March 31st, 2007 08:13pm
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Urban Meyer is in the house.
The Florida football coach flew up to Atlanta with assistants Charlie Strong and Billy Gonzales as well as Meyer’s son Nate to see the Final Four.
They made it in time for both games. Meyer, as everyone knows, has ties to Ohio State. But he was in the Georgia Dome to see the Gators, just as he did a year ago when he flew to Indianapolis for the national title game. …
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March 31st, 2007 05:27pm
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The bad thing about Florida playing so late is you have deadline issues.
The good thing is that you have the day free.
So the Dooley family went to an oxymoron of sorts ” an aquarium a long way from any ocean in a city with no rivers and few lakes.
But a big thumbs up to the Georgia Aquarium.
It was crowded but comfortable and even though there weren’t any dolphins there were …
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March 30th, 2007 08:29pm
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Lewis Preston was sitting on a chair at the media table soaking it all in. “My first one,” he said. “I’ve been to Sweet 16s before, but this is my first Final Four.”
Preston has been to Final Fours before as an assistant coach sitting in the stands, but this is his first one as a participant. The Florida assistant coach was digging the atmosphere.
“It has been great already,” he said Friday. “I bumped into my old boss (Mike Brey) …
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March 30th, 2007 04:57pm
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Practice is different at the Final Four.
When the practices are open at the regional sites, you get a handful of
fans watching. In New Orleans and St. Louis, you could hear every drill
barked out by coaches and every time a sneaker squeaks.
But here in Atlanta, it’s different. The stands at the Georgia Dome are
thick with fans of all four teams, plus Atlanta residents ” some of whom
don’t have tickets to the games. This is their …
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March 28th, 2007 05:16pm
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Now that Florida has reached a second straight Final Four, I’ve been asked
one question over and over and it’s not about Billy Donovan and Kentucky.
It’s this – how do you beat Florida?
And I have the answer, even though it’s not going to do Ben Howland, John
Thompson III or Thad Matta any good.
You play them at home.
Over the past two years, the Gators have lost 11 games. Two of them have
come in Gainesville (Tennessee and South Carolina …
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March 27th, 2007 07:49pm
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Who is playing the fiddle?
Not surprisingly, I think I’ve done 109 radio shows since Florida advanced to the Final Four and Billy Donovan to Kentucky rumors began to sprout like dandelions. One of the questions I get all the time centers around whether Donovan feels like he’s playing second-fiddle to football.
First of all, I don’t think Donovan plays the fiddle.
Secondly, Donovan has never indicated it bothers him. One reason for his success is that he is the first basketball coach …
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March 23rd, 2007 04:49pm
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You know what we’re seeing a lot of here in St. Louis? Kansas fans.
I ran into a couple of them at the hotel and they said they bought their tickets a year ago assuming the Jayhawks would be put in the Midwest Regional. Even when they weren’t, they decided to come anyway.
You know who else I’m seeing here? James Bates.
The former Gator linebacker is now in Denver working for the network that …
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March 22nd, 2007 02:11pm
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We’ve talked often about how special this time has been for the Gator Nation. All you really need to know is this fact — Florida has won 17 straight post-season games in football and basketball.
Even during the Steve Spurrier heyday the longest streak for the two sports was five games and that came when Billy Donovan’s 2000 team went to the national title game.
It has been an amazing run. All of the 17 straight have been special, but if I …
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March 22nd, 2007 02:06pm
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My only trip to St. Louis was a quick one for the Bucs-Rams NFC championship game back when the Bucs were actually a competitive football team. So on Thursday, I decided to take a walk through downtown to see what the city has to offer.
Our media hotel is three blocks from the Edward Jones Dome, five blocks from Busch Stadium and seven blocks from the famous Arch. Downtown has some amazing buildings, but also a plethora of construction.
Busch Stadium is …
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March 17th, 2007 09:12pm
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How the Gators spent Saturday at the NCAA Tournament (all times Central):
11 a.m. ” After a late night because they played the last game of the first round, the players don’t have their first meal until 11 a.m. That is followed by a video session focusing on Purdue.
1 p.m. ” Treatment for players nursing bumps and bruises. They are iced down and loosened up.
2:30 p.m. ” Sandwiches are served in an informal setting. It’s …
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