Wednesday, April 02, 2008
College football spring games and the human response...
Recently I was asked if I was going to attend the Georgia football spring game, known locally here as "G-day". I replied that no, regretfully I would not be attending due to a prior commitment, but that I would be Tivoing the game for perusal at my leisure. Now the questioner, who was someone who works in my building that finds my obsession with all things Georgia football amusing, looked at me puzzlingly and queried, "Tivo, you mean it's on TV?"
Yes, unlike the revolution of poetic lore, G-day will be televised. Now among those for whom college football holds no special significance, the idea that a spring scrimmage would be available on cable engenders a most Iversonian reaction, "We're talking about practice." But for those of us who hold Fall Saturdays sacrosanct above all else, to the point of skipping the birthdays and weddings of family members during the months of September, October and November, this is a blessed day. You see college football has BY FAR the longest off season of any sport. And for those of us waiting for the glorious thud of foot hitting ball to signify the start of the season this serves as both an appetizer of the fun to come, and a mile marker of how much longer our wait will be.
Besides it's not like Georgia is the most obsessed place on the planet for college football. No that honor falls to Alabama, who had 92,000 people show up for their spring game last year.
Practice indeed, AI.
No less an authority than the "worldwide leader in sports" is offering its blessing to spring football, by sending it's College Gameday show to Florida's spring game.
The question is will any of them acknowledge that higlighting the 3rd place team in the SEC East on national TV is a bit overdone?
I'm all for the further glorification of SEC football, but Florida? Really? This season? I know, I know, Tebow won the Heisman, Percy Harvin is a god, blah, blah. But there is an old saying that defense wins championships, and if you don't believe it just ask Colt Brennen about the Sugar Bowl. (At which point his eyes will roll back in his head and he'll start mumbling, "The horror, the horror...")
Defense is a major problem for the Gators, and no amount of pretty offense will change that. They were LAST in the SEC in Pass D a year ago. They were 7th in total D and 8th in scoring D. This unit was burned more times than California's forests during a dry summer. I don't deny that Florida will be good next year, I just don't think they will warrant this kind of special treatment. Particularly when they face...
They don't want none of this.
Yes, unlike the revolution of poetic lore, G-day will be televised. Now among those for whom college football holds no special significance, the idea that a spring scrimmage would be available on cable engenders a most Iversonian reaction, "We're talking about practice." But for those of us who hold Fall Saturdays sacrosanct above all else, to the point of skipping the birthdays and weddings of family members during the months of September, October and November, this is a blessed day. You see college football has BY FAR the longest off season of any sport. And for those of us waiting for the glorious thud of foot hitting ball to signify the start of the season this serves as both an appetizer of the fun to come, and a mile marker of how much longer our wait will be.
Besides it's not like Georgia is the most obsessed place on the planet for college football. No that honor falls to Alabama, who had 92,000 people show up for their spring game last year.
Practice indeed, AI.
No less an authority than the "worldwide leader in sports" is offering its blessing to spring football, by sending it's College Gameday show to Florida's spring game.
The question is will any of them acknowledge that higlighting the 3rd place team in the SEC East on national TV is a bit overdone?
I'm all for the further glorification of SEC football, but Florida? Really? This season? I know, I know, Tebow won the Heisman, Percy Harvin is a god, blah, blah. But there is an old saying that defense wins championships, and if you don't believe it just ask Colt Brennen about the Sugar Bowl. (At which point his eyes will roll back in his head and he'll start mumbling, "The horror, the horror...")
Defense is a major problem for the Gators, and no amount of pretty offense will change that. They were LAST in the SEC in Pass D a year ago. They were 7th in total D and 8th in scoring D. This unit was burned more times than California's forests during a dry summer. I don't deny that Florida will be good next year, I just don't think they will warrant this kind of special treatment. Particularly when they face...
They don't want none of this.
