re: Sanchez

I learned from Victor that Sanchez was leaving USC, opting out of continuing, because of his lucrative future in the NFL. Bill Plaschke's article in yesterday's LA Times comments on this and how mad Pete Carroll was at the prospect of not having Sanchez next year. I, too, was upset until I discovered that he was only opting out of football, not college. Next year is his 5th year of playing football. He will graduate in May with a degree and has been promised a great job. Too bad other graduating seniors do not have the same option. Good luck to him, fight on, and next year will be just as exciting for us on the West Coast. Looking forward to March Madness. PS. I am a member of another blog (Katnik and Clayton women) and I attempted to post my Sanchez thoughts yesterday on the gatorstrojansbruins blog, but it was redirected to the other blog. I have some explaining to do to the females in the health/fitness blog. Glad it was not x-rated!

Rick Fraxedas At National Championship!!!!

I must tip my hat to my most excellent brother Rick who has an uncanny knack for being at the right place at the right time. If you recall, he started the season with me at The Swamp for the Gator's season opener against Hawaii (photo on the right). He finished the season with his wife, Mari, at the season's last game, the National Championship game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami (photo on the left). In between he managed to get to the LA Coliseum to tailgate with our West Coast Cousins before the Trojan - Buckeye game (photo below - with Nora). If you click on the title to this post above it will take you to a web album of Rick's National Championship photos. Where will Rick turn up next? Stay tuned, your industrious bloggers will keep you informed.

Blog of Champions!!!!!!

What a great and wonderful blog we have! Last night Florida won the BCS Football National Championship beating a talented and worthy Oklahoma team with a Heisman winning quarterback at the helm, who, unfortunately for him, was not playing Kansas anymore. Last year mighty LSU took the National Championship beating Ohio State. The year before, it was Florida winning the National Championship, also clobbering Ohio State. A couple of years before that it was the noble USC Trojans winning back-to-back Football National Championships in 2003 and 2004. Amazingly Florida also managed back-to-back Basketball National Championships in 2006 and 2007 which means Florida has won four national championships in major sports in the last three years! It's hard to describe how great it is to be a Florida Gator today. Rick Fraxedas was at the game and called me several times all excited but couldn't hear me because of the awesome roar of the crowd all around him. He will send pictures of the game which I will post as soon as I get them. At the end of this year the #1 and #2 teams in the country are the Florida Gators and SC Trojans. Will next year fianlly be the year these two great teams finally face each other in the Big Game as I predicted to Andy Katnik was our mutual destiny? Will next year be the year the coast-to-coast cousins finally get together in a blur of cardinal and gold and orange and blue at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena? Will the blog be able to bear all the passion and emotion and sheer wall to wall excitement that a true clash of East Coast and West Coast titans would generate in the most historic venue of all? Stay tuned. This blog is headed for greatness! Below is an article by John Romano of the St Pete Times which I think says it all.

Florida Gators can take their place among history's great programs

By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist In print: Friday, January 9, 2009

MIAMI — Years from now, you may recall the celebration.

The way some players embraced and others danced. The confetti falling, and the voices rising.

Down the road, you may remember the big moments.

The goal-line stands, and the Percy Harvin runs. The Ahmad Black interception, and the Tim Tebow jump pass.

You may take whatever memories you choose out of Florida's 24-14 victory against Oklahoma in the BCS national championship game Thursday night, but you should realize this was bigger than any one moment. It was bigger than one game or even one season.

For, in retrospect, this had the feel of more than just a championship.

In a way, it was like a coronation of football royalty.

Florida may not yet have the football tradition of an Alabama or an Oklahoma or a USC, but it has separated itself from nearly every other campus in the country. Since the beginning of the Steve Spurrier era in 1990, UF has been second to no one.

"We're on the rise," said Black, who stopped a critical fourth-quarter drive with an interception. "We're on top of the world right now, and we're not going anywhere. There are other great teams and other great conferences, but you can't stop Florida. We're going to keep this going."

They don't have football factories in the NCAA anymore. At least not the way they used to.

So this isn't a dynasty, and it isn't a juggernaut. But what Florida has done is still rare enough. Three national championships in a dozen years is the kind of thing you only see from historic football programs.

Notre Dame did it generations ago. Texas and Alabama, too. The last college program with this kind of success was Miami, when it won four national titles from 1983 to 1991. Before that, Oklahoma won three from 1974 to 1985.

So, clearly, what Florida has accomplished on the football field is impressive enough.

But, if you take it to another level, what the Gators have done is truly unprecedented. Between football and basketball — the highest-profile sports in the NCAA — the Gators have won four national championships in three years.

January has belonged to Florida, and April has, too. And no other university has ever come close to pulling off that kind of domination in the sports America cares about most.

"Florida is the place people want to go," safety Major Wright said. "It's a place that knows what it wants and knows how to get there."

On the final night of the season, Tebow was more clutch than brilliant. In perhaps the final game of his college career, Harvin was the most dynamic player on the field. And in the final analysis, the Florida defense turned in a performance that will be talked about forever in Gainesville.

Perhaps, this morning, a few others have reason to gripe. Texas, after all, also beat Oklahoma on a neutral field and, like Florida, has only one loss. USC has one loss and finished the season on a 10-game winning streak. And Utah, at 13-0, certainly has a right to feel cheated.

Still, it is hard to imagine any team being favored against the Gators today.

Florida was a missed extra point shy of a possible 14-0 season. It finished the season with back-to-back victories against the No. 1 team in the BCS standings.

And now Urban Meyer is one of a handful of active coaches with two national titles on their resume. The difference is the rest of them are already getting bulk mail orders on pension benefits and Medicare. Joe Paterno is 82, and Bobby Bowden is 79. Dennis Erickson is 61, and Pete Carroll is 57. As for Meyer? He is 44. He is also 83-17 as a head coach, which puts him 30 victories ahead of where Paterno was at this age.

So take what you want from this victory. Take it as validation or relief. Take it as vindication or joy. But when the emotions fade, be sure to keep the night, and the season, in perspective.

Do not just recall the celebration. Make sure you remember it all.

Remember the moment Tebow turned a season around with his emotion-filled locker room and news conference speeches after a one-point loss to Mississippi in September.

Remember Louis Murphy, of St. Petersburg, pointing toward the heavens for his mother. Remember the heartbreak of Cornelius Ingram tearing his ACL days before the start of his senior season.

Remember Brandon James' kick and punt returns against Tennessee. Remember the timeouts against Georgia. The fourth quarter against Alabama. The goal-line stands Thursday night against Oklahoma.

Remember that, in the 2008 season, the Gators stated their claim to history.

John Romano can be reached at romano@sptimes.com.

OK I'm Worried

I told Victor I was not worried. I told him I was confident about Florida beating OK in the big game this Thursday. But I don't want to jinx The Gators. I don't want to tempt the gods of football. So, to set the record straight, and keep up long tradition, I hereby declare: I'm worried. I'm worried because:

• Alabama laid a big egg losing to Utah in the Sugar Bowl and embarrassing the SEC. At least Ole Miss shut Texas Tech up and spanked them good. Way to go Rebels! But Alabama laid a big egg and took some luster off the Gator's victory over 'Bama in the SEC title game.

• Florida has not faced an offense as prolific and as fast-paced as Oklahoma this season. And Florida has not faced a quarterback as good as Sam Bradford all season... or an O-line as good as Oklahoma's. Will we be able to pressure Sam Bradford? Will Spikes be able to blow through their O-line and get some grass stains on Bradford's jersey?

• How healthy is Percy Harvin? Will he be able to go full strength the whole game?

• Florida lost it's offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen, who took the head coaching job at Miss State after the SEC title game. Mullen says he'll call the title game but he'll be distracted and cannot be 100% focused. He has one foot in Florida and one foot in Miss State. Also in the interim we upgraded our offensive line coach Steve Addazio to offensive coordinator. Addazio is a good man but there has to be some hard feelings on the part of our receivers coach, Billy Gonzalez, who was also up for the offensive coordinator position. Also there has to be some friction in philosophies. When Mullen first announced he was leaving Meyer said that the game would be called by a committee of Addazio (O-line coach), Billy Gonzalez (Receiver's coach) and Urban himself. Now we have Mullen (originally a quarterbacks coach) saying he will call the game. It seems like a recipe for confusion and too many cooks in the kitchen.

• Oklahoma has had a string of losses in bowl games recently and have been embarrassed. They have to be motivated and angry and their luck is bound to change.

• Speaking of luck, Sam Bradford is a Cherokee and Native Americans around the country have embraced him as a source of pride. Even as we speak, war dances are going on around the country invoking powerful magic.

• Also, the last time Florida faced a Big 12 team in a title game (Nebraska, 1995, National Championship game) Florida was favored and Nebraska utterly clobbered us.

• I want to approach Thursday's game in all humility and, in doing so, hope to avoid the wrath of the football gods. So, to paraphrase my letter to Juan on the eve of our 2006 National Championship Game: I don't know what team will emerge victorious. That's why they invented championships. What I do know is when the Gators come out of that tunnel at full speed, smiling, bursting with confidence and defiance, flying our colors under the big Miami moon, all my pride, all my feelings, all my memories will take the field with them.

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

• Print

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."