It's Great to be a Florida Gator!

[TitletownGator]

What a great day in Gainesville -
First bball game we have been to in a couple of years. I picked up tickets for me, my 6 year old son, father and father-in-law as Christmas gifts, and we all made the drive down from Valdosta today. My son's first basketball game - he is obsessed with all sports right now and he LOVED every minute of it.
The atmosphere and crowd in the O'Dome was fantastic. Kudos to the student section - they were really bringing it! And this team is just a tremendous amount of fun to watch. The obvious team chemistry, great defense, all out hustle play - as this team comes together they are reminding me in some ways of the 04's. Let's hope they can have the same success! Not to single out just one guy on such a great team , but Scottie Wilbekin is turning into a tremendous player - love the way he plays the game.
We met up with my old roommate from UF that I had not seen in years and visited with his family at the game - afterward went across to BHG, walked out on the field and got some pix - then stopped off at one of our favorite Gainesville restaurants, Napalatano's, and had dinner before heading back north on 75.

All in all a great great day. There's nothing like being a Florida Gator!!

[gatorbogey]

sounds like a great day!

it's great to see the game relatively up close. sure do get a different perspective. gives you an appreciation for the effort expended. it's flat out all out hustle every second. very physical too.

really was a great atmosphere. fans were loving what they were seeing on the court. i really do love what the rowdies contribute to the game atmosphere. if i were rich and could afford it, i'd bus them to every [neutral] game because i do think they make the game alot of fun and energize the team to play at a high level [but then, the team did play inspired at A&M etc, too].

[themistocles]

The one thing that Valdosta always brings to my mind is Hominy, because every time we went through there when I was a kid (back in the 50s), we stopped at this great old Southern Restaurant that served buttered Hominy, not in Grits form.

Early memories, like going to school at UF, tend to be very emotionally satisfying to rekindle, and certainly the Missouri Saturday game was an unusually powerful positive one.

It is really great when a restaurant manages to maintain a similar environment over time. Unfortunately, the one I remember ended when the cook & owners died off in the mid 1970s.

Sounds like a terrific trip, something we all should do off and on.