Most Hoss Ref Ever?

Jason Fraxedas Graduates From Law School!!!!

Hey everybody-- This afternoon, Saturday December 20, Jason graduated from Stetson Law School (Florida's First Law School) with a Juris Doctor. The weather was as beautiful as the ceremony. Jason won a number of awards and was prominently mentioned in several places in the program for his service and achievements during law school. Congratulations, Jason! Somehow you managed to make the right picks before donning the cap and gown since you are leading the Bowl Pickem. I'm proud of you! Love, Dad -- More pictures on the right

Heisman...again?

Why my Heisman vote went to Tebow

By Matt Hayes - SportingNewsDec 10, 2:26 pm EST

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Here’s the easy answer to why I voted Tim Tebow for the Heisman Trophy: He’s the greatest amateur player in a team sport. Ever. But Sam Bradford had better numbers, you say. Tell that to Texas, Mr. 45-35.

Today is the deadline to send Heisman ballots. Here is mine, emailed Monday morning:

1. QB Tim Tebow, Florida: So his numbers aren’t as good as they were last fall. That’s like criticizing Michelangelo because his latest masterpiece wasn’t the Sistine Chapel.

2. QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: Huge numbers, even better kid.

3. QB Colt McCoy, Texas: Fair or not, he got lost in the Tebow/Bradford shuffle.

15th Week Recap

The Recap for the 15th Week of the principal blog participants:

• USC 28 UCLA 7 - USC wins Pac-10 - Again! The goal at Southern California is the same every year: Win the Pac-10 championship and play in the Rose Bowl.

  Fast Facts

  

  • Following an eight-game losing streak in the series, the Trojans take home the Victory Bell for the eighth time in the last nine years.

  • USC clinched its seventh straight 11-win season while handing crosstown rival UCLA its first eight-loss season since 1963.

  • The Trojans defense gave up a total of 93 points in 12 regular-season games. The 7.8 points per game average is the lowest since 1988 Auburn (7.2).

  • USC has outscored opponents 342-56 during its nine-game winning streak and will become just the third team to appear in four straight Rose Bowls.

  -- ESPN research

  Mark Sanchez passed for 269 yards and two touchdowns, USC's hard-hitting defense stuffed UCLA at every turn, and the fifth-ranked Trojans won their ninth in 10 games between the crosstown rivals.

  The win assured USC (11-1, 8-1 Pac-10) of an unprecedented seventh consecutive BCS bid, seven straight 11-win seasons and seven conference championships in a row. They'll make a fourth straight appearance in the Rose Bowl game, against No. 8 Penn State. CONGRATULATIONS TROJANS!!!!!

• Florida 31 Alabama 20 - Last night Florida beat #1 'Bama to take the SEC Championship. It was one of the best football games I have ever seen. When the chips were down, Florida showed the world that it is as tough and as gritty as it is fast. Total yards in the fourth quarter Florida: 130, Alabama: 1. Victor, you like statistics. This simple statistic says it all. And we played without our major offensive weapon, WR Percy Harvin. And without two starting defensive linemen. Tebow is simply legendary. He put on display one of the most amazing exhibits of willpower, hitting on clutch-play after clutch-play late in the 4th quarter, threading the needle with laser passes against brutal defensive backs like a man possessed. The truth is, when the going got tough in the 4th quarter, Alabama --a truly great team--- was outplayed, overpowered and out coached by an extraordinary quarterback and and an extraordinary team. Under Tebow's leadership, a number of players stepped up to the challenge. WRs Louis Murphy, Carl Moore and David Nelson were amazing. TE Aaron Hernandez, and Riley Cooper were awesome and made incredible catches with DB's all over them. But no one, no one I have ever seen on a football field, generates the electricity and the sheer heart-thumping passion that Tebow generates on the field. It is palpable. I am extremely proud of my Gators. OK, enough. It's time for me to start worrying about Oklahoma!

Worries

OK, I know Victor's going to say I've been doing this every week lately. I worried about Georgia. I worried about South Carolina. I worried about FSU. And all for nothing. We creamed all those teams. But this time I'm really worried. So, if only to keep up with tradition and not incur the wrath of the gods of football, I will say it once more: I am really, really, really worried about Alabama. Here are just a few reasons: 1.) Alabama is undefeated and the number one team in the country for a very good reason: they are a terrific football team. 2.) Alabama has had a number of top recruiting classes since Saban got there and it's beginning to show. They are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. And don't fool yourself, they've got speed. Specially on defense. And, boy, are they big. They are HUGE! They got a defensive lineman who weighs nearly 400 pounds, heavier than Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps put together! 3.) For some inexplicable reason, Alabama is a 9.5 underdog going into the SEC Championship. This is terrible. Absolutely terrible. Florida should be at least a 3 point underdog. I don't like going against the number one team in the country and be considered a ten point favorite by Vegas. Something is awry here. 4.) Injuries. We are seriously banged up in some of our top positions. WR Percy Harvin, our number one offensive weapon next to Tebow, suffered a high ankle sprain in the FSU game and is questionable for tomorrow's game. Chris Rainey, another major offensive weapon, has a groin sprain. He's cleared for the game but will play hurt and will need surgery post-season. Two of our starting defensive linemen are out with injuries. D lineman Matt Patchan has a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and is out for the season. Defensive tackle Brandon Antwine suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament on his knee and is also out for the season. Last I heard Alabama is healthy. 5.) Also, last I checked, Gator fans are being seriously outnumbered around the Georgia Dome by a Tsunami of red clad 'Bama faithful overwhelming every square inch around the Dome. You'd think it was the second coming of The Bear! I don't like it. I don't like it at all. 6.) Last time we played a serious, real power, meat and potatoes, team in a championship game we got creamed. Nebraska killed us in the '95 National Championship game. Spurrier's Fun 'N Gun didn't help us a bit. (Notice I said a real power. Ohio State was a fake). Anyway I could go on and give you a hundred reasons why I am worried. I probably won't be able to sleep tonight. Except... We got Tebow. Yeah! We got Tebow and they don't! Maybe I'll be able to catch a few winks! Good night, y'all!

Click Here For Video Discussion Between 'Bama & Fla Sports Writers On The Game!!!

Gators' speed vs. 'Bama's power in SEC title game

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer

Published: Friday, December 5, 2008 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, December 5, 2008 at 3:54 a.m.

Don't get caught up in a race with those Florida Gators, who can dart to the edges and wave goodbye if a defender doesn't react awfully quick.

Then again, it might not be a good idea to try to go toe-to-toe with Alabama, which can pound teams into the ground with massive front lines and hard-nosed tailbacks.

Saturday's Southeastern Conference championship game is shaping up as a classic showdown: Speed vs. Power. Although neither team is ready to concede the edge in either category.

"They have a lot of speed," Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. "They have probably three or four players that are unique space players in terms of speed and quickness. They have some good runners. They have a lot of speed. They have a lot of speed on defense.

"I think we have pretty good team speed."

Alabama (12-0) just doesn't have an arsenal of offensive speedsters like Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps.

Then again, this is football - not a foot race.

Though on the Georgia Dome turf, both teams could look speedier than they already are.

"It's not just guys running fast, it's guys blocking and the team you're playing," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "I am very eager to have those guys get up there. And that's going to be a fast track, but the team we're playing is going to be fast as well."

Both the speed and power games have produced stellar results for the top-ranked Tide and No. 2 Gators.

Alabama's Glen Coffee has rushed for 1,235 yards and nine touchdowns behind Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy finalist Andre Smith and his cohorts.

Florida (11-1) has Rainey, Demps and Harvin - all averaging at least 8 yards per carry. The Gators, in fact, lead the SEC in rushing and have run for 40 touchdowns; 'Bama is second and has 30 TDs on the ground.

It looks like a made-for-TV match.

"This is the most intriguing matchup I've ever done and basically it's because of the styles," gushed Gary Danielson, who will help call the game for CBS. "This is Frazier versus Ali. This is ugly versus pretty. This is new versus old. This is spread out versus tight."

Meyer said Alabama has the most physical offensive line the Gators have seen the last few years. The Tide has rushed for 200-plus yards six times and fell 2 yards shy of that mark in a seventh game.

"I think the offensive line is very good, but we're going to have to find a way to get an extra defender in the box like most people do defending the run," Meyer said. "We're going to have to have a little movement up front so they can't just tee off on you with their size. That's my worst fear. That's a big part of it."

Some of Alabama's biggest runs have come up the middle. There's not even that much finesse in the passing game, led by 6-foot-4, 210-pound receiver Julio Jones and the tight ends.

"They're not really secretive about what they're trying to do," Meyer said. "They're going to try to pound you and they have the personnel to do it. It's not so much the running game, it's the personnel behind that run game. No, we've not faced anything like that this year."

Florida will play the game without injured defensive linemen Brandon Antwine and Matt Patchan, potentially making the task of stopping Coffee and company even more difficult.

But while the Gators are fast, that doesn't mean they won't be a challenge for an Alabama defensive line that features nearly 400-pound nose tackle and run stuffer Terrence Cody.

"They have a direct run power game that is probably as good as anybody we played against all year," Saban said. "To control the line of scrimmage is going to be a really critical factor in this game."

Florida's biggest man in the running game just happens to be quarterback Tim Tebow, who has run for 12 touchdowns. Tebow says the Gators are hardly just a finesse team.

"I think they're a powerful team, but I think we've got a little power, too," he said. "I'm looking forward to the matchup. People are always going to think of us as a spread team with speed. We're not too bad in the short-yardage stuff, either."

BCS DECLARES GERMANY WINNER OF WORLD WAR II: US Ranked 4th

A buddy sent this to me...got a good laugh out of it: After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II. "Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking." Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories--Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted event." German Chancellor Adolph Hiter said "Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to enhance Germany's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces." The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2." Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines

BCS DECLARES GERMANY WINNER OF WORLD WAR 2

BCS DECLARES GERMANY WINNER OF WORLD WAR II US Ranked 4th After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II. "Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking." Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories--Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted event." German Chancellor Adolph Hiter said "Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to enhance Germany's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces." The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2." Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines

14th Week Recap

• Texas 49 Texas A&M 9 - Total Longhorn domination. Sorry Aggiepete.

• Arkansas 31 LSU 30 - Hey, It happens. If it's any consolation 31-30 was same score of the Ole Miss - Florida game... and we came back. LSU can too, Luisleon. Go Tigers!

• USC 38 ND 3 - Total beat down and embarrassment of ND. Way to Go Trojans!

• Florida 45 FSU 15 - Ditto above. Just replace ND with FSU and Trojans with Gators.

Rivalry Week Upcoming Games

The upcoming games for the 14th week of the season --Rivalry Week-- for the principal blog participants are:

• Thursday November 27: 8 PM ET Texas A&M at Texas ESPN: OK, Aggies, it's time to man up and beat your hated Longhorned rivals one more time. Just like last year. And the year before. If only to honor the memory of your legendary coach, Bear Bryant, you must rise from the dust at College Station, travel to Austin, and reclaim your past glory. OK, if not for The Bear, then for the sake of clearing up any silly BS, I mean, BCS confusion, GET THE STUPID HORNS OUT-OF-OUR-WAY!!!

• Friday November 28: 2: 30 PM ET LSU at Arkansas CBS. OK, Luisleon, make us proud. Finish the regular season in a blaze of glory. Go up in the standings and make us look better :)

• Saturday November 29:

• 3:30 PM ET Florida at Florida State ABC - The Fraxedas Clan will not be traveling to enemy territory at Doak Campbell Stadium (Bobby Bowden Field?) in Tallahassee. We'll be watching at home, tailgating on left over turkey and fixings. Very, very dangerous game, by the way.

• 8:00 PM ET Notre Dame at USC ESPN. Note: Victor will be at this game with his son, Jose, introducing him to the USC/ND Rivalry. See "Repost" below of "Greatest Game Ever Played"

Other Games of Note:

• Saturday, 3:30 PM Auburn at Alabama

• Saturday, 8:00 PM Oklahoma at Oklahoma State ABC

Iowa and Georgetown are done. Good luck to all bloggers and, all Gators repeat after me: Go Gators! Roll Tide! And, for Heaven's Sake, Man Up Aggies!!!

The Greatest Game Ever Played - Repost!!!!!

In honor of The Trojans playing Notre Dame this weekend, I have taken the liberty of "re-posting" one of the best stories ever posted on this blog. It is Victor Cueto's account of his first college football game which he attended with his older brother, Jose, and Andy Katnik. It is truly a memorable story and it is definitely worth re-reading. It means a great deal to me because, although I did not get to spend much time with Andy Katnik, I always felt Andy was a kindred soul. I understood his love and passion for the Trojans and knew it was the same as my love and passion for the Gators. Although Notre Dame is not even a shadow of it's former self, USC - ND is one of the great historic rivalries in college football. So here is Victor's great post:

• 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 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

Cuban Rudy: Javier Estopinan

Some time ago I told Victor that "Rudy" was one of my favorite movies. In typical Trojan fashion he shot back, "There's nothing special or unique about Notre Dame's Rudy! Every College Team has it's Rudy!" As usual, Victor was right. Yesterday was senior day at The Swamp. All the graduating seniors and their families received emotional special recognition before the game. But Urban Meyer saved a glorious moment during the game for Javier Estopinan, who is from Miami and a son of Cuban parents. Estopinan, a defensive lineman for the Gators, suffered a series of devastating injuries which required three knee reconstructions over the past several years and have kept him off the field for most of his college career. He has not even been listed on the depth chart since early in 2006. He missed the last eight games of the 06 season and the National Championship game. But he hung in with the team, attending team meetings, doing everything he could for the Gators. He is also an excellent student who graduated with honors and is already working on his master's degree at UF. Shortly after the first team was pulled from the field, Urban Meyer gave Estopinan a golden moment he will remember for the rest of his life. Florida had racked up a quick 49 points and the Gators were ready to score once more from the one yard line. Suddenly number 93 struts in from the Gator sideline and everybody around me starts asking, "Who is that?" "Who's 93?" Everyone starts searching their programs furiously. A white haired professor sitting in front of me turns around and says, "That's one of my students, Javier Estopinan. He's a real nice kid. He told me Urban Meyer promised him something special today and I think this is it!" We all watch as Number 93 lines up next to our third string QB John Brantley. Long count. The ball is snapped and Brantley hands off to Number 93. Number 93 freezes for a moment, almost as if he didn't know what to do. Then he veers right, runs over a Citadel linebacker, and into the endzone. Touchdown! Standing ovation from an emotional crowd! Estopinan, as quoted in the Miami Herald: ''It was awesome,'' Estopinan said. 'There was no other feeling. If you watch the play again, I almost froze for a little bit, and then I started going again. It was real special." Javier Estopinan, Cuban Rudy.

13th Week Recap

• Ole Miss 31 LSU 13 - Gang, Ole Miss is for real. They put the hurt on the Gators at The Swamp back in September and now they beat LSU in Death Valley. Houston Nutt has a lot to be proud of. That "Wild Rebel" (Formerly 'Wild Hog') formation should not be taken lightly. It works. It works so well the Gators used it this Saturday, (Now newly dubbed the "Wild Gator.") It was fun to watch. Sorry about that Luisleon. You guys should try the "Wild Tiger." ...After you get a new quarterback.

• Iowa 55 Minnesota 0 - Man, Hawkeye Ted, Iowa is romping stomping back! You guys seriously spanked Minnesota last night. As I was coming out of The Swamp yesterday afternoon (before your game against Minnesota), I ran into a guy proudly wearing a Hawkeye cap. I shook his hand and personally thanked him for taking Penn State out of our way. A bunch of Gators around me did the same, yelled, "Go Hawks!!!" and wished your Hawkeyes well against Minn. I guess it worked. You guys went crazy against a bowl bound Minnesota team. I love College Football!

• Florida 70 Citadel 19 - It was a beautiful day at The Swamp. Perfect football weather. Although The Citadel played their hearts out and fought valiantly, it was over early in the first quarter. It truly was a scrimmage. The Gator first team was taken out early in the second quarter and the Gator Rudy's got to play most of the game. There's a heartwarming "Rudy" story I will post separately under "Cuban Rudy".

Victor Son's Water Polo Team --Foothill-- Reaches Finals!!!!!

Victor's son's (Jose) Foothill's Water Polo Team has made it to the pinnacle of water polo by reaching the CIF Southern Section Division I Finals. The match-up is between the top 2 teams in Southern California, Foothill and El Toro. The match will be held tomorrow (Saturday) evening at 8 p.m. (Pacific) at the Woolett Swim Complex in Irvine, located between Culver and Jeffrey on Walnut (much closer to Culver); South of the 5 Fwy. Parking is going to be a bear as, at virtually the same time, the Division II final, pitting Mater Dei against Servite, will, also, be held at Woolett!

For the semi-finals this past Wednesday night, we parked on the other side of the park and walked in as the front (main) parking lot is too small to accommodate all attending.

Let me know if you are planning on going. Parking and tickets will be a problem. We plan on getting there at least 30 minutes before the game.

Note: A little history...Foothill and El Toro played just 2 weeks ago in their league final. FHS prevailed in a thriller, 11-10, in double overtime. More history...although I am not sure, Foothill has made it to the water polo finals a coupe of times over their long and illustrious history, however, I do not believe they have won. Can they break through? We will see. VMC

GO KNIGHTS!!!

Indeed, Victor there is other life outside College Football. Congratulations Knights!!! Go forth and bring home a trophy!

13th Week Upcoming Games

The Upcoming Games for the 13th Week of the Season for the principal blog participants are:

• 1:30 PM ET Citadel @ Florida

• 3:30 PM ET Ole Miss @ LSU - CBS

• 7:03 PM ET Iowa @ Minnesota - Big Ten Network

• USC and Texas A&M are Idle. Georgetown is done.

• Other Game of note. In fact, only game of note: 8:00 PM ET Texas Tech @ Oklahoma - ABC

Good luck to all blog participants!

From: Chris Fowler@ESPN

• "The Trojans, in fact, would be favored over all potential BCS opponents. OU would be a 2½-point underdog to USC, Texas Tech a 4-point dog, and Texas 5½ points. One of the most evenly matched title games would be USC and Florida, with the Gators a 1½-point underdog."

I bet there's more than a couple family members out there who would say this is guy knows what he is talking about! I'll take the underdog role in a title game ;-)

12th Week Recap

Here's The Recap for the 12th week of the season for the principal blog participants:

• Fordham 17 Georgetown 0 - Fordham opened up a 10-0 lead at the half and added another score in the third quarter en route to a 17-0 win over Georgetown in front of 2,758 fans at Jack Coffey Field Saturday afternoon. Willy, your Hoyas need to show more consistency. They got cocky after last week's resounding victory. You need to take them to school. Better luck next week!

• Iowa 22 Purdue 17 - In yet another nail-biting episode, the Hawkeyes watched a desperation pass from Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter sail over everyone's head for an incompletion as time expired, giving Iowa its seventh win on the season. Congratulations Hawkeye Ted!

• Baylor 41 Texas A&M 21 - With a couple of long passes and some nifty pitches, Robert Griffin helped lead Baylor to a rare victory over Texas A&M that ensured the turnover-plagued Aggies a losing season. Griffin threw touchdown passes of 31 and 55 yards and Jacoby Jones ran for two scores after taking late pitches from Griffin in Baylor's 41-21 victory Saturday. It was only the second time the Bears won in their last 23 meetings against Texas A&M. Sorry about that, Aggiepete. Big 12 is rockin' as you predicted, though. Some real razzle-dazzle teams.

• LSU 40 Troy 31 - Concho, Luisleon, you had me scared to death! I was driving back from The Swamp last night, catching up on late games on the radio, and I hear that LSU is down 28 points! I immediately called LL and not only did our dear Cuban Cajun not know the score. He didn't even know who LSU was playing. You've given up on your Tigers, man! What happened to my team win or lose??? I've got to rally you back to Geaux Tiger frenzy. You guys had a heroic comeback. The biggest comeback in LSU history! And you missed it!!! LSU rallied from 28 points down to beat Troy. The Trojans led 31-3 midway through the third quarter before the Tigers came storming back for the largest comeback in school history, outscoring Troy 30-0 in the fourth. Way to defend the honor of the SEC. Geaux Tigers!

• SC 45 Stanford 23 - After a sluggish first half by Southern California, it looked as if there could be another Stanford stunner.Then the Trojans took control of the trenches and the game to put last year's shocking loss to the Cardinal to rest. Stafon Johnson ran for two second-half touchdowns and C.J. Gable also scored twice to help No. 6 USC overcome an early deficit and deal a dose of revenge to Stanford with a crushing victory Saturday. USC head coach Pete Carroll remains undefeated against Pac-10 foes who beat him the previous year, moving to 9-0 in such games. Even more impressive is Carroll's November record at USC which moved to 26-0. Congratulations Trojans!

• Florida 56 South Carolina 6 - Florida played well. Hope we keep it up.

A few words from the old ball coach, on playing UF yesterday

"This team is a lot better than the one two years ago (that won the national championship)," Spurrier said after the game. "I said they had a chance (in '06) because they won all the close ones. This team that they have now is a lot stronger than that one, in my opinion."

I raise my white flag...

I'd like to take this moment to explain my recent fall from power in the Football Pick 'em. I have only one thing to say and that is that Cuban blood runs thick! Although I am a proud, exaggerated, 3rd generation Cuban, it's a matter of fact that through these years of lineage, unfortunate traits, on occasion, seep through. What I'm saying is that not only do I get regular criticism from others for my punctuality (or lack there of), this poor quality has seemingly affected my long-standing, 1st then 2nd place position in the blog. Yes people, although confident in my team choosing abilities (for those of you who know my strategy, plead the 5th), I have fallen in the rankings due to my late team selections. In my defense, I have no defense...these are my roots, love 'em or leave 'em and I prefer to love 'em. I wouldn't change it for the world (unless it meant the satisfaction of a 1st place football pick 'em!)

From The Gainesville Sun:

Notebook: USC has 'nothing to lose' mentality

*** Nifty New Blog Feature: Click On "From Gainesville Sun" above for a "Swampcast" discussion on the upcoming UF - South Carolina Game by Gainesville Sun Sports Writers ***

By Edward Aschoff Correspondent

Published: Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, November 14, 2008 at 3:54 a.m.

With Florida's spot in the Southeastern Conference title game secure, South Carolina heads into Saturday's game with hardly any pressure at all.

That "nothing to lose" attitude could be the perfect recipe for a major upset this weekend of No. 3 Florida, but UF coach Urban Meyer said it isn't the psyche of the Gamecocks that's concerning, it's the talent.

"It's most dangerous when they have good players," Meyer said after Thursday's practice. "When they have a bunch of lousy players, I like playing those teams. The problem is they have really good players."

Much talk about USC has revolved around its defense. The Gamecocks rank third nationally in total defense (256.5 yards per game) and are third in the conference in scoring defense (15.6 points per game). USC also ranks sixth or higher in 11 defensive categories.

On offense, the Gamecocks have thrown the ball well this season. USC is averaging just under 230 yards through the air a game and are fourth in the conference with a pass efficiency rating of 124.7.

With numbers like that, No. 24 USC could prove to be a difficult late-season test for the Gators. To ensure his team continues its high level of play, Meyer said it must come out strong and establish the early momentum.

To obtain that, Meyer said his team has to ensure a two-touchdown cushion. Whether it's a long touchdown pass, a turnover, a forced three-and-out on defense or a blocked kick, Meyer said his team must find a way to get that big lead early.

"As I grow a little older and I get a little more experienced, I think (momentum is) worth 14 points in a game," he said.

12th Week Upcoming Games

The Upcoming Games for the principal blog participants for Saturday November 15 are:

• 12:03 PM ET Purdue @ Iowa - Big Ten Network

• 1:00 PM ET Georgetown @ Fordham

• 3:30 PM ET South Carolina @ Florida - CBS

• 4:05 PM ET Texas A&M @ Baylor

• 7:00 PM ET USC @ Stanford

• 8:00 PM ET Troy @ LSU

Good luck to all blog participants. Trojans: be on the lookout for a trap game... remember last year. Hoyas, make it two in a row! I'll be headed to The Swamp to watch the Gators take on the Ol' Ball Coach. I'm very worried about this game. Check the post below. Catch you all on the way back!!!

From The Gainesville Sun:

Notebook: UF prepares for tough defense

Doug Finger/Staff Photographer

Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin runs past Georgia safety Reshad Jones for a gain of 18 yards in Jacksonville on Nov. 1.

By Edward Aschoff Correspondent

Published: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 12:13 a.m.

Even with emotions still running high after No. 3 Florida’s recent Southeastern Conference title berth, Urban Meyer isn’t concerned about any sort of mental letdown heading into Saturday’s game against No. 24 South Carolina.

“The good thing is, when you watch South Carolina on film, it gets your attention real fast,” Meyer said after Tuesday’s practice. “That tight end (Jared Cook) is going to be a first round draft pick, they’re playing as well as they have on offense and they’re the No. 1 defense in the league.

“This is the most difficult week we’ve had getting ready.”

Meyer said it’s the Gamecock defense that has him most concerned. Not only is it tops in the SEC, but the unit also ranks third nationally allowing 256.5 yards a game.

The main reason for South Carolina’s defensive success is the use of its multiple sets. The Gamecocks may line up with three to four down linemen and can have anywhere from eight to nine in the box, which makes their blitzing packages some of the hardest for offenses to work through.

“We’re gonna have to settle down (on offense),” Meyer said. “We have not faced this kind of multiplicity (from a defense). If we don’t, we’re in for a long day.”

Meyer said he’s yet to find a weakness in South Carolina’s defense, but that he figures the only way to counter the multiple looks is to tighten up the offensive packages and have the offensive line do arguably its best blocking job of the season.

The offensive line is expected to be very close to full strength this weekend with redshirt sophomore Carl Johnson (knee) making strides in practice and redshirt senior Jim Tartt starting to work more through his shoulder injury.

Meyer said Johnson was limited Tuesday, but will be ready Saturday.

People Take Their Football Seriously in the SEC - Note Story Below!

2 dead in argument after Alabama-LSU game

Published: Monday, November 10, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, November 10, 2008 at 8:33 a.m.

EVERGREEN, Ala. (AP) -A man and woman were shot dead after an argument that witnesses said started over an Alabama-LSU football game, but sheriff's investigators said Monday they continued to investigate the motive.

The Conecuh County sheriff's office identified the victims as Dennis James Smith, 41, and Donna Kaye Hall Smith, 39, of Brewton. The two were shot to death about 7 p.m. Saturday in the rural community of Owassa in southern Alabama.

Michael W. Williams, 28, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder over the shooting at his home, where he had watched the game. He was being held Monday without bond. A sheriff's investigator handling the case did not know if he had an attorney.

An investigator said Monday that people watching the game at Williams' home said the dispute was over the game, which Alabama won 27-21 in overtime Saturday, but an investigation into the motive was not complete. The investigator also said alcohol may have been a factor.

According to witness accounts to investigators, Dennis Smith, an LSU fan, called Williams, an Alabama fan, after the game, and the Smiths then went to Williams' home, where a physical altercation led to the shooting.

Investigators said Dennis Smith had a pistol and Williams had a shotgun and fired.

Authorities said Donna Smith was a relative of Williams' girlfriend.

Relatives of both the victims and the suspect either declined comment or did not immediately return phone messages Monday from The Associated Press.

11th Week Recap

Following is the recap for the 11th week of the season for the principal blog participants:

• Georgetown 13 Marist 12 - Congratulations, Willy Hernandez, on a resounding Hoya victory over the Marist!!!! GO Hoyas!!!! With two minutes remaining on the clock, and the Georgetown University football team (2-7) holding on to a slim lead, senior defensive end Nick Umar (Belle Mead, N.J./Montgomery) intercepted a Chris Debowski pass to secure a 13-12 win over the Marist Red Foxes (3-7) a fitting home-finale for the senior on Senior Day.

• Alabama 27 LSU 21 - In an extremely close game that went into overtime, the two SEC powerhouses slugged it out to the bitter end. Alabama safety Rashad Johnson had three interceptions including one in overtime and another that was run for a touchdown, as the No. 1 Crimson Tide beat No. 15 LSU in overtime 27-21, on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. Sorry about that Luisleon, you guys fought valiantly!

• Iowa 24 Penn State 23 - As Rob & Joaq predicted (check the pre-game comments!) the Hawkeyes won a close game late: Daniel Murray's 31-yard field goal with one tick left on the game clock inside historic Kinnick Stadium gave the Hawkeyes a hard-earned 24-23 victory over No. 2 ranked Penn State. The heroes were many: Iowa's quarterback Ricky Stanzi completed 15 passes for 171 yards and one touchdown. He also engineered the game-winning drive, converting on three different third down situations to keep the Hawkeyes marching. Congratulations Hawkeye Ted! We needed the mighty Hawkeyes to take pesky Penn State out of the way and you guys came through!!!!!!!! I thank you. Urban Meyer thanks you. The entire Gator Nation is indebted to the Hawkeyes!!!! Go Hawkeyes!!!

• Oklahoma 66 Texas Tech 28 - Former Gator Defensive Coordinator, Bobby Stoops*, came to College Station and spanked the Aggies at home yesterday afternoon. Sam Bradford threw touchdown passes to four different receivers, Chris Brown ran for three scores and No. 4 Oklahoma started fast again and routed Texas A&M 66-28. DeMarco Murray, Matt Clapp, Ryan Broyles and Juaquin Iglesias had TD catches and Bradford had a touchdown run for the Sooners (9-1, 5-1 Big 12), who set a single-game scoring record for an opponent at Kyle Field. Sorry about that, Aggiepete!!! But as you predicted the Big 12 is in the thick of it! *Bobby learned everything he knows about kick ass football at The Swamp.

• USC 17 Cal 3 - Mark Sanchez threw two touchdown passes, and USC's defense battered No. 21 California in a 17-3 victory. The win was the sixth straight for the Trojans (8-1, 6-1 Pac-10), who have outscored the opposition 231-23 since losing 27-21 at Oregon State. The Trojans came in averaging 40.25 points and the Bears (6-3, 5-1) were averaging 36.4, with a single-game low of 24. Congratulations, Victor, you guys are kicking butt!

• Florida 42 Vanderbilt 14 - Last night Florida clinched the SEC Eastern Division title coolly taking care of business against Vandy. Tim Tebow accounted for five touchdowns, all in the first half, as the No. 4 Gators (8-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference) wrecked one of the SEC's strongest defenses scoring 42 points before the stunned Commodores settled into their seats. Tebow, who retired to the bench --along with most of Florida's starters-- at the beginning of the second half, completed 12-of-17 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 88 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Tebow racked up a total 259 personal yards... and he only played a half! The Gators will play Alabama in Atlanta for the SEC Title on December 6. Link to Gainesville Sun Story.

• Victor, just because I know you read these things: Excerpt from Chris Lowe's Column on ESPN:

"2. Gators rolling right along: There's nothing like peaking at the right time of the season. The Gators aren't just peaking, they're playing on a different planet right now. In their last five games, they've averaged beating opponents by an average score of 49-11.4 and have scored 38 or more points in all five games. Florida was so dominant against Vanderbilt in a 42-14 win that Tim Tebow was done after the first drive of the second half. He accounted for five touchdowns, while the Florida defense didn't allow Vanderbilt to reach its side of the 50-yard line until midway through the third quarter [After the starters on Defense were on the sidelines]. And, oh yeah, the Gators blocked two more punts. If there's a more complete football team in the country than Florida right now, you'd have to go to an NFL stadium on Sunday to find it. The Gators have played a lot of good football since Urban Meyer arrived in 2005, but this is their best stretch yet."

11th Week Upcoming Games!

The Upcoming Games for the 11th week of the season (Saturday November 8) for the principal blog participants are (drum roll please):

• 12:30 PM ET Marist @ Georgetown

• 3:30 PM ET Alabama @ LSU CBS

• 3:30 PM ET Penn State @ Iowa ABC (Note to Hawkeye Ted: Please, please, please beat Joe Pa)

• 3:30 PM ET Oklahoma @ Texas A&M ABC (Note to Aggiepete: Please beat Oklahoma)

• 8:00 PM ET Florida @ Vanderbilt ESPN2

• 8:00 PM ET California @ USC ABC

Other Game of Note:

• 8:00 PM ET Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech ABC

Good luck to all bloggers, specially Hawkeye Ted!!!!!

10th Week Recap

• Lehigh 33 Georgetown 13 - The Lehigh Mountain Hawks (3-5,2-1) scored three unanswered touchdowns to take down the Georgetown Hoyas (1-7,0-4) 33-13. Don't worry Willy, basketball season will soon be here. Go Hoyas!

• Texas A&M 24 Colorado 17 - Jerrod Johnson threw three touchdown passes in the third quarter and Trent Hunter intercepted two passes in the fourth to lead Texas A&M to a 24-17 win over Colorado. Way to go Aggiepete!

• Illinois 27 Iowa 24 - Matt Eller kicked a 46-yard field goal with 24 seconds left and Illinois withstood Iowa's fourth-quarter comeback for a 27-24 victory Saturday. Yikes! Disappointing last minute loss, Hawkeye Ted!

• USC 56 Washington 0 - Mark Sanchez completed 15 of 19 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns to Patrick Turner before coming out early in the third quarter. Southern California scored TDs on its first six possessions and routed the Huskies 56-0. Total domination! Congratulations Trojans!

• LSU 35 Tulane 10 - Charles Scott rushed for 114 yards and scored two touchdowns in 27 seconds late in the second quarter to help LSU put the game away. Congrats Luisleon!

Florida 49 Georgia 10 - Urban Meyer issued a gag order before the Florida Georgia game. No smack talk, no projections, no promises, no nothing. Instead, in answer to last year's en masse celebration by the Dawg's on Florida's end zone, the Gators dismantled Georgia with the cold, ruthless efficiency of a Special Forces unit. The tone was set 30 seconds into the game when Florida middle linebacker, Brandon Spikes, blew through the Georgia offensive line like a speeding locomotive and leveled Georgia marquee running back Knowshon Moreno behind the line of scrimmage with such frightening force that the hit could be heard all the way to Athens, Ga. What followed was total, unchecked, out-of-control domination on offense, defense, special teams, cheerleaders, mascots, you name it. I have never seen Florida play so well. With three minutes left in the game Georgia had not scored a touchdown, the score was 49-3, the Florida bench had been emptied after the third quarter, our third string QB was running the offense, our offensive coordinator had come down from his booth and was hugging Tebow on the sideline, our defensive coordinator had taken off his headset, turned his back on the field, and was talking with Meyer. When a graduate assistant tried to get his attention because Georgia was getting close to the red zone, our defensive coordinator waved him off as if to say, "Whatever, let them score..." That last minute Georgia touchdown was pure face-saving mercy. A small act of kindness. P.S. Not only did our coaches let them score, the Gators on the stands cheered when Georgia finally scored. Quote from article:

• "The Gators were up 49-3 when Georgia finally got into the end zone. Florida fans mockingly cheered for the Bulldogs. Haden and safety Ahmad Black also applauded in jest." (Rivals.com)

How's that for SEC solidarity!

10th Week (Can You Believe It?) Upcoming Games

The 10th week upcoming games for the principal blog participants are:

• 1:00 PM ET Lehigh @ Georgetown

• 2:00 PM ET Colorado @ Texas A&M

• 3:30 PM ET Florida v Georgia (Jax) CBS

• 3:30 PM ET Iowa @ Illinois ABC

• 6:30PM ET Washington @ USC (Wow 44.5 point spread! Think you can cover, Vic?)

• 8:00 PM ET Tulane @ LSU

Good luck to all bloggers!!!!

Phillies Are World Champions!

Congratulations, Victor. You called it! Phillies win the World Series! Since losers are soon forgotten (except Ohio State for some strange reason), Jason can now go back to having drinks with Tampa Bay star pitcher Matt Garza in some hole-in-the-wall bar in Gulfport overlooking scenic Boca Ciega bay and nobody will bother them for autographs. P.S. For those not familiar with it, Gulfport, on the southern tip of St. Petersburg, is one of the neatest places in Florida. It's sort of a hip combination of the keys and South Beach. Time stopped in 1940. There's actually an old casino on the water and every joint looks like Humphrey Bogart should be walking behind the bar any minute, picking up a bottle of whiskey, and saying, "Of all the gin joints in all the world you had to walk into mine..." It's one of the coolest places to hang around in in Florida and I'm almost sorry I'm writing this because it hasn't been discovered.

9th Week Recap

• Baseball: Phillies beat Tampa Bay 5-4 on game 3 of the world series. The Phillies are now 2-1. Game 4 is tonight at 8:30 ET @ Philadelphia.

• College Football:

• USC 17 Arizona 10 - The defense carried the fifth-ranked Trojans to a hard-nosed 17-10 victory over the Wildcats, keeping USC's national title hopes alive.

• Georgia 52 LSU 38 - The game showcased two of the best running backs in the Southeastern Conference, and neither disappointed. Moreno gained 163 yards, while LSU's Charles Scott gained 144 yards and scored two touchdowns.

• Texas A&M 49 Iowa St. 35 - Jerrod Johnson threw for 381 yards and a career-high four touchdown passes as Texas A&M beat Iowa State 49-35 Saturday night. Way to go Aggipete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Richmond 24 Georgetown 0 - Richmond opened up a 24-0 lead at halftime and held Georgetown to only four first downs en route to a 48-0 win over the Hoyas in front of 5,186 fans at UR Stadium on the Spiders' Homecoming Day.

• Florida 63 Kentucky 5 - Total rout. Florida emptied the bench pretty early in the second half and we saw players we've never seen before. I think I even caught a glimpse of an aging Rudy. Our third string QB John Brantley has a heck of an NFL arm and put together some very nice scoring drives. Lest anybody think Kentucky is a cupcake, just note that Kentucky gave #2 Alabama a heck of a game a couple of weeks ago losing by 3 points 17-14. They also beat Arkansas and their record coming into yesterday's game was 5-2 in a very brutal SEC (Only losing to Alabama and So Carolina in extremely close games). Kentucky also beat LSU last year and LSU went on to win the National Championship. Coming into yesterday's game, Kentucky had one of the top-ranked defenses in the SEC. I am extremely pleased with the outrageously dominant way the Gators have played in the last couple of games. Yesterday we blocked two Kentucky punts back to back and a field-goal attempt. All three blocks resulted in Gator touchdowns. If we had kept up the first quarter intensity throughout the game, and kept the big boys in, the score would have been 140 to 0. I guess it's time to take down the "firedanmullen" website [UF Offensive Coordinator]. Hope we keep up the intensity going into next week's game with Georgia!

9th Week Upcoming Games

1st Baseball: World Series. Tampa Bay @ Philadelphia 8:00 PM ET. TV: Fox. Jason's drinking buddy, Matt Garza, will be starting pitcher for Tampa Bay tonight. Don't miss it!!! Now, College Football: The Upcoming games this Saturday for the principal blog participants are:

• 12:30 PM ET Kentucky at No. 10 Florida TV: ESPN/Raycon

• 3:30 PM ET No. 7 Georgia at No 13 LSU TV: CBS

• 3:00 PM ET Georgetown at Richmond

• 7:00 PM ET Texas A&M at Iowa State

• 10:15 PM ETNo. 5 USC at Arizona

• The Hawkeyes have a Bye Week

Other Games of Interest:

• 3:30 PM ETNo. 6 Oklahoma State at No. 1 Texas TV: ABC

• 7:45 PM ET No. 2 Alabama at Tennessee TV: ESPN

• 8:00 PM ETNo. 3 Penn State at No. 9 Ohio State TV: ABC

Good Luck to All!!!!

Happy 50th Birthday Victor! Wish I Could Have Made It!!

Rays to the World Series

So, in May I made a bet with a friend. As my dad will tell you, betting against me is not prudent, especially when it is a sports related bet. Anyway, back in may i bet my friend that the rays would make the playoffs this year. He laughed at me, we named the terms and we shook hands. Long story short, the worst team in baseball over the last decade finished the regular season atop the AL east (arguably the best division in baseball), secured a spot in the playoffs and subsequently laid waste to the white sox and caught fire then overcame a slump against the red sox (in short, the rays did a few loads of laundry). Now it is down to the rays and the phillies. I am proud of the rays. The only problem is, now that they are successful and are catching everyones attention, the rays that i knew will surely disappear. All through law school i have the fond memories of rounding up a few buddies after class on a thursday, driving 10 minutes to the trop, parking for free, tailgating in the shadow of the stadium and walking up to the ticket office to buy tickets for $10 as the game was starting. Earlier this season we ran into matt garza (the star pitcher of last nights game)at a hole in the wall beach bar less than a mile from school. He was nice as can be and talked to us for a long time. Ashley then challenged him (facetiously....kind of) to a throwing contest. Her claim to fame is winning the little league world series in softball as the starting shortstop some years back, so naturally she likes to talk smack. He laughed and was joking with us about how he can only get up to 98mph when he has a fresh arm. Anyway, it is refreshing to have been a part of the rays club while it had a sandlot atmosphere. It almost had a college feeling to it. Players played their hearts out for the love of the game. Our entire lineup, bullpen and coaching staff make less than the 3rd base/shortstop portion of the yankees infield. They all wear mohawks to promote team unity (even the white haired manager joe maddon) Something about that is appealing, and if they can maintain that intensity, I don't see how they could lose the world series.

8th Week Recap

Hello fellow bloggers. As I write this I am at Terry & Henry Christiansen's in Miami watching the Dolphins on TV with Henry, Terry and Ayi. We sure are a sports-crazed family. On the way down to Miami I called my brother Rick who was on his way to Dolphin Stadium with Pity to watch the Dolphins v Ravens. He had an extra ticket and offered it to me. I was sorely tempted because at the very instant we were on the phone I could see Dolphin Stadium from the Turnpike. But I didn't want to let Ayi down who was waiting for me at the Christianson's. Also, as I write this, my son, John is headed to Tampa with his UF roomate to watch the Tampa Bay Bucks at Buck's stadium tonight. I love this blog. It sure has brought us together and serves multiple purposes. For example, yesterday I was chilling at home with my boys watching football (while Rhonda shopped) when I texted Victor about the USC - Wazzu game and realized he was out and about, so at his request, I kept him up on the score until it became such a rout he no longer needed updates. Later I was watching the LSU - So Carolina game and texted Luisleon when So Carolina went up one score. Luisleon, who is a resort executive by day and a rock star by night, happened to be playing guitar with his band at the time and asked me to keep him up to date. Following is the transcript from our hilarious text exchanges late last night. When So Carolina went up one score I initiated the first text message:

• Joaq: "Concho!"
• Luisleon: "Papi, I'm so p'd over FL, I'm not even watching the game. Shoot me a score! (Lie if you need to)
• Joaq: "So Carolina 17 LSU 10"
• Luisleon: "I said lie!"
• Joaq: "Ok. LSU 52 So Carolina 0"
• Luisleon: "Thank You --now that's a true friend for you!!! Me cago en la madre de LSU!!
• Joaq: 17-17
• Luisleon: "Only took them, 8min to score! Wow, we may be turning around the offense! (Not)
• Joaq: "Watch out for the Ole Ball Coach! Carolina is putting together a drive!"
• Joaq: "LSU intercepted!"
• Joaq: :"LSU in red zone."
• Joaq: "Touchdown LSU!"
• Luisleon: "We gonna win????"
• Joaq: "Yep. Geaux Tigers"
• Luisleon: "Ok, I can watch now."
• Joaq: "Victory formation. Game over. Congrats."
• Luisleon: "I've actually been playing guitar in band tonight! Appreciate the updates. Go Gators! Chomp! Chomp!"
• Joaq: "Go forth and beat Georgia and Alabama so we can meet again in Atlanta! Good night!"

And now for the weekly recap:

• USC 69 Washington State 0 - A total and absolute rout. Mark Sanchez became the first USC quarterback to throw five touchdown passes in a half and the focused No. 6 Trojans dominated this time as a huge favorite, beating Washington State 69-0 on Saturday a month after they were upset by Oregon State. USC's defense, ranked first in the nation coming in by allowing just 9.4 points per game, ended the Cougars' streak of scoring at 280 games dating to Sept. 15, 1984, when Ohio State beat Washington State 44-0. That scoring streak was second-longest in the nation to Michigan's 295 games. "Our guys had a ball playing football today, from the locker room on out," coach Pete Carroll said. "Right from the start, we wanted to find that focus that we really hadn't had yet." It was the largest shutout victory for USC (5-1, 3-1 Pac-10) since a 69-0 win over Montana in 1931. Congrats, cousins!

• Texas Tech 43 Texas A&M 25 - No. 7 Texas Tech beat Texas A&M 43-25 on Saturday, giving the Red Raiders their best start in 32 years. Harrell completed 44 of 56 passes for 450 yards as the Red Raiders moved to 7-0 -- 3-0 in the Big 12 -- after beating A&M for the seventh time in eight meetings. Sorry, Aggiepete.

• LSU 24 So Carolina 17 - LSU's defense wasn't going to let this one get away. LSU avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time since 2001. The Tigers posted a season-high six sacks. South Carolina, which had its four-game winning streak snapped, had three turnovers and now has 23 on the season. The No. 13 Tigers held South Carolina to minus-7 yards in the fourth quarter and sacked first-time Gamecocks starter Stephen Garcia six times in a 24-17 victory Saturday night. With LSU (5-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) down by seven at halftime after allowing two touchdowns in the last 3 minutes of the second quarter, end Kirston Pittman said the defense resolved to stiffen and not collapse like it did in allowing Florida to score 31 second half points in a 51-21 loss last week. Congrats, Luisleon

• Iowa 38 Wisconsin 16 - Shonn Greene just keeps getting better -- and the resurgent Hawkeyes are following his lead. Greene rushed for a career-high 217 yards and four touchdowns and Iowa pounded reeling Wisconsin 38-16 on Saturday, sending the Badgers to their first 0-4 start in the Big Ten since 1996. Congrats, Big Ten Ted!

• Bucknell 27 Georgetown 24 - A dissapointing squeaker! Marcello Trigg threw two second-half touchdown passes and Andrew Lair for 122 yards and a score to lead Bucknell to a 27-24 win over Georgetown on Saturday. Trigg threw a 15-yard touchdown to Shaun Pasternak in the third quarter. The extra point was missed, but following a Hoyas turnover, Pasternak caught a 15-yard passing score from Trigg to put the Bison 4-2, 1-0 Patriot League) ahead 27-17 in the fourth. The Hoyas (1-4, 0-3) cut the lead to 27-24 with 3:48 remaining in the fourth when James Brady found Collin Meador for a 5-yard touchdown, but Georgetown pulled no closer. Sorry, Willy. Maybe next week!

8th Week Upcoming Games

Upcoming Games for the principal blog participants for Saturday October 18th:

• 12:03 PM ETWisconsin at Iowa TV Big Ten Network

• 12:10 PM ET No. 7 Texas Tech at Texas A&M

• 1:00 PM ET Bucknell at Georgetown

• 3:30 PM ET No. 6 USC at Washington State

• 8:00 PM ET

  No. 13 LSU at South Carolina

• Florida has a bye week getting ready for Kentucky.

Best of luck to all the bloggers, specially Luisleon. Go forth and beat the old ball coach! Remember to click on the title above for a complete schedule of all Div 1 teams.

Depression / Angst and Hoyas

Please excuse me if I chose, albiet momentarily, to not participate in the colloquial banter of such a lofty blog, but when faced with the events and the record of the last few weeks, both financially and the pigskin, I can not but ask myself; when will it end? It is perhaps in the deepest moments of depression, with the Angels out of the playoffs, with the Hoyas wollowing in abject destitution, that I must turn to the wonderful news that the stock market is now only a negative 48% year to date. As Eeyore states: "Oh well ... thanks for noticing me."

Terrific Pictures: Elena Katnik, Jose, Victor, Nora & Annie

To the right are some absolutely wonderful pictures of Elena Katnik, Jose Cueto, Victor Cueto & Nora Clayton during those glorious moments in "tailgate heaven" before the USC - Oregon game. Below those pictures is one of Nora and Annie Katnik at Moonshadows -- a great restaurant in Malibu. Looks like the weather was "football terrific". Here in Florida, at the Swamp, we usually have to wait for November games before we can wear jackets. I'm envious. Way to go Coast-to-Coast tailgaters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please click on the title to this post above "Terrific Pictures..." and it will take you to a Picassa Web Album where you can see a slideshow of the photos in higher resolution. Enjoy!

Some Things Should Never Be Said

This past Monday LSU defensive lineman, Ricky Jean-Francois, told the press that if he got a clean shot at Tebow, he would try to take him out of the game for good. There was no room for misunderstanding. The LSU lineman told the world, clearly and unequivocally, that he would intentionally hurt Tebow seriously and permanently, if he got the opportunity. Tebow, characteristically, downplayed the comment. After all, last year before the LSU game some LSU fans got Tebow's cell number and peppered him with calls filled with obscenities and death threats. Tebow took it all with a grain of salt. The comment last Monday by the LSU lineman was different. It was public and direct. Unlike Tebow, UF Defensive Coordinator, Dan Mullen, took the comment seriously and told the press that "Intentionally injuring other players is not part of the game that we teach here at UF." LSU public relations issued a statement on Tuesday trying to do damage control and basically saying that Jean-Francois didn't mean to say what he said. But the damage was done. Jean-Francois did not travel with LSU to Gainesville. He stayed behind at Baton Rouge, reportedly as a result of a heretofore undisclosed "groin" injury. Nobody believes that. Not even in Baton Rouge. Unless the groin injury was the result of Les Miles kicking him in the nuts while screaming, "You stupid fool! You just lost Saturday's game!" College football is a highly emotional game. That's why we all love it so much. But some things go beyond the pale. They also fire up the other team beyond all understanding or measurement. The mood in Gainesville, inside the Gator locker room, all over the Gator Nation, this past week was off the charts. All seismic data coming from campus sensors were forecasting a major volcanic explosion. Florida was going to beat LSU and beat them bad, very bad. It was a pre-ordained rout. That's why I gave you all a heads up on the Pickem game. Jason also piped in that it was going to be by a lot of points. Victor knows that I generally don't predict victories. He knows I worry if we're playing the Sisters of Charity. Not this time. I was so sure that UF was going to beat LSU I would have bet whatever's left of my stock portfolio. Obviously Vegas had some inside information because the line was in favor of the Gators, even though UF was #12 and LSU #4 at the time. There was a lot of furious text chatter between Gators all week, specially among the Fraxedas clan. But I was so angry personally that I didn't want to post something I would later regret. In any event, I feel better now. Actually, in retrospect, here's hoping that somebody from Georgia or Kentucky or So Carolina or FSU runs their mouth about taking Tebow out. Any takers? Anybody????

7th Week Recap

• Iowa 45 Indiana 9 - Playing most of the game on a short field, using a masterful offensive game plan and clamping down a suffocating defense Iowa gained a decisive 45-9 victory over Indiana Saturday afternoon inside Memorial Stadium. The win gives the Hawkeyes a 4-3 overall record, 1-2 in the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers are 2-4, 0-3. "This was a team win all the way," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. "It's a great feeling for our players. They've been playing tough and all three areas contributed to the victory." Iowa, arguably the best 3-3 team in the nation entering today's game, is now staking claim to being the best 4-3 team in the land. Congratulations Hawkeye Ted!!!!!

• Kansas State 44 Texas A&M 30 - Josh Freeman completed 21 of 26 passes and ran for four touchdowns as Kansas State snapped its five-game losing streak to Texas A&M with a 44-30 win Saturday. Courtney Herndon returned a blocked punt for a touchdown for the Wildcats (4-2, 1-1 Big 12), who moved the ball at will in the first half and led 27-10 at the break. Sophomore quarterback Jerrod Johnson tried to rally the Aggies, but the comeback stalled when Kansas State's defense stuffed Jorvorskie Lane twice at the goal line midway through the fourth quarter. Freeman led a 98-yard drive the other way and sealed the win on a short touchdown run with 4:37 left. Johnson, starting again for the injured Stephen McGee, completed 29 of 41 passes for a school-record 419 yards. He also ran for a score and finished with 487 total yards, also a school record. The Aggies (2-4) gave up 451 yards and dropped to 0-2 in the Big 12 for the first time. Sorry Aggipete, the Aggies need a shot of redemption pretty soon or they are going to turn into a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard. Better luck next week!

• Penn 27 Georgetown 7 - Penn returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and scored another seven points off of a Georgetown interception en route to a 27-7 win over the Hoyas in front of 3,135 fans on Homecoming Day at the Multi-Sport Field. It was the first game for Georgetown after last week's game against Colgate was cancelled due to an outbreak of norovirus on the campus (you thought I was kidding last week when I talked about norovirus). Georgetown falls to 1-4 overall while Penn improves to 2-2 overall. Man, Willy, you guys also need a shot of redemption! Better luck next week!

• USC 28 Arizona State 0 - A convincing victory was of little consolation to Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez, who reacted as if he was on the losing side. Perhaps he might have been had it not been for the Trojans' dominating defense. Sanchez passed for one touchdown and ran for another, and No. 8 USC overcame five turnovers and nine penalties to beat Arizona State 28-0 on Saturday for its ninth straight victory over the Sun Devils. The Trojans have won those nine games by an average of 20.1 points. "It was a tough outing for me and the offense as a whole," Sanchez said. "I think that we beat ourselves. We didn't see anything that we weren't prepared for. We just didn't execute the way we would have liked." Victor, first congratulations on a thorough defeat of Arizona State. Second, man, USC and UF are leading parallel lives. Sanchez' reaction to a 28 point shutout over the Sun Devils was almost identical to Tebow's reaction to our 38 to 7 beatdown of Arkansas at Arkansas last week. Tebow was dejected and it fell more like a loss than a win to the Gator Nation. But if our performance against LSU last night is any indicator you will absolutely destroy Washington State next week. I feel sorry for them already! Congratulations again, Victor!

• Florida 51 LSU 21 - Florida utterly crushed LSU last night at The Swamp. The Gators shot out of the tunnel breathing fire and cut lose with all offensive weapons at once. It was a feast of firepower. Fast and furious. Within seconds of the opening kickoff Tebow threw a 70 yard TD pass to Percy Harvin. Then things really got going after that opening bomb. What followed was a blur of scoring and speed. By the end of the first quarter the Gators had racked 186 offensive yards and LSU had 4. It was pure unmitigated slaughter, just as I had foreseen and gone on record on the blog a few days ago. I will explain my thoughts in a posting just after this recap. Sorry Luisleon, Les Miles should have wrapped duck tape around your loudmouth defensive lineman's mouth. Too bad he stayed behind in Baton Rouge, cowering under his bed. We had prepared a special welcome for him at the Swamp. I am sorry he missed it.

7th Week Upcoming Games

The upcoming games for the principal blog participants for Saturday October 11, 2008 are:

• 12:00 PM ET Iowa at Indiana TV: Big Ten

• 2:00 PM ET Kansas State at Texas A&M

• 2:00 PM ET Penn at Georgetown. NOTE! LIVE Video & Audio at www.guhoyas.com

• 3:30 PM ET Arizona State at No. 8 USC TV: ABC

• 8:00 PM ET No. 4 LSU at No. 11 Florida TV: CBS

Other game of note:

• 12:00 PM ET No.5 Texas vs. No.1 Oklahoma (Neutral Venue) TV: ABC

As always, best of luck to all our bloggers. And, to Luisleon, may the best team win. Forget the market. Have a great weekend!!!

Apologies

I, like a lot of Gators, was more than a little spoiled in my rant this past Sunday criticizing our team after we beat Arkansas 38-7 and racked up over 500 offensive yards in the process because the victory wasn't "pretty" enough. The truth is that we have all become spoiled and I owe the Gator team and coaches an apology. I'm sorry. I'm grateful we have such a great team with such great players and coaches. It's truly great to be a Florida Gator. It's a privilege. Like the old bumper sticker said: "Cuban by birth, Gator by the Grace of God." I have a strong feeling we are going to beat LSU on Saturday. I'm not kidding. We are going to beat LSU. You heard it here first. I'm on record. If anyone picks LSU on the pickem, it's your own darn fault. GO GATORS!

6th Week Recap

• USC 44 Oregon 10 - Nora and Victor were present at the Coliseum and enjoyed a terrific game as Southern California roared back from its stunning loss last week and crushed No. 23 Oregon 44-10 Saturday night. "This is exactly what we needed to do," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "This was exactly the game we were looking for to bounce back and get back on track. USC scored the game's final 41 points and avoided losing consecutive games for the first time since 2001, Pete Carroll's first year as coach. "These guys came out and played like crazy. This was a big moment for us."The "big moment" was keyed by quarterback Mark Sanchez, who had a so-so outing in the 27-21 loss at Corvallis that cost USC (3-1, 1-1) the No. 1 ranking, and by the Trojans' defense, which had been pushed around by the Beavers. Sanchez threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns in the Trojans' 598-yard offensive avalanche, and their defense held the Ducks (4-2, 2-1), the Pac-10's best rushing team coming in, to 60 yards on the ground and 239 overall. Oregon had been averaging 308 on the ground alone. Congratulations Trojans, Coast-to-Coast!

• Florida 38 Arkansas 7 - The score is somewhat misleading because Florida played a pretty boring game on offense for three quarters and then woke up from a fog of offensive mediocrity during the fourth quarter and said, "Wait a minute, aren't we supposed to be a BCS team????" We then proceeded to put points on the board, like we should have from the start. What's going on with Florida is horribly frustrating. Early in the season the theory was that we were "holding back" and not running any offense worthy of the name. Just winning with defense and special teams to save our offensive schemes and high-powered ways for the truly important games. Well, that nonsense caught up with us during the Ole Miss game last week. We let them hang around for four quarters and that foolishness got us a loss we should not have had. Well, next Saturday we got a real tough team coming to The Swamp. LSU is coming to town and we better come out of that tunnel breathing fire, hitting on all cylinders, firing everything we have from the get-go. If we don't, the season will truly be over and our offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen, will be coaching at St. Elsewhere.

• Georgetown 0 Colgate 0 - The Georgetown / Colgate game was cancelled because of norovirus on campus. That is the weirdest thing I've ever heard. I thought people got norovirus on cruise ships, not football fields. Oh, well.

• Oklahoma State 56 Texas A&M 28 - The Aggies were destroyed by Oklahoma State. What can I say. Sorry Aggiepete. Better luck next week.

• Michigan State 16 Iowa 13 - Pretty frustrating. Iowa passed up what could have been a tying field goal at the end and instead went for it on 4th and 1. Exactly like Florida last week against Ole Miss, Iowa didn't make it and lost on the road to the Spartans.

Other than a terrific victory by the Trojans (who also started slow) it was a horribly frustrating week for the bloggers. Yeah, yeah Florida won by 31 points on the road. Beat the spread. But it really felt like a loss. Hope we all have a better week coming up. Except for luisleon. I hope his Tigers have a terrible day at The Swamp. Four or five turnovers would be great. Can you help us out here LouLion?