Sometime this week, Urban Meyer and his family will be winging their way back from the vacation of a lifetime.
I spoke to Urban just a few days before he left for Rome and then Israel. It seems to me, since his health scare last December, he has learned to appreciate these kinds of activities more and more.
He’s trying very hard to adapt to his new “learned” behavior. But he’s sounding like a man who is also ready for the task at hand. He was very relaxed at Longboat Key and you can tell he’s got a fresh new perspective about coaching a team without the albatross of unrealistic expectations hanging around his neck.
Meyer said he really appreciates everybody’s concern about his health. “I’ll bet I’ve gotten 70 books sent to me about how to deal with stress,” Meyer told me. He said he glanced at them and has chosen “two or three” to consider as reading material over the summer.
If he’s going to keep coaching at Florida, this kind of new approach to dealing with stress is what will preserve his career.
Of course, we’ll see just how supportive the fans are after Florida loses one this season. Which, of course, these young Gators are bound to do. But this is going to be an interesting summer for him, because the word “chill” is not in his vocabulary, unless he’s referring to cold weather.
Quick Jump Starts
1. OK, here we go with ESPN’s love fest for Washington quarterback Jake Locker – to the extent of almost ignoring Johnny Brantley as a potential star. Are you folks up in Bristol, Conn., going to make this mistake again?
2. On the Georgia messages boards, some bloggers are saying Mark Richt needs to win eight games to keep his job. And looking over this list of mediocre foes, I see at least seven that appear beatable: Louisiana-Lafayette, Mississippi State, Colorado, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Idaho State—which means Richt has to win at least one against South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Auburn or Georgia Tech. On second thought …
3. There’s absolutely nothing Magic about Stan Van Gundy’s team anymore, unless it’s their disappearing act.
4. As soon as the federal government can resolve the economy problems and figure out how to cap the BP oil spill which is causing the worst environmental disaster in American history, then they can get around to trying to tell the BCS how to run the business of a national playoff.
5. Glad to see salaries of the Gator football staff raised to a more competitive level, but at $340,000, offensive coordinator Steve Addazio is still 100K under defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and needs to be adjusted upward, considering all of Addazio’s extra duties.
Time for Tiger to go to Work
According to a report out of Chicago, Elin Nordegren Woods has “dramatically escalated her demands during negotiations over a possible divorce agreement with Tiger Woods.” Elin is reportedly asking for $750 million. Tiger supposedly is putting a stipulation on any deal so that it becomes “hush money.” I figured Elin will get pretty much anything she wants just not to go to trial – including the wedge or 9-iron she may or may not have used on Tiger’s noggin.
Ah, the Good Ol’ Days (Not!)
The best NASCAR writer in the business, Ed Hinton, wrote this about what the late Dale Earnhardt remembered concerning his early days of racing: “He thought back to 1975, when daughter Kelley was a toddler and son Dale Jr. was an infant, and ‘I was borrowing $500 at a time on 90-day notes from the bank, just to race. I had it so damn tough that year. We didn’t have money to buy groceries. We should have been on welfare’”
Bear Facts: A Family Feud
They are feudin’ and fightin’ in Chi Town, ever since the great Gale Sayers dared to call out the current Bears team and coach for under-performing, followed by a harsh response from Brian Urlacher, followed by a vote by Mike Dikta supporting Sayers, followed by another shot across the bow of Urlacher by Dick Butkus, then another slam from Dan Hampton. Score: Old Bears 4, New Bears 1.
Coach Lovie Smith, meanwhile, says winning would heal the wounds – and he thinks these Bears will. “Those are guys in the Bears family; when you’re in the family, ideally, you’d like to keep things in,” he said. “No one is happy with where we are right now. That’s why you need mini-camps and things like that. Our football team is better, and when we play better this year, everybody will be happy.”
And then the Bears will live happily ever after?????
Mail Bag
Just to prove that not all letter writers are vitriolic or rude or arrogant:
Buddy, I loved your article on JB IV (John Brantley, most recent issue of Gator Country Magazine). Since I work with JB III, his dad, I have really teased him with the line in the article (about Johnny being) “four inches taller and throws four times better.” JB IV in reality is closer to seven inches taller than his dad. Please keep up the good work. Bo Craig, UF ‘75
Ah, Bo, we can’t take it all away from JB IV at once!
To all the writers of GatorCountry.com, I want to express my thanks for giving us readers something to sink our teeth into during these days of hardly any sports going on. I appreciate you guys and gals doing what you do. Hank McLamb
Hank, on behalf of our hard-working GC staff, thanks for the words of encouragement in this dry spell – although there are lots of good things going on these days in Gator spring sports.
Short Stuff
After his funeral last week, some of us formed the Jack Hairston Chapter of the Florida Gator Football Historical Society—the first ever. Jack is Honorary President. Group so far includes just the board: Buddy Martin, Norm Carlson, Hubert Mizell, Franz Beard, Mike Bianchi and Bill Feinberg. (Bianchi is a junior member and comes in on probation – so no short jokes!). … So what’s the over-under on the number of Brett Favre will-he-or-won’t-he-retire stories between now and when the Vikings summer camp opens? … What coach that you’ve never heard of has won 471 games? That would be 83-year-old John Gagliardi of St. John’s (Minn.). … I’m still trying to figure out how Jordan Spieth, age 16, shot 20-under par at the HP Byron Nelson.
He Makes How Much?
Never mind hiring his dad to coach my defense. After reading that USC was paying Lane Kiffin $4 million, I want his agent! However, I tend to believe the HBO report that he makes half that.