Alligator Alley

Some stray ideas rattling around in my head today:

1. STAY INSIDE: It continues to amaze me how hung up many fans are about Florida not having an indoor practice facility for football. Even though no Florida coach has ever stated it’s a factor in preparation (Will Muschamp reiterated that fact again during a speaking gig on Thursday, saying the Gators miss very few practice opportunities due to lightning), and even though no recruit has ever stated that the lack of an indoor facility eliminated UF from their list, the fans never give up on this topic. I know I’ll probably get blasted for this, but there is no need for this type of facility. Besides the fact there’s no room to put it, practicing in the elements, especially the oppressive heat, is part of the deal for playing football down here. It’s actually to UF’s advantage to get used to the heat, and at times rain, because those are factors, especially early in the season. Yes, practice plans get scrambled a handful of times, but it’s such a low priority among the coaches and administrators. It does make for a spirited discussion/argument topic during the slow periods (and probably in this thread).

2. COMMITS VISITING ELSEWHERE: It was interesting because I picked up an old Gator Bait that was laying around the office, one from a couple of years ago that was printed late in the football season, and in our Recruiting Central article we had a chart of the Gators’ commitments to that point. They had about 17 or 18, and even just two months or so shy of National Signing Day, five of the “committed” players wound up not signing with Florida. It’s the nature of the sometimes-silly beast, this idea of prospects committing 10 or 12 months before National Signing Day, and then still exploring their options even though they remain “committed.” I would much rather do away with the term “commitment” and instead use a variation of the word “favorite,” at this time of the year. A prospect can say, “My favorite right now is Florida,” which would not be misleading. And the prospect could always add “and I will not consider any other school,” or “but I’m still exploring all my options.” I know this is fantasy, but not any more of a “fantasy” than some of these guys who “commit” four or five months before their senior year even starts, only to realize they want the full recruiting treatment.

3. MAMA TRIED: OK, I’m going to stretch this one a little bit, using one of the great covers played by one of my favorite bands, the Old 97s (it’s actually a Merle Haggard original, for all you country twang folks), because I really have tried to get interested in the NBA playoffs. I really have, but after watching pieces of many of the opening-round games (I have no rooting interest so I won’t commit two hours or so to view an entire game), I can’t get past the fact that the product, pretty much, stinks. Maybe it’s partially a product of the lockout-shortened season, but the level of ball is just lousy. Teams scratch to score a measly 80 points, and don’t tell me it’s because of great defense. The last 10 seconds of Game 5 of the Atlanta-Boston series was a near-comic display of horrendous basketball. Up one point, the Hawks had to inbound the ball in their offensive end, but with four guys standing around, had to call their last timeout. After the stoppage, the Hawks again stood around until they had to inbound the ball, which was easily stolen by Rajon Rondo. Rondo then sped the ball up the floor, didn’t think about passing the ball, fumbled it and as it was going out of bounds, saved it to no one and the game ended. Really? And I had to laugh at the graphic on NBA-TV, where the Chicago-Philadelphia eyesore was gladly relegated, that said the 76ers were on a 6-2 “run” over the last 3:36 of play. That’s not a run, that’s barely a walk. Ugh. The league could have freed up a lot of TV time by simply using a BCS-type formula, and letting Chicago (with a healthy Derrick Rose obviously) play Miami and Oklahoma City face San Antonio, and dispense with the rest of the dreck.

4. WHY BRACKETS?: And not that I want to waste much time and energy talking NBA, but it’s beyond ridiculous that the league sets up a playoff bracket, instead of letting the matchups play out after every round. So No. 8 seed Philly takes care of the banged-up top-seeded Bulls, and the recipient of that good fortune is No. 5 seed Boston instead of No. 2 seed Miami, which has to play a much better team in No. 3 seed Indiana. All because the brackets were pre-determined to set up a 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3 deal in the conference semifinals. Why? Why should an upset benefit Boston and not Miami, which had a much better regular season and is more deserving. It’s not the way it’s done in football or hockey – just another reason to pay scant attention to the NBA.

5. SILLY SUSPENSION: So Philadelphia Cole Hamels goes “old school” and plunks Washington phenom Bryce Harper for no reason other than the fact that Harper’s a hyped phenom. While admiring Hamels for at least being honest, there is nothing in the baseball unwritten code that says you throw at a guy simply because he gets a lot of pub, warranted or not. But what’s even sillier is the idea of MLB suspending starting pitchers for a number of games, rather than a number of starts. A five-game suspension for a starting pitcher is not a suspension at all, since he wasn’t scheduled to pitch in four of those games anyway, and if the manager pushes the guy’s start back one day, it isn’t a suspension at all. Perhaps for starting pitchers there should be a three-start suspension, or something like that.

6. PLAYOFF MODEL: We touched on this last week, but the more folks like Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany whose mouth must get tired from chewing on his feet so much, who keep insisting that only conference champs should be involved in the national championship football mix, the more short-sighted the idea becomes. There is no other stipulation like that in any other playoff sport. And take last season for example. Most people believed that if there was a four-team playoff deal in place, two of the participants would have been Alabama and Stanford, who guess what, did not win their own division, let alone their conference. Again, if we’re going to implement a system involving the four BEST teams, then pick the best teams with no parameters attached.

7. RED SUX WOES: As an avowed Yankees fan, nothing delights as much as troubles in Beantown, which are careening toward a new low as the dysfunctional Red Sox wallow in last place in the AL East. Every day seems to bring another barrage of nonsense from the Red Sox clubhouse, and last night was no exception as pitcher Josh Beckett took center stage. Beckett, who was healthy enough to golf but not healthy enough to pitch last week, or even help for an inning or two over the weekend when his team lost a 17-inning game to Baltimore after it had to use a position player to pitch because it had used up all the available arms, was defiant, churlish and childish after getting rocked for seven runs in less than three innings Thursday night. After getting booed off the mound by the Fenway faithful, Beckett offered up this gem as rationale for his golf outing, “We get 18 off days a year,” he said. “I think we deserve a little time to ourselves.” Earth to Beckett, are you kidding? First off, during the season, position players get 18 days off, starting pitchers only work, at most, 32 days. And a baseball “year” is hardly a calendar year. Baseball players are off for three to four months, not bad for a near-$16 million per year gig, which is what Beckett makes. Some guys just don’t get it. As my man Bugs Bunny would say, “What a maroon.”

8. MY TICKER CAN’T TAKE IT: Another Game Seven for my beloved New York Rangers on Saturday night, and I’m just not sure I can stand another white-knuckler with the season on the line. There is nothing more nerve-wracking than a seventh game if your team is on the brink. It’s been a great season so far for the Rangers, who were not expected to advance this far, but now that they’re here, with no dominant team in the league, the expectations have changed. If they don’t win this one, and set up a tasty Big Apple rivalry with the hated Devils for the right to play for the Stanley Cup, I will be one unhappy hombre come late Saturday night.

9. LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Some personal family shout-outs, first to my older brother who turns 60 today. In his prime, he was a pretty good catcher, who had offers out of high school from the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates (I often kid him that Johnny Bench and Manny Sanguillen were praying he didn’t sign) and played three years of college ball at Bucknell, before wisely deciding law school was a better alternative. And of course, heartfelt wishes to my Mom, for a joyous Mother’s Day. At 82, she still plays tennis five to six days a week, mostly with men because most women her age can’t keep up with her. The longer time marches on, and the longer we are parents in our own right, the more I’m amazed at how much time, energy and sacrifice my parents put in during my upbringing. Happy Mother’s Day to all on Sunday.