Four decades of Gator football players, coaches and support staff recently turned out to honor Assistant Athletics Director / Sports Health Chris Patrick at a Dinner of Champions benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“C.P,” as he is known, has lived in towns with fewer people than the dinner crowd that showed up to honor him last week – including White Oaks, S.C. Born in Tennessee, Patrick came to Gainesville with Doug Dickey and has served under every coach since. Two of those coaches were on hand at the dinner: Dickey and Urban Meyer.
What really floored “CP” were the 75 or so former Gator football players who bought tickets from $100 and up to show their respect.
Among them were Jack Youngblood, Scot Brantley, Guy Dennis, Robert Harrell, Jack Thompson, Gene Peek, Wayne McCall – and many others.
“I was blown away,” Patrick said. “It was an awesome experience. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine something like that could be put together. I don’t have the words or vocabulary to express myself. It was a great honor and a most humbling experience.”
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Cornerback Adrian Bushell is gone and linebacker Brandon Beal has one foot out the door. Bushell is transferring, but was also reportedly an academic casualty. Beal appeared to factor in at linebacker but was beaten out in spring practice by Jelani Jenkins. Beal has asked for and is expected to be given his release Friday, but it is not known yet which school he plans to attend.
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I don’t think he’s a great horse and can’t begin to imagine him as a Triple Crown winner, but Super Saver may well win the Preakness Saturday because of his mount. Calvin Borel is the best jockey in the game today, hands down, as he has proven that by winning three of the last four Kentucky Derbys.
Even more impressive is the way Borel won the Preakness last year. After riding Mine That Bird to a win in the Run for the Roses, Borel switched over to filly Rachel Alexandra for the victory in Baltimore. He probably has the best horse in that race at Pimlico and the shorter race favors him.
Borel loves to break early and ride the rail as he did at Churchill Downs. That might work Saturday, but even if he wins I don’t think Super Saver has the breeding for the mile-and-a-half Belmont. And in New York he’d most likely be caught by the late foot of Ice Box, who was closing fast at the Kentucky Derby finish line. Saturday I like the Super Saver/Looking at Lucky exacta.
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The reviews are in and Steve Addazio is a hit as an “interim speaker.” To take some of the pressure off his boss, the offensive coordinator / line coach agreed to take several speaking engagements on behalf of Urban Meyer.
Result: Gator Nation likes Addazio a lot – especially his passion. And “Vitamin A” likes them.
“I really enjoy talking to the Gator fans,” Addazio said recently after a trip to the Tampa-St. Pete area to speak to the Gator Club. “I know all the expectations are high in the Gator Nation, but that’s how it should be. And that’s OK. But I just love the passion I feel from them.”
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When it’s all said and done, I’m thinking the conferences will largely stand pat, except for maybe the shuffling of a few teams. After all, geography, academic parity, TV markets, booster money and budgets all factor in these decisions. And nobody wants a new neighbor with more or less of the above than they’ve got. If anything, the mid-majors might want to expand and pick up larger TV markets to enhance their BCS potential. Of all those leagues, the Mountain West is only a city or two away from playing in the big time. Otherwise, deal the cards and let’s play.
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I rank Lindy’s as the No. 2 best preseason football magazine in the South. Why? I dunno. Lindy’s just announced it ranked the Gators No. 5 in its preseason poll, so I figured we’d return the favor.
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I get why Miami re-upped Randy Shannon and think he deserves the credit for getting out the Roto-Rooter and cleaning up That School Down South over the past three years. Fewer Hurricanes are having brushes with the law and more are graduating. Shannon’s team is supposed to be contending for the ACC this season, but with Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Clemson, FSU, North Carolina and Georgia Tech on the schedule, I can see at least two or three losses.
Of course, that would be only slightly better than last season when the “Canes lost to Wisconsin in the Champs Bowl and finished 9-4. Eventually higher graduation rates and good conduct don’t trump the won-loss records.
And here’s another stat: In the three-year period while Shannon’s UM team was going 21-17, even FSU was better (23-16). And Urban Meyer was going 35-6.
Remember what it was like in the 1990s with the Big Three?
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OK, where are all you people who were ready to say that LeBron James was better than Michael Jordan? Count the rings!