Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
This weekend The Masters cranks up in Augusta, Georgia. In my mind it is the most prominent of the four major tournaments played each year. Arnold Palmer will be the ceremonial starter this year, which simply adds to the legend and tradition, in all respects.
Of course the focus will be on one Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods, who has won four Masters tournaments and is eagerly seeking his fifth. All the stars seem to be certainly aligned for him to do so, with no one player emerging from the pack, although some might disagree with me, taking defending Masters Champion Phil Mickelson.
I would like to see Sergio Garcia compete in this, just to give the game some flavor and competition. Actually, I’d love to see John Daly win this sucker, but he has to qualify first.
While change is almost considered an evil term at Augusta, there is a difference between this year and the past few. Billy Payne, who in the past oversaw the running of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Games, is now the Chairman at Augusta National, replacing ‘Hootie’ Johnson. Mr. Payne will have to be very careful in how he takes on this position, in making sure he keeps up with the times, while appeasing the staid yet powerful membership of the Club.
I asked my friend Greg Larson to choose between taking Tiger, versus the field. He chose the field. I know a lot of others who would stay with Eldrick and let the good times roll. We’ll see how the match plays out. It’s a great event.
Let’s face it...many of the Jaguar fans in this town are Gator fans as well. And so they are used to their football team winning, many times with relative ease, at least from their perspective. With Florida’s recent string of national championships now in hand, I’ve seen Gator fans walking around town with their chest prominently sticking out.
But that string of winning simply hasn’t been the case with the Jaguars in the NFL. While the Jags had some great success in their first six years of existence in town, going to the AFC Championship twice, their transformation in this decade has been tough to accept, especially for local football fans who are so used to their college teams winning ALL the time.
Of course, it is almost impossible to compare college and professional football. There is a huge difference in the NCAA and the NFL.
But Gator/college fans don’t look at it like that. They are used to their football team winning, pure and simple. Same thing goes for Seminole, Bulldog, and Hurricane fans. They are used to their own football team winning every year, all the time.
And so those fans watch the Jaguars play and wonder what on Earth its going to take for their squad to get to the same level that their beloved college team, respectively, has held for decades. An 8-8 record simply doesn’t get it.
So, this year, there will be even more pressure on the Jaguars to have a winning team that at the minimum makes the playoffs and wins at least one game there. Gator fans will expect that out of these Jags and Mr. Del Rio.
10. There’s almost as many people here as there are at the Orange and Blue game!
9. They should use replay, like they do in football.
8. I heard Sanjaya is a Gator!
7. Do they actually pay that Donovan guy to coach basketball?
6. Look...Its Cooper Carlisle!
5. Why does that Noah kid only have his first name on his jersey?
4. I sure hope Tim Tebow is better than Chris Leak.
3. Did Steve Spurrier ever play basketball?
2. You know what they outta do….more halftime shows!
1. That Donna Hicken REALLY doesn’t like the Gators.
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Tom McManus, Ron Duguay, and Lonnie Marts on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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