Good morning, Gator Nation: Here’s some thoughts to get you through the day.
URBAN AT THE VATICAN
Ah, shucks. Apparently Florida head football coach Urban Meyer and his family did not get to talk with Pope Benedict on their recent trip to Italy and Israel. Can you imagine if they had?
Pope: “So Notre Dame’s your dream job?”
Urban: “Well, it used to be, your Holiness. We’re happy at Florida.”
Pope: “Then for your penance, Florida must play Notre Dame in a regular-season game in South Bend.”
Actually, I think Pope Benedict is a closet Boston College fan.
THIRD TIME THE CHARM?
Tim Walton has guided his Florida softball team to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City for the third straight year and maybe this is the year the Gators get over the hump and win the whole thing.
Some might think that would be ironic, considering the Gators would win it without Stacey Nelson throwing a pitch. But Stephanie Brombacher certainly isn’t a slouch.
I’m thinking this could be another case of the star graduating and the team getting to the next level that it couldn’t under the star. You know, kind of like Peyton Manning graduating from Tennessee and going to the Indianapolis Colts and being replaced by Tee Martin, who took the Volunteers to the national championship.
First up is afternoon battle today (3:30 p.m. on ESPN) between the 48-8 Gators and the 45-11 Bruins of UCLA. The winner gets the winner of the opener between Missouri and Hawaii, the 16th seed which knocked out No. 1-seed Alabama with a walk-off home run last weekend.
Defending champion Washington and pitcher Danielle Lawrie, who beat Florida in two straight games in last season’s best-of-3 championship series, are in the other bracket with Tennessee, Georgia and Arizona.
CONGRATULATIONS
To Brombacher and senior Francesca Enea, who were named 2010 National Fastpitch Coaches Association/Louisville Sluggers All-Americans. It’s the third time Enea, the SEC’s all-time leading home-run hitter, has been so honored and the second straight year for Brombacher, who led the SEC with 34 victories.
A BUMMER IN MOTOR CITY
Surely, you’ve all heard about umpire Jim Joyce blowing the call at first base, calling Cleveland hitter Jason Donald safe on a ground ball fielded by Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who threw to pitcher Armando Galarraga, who was covering first base and trying to get the out to complete a perfect game.
That’s right – a bang-bang play at first base – and after seeing the replay, Joyce admitted he got the call wrong.
“It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the [stuff] out of it,” Joyce said. “I just cost that kid a perfect game. I thought he (Donald) beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.”
What, he saw the replay? And he admitted he blew the call?
So, I ask, why can’t he change it?
Why can’t Armando Galarraga get credit for his perfection Wednesday night? Look, who are we kidding here? The commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, should just go ahead and vacate Trevor Crowe’s game-ending grounder that followed and call it a perfect game.
There is precedence – it’s called upholding a protest and making teams resume a game from the point where the mistake was made. Except in this case, there’s no game to resume.
Galarraga gets his perfect game. DONE.
And Jim Joyce doesn’t have to spend the rest of his life kicking himself. Come on, Mr. Commissioner, dare to do the right thing.
P.S. Let it be known that Joyce went and apologized to Galarraga. Classy move. Not often do you see an umpire do that. Also, Tigers manager Jim Leyland and others have stepped forward and said Jim Joyce is one of the best umpires the game has. Another reason to relieve his pain.
KEN GRIFFEY JR. RETIRES
What? Didn’t he just start his career yesterday.
Hard to believe it was 22 years ago. Griffey, who hit 630 home runs in his major league career and is almost a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer, wasn’t even around when the announcement was made Wednesday at Safeco Field prior to the Mariners’ game with the Twins. He simply released a statement through the Mariners.
Come to think of it, I’ve been married for 22 years. Seems like only yesterday …
FRIDAY CAN’T GET HERE QUICK ENOUGH
Word has it that the NCAA will announce its findings in the investigation of the Southern California Athletic Department. Current football coach Lane Kiffin doesn’t think his programl is going to take much of a hit.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the Trojans will, either. Because if they are prohibited from playing in a bowl game, that’s money the rest of the Pac-10 schools don’t receive and split. Ditto with a cut in TV appearances. That also hurts the other guy whose game with USC might otherwise be televised.
Nah, it’s going to be a few scholarships and some vacated victories. I don’t see the Heisman people taking back Reggie Bush’s trophy.
I would prefer, of course, to hit USC where it really counts. So, Trojans, you’ll have to do without Traveler and your USC Song Girls.
Later Gators.
John Fineran