March 31st, 2009 07:05pm
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OK, this is my first time at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. I’ve walked by it a dozen times going to Florida-Georgia or the regional across the street but this is the first time inside. Florida and Florida State are playing and the crowd is hardly what it was two years ago when they started playing here on an annual basis.
Maybe it’s the threat of rain. Maybe it’s because both teams are good but not great. Maybe it’s …
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March 23rd, 2009 05:35pm
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I had heard that Geno Auriemma is interesting at press conferences and my first interaction with him didn’t disappoint.
After a couple of his players sang Happy Birthday to him at the podium, he gave some interesting answers to questions posed about everything from Florida’s place in women’s basketball history (you can read that in my story in Tuesday’s Sun) to the pressure that is UConn to succeed every year.
I caught up with him afterwards as he …
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March 23rd, 2009 11:49am
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I am staying in Storrs, Conn., at the Nathan Hale Inn and I’m guessing that when Hale delivered his famous line — “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country” — he was not on the UConn campus.
One life would be plenty in this place.
It is everything that the University of Florida isn’t — cold, dull and small. I don’t get how they keep attracting players to this place. I asked …
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March 17th, 2009 08:18am
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If this were the men’s basketball bracket, they’d still be talking about it on PTI and Around the Horn.
Florida’s women got shafted when the draw came out Monday night. It’s clear that the NCAA, the most hypocritical and backwards-thinking organization this side of AIG, has to get a hold of its committees deciding the fates of these teams.
Here’s why – the men’s committee sent out a clear message that you have to schedule tough teams and beat a …
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March 14th, 2009 06:00pm
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Let’s not forget that I picked Tennessee to win this tournament. It
looks like the Vols are heading to the title game, up nine at the half.
I have to give credit to the Guru, though. Gator radio analyst Mark
Wise told me before the tourney he liked Tennessee as well, but
Mississippi State was his sleeper. The Bulldogs are in the final.
Auburn
just won’t go away but the Tigers are definitely not getting favorable
whistles. Which goes back to the reason I picked …
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March 14th, 2009 01:45pm
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LSU vs. Mississippi State
The worst thing that could have happened to a tournament that was in the wrong place at the wrong time was for both Kentucky and Florida to lose on Friday. As a result, we have a half-filled St. Pete Times Forum with very little crowd noise for the first game because most of the people here are Tennessee fans.
It should be embarrassing for Florida how few Gator fans were at the two games Florida played. …
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March 14th, 2009 01:17pm
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Late last night while I was covering the Florida loss to Auburn, I
received an e-mail from the Oakland raiders public relations office.
It included four files including one that listed all of the mis-statements by Lane Kiffin as well as a letter sent to the Tennessee chancellor by Raiders counsel.
Kiffin will be deposed in San Francisco on Monday for his arbitration hearing as he tries to collect on the money he’s seeking from Al Davis after being fired last year.
So
why …
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March 13th, 2009 01:09pm
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One team won the SEC regular season championship. The other lost four straight to end the season. But when LSU and Kentucky tipped off today there were thousands of UK fans in the crowd and only a few hundred LSU fans. Just shows how much more important basketball is in Lexington than Baton Rouge. Or Gainesville for that matter.
The Wildcats have broken out their black uniforms. They wore them once earlier this year to honor longtime equipment manager …
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March 12th, 2009 01:31pm
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In case you were wondering, it’s ‘Cat-Tampa. Kentucky fans have shown up to watch their mediocre basketball team. For them, the SEC Tournament is what Disneyworld is to you and me. They know they’re going once a year whether they want to or not.
The St. Pete Times Forum is about three-fourths full and almost all of them are Big Blue fans. Or should I say Big Boo. They don’t like these officials very much. And they’re not real fond of …
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March 11th, 2009 05:22pm
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FLORIDA
Stat you should know: Since making 7-of-8 3-point shots against Vanderbilt on his way to 27 points, Chandler Parsons had made only 7-of-33 from beyond the arc. He has scored only four points in his last two games.
Quote of the day: “I think they should let us play in Gainesville instead of here.” — Dan Werner on a perceived home-court advantage for Florida.
Billy Donovan’s mindset: A year ago, Florida came to this tournament as the three-time defending champion. The Gators …
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