Congratulations Gordie!

Congrats Gordie on a thorough thumping of ASU by your Longhorns!

Happy Birthday Rob!

Today, December 27, is Rob's Birthday. Happy 28th, Rob!

Aggiepete -- Check It Out!

Aggiepete, thought you'd get a charge out of this picture of me tonight at a local watering hole down the street from our house in Altamonte Springs (Orlando). We grabbed some margaritas and fajitas after we got back from Miami.

December 24

Dear CtCSB Family, Merry Christmas to all of you. It is still early on the West Coast so I thought I would send greetings before the cooking begins. We, too, will have lechon, black beans and rice along with the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes and green beans. Sending love to all and a great day with family and friends.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year! We are in Miami at Ayi´s house (I´m on Juan´s computer). Soon we´ll head over to the Dominguez to celebrate Noche Buena with Lechon Asado and all the fixings --and plenty of wine! Tomorrow we head to Rickfrax in Ft. Lauderdale for a Christmas day feast! Que familia! God Bless You All!

Here we go

I hope this blog takes me to the promised land... If I get the hang of this, I could be dangerous. Wishing all in the CtCSB the merriest of Christmases!

Welcome Michelle!!

Michelle, we're glad you're here! Your west coast kinfolk have been carrying the Cardinal & Gold Banner mighty high but I'm sure they welcome the reinforcement coming from your quarter! Welcome!

I bleed cardinal and gold

I would like to say a whole-hearted and long awaited hello to you all! After hearing that a blog had been taking place all season long without my knowledge (how dare you all talk college football behind my back) I demanded an invitation! I'm glad to be a part of the bowl game showdown! Like Ashley, I'll contribute something more substantial when I have the time... and when I'm not at work! Fight on!

Welcome Ashley!

Welcome to the blog, Ashley! Everyone, Ashley is Jason Fraxedas' girlfriend. She's a UF honors graduate in journalism and currently an editor for Islands Magazine. She's the one who gave me the idea and the mechanics for the blog to begin with and I expect terrific articles from her!!

Hi Everyone!

Hi Everyone! This blog looks amazing- thanks for letting me be a part of it! I'll share my first Gator game story later when I have ample time for detail :) Merry Christmas!

Yahoo College Bowl Pick'Em!

OK, Everybody! We have something new and really fun here! Jason has created a private Yahoo College Bowl Pick'Em Game for our blog --limited to our blog members. He's done all the legwork and registered our group. Essentially we each get to pick who we think will win in in each of the upcoming bowl games and rank them in the order of confidence level. For example if Victor is more confident that SC will beat Illinois than that LSU will beat OSU that pick will be ranked higher and so forth down the line. There are points assigned. We are all playing against each other in the blog. We can't see what each other has done in any given game until the game starts. Then we can see each other's picks while we watch the game. We can change our mind until each game starts. We can also check what the rest of the players around the country have picked and what the Vegas line is as to each game. There are other self-explaining details but they are all pretty simple. You will shortly get an email invite from Jason. Just follow the instructions. You need a Yahoo account. No groans please. Use the same password you're now using for google and the same prefix for your Google email ie if you are jfrax@google.com make it jfrax@yahoo.com. If your password is caca. Keep it caca. No complications please. This is not a national security clearance access or bank or portfolio access. This is silly throw away stuff. KSS ( Keep it simple stupid). This private pick'em is awesome. To access the Pick'em game. Just click on the Yahoo College Bowl Pick'Em to the right under "Football Links". But wait till you get Jason's email and follow the instructions. It'll be worth it. Jason and I have tried it and after you've registered all you have to do is click on the link on the right and you are in the game!!!

Amazing story

Well, after 1 post in the blog I have returned. Vic's story of the SC/ND game is mostly true, a bit of cuban exageration, but mostly true. SC 55 ND 24, incredible game. I've attended to many games over the years and my memory is no so good, I need Vic telling stories to remember more then a couple years back. Digggs in the corner of the end zone catching Hadens pass for a Rose Bowl win, Sam the Bam Cunnigham soaring over people for TD's, Marcus Allen, Ricky Bell, Anthony Davis... to many games. The greatest memories are Andy, Vic, Johnny, now my Father in law, and most recently my son as people to share the moments with. I'll write more often if possible. Jose.

SC favorite to beat all teams

Gang, Yesterday, sports talk radio ESPN interviewed the sports book manager of the Mirage in Las Vegas and he said SC would be favored to beat any of the teams in the present top 10, except maybe Oklahoma. Clearly, a playoff would determine the champion better than this BS system. The guy went on to say that the eventual Ohio State/LSU game would not create a definitive champion. Depending on the results of that game and others, there may be room for another team to break into the top spot. Although I think this is highly unlikely, imagine if: LSU barely beats OSU and either Oklahoma or SC trounces their opponent in their respective bowl game. What would be the national title outcome? Would it be clouded? SC has opened as a 14 point favorite over Illinois. Any takers on this bet? I didn't think so. There was, also, plenty of analysis on the radio yesterday (I was heading to a court appearance in Los Angeles, so I had plenty of listening time) in regards to the polls giving too much importance to losses rather than quality wins. The bottom line was that Kansas is an impostor as they have no quality wins. Who cares about their record. In a season where they did not have to play either Texas or Oklahoma, they did not beat anybody. Hence, they should not be rewarded for scheduling "cream puffs" and having a "good" record, while our beloved Gators have 3 losses against a brutal schedule. If you need any proof of this, if KU and Florida were to play a bowl game at a neutral site, who do you think would be favored? Florida, big time! Florida, with 3 losses, is a way better team than Kansas with 1 loss. So, why reward KU with a BCS game? Somebody has to answer this question properly as I am getting ticked off. We need to generate as much controversy as possible to overthrow the BS system. Give me your thoughts. Victor

Construction

It occurred to me that from time to time, our bloggers may wish to add pictures or other content to the site to further customize our little place on the web. Please send any such content/captions to me as attachments via email, at rfraxedas@gmail.com and I will promptly publish them. The content doesn't have to be strictly sports related; feel free to send family christmas pics, links of interest, or other such things. Its all in an effort to make the blog a more fun place to log onto for everyboy!

Tiger in the Room!

Hey, everybody, there's a tiger in the room! Luisleon just posted a comment to Rob's earlier posting on his frusturation with Ohio State playing in the championship again. Rest assured that Rob and Jason and I and all the other SECrs in this blog hold your tigers in the highest regard. We know what you guys can do. We've played you and have the scars to show for it. Now go forth and swallow those buckeyes in one bite! We can't wait. PS, click on "New Post" in the upper right hand corner of this page, after you've "signed in", to publish a new posting which will appear where this piece is appearing now! Welcome aboard!

Congratulations

A great day for Tebow and the Gators. High fives for all you in the Gator Swamp Nation!

ESPN - Florida QB Tebow is first underclassman to win Heisman - College Football

ESPN - Florida QB Tebow is first underclassman to win Heisman - College Football

TEBOW WINS

Congrats to Tim Tebow, first sophomore ever to win the Heisman!!!

The Greatest Game Ever Played

As requested... It was the fall of 1974. My brother, Jose, was a Sophomore at USC. He had spent his Freshman year at UC San Diego in La Jolla, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. At any rate, after his 1st year in college, he had a change of heart and, most important, he had his big buddy, Andy Katnik (who later would become our brother-in-law after his marriage to our sister, Annie) tugging him towards "The University" as he called it. Jos would visit Andy there and he had the urge to join him in L.A. The inevitable happened and Jos joined Andy at SC. I was just a Junior in high school and, once Jos stepped onto the SC campus, everything changed. We were Notre Dame fans since childhood due to the Catholic upbringing and, since we were raised in the Mid-West, we were inside the "sphere of influence" that a place like ND has/had. We rooted for them, even after we moved to California. We had many friends who were associated with either SC or UCLA; but, we were from Michigan, so we either rooted for the Wolverines (which at that time and place was like rooting for Australia in rugby) or for Notre Dame (which was the dreaded enemy of the Trojans). At any rate, Jos kept telling me about the Trojans and what a great team they had and how he was going to invite me up to a game...but, it had to be the right game. I waited all season long when the call came. Jos said, "I am saving you a ticket for the SC/ND game." He said it was the biggest game of the year and he wanted to invite me up for the game. Well, the occasion came. It was Thanksgiving Weekend. On the even # years, SC hosted the Irish. It was the last game of the year, even scheduled after the cross-town rivalry game against UCLA. I always thought that was amazing that they had to play such difficult games back-to-back every other year. But, what the heck. I went up to the game. Jos, Andy and all their buddies had the routine down pat. They knew exactly where to go and what to do. Regardless of the sea of humanity on the Sc campus, in Exposition Park, or around the Coliseum, they knew where to go and, believe me, for the first time in such a circumstance, it was comforting because at 16 years old, that can be very intimidating. Well, we made our way into the grand Coliseum, where the Olympics were held in 1932 (they were held there again in 1984). SC had been playing there home games there since 1923. The ivy hanging from the walls let everyone know the place had been there for a long, long time. The pageantry was cool, although unknown to me at the time. Jos would give me tidbits every now and they but he pretty much let me soak it in. I still had a liking for ND due to my childhood, but, once I saw Jos and Andy and how intense they were, I realized that the ND collar that I had in my youth was being stripped away. Cardinal and Gold all the way. The student section, which is where we were seated, started to do a chant, which I later came to know as a "So Cal Spellout". The cheer spells out Southern California, letter by letter, then it stops abruptly, and the students yell out the word "Southern" and they delay and crescendo into the "California". It is hard to describe, but, if you are in attendance (or if you know anybody who has attended "The University") no description is necessary. Suffice to say, it is way cool. Much has been written about the game. The Irish racing to a 24-0 lead just before the half. The amazing comeback (final score: 55-24). The magnitude of the inter-sectional rivalry). What I remember most are the following: The SC yell leader (some goofball) kept reminding the students over the loudspeaker that SC had come back before. Not to worry. We can come back. I was worried. But, Jos and Andy stood firm. "Don't worry"..."we can come back". I was worried. I could not believe that SC could come back against such a strong ND team which was loaded with talent and came into the game with only 1 or 2 losses (this was no slouch team). Ara Parsegian, the legendary Irish coach, was roaming the sidelines for goodness sakes!!! He would not allow a comeback from such a lead. Lo and behold, SC scored a touchdown (which seemed meaningless at the time) right before halftime. They went for 2 and missed. Halftime score: Irish 24, SC 6. It was a wipeout in the making. Anthony Davis returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown. We stood and went crazy. I still remember Jos and Andy jumping half-way to the sky. Once he broke containment, we could see he was going to go all the way. We stood and went bananas!!!!! Could it be. Can we come back. History recalls that we went on to stage a miraculous comeback...probably the best in history. But, at the time, SC was still a little bit out of sync. We missed the 2 point try (again), so we were still behind: ND 24, SC 12. Still a large deficit against the powerful ND. On the ensuing kickoff, a reserve linebacker playing on special teams, David Lewis, hurled his body at the ND return man and leveled him with a ferocious hit!! Down he went at the 12 yard-line. Since we were still standing from the excitement of Davis' kick return. We never sat down again! Play after play. Score after score. ND could do nothing right and SC could do nothing wrong. Fumbles and interceptions by ND were converted by scores by SC. The scoreboard could not keep up and broke!! If you count the score just before halftime, the 35 points in the 3rd quarter, and the 14 we tacked on in the first part of the 4th quarter, SC scored an amazing 55 points in 17 and 1/2 minutes!!!!!!! Not against Oregon State. Not against Stanford. This was Notre Dame, the most storied program in history. Sports Illustrated called it the "California Earthquake". Never had a team scored 24 unanswered points to be immediately followed by 55 unanswered points by the opposition. Even Traveler, the SC mascot which is a beautiful white horse with a "Trojan" riding atop the stallion (which appears out of the Coliseum tunnel after every score) could not muster the strength to come out after so many scores in such rapid succession. The aftermath was draining. We were so excited, but, yet drained. It was exhausting. Almost as if we had played in the actual game. We were tired. Horse. Almost unable to walk.... But, we were high as a kite! We had just witnessed a spectacular game. Jos commented to me..."not bad for you first college game". There is so much more; but, time is short. The rest will be served with a cold beer. Jos and Andy in their glory. That is what I love most... Love to all!!!!!! Victor

OK, Victor, You Promised Us a Post on Your 1st College Game --Let's Have It!

Victor, a couple of weeks ago, in response to my posting on the historic '97 UF v FSU game you promised to do an extended posting on the first college game you saw in person. You asked me to guess and gave me a hint: It was in 1974. O.K. Here's my answer. The first college football game you attended had to be the 1974 USC v Notre Dame game. Things looked awfully grim for the mighty Trojans through the first half. They were scoreless for almost 30 minutes until they scored a last minute touchdown to go into the half trailing the Irish 24-7. But then the Trojans came out of the tunnel literally on fire and exploded for 48 second-half points to destroy the haughty little leprechauns 55-24 in one of the greatest offensive performances in college football history. That had to be the game which made you the college football maniac you are today. So, please, take your time writing it. But favor us with a first hand, full length, eyewitness account. Give us the story of a young man, in his teens, hormones flowing, walking into the legendary Coliseum for the first time. Tell us about the sensory overload. The sights, the sounds. The impossibly beautiful women on the field and in the stands. The heart-pumping excitement of seeing a world-class college band take the field for the first time. The Coliseum awash in cardinal and gold. The Trojans bursting out of the tunnel. Fighter jets flying overhead (was there a fly-over?). And you, a wide-eyed freshman, barely out of high school, taking all this in. Thinking, "This is my Alma Mater! This is big! This is really, really big!" And, then, the disappointment of the first half. The, "Oh, no! We might lose! (But those girls still look awfully hot)." Until the second half starts and you experience the exhilaration of a first-class college super-power hitting the warp-drive button and taking the entire Trojan Nation with them into hyper-space. Please tell us! It would be great to go around the blog and hear first time college game experiences!

Article for Nora -- And Everyone Else!

Nora (and everyone else), thought you might enjoy this article. Just click on "Article for Nora" above. I've also posted another picture for you -- to the right and below the picture I posted for Luisleon! There's also a nifty video on Tebow's season which somehow came up when I posted the article. I did not see it when I originally posted it so it must have been "embedded" in the Gainesville Sun story. Hope you're having a great day.

BCS Chaos Doesn't Legitimize Ignorance or Stupidity

Just Read Another Terrific Article on BCS Stupidity... If you click on the title to this blog right above "BCS Chaos Doesn't..." you will pull up the article. I know we've beat this horse to death, but it's still alive, so I'll keep beating it. I'm also going to try to post a really hilarious video of James Carville, the Clinton political guru, on the BCS stupidity. I don't agree much with Carville on political issues (although, Norita, I'm really coming around). But he is smart as all get out and really funny in a strange sort of way... Someone I would really enjoy having a beer or two with while we eat a plate of New Orleans red beans and rice or shrimp gumbo. Anyway, he was being interviewed yesterday and generally asked something along the line of: we know you hate the BCS system but your Tigers are going to play in the national championship, so does that change your mind since the "system" favored the tigers. He really let it rip with both barrels. It's worth watching. I'll see if I can post a link to it! Here it is! Check it out!!! Hey, Rob, I'm getting good at this stuff!! I'm going to fire my IT guy!!! http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,4160799441.aspx Carville also went on to criticize the officiating in the West Virginia/Pitt game this weekend. I don't know how many of you watched this game but I saw the whole thing and it was outright criminal. There were two absolutely phantom holding calls against Pitt at crucial moments. One took away a touchdown and another a critical first down. I saw close ups of both plays and the supposedly offending Pitt player from every angle and there is no possible way it was holding. What makes it even worst is that there was a blatant outrageous holding (grabbing the jersey and pulling like crazy for an extended period) by West Virginia right in front of the same official which he did not call. He was looking straight at it, less than five feet away and he did not throw a flag!!! After throwing two flags on blatant phantoms!!! I'm no Pitt fan but I went absolutely ballistic. The official was obviously trying to do everything in his power to give the game to WVA. It was outrageous. Criminal. We've all had some bad calls against our teams over the years but this was way beyond the pale and into the area of open and obvious corruption. That's what Carville was talking about and saying he was surprised ESPN didn't do an investigation into it and show the whole country what happened. But ESPN is part of the whole system. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've got a pitchfork in one hand and a torch in the other!!!

1970's

Wow! You dug up a picture of me back in the old days. And you have become extremely computer savy digitally adding a poster of Tebow into the picture. I sure looked great back then! Thank God the season does not end with the last game. Yes, we always want the good things to last forever and now I can be on the front end of the speculation plus learn ahead of time about the recruiting. By the way, I have hated Ohio State since the Woody Hayes days when he would play against Michigan. Hope they lose by thousands of points! Would that it be so. And now time for another fun sports season: college BB. Much better than the pros.

frusturation

Ok gang, its my turn to rant. I can take LSU leaping 5 spots after barely beating Tennessee, who UF killed by like 50 points or something. I can take Hawaii trashing the skills of our (likely) sophomore heisman winner. But I CANNOT take any more OHIO STATE. Words cannot describe how sick I am of this pathetic team. They are horrible. They have a dull, uninspired coach. They have less than mediocre athletes. They are weak opponents and play a weak schedule. Ohio State is the kind of team I would want to play early in the season to let our players warm up, or later in the season as a guaranteed win for the homecoming game - seriously. I am calling them out now as losers in the big game this year - 38-7 is my prediction. And I think that is generous. How did these fools get into ANOTHER championship? When is everyone going to realize how bad this program is? Being an Ohio State fan must be like a severely mentally challenged person waking up each Christmas to a call from the Nobel prize committee, delivering the news of his nomination (sorry to any PC sensitive bloggers). I guess I'm not old enough, but excuse me for not knowing who the hell Archie Griffin is. I've watched a ton of old football highlights, shows, whatever, and I have never seen anything about Archie Griffin. I've never seen him do anything cool on or off the football field. Attn: World - get over Archie Griffin, whoever he is, and GET OVER OHIO STATE!!! They are PITIFUL.

Victor--

You're right. Mizzou ranked ahead of SC is an outrage. But, hey, I've begun to focus on this year's recruiting which looks very good so far. Note to Nora-- You only think the football obsession ends with the last bowl game! Recruiting season is upon us and the blog will be alive with rumor and speculation between now and mid February as to who is signing up with whom. UF and SC are usually pretty strong in this area (1&2) last year. Anyway sorry about my rave on June Johnson, he really ticked me off. I'm fine now. Had a bad reaction to red tide exposure this weekend (more global warming) which threw me for a loop. It's a pretty powerful neurotoxin and it made me very dizzy and a little lightheaded so I had bad dreams of rainbow warriors doing war dances all over The Swamp -- pretty ugly stuff. In re coaching changes @ UCLA who's the top prospect? Who's going to replace Dorrell?

tebow

Finally, I have my Tebow picture! Great conversation back and forth. Too bad the Hawaii coach was such a dufus. I was looking forward to seeing them play in a bowl game. There are still some great match-ups and football for days. It sure has been fun.

Over the Top

Vic, Thanks for your comment. I could not agree more that the teams in strong conferences really get punished by the BS system. SC is a perfect example of a great team in a great conference that got jumped over by lesser teams. UF ended up where I expected in a true rebuilding year where we also suffered a number of serious injuries (as did SC). Be that as it may, the system stinks. I was actually in a pretty good mood looking forward to next year when I heard the June Jones interview and it sent me over the top. This guy really went overboard. I could not believe my ears. He actually started trashing Tebow out of the blue in the most ridiculous mean spirited way. The whole ESPN panel seemed shocked. (Click on the post below and see somebody else's take on it). I literally came out of my chair and started cursing at him because he became for me the perfect poster boy of what's wrong with the BS system. Great teams in great conferences get passed over and cute little crappy teams who play other cute little crappy teams get invited to the party. Once in a while a Boise State comes along and that's great. I appreciate it. You say that Jones is a "run-and-shoot offensive guru". I'd like to see how well he does against the pass rushes and smothering coverages in the SEC. So far he's played nobody, as far as I can see from their pathetic schedule. I don't know what kind of offensive numbers he's going to put up against Georgia. Put me down as a skeptic on that one. What I do know is that this offensive guru is going to play us at The Swamp next year ---and I'm going to be there to watch the bloodletting! Let me make a prediction (as far as next year's game at The Swamp) Remember you heard it here first: Hawaii will not score a single point at the Swamp. Not one. Nada. And the Gators will put up over 60.

Please Click On This Line - In Re Below Post

Congrats Trojans & BCS Stuff & Some Idiot from WAC

First, Congratulations Trojans on your victory against the Bruins. Saw the game yesterday at the beach --really enjoyed it. In terms of BCS --Luisleon, your tigers have a chance at redemption now. You must destroy OSU --Remember the Buckeyes are 0-8 against the SEC and were most recently dismembered by my Gators. Don't blow it! Hope losing Pelini to Nebraska wont be too much of a distraction. Trojans against the Zooker in the Rose bowl! I thought the Gators would have to go against our old coach. Victor, I'm glad you have a shot at the Zooker instead of us. When he was with us the Zooker had a habit of winning games he was supposed to lose and losing games he was supposed to win --so be real careful! :) I'm much happier playing Michigan. Oklahoma and Georgia really got screwed. Either of them probably could beat OSU (but so could a lot of people). I thought Oklahoma looked awesome yesterday against Mizzou, but Mizzou was a real paper tiger as was West Virginia so it's hard to tell. I just heard June Jones, head coach for Hawaii, on ESPN. He's an absolute imbecile. A blithering idiot. He just said Tebow "can't pass" and "would not do very well" in their system. The chances of Hawaii recruiting someone the caliber of Tebow is less than a trillion to one! Wait, those odds are too high. I hope Georgia absolutely tears his heart out and stomps on it. What an incredible moron! Frankly I've had a long weekend and was falling asleep --he just woke me up!!! What a perfect idiot. I thought Hawaii was the ultimate fake bs cute little crap team to play in a BCS bowl game and this comemierda just confirmed it. Who has his team played? Fresno State? San Jose State? A crappy little coach in a crappy little WAC team who would not be qualified to mop the locker room floor at Florida just said on national television that the quarterback with one of the highest passing efficiencies in the nation (playing against real teams), the front runner for the Heisman, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, "can't pass" and "would not do very well in our system." Who does this cretin, this birdbrained drooling little moron jackass think he is??? I wasn't going to watch this game because I have no interest in cute little WAC teams, but now I'm just going to enjoy the Dawgs running up the score against this joker. But that's going to be nothing compared to the joy of August 30, 2008. By sheer coincidence, Hawaii is the first team we play next year at the Swamp! Wow! We usually don't have stuff to post up in the locker room when we play cupcake teams because their players and coaches are smart enough to keep their mouths shut. Idiot Jones just became the exception. I'm going to save a transcript of the ESPN interview just in case Meyer missed it!

WOW

well, the AP and coaches polls just came out.... Looks like it may be an OSU-LSU national championship game. Unreal. Georgia stayed put at 4, and Oklahoma moved to 3. This is pure insanity. So many teams must be upset, and strangely....none have that much to argue for anymore. Nobody earned a spot in anything this year except possibly Hawaii. The only way teams are even given a chance when they increase in ranking by default after 10 teams ahead of them lose. There has been an all out war this year in college football. All of the big dogs went down, many small teams had big wins, but then lost again. I feel like this season has been like one of those old school revolutionary war infantry battles, where hundreds of people line up in perfect files, stand 30 feet apart and continuously fire muskets at each other. Ohio state has played the part of the field general, sitting safely out of harms way watching the battle through a set of binoculars on a nearby hilltop. Oh well....i guess we will see for sure when the BSC selection show comes on tonight

The Blog

Amazing. I can now post, I think. Not that my musings will match the boys, but it is fun to be included in the coast to coast banter. Jose and Johnny are at the game. Victor and I at my house for the tailgater (housegater). Nora

cheers!

Just wanted to wish everyone a great Saturday - good luck to everyone who has teams playing in conference championships today!

I signed onto "Blog"

I'm rapidly finishing at the office so I can pick up my son and catch a flight to So Cal and go tomorrow with my Father-in -Law, son and 90,000 other folks to the USC/UCLA game. If SC plays half as well as it did agaist ASU and UCLA plays like it did against Dixonless OU, then USC should easily win, but these games are unpredictable, just look at last year when we played horribly and lost. Bueno, I like Mizzou, just the name is fun, but that QB is something else. But Oklahoma has McFadden and that gut is good. Adios for now, hope this "post" finds the "blog". Jose.

Rosebowl Musings

Love your post Pete --I'm glad you made some $ on Aggie BB! They say you shouldn't bet on your team because it's impossible to be objective but my son, Jason, made a killing betting on UF against Ohio State last year (enough to go on a Spring break cruise!). So obviously the Fraxedas clan doesn't subscribe to conventional wisdom! SC v Ohio State would be great for the Rose Bowl. I'd love to see my counsins' team whomping the Buckeyes! I may even fly over for it if I can hook up with a ticket!

SC/UCLA Memory

Victor--Your waxing of the SC/UCLA rivalry/game is extremely vivid. It brought me back to the only SC/UCLA game I attended and it was with you. I remember it well. We dropped Gordie and Nancy at LAX and then drove to the Rose Bowl for the game. It was an incredible day in SoCal. One of those rare ones that was extremely clear and as we drove out to Pasadena you could see the mountains (read: no smog) and it was spectacular! We got into the Lite beer tent somehow (Victor's pre-lawyer negotiating skills I'm sure) and drank for free (gotta love that huh?). We sat in the end zone and I believe John Katnik was at Center for the Trojans. Thinking hard about it, I believe this had to be the 1986 game. Funny when you think about John Katnik. He was our Center on the aforementioned TJAAF Jr. Pee-Wee Blazers in 1974 and I was the QB (sometimes). But what a great day and I believe a great win for SC. Thanks for the memory Vic and I believe I need to thank you for the ticket as well. As for your question Joaq...no I don't think Mizzou will beat OU, but then again, I didn't think Mizzou was going to beat KU! Lastly, if Mizzou and WVU play in the championship, will anybody really watch? But that will be better than seeing OSU getting wiped out again. I hope, for SC's sake, that OSU goes to the Rose Bowl and we get back to what's right in college football...the Pac 10 and Big 10 (11?) in Pasadena. OK, one more, I'm in Vegas right now and won money on my Ags in hoops last night. While I was enjoying Danny Gans, they were taking down 'Bama last night AND covered! Another SEC team goes down at the hands of the Ags...Whoop!

SC vs. UCLA...A Rivalry Like No Other

Gang, I am sure each region, conference, and state has their "big game". The rivalry which ends all rivalries. The beginning and the end when it comes to intensity, build-up, competitiveness, and pageantry all rolled up into one game. Here are just a few... Texas vs. Texas A&M Texas vs. Oklahoma Michigan vs. Ohio State SC vs. Notre Dame Florida vs. Georgia Florida vs. Florida State LSU vs. Anybody Alabama vs. Auburn SC/UCLA is intrastate, intra-conference, and inter-city. None of the others can make this claim. As a matter of fact, unless you count University of Houston and Rice (which have no rivalry to speak of), the City of Angels is home to the only 2 major universities who compete all year long in a variety of sports. Yesterday's L.A. Times sports section (aka world's greatest sports section) went through all the major sports, both men and women, in which SC and UCLA compete. It was staggering, not only in the variety of sports, but the level of play that is maintained. National championships are decided in everything from swimming, tennis, water polo, baseball, basketball, football. Incredible. When the teams meet in some of these sports, extra bleachers are brought in to accommodate the overflow crowds. Even the various coaches involved are amazed and say there is nothing like SC/UCLA. The individual students are often times from the same high school teams and from the same neighborhoods. Once teammates, they are now enemies. The football rivalry, which is to be renewed this Saturday, is not that old (dates back to 1923) because UCLA did not field a team until then (they are still trying to catch up!), but what it lacks in longevity it more than makes up for in intensity. It, literally, divides not only the city, but families, offices, and friends. Anyways, I did not see last year's upset due to a soccer game for Valen. And, it looks like I will miss most of the game on Saturday due to the same series of soccer games. No big deal. I love to watch my daughter play soccer (she is quite good; an all-star). I have been to so many of the SC/UCLA games, I enjoy just try to catch it on the radio, heading to and from the soccer field, and I can draw a picture of the packed Coliseum, awash in Cardinal and Gold and Powder Blue and Gold. It will be a day game. Quite unseasonably warm. Smiling faces. Bands blaring. SC ahead....The memory is so vivid, I can reach out and touch it... Victor

Coliseum

Victor, what's with the Trojans moving from the Coliseum to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and sharing that venue with your rival UCLA? Is building your own stadium on campus not an option? Actually, I just checked the SC campus on Google earth and the Coliseum appears to be part of campus or right next to your campus. Why don't you just buy it? Or take it over, invade it, do something? Aren't SC alumni a very influential, super rich, powerful group? Couldn't you guys just pass a law or do something to take over that venue? Who are these old men in some strange commission to make decisions that have such an impact on a proud and powerful university? Isn't the coliseum essentially for the use and benefit of USC? Does anybody else (other than rock groups and an occasional Olympiad) ever play there? I'm sorry to be so ignorant, but I thought you guys owned the place, if not legally, at least had an equitable interest in the place. Would love to hear your thoughts on this monumental news!

Big Time College Football Playoffs Is No Dream

--Everybody, Check out the article about playoffs Jason just posted below. Really interesting and exciting. --Rob, your analysis of SEC cannibalism is great. Does anybody out there think Mizzou will beat Oklahoma? I don't they will. I think the Tigers are a flash in the pan.

I got a kick out of this article - The dream of college football playoffs is alive! http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=ApW5VJQTzgP6DYvdStk54Uw5nYcB?slug=dw-playoff112707&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Right on Pete!

Kudos to Pete for correctly predicting Mike Sherman taking over @ A&M. Now if Les Miles goes to Michigan as I predicted over a month ago the blog will be batting 1,000!

Sorry Pete!

Pete, I got home around 10pm tonight from a medmal case in Gainesville and was so excited to see the blog on fire that I asked you about your head coaching prospects before noticing that you mentioned Mike Sherman in your earlier post. Can't blame it on beer this time. I'm sober. Just a little tired! Goodnight y'all!

Oklahoma on Top!

I join Pete and Victor in predicting that OK will beat Mizzou. I may be partial to our old defensive coordinator during the Spurrier years, Bobby Stoops, but I really think Oklahoma is going to kill Mizzou. Is there anybody out there who thinks that the Tigers will win this one?

The Blog is Alive!

Wow! Fabulous posts by Victor, and Aggie Pete. Congratulations to the Trojans again for a dominant shellacking of ASU and to the Aggies for butchering the Longhorns. And to the Bruins for pushing the Ducks further down the hill. Confession: We had a kegger at Mimi's the other night and I (Joaq) made the mistake of posting a blog after quaffing a few. I meant to congratulate the Aggies and Trojans and Bruins at the same time and ended up blaming Pete's Aggies for pushing the ducks down the hill! Blame it on the keg. Anyway, I've deleted that inebriated posting. Pete, I am really fired up that you've logged in and started posting. Do we actually have a Longhorn in the group? Because if he doesn't speak up soon I'm going to delete the logo! And make the Aggie logo even bigger. Pete, what's the scoop on your search for a head coach? Your interim guy was our interim guy around the late 80s before Spurrier took the head coaching job. Is there a hot prospect waiting in the wings?

Oh, the possibilities

With all the upsets, we may have a silly matchup of West Virginia and Missouri (ridiculous). They have played nobody and come from weak conferences. We have been writing about this all year long. Personally, I believe Oklahoma will knock off the Tigers and, believe it or not, the Buckeyes will qualify (again) for the title game. As an SC guy, we would rather face off against the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. Now, if Mizzou falters, we lose Ohio State but we may gain Georgia. It would be projected to be SC (maybe #6 by then) against #3 Georgia in the Rose Bowl. This was projected by the LA Times today. If Mizzou holds on against the Sooners, then it is Trojans/Buckeyes. Disaster looms if both Mizzou and West Virginia falter. Then, it would be Buckeyes/Dawgs in the title game. We would be left holding the bag. As Georgia does not qualify for the Sugar Bowl (since they did not win the SEC), we could not get a matchup against LSU either as they are set to either: (a) win the SEC and go to the Sugar Bowl; or, (2) lose to Tennessee in said SEC title game and, with 3 losses, go to some silly bowl game (certainly not the Rose Bowl game against SC. By the way, I am assuming we beat the Bruins. I am not tempting fate here. UCLA is always a formidable foe in this cross-town rivalry, however, they are so banged up, we should handle them easily. All the bowls are jockeying for position. Buckeyes would be best and highest ranked. Georgia next. After that, disaster.... Victor

Kansas and what the hell happened on the way to the BCS

Folks--Some more ramblings from the guy that was on the KU bandwagon. KU wins that game if not for two INT's thrown in the red zone. Can't do that and still beat a team as good as Mizzou. However, I still think OU will beat them. OU looks tough and they will be looking to play in, what they think is their annual January ritual, a BCS game. BTW, does anybody else think that Chase Daniel looks like Johnny? My wife pointed that out to me on Staurday and said, "doesn't that guy look like Johnny?" and I said, "you mean that black guy with the huge afro?". She said "No, the Chase Daniels (sic) guy...you know...#10". And I said, "quite possibly...except that guy's IN shape!". HA Johnny!

Aggies...what else?

Folks--A great win for the Ags (sorry Charlie!). I'm sorry i've been a little lax in giving you my thoughts, but do you know how hard it is to write when you have THAT many beers in you? You didn't want to hear the ramblings of a "semi-buzzed" Aggie after that win. And to think we win AND win by getting rid of Fran! However, allow me to quote a famous line by Richard Burton in the movie "Where Eagles Dare" (yes Gordie, it co-starred Clint Eastwood). The line in the movie was "easy now, we musn't cheat the hangman". Coach Fran "cheated the hangman" by announcing he was stepping down. I really wanted to see him get his just due...a public firing! Alas, it didn't come to that, but I'm still embarassed of his actions regarding our proud university! Vaya con Dios Fran and hope you never show up again in D-1. (Memo to Fred: Hope UCLA doesn't think he's their savior either!). Now for who will replace Fran in Aggieland? All speculation at this hour is centering on Mike Sherman, the Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator. He was with the Ags (Coach Slocum era) and then with the Packers. An amazing X's and O's guy. A players coach if there ever was one. However, and you all know this, it comes down to recruiting and he will have his hands full with the likes of "Silver tongued" Mack Brown of tu and Bob "I'll tell you Texas high schoolers anything if you'll just commit to OU" Stoops. Yes, recruiting will be a big question mark for Mike Sherman. However, I would be excited to have him come in and see what he can do. Let's put it this way, I'm a helluva lot more excited about Sherman than I was ever about Fran. Did I ever mention that I thought Fran was a shyster? Lastly, it will be interesting to see where the Ags play their bowl game. Some mensas are predicting the Insight.com bowl, others have said the Alamo Bowl (gasp...no!!). Two bowls I wouldn't mind seeing the Ags play in...the aforementioned Insight or the Independence Bowl to take on the SEC (Kentucky??). I'm ready to turn the page on Fran, let Gary D. have his moment in the sun and then get ready for 2008! BTW, will August 2008 ever get here? OK, allow me one more "lastly"...did anyone see the Ags hoop squad win NIT Season Tip-Off? We spanked "the" Ohio State University in the final. Now it's on to the aforementioned SEC where we take on Alabama on Wednesday. Things ARE looking up in Aggieland...Gig 'em! -Peter-

SEC reflections and "conference cannibalism '07"

• Week 1: Cali beats (15) Tennessee.

• Week 2: (17) South Carolina beats (23) GA.

• Week 3: Miss State beats unranked Auburn. (3) UF beats unranked Tenn.

• Week 4: (14) KY beats unranked Arkansas.

• Week 5: Unranked Auburn beats (3) UF.

• Week 6: (7) South Carolina beats (17) KY. (25) Tenn beats (24) GA.

• Week 7: (17) KY beats (1) LSU.

• Week 8: Unranked Vandy beats (6) South Carolina. (14) UF beats (8) KY. Bama beats (20) Tenn.

• Week9: Unranked Miss. State beats (14) KY. (20) GA beats (9) UF. Unranked Tenn beats (15) South Carolina.Week 10: Unranked Arkansas beats (23) South Carolina.

• Week 11: (10) GA beats (18) Auburn.

• Week 12: (8) GA beats (22) KY.

• Week 13: Unranked Arkansas beats (1) LSU.

Points to ponder: # of times an unranked conference team beat a ranked conference team - 6 # of times a conference team beat another conference team in the top ten - 6 # of times LSU was knocked from #1 spot by conference team - 2 Current #4 GA is not playing for the conference title Sorry for the long post! Wacky year.

Reply to Nora - How to Do a New Post

Nora, Thanks for your comment. We all had a terrific Thanksgiving here in Florida. Lots of family and wonderful food and, of course, football. We hope you enjoyed your West Coast Thanksgiving gathering --sounds like you had a great time! I feel bad for Antonia. With Dixon out the Ducks have really been crippled. That's why Rob referred to UCLA "pushing the ducks further down the hill" --sounds unfair, doesn't it? In re your question on how to do a new post, once you sign in just click "New Post" on the upper right hand corner of the screen, (should be next to your email which should also appear on the upper right hand corner). Once you click "New Post" it will take you to a new window where you can compose your new post, spell check, etc. Give it a title and even save it as a draft until you are ready to "publish" your post. When you are through with it just go to the bottom of the screen by scrolling down on the far right side and click on the "publish post" button. It's really, really easy. I'm going to get Rob to call you this week and walk you through everything. He's become the webmaster and has lauched this site to a new level. Once everyone gets the hang of it it's easier than all get out and really the best way to engage in coast to coast sports banter!

Gators Embarrass 'Noles Again - '07 Version

Last night at The Swamp the Gators utterly anihilated the 'Noles 45-12. The much maligned UF "D" (I, Joaq, hereby plead guilty), kept the 'Noles from scoring a single touchdown. If it weren't for their terrific kicker (Cismesia nailed a 60 yarder), the 'Noles would have been completely shut out. The Gators, on the other hand, scored at will. Tebow had five touchdowns, two rushing and three passing for total 352 personal yards, bringing his season record to 51 touchdowns. The most impressive score was in the first quarter when Tebow dropped back to pass and the 'Noles blitzed. A 'Nole LB came straight at Tebow, unblocked, at high speed and wrapped his arms around him in what appeared to be a prelude to a perfect sack. But instead of going down, Tebow shook him off like rag doll, sending him flying off to the side (Blocker? I don't need no stinkin' blocker). Tebow then took off toward the endzone shaking off another five 'Nole defenders on the way before shoving the ball into the end zone. The Gators ended with 541 total yards --about twice what the 'Nole got. Trash talking 'Nole LB Geno Hayes who boasted before the game that he would "take Tebow down" and "shatter his dreams" never even got close to Tebow. He did, however, come close to taking down a 62 year old AP sports writer who tried to ask him a question after the game (see sidebar).

saturday recap

vols top cats in cliffhanger. bruins kick ducks further down the hill. mizz continues cinderella season. gators rout noles via tebow. new frontrunners: mizz and WV? the bulls of USF may be smirking in january.

LSU madness

Well, the SEC has cannibalized its final contender. I wonder what cute little team will take the taco now. I guess either Kansas or Mizz will have to bow out tomorrow...should be an interesting day.

Florida v FSU - Best Game Ever ('97)

In preparation for the upcoming battle at The Swamp Saturday (5pm Eastern, 2pm Pacific, CBS) a little look back is in order. Old Gators may disagree on many of the finer points of Gator history but they all agree on one thing: The greatest game ever played at The Swamp in terms of sheer madness and excitement was the '97 Florida v FSU shootout. FSU was undefeated and vying for a national championship. They were already measuring their fingers for the rings. Florida had won the national championship the previous year by beating FSU in New Orleans. The rivalry was at it's all-time peak and the atmosphere at The Swamp was beyond electric. It was over-the-top explosive. Jason and I (Joaq) were at the game. Jason was 14 and in middle school. It was a night game and our seats back then were at the "Sunshine Terrace" - in the North end zone. The game was a classic all-out mega rivalry war between two explosive offenses and two brutal defenses. The lead kept shifting moment to moment trough four incredible quarters of the most beautiful, delicious football I (and Jason) have ever experienced. Nobody, absolutely nobody, sat down for a single moment. Nobody wanted a drink. Nobody dared to go to the bathroom and miss something. There were about two minutes left in the game and FSU had grabbed the earlier lead from Florida with two quick scoring drives. On the last drive the Gator D-line had turned into a concrete wall and kept the 'Noles from scoring a dagger-through-the-heart touchdown. But Janikowski split the north uprights with a field goal to put the 'Noles up 29-25. After the score, Janikowski "chomped" the stands, right in our faces. (An opposing player or fan doing a "Gator Chomp" to a Gator is considered the worst of the worst of all possible insults. In fact, under Florida law, it is considered justifiable homicide if the offending player or fan is killed on the spot.) Then Janikowski sent the kickoff sailing over the north endzone and into the stands. Again, right in front of me and Jason. No possible return. My blood was boiling. Jason learned to hate the Seminoles that day. The Gator offense was about to take the ball at our 20 with two minutes and 80 yards to glory. With four points down we had to score a touchdown or die. Then I saw Spurrier on the sideline, squatting down on the dirt with QB Doug Johnson and WR Jacquez Green. The three of them were practically sitting on the ground. Through my binoculars I could see Spurrier screaming, pounding his playsheet, pounding the ground, his blood vessels about to pop on his neck. Then I saw Johnson nod his head, and then Green nodded his head, then Spurrier nodded. Then they all nodded again several times. Spurrier seemed calmer, incredibly focused. From where we were, Jason and I had a perfect view. I handed Jason the binoculars and said, "Jas, look at Spurrier. Something big is coming down." (I later learned Spurrier actually drew a new play that was not on the playbook and was making sure Doug Johnson and Green got it right). By the time our offense lined up there were 10 seconds left on the play clock. Johnson read the defense and actually had the cojones to change the play Spurrier had just outlined. As he was audibling the change, the play clock was down to a couple of seconds. Spurrier was about to call a time out when Johnson took the snap and dropped back into the pocket. Gator WR Green ran a hitch and turned to look at Johnson. Johnson looked straight at Green for an eternal couple of seconds, waiting for the 'Nole corner to move into position. Then Johnson pumped his arm. The most perfect pump fake I've ever seen. 'Nole cornerback, Samari Rolle, took the bait and moved in front of Green looking for the sure interception and defensive touchdown that would put the final nail in the Gator coffin. He was already chomping us in his mind. Green turned behind him and took off with afterburners, flying down the right sideline. Johnson kept dropping back as a pack of 'Nole defenders closed in on him and the entire Gator Nation held it's collective breath. Then Doug Johnson lobbed the most perfect pass in the history of the world to Jacquez Green. (And, please, don't mention Doug Flutie if you weren't at The Swamp that night). Moments later the Gators were 63 yards down the field at the 'Nole 17. A hand off to Fred Taylor and we were first and goal at the one. Less than a minute after Jason and I were personally chomped by Janikowski, Gator RB Fred Taylor muscled his way into the end zone and The Swamp exploded in a thermonuclear blast that was heard in Orlando and Jacksonville and some say as far as Tallahassee. Mick Hubert, voice of the Gators, coined his famous "insane asylum" line as he screamed over and over into the microphone: "The Swamp's turned into an insane asylum! Oh My! This is crazy! The Swamp's an insane asylum!!!" Jason and I, of course, didn't hear Mick Hubert. We didn't hear each other. We didn't hear anything but that awesome, incredible, otherworldly explosion of sound. As Hubert screamed into the microphone, Jason and I were immersed in a blur of orange and blue confusion, a giant over-ninety-thousand-strong group hug. We were in the asylum. We were the asylum.

Congratulations Trojans!

Congratulations Trojans on a great victory and dominant performance against ASU!! We all saw the game here and whooped and hollered with you guys. The officiating was horrible in the first half. Can't believe that unsporstmanship flag. Sometimes those zebras make me crazy. I have a simple request, since you're done with it this week: can we borrow your defense for Saturday's game against FSU? Our offense is fine but between youth and injuries our D is in serious trouble. It stinks, specially our secondary. So please, let us borrow your D and we promise to return it in time for UCLA.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Hope everyone enjoys good food, family and football!

The other Uncle Rick

Hello everyone - this is the other Uncle Rick, Father of Todd, Jennifer, Jessica. Brother (fraternity) of Rick Frax. Brother-in-law of Joaquin. Glad to be here and looking forward to hearing more about left coast sports. I'll post more later, but just wanted to say thanks for invite and Go Gators! rick

Baseball Question For Victor

Rick, It was very good to see you Sunday. Really enjoyed our visit. I"m flipping your baseball question to Victor our West Coast baseball guru. I've seen the porque no te callas video as well as the song. Funny stuff. Victor, what's the answer to Rick's question?

Greetings from Davie

Joaquin, It was good to get together on Sunday. If you didn't do it yet you need to look at the clip of "porque no te callas?" that has become world famous and the song that has received equal fame. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9X8DYOA5DE This is the link to the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfptfI30QEM&feature=related This is the link to the clip. You will definitely enjoy it. Enough of politics on a sports blog. Since you brought up a baseball question for Juan, here is one for you: What is the greatest number of pitches (excluding foul balls after the first two strikes) that a hitter can have on a single at bat?

Hello Everyone!

I'm Tiffany Fraxedas, Rob's wife :) I want to thank everyone for including me in the infamous blog I have heard so much about! For those of you who don't know me, Rob and I got married on April 14, 2007 and are happily living in St. Petersburg Florida. I'm a Gator Alumni and follow the football and basketball teams. As for the rest of the NCAA football teams, unfortunately I probably won't have much to contribute. I am, however, a diehard Orlando Magic fan and my family has had season tickets since the very first season (and still do!) I'm looking forward to basketball season and interacting with all of you!

Wow, Rob! Really Nice Tweak

Rob, your tweaking of the blog is really nice. I hope everyone migrates here. People, once you sign in, ask your computer to remember your login and you won't have to do it again. Just click "New Post" if you want to write something new or "comment" if you want to reply to a particular posting. That way we can carry on a number of different conversations at the same time without having to dig trough 70 emails as Jose commented. Frankly either way works for me because I can access both at all times. But I think this is a much better format and will avoid the Jose syndrome which Jason commented on. The poll and other links are really nice touches! You were also successful in attaching the different logos! I tried in an earlier version and they were too big. Guys, we also can post photos of your tailgates, games, whatever. As Rob pointed out, this is a private site. Only those registered from our group can post comments or new postings. For now anyone can see it (if they know the URL) but I can also read-limit it once you guys are used to it. Let's give it a try!

What's the pac-10 inside info?

Is SC expected to trounce ASU? I read that ASU hasn't had any "real" victories and may be a paper tiger.

this saturday

We have to win without Harvin again! Poor guy, he sounds like he is in rough shape. I will be glued to the tv one way or the other to cheer for Oregon. I have concluded that the only remaining nat'l championship matchup that would be interesting is oregon v. lsu. they earned it, they are both great teams.

reponse

creating a new post makes an original post that goes on the main page. "comments" are basically remarks made by people in resonse to an original post; they are viewed/created by clicking on the "comment" link under the original post. hope that helps!

If I write in the area of "new post", where does the reply get sent and is it different if I just go under "comments"? Anybody, please let me know. Victor

Joaquin, I want to thank you for everything. Un abrazo fuerte, Victor

Joaquin; the King

Write me back Victor

Victor you are in. You are an official author. I saw your replies to Rob. I'm still working on getting this thing working but you are definitely in. I've been trying to get this thing right and I think I inadvertenly deleted some early postings but it won't happen again. I am the worst tech guy in the world. But we can do this guys. Sorry for all the angst. I hate computers and tech stuff but I think this is going to work real well if we get the hang of it. Hang tough! Joaquin

hello!

very nice site! glad to be a part of it. got a hearing coming up in a few minutes but I definitely plan on contributing as this Saturday approaches!

Welcome to Gators&Trojans&Bruins&Tigers --Oh My!

Guys, Welcome to our new blog. I'm going to need some technical help to really get it going. But it's officially registered. The title is Gators&Trojans&Bruins&Tigers --Oh My! and its a blog for all who love college sports. Look forward to hearing from the gang Joaquin