will about Pete Carroll, but the “missing kicker formation” USC ran last week against Idaho in honor of the deceased Mario Danelo, who was found dead at the base of a 150-foot cliff earlier this year, and the 5-yard penalty he was willing to take on the play, offered us one of the most poignant moments ever in college football.
Short Stuff
Among those in attendance at Saturday at “The Swamp” were former UF quarterback Chris Leak and ex-Viking and Ohio State receiver Cris Carter … It’ll probably get lost in all the offensive firepower by Florida, but the Arian Foster fumble picked up by Dustin Doe, who rambled 18 yards for a touchdown, was a huge play for the Gators, who at the time were leading only 28-20 … After scoring 167 points in their first three games, most ever by a Florida team to open the season, the Gators are averaging almost a point-a-minute: 55.6 per game … Tebow took a victory lap around Florida Field after the game, slapping the hands of the fans, sayinglater that “The Gator Nation” has been so supportive that “the least you can do is take one more lap.”
Nothing But ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s Cyberfriends) Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. Stable relationships are for horses. 2. The winner of the rat race is still a rat. 3. When life hands you gators, make Gatorade.
Today’s Proverb
If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
And good morning …
…Phil Fulmer. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about that cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best/Florida Gators Opener/Sept. 1, 2007
Maybe these Gators are pretty good
GAINESVILLE – Perhaps Urban Meyer, his players and his coaches had just better shut their ears for now and quit reading the newspaper and Internet all together. Because it’s hard to keep this stuff secret.
The news is out: It’s time to start taking these Florida Gators more seriously. Maybe they really are, as the polls have indicated, the No. 3 (USA Today Coaches) and No. 4 (AP) team in the nation.
Yeah, I know it was only Troy they beat Saturday and Western Kentucky last week. They played with a split personality in the first and second halves Saturday night. Not so well in the second half, but so terrific in the first two quarters that they were up 49-7 and could coast in the final 30 minutes for a 59-31 victory. It was impressive enough for losing Troy Coach Larry Blakeney to say, “From an offensive standpoint, they can repeat (as national champions) and beat anybody.” Meyer said when he team came in at halftime, leading by 42, quite a few of the young players had “confused looks” on their faces and didn’t really seem to understand the mission in the second half of finishing the job. But he attributed that to the youth of his team and therefore stopped short of being critical. Surprisingly, the fact that the Gator defense gave up 336 yards and 31 points didn’t really upset Meyer, who said his team “played great defense in the first half” and was particularly proud of two blocked punts. “The big ones we’ve had against Tennessee and LSU and some of the big wins around here are because we played football like we did in the first half,” said Meyer. Even the coach had to admit that his team’s offensive firepower was “exciting.” We can only measure what’s in front of us, and in this season of Appalachian State giant-killers and Michigan tank jobs, coaches are learning to be grateful for every point, every touchdown, every win -- no matter by how small or how un-esteemed the opponent.
This is The Season of Uncertainty and there were some hearts fluttering Saturday night as the partial scores started trickling out of Knoxville and Athens. Between the hedges it was a tough place to be for Georgia fans, who once again saw their season hijacked by South Carolina’s Head Ball Coach.
So any win is a good win. Just consider how the Gators have responded to the “Appalachian States” on their schedule – no offense to the Mountaineers and their fans – so far.
Think about these stats:
In the first 5 ½ periods of play – remembering that the Western Kentucky game was cut 8-plus minutes short by lightning – the Gators outscored their opponents 98-10. The Florida offense scored seven touchdowns on 10 possessions. In their first seven drives Saturday against Troy, the Gators scored seven times. If you’re scoring at home, that’s 14 touchdowns in 17 tries.
That’s pretty good against the wind. Now it’s time for Big Boy football. “Officially this is SEC week,” Meyer said. “You’ll see us practice a little different tempo. My concern is lot of the young players don’t understand that yet. When I talk about the ‘confused’ look I saw at halftime (tonight), it’s all of those ’07 players (freshmen) and some of the ‘06s.” For the moment, however, in this topsy-turvy season, Urban Meyer is one happy football coach. “I’m good, I’m 2-0,” he said, no doubt stopping to think how much better off he is today than Michigan’s Lloyd Carr. Quick Jump Starts 1. The first full slate of the NFL unfolds today and I just hope it doesn’t evolve, again, into the “No Fun League.” 2. Finally, baseball gets a feel-good story in Cardinal comebacker Rick Ankiel, thenf we have to read the depressing news about his alleged use of HGH – even if it really was prescribed by his physician. 3. It may not rival “Remember The Alamo,”but college coaches who need a wakeup callfor their teams playing against big underdogs will always have “Remember Appalachian State!” 4. OK, who were the first-half coaches and who were the second-half coaches last weekend when Florida State failed to show up for the first two quarters in the loss to Clemson? 5. Given that last week’s game at Florida Field with Western Kentucky was canceled in the middle of the final quarter, will Urban Meyer’s pre-game speeches now become: “Go out there and fight for 60 minutes, or 52 minutes … or for however long we play the game!” Short Stuff Former Gator QB Shane Matthews, son of a coach, gets a chance to pursue his dreams in his dad's profession as coach of Team Florida in the All American Football League, which will feature players from the state and play three games in “The Swamp” … It was a “home game” for 29 players from the Sunshine State on Troy’s roster Saturday … Appalachian State coach Jerry Howard attended Florida’s spring practice and took notes of Meyer’s strategy … And out of mutual respect, Meyer asked Howard for a copy of the game film from the upset of Michigan… Drawing the AppState assignment Saturday wasLenoir-Rhyne College, coached by ex-Charlotte Tarpon coach and former Duke head coach Fred Goldsmith. Buddy’sE-Mail Bag
I see the ESPNU drum beat has begun as Mark May and Lou Holtz predicted the entire 2007 College football year. Why even play it? Let's just move to the playoffs. Naturally, their final top 10 contains two Pac 10 teams and two Big Ten teams but only one SEC team. They were chastened enough to let LSU play in the BCS Championship game, but naturally had it losing to USC. Won't they ever learn? Best regards, David Baird, Punta Gorda David: Let them have their fun. Anybody can pick the games when they are over. I agree, however, that they just seem to forget about the dominance of the SEC.
Nothing But ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s Cyberfriends) Buddy’s Believe It Or Not (But don’t ask him to prove it)
1. Men can read smaller print than women, but women can hear better.
2. If you leave Tokyo by plane at 7:00am, you will arrive in Honolulu at approximately 4:30pm the previous day.
3. China has more English speakers than the United States. PUNDERFUL 1. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me. 2. If you take a laptop computer for a run you could jog your memory. 3. The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number on it. Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1.Be alert. The world needs more lerts. 2. Custer wore an Arrow shirt.
3. You cannot get to the top by sitting on your bottom.
Today’s Proverb All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
And good morning … … to Lee Corso, who is on te record as saying Steve Spurrier will never beat Florida, Georgia and Tennessee and never win the SEC. Would you like a little mustard with that crow?
Buddy Martin Sunday Best/Florida Gators Opener/Sept. 1, 2007
Even with leg irons on, Tebow is a tough quarterback to stop
GAINESVILLE – In a manner of exaggerated speaking, Tim Tebow was given a low dosage of testosterone, told to play nice and not hurt the other boys out there on the field and then shackled with leg irons.
OK, none of that really happened, but he was put in a more conservative mode than usual Saturday in his first starting role on Florida Field. The new, more mild-manner Tim Tebow -- more like Clark Kent than the other guy --got a passing grade in his first start and, ironically, excelled in the one area where he has been said to be possibly lacking.
This just in: Tim Tebow can not only pass, but throws a deep ball with a deft touch. Ask Riley Cooper, who caught two of his long passes for touchdowns.
“He proved today he could throw the ball,” said Cooper, who isn’t even in the starting lineup. “And he’s going to be a great quarterback.”
The Tebow Era officially began about 23 minutes before 1 p.m. after the Gators stopped Western Kentucky’s bid to score on the opening drive with linebacker Dustin Doe’s tackle of Tyrell Hayden on fourth and one. His offense and coaches were huddled around him just inside the boundary, as the strapping, good-looking young man with the square jaw and the eternal smile let his chinstrap hang looselyl. His coach went over the last minute instructions. First Meyer first slapped his quarterback’s shoulder as a show of encouragement, then his open palm before jugging on the field.
A short gain by running back Kestahn Moore officially got the Tebow Era underway. Three players later, Tebow was finishing off a 90-yard drive by sneaking over for the game’s first touchdown. Fifty-six of those yards he got himself, running or passing. This was the first of four touchdowns he would produce in the first half in the first four offensive series in Florida's weather-shorted 49-3 win opening day over Western Kentucky.
So, yes, Tim Tebow can pass. And he can run, even though he didn’t do much of that Saturday. And he can also lead, but needs to learn to manage his game better.We are not sure that he is able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, but he reportedly does change his wardrobe in a phone booth.
After four straight impressive drives, there was a little lesson to learned on the next series. At one point, the offensive unit looked like the Bad News Bears. In one stretch of four plays there were three penalties and a fumble by the quarterback. It served a reminder that that this is a work in progress, because Tebow’s management of the running was somewhere between mediocre and awful.
“He didn’t manage the game well,” Meyer said, meaning that the 25-second clock got away from him at times, some of the offensive players were out of position and the execution of the running game left something to be desired. “But I thought he threw the ball well.”
Here’s how Tebow answered those critics have been chirping “Can Tim Tebow pass?” Take a look at these stats in three quarters of a game: 300 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions and 13 completions in 17 attempts. He was poised in the pocket. He had nice touches on the long ball, including the 59 and 42-yard touchdown throws to Cooper.
The second piece of irony is that Tebow was throttled down by his coaches, given no pre-designed running plays, told to keep his raw emotions intact if he came to the sideline vs. several would-be tacklers to step out. He did that twice, only both times he got into a ruckus when a Western Kentucky player got after him.
“I think I took out the whole bench,” Tebow said with a smile. “That No. 70 (Defensive tackle Cody Hughes of Bradenton) got a piece of me. That was probably the hardest hit of the game.”
Hughes was guilty of a sort of semi-cheap shot when he found himself confronted with Florida’s No. 15 and put his forearms in semi-self defense. It didn’t go down well with the crowd. The crowd behind the Hilltoppers’ bench got so raucous that several managers had to create a human shield for him.
“Maybe it’s not safe to run out of bounds after all,” Tebow mused.
Thus Tebow became the fourth lefthander to start regularly since Tommy Shannon took over in 1962 as starting position as quarterback. After him were Jackie Eckdahl in 1968 and Bobby Hewko in 1980.
Historian Norm Carlson couldn’t remember any others, but did cite written references of ambidextrous Clyde “Cannonball” Crabtree using both of his wings back in 1928 when the Gators missed going undefeated after a loss to Tennessee in the final game. And throwing with both arms is something that even the wunderkind Tebow can’t do – at least yet.
Of course, no other Florida quarterbacks have been gifted with the legs of Tebow, who could easily be a starting running back in most programs, so whatever nuances or minor influences the southpaw might caused were worth the tradeoffs.
Is there a difference?
During camp, when Urban Meyer was asked that, he replied: “Not I can see any. About the only difference is that the ball comes out of the other side. But I wouldn’t mind it if Cam Newton (Tebow’s backup) was left-handed, too.”
There are some subtle adjustments, however, as Shannon found out. While taking snaps during a practice one day in Miami, Shannon noticed a guy watching him for several minutes. The stranger approached the lefty from Miami Archbishop Curley, telling him how he might improve the exchange with the center.
He said, “Son, just have your center turn the ball over so that when you receive the ball it will have the aces on the proper hand.” It worked.
That stranger was none other than Fran Curci, himself a lefty, and later to become the head coach at Tampa, Miami and Kentucky.
None of those other Gator QBs came with the credentials of Tebow, who established a state high school passing record with 9,950 yards and 95 touchdowns. And, unlike the other four “wronghanders,” Tebow played as a freshman, giving him a jumpstart on the Gator passing records.
I’m not sure we could say Tebow looks like a quarterback, because most of them are not 6-3, 235 pounds. He does look like a football player, however, and he plays at a high caliber. With the wealth of talent surrounding him, this is going to be an explosive Florida offense. Get back to me on the defense after Tennessee, Auburn and LSU.
Quick Jump Starts 1. So I’m wondering if Tim Tebow gets the win after the rain-shortened opener, even though he really didn’t go the full five innings. 2. Memo to Michigan coach Lloyd Carr after the loss to Appalachian State: Call 1-800-Mayflower. 3. Cowboys Assistant Coach Wade Wilson certainly has to be the first in his profession to get a five-game suspension for admitting he took an illegal, but unnamed substance. 4. It can never erase any part of the pain of the massacre in Blacksburg, but thankfully the Hokies have made the next step with a public gathering for a football game. 5. If they keep taking A-Rod’s bat everything he homers, he’s going to need all that dough over the years just to buy some new wood. Short Stuff Saturday’s Florida-Western Kentucky contest, which was called in the fourth quarter, was the only known game in Florida football history to have been canceled. . .After an hour delay, Meyer was worried about getting his players back on the field, but joked that Associate Head Coach Doc Holliday was “going to get them motivated to go back out there” . . . Tim Tebow said this Saturday felt a lot different than last because “last year I was just trying to get in there and make a play.” Nothing But ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s Cyberfriends) Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. High Maintenance Cowgirl. 2. I yodel for beer.
3. Professional trash talker.
Today’s Proverb It is easier to fight for principles than to live up to them.
And good morning … … to you Wolverine fans who thought you team should have been in the BCS Championship Game last season over Florida. It’s a tough day in Ann Arbor, isn’t it?
BUDDY MARTIN COLUMN SUNDAY AUG. 25, 2007
Remembering the Ol’ Gray Lady: It’s Goodbye to the Orange Bowl Stadiums come and go these days like pre-fab homes, so maybe it’s not such a big deal anymore when an old arena falls prey to the bulldozers. And we knew that Miami’s Orange Bowl was on life support. This will be the last season that the Miami Hurricanes play football in the complex at 1501 NW 3rd St., which was built with WPA funds in 1935 and began hosting the post-season game as part of winter festival in 1938. There are many good memories for me in the Orange Bowl, which is now about to become nothing more than an empty relic and then a pile of rubble. The Orange Bowl to us was what Yankee Stadium has been to New York. And it’s sad to see Ol’ Gray Lady go away. As for favorite games played there, everybody has his or her own list. And while I did not attend the Boston College-Miami game won on Doug Flutie’s “Hail Mary” touchdown to Gerard Phelan for a miraculous 47-45 victory in 1984, or any of those Miami-Nebraska-Florida State Orange Bowls of the 1990s, I did attend all five of the Super Bowl games played there. I saw my first Super Bowl Game there (II) won by the Packers over the Raiders 33-14. Not the least of those memories was Super Bowl epics like Joe Namath Jets’ 1969 upset of the Baltimore Colts and Terry Bradshaw’s Steelers over the Cowboys -- and far too many great college games to recall. When I attended my first Orange Bowl game, I sat in the stands to watch Bear Bryant’s Alabama team, led by LeRoy Jordan, beat Oklahoma. I remember seeing Florida Gator running back Larry Smith’s pants falling down as he ran for a long touchdown against Georgia Tech; the entire Gator team do the “flop” to allow Miami to score get the ball back for quarterback for John Reaves to set the NCAA passing record in 1971; Alabama’s Joe Namath stopped cold by Texas linebacker Tommy Nobis on fourth and goal at the 1-yard line, preserving a 21-17 Longhorn victory. As a random guess, I’ve probably covered over 100 football games there over the years. I’ve been locked in there late at night and even split my pants crawling over the barbed wire. As college football venues go, for ambience it was nowhere near “Death Valley” at Baton Rouge, or “The Swamp” in Gainesville, Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, or Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. The Orange Bowl, however, was the site of many historical football moments, a museum of sorts, and it’s never good to see those kinds of landmarks go away. We just to seem to have the will to protect our history. I often wonder what it would be like if the Greeks had torn down all the ruins where the Olympics were held. Quick Jump Starts 1. The season we college football fans have awaited so long starts Thursday night and ends on Jan. 7 with the BCS Championship Game at the New Orleans Super Dome. 2. If I were picking two teams today to play in that BCS title game it would be Southern Cal and Texas. 3. So they tell me the PGA Tour has started its FedEx Cup Playoffs, but how would we know? 4. Why must Randy Shannon make such a secret about his starting quarterback – is Kyle Wright or Kirby Freeman? 5. One reason Florida coaches are expecting Andre (Bubba) Caldwell to have a huge year: In a poll of players for captains, he was the leading vote getter, proving his senior leadership will be an asset. Short Stuff Like father like son: John Elway, who was coached in college by his late father Jack, is coaching his son, a senior at Cherry Creek High School in Denver … At the rate South Carolina players are getting in trouble, Steve Spurrier may have to get a bigger dog house and Columbia a new jail house … Notre Dame has obviously been keeping it a secret that young Jimmy Clausen, starter for the Irish, has off-season surgery to remove bone chips on the elbow of his throwing arm. This just in: A surprise in Gainesville It may be that Florida stumbles against Tennessee or LSU or Auburn or South Carolina, but for all these experts who downgraded the Gators for a)The lack of a good defense; or b)A questionable passing attack, are going to be in for a surprise. Even though they lost nine starters, co-defensive coordinators Charlie Strong and Greg Mattison reloaded with an impressive array of young talent, so stay tuned for that. As for passing, Tim Tebow has thrown with decent accuracy to a splendid group of receivers that go eight deep, including speeders Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy and Bubba Caldwell. It one of the finest group of pass-catchers I’ve ever seen in Gainesville. Nothing But ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s Cyberfriends) Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. If you are willing to admit faults, you have one less fault to admit. 2. There are three faithful friends an old wife, an old dog, and ready money. 3. You cannot get to the top by sitting on your bottom. Buddy’s Believe It Or Not (But don’t ask him to prove it) 1. The electric chair was invented by a dentist. 2. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. 3. The name of all the continents ends with the same letter that they start with. Today’s Joke Actual call center conversations: Customer: “I’ve been calling 700-1000 for two days and can't get through; can you help.” Operator: “Where did you get that number, sir?” Customer: “It’s on the door of your business.” Operator: “Sir, those are the hours that we are open.” Today’s Proverb If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes? And good morning … … to all you Alabama football fans. At $4 million a year, you ought to demand that Nick Saban at least bring you back two victories per million bucks.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best Aug. 19, 2007 Ed Seay wasn’t a king -- he just helped make one The sports media seems to always focus on those in the spotlight, not so much the legionbehind it who make the show possible. There are more king-makers than kings in this universe, but they are almost invisible. Such a man was Ed Seay, the high-spirited, fun-loving, Florida Gator superfan and proud Marine. Not so much invisible perhaps, but certainly intentionally out of the spotlight.Hundreds turned out Saturday at the Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra to say goodbye to the guy whose close friends called “Pugy.” Among them were Arnold Palmer and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem.
Ed Seay never won a golf tournament, never ran a golf tournament and never owned a golf course. But as Palmer’s chief golf course architect, he designed and/or built more than 300 of them around the world. Literally, he was one of The King’s Men. “He was brilliant as an architect,” said Palmer. “But more importantly, he was my good friend.” Together Palmer and Seay traveled the world, from China to Hawaii to Ireland. “My dad loved you, Mr. Palmer,” Pugy’s son Mason Seay said in the eulogy. “He loved traveling the world with you. He loved everything about working for you.” Many good times were had and many stories remain to be told about those adventures. The Episcopal priest, Richard Westbury, pointed out than in life there was a difference between achieving “success” and achieving “significance.” Ed Seay, he said, did both. Pugy’s legacies, Mason pointed out, were those golf courses he left behind for people to enjoy “for several hundred years.” Among Seay's were courses are Sawgrass C.C., Ponte Vedra Beach.; The Tradition G.C., LaQuinta, Calif.; The K Club, Straffan, Ireland; Four Seasons Resort at Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica; Kapalua Village Course, Maui, Hawaii; Aviara, Carlsbad, Calif.; Old Tabby Links, Spring Island, S.C.; Tralee C.C., Tralee, Ireland; and Adios G.C. in Coconut Creek, Fla. I knew Pugy as a Phi Delta Theta fraternity brother in Gainesville and a resident of the attic, where poor boys could rent space between dry walls for $5 a month. We called ourselves “The Attic Rats.” We had no money, but lots of big dreams. Another one of the “Rats” was Cecil Edge, who went on to become a successful Tampa car dealer. Another, Don Rutledge, was a premier college basketball official who refereed about a half dozen Final Fours.
Pugy once told me a story about how they were surrounded by hundreds of people in Japan after an appearance there by Arnie. “There we were, back to back, like Butch and Sundance, signing autographs as we move toward the door. I was signing everything they handed me and they didn’t really even know who I was,” he said. Sometimes, even when he tried, Pugy just couldn’t dodge the spotlight. Along with his high school swimming coach and mentor, high school classmates and swim teammates, members of his college fraternity, fellow Marines, family and friends, the “Attic Rats” were there as Pugy was laid to rest. We all agreed it was a lousy day, but that Pugy would want us to all head to the local country club for a reception which was pre-paid by him. Even in death, Ed Seay wanted his friends to enjoy their lives. We did, and we all celebrated his.
Quick Jump Starts
1.Odd isn’t, that the term “rollover” – the old trick we teach our dogs – best describes what the former friends and co-defendantsdid to Michael Vick.
2. It’s bad enough for Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans that he’s having a lousy year, but even worse for them that pretty boy Jeff Gordon is having a good one.
3. He should have been in the first class last year, but Florida finally got it right by adding ex-defensive star Wilber Marshall to the school’s Ring of Honor.
4.I’m not convinced John David Booty is mistake-free enough to be the best quarterback in America, which is why I like a couple of colts – Colt McCoy of Texas and Colt Brennan of Hawaii – as my preseason All-American choices … with a tip of the hat to West Virginia’s Pat White.
5.Dan Patrick said a classy goodbye on his ESPN radio show Friday, simple, sincere – and then the network spoiled the moment by tacking on the tape of him reading an Auto Zone commercial. Short Stuff: Bobby Bowden and his offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher aren't saying who the Seminoles' quaterback will be, but indicate there is "seperatrions" between Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee . . . Florida was No. 3 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Pre-season Poll, but was sixth in the Associated Press ranking … The Gators are one of the nation’s youngest teams, maybe the greenest bunch overall that Urban Meyer has had since his first year at Bowling Green …Don Rutledge, the former college official, said that when he heard NBA ref Tim Donaghy admitted to betting on games, “I wanted to go outside and throw up, it make me so sick.” This just in: Gators can thank Belichick
Urban Meyer surprised his team on Wednesday by taking all the players on an unscheduled trip to Wild Waters in nearby Silver Springs because the young team had practiced so diligently in the heat. When asked whose idea the trip was, Meyer responded: “Bill Belichick” – meaning he got the idea of giving them a “treat” from his friend, coach of the New England Patriots. Following afternoon practice, the players were also treated to a special video about “Champions,” featuring two-time national championship basketball coach Billy Donovan, which got good reviews from Tim Tebow and the players.
Nothing But ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s Cyberfriends) Buddy’s Believe It Or Not (But don’t ask him to prove it)
1. The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
2. Yo-Yos were once used as weapons in the Philippines
3.Blue is the favorite color of 80 percent of Americans.
4. The average four year-old child asks over four hundred questions a day.
5. In Chinese, the KFC slogan “finger lickin' good” comes out as “eat your fingers off.” Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
Don't make me striptease.
Life was better when we didn't know what the government was up to.
Struggling hair farmer.
Today’s Joke Higher Power: A Sunday school teacher said to her children, “We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a higher power. Can anybody tell me what it is?” One child blurted out, “Aces!” Today’s Proverb Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. (Franklin P. Jones) And good morning … … to all you people feeling a little unstable today. Don’t worry about it, because this is National Mental Health Care Week and we could all use a little help.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best Column/July 29, 2007
Not a pretty start for the NFL commissioner
I say just start a professional prison league and let them all compete.
Begging the pardon of all you football fans out there who are salivating and can’t wait to cheer for the Bucs or Dolphins or Jaguars or some other professional team, but the Roger Goodell Era seems to be experiencing more than just a wardrobe malfunction. So far more than 40 NFL players have had brushes with the law since last season.
Bully for Roger, calling out all the bad boys of the NFL, but it’s beginning to look like that, alone, is going to be a full-time job.
Here we were, still aglow from the feel-good story of Peyton Manning’s and Tony Dungy’s first Super Bowl victories, when up jumps Pacman Jones – and now there’s this Michael Vick dog-fighting thing.
Where have you gone Bart Starr, Johnny U. and Sweetness?
New England newcomer Randy Moss is beginning to look like leader in the clubhouse for NFL Man of the Year.
Quick Jump Starts
--Hey, why doesn’t Mike Vick come back as Ron Mexico? --You could almost sense the Bucs’ discontent with Simeon Rice but it was still a shock that he got cut and makes you wonder if they really do they put that much faith in rookie defensive end Gaines Adams of Clemson?
--The Big Ten (11 teams) wants to expand, so why not choose from Notre Dame (won’t do it), Syracuse (doesn’t want the competition) or Pittsburgh (probably the best fit) and make it the Big Eleven, with 12 teams (sorry, the Big 12 is taken).
--There’s going to be very little joy in Mudville when Mighty Barry Bonds breaks the home run record, but his place in history cannot be denied, even if tainted.
--And please, Lord, as he goes into the Baseball Hall of Fame, if Cal Ripkin used drug enhancement to make it through those 2,632 consecutive games, don’t let us find out about it.
Short Stuff:
Former Charlotte High swimmer Katie Gehring, State 2A champion in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle champion, is competing this summer with the Tennessee Aquatics club team and hoping to raise money for the 2008 Olympic trials, so if you’d like to send at tax-free donation, mail the check to 2106 Andy Holt Dr., Knoxville, Tenn. 37996 … The sudden death of 56-year-old Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser was even more tragic than normal because of his developmentally challenged son Scott, who often traveled with his father … Apologies to Miami Hurricanes fans for failing to mention last week that All-American defensive back Bennie Blades was also inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame, along with Bobby Bowden, Charlie Ward and Emmitt Smith. . .
Buddy’s E-mail Box
Buddy: I think a big key to Florida’s offense this year will be someone emerging at tailback. It will be very interesting to see what Chris Rainey can add. Do you see him as a potential star? I think the month of August will be key for him. It is a shame Mon Williams is out this year. I don't know if (Kestahn) Moore can be a leader, but if James, (Percy) Harvin, (Chevon) Walker, and Rainey, can add some explosive threats it could be interesting. With Tebow I see a lot of options and reverses. I see the speed guys lining up at QB and tailback. If a star emerges I could see us averaging over 40 points a game.
Phil Banks, Naples
I don’t know about Rainey, the true freshman from Lakeland, and how he will fit in exactly. Unlike Walker, Rainey didn’t report early to spring practice. But if Rainey is half as good as his high school highlights look, he will be special. Chevon Walker is promising. I also like Harvin and Jarred Fayson lining up at the running back position because of their speed. It will be a mixed bag – but plenty of talent in that bag.
Nothing But ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s Cyberfriends)
Clipboard Moments to Remember (Or Not)
I counted these nine plays involving Florida schools on the list of ESPN’s Ivan Maisel as “College Football’s 100 Greatest Moments.” One of the most bizarre I’ve ever seen –Florida 31-31 tie with FSU and so-called “Choke At Doak” in 1994 – didn’t make it for some reason. Nor did Tim Tebow’s double-pump-jump pass in the win over LSU last season or the winning field goal block by Jarvis Moss to preserve the victory over South Carolina.
Here they are:
17. U-Turn: Pass interference turns Miami celebration into Ohio State jam. (Jan. 3, 2003)
40. Great Scott: Georgia's Lindsay Scott scores 93-yard game-winner vs. Gators. (Nov. 8, 1980)
47. Twice As Nice: FSU holds off Nebraska for Bobby Bowden's first title. (Jan. 1, 1994)
52. Well Dunn: 79-yard TD catch/run by FSU’s Warrick Dunn seals Florida's fate. (Nov. 27, 1993)
60. Wide Right I: Trailing Miami by 1, FSU's Gerry Thomas misses 34-yard FG. (Nov. 16, 1991)
64. Wake Up The Echoes: Notre Dame upsets top-ranked Miami. (Oct. 15, 1988)
68. Gathering Storm: Miami announces arrival with win at Penn State. (Nov. 3, 1979)
77. The Tao Of Steve: Florida arrives under new coach Steve Spurrier. (Sept. 15, 1990)
86. Death Valley Deception: Florida State's puntrooskie topples Clemson. (Sept. 17, 1988)
91. Spur Of The Moment: Florida QB Steve Spurrier's field goal beats Auburn. (Oct. 29, 1966)
Buddy’s Believe It Or Not (But don’t ask him to prove it)
1. The “pound” (#) key on your keyboard is called an octothorp.
2. On the average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.
3. The average person presses the snooze button on their alarm clock three Times each morning.
4. The only domestic animal not mentioned in the bible is the cat.
5. Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people do.
Pun-derful
1. Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
2. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat. 3. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
--Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
--I’m having an Out of Money experience. --I’m a recovering something or other.
Today’s Joke
Guy from rural Kansas says this is a true story: “We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road. The reason: ‘Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.’”
Today’s Proverb
An optimist thinks this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears this is true.
And good morning …
… to our own John Fineran, executive sports editor of Sun Newspapers, who was installed over the weekend as president of the Florida Sports Writers Association.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best Column July 15, 2007 The Myth about Meyer: Can he win with his own?
While interviewing some of America’s brightest journalism prospects recently at the Poynter Media Institute in St. Petersburg, I happened upon young lad from the University of Illinois who had a penchant for sports writing.
“How do you like Ron Zook?” I asked him.
“Oh, he’s fine – he’s a good recruiter,” said the lad from UI. “I’m hoping he will get fired after next year and then we can win the national championship.”
Touché! Point taken. Urban Meyer has yet to prove that he can win titles with all his own players, although it seems a fate accompli.
Giving credit where it is due, Zook deserves to be recognized for his contributions to the 2006 national champion Florida Gators. However, there is this misconception that Urban Meyer is an opportunist that wins with other people’s talent.
It is true that 21 of the starters from Florida’s national championship team were signed by Zook, including Chris Leak, DeShawn Wynn, Dallas Baker, Jemalle Cornelius, Andre Caldwell, Tate Casey, Drew Miller, Jim Tartt, Jarvis Moss, Derrick Harvey, Ray McDonald, Brandon Siler, Earl Everett and Tony Joiner.
However, without the presence of these Meyer signees, there would have been no championship: Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Reggie Nelson, Ryan Smith, Jarred Fayson, Wondy Pierre-Louis and Brandon James.
So in 2007, it will be mostly Meyer’s recruits defending “The Swamp” and all that glitters. Just 15 Zookmen will be on the 85-man roster.
This is folly, of course, because football players are football players. No matter who signed them, it took the discipline, focus and attention to coaching detail by Meyer and his staff to produce the ultimate result. Right now, Florida has the hottest football coach in America and a staff second to none. That’s why they all recently got nice raises, following the bump their boss received to $3.25 million.
Having said that, there will be those who will point to the fact Meyer has won three consecutive championships in three two-year stints without ever coaching a team of all of his own players.
Not that there are any flies on his two recruiting classes, which by all accounts have either been ranked No. 1 or in the Top Five by scouting services since he has been at Florida. Coaches are licking their chops over the 27 new arrivals.
It has always been my practice not to pass judgment on the incoming freshmen until I’ve had a chance to see them perform in pads at the college level. However, based on observing some of early enrollees in spring ball and tape or live performances I’ve witnessed in high school, I’d be a fool not to admit that this group isn’t loaded with talent.
Much of what happens to the Gators in 2007 will be decided by external forces.
As Steve Spurrier recently told me, Florida was fortunate to win sl many close games last year and, without belittling their effort and result, pointed out that you can’t count on things always going your way.
As far as players getting into trouble, I have it on good authority that so far those who have run afoul with the law have mostly been dealt with and that as of this writing, the only real loss for 2007 will be that of offensiveRonnie Wilson, who may yet get a chance to redeem himself after this season.
Injuries must be factored in, too, and that more than everything else, they might determine the outcome of the Gators’ 2007 season. Meyer has shown the ability to adapt upon loss of key personnel, i.e. Marcus Thomas last season, but there are some players who are nearly indispensable. If, say, Tebow goes down for the year, then forget about Atlanta and maybe a lot more.
Fragile is the nature of all football fates, which only underscores why championships should be cherished and celebrated. Unfortunately, the rings don’t mean a thing once the season kicks off Sept. 1 against Western Kentucky. Gator fans should enjoy the last few remaining days of the national championship afterglow, because in about six weeks they start all over again.
Quick Jump Starts
1. I honestly don’t think Bob Stoops is a cheater, but he and his administration at Oklahoma must do their diligence to know about things like the two players who were subsidized by sweetheart jobs from a Norman car dealer that recently wiped out all eight wins from 2005.
2. Don’t know about you, but I completely missed the David Beckham’s arrival with the Los Angles Galaxy Friday – and nobody even called to remind me of it.
3. Why not go with a reverse salary cap rule in baseball,requiring that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ entire payroll be at least equal a year’s salary of either Alex Rodriguez or Ichiro Suzuki, whichever is greater?
4. The decision of President T.K. Wetherell to not renew the contract of Athletic Director Dave Hart after 18 months was probably not influenced that much by this, but the fact that Florida’s Jeremy Foley keeps knocking it out of the park just 150 miles down the road didn’t help Hart’s staying power.
5.College athletic programs have been ordered by the NCAA to reduce the size of their sports media guides, but did that mean the University of Florida had to completely wipe out the yearly game-by-game results for the past 100 seasons?
Short Stuff
If you want to know the inside story of the often corrupt world of baseball card collecting, read Michael O’Keeffe and Teri Thompson’s “The Card, Collectors, Con Men and the True Story of History’s Most Desired Baseball Card” – the story of the $2.35 million Honus Wagner T206 card … You always wonder who those two jokers from the stands were, tagging along with Hank Aaron around the basepathes after home run No. 715 in Atlanta, and what would happen today if they tried that (they’d either be shot or maced once they jumped the fence )… I appreciate Aaron’s willingness to boycott Barry Bonds’ record home run when it happens, but remind him of the fact that he never forgave Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for doing the same thing at his 715th.
And good morning …
... Gary Sheffield. The more you talked about Barry Bonds, you using the “clear and the cream” and then do a drive-by on Joe Torre by alleging he is racist, the uglier it gets. Do yourself a favor and stop running your mouth like you did to Bryant Gumbel on his HBO Real Sports program.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best Not many sports flicks made AFI Top 100 list It’s summertime, the livin’ is easy, the fish are jumpin’ and we’re talking movies here on the first full weekend of the solstice. Last week, the American Film Institute re-ranked its Top 100 movies and, of course, Citizen Kane was No. 1 again. No newspaper guy is going to knock that choice. Sports movies, however got only a few props, with the boxing movie about Jake LaMotta’s life, Raging Bull, moving up to No. 4. Then you had to move all the way down to No. 57 before Rocky surfaced, and never mind making the comparison. Any resemblance ends after the boxing theme. And that was it for sports flicks. You may be surprised to know that Dr. Strange(g)love (No. 39), The Philadelphia Story (44th), Raiders of the Lost Ark (66) and Yankee Doodle Dandee (98) were not about sports teams or figures. Maybe I’m no film critique, but somewhere in the mix I’d have to find a place on my list for Field of Dreams, Hoosiers, The Natural and Jerry Maguire – four of my favorites. If you’ve got your list of Top 5 or 10 best sports movies, send them to me at bmartin@sun-herald.com. Quick Jump Starts 1. We didn’t know whether to cry, laugh, boo or cheer when Sammy Sosa launched home run No. 600 last week. 2. I agree with the ESPN pundit who predicted that when their careers are over, Alex Rodriquez will wind up with more career homers than Barry Bonds. 3. Odd, isn’t it, that ex- Florida teammates Joakim Noah and Al Horford wind up competing for the affections of the Atlanta Hawks for whom they both worked out,hoping to be the No. 3 pick in the NBA lottery. 4. All the talk about four starters from the Gator national champions being drafted and yet the SEC 3-point shooting record holder, Lee Humphrey, may have to go abroad to play pro basketball. 5.I’m thinking that LeBron James’ son and Tiger Woods’ daughter will both be playing Duke basketball in 2026 – for the men’s team. Short Stuff Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is reportedly one of the key figures in the plans for the new professional United Football League, with an eye toward several cities, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Mexico City, San Antonio and Orlando … Speaking of football leagues, there’s also another concept floating around out there for an All-American Football League featuring franchises stocked with their former state collegian -- ex-Gator coach Doug Dickey being one of those involved in talks about a team playing in Ben Hill Griffin … LSU just left Sirius Radio to become the seventh SEC school to join XM and will be followed by South Carolina in 2008 and Florida in 2009, giving XM 9 of the 12 schools … There is also talk of the SEC, which just received $43 million from CBS, possibly having its own TV network one day. Clipboard Honoring A Friend It was my privilege and honor Friday in St. Louis to present my late friend Van McKenzie as the posthumous winner of sports journalism’s highest honor, the Red Smith Award, given by his Associated Press Sports Editor peers. In dinner table discussions in an authentic Italian restaurant on “The Hill,” several of us decided if there was a Mt. Rushmore of modern sports editors, McKenzie would be on it. He died in January while still orchestrating the Orlando Sentinel sports section from home and was of the giants of our industry. He crafted award winning sections at the Sentinel, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York Daily News, St. Petersburg Times, Florida Today, Ocala Star-Banner and the National Sports Daily. The influence of this bold, innovative editor is still felt today in sports departments around the country, many of which have emulated some of his practices and concepts – including the Charlotte Sun. He died in January. There will never be another one like Van. Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) This just in: Mascot exclusive! In a hard-hitting piece of investigative journalism, somebody named Rebecca Kelley ranked the 25 worst college mascots for a Website known as Drivl.com, with Stanford’s Cardinal at the worst, Florida’s Albert The Alligator No. 16, Florida A&M’s Rattlesnake No. 22 and Miami’s Sebastian Ibis No. 23. Wow, now that’s news! Things You Should Know By Age 50 (From AARP Magazine) 1. How to give a compliment (sincerely). 2. How to take a compliment. 3. You are not going to win the lottery. Funny Golf Quotes “I found out that all the important lessons of life are contained in the three rules for achieving the perfect golf swing. 1. Keep your head down. 2. Follow through. 3. Be born with money. --Unknown Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. I plan on living forever. So far, so good. 2. Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand. 3. I am NOT overweight. I am nutritionally challenged.
Today’s Joke While attending a marriage seminar dealing with communication, Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor say, “It is essential that husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes. Can you name your wife's favorite flower?” Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, “It's Pillsbury, isn't it?” Today’s Proverb A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter. And good morning … … and congrats to Florida AD Jeremy Foley, who just got bumped to $1.2 million a year after three straight national championships, making him the highest paid member of his profession. He’s worth it.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best /Kirk Herbstreit Interview FIRST OF A 3-PART SERIES A chat with Gators’ Public Enemy No. 1
On a late summer Saturday in 2006, the guy with the short-cropped, Army-style haircut and the girly piercing blue eyes was up there on the high-and-mighty-definition ESPN College Game Day Ivory Tower, squawking over the TV screen from his bully pulpit.
In the eyes of some, Kirk Herbstreit was espousing pure blasphemy, unwittingly seeding rebellion. To him, it was just simple, plain old, off-tackle, up-the-middle football as he laid out the almost insurmountable obstacles the Florida Gators would have to navigate to achieve contender status.
What hardcore members of “The Gator Nation” were hearing, however, sounded outrageous: There are no championships hopes for your Gators, so just don’t get all lathered up. The Gators aren’t gonna do it, he predicted, because they have been overscheduled.
Diehard Gator optimists felt that kind of logic was for sissies. And so the debate was underway.This is how it went down in the Holy Rumble between the sports TV network’s Town Crier and the Disciples of Urban.
Herbstreit: You can’t expect any team to come out alive against the likes of four consecutive opponents the caliber of Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia.
Angry Gator Fans: This Ohio-bred, Buckeye-born-and-raised Herbstreit is not only Big Ten prejudiced, but probably against motherhood, apple pie and Mr. Two Bits. Now he’s Gator-Hater, too. (This was not a good-thing to be perceived as during Florida’s 366-day Run To Glory, especially when the Gators were eventually going to be all up in there against his beloved Buckeyes in the championships.)
Herbstreit felt like he was saying the same thing he said to fans of Auburn two years before … FSU before that … Miami before that … USC before that: That the odds don’t favor your team as a title contender, but no disrespect for your program. Zealots don’t hear well, however.
By December there was chasm about the size of Grand Canyon. Kirk Herbstreit’s name and face were on a Wanted Poster in “The Gator Nation.” In fact, Gator fans wanted a lot from him. They not only wanted a divorce, they wanted the kids, the house, the car, the credit cards, the dog and his wallet. They were convinced that this “miscreant, this former Ohio State quarterback pretty boythis card-carrying Buckeye with the Big Ten agenda, was out to destroy the Gator football program and everything sacred to the Orange and Blue cloth.
Seemingly,Herbsteit loved every team in America except the one in Gainesville. Frankly, some wondered if Herbstreit could find Gainesville anymore with a compass, Mapquest and a Global Positioning Satellite. Critics said all of his roads led to Columbus and Ann Arbor. He was blinded by his Buckeye red and gray glasses. He was The Enemy. The gauntlet had been laid down, the debate was underway and neither side was going to give in for the next four months.
Some of the often vile, sometimes funny, always combative comments on message boards about Herbstreit you wouldn’t see written on a bathroom wall.
To sort this out, I conducted an exclusive 40-minute interview with Herbstreit this week and found him to be forthright, honest and willing to stand behind his opinions.
Herbstreit says he never dis-respected the Gators and nobody will ever be able to produce a tape where he said Ohio State would hammer Florida in the BCS Championship Game. But he doesn’t deny saying that the Gators lacked “Style Points” all season.
“I challenge anybody and everybody to find one time when I said that Ohio State was a superior team and ‘they’re going to kill Florida,’” he told me. “Not one time did I say that in any interview or anything I ever did on air. It was always, ‘Florida’s going to come in with an attitude, because their getting disrespected. Florida’s coming in with SEC speed. And with a defense that can fly.’
“It was all very positive toward Florida. I happened think that Michigan, based on … not because of the way they played against USC, but the way had played for 12 games in the regular season … and the way Ohio State had played for 12 games … and the way Florida had played for 13 games…”
And it wasn’t about him being a former Ohio State quarterback or pulling for the Big Ten, he says. It was just an opinion based on the handicapping charts from the regular season. Except at that moment, the estrangement between Herbstreit and the Gators had begun to fester.
Kirk Herbstreit, 37, born in Centerville, Ohio, the son of a former Buckeye football captain and coach under Woody Hayes – himself a four-year letterman at and former co-captain, married to a former Ohio State cheerleader – regularly shares his opinions on college football with America.He is generally regarded as the most knowledgeable of the College Game Day Troika.
If Lee Corso is Emmett Kelly and Chris Fowler is Henry Kissinger, then Herbstreit is probably a combination of Brad Pitt and Alex Trebek – the good-looking, brainy one. To Gator fans last year, however, Herbstreit was Dr. Kevorkian..
What usually separates Herbstreit is his intelligent analysis of conference strength and the objective forecasting of various teams and his willingness to deny those roots – sometimes to a fault.
Herbstreit can understand why some people think he messed up and admits to falling in and out of love with his Sweetheart Team of the Week. He got lost on the train to Louisville and West Virginia and Rutgers, then had a revelation that his alma mater, Ohio State, was the greatest team in the world and was about to play against the second best team in the world (Michigan) in the Greatest Game Ever Played. And then he loved it so much he wanted a rematch for the Greatest Game Ever Played II.
None of this he denies.
He says he’s always been a huge fan of the SEC and considers it the best conference in football. But you’d have a hard time convincing Gator fans of that in recent days and months. Because they took it personal.
“Every single year it always seems to get personal with one fan base or another,” Herbstreit said. “A couple of years ago it was Auburn. Last year it was Florida. In the past it’s been Florida State. In the past it’s been Miami. In the past it’s been USC. This year it will be a new team that gets upset. Florida fans will probably think that, if I say great things about Tim Tebow and Florida that I probably know what I’m talking about.
“It was never personal. It was just based on the way they were playing throughout the year, thinking eventually that it would catch up to them, but to their credit it never did. And if my opinions about their shortcomings provided motivation for them, then so be it. I’m happy for them.”
Nobody is more aware of what an emotional game college football has become than Herbstreit, who stokes the fires every Saturday by extolling the virtues or deficits of one team or another. He’s like your stockbroker – a genius when the market goes up, an idiot when your portfolio goes down. He is the Point and college fans are The Counterpoint. Somebody, somewhere is going to be unhappy with what he says. The alternative is to play it safe, go all vanilla and say nothing. Instead, he polarizes.
“That’s part of it. You can never make everybody happy,” Herbstreit said. “You just kind of do your thing. As long as you’re true with what you believe, if you end up being wrong, that’s OK. That’s part of college football. That’s part of the position I’m in.”
There is a caveat here, however, because Herbstreit’s opinions impact coaches and polls which factor into the BCS rankings and ultimately decide which teams Dance. He never did jump on the Gator train or bandwagon and only after they slobber-knocked his beloved Ohio State, 41-14, did he praise them. Kirk doesn’t see it that way. Gator fans do.
In his own defense, Herbstreit would ask that his biggest Gator critics would go back and review the 150 minutes of tape he and others did after the BCS Championship Game, praising Chris Leak, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer and everything in Gainesville except the Century Tower and Shelley Meyer’s favorite barbecue recipe.
Then there was Phoenix. “We will always have Phoenix, just like we had New Orleans,” Gator fans bragged. “And we will always have the entire state of Ohio and Herbstreit’s Buckeye Athletic Program. We own them.” (Drug roll please. Begin the Ohio State standup routine here.)
So go ahead and take your whack at the Kirk Herbstreit piñata. Urban Meyer has taken his share of them, all in good fun. It’s good therapy for Gator fans. For Herbstreit, who says he offered to tour with Meyer as a two-man comedy act, this verbal abuse is like taking sacks when you are the Ohio State quarterback. Comes with the job.
Buddy Martin Column/June 9, 2007 Jon Gruden’s genie may not be enough In this Summer of Discontent, Jon Gruden can be thankful for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, whose pitching incompetence has pushed the ineptitude of the Bucs to the back of the sports page. Blowing a six-run lead in the bottom of the ninth at Toronto two weeks ago caused enough angst on sports talk radio to make them forget that Gruden’s pathetic offense produced fewer touchdowns (23) than his mediocre defense did sacks (25) in 2006. Obviously aware of this, Gruden decided to let the genie out of the bottle last week and pretend like he had three new wishes. That must be the only reason that he told those in attendance at the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce that his starting quarterback was going to be the newly acquired Jeff Garcia. This is no real news bulletin, but it was a little surprising that he noted that Garcia would have “a big lead” over recovering Chris Simms. All Simms did for his coach after rupturing his spleen was put his life on the line for his coach. Ah, NFL loyalty. Then Gruden tired to play down his Garcia maneuver. He would probably also like to play down the fact that the 37-year-old Garcia, playing with his fifth team in five years, was signed to a similar contract as Simms, who gets $7 million with bonuses that could potentially double that. This is the action of a desperate man coming off a miserable failure of a season – 4 wins, 12 losses – who was merely throwing a bone to his rapidly eroding fan base. There are rumblings afoot that Gruden is working on a short leash in 2007 and that if there isn’t some significant improvement, he’ll be thrown overboard by the Big Pirate. In other words, by the time Gruden gets to the open date, anything short of 4-4 will be unacceptable. Realistically, I see losses for the Bucs in the opener against New Orleans, at St. Louis, at Indianapolis, against Tennessee, and against Jacksonville. Presuming they can beat Carolina, Detroit and Arizona, that puts them at 3-5 by Nov. 11. Jeff Garcia, bring your ear plugs. Jon Gruden, keep the telephone number of Mayflower nearby. Quick Jump Starts 1. Congratulations to Matt LaPorta and his family for him being picked seventh overall by the Brewers, but maybe it’s time for MLB.com to change its info on him as a “big, strong left-handed power-hitting first baseman.” (He’s right-handed.) 2. Some of those brilliant folks in the State Legislature who originally hiccupped at Billy Donovan’s $2.9 million deal wound up costing the University of Florida another $600,000 total on Donovan’s and Urban Meyer’s final contracts. 3. When Paris Hilton said she enjoyed frequenting bars, I don’t think she meant being behind them. 4. The San Antonio Spurs are not only the most unselfish offensive team in the NBA, but deceptively great with their shut-down offense 5.Blame long-departed Nick Saban and his staff for the mess Daunte Culpepper finds himself in, because they pushed the Dolphins quarterback to come back and play before he was ready – and now Daunte is about to be released as damaged goods. Short Stuff Here’s the bad news for Bobby Bowden: The Seminoles’ 2007 schedule is ranked toughest in the country by Sporting News … John Daly showed up for the St. Jude in Memphis with cuts on his face and told police his wife took a steak knife after him, but I think he really cut his cheek while going after a stray Twinkie … Maybe Michelle Wie needed to go to qualifying school, after all. This just in: Ranking the BCS Coaches The new Sporting News dares to rank the best BCS coaches, with Pete Carroll of USC first, Jim Tressel of Ohio State second, Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer sixth, South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier eighth, Florida’s Urban Meyer 12th, FSU’s Bobby Bowden 14th. Penn State’s Joe Paterno was 18th, Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer 31st, LSU’s Les Miles 41st and Miami’s Randy Shannon 62nd. How on earth somebody thinks they can lend any credence to such a poll is just plain astonishing. (Is that you, Matt Hayes?) If you’re talking body of work here, you’d have to put Bowden, Paterno, Spurrier and Beamer in a different category, right up there with Carroll. Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) The Name Game The nickname given 6-9, rubber-pretzel-like Corey Brewer with the helter-skelter style of play by his former teammate, Joakim Noah, was “Wild-Buck Basketball” … Alabama fans Diana and Keith McMunn of Huntsville, Ala. named their new son Bryant Crimson M. – honest … The nickname of the local high school girls’ basketball teams in Georgetown, Ohio is “Lady G-Men” and Tuscaloosa, Ala. “Holt Lady Ironmen.” Things You Should Know By Age 50 (From AARP Magazine) 1. The $25 wine won't impress them (your hosts) any more than the $10 wine. 2. If you buy it, use it. 3. Don’t try to talk like a teen. By the time you understand their lingo, it won’t be cool anymore. Funny Golf Quotes “There are two things you can do with your head down – play golf and pray.” – Lee Trevino.” “The only thing in my bag that works is the bug spray.” – Bruce Lansky. “He said he wanted to get more distance out of his drives. I told him to hit it and run backwards.” – Ken Venturi. Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. Life not only begins at 40, it also begins to show. 2. Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician. 3.A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative. Today’s Joke Golf balls are like eggs. They’re white. They’re sold by the dozen. And you need to buy fresh ones each week. Today’s Proverb Lead me not into temptation. I can find it myself. And good morning … … to ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, considered by some as enemy of “The Gator Nation.” Perhaps picking Tim Tebow as the SEC Player of the Year and Florida to play in the SEC game title this year will heal some wounds, but I doubt it.
Buddy Martin Column June 3, 2007-06-03 Billy has his own version of 'Magic' Maybe I will become a fan of the NBA again. Maybe the best thing to happen to America’s premier professional league since Magic and Bird will be Billy Donovan. His youthful enthusiasm. His platinum work ethic. His integrity, his openness with the media and his knowledge of the game. And, most of all, his heart. I think a lot of you, like me, need a reason to turn on the TV for a regular season NBA game once in while, but are finding it increasingly difficult. The league needs more than LeBron James to regain its lost luster. And, in fact, it needs more than Billy Donovan --- but at least this is a start in the right direction. Orlando’s Magic Kingdom also needs more than Mickey Mouse to fill the arena. Donovan’s presence ensures national and state media coverage, as well as some fannies in the seats. If they win, tickets will become a hot commodity because of Billy’s built-in fan base and the short trip for Gator fans from Gainesville, Tampa, St. Petersburg, etc. Credit Magic Chairman and Amway founder Rich DeVos for marketing genius. He didn’t get rich without understanding how to sell. “Hey, the Magic matter again,” Orlando Sentinel columnist David Whitley told me Friday at Donovan’s goodbye press conference in Gainesville. “At least they’re worth going to cover with Donovan there.” Donovan will be good for the NBA, good for the Magic, good for the Central Florida sports scene. But can he win? Maybe he will fall flat on this face, as others have done (see Rick Pitino, Jerry Tarkanian, etc.) after making the leap from college to pro coach. But I doubt it. Having played 44 games for the Knicks before leaving for a short-term job on Wall Street --- “I hated my job and I want to be a coach,” he told his father --- Donovan has an idea of what’s ahead. The grueling 82-game schedule, plus pre- and post-season games. Spoiled crybaby athletes and the gangsta element. Salary cap headaches. On the other hand, he adds vigor to the sagging Magic franchise and immediately brings credibility to the fan base with his juice from “The Gator Nation.” In college he had the pressure of a round-the-clock, 24/7, year-long recruiting agenda. Had he the impossibility of trying to duplicate his own epic feat of back-to-back national titles. And, most of all, at 42, he knew that his challenge would grow stale in “four or five years down the road.” None of us really knows why it took the University of Florida so long to pull the trigger on getting his contract approved at the highest level or how much that played a part in Donovan’s decision. For sure, the back door was left open. But it really doesn’t matter anymore, because Billy made the best decision for himself. And it was never about his ego or the big dough, despite what you hear or read. “It’s not about the money, it’s about the challenge,” he tells his close friends and they will back it up. Just as it was about the challenge when he left Wall Street and went to work for Pitino at Kentucky for $12,000 a year. In fact, it’s never been about Billy Donovan and his ego. So why did he go? “It was in my heart,” he explained. Donovan is nothing if he’s not about heart. And if he can convey that passion to players at the professional level --- something that’s not going to be easy --- then a championship will be coming to Orlando one of these days. Providing, of course, that he can get the players. It was heart at Providence college, where he re-tooled his chubby body, that earned Donovan a spot in the starting lineup. He dove for balls on the floor and knocked down 3-pointers with the dead-eye skill of his namesake “Billy The Kid,” spiriting the Friars to their best record in history as Pitino’s team made the 1987 Final Four. It was heart in his 11-year reign at Florida, where he was hired as a 31-year-old baby-face who struggled through his first two years. Right up until two seasons ago, Donovan was often criticized for not being able to get past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Fans weren’t the only ones concerned about that. At a birthday party prior to the 2005 season, Billy’s parents expressed concerned to a family friend that their son might be in trouble if he couldn’t clear that first-round blues hurdle in 2005. Everybody apparently had their doubts --- except Billy. Bouncing back from the loss of his top three scorers to dominate college basketball for two years with underclassmen was one of the most incredible feats in college sports history. It is his heart, also, for his close friends --- looking after them. He cared about his assistant coaches, making certain their names were brought up for openings at South Alabama (John Pelphrey, who later went to Arkansas), Virginia Commonwealth (Anthony Grant, most likely his successor at Florida) and Marshall (Donnie Jones, who just took the head job there). His heart doesn’t stop there. At the risk of making it sound like we are canonizing the guy, Donovan is a sucker for the people he cares about. And he is a man of strong faith; with that comes his personal obligation for shepherding his flock. He also took care of his players --- ex-, present and future. This was perhaps as painful a part of the separation as anything for him. Other than choking up and crying when he had to tell friend and Boss AD Jeremy Foley about his decision to leave, Donovan’s hardest chore then was telling current squad members and those incoming about his choice. That choice had come after five days of agonizing. During that period, Donovan talked to people he respected and asked for their advice --- the Van Gundy brothers, Pitino and Steve Spurrier. It was Spurrier who once said of himself, “sooner or later, people get tired of you.” And you wondered if that factored in Billy’s choice, although he says nobody advised him to go, not did they advise against it. After getting the offer from the Magic Thursday morning, Billy went to church at 8 a.m. and asked a higher power for help. Most of all he sought “peace.” He’s not sure he got all the peace he needed, but he got the answer. And at high noon he called his father, who had encouraged his son to “at least see what they (the Magic) have to say.” At 3:52 Thursday, when the story leaked out, the siege began. In a barber’s chair in San Destin, Fla., Jeremy Foley saw his phone begin to light up and knew it was the media calling. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, return their calls for the moment. Donovan’s phone exploded, too. “From 3:52 p.m. through the night, I counted 252 calls on my cell phone,” Billy said. One of those calls came from my good friend Augie Greiner of Ocala, who befriended Donovan when he first arrived from Marshall in 1996. Donovan has a unique relationship with the former Gator basketball player of the 1950s and over the years they’ve had great fun taking pot shots at each other. Donovan has always supported Greiner’s Ocala Gator Tipoff Club with three appearances a season, either himself or a staff member being in attendance, and remains close to Augie. More than $200,000 in scholarship money has been raised by Greiner’s organization. Greiner, a former clothing store proprietor and wardrobe advisor who often picks out Billy’s shirts and ties to wear at games, is fighting a serious illness. They talk a good bit and Billy often calls to check on him. But they were unable to hook up this week. “I need to call Augie,” Donovan told me after the press conference Friday. “He called me Wednesday night and I was just overwhelmed talking to players, etc. I had 252 calls since 3:52 yesterday!” You can book this: Sometime in the next few days, Donovan will pick up the phone and call his haberdasher friend from Ocala. Although Greiner is saddened about the loss of Donovan at UF, he is also very happy for his friend. “I’m very happy for Billy,” said Augie. “He made a good move for himself, but I can tell you for sure it’s not about the money. It’s never been about the money for Billy. I’m going to miss him. But I’m very excited about the possibility of getting Anthony Grant. And we’ll be okay.” You’ve heard of a “walk-off home run”? Donovan just did a walk-off-double-national-championship, all compressed into a remarkable 366-day run. So he leaves with panache and dignity and style. This was the appropriate time for Billy Donovan to ride off in the sunset against a Gator-orange-colored sky, with his two crystal trophies and reputation intact. Not many coaches anymore get to experience those
Buddy Martin Column/May 27, 2007 Meyer enjoying the fruit of Gator championships On the final leg of a seven-stop tour, the coach in the khaki shorts, sneakers and light blue golf shirt took the podium in front of the 800-or-so friendlies and repeated most of the same stories he’s been telling around the state. He looked a little weary, but he tried to entertain this group of Florida Gator loyalists who had come out to Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater. And they responded with bursts of applause here and there, most appreciative and somewhat celebratory. “Well,” said Meyer, “we’re a basketball school again.” When you’ve got a pocketful of championships at your school, the basketball and football coach, who just happen to live on the same cul de sac in Gainesville, can work a little shtick. So while Billy Donovan is finishing up his victory lap and working out the fine print on his new contract, Meyer is winding down his statewide tour and cheering for his neighbor. Believe me, Meyer wishes his neighbor all the best in his negotiations, because as soon as Donovan’s new deal is done, it will be time to re-do Meyer’s. When the dust clears, Florida will have close to $7 million invested in its two coaches. And you’ve got to also think there will be a little something extra on the paycheck of Athletic Director Jeremy Foley. Championships come with a price.But you can never relax. Meyer joked about telling his staff to “put on their shorts and flip-flops and take out your golf clubs” in the off-season. “But then Billy won another one (national championship),” Meyer said. This unprecedented run in college athletics should, indeed, be celebrated. Time is nearing, however, when the pads will go back on and the expectations will be higher than the Century Tower and the memories of that 366-day run will be, indeed, only memories. There will be work to be doen. The supernatural has become the standard. Truthfully, event coordinators were a little disappointed at the turnout in Clearwater, which drew from seven counties. And there’s an undercurrent among some Gator fans about the school cutting back the Gator Gatherings from 22 to 7 over the past two seasons. This was planned, however, before the national championship season to allow Meyer more time at home with his family because of his rigorous schedule in the recruiting trail. Like everybody else, Meyer enjoys a good joke at the expense of the enemy, so he was quite pleased on his recent trip to Atlanta when he picked up this line about the Gators having won three titles last year in the Georgia Dome. “The name is going to change. It’s going to official become the ‘Florida Dome,’” he said, and the crowd roared. After all, he and Billy have bragging rights for another six months. Quick Jump Starts 1. This is a little bit scary: The hottest sport on closed circuit TV these days is Ultimate Fighting Championship where two men brawl with no rules in an octagon cage. 2. There has to be a little poetic justice that the Duke Lacrosse team is playing Johns Hopkins for the national championship. 3. Hurrah for 80-year-old Joe Paterno, who decided to discipline his whole team for the actions of the small group which got in trouble with the law and will make them clean up the stadium this fall after every game in Happy Valley. 4. Now that college basketball has lengthened the 3-point line one foot, or 5 per cent, why wouldn’t they give the scorer 3.15 points? 5. I never thought I’d see ESPN break in with a bulletin to announce that Roger Clemens was going to pitch another game in the minors on Monday night. Short Stuff Billy Donovan says there’s not truth the rumors about the NBA and he’s working out his contract with the Gators … University of Florida has jumped from No. 8 to No. 3 in royalties for Gator sports gear, collecting more then $2 million between January and March since winning the two titles – behind only Texas and Notre Dame (the money was split equally between the athletic program and the school’s general fund, according to The St. Petersburg Times) … Promising Florida offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey, a 6-4, 283-pound freshman from Lakeland, suffered a non-career threatening injury on a scooter last week in Gainesville and required “30-40 stitches” on his forearm, causing one Gator fans to comment,“I'd had to see what the car looked like” … Sports figures have kept the police blotter full lately, but I don’t remember any violation as bizarre as the one alleged against Florida A & M basketball coach Mike Gillespie, who was arrested in Tallahassee for stalking. This just in: Charlotte Gators Shine This has been a great last few days for former Charlotte County high school athletes turned Florida Gators, with Matt LaPorta being named Most Valuable Player in SEC baseball and discus thrower Wes Stockbarger breaking the meet record at the NCAA East Regionals. Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) Buddy’s E-Mail Bag Buddy, (Re: last week’s Believe-It-Or-NotGeography, a Rome on all seven continents) I looked and looked in my atlas. I can find no “Rome” in Antarctica. Fred Holzweiss, Englewood. (Four days later) Buddy,Re: There was a Rome in Antarctica. Now I may be in real trouble. I told a friend about this who is a retired geologist. He called back and told me that about 1988 he had a student visit Antarctica on a field trip named “David Rome.” It’s up to you. Fred Holzweiss Fred: I’ll take it.
Buddy’s Believe-It-Or-Not Geography
(But don’t ask him to prove it)
Woodward Avenue in Detroit, carries the designation M-1, so named because it was the first paved road anywhere.
The nickname for New York, “The Big Apple,” was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930's who used the slang expression “apple” for any town or city.
The deepest hole ever made in the world is in Texas, 20 empire state buildings deep, but only 3 inches wide
Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign . 1. Garnders tend to soil their plants. 2. I eat three servings of vegetables per day. Ketchup, ketchup, ketchup. 3. If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? Today’s Joke A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor. Today’s Proverb A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. And good morning … … Mr. Stockbarger and Mr. LaPorta. You’ve done your communities proud as college athletes.
Buddy Martin Column/May 20, 2007 UF needs to execute Billy Donovan’s deal The word on the street was that by now – or even as early as last Tuesday – Billy Donovan would have his name affixed to a new contract. Sometimes the street is the wrong place to look for the truth, however, even if that source was about as close to Donovan as possible. The fact that University of Florida and its superstar basketball coach haven’t consummated a signed contract is not necessarily reason for major concern, but one does wonder if there hasn’t been some kind of breakdown in communications. You remember Billy Donovan, right? The guy who just won his second straight national championships? The guy who in his 11 seasons at Florida has a coaching record of261-103, nine straight 20-win seasons and nine-straight NCAA Tournament appearances? The last time we saw him on camera, Donovan was taking a confetti bath and hoisting a crystal trophy. And then came more good news: He was turning down Kentucky. There were simultaneous celebrations last month when the Gators bagged the second of the back-to-back championships and found out that their coach wasn’t leaving. The contract should have been a reward for loyalty and a job well done, another triumphant moment – a contract said to be worth $3.5 million a year for seven more seasons.Instead, it was a hiccup and a tiny embarrassment for UF. Somehow we were led to believe that the document was drawn up and all Billy D. had to do was sign it. Apparently they haven’t worked out the financials yet. ESPN reported on Thursday that the deal worth nearly $25 million, the highest ever for any college basketball coach, had been agreed upon and was about to be signed. On Friday, both parties put the kibosh on that report. Athletic Director Jeremy Foley denied it. Donovan said those numbers were nowhere near what he had been told. “Jeremy and I have not reached an agreement,” Donovan said. “The school and I have no agreement. I understand there's a process this needs to go through, and I respect that process.” Foley has yet to sit down with President Bernie Machen and the University Athletic Association's compensation committee. Donovan told the media that when that happens, Foley will meet with him and say, “‘Here’s where we are. Here’s what we’re thinking on this.’” How does Donovan feel about that? “I'm fine with how that is going,” Donovan said. Well, sorry, but some of us are not fine with it. These bureaucrats need to get their briefcases packed, head to Gainesville and make the deal happen before somebody offers him half an NBA franchise. Don’t leave anything to chance and don’t allow Donovan to think that he’s being taken for granted. Give the guy the money, for cripes sake! Close the deal! Every day there’s another rumor about Donovan being offered an NBA job. It has gotten to a point where even Foley admits he’s expecting to hear Donovan’s name linked to the recent Houston Rockets opening. Any businessman will tell you that no deal is a deal until the contract is signed and the check has been cashed. So for all practical purposes, Billy Donovan remains a free agent. That is not a good thing for the University of Florida. Period. Quick Jump Starts 1. Even if he never makes it to the majors, Erik Lis of the Fort Myers Miracle will always have Tampa – and the night he hit a solo homer off of Rocket Roger Clemens, who was working his way toward the Yankees with his 55-pitch appearance in the Florida State League. 2. Didn’t there used to be a Stanley Cup playoff this time of year? 3. I enjoyed watching the Spurs-Suns series – at least as much as I could see before falling to sleep at midnight – but, please, could they make the NBA Playoffs a No-Whine Zone and tell the players that the constant griping about calls is getting old? 4. Future lawyers listen up: Consider a career in criminal defense of all football players and get rich! 5. Maybe a new slogan for NASCAR should be, “if you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t racin’!” Short Stuff College football’s five best game day atmospheres, according to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sportline: Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Tennessee and Texas A&M … Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel, who rode Street Sense to victory at Churchill Downs, has plenty of it – although he can barely read and write, but has no problem signing checks “and they don’t bounce” … In a recent Gatorcountry.com straw poll of “The Greatest Gator Coach Ever,” a sort running consensus was 1. Steve Spurrier, 2. Billy Donovan, 3. Urban Meyer, 4. Ray Graves and 5. Charley Pell … Howie Long’s son Kyle, a 6-7, 285-pound lineman from Charlottesville, Va., is going to FSU, but to play baseball. This just in: Shock Jock Talk They crucified Don Imus for his racially charged comments about Rutgers women basketball players, but some of the most sexually explicit banter about women that I hear is on AM620 “The Animal” out of Tampa-St. Pete, which is equally as insulting, as well as disgusting and repulsive. The dialogue on Ian Beckles/Ron Diaz morning show is especially offensive. The most intelligent radio sports talk show within earshot of Charlotte County is AM770 afternoon drive time program out of Fort Myers, with David Moulton and Mark Miller. Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) Buddy’s Believe-It-Or-Not Geography ■There is a city called Rome on every continent. ■ Siberia contains more than 25 percent of the world's forests. ■ Spain literally means “the land of rabbits.” Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. If you look like your passport picture, then you probably need the trip. 2. It’s not the jeans that make your butt look fat. 3. Every calendar's days are numbered. Today’s Joke My neighbor was bitten by a stray rabid dog. I went to see how he was and found him frantically writing on a piece of paper. I told him rabies could be treated, and he didn't have to worry about a will. He said, “Will? What will? I’m making a list of the people I want him to bite!” Today’s Proverb By the time you finally makes ends meet, they move the ends. And good morning … … Calvin Borel and thanks for the ride, even if you couldn’t boot Street Sense home to victory in the Preakness.
Buddy Martin Column/May13, 2007 The Great Sabbatini dares to challenge Tiger Woods . PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- His name was Kenneth and he was the meanest, nastiest bully on our high school football team, a skilled boxer who wouldn't hesitate to punch out one of his own teammates in a locker room scuffle. We were all afraid of him. Once, as we were riding the bus to the stadium, Kenneth The Bully decided he liked the style of my helmet better than his, so he took mine and put it on. I didn’t dare say no, because I was terrorized by him. Then one day, Jimmy and Kenneth The Bully duked it out for about 10 minutes before it was finally stopped – Jimmy being the recipient of a bloody nose and swollen jaw. Jimmy, however, earned our respect because he at least had the courage to stand up to Kenneth the Bully. Finally, somebody showed some guts. It would be a reach to use the parable of Kenneth the Bully as a metaphor for Tiger Woods, but the truth is that while the world’s most famous golfer doesn’t resort to meanness, he certainly does kick everybody’s butt. Mostly his competitors just wilt under the pressure and are sometimes mentally defeated even before they tee off. They never lay down challenges. In fact, some seem afraid of even making eye contact with Tiger. Then along came The Great Sabbatini, who dared to say he wanted to joust with The Crown Prince of Golf. In fact, when the two of them were paired in the last round of the Wachovia last week, Rory let mouth roar, saying he wanted the head-to-head with Woods. Then Tiger put a tidy little 68 on his opponent, who skulked off with a 74. OK, so Rory Sabbatini talked a little smack and paid for it. Hey, at least he stood up to the bully. Furthermore, The Great Sabbatini showed up against for The Players Championship and did it again! When Woods faltered with 75 in the opening round, Rory roared: “I like the new Tiger!” Normally not one to engage in chirping, Tiger fired back on Friday. “I like the new Tiger, too. Let’s see: I’ve won 9 of the last 12 and three this year. That’s about the same number that he’s (Sabbatini) won in his career!” Bada bing! Hey, it was PGA TOUR SMACKDOWN! Then The Great Sabbatini responded by shooting 7-over-79 on Friday, including a quadruple bogey 7 at the island green 17th, where he dunked it in the water twice. Tiger brought it back with a 1-over par 73. At the end of the day, Woods was 5 over, Sabbatini was 2. You can’t exactly call it a victory, but The Great Sabbatini’s round of 71 Saturday was two better than Tiger in put him in a good half dozen shots off the lead in the final round. And you know what? That smack talk added a little juice to a sport that is becoming deadly dull these days. Playing “Tiger Woods Wins” ever other Sunday may be good for history, but it’s not good for the game. On the other hand, Woods being a walking Neilsen point, it’s much worse without him. What the PGA Tour needs is some kind of rivalry, real or imagined. Certainly Rory Sabbatini isn’t challenging The Crown Prince for the throne, but at least he’s throwing pebbles at the castle. And he’s willing to get a bloody nose, much like Jimmy did against Kenneth the Bully. Quick Jump Starts 1. After a stunning 64 Saturday, Jeff Quinney was contending for the title in his first Players Championship through 54 holes, which translates to a claiming horse leading the Kentucky Derby in the home stretch. 2. The verdict is in: Holding The Player Championship in May instead of March is better in every way – especially the weather, which has been picture postcard. 3. My spies say Billy Donovan will sign his new contract at Florida on Tuesday. 4. Bud (Do Nothing) Selig gets closer and closer to locking up the title as the worst baseball commissioner in history. 5. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have an addiction to marijuana, but if I had as much at stake as Ricky (“Let me blow my career up in smoke”) Williams does, I think I’d go live in a monastery for a year. Short Stuff It can’t be good when a guy named Earnhardt leaves a company which has the name of his father in it ... If you like nostalgia, join Urban Meyer and former Florida Gator greats like James Bates, Scot Brantley, Chris Doering, Ike Hilliard, Terry Jackson and Jack Youngblood at the Gator Flashback Football camp on Thursday, June 14-16, 2007 … The Fort Myers Miracle will give out plastic ears to the first 1,000 fans to commemorate the “Chomp Heard Round The World,” the 10-year anniversary of the “ Bite Fite” June 28, 1997 when Mike Tyson chewed off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear. This just in Understandably, the mediocre players on the PGA Tour are against reduced field sizes like the one Tiger Woods will have at his new AT&T National on July 4th week, but the truth is that professional golf is badly overexposed and in need of a facelift. A faster-paced game might ensue. And while they’re at it, the PGA Tour needs to have the networks streamline their telecasts which have become an abominable conglomeration of commercial breaks with a few golf shots in between. Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) Buddy’s E-mail Bag Buddy: We moved to Port Charlotte from St. Louis in 2004 and you quickly became one of the best sports writers I have ever read. Sunday's Quick Jump Starts column did contain an error. The Cardinals haven't been owned by the (Busch) brewery since 1996. A group of four businessmen, headed by Bill DeWitt, bought the Cards from the brewery. Keep writing great columns. Go Gators! Bob Stevens, Port Charlotte BOB: My bad. That is, indeed, a key point, since the Cardinals recently banned alcoholic beverages in their locker room. And thanks. Buddy’s Believe-It-Or-Not Geography ■Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around. ■Istanbul, Turkey, is the only city in the world located on two continents. ■There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio – all of them are manmade. Sliding Down the Banister of Life It used to be only death and taxes were inevitable. Now, of course, there's shipping and handling, too. Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. In golf, no matter how bad you are playing, it is always possible to play worse. 2. Careful or you'll end up in my novel. 3. I love the nights I can't remember with friends I can't forget. Today’s Joke A Canadian fact: A 2006 study found that the average Canadian walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found that Canadians drink an average of 22 gallons of beer a year. That means, on average, Canadians get about 41 miles per gallon. Today’s Proverb Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes it comes alone. And good morning … … to all you moms. Happy Mother's Day. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Another Award for Buddy
Buddy Martin was recently named one of Florida’s top sports columnists, winning his 12th national or state writing award in six years. Martin’s columns on the Florida Gators’ football and basketball championships, the Masters and other topics were judged among the state’s top three in the Charlotte Sun’s circulation category. He received second place in the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors sports column writing competition for 2006. Martin has notched more than 150 writing, editing and producing awards in newspapers, magazines, radio and television since he began as a journalist more than four decades ago.
Veteran journalist Buddy Martin has just won his 12th state or national writing award in six years. Buddy's columns appear here, as well as in the Charlotte Sun and on GatorCountry.com.
Martin Joines Gator Country GatorCountry.com is proud to announce that Buddy Martin, whose award-winning columns and books have delighted Gator fans for more than five decades, will be bringing his considerable experience and unique perspectives to Gator Country. Martin is considered by many to be the definitive source on Florida football history and one of the great story-tellers of the Gator Nation’s rise as a force in college athletics since World War II. Martin’s columns on the Florida Gators begin in May and will feature a variety of topics – news, commentaries, historical flashbacks, blogs and humor. Martin will also write a regular column for Gator Country’s new glossy magazine.
Buddy Martin Column/May 6, 2007 The joy of winning the Kentucky Derby To be one of America’s epic events, we probably know the least about the horses in the Kentucky Derby than participants in anything all year on the sporting calendar. We take a cram course, become instant experts on these magnificent animals and their diminutive pilots and then launch full tilt into the office pool or neighborhood drawing. In every way possible, the Kentucky Derby is a game of high risk. It takes a near-miracle just to get a horse into the race. To win it is a fairy tale comes true. Imagine the odds on a horse taking all three Triple Crown races. On rare occasion, a spectacular animal beats those odds and maneuvers through the land mines of Triple Crownhood. It’s been 29 years since Affirmed became the 11th. We never saw it coming with Affirmed. We never even saw it coming with Secretariat, the Babe Ruth of horse racing. Funny thing about that first Saturday in May, 1973, is that I was exulting about my best day of betting ever at Churchill Downs, with more than $700 in winnings – quite a haul for a $10-a-race bettor – and didn’t fully realize what I’d witnessed. I did have sense to tuck away two winning tickets on Secretariat, however, and have never cashed them. We didn’t know what heartache lay ahead for Barbaro. And we’re not exactly what we saw Saturday with the victory by Street Sense, the 9-2 favorite trained by Carl Nafzger and ridden by Calvin Borel, who brought his mount from 19th place to the winner’s circle. If you never knew the joy of winning a Kentucky Derby, Borel showed us after his victory. He rose up in his irons, thrust his whip into the sky as a joyous salute, slapped hands with fellow jockeys and wore a smile wider than the 2 ½ lengths that he won by. Borel, never wanting the moment to end, took an extended victory lap, lifting his jockey’s helmet with both hands as if he were tipping it to the crowd, then pointing downward at the horse over and over as if saying “it was all him.” Eyes filled with tears, he reached down and kissed the mane of Street Sense. We don’t know if we saw the makings of the 12th Triple Crown winner or not, but what we saw was the emotional gratitude of a man who had ridden more than 4,000 horse races, but never experienced anything close to this. That’s why there is nothing like the Kentucky Derby, even if we don’t know much about it until it is finally over. Quick Jump Starts 1. Money Magazine is apparently set to name Gainesville, Fla. as No. 1 among America’s best places to live, adding yet more credence to that braggadocio term “Titletown” which Gator folks are throwing around ad nauseam these days. 2. The study by twos guy from Penn and Cornell made for an interesting topic in academia, but the charge of racially bias calls by NBA officials was refuted by virtually everybody in the league. 3.Now that they’ve finally moved back the college 3-point line, I agree with Billy Donovan’s suggestion that it’s time to widen the lane. 4. I realize they are standing on ceremony by banning alcohol in their clubhouse following the DUI-induced death of pitcher Josh Hancock, but remember that the St. Louis Cardinals are owned by the Busch brewery. 5. If Michael Vick thought the NFL defensive linemen were attackers, wait until he begins to feel the wrath of the animal rights activists after him about the rumored connection with breeding fighting dogs. Short Stuff This Redfish Cup thing is catching on, as evidenced by the Sun’s weeklong coverage of this year’s premier fishing event and the crowds at motels and restaurants in Charlotte County … What does a guy do after winning two national championships in 366 days? Why if you’re Billy Donovan, you go to Ireland to play golf with eight of your buddies … Golden State’s Baron Davis has suddenly emerged as the freshest new face in the NBA Playoffs. Numbers Please ■ Impressive stat: With the selection of linebacker Lawrence Timmons at 15th overall, FSU has now had at least one first rounder in 16 of the last 17 NFL Drafts. ■ The Atlantic Coast Conference brought in a record $148.9 million this year, a 35 percent increase, which vaulted the 12-school league ahead of the Big Ten, the SEC and the Big 12. ■ The 20 3-year-old colts in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby were racing for a $2,210,000 purse with winner Street Sense getting $1,450,000. This just in We don’t need a survey to tell us the image professional athletes badly needs a makeover, which is why NFL Commissioner has stepped up to hold organizations, coaches and players responsible for bad behavior. It should have been a clue that the public is fed up with the gang-banging when the owner of several casinos in Las Vegas asked that the NBA All-Star Game not return. Terri Lanni, owner-operator of most of the casinos on the strip, said the crowd that followed the NBA “was bad for business.” This time they’re hoping that what happened in Las Vegas does NOT stay in Las Vegas. Wonder what that does for hopes of bringing an NBA franchise to Glitter City? Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. Sorry, First National Bank of Dad is closed. 2. Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk? 3. Well behaved women rarely make history. Today’s Joke A woman came home, screeching her car into the driveway, and ran into the house. She slammed the door and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Honey, pack your bags. I won the lottery!” The husband said, “Oh my God! What should I pack, beach stuff or mountain stuff?” “Doesn't matter,” she said. “Just get out.” Today’s Proverb The older the fiddle, the sweeter the music. And good morning … … all you Yankee fans. By now are we all getting a little sick of this “Fire Joe Torre” mandate that pops up in the New York tabloids every year when the pin-stripers are struggling. Don’t fall for it!
Buddy Martin Column/April 29, 2007 NFL Draft Day tough for Quinn For someone whose interest level in the NFL draft is about what yours’ would be in my home movies, it’s getting increasingly difficult to defend my position that this is the most over-hyped non-event in all of sports. Hey, people watch, just like people watch American Idol, C-Span and political debates. So Saturday, I tried. After an hour my interest was flagging, the Tampa Bay Bucs already having selected Clemson defensive end Gaines Adam at No. 4. I waited around to see if the Dolphins would take Brady Quinn at No. 9 (they didn’t) and who the Jaguars might select at No. 21 (Florida’s Reggie Nelson). Aside from watching to see what players would be chosen from the state, like linebacker Lawrence Timmons of FSU at No. 15 (Pittsburgh) and defensive end Jarvis Moss of Florida atNo. 17 (Denver) , it reminded me of one big meat market. Experts say it’s really impossible to rate a draft until five years later. So I took a look at some of the high picks in 2002. David Carr (formerly of Houston) at No. 1. Joey Harrington (formerly of Detroit) at No. 3. They didn’t get around to picking Clinton Porter (Denver/Washington) until No. 51. So I’ll give the draftniks this: Even though they don’t know nearly as much as they think, neither do the Mel Kiper types, or many of the NFL player personnel directions. Hey, any of us could have chosen John Elway or Troy Aikman or Bo Jackson or Bruce Smith or Terry Bradshaw or O. J. Simpson as No. 1 selections. And most of us wouldn’t have picked Carr, Tim Couch, Jeff George or Terry Baker at No. 1. Remember this: Elway, rated by many as the best value ever for a No. 1 overall pick, wasn’t even drafted by the team he wound winning two Super Bowls for. The Baltimore Colts (yes, Colts) chose Elway and he refused to play for coach Frank Kush, so he was traded to the Broncos – one of the worst trades in NFL history. In the end, the 2007 Draft Day was a soap opera, “As The Brady Falls.” Every time another team passed on the Notre Dame golden boy, I felt like I wanted to give him a hug and say, “it’s OK Brady, you’ll be just fine.” He will be. In fact, in appearance and composure, Quinn reminds me a great deal of Elway, who I saw play a gazillion games. It turned out well, as the team he wanted to pick him at No. 3 wound up trading up for him at No. 22. Frankly, I hope he makes the other 20 NFL player personnel directors pay for their bad oversight.Quick Jump Starts 1.The Denver Nuggets have me interested in watching the NBA Playoffs again. 2. St. Louis University basketball fans should hope that Rick Majerus has as much success coaching the Billikens as another former Utah coach has had in football since leaving Salt Lake City. 3. OK, if the blood on Curt Schilling’s sock turns out to be paint, I’m not believing in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or Oprah anymore. 4. Not trying to convict the guy of anything without evidence to the contrary, but given all the bad news that he has generated lately, why do I suspect Mike Vick is in for a big fall? 5. Tony Stewart was right on, comparing NASCAR to the WWL, so how come they made him apologize? Short Stuff: Phil Mickelson, still reeling from last year’s numbskull decision to hit driver on the 72nd hole in the U.S. Open, has changed coaches and is going with former Tiger Woods mentorButch Harmon … Bobby Bowden must be looking for advice from Socrates and Plato these days; his player personnel director, Bob LaCivita, has a doctorate in philosophy … The Web site EveryDayShouldBeSaturday.com, which keeps tabs of the college football players who break the law and awards its annual (Phil) Fulmer Cup to the top violators, assessed Penn State with a record 42 points in its recent six-player skirmish which resulted in arrests and suspensions.
Numbers, Please A lesson for all communities (including this one) who might not realize the financial impact of sports: The two college bowl games in Phoenix pumped $401 million into those Arizona coiffures … Auburn, the only team to defeat national champion Florida in 2006, has won 33 football games in the last three seasons – more than the Gators, LSU or Ohio State … Of all the 69 early enrolled recruits for college football this spring, Florida had the most with 8 … Tickets are getting tougher for UF students; only 83 percent of those who played the ticket lottery for seats in “The Swamp” were able to attain them. This just in Talent ebbs and flows in college football, as evidenced by what has happened at Florida since 1990. During the tenure of Steve Spurrier, the Gators produced 13 first-round NFL draft picks. After 2001, there was only one – Rex Grossman, until Moss and Nelson went in round one. The talent scouts have been sniffing around Gainesville since Urban Meyer’s national championship team and, based on what kind of recruiting classes Meyer has enjoyed, they will be booking plenty of rental cars and hotel rooms there in the coming years. Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. Too many people with problems ARE THE PROBLEM! 2. I have a nice body. It's in my trunk. 3. Invest in America. Buy a Congressman! Today’s Joke I dialed a number and got the following recording: “I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes in my life. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.” Today’s Proverb A conclusion is simply the place where someone got tired of thinking. And good morning … … All you jubilant NFL fans. Isn’t it remarkable that all 32 teams, including yours, had the best draft?
GATOR BOOK SPECIAL! GATOR FANS, CHECK OUT THIS SPECIAL PRICE FOR SOFTCOVER COPIES OF 'THE BOYS FROM OLD FLORIDA.' IF YOU CAN READ THIS MESSAGE, YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A 30 PERCENT DISCOUNT ON YOUR AUTOGRAPHED COPY. JUST SEND AN E-MAIL TO buddyshow@aol.com AND REQUEST YOUR COPIES WHILE THEY LAST. THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT 100 AVAIABLE, SO HURRY -- Buddy
Buddy Martin Column/April 21,2007 Guns have no place on college campuses The issue of guns on college campuses has never been more magnified as now. What happened in Blacksburg, Va. last week is a primary example of why there should be better security at institutions of higher learning and a more vigilant attempt to eliminate weapons. Never mind all the NRA lobbyists who will say it was the deranged student who caused the death of 33 and not the gun. The fact is that firearms have no place on campuses, just as they don’t in airports, high schools, courtrooms, etc. A disturbing trend has emerged among athletes brandishing guns, first at the professional level and now among college athletes. It’s bad enough to have NFL players being shot and killed by gang members as happened in Denver or Adam “Pacman” Jones setting off a riot in a Las Vegas strip club which later resulted in the shooting of two people. It can’t be tolerated by college athletes, who should be booted off the team and out of school for possession and/or firing of guns. Most recently, according to police in Gainesville, offensive lineman Ronnie Wilson shot a semi-automatic weapon in the parking lot of a night club in attempt to intimidate a rival. His case is awaiting trial, but my guess is that Wilson will be punted out of the program like a football. There was an incident last year involving a Gator football player who was leaving for the NFL who hosted several in-school players at his apartment when an automatic weapon went off the bullet went through the wall. Disciplinary action was taken, but if it happened today the punishment might be much more severe. There is already a school policy against guns on campus at most colleges, but it ought to be layered with yet more NCAA legislation punishing the athlete, the program and the institution for such incidents. I applaud the tough stance on bad actors by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. It’s time for college administrators to follow suit. Quick Jump Starts 1.Boy, this is a new techno bashing technique: Coaches whining because Urban Meyer sent “too many” text messages to college prospects, something that was well within the rules but may soon be frowned upon by the NCAA. 2. On the other, given that some embarrassing personal messages sent by Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt came to light when through a public records request, perhaps coaches will cease and desist on their own. 3. I suppose there will be a core of fans in New York who will bust on Alex Rodriguez for not driving in the tying run against the Red Sox Friday night at Fenway – even though A-Rod had homered twice earlier. 4. Now that NFL Draft Poster Boy Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech has owned up to smoking marijuana, you wonder had badly that will impact his draft position and wonder why Florida defensive Marcus Thomas has done a free fall for doing the same thing. 5.Do you suppose maybe Bobby Bowden’s refusal to name a starter between Xavier Lee and Drew Rutherford means he’s going to do the two-headed quarterback thing that worked so well for Florida? Short Stuff: The University of Central Florida is dropping the word “Golden” from its team name and will be known as just the “Knights,” which makes you wonder what group was offended by that term … Joey Crawford calling a technical foul on Tim Duncan and then challenging the Spurs’ center to a fight was one of the most reprehensible acts by an NBA official that I’ve ever seen … As many as 14 Florida Gators are likely to go in the NFL Draft on Saturday, with safety Reggie Nelson and defensive end Jarvis Moss being taken in the first round – the first Gators taken that high since Rex Grossman since 2003. Buddy’s E-Mail Bag Dear Mr. Martin: Not all Ohio State alumni go north after March 31st. A few of us linger behind to suffer abuse from columnists (such as yourself), and from the general public should we venture outdoors wearing anything bearing the words “Ohio State.” The Florida Gators have won back-to-back basketball national championships, wrapped around a football national championship. They are on top in collegiate athletics, and deservedly so. But they, and their fans, would do well to display (or pretend to display) a little modesty. Ohio State has more Heisman winners, more national football championships, and more basketball championships than the Florida Gators. Coach Jim Tressel constantly instructs his players to hand the ball to an official after scoring a touchdown, admonishing them to “behave as if you've been there before.” Florida sports fans continually make it clear to the rest of the country that they haven't been there before, and lack the class to be there now. Dale H. Gleason, Arcadia Dale: To the victors go the spoils. It’s best that neither side take themselves too seriously, but most importantly, let’s at least keep a sense of humor. This just in I’m not one of those bowl bashers who see the excessive post-season games as evil, so the fact that there will be 32 of them this fall is OK with me. However, some of the sponsor names are a little obscure and almost humorous, although none will ever equal the former Weedwacker Bowl. My favorites on the new list are: Brut Sun, PetroSun Independence, Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas, R+L Carriers New Orleans and the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia. Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) Church Marquees --God so loved the world that he didn’t sent a committee. --Wal-Mart isn’t the only saving place. --It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin. Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. Struggling hair farmer. 2. I'm a recovering something or other. 3. When life hands you gators, make Gatorade. Today’s Joke A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, “Would you please say the blessing?” “I don't know what to say,” the girl whispered.” Just say what you hear Mommy say,” the mother answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people? to dinner?” Today’s Proverb Never insult an alligator until after you have crossed the river. And not such a good morning … … for all those impacted by the tragic slayings at Virginia Tech. Sports is a good medium for the inducement of healing because so many communities get behind those who are afflicted. I, too, will be rooting for the Hokies.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best column April 15, 2007
Picking up jewelry in ‘The Swamp’
GAINESVILLE – It may have seemed like only a spring practice football game to some, but anytime the defending national champion Florida Gators open the gates these days they draw a crowd. Especially on a day when they come to pick up their rings.
In this case only 47,500 turned out at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for “The Orange & Blue Debut” to see the Blue defeat the Orange, 27-21. That was about 2,300 more than attended the 2006 spring game and 11,000 less than Meyer’s first one in 2005, but a major traffic accident on I-75 outside Ocala caused a traffic jam which caused some fans to miss the entire first half may have also discouraged others from making the trip.
Never you mind: 95,000 will be here when the Gators kick off their 2007 season.
Just how important is a spring practice game? To one Gator fan from Jacksonville, very important. He came into the stadium on a stretcher hoisted by four people. “He was an older fellow and he had all kinds of tubes coming out of him,” said security guard and elevator operator Dan Campione. “I’ve seen many of them leave that way, but I’ve never seen one come in that way.”
It was a pretty important day for some Gator players, too, including sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow, who has inherited the keys to this big Orange and Blue offensive machine from Chris Leak.
From the looks of things, Tebow has the wheel well in hand, at least well enough to please his coach. Tebow hit 17 of 27 for 216 yards, passing for three touchdowns. He threw one to emerging starter Louis Murphy, one to promising incoming freshman tight end Aaron Hernandez and one to sophomore Cade Holliday. More importantly, Tebow was able to connect on deep passes to Murphy for 41 yards and senior Andre Caldwell for 27, showing he can throw the deep ball.
It was Tebow’s improvement on the short passing fundamentals that impressed Urban Meyer, however. “The way he throws the short ball is great,” Meyer said. “A lot of people are going to stack the box against us this year (bring in a safety) and we need to be able to protect the run with our quarterback play. Tim Tebow is a professional quarterback now at Florida. He wakes up every morning wanting to get better.”
The player who drew the most raves, however, was Murphy, the 6-2 junior from St. Petersburg, whose only claim to fame in 2006 was catching a long touchdown pass from Tebow against LSU when the Tigers had only 10 players on the field. This spring, Meyer said, Murphy has earned a starting job as a wide receiver, as did Jarred Fayson.
“He’s (Murphy) got the best fundamentals of any receiver on our team,” Meyer said of Murphy. “He has really taken himself seriously this year. Last year all he did was eat up a scholarship.”
Murphy and Fayson join a very talented group of receivers that already includes Caldwell, Hernandez and speedster Percy Harvin -- plus the towering threesome of 6-4 Cornelius Ingram, 6-4 David Nelson and 6-6 Tate Casey.
This will be the long-awaited season for Tebow fans who wanted to see him start last year when he became half of the two-headed quarterback. It was suggested to Tebow that he had an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver.
“Not many guys in college football have the same kind of talent I have,” Tebow confessed. “I have five or six guys who can catch the ball and take it to the house at any time. They’re a special group of guys and I’m lucky to have them.”
It was a productive spring for Tebow, who suffered a shoulder injury and had to focus on fundamentals while working it out, which he said, “turned out to be a blessing.” He is more balanced throwing on the run, which is something he’ll be doing a lot this year. Meyer says Florida will be more of an option/run-pass offense than last year with Leak.
As one of the key members of the 2006 national championship team, Tebow was awarded his ring in the locker room. The seniors had been presented their’s earlier on the field.
As he spoke to the media, Tebow stole an admiring glance at his new jewelry.
“This thing is heavy,” he said. “Heck, it might cause my shoulder to be even sorer!”
Quick Jump Start
1. Embarrassing moment of the week: Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip was been charged with reckless driving and failing to report an accident after hitting a telephone pole and rolling his car about a mile from his home, then leaving the scene of the accident.
2. I saw Jackie Robinson speak once, years after he left baseball, and even with diabetes and a snow-white head of hair, you could still sense the fire in the belly of this remarkable man.
3. Seems to me if the Ohio State band became famous for “dotting the i” in Ohio, they should now defer that honor to Florida, or perhaps give away the famous “THE Ohio State University” to “THE University of Florida.”
4.OK, I promise from now on this will be a “no-gloating zone” for all Gator fans.
5. Just one more -- did you see the new 2007 Gator football schedule, recently e-mailed to me? (See below)
Short Stuff
All of a sudden Billy Donovan has his own coaching tree, now that John Pelphrey is at Arkansas, Anthony Grant is at Virginia Commonwealth and Donnie Jones is at Marshall … Urban Meyer said he had a team meeting after Saturday’s scrimmage to ask the players and coaches if they were good enough to compete for the SEC title and – not surprisingly – the answer was “yes!”
Today’s Joke
Proposed 2007 Gator football schedule Sept. 6. Ohio State Home Sept. 13.Ohio State, Miami Sept 20. Ohio State, Cleveland Sept 27. Ohio State, Tampa Oct. 1. Open date, visit Columbus Oct. 15. Ohio State, Orlando Oct. 21, Ohio State, Jacksonville Nov. 5, Ohio State, Miami Nov. 12, Ohio State, Tallahassee Nov. 21, Ohio State, Baton Rouge Dec. 4, Ohio State, Atlanta *Dec. 11, Ohio State, New Orleans *BCS could penalize Florida for strength of schedule.
Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
“I’m workin’ here!” – Billboard.
Don’t be so open-minded your brains fall out. (Church marquee)
What was the greatest thing before sliced bread?
And good morning …
… to all your Cubs fans in Chicago, Now that Mt. Lou has erupted, stay tuned for a wonderful July 4 fireworks show that Piniella will no doubt offer up this summer.
Buddy Martin Column/Don Imus/April 15, 2007
Somebody please stop us, before it’s too late My son says he wants to invent a cell-phone breathalyzer, so that when he or some of his friends decide it’s a good idea to call old girl friends late at night, after a few beers, the phone will automatically shut off. Maybe it could spare them some embarrassing knucklehead moments. Perhaps we need delete buttons on our mouths. So many times when we blurt out something hurtful to a friend or relative – even in jest – we know before the words get airborne that we shouldn’t have said it. Radio stations have 7-second delays to block outrageous or off-color comments from being broadcast. Humans work without that net. There is no deterrent for blatant stupidity which fuels erroneous accusations or mean-spirited commentary. The First Amendment may protect our freedom of speech, but it does not protect us from the reaction to our words. Nor does it validate those words. As bad as the words might be, it’s usually the motivation for using them that’s most damning. Which brings us to the hot issues of the week: Former radio-TV talk show host Don Imus and the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong and the three Duke Lacrosse players who were exonerated from rape charges. These two issues are not necessarily related, but yet they are. No matter what you feel about the firing of Imus for his lame attempt at humor and his racial and sexist remarks about the Rutgers women, there is no denying that the lapse in judgment was only superseded by ignorance and his lack of sensitivity. Engaging in “edgy” humor is risky business. Any kind of attempt to incite laughter by demeaning a certain segment of our society can be a recipe for disaster. All of a sudden Imus looked older, out of touch and disingenuous. And not funny. Maybe it was time for Don Imus to pull the curtain and move on anyway. But the inglorious exit was painful to watch. He joins the ranks Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder and Al Campanis. And so all the good work he did for children with his ranch and his fundraisers couldn’t save the man who claimed “I’m a good person,” but to no avail. The fate of Nifong, whose political motivations were held in question as he pressed hard for rape indictments against the three Duke players, hangs in balance at this writing. He went public, apologizing for embracing erroneous testimony of the exotic dancer, but the damage has already been done. In this case, racial tensions likely played a part as well, since the Lacrosse players are white and the dancer is black. Nifong wasn’t the only one who was ready to pre-judge the facts. Was there a preconceived bias about college athletes that led Nifong and others to presume the guilty of David Evans, Reade Seligmann, and Collin Finnerty? Perhaps, but given the bad behavior of athletes lately, it would be an earned reputation. Don Imus. Mike Nifong. Self-destruction. Sometimes we need to be saved from ourselves. Neither could be. Sadly, we are all culpable in this matter, media included, allowing this kind of sick humor, mean-spirited commentary and blatant stereotyping to abide in our communities. On Wednesday, at the Poynter Media Institute Sports Journalism Summit in St. Petersburg, this topic will be discussed by a faculty of leading sports journalists and 100 seminar participants. It could be the first step of a long overdue journey that will hopefully lead to enlightenment.
Buddy Martin columnSunday April 8, 2007 This isn’t your grandpa’s Masters golf tournament AUGUSTA, Ga. -- This isn't the Masters I remember – that lush green monster softened with the bright hues of the azaleas and the popcorn-white dogwoods, all glimmering in the Georgia sunshine. I haven’t been to all the Masters since 1934, but this was my 36th and I can’t ever recall it being worse for spectators and players alike.
This week, we got dusty walking trails around Augusta National and a noseful of pollen, coupled with stiff winds and chilly temperatures. Yucky brownish red caked shoes and puffs of dust played havoc with contact lenses.
The golfers might as well have been hitting their drives down the straight-aways of Daytona International Speedway, because they spent more time on pit stops in the rough trying to negotiate shots or splashing in the water.
It was difficult to keep the ball on the playing surfaces. And once they reached the slippery greens, finding the bottom of the hole was as difficult for some as it was locating the prize golden egg at one of today’s Easter egg hunts. Saturday’s scoring average was over 77 shots.
They came to the House That Bobby Jones Built expecting to play a Masters, but wound up with U.S. Open conditions, without the warm weather. Result: By the end of the day Saturday, no player near par.
Even Tiger Wood said the conditions were brutal and among “the toughest I’ve ever seen here” and no doubt almost as difficult as those he faced at Winged Foot in 2006 when he missed his first cut at a major.
The difference is that Woods, though struggling this week, has battled back into contention, just one shot off the lead with his score of 3 over par. By the time he had moved up to one shot out, Woods was probably back in his room, perhaps doing nothing, but working his way back up the leader board.
There was so much blood dripping from the carnage late Saturday that most of the fairways and greens were a sea of red. Earlier this week, the players went out like the tide, awash over Tiger. By Saturday afternoon, they came back to him like the onrushing waves. The tide had turned.
Having said all that, I could make a case for Tiger not winning being a good thing for golf; and for the players’ struggles making them more human. The modern players are viewed by some as techno-freaks whose equipment is far superior to that of Jones’ hickory shafts, anyway, and beneficiaries of a huge competitive advantage.
Those who enjoy seeing crackups in NASCAR no doubt delight in watching Vijay Singh giving his Titleist a bath in Ray’s Creek and Phil Mickelson bouncing off the Georgia pines like a pinballer.
It might also be good for golf is somebody besides Woods and Mickelson won a major. For all the good Tiger has done for golf, he has also dwarfed some of his fellow competitors and turned perfectly good events into a Kiwanis Scotch Foursome.
Tiger may not win his fifth green jacket today, but he is going to keep it interesting. The truth is that Tiger is in better shape to pounce today that at any time during the previous 54. And I’ll still take him over the field.
Quick Jump Starts
1. I never thought I’d live to see the day that Florida’s football coach would have turned down Notre Dame to coach the Gators and its basketball coach would say no to the Kentucky job.
2. If he hadn’t chosen stop playing basketball for Billy Donovan and concentrate on playing tight end for Urban Meyer, Cornelius Ingram could have been the only college athlete in history ever to have three national championship rings in 366 days.
3. I’ve heard of makeup calls, but never makeup games, which is what the officials of the Final Four apparently had when they refused to call fouls on Ohio State’s Greg Oden after fouling him out against Georgetown.
4. I tend to believe Bobby Bowden when he tells his players that all 22 positions are not set for the Seminoles and that most of them are “up for grabs” in next Saturday’s FSU spring game.
5. It’s good to hear the voice of Pat Summerall back on the CBS broadcast of the Masters, even if he’s just the house announcer who introduces the event.
Short Stuff:
Urban Meyer went on a rant last week about athletes with guns following the arrest of offensive lineman Ronnie Wilson, who fired off an AK47 and was arrested because the Florida coach takes those kind of events as personal failures by himself and his assistant coaches … Don’t know how far down the list of Kentucky basketball coaching candidates Billy Gillispie was, but you had to love his comments that “anywhere above seventh or eighth would have been fine by me.”
Nothing but ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s Cyberfriends – and a few of my own) The Gospel according to St. Titleist “If you are going to throw a club, it is important to throw it ahead of you, down the fairway, so you don't have to waste energy going back to pick it up.” – Tommy Bolt. Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any. 2. Don't bother me, I’m living happily ever after. 3. Florida Gators, National Chomp-ions. Today’s Joke: His “Street Name”
“I'd like the number for Jennifer Smith in Richmond, Virginia,” the
young man said to the 411 operator.
“There are multiple listings for Jennifer Smith in Richmond, Virginia,”
the operator said.“Do you have a street name?”
The young man hesitated a moment, then replied, “Well, uh, most people call me ‘Snake.’”
Today’s Proverb
To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
And good morning …
... to all you Florida basketball fans. Consider yourself fortunate to have Billy Donovan and remember that with gratitude next year when his young team is struggling.
Buddy Martin column for April 3, 2007 ‘The Gator Boys’ should be cast in bronze forever OK Hollywood, here’s your chance for Hoosiers II. You can call this film “The Gator Boys.” The whole feel-good story line is in the same spirit of that little high school team from Milan, Ind. which stole the 1954 state title and wound up stealing the hearts of American moviegoers. Florida’s basketball team wasn’t so much about being underdogs this year. “The Gator Boys” is the parable of six unselfish college athletes who turned down millions of dollars to stay and play for the honor and glory of their team and their school by winning back-to-back national championships. A true parable of selflessness. We should never forget the names of those six young men who took a stand for everything pure in the otherwise money-grubbing, fame-grabbing world of sports. At least three of them could have been millionaires at the end of last season. Instead, they wisely chose the treasure that will last an eternity. The likenesses of Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey, Joakim Noah and Chris Richard – and they are listed alphabetically, because that’s how they would prefer it – should be cast in bronze and hung in the O’Connell Center forever. And, yes, I mean six – because if ever a sixth man could be considered a starter, Richard would be it. On a technicality, just five of the 2006-2007 team will be remembered in perpetuity as the only starters in college basketball to win consecutive championships. We all know better. Even that accomplishment, remarkable though it might be, is not the true legacy of “The Gator Boys.” Their legacy isn’t just about becoming the sixth team in history to win back-to-back titles – the first time since Duke did it in 1991-92 – or even their part in helping Florida become the only school in history to claim football and basketball national championships in same school year. As long as coaches preach the gospel of team, team, team, these six players and this group will held in awe and esteem not just for what they accomplished, but for what they were willing to sacrifice. A lot of coaches and players talk the talk. “The Gator Boys” lived it. They lived it in their generosity, a willingness to share the basketball and let somebody else have the glory. It may never happen again that all five starters will score more than 1,000 points in a season, all averaging double figures, but none higher than 13.3. That happened by design. Vicariously, sports fans got to experience the joy of these “Gator Boys” when they finally realized Monday night they had beaten Ohio State, 84-75, and were living their dream.Even if you were sick and tired of hearing and reading about the University of Florida’s athletic success, you had to applaud the motivation of players who wanted to send a message to us about the real core values of sports. We heard it loud and clear. It is true that all six of them may wind up handsomely rich playing basketball and that coach Billy Donovan might even depart for Kentucky after 11 years in Gainesville. I don’t care. As Donovan told them all season long, it’s not about living in the past or the future, “it’s about the moment.” In my four decades of a journalist, I’ve never run across a moment like this.
---
Buddy Martin Sunday Best,Sunday April 1, 2007
It's only 50-50 that Donovan
will turn down Kentucky job
In a matter of days, if not hours, Billy Donovan will be making a decision that is going to rock the world of college basketball, with epicenters in both Gainesville, Fla. and Lexington, Ky. Either way he goes, it’s an 8 or a 9 on the Richter Scale.
A month ago, I would have bet my house that Donovan would be coaching at Florida next year and for many seasons to come. Today I’m not sure I’d bet $20, going either way. That’s because I have a very good source from the inside who informs me that the Donovan family, itself, isn’t sure how things will come out.
This doesn’t mean I’m predicting Donovan is taking the job at Kentucky, but I know enough know not to rule it out. I say it's 50-50 if he stays or goes.
The reasons for or against it? Of course, he can make Florida the "new Kentucky." Of course, he can make just as much money as the Gator coach. Of course, he has the Gator program in the groove and it would be harder for him starting over at Kentucky.
But coaching Kentucky night be the next thing in the progression of a young coach’s ladder of success.
Despite all those who claim to have insight, information and knowledge regarding The Donovan Sweepstakes, nobody can really know, because Billy hasn’t yet made up his own mind. He owes it to himself and his family to explore every option. Florida says it will match everything that is match-able. But a couple of things aren’t.
As a matter of fact, I can make a strong case here for why, indeed, Donovan ought to accept the Kentucky job (sorry Gator fans). Because this is not really about what’s best for the University of Florida; it’s about what’s best for the Donovans.
Put it like this: You’re happy in your job, love the town where you live, profess a sense of fondness for your boss and loyalty to the institution that governs your work, and your spouse has no real desire to leave.
Along comes your dream job, maybe the best of its kind in America, and not only can it be yours for the taking, but you can have just about anything else – money, fame, influence, longevity, etc. You’re on the lower side of 40 and you’ve accomplished something that will never be equaled by your successor of your old job – let alone surpassed. If you stay, you can only hope only to maintain.
In the words of another former Florida coach, Steve Spurrier, who left after 12 seasons,“sooner or later they get tired of you.”
This is Donovan’s 11th season as Gator coach. Barring an unforeseen change or heart, four of his starters will leave early for the NBA; two others key seniors graduate. No matter how great his next season may have turned out, you can be assured that after his sixth or seventh loss next season, some Gator fan will pipe up: “You can have him, Kentucky!”
Right now, Billy Donovan is the hottest coach in America. That’s why the story of him perhaps going to Kentucky has virtually dwarfed the Final Four, much to his chagrin. Next year there is likely to be another flavor.
As for those numbskulls who would blame Billy for Florida NOT winning the title and chastise him for the so-called distractions he created, let me assure you that nobody would have been happier than the Florida coach if the subject had never been up.
I personally know Billy Donovan to be a man of integrity, as also witnessed of two close friends who deal with him regularly. So if Florida winds up not winning the national title again, don’t pin it on the Kentucky Caper.
Naturally he’s interested in the job. And no doubt he has people who have been talking on his behalf, or why else would Kentucky have held the job open?
I’ll never buy that he hasn’t been totally focused on UCLA, however. And for those who keep saying Donovan should have shot down the rumors and denied any interest in Kentucky, my question is: Why?
Why would the man want to purposely mislead people or lie if he, indeed, wants to leverage himself a better deal? Do you want his nose to grow as long as Nick Saban’s?
One thing Bily Donovan is not is a liar.
There is one “X-Factor” that could make the difference in Donovan leaving.
Little known is that move afoot to upgrade academic standards for University of Florida students and student-athletes which could cripple the athletic department.
I have seen some of those projections and if they are adopted over the next 3-5 years as planned, big-time athletic success in Gainesville is over. The requirement for athletes enrolling in a major is about to soar. We not talking a C average -- it's closer to a B. No major, no graduation.
Such a plan places Gator football and basketball in serious jeopardy. Here’s why: The NCAA is about to invoke rules that if schools don’t graduate a high rate, the school will begin to lose scholarships. How do you graduate if you can't place student-athletes in a major?
Kentucky doesn’t have those kind of academic standards in place, nor does any school in the SEC but Vandy. Do you want to see Florida’s program slip to the level of Vandy?
This is one of those “unmatchable” factors that could stand in the way of the Gators retaining their greatest basketball coach of all time.
Quick Jump Starts
1. Sorry if this column reads like I was distracted, but I have been contacted by Kentucky as a backup candidate if Billy Donovan says no.
2. Why this time of year is sports heaven: The Final Four over the weekend, Major League Baseball starts tonight, the Masters tees of Thursday and playoffs for the NBA and NHL begin soon
3. Frankly, I could do without another rendition of “One Shining Moment” for a while.
4. Why do I keep looking at Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and thinking: “Should this buy be playing in Vaudeville?”
5. Top five college basketball coaching jobs: 1. Kentucky, 2. North Carolina, 3. Kansas, 4. Duke, 5. (tie) Florida and UCLA.
Short Stuff:
Sophomore receiver/running back Jared Fayson lit up the spring scrimmage Saturday in Gainesville and former running Markus Manson appears to be making the transition to cornerback nicely … Wouldn’t be surprised to see Bobby Bowden copy cat Urban Meyer and, instead of picking one quarterback, playing both Xavier Lee and Drew Weatherford next fall.
Nothing but ‘Net
(With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends)
Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
I have no desire for money; it's the stuff I want.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
My inner child needs chocolate.
Today’s Proverb
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left.
And good morning …
... to all you other guys chasing Tiger Woods this week. Wish I could pick one of you to win the Masters – but I can’t.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best,Sunday March 25, 2007
Gators would have 'homecourt advantage in Georgia
Sunday Best, Sunday March 18, 2007 Many sports fans have hated Notre Dame, the New York Yankees and Green Bay Packers over the years. Today they are hating the Florida Gators for much the same reason. Even their harshest of critics would have to admit that the Gators have got it going on in college sports these days. Just take a look at what has happened in football and basketball at Florida since the fall of 2005 after Urban Meyer was hired. The Gators’ football record that year was 10-3. In the latter part of ’05, Billy Donovan’s launched a championship run in the Southeastern Conference and, as an underdog, also romped to the national title with a 33-6 record. By April 2006, Athletic Jeremy Foley’s two squads had rolled up a combined record of 43-9, but were just getting started. Seemingly feeding off the success of each other, Meyer’s football team ripped through the ’06 regular season 11-1, won the SEC over Arkansas and then clobbered an unsuspecting Ohio State Big Ten champion, 41-14, to win the national championship and go 13-1. About three months later, in the same Georgia Dome where Meyer’s Gators won the conference, Donovan’s Gators salted away another SEC by beating Arkansas. Winning football and basketball conference titles against the same school in the same building is something no other college team has ever done, or will likely ever do again. Barriers keep coming down Gainesville and most anything seems possible these days for the guys in orange and blue. Friday night, Donovan’s defending national champions moved one step closer to doing what Duke last did, claiming back-to-back national titles, as they survived a scrappy Butler team in the first round of the Sweet Sixteen to earn another trip to the Elite Eight. Donovan’s Gators are only three games removed from the ultimate prize. Today, the current UF basketball team boasts a 32-5 mark. If you break it down with the two sports, that makes a combined total of 88 wins, 15 losses, two national championships and three SEC titles – with yet another national trophy hanging in the balance. Since Donovan and Meyer are neighbors in the same cul de sac, do you suppose all the genius is in their water? There are many moving parts on Donovan’s squad and a wealth of talent, but The Man on Friday night was Al Horford, who dominated both ends of the court, carrying his Gator mates on his back. Aside from his stellar free-throw shooting that led to 16 points, plus seven rebounds, Horford’s four blocked shots were crucial – especially the two in the final minute – and prevented Butler from a huge upset. The Gators had trailed by as many as 9 points before notching the 65-57 victory and advancing to today’s game against Oregon for the right to return to the Final Four -- in, of all places, Atlanta. Hey, the Georgia Dome is getting to be a home field/court advantage for the Florida Gators. How long can this beautiful life last for Gator fans? Well, this kind of success is rare and fragile, so it can be altered or torpedoed by the slightest tilt of the axis, leading to seismic change. Donovan, for instance, could up and take the Kentucky job. Do I think it would happen? Nope, but when Bill talks openly in his press conference about it as he did Friday, it makes Gator fans nervous. “All I'm going to say … that has nothing to do with me,” Donovan replied to a questioner. “It has everything to do with Kentucky. I'm not in control of any their decision-making process. The only thing I'm focused on right now is our basketball team and trying to coach them and enjoy every moment with them because it's been such a fun group.” It could become a lot more fun if Florida beats Oregon today. Quick Jump Starts 1. Sometimes I wonder if Tiger Woods isn’t in danger of making golf boring.2. Can somebody please explain why Steve Alford bolted Iowa in favor of New Mexico?3. This column has a secret compartment where I hide my jewelry, like Mike Vick’s water bottle. 4. I predict Kentucky – unless it was able to lure Donovan away from Florida, which I doubt will ever happen – will rue the day it dumped Tubby Smith. 5. If you watched the gallant effort of Southern Illinois in a heartbreaking loss to Kansas, did I, you must have admired the play of Salukis point guard Jamaal Tatum, college basketball’s version of Steve Nash. Short Stuff:The Mr. Two Bits of Miami Dolphins football, Denny Sym, aka "Dolfan Denny," died last week at age 72 after cheering on his favorite NFL team for 34 seasons … Two of the freshman drawing the coaches’ eyes in the Gators spring football practice are tight end Aaron Hernandez of Bristol, Conn. and cornerback/athlete Joe Haden of Fort Washington, Md.
And good morning ... ...to you Florida Gulf Coast University students, fans and supporters. Congrats on the success of the Eagles women’s success in the NCAA basketball tournament.Buddy Martin
Without Cinderella, we are left to the Upperdogs Welcome to Basketball Daze. Three days and 48 games worth of NCAA hoops can turn you into a hollowed-eyed Harry Potter creature, with a brain scrambled by box scores and Bracket-ology.
March Madness is a little bit of Hoop Heaven or Hoop Hell, depending on your perspective.
Maybe you hate the officials. Zebra-bashing is permissible in the privacy of your own living room. Some of those block-charge calls always look sketchy. Give me a good no-call any day.
Maybe you’re ticked off at the announcers. This is a Dick Vitale-Free Zone on CBS, but there’s always something to holler at them about. My friend Verne Lundquist annoyed me the other night because he wouldn’t keep us up to speed on fouls. C’mon, Verne!
Maybe you want to throw a pillow at the TV when the directors give us the wrong pictures, like they did when Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski got all the face time over Virginia Commonwealth’s Anthony Grant, whose team upset the Blue Devil.
The brackets are addictive. People like my wife, who barely know Georgetown from Boy George, attacks the brackets like Warren Buffett reading the stock tables. Sometimes she’ll say, “I’m going to take UNLV all the way, because my dad graduated from there.” Or, “I like this one because Gary (her son-in-law) would be mad if I didn’t pick UCLA.”
Funny thing is that she usually beats me.
By the way, not surprisingly, the missus picks Florida go all the way. I picked Kansas to beat the Gators in the semis and the Jayhawks to win it all by beating Georgetown.
So far, this has been mostly a tournament of the chalk walkers. From the opening tip Tuesday night in the play-in victory by Niagara over Florida A&M through the first two rounds it has been fairly vanilla, with all the top seeds five seeds holding serve.
Bracket-busters were rare in the first 32 games. And except for the upset of No. 6. Notre Dame by No. 11 Winthrop and the thrilling win by No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth over No. 6 Duke, the first two rounds were basketball’s version of business-as-usual.
Will somebody please ask Cinderella to call central casting? No matter which of the top teams is your flavor, Florida’s quest to repeat remains best story until she shows up.
There is no doubt that the unselfish decision of Billy Donovan’s 2006 to come back another season is a story that should be championed. Although it’s not always easy to get behind the upperdogs,we must always remember in a sports world where the pros have been known the paper the walls of strip-clubs with thousands of dollars, we have an obligation to celebrate core values and salute virtue where we find it.
Speaking of finding it, CBS and the NCAA did its best to bury the story of Florida’s quest with a 10:05 p.m. tipoff in the Gators’ 112-69 victory over Jackson State. Florida fans had the choice of hopping a flight to New Orleans or staying at home and adjusting their body clocks yet another hour, thanks to the Central Time Zone and the earlier-than-usual Daylight Saving Time.
Maybe that was the reason Florida was sleep walking through the first half. Sixth-man Chris Richard kept Florida on top with his hustle plays, offensive boarding and stick-backs.
As a matter of fact, when people talk about Florida’s starting five having achieved “rock star status” on the UF campus, they shouldn’t forget Chris Richard, the Sixth Gator. And if they ever paint a portrait of this Famous Five, then Richard should join Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey for the sitting. He is the Fifth Beatle – maybe not McCartney, Lennon, Harrison or Starr, but perhaps Pete Best or Stuart Sutcliffe.
Richard shepherded his dozing teammates to a halftime lead of six points, 41-35. The Gators then subjected Jackson State to a shock-and-awe second half of 71 points, the most in school history. It was raining threes from Lee Humphrey and Corey Brewer. The Gators owned the glass. They ran the court with abandon. And they sent a little message to those who thought they had a shot at seeing the first No. 16 seed upset of a No. 1.
No doubt Billy Donovan would like to have saved some of those points for Sunday’s game against Purdue, but he’s also very happy to see them on the scoreboard.
The Gators have to win five more times to repeat. People like me picked against them because the odds are against this happening again in sequential years. And no team has ever won back-to-back titles with the same starting five.
Or, for that matter, the starting same six.
Quick Jump Starts
1.For all you bracket wizards who smugly picked Florida, consider that a chicken in Atlanta made its “pecks” and wound up with the same conclusion.
2. Hoo boy, another idol has fallen: Even Rocky was caught at the airport with illegal growth hormones.
3. So go figure this: None other than rival Phil Mickelson comes to the defense of Tiger Woods on his decision to possibly limited the field to 80 in his new AT&T National in Washington D.C.
4. Mickelson can do the math – in the past 10 years since Tiger’s dominance began, prize money on the PGA Tour has more than tripled.
5.The highest paid SEC coach last season wasn’t Urban Meyer or Steve Spurrier or Phil Fulmer or Mark Richt – it was Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville ($2.23 million).
Short Stuff:
According to his former Police Athletic League coach in New York, Tyrone Green, Joakim Noah starting thumping his check at age 13 to demonstrate “he’s playing with heart”… Tim Tebow will start in Urban Meyer’s two-quarterback system, with freshmen Cameron Newton and John Brantley, or junior college transfer Bryan Waggener backing up.
Nothing but ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. I'm no Wino. I'm a Wine-yes.
2. Consumer Alert: Chocolate makes your clothes shrink.
3. I had a nice day and I didn't like it.
Today’s Proverb
Best marriage advice. Love, Honor and Negotiate.
And good morning …
…to the friends and family of former Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who died last week at 80. I had many chats with Bowie, whose legacy will always be that of night baseball in the World Series, despite the chilly weather. To make his point, Bowie refused to wear an overcoat.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best, Sunday March 11, 2007 Five to remember in college basketball
In the fragile world of sudden death basketball, it’s tough to predict anybody as the favorite to win the NCAA basketball tournament – even if the reigning defending champion Florida Gators do have all five starters back from last season.
You could throw a net over Florida, UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Memphis with a pretty good chance of fining a winner, but this does appear to be one of those seasons when nobody is the dominant choice.
Fact is, unless Florida wins today’s SEC title game in Atlanta against Arkansas, Billy Donovan’s team may not even be one of the four No. 1 seeds after Selection Sunday ends.
Having said that, the Gators sent a loud message last week:They’re back, they’re angry, they’re focused and whoever plays them had better bring dinner, because it’s going to be a long night.
Unlike in their late-season slump, when they came out flat and lost three of their last four games, these Gators look like the ones we saw last year when they got hot and ripped off six straight wins for the national title.
When they come out of the box strong, they almost always win the game when they win the first 10 minutes.
Against Georgia Friday night and Mississippi Saturday, they were shot out of a cannon. They ran up a 17-0 lead against the Bulldogs before prevailing 74-57. And they rolled up a 13-2 margin against the Rebels on the way to a 80-59 semi-final victory and trip to the finals today against Arkansas. In fact, they shot 75 per cent in the first five minutes of their SEC wins. And they have won them by an average margin of 19 points.
There are promising signs that have Donovan smiling in his sleep. The belly-button defense has returned. The crisp passes are there. The outside shooting has kicked in. The aggressive rebounding is evident. They are playing like they like each other again. And the energy level, thanks mostly to a rejuvenated Joakim Noah, is off the charts.
This is where you want your team this time of the year – peaking for the stretch run.
Nobody could predict what happened last year and nobody can do it this year, because as Donovan has said many times, his Gators might not have been the best team in the country in 2006, but they were the best against six straight opponents.
The fact that all five starters returned for this season when four of them could have been playing in the NBA this year – and maybe more – makes this a feel-good story for all college basketball fans, not just Gator backers.
Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey still have some work to finished, but they have provided us with a memorable year – and maybe two. It is a story for the ages.
Quick Jump Starts
1.Here’s why you’ll never get a college football playoff system that would meet unanimous approval: Even when they pick 65 teams for the NCAA basketball tournament, there are still teams left out that man felt were worthy.
2. Oh, geez, it’s March and that means we’re going to be seeing more of Billy Packer in our living rooms than our spouses
3. Bad news for future Gator basketball opponents during March Madness: Lee Humphrey has his shooting eye back.
4. I agree with my friend Neil and others who say it’s absurd that the NHL schedule is ridiculous when there’s never even been a regular season rematch of the two teams who went 7 games before Tampa Bay beat Calgary in 2004.
5. My second favorite name of the Kentucky Derby hopefuls (after NoBizLikeShoBiz) is Any Given Saturday. Short Stuff: After three straight losses to Florida, Bobby Bowden finally decided to improved his scouting report on the Gators, by hiring Urban Meyer’s director of football operations, Bob LaCivita, who becomes FSU’s first-ever director of player personnel … The Tampa Bay Lightning have 10 players left from the 2004 Stanley Cup champions … There are 162 foreign-born players in major league baseball (22 per cent), with 119 of them Latin Americans (76 from the Dominican Republic). Give it a rest please
Yes, Florida’s Chris Richard is indeed a talented sub, which is why he was picked as the SEC’s Best Sixth Man, but TV announcers need to ditched that overused line: “Hey, he’d be starting on any other team in the country!” Maybe so, maybe not. Haven’t they ever heard of John Havlicek?
Where's Meadowlark? A friend of mine took his grandson to see the 2007 version of the Harlem Globetrotters recently and was shocked at the staggering price of $42.50 per ticket, plus being disappointed by the poor quality of the entertainment. I told him that for that much, he should have expected to see Meadowlark Lemon making comeback. Cheesy Lines
This time I don’t think Steve Spurrier’s quarterback could be called “a product of the system.” Freshman Stephen Garcia of Tampa has been suspended for the spring by the South Carolina coach following a second arrest, this time for “keying” a car belonging to a USC professor. Yo, Stephen, that’s not exactly the grabbing key to the future in Columbia.
Nothing but ‘Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) The Gospel according to St. Titleist
“I'm hitting the woods just great, but having a terrible time getting out of them!” –
Buddy Hackett
Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. When all else fails, manipulate the data.
2. You see three branches of government. I see firewood
3. Amateurs Built The Ark. Professionals Built The Titanic.
Today’s Joke
Best comebacks by caddies: “You've got to be the worst caddy in the world.” Caddie: “I don't think so sir. That would be too much of a coincidence.”
Today’s Proverb
The irony of life is that, by the time you're old enough to know your way around, you're not going anywhere. And good morning …
... All you Bracketologists. My three sleepers: Georgetown, Arkansas and Texas.
Buddy Martin Front Row/Gator Hoop/ March 4, 2007
Just like old times again at The O-Dome
GAINESVILLE – It’s March and The Lion is roaring again. That 6-foot-11 chest-banging, fist-pumping, rim-rattling, court-diving, crowd-pleasing New York giant they call “Jo” came off the missing persons list Sunday. Joakim Noah is back among the living.
Back on the glass snagging rebounds (10), back on the floor retrieving loose balls, back in the box score with double digit points (17) and, most of all, back like Freddy Kilowatt with the electricity. After a three-game slump and a lackluster showing of just 18 total points, the part cheerleader/part junior basketballer played brilliantly in what was most likely his final game at the O’Connell Center. He energized everybody.
The team that took the floor Sunday looked a lot like last year’s squad, playing aggressive defense, dominating the glass, knocking down the three-pointers,blocking shots and stealing the basketball, etc.
“It was good to see him (Noah) getting back to that energy he has,” said Coach Billy Donovan, who was beaming about the effort his whole team finishing unbeaten (17-0) at home and at the same time coming to the defense of his player. “Five of our last seven games were on the road and there was a lot of abuse of Jo that crossed the line,” said Donovan.
They may have slowed him down, but Jo and The Gator Boys are back playing like the way they use to play:Five Florida players had 10 or more points. Among them was including a trio with three 3-point buckets: Lee Humphrey, Taurean Green and Walter Hodge.
The ever-dependable Al Horford had a scary moment after banging knees with a Wildcat and needed assistance to leave the court, but came back and finished off a 14-point day with three blocks and 10 rebounds.
This rejuvenation was none too soon, with the SEC Tournament starting in Atlanta for the Gators on Friday, followed by the NCAA Tournament where they are defending a national championship.
Two straight losses on the road, caused by shooting slumps and defensive lapses, dropped the Gators out of a possible No. 1 seed, but the SEC regular season champs are still positioned well to make a run. Especially with a re-energized Noah, who was angry about some of the things that had been written about him and had a few words for the media.
“Sometimes I feel like the media is poison,” said Noah. “It’s funny to you guys, but this is my life. So from now on I’m playing for me, my family and the people that matter to me.”
Among that group is the “Rowdy Reptiles,” Noah’s biggest admirers. Once again, just like the old Joakim, he played to the student section, as if counting off points like a metronome, beating his breast and making Tarzan-like incantations.
Along with bringing all that energy, Noah appeared to be blowing off steam and getting on his mad for those in his way on the road to the Final Four. It’s March, and the Lion is roaring again. Beware.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best, Sunday March 4, 2007 Sometimes change is a good thing Sometimes I think free agency wrecked professional sports. Other times I think it has been the greatest thing since garage door openers, TV clickers and e-mail. In simpler times, we knew all the players in every league, their batting averages, scoring averages and touchdowns scored and tackles made. There was an occasional trade, but rosters seldom changed. We could keep up. It was a more personal time for sports fans. Our team was our team. In today’s rent-a-player climate, we lose track of the players and develop split loyalties. If, say, Johnny Damon is your fave, how can a Red Sox fan suddenly pull for a Yankee? The upside is that the Yankees don’t win all the time; there is hope for Arizona Cardinal and Detroit Lions – and maybe even the Bucs. Late last week, the Bucs Nation was abuzz with the word that Jake Plummer had been obtained by Jon Gruden’s club for a fourth-round draft choice. But before Tampa Bay fans could celebrate, The Snake crawled off and retired rather than report to the Bucs. Talk about rejection! Talk radio lit up in both Denver and the Bay Area. Out in Colorado, most Broncos fans were saying “Good riddance!” Bucs fans couldn’t quite understand the move. One caller to the pinching-hitting Nanci Donnellan, aka “The Fabulous Sports Babe” on WDAE, made the point that John Gruden seemed to consider himself a rehabilitator of broken down quarterbacks. “He keeps looking for Rich Gannon and he’s not out there,” said the caller. Then came the news Saturday that the Bucs had signed Jeff Garcia and worked out a deal for the rights to Plummer, who will then be traded to another team. So the Bucs are doing something, even if it turns out to be wrong. Change is a very good thing when you stink. Quick Jump Starts 1.Memo to Jon Gruden: Let’s hope for your sake that Jeff Garcia doesn’t decide to retire, too. 2. If ESPN and CBS don’t start giving us a reasonable count on personal fouls and a shot clock graphic, I’m going back to listening to basketball games on Internet radio (if I can find them). 3. If you want to root for a sport that doesn’t coddle or tolerate rich, insufferable, egomaniacal athletes, go for the Iditarod. 4. Talk about your ultimate sacrifice for a teammate: Ron Springs giving up a kidney for former Dallas Cowboy defensive back Everson Walls. 5.I’m rooting No Biz Like Show Biz as a Kentucky Derby contender, if for no other reasons than the great name and the fact that he reminds us somewhat of Funny Cide. Short Stuff: Looks like no matter the outcome of Sunday’s final game against Kentucky at the O-Dome, the Florida Gators won’t be a No. 1 seed and will probably wind up playing their opening round in New Orleans … If you feel old, consider how 40-year-old Dikembe Mutombo creaks around after an NBA outing … I dunno, does it bother you taxpayers that the State of Florida’s highest paid employee is FSU coach Bobby Bowden? This just in A few years ago we ran a story here about an arsonist turning out to be a fireman. How quaint! A person’s hobby, pyromania, also provides her or him with job security. This might be an absurd comparison, but in a way it reminds me of Tiger Woods. A few weeks ago, The International pulled the plug, citing the lack of a title sponsor and poor TV ratings to the inability to attract Tiger. A few weeks later, the PGA Tour announced that the July 4th event will be moved to Washington, D.C., with the Tiger Woods Foundation as the sponsoring agency. Of course, everybody denied there was anything brewing all along. Tiger taketh away, Tiger giveth. Cheesy Lines --Phil Fullmer got a two-year extension on his contract at Tennessee, but no raise. If he really wanted to live up to the team’s name, he could Volunteer for nothing. --One of the players who stood up to the notion of moving the New Orleans Saints to San Antonio after Hurricane Katrina was Joe Horn, all of which got him a ticket out of town. He was released Friday, but at his own request. Would it be right or wrong to say the Saints blew off Joe Horn? --New ESPN football analyst Bill Parcells says it’s definitely “the last time I’m coming back to TV” and that he’s done with coaching because “it’s too much for a person like me to fight.” Seems as though Parcell’s Cowboys nemesis, Terrell Owens, caused a Tuna Meltdown. Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) The Gospel according to St. Titleist “Man blames fate for all other accidents, but feels personally responsible when he makes a hole-in-one.” -- Bishop Sheen. Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. My garage is my salvation. 2. Talk is cheap until you hire a lawyer. 3. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often (Sonny’s, Bushnell). Today’s Joke Higher Power: A Sunday school teacher said to her children, “We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a higher power. Can anybody tell me what it is?” One child blurted out, “Aces!” Today’s Proverb He who smiles in a crisis has found someone to blame. And good morning … … All you nervous Gator basketball fans. Don’t despair just yet.
Buddy Martin Sunday Best, Sunday Feb. 25, 2007 Stepping up to the plate one more time This is the year I’m going back to an Old Flame: Baseball. It has been too long between hugs with the Great American Pastime, which I played as a boy and loved so much. We’ve been drifting apart for several decades now and for reasons that still don’t readily come to mind, my passion for the game has dwindled. Like most other sports fans, the interest level ebbs and flows. About every October I become a fan again. Last season, as in recent years, it seems the World Series outcome just wasn’t all that important – even to a guy who was once a Cardinal fan. Perhaps it is the late hour of competition, or even the proliferation of franchises and the overexposure to the game which contributed to my apathy. Seems like when we had only the Game of the Week it was special. Now we get a choice of several almost every night. More is less. It would be convenient to blame the steroid scandal or the high salaries or major league boys acting badly. Truthfully, my lack of interest seems to stem from not living in a real baseball community and being able to follow a contending team. Because there is still nothing like a pennant chase. Back when the Red Sox and Yankees were trading blows and the Mets were at least competitive I lived in New York and enjoyed a game on TV several nights a week.But the best that the Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Devil Rays have to offer have not piqued my interest. I reallyt can’t blame anybody else, so maybe it’s just my fault for not reaching out. I’m willing to meet baseball halfway this year, however, and and I’ve begun doing a little homework to get ready for the 2007 season. Maybe I’ll even go as far as to see a weekend series at The Trop. Meanwhile, let’s kick it off with a little trivia, which always seems so indiginent to baseball: There are only four major league baseball teams that don’t use players’ names on the back of their road jerseys and just one that has them on neither. Can you name them? (See answer below) Batter up! Quick Jump Starts 1. Just so you know how it’s going to go next season, Bucs fans, your team is already 0-1 after the coin toss with Cleveland for the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft. 2. Now that Dwayne Wade is injured and out, it’s time for The Big Man, Shaquille O’Neal, to step up and earn That Big Money. 3.Sometimes we wonder why we watch NASCAR racing, and then we get a reminder from the last spectacularly, splendorific, slam-bang Daytona 500. 4.It must be spring, because Manny Ramirez is late reporting for something again. 5.I have problems with a guy like Bill Romanowski, a reformed self-acknowledged steroid user who says he has seen the error of his ways, hawking his new supplements for brain-injured football players. Short Stuff: With Arkansas AD Frank Broyles stepping down, coach Houston Nutt is expected to be more exposed to fire from Razorback fans, some of whom are taking out ads in newspapers to get Nutt canned … The Florida Gators cut down the nets after Wednesday’s night’s win over South Carolina to celebrate the regular season SEC basketball championship, then went to Baton Rouge and got cut down by the LSU Tigers Saturday in what had to be one of the worst showings of the season for Billy Donovan’s team … The Gators, by the way, will be wearing new tighter fitting uniforms Tuesday night at Tennessee, bearing some facsimile of alligator skin. Oscar This In honor of tonight’s Academy Awards, these famous Oscars: Robertson, Hammerstein, Wilde, Charleston, Robles and Meyer. Cheesy Lines --Tennessee’s Adam “Pacman” Jones brought new meaning to the terms gluttony, waste and lust by showering strippers is Las Vegas with $81,000 in cash, causing a shootout that led to three injuries and proving without a doubt that professional athletes are not only grossly overpaid, but quite often stupid and dangerous. The Titans ought to tell Pacman to pack it in. --Huntington, West Va. schoolboy hoopster O.J. Mayo, who scored 47 in last week’s loss to St. Patrick of Elizabeth, N.J., has already committed to Southern Cal, leading some to wonder if crosstown rival UCLA is already working on the cheer, “Hold The Mayo! Hold The Mayo!” --So Donald Trump wants to build a wedding chapel on a New Jersey golf course and convert it to a mausoleum. Most of us already know the feeling of getting buried on a golf course. Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) The Gospel according to St. Titleist “If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork as poorly as they do a golf club, they'd starve to death.” – Sam Snead Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign 1. Don't blame yourself. Let me do it. 2. I may not be right, but I can sure sound like it. 3. I left the golf course for this? Today’s Joke A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day – 30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, “The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men.” The husband then turned and asked, “What?” Today’s Proverb Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool. Trivia Answer: Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Giants. Yankees also do not display them on their road uniforms. And good morning … … to all you Bracketologists. This could be the year to pick some of the longshots for your Final Four.
Buddy Martin column/ Feb. 18, 2007
Nothing left in Gators’ tank this time When they tried to push the accelerator to the floor, there was nothing left in the gas tank. And we’re not talking about the boys at Daytona Beach. After twice overcoming double-digit deficits at halftime against SEC opponents in the past few weeks, the No. 1 Florida basketball Gators found themselves too farback in the pack to catch up to the Vanderbilt Commodores. It was somebody else’s turn to win one for a change. In the scheme of things, getting hammered by the Commodores, 83-70, Saturday in Nashville probably doesn’t mean all that much. It only starts to matter in March. Certainly, though, it would have been nice for Gator fans if this team would have established the school record with an 18th straight victory. But as Billy Donovan has said many times before when asked if these Gators could make history by becoming the first team since Duke to win back-to-back national titles, “we’re not interesting in trying to make history – we’re just trying to win the next game.” You can live on the edge just so long and clearly this Florida team was feeling the body punches from playing tough SEC opponents on the road – even if they had won all the league games to date. When Florida went to the locker room at halftime, trailing only by eight points, 35-27, it hardly seemed daunting. After all, the Gators had trailed this same team in Gainesville by 11 at half and had won easily, 74-64. And they’d been down by 18 to Alabama before pulling it out, 76-67. This time the Gators came up short. They ran into a feisty bunch of Vandy shooters, led by the remarkable performances of Derrick Byars and Shan Foster, who scored 24 points each. Whether Florida holds on the No. 1 ranking next week is questionable, although they had been unanimous choices the past two weeks. Of much greater concern for Donovan is trying to beat South Carolina at home next Wednesday, then LSU and Tennessee on the road and, finally, Kentucky at the O-Dome. That’s the kind of “history” he’s interested in making right now. Quick Jump Starts
1. Kudos to the college football coaches for putting those 14 plays per game back in the game by going back to the old clock rules.
2. CBS might to well to invest in a saliva-shield on the microphone of ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher when he gets fired up in his new broadcasting job next fall.
3.So if NASCAR wants to avoid cheating, how about just taking cars right off the assembly line and running them as real “stock cars”?
4. If Tony Stewart played football instead of racing cars, he’d be a perfect Oakland Raider – except that he wins.
5. There is almost nothing you can say about Tim Hardaway’s anti-gay remarks that got him fired last week by the NBA without offending somebody – so I won’t – except to suggest that the word “hate” cannot tolerated when used by any public figure about any group.
Short Stuff:
Maybe the greatest pitcher ever died at 81 last week with passing of Eddie Feigner, who in his lifetime struck out more than 155,000 batters, including Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Brooks Robinson, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills and Harmon Killebrew in succession –but in softball … … Two of my favorites among the rules changes college football coaches are considering next month are not starting the clock on the kickoff until a player touches the ball and using more 30-second timeouts … One Bowden’s loss is another’s gain: Coveted receiver Markish Jones will, indeed, play his football in for Tommy in Clemson and not at FSU for Bobby as previously thought.
Nothing but Net (With a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends) Buddy’s Mail Bag
Re: Tony Dungy’s post-game Super Bowl remarks:
When Vince Lombardi coached the Packers, his motto was, “We have these priorities: Church, Family, and the Green Bay Packers.” Coach Lombardi rarely discussed religion for the press. However, Lombardi made it to mass every morning he was in Green Bay. As a young associate pastor at Green Bay First Methodist Church, I saw every Sunday the Packers were in town the following: coach Red Cochrane, Bart Starr, Boyd Dowler, Carroll Dale, Willie Davis, Herb Adderly, Henry Jordan, and many other players even though many church members were already out at Lambeau Field tailgating before for the game. I hope that the religious practices of Coach Lombardi and his staff and team is seen as Christian by contemporary “Christians.” There are some who do not think being part of the Catholic or mainline Protestant Churches count as Christian. And there are some who do not realize that many coaches have been Christian all through American sports history. Rev. Jerry Eckert Port Charlotte
JERRY: The remark made by Dungy was to put in context that, while he and Bears coach Lovie Smith were proud of being the first African American coaches at the Super Bowl, they also were proud of both being Christian.
Bumper sticker, T-Shirt or Sign
1. Talk is cheap until you hire a lawyer.
2. Best marriage advice. Love, Honor and Negotiate.
3. Challenge authority. Just not now.
Today’s Joke
Lee Trevino once reminded us that “golf is a game invented by the same people who think music comes out of a bagpipe.”
Today’s Proverb Frustration is trying to find your glasses without your glasses. And good morning …
… All you baseball mavens. Even though the weather doesn’t feel like it, major league spring training is finally here!
Buddy Martin column/ Feb. 12, 2007
Trying to be No. 1 in everything
As the No. 1 ranked Florida Gator basketball team was preparing to take the court in Lexington Saturday night, the school’s baseball team was hoping to generate a little momentum in the season’s opening series against Virginia Military Institute. And former Charlotte High slugger Matt LaPorta was tending to some unfinished business.
But for quirk of fate, LaPorta might have been on his way to Fort Myers this spring as a hopeful to make the big league roster with the Boston Red Sox. Instead, he was getting his ups in the second game against VMI, hoping to tack on more hits to the two he got Friday night in the Gators’ 5-3 loss. He wants to help coach Pat McMahon’s team back to national prominence while upping his stock as a prospect.
UF being No. 1 in the world in everything these days, we should pause to remember that it was LaPorta and his Gator mates who sorta started this whole thing last year when they opened the season at No. 1. Unfortunately, as the slide began to occur, LaPorta was injured, missed 13 games and the Gators didn’t return to the College World Series as expected. Matt wound up missing 13 games and losing the tempo on his swing. He hit only .259 and posted just 14 home runs. The team finished a poor 28-28.
Instead of getting drafted early, LaPorta slipped to the 14th round, albeit with Boston, and when he hired aggressive agent Scot Boras, they could never come to terms. So LaPorta, like the members of Billy Donovan’s basketball team, returned for his senior year.
LaPorta is back with a brand new attitude and a healed body and is sure to break the school’s career home run record (he needs just two more). It would be nice to see him get rewarded for his decision, as has been the case with Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer – even if the baseball team can’t match the lofty accomplishments of Billy Donovan’s Gator Boys.
Quick Jump Starts
1. Boy, now some coaches and/or ex-coaches (see John Smith of Michigan State) want to charge Ron Zook with cheating because he has out-worked other schools and attracted so many outstanding recruits to Illinois – something he has always done at every college where he has worked.
2. Two of my favorite college basketball players from now on are 5-8 Duke point guard Lindsey Harding from Houston, who could play for most men’s teams, and 6-10 guard Abby Waner from Englewood, Co., whose hard-nosed play and dive-for-the-loose-ball hustle would make her a great addition to most men’s teams.
3.Even though I don’t put great emphasis on “rating” a recruiting class, it’s a pretty good indication that Urban Meyer has things going on in Gainesville with the announcement that his 2006 class was ranked No. 1.
4. Maybe it’s a good thing Rex Grossman didn’t lead the Bears to victory over the Colts, because America is already sick and tired of the Gators being number one in everything.
5. Avis, the auto rental company which featured a whole advertising campaign on being second best, has now dropped to No. 3 behind No. 2 Hertz. with– who else? – No. 1 ranked Florida Gator auto rental company.
Short Stuff:
The loss of ex-Yankee outfielder Hank Bauer and Braves pitcher (Fidgety) Lew Burdette last week close the chapter on two baseball greats whose exploits were followed closely by yours truly as a young boy … Speedy Markish Jones of Spartanburg, S. C. was kept on the phone for 30 minutes with FSU coaches after he had already signed his letter of intent to Clemson, but hadn’t faxed it, and wound up signing with Tommy Bowden's dad instead.
Nothing but Net (with a little help from Buddy’s cyberfriends)
Mr. Martin: I have always been entertained with your articles and truthfulness of your beliefs and observations. I thought that you would be the right person to contact about
