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The Back Nine comes at you after a weekend in St. Augustine, which means the gym is calling. Man, I consumed too much.
10. Maybe one reason I ate too much and have to get back on my diet is that I knew this was the last fun weekend for a month. No offense, but it’s going to be slightly boring around here until late August unless your goal is to turn a different shade. My brother and I played 23 holes on Friday, and he may be done for the summer. Anyway, the problem with this time of the year is we are out of majors and it’s still more than four weeks until football season. Maybe I should read more. Where is that Phil Steele mag?
11. So, it was no surprise when the media picked Florida to finish fifth in the East, something that has never happened before. They are basing it on this – Florida finished last season with a pathetic bowl performance, and nobody thinks much of the quarterback room. That’s fine and not illogical, certainly not as silly as eight people picking Vandy to win the East. Look, the Gators are going to have to show people something they didn’t show a lot of last year and that is going to be a defense with a pulse.
12. Several people mentioned to me that the media members who voted for Vanderbilt should have their credentials revoked and I got back to what Mike Slive would tell me when I asked about some silly voting – “It’s still a free country.” Still, maybe those hacks should have to write an explanation letter (does anybody still write letters?) like you do when you play in a U.S. Open qualifier and shoot 86.
13. This is the time of the year when I start looking a little closer at the schedules and one thing I anticipate is that people are going to freak out by the time we get to Oct. 1. That’s because not all SEC schedules are equal. There are three teams (Georgia, Kentucky and Missouri) who play only two Power 5 teams in the waning days of August and all of September. There are three teams who play four Power 5s (LSU, Miss. State and South Carolina.
14. Which is one reason I’m not as bullish on South Carolina as some people. You have to look at who they play. North Carolina at a neutral site and both Georgia and Tennessee on the road. Same with LSU with Florida State plus three conference games before September is done. Just keep pushing.
15. Brian Harmon’s British Open win was boring, but that’s what happens when someone is on his game on Tour. He got heckled early and you must give him credit (even if the former Bulldog quoted Kirby Smart) for grinding it out in miserable weather. Harmon used only 106 putts in the four rounds, a record for the Open.
16. It also demonstrated to the non-golfers that there are so many guys on Tour who are that good. And hundreds more that just can’t quite get there. And thousands upon thousands more who think they could play on Tour, but really would have no shot. All that talk that Steph Curry could play on Tour was such hogwash last week.
17. The Braves had a stretch last week where they lost five of six and picked up a game on their lead in the NL East. Atlanta has a weird team, but baseball is weird, and the Braves are probably getting a little bored.
18. We found a new beach spot in St. Augustine and it’s a long story why we were there. But we got some sun, I went bodysurfing and I listened to this playlist:
* “Red Eyes” by War on Drugs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LmX5c7HoUw
* “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” by Beach Weather.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35Yr7UrFbbk
* And for an old one “Modern Love” by David Bowie.
