Pat Dooley’s Back Nine (July 17th)

The Back Nine comes at you with a sore back after spending too much time in the recliner.

10. I must admit that one reason I retired from the newspaper was because travel had become tedious. But this is the one week where I miss being on the road. So many stories from SEC Media Days. Have fun, hacks. It should be really interesting even if I am just watching it on TV. The SEC Network may not do a great job with college baseball, but they are giving you 47 hours of coverage this week. And I am sure Nashville is going to go all out to make those media boys and girls have a good time because the city wants to be in the rotation. Sigh.

11. This is a question I have asked several people and I’ll bring it up to you. What is the over/under on where Florida will be picked? I think the Gators will be slotted fifth in the East, which will be a first. It really doesn’t matter except that maybe this team will use it as motivation. Personally, I think Florida is a bit underrated and South Carolina is a tad overrated, but we will all find out eventually.

12. The other big question is whether Alabama or LSU will be picked to win the West. The media – in the end – will probably stick with the Tide because it’s rarely a good idea to bet against Alabama. Anyway, if I was voting, here would be my order of finish:

West – LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Auburn, Miss. State.

East – Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Vanderbilt.

13. Did you see these quotes from former Gator/Sun Devils and current Cincinnati Bearcat quarterback Emory Jones at Big 12 Media Days? “Everybody probably knows, but Florida is one of the toughest fan bases in the country,” Jones said. “I didn’t really play that bad. I thought I played alright. But for me the expectations were a lot higher.” I agree with everything he said, but expectations should be higher at that position in this conference.

14. With all of the rain this weekend, there was a lot of TV watching at the Dooley Dome and that included the Scottish Open. Rory McIlroy’s finish was almost up there with Steph Curry’s. It is time for me to pick my British Open winner after getting two of the first three correct in the majors. My gut is that it won’t be Rory because there were too many wayward iron shots this weekend. I’m going with Scottie Scheffler, who played well at The Renaissance Club in Scotland and just struggled on the final day. Way to go out on a limb and pick the No. 1 player in the world right now.

15. Speaking of No. 1s, I watched more tennis than I have watched in years this week. Part of it was because I watched the movie Borg vs. McEnroe and got a little fired up. I think my man Carlos Alcaraz may bring me back to tennis. Dude was phenomenal, especially in the clinching game.

16. One more thing about SEC Media Days, how many questions will Josh Heupel get about Tennessee’s penalties from the NCAA? He already said it was a relief not to get a bowl ban. What’s more than 8 million and a few lost scholarships? Well, the days of postseason bans are behind us and that means more cheating is on the way. What are you really risking in a rich conference?

17. Even if you are not a big fan of preseason football games, it is comforting to know that we are 17 days away from the first game. And you know we will watch it for at least a quarter. Jets vs. Browns? We don’t even need Aaron Rodgers to be playing to watch something after the long drought since there were actual football games. No, I can’t count the spring/summer leagues as being real football. As you can tell, I am ready for some football. No matter how much the sport makes people shake their heads, it’s still our national pastime. Especially in the South. Sweet tea, cornbread and football and not in that order.

18. Dodging the rain should be an Olympic sport in Gainesville. But I managed to get 15 holes in on Friday and listened to this playlist:

* “Throw Your Arms Around Me” by Neal Finn and Eddie Vedder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMpARQ6J7Xc

* “Half A World Away” by R.E.M. And, yes, I am going heavy on songs I heard on The Bear. Highly recommended by me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWiBIrPMEWk

* And for an old one, “Jump into the Fire” by the underrated Harry Nilsson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfjNpgZ4C5Q