ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF
The Back Nine comes at you after a week off and a heckuva lot going on. Especially Monday afternoon.
10. In the end, it was all about power. Florida’s power at the plate and the power pitching on the mound. (Not to mention the power of a home crowd). Florida’s pitching depth allowed them to overcome a ton of adversity including winning a game with two runners thrown out at home in a 0-0 game on the same play. The Gators won three straight elimination games because they got incredible performances on the mound and just enough runs. I was like a lot of people who were worried about the loss Saturday night, but it’s great to see this team and all of this talent come through and get Kevin O’Sullivan to his first Super Regional since 2018. Now, the Gamecocks come to Gainesville. South Carolina swept Florida in Columbia outsourcing the Gamies 25-10. Since that sweep, Florida is 17-5 and feels like a different team. We’ll see, but just celebrate this team tonight. OK?
11. The regionals all around the country have been amazing, but I don’t get the SEC Network. I love the Network, but they showed the replays of the Grove Bowl more than they showed live games. I may be exaggerating, but not a lot. I get that they are trying to make you get ESPN+, but this is the way TV is going. There’s going to be a time when you can’t watch the Gators half the time on anything but a streaming service.
12. Before I go any further, I know it was almost a week ago, but I want to make sure I give proper credit to the Florida golf team. Talk about too intense to watch. J.C. Deacon and the boys made me proud to be a golf fan and especially a J.C. fan. So cool,, too, that they put the trophy in the Bostick clubhouse so everyone can see it and get pictures taken.
13. I can make the argument that the NCAA golf championship is the most difficult to win. It’s so difficult what you have to deal with in a game that is already 70 percent mental (my stat). You could say baseball and basketball are as difficult with the pressure, but you can’t have a bad day in golf. Anyway, what an amazing few weeks for the great players.
14. Speaking of golf, I don’t know what was more impressive – Viktor Hovland winning the Memorial despite a chip that went six inches or Rose Zhang winning her debut on the LPGA Tour just a few weeks after winning the NCAA title. What? There’s too much golf in here? Naw?
15. The only good thing about not going to the baseball game Sunday night was that I was able to set up my two TVs and watch the NBA Finals. That was an incredible game. I have no dog in the hunt, but I would not bet against the Heat in any games the rest of the way.
16. Everything sounds like it went really well on a big recruiting weekend for the Gator football team. We still have to see how they do at closing time. Billy Napier is so much more comfortable with everything. And I can tell you that there is a quiet confidence about this team in that big building over there.
17. The SEC sounds like a family where the Dad is telling the kids what they should want and half the kids want pizza and the other half sushi. This eight-game schedule is not a good look and seems crazy. So, you have 16 teams next year and no divisions, but you only play half the teams? I liked that year when the SEC played 10 games in the conference. Can we do that without the COVID?
18. The stomach flu (or maybe it was just a nervous stomach) made for a long weekend, but I was able to put together a sweet playlist for you:
* “Old Soul” by Stephen Marley.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC3NWhCNQc4
* “Psychos” by Jenny Lewis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6YtA6iXipM
* “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez.
