The Back Nine comes at you still digesting the feast my wife made for our little Super Bowl party. I’m not sure what it says that we had salmon instead of chicken wings. I think it says I am getting older.
- Let’s start out with the Super Bowl after an incredible weekend of sports. The game was close but not really that great. Halftime was awesome, although I’m sure there were people my age sitting on their couch wondering why they just didn’t stick with “Up With People.” The officiating left them alone until the final Rams drive and I’m sure Bengals (or as they pronounce it in Ohio “Bangles”) fans are never going to forget a couple of those calls. But in the end, it was about lines of scrimmage, just like it is in the SEC.
- And my boy Cooper Kupp, the MVP. I thought he should have been the MVP of the league but those lazy voters like to stick with quarterbacks. Even with all of those big-name free agent signings and trades, the Rams are Super Bowl champs because of a receiver who received no stars coming out of high school. He was the reason (as my Fantasy MVP) I decided to root for the Rams when the game started. Then, they got ahead by 10 and I started rooting for the Bengals. Then, I started rooting for the Rams again. So, clearly, I wasn’t rooting for anybody, which is rare for me.
- I hoped that the game would come down to a Brandon Powell return or a Van Jefferson catch or an Evan McPherson kick. I didn’t expect the Gator to get the most attention on Twitter to be Vernon Hargreaves III for running into the end zone after a Cincy interception even though he wasn’t playing. Is Florida DBU or Knucklehead U? That was ridiculous.
- So was Florida’s basketball performance Saturday at Rupp. There are two ways to look at it – 1. Kentucky might win the whole thing and nobody has ever accused this Florida team of having any chance to do that this year. Or, 2. This team will be in the NIT playing a home game against Stetson in front of 3,000 fans. Florida had won four in a row, but they were resume protectors. The Gators have slipped all the way back to 49th with one Quad 1 win. The opportunities are still out there, but this team either zones out for some games and doesn’t listen or is just not a very good team. Maybe it’s a little bit of both.
- I mean, you’re 25 games in and guys still aren’t buying into the scouting reports and are freelancing too much and letting crowds get into their heads. The Gators have been through a lot but nobody really wants to hear about it anymore. At least I don’t.
- I’d rather hear about the great start Florida got off to in softball this weekend or the dominant performance by the men’s golf team and Fred Biondi or the gymnastics win over LSU — a battle of two top five teams that came down to the final rotation – and Nya Reed’s 10 and the women’s tennis team beating a top 20 team and what might happen with women’s basketball tonight. Because Florida is an everything school. The problem is that the two sports that get all of the attention – football and basketball – are not pulling their weight. I never thought I’d be saying that.
- I wasn’t aware of the Nina Jackson story and maybe that’s from being away from a newsroom for over a year. But what a story it is. The Florida graduate and former roller derby and inline skating star made Ocala proud star when she won a gold medal in speed skating at the Winter Olympics, the first black woman to win in that sport. Well done, young lady. So, does the UAA count that medal?
- OK, so the season is over for Dr. Football with The Picks and we may come up with something different for this slot in the Back Nine. I finished 62-47-3 against the spread (yes, I took the Bengals and the 4.5 points) for the season which is not bad. I mean, I would have won money. Maybe I should try it with real money next football season.
- I am buying a new car for a variety of reasons and look forward to this playlist for the first drive:
* “Shine” by Trey Anastasio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyP1uPMOdq8
* ”Son Of A Lovin’ Man” by the Buchanan Brothers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2j1EgSMdQY
* And here’s one that a fan of my podcast sent me, Robin Adele Anderson’s cover of “Free Fallin’” with Brielle Von Hugel and Von Smith. It’s so sweet.