Is Leach getting lynched in Lubbock?

Some of ye socks have quite justifiably criticized yours truly for the overabundance of posts surrounding the Florida Gators this time o' year.

But, what is a frustrated Texas Tech fan to do in this little corner of heaven?

Until recently, I have had to explain to folks in this neck of the woods just exactly where TTU is. Lubbock?! Never heard of it . . .

All that began to change several years ago when a quirky, odd ball named Mike Leach took over as head coach of the football team at my alma mater.

And, unlike the crap and nonsense that's being peddled in Washington lately, Leach's brand of change has been the kind I can actually support.

He assumed command following the departure of the "legendary" Spike Dykes. Remember him? I do, and I don't think I was alone in my lack of enthusiasm for his coaching. I grant him the singular exception of a win over a Duke team coached by Steve Spurrier in the All-American Bowl before the legendary "Evil Genius" came back to Florida to christen The Swamp. But, I digress . . .

Before Mike Leach, the Red Raider "faithful" struggled to get 40,000 seats warmed in Jones Stadium during football season. Their team was on NCAA probation and, by all accounts, had a shamefully low graduation rate.

Today, more athletes are actually earning diplomas in Lubbock. Attendance at Leach-coached football games always breaks the 50,000 mark. And, his team has appeared in ten straight bowl games.

Of course, like most stories surrounding athletics at any level, this one boils down to money. Leach's outstanding performance at Tech has a lot of it flowing into the school's budget, enough to pay for an $84 million expansion if its outdated stadium to accomodate those aforementioned gowing attendance numbers.

So, it is with a great deal of sadness that I heard the news out of the Staked Plains today. Mike Leach has been suspended, and may very likely lose his job before his team takes on Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl.

The reasons given for his suspension are many and conflicting. And, at the end of the day none of them really matter, as much bigger questions will survive the explosive details: What will happen to Leach, his coaching staff, and the players? Has Tech's football revival come to an end? Will all those extra bucks have to be funneled away from expansion plans to pay legal bills?

And, more selfishly, does this mean coverage of Big 12 games way down here in SEC territory will revert to pre-Leach days?! Perish the thought!!

Florida 24, South Carolina 14

Well, ye socks, looks like the Gator Haters are out in droves, whining and crying about how a win isn't a win if it's not pretty.

Piffle.

10-0 is still 10-0, and even more impressive if the record includes going undefeated in the SEC. The fellas in orange and blue haven't done that since 1996! This is a great team, deserving of its #1 ranking.

Three highlights from this afternoon's win over the Gamecocks:

1. Riley Cooper's 68-yard TD run cut thru the host's D like a hot knife thru butter.

2. Tim Tebow's rushing TD now has him tied with Kevin Faulk for the SEC's combined scoring record. (Remember, he already beat Herschel Walker's rushing TD record.) He is well on his way to winning another Heisman.

3. Justin Trattou took the wind out of SC's sails when they were threatening to hang some more points on the board. The lumbering defensive lineman intercepted a deflected pass and racked up 53 YAC's in what proved to be the nail in Steve Spurrier's proverbial coffin.

Get ready, Gator fans. Ignore the haters. Urban and crew have something cooking that I think you're gonna like . . .

Gators (9-0) school Vandy, 27-3

Ok, so maybe it wasn't quite the Romp in the Swamp that a lot of the Orange and Blue faithful were expecting out of this match-up.

But, at least it was a welcome distraction from all the disturbing news headlines.

The biggest news in Gator Nation occurred hundreds of miles away from Gainesville, though.

Alabama defeated LSU to clinch the SEC's western division.

That's right, Gator fans, we're gonna have to face The Tide in Atlanta once again.

The prospect has me shuddering . . . just a little.

And, that's probably because today's play at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium seemed so uninspired.

Steve Addazio's offense allowed Tim Tebow to get sacked no fewer than four times. Meanwhile, Charlie Strong's defense managed exactly ZERO in that category. Let's hope Urban Meyer can get them to flip those stats when we go up against The Evil Genius next week . . .

Sidebar: congrats to ye Northwestern, Navy, and Clemson fans out there in the blogosphere. You know who you are. I'll bet you all wished you had the same things to fret about at 9-0! XP

Orange and Blue!

The big race

That's right, ye socks, we've been enjoying Speed Week in this little corner of heaven, topped off this afternoon by the Daytona 500.

Yours truly is not the world's biggest NASCAR fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I've always admired how they put their biggest event at the start of their season. That would be like making the Super Bowl a season opener. Sorta.

Due to the ongoing economic malaise, attendance at the big event was down this year. But, Daytona is still a magnet for the die-hards like my friends Duran and Monica. And, they tell me there was nearly as much celebrity spotting to be had this year as in previous years. Here's a short list:

* Urban Meyer, Gators football coach
* Tim Tebow, Heisman trophy winner
* Steve Spurrier, former Heisman winner, Gators legend, and current South Carolina football coach
* Joey Galloway, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
* Tony Sparano, coach for the 'Phins.
* Gene Hackman
* Tom Cruise

(What's with all the football guys and actors being so in to NASCAR?)

Anyway, I know why I was tuning in to the race. And, I think if ye socks were honest with yourselves, you'd admit to the same reason: We all want to see a big wreck. I'm not saying that we want to see anybody get hurt, far from it. But, we want to see a bunch of 360's and smoking tires.

Well, we weren't disappointed in this running of the 500. In Lap 123, Brian Vickers tried to block Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He failed. Some folks are wringing their hands and blaming Junior for the massive pile-up that followed. But, I was actually watching the tube when it went down, and the blame lies squarely with Vickers.

Later, the race was called due to rain, which was more than a downer. Didn't bother watching Matt Kenseth celebrate in victory lane. And, I probably won't spend much more time watching any more races this year, much less giving this sort of in-depth coverage in the dryer. I promise.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend, and stay out of Junior's way!

Last full day in Mount Pleasant

And, it was a good one.

Not only was it Mom's birthday, we celebrated it by skipping cake in favor of a big steak dinner! I guess, you have to take you calories where you can get them after Thanksgiving . . . Actually, my brother-in-law and I were hoping for a big old rack of ribs, but Publix up here apparently doesn't carry such delicacies. So, he'll have to wait til his next trip to Florida for an education in Cracker grillology.

Of course, it wouldn't be a fall Saturday in the South without some college football. I was actually more than a little irritated by the quadruple overtime in the Tennessee-Kentucky game, because it delayed coverage of the annual Gator romp over the 'Noles. By the time they switched to The Swamp, it was already the second quarter and I missed Tebow's first big touchdown run.

The South Carolina-Clemson game was actually the most exciting game of the afternoon, and not just for the opportunity to watch The Evil Genius stalking the Gamecock sidelines. It was a real nail-biter, went down to the wire. Fortunately, it turned out the way Keith wanted it, so he can hold his head high in church tomorrow.

All in all, a good day. Kinda dreading the drive home tomorrow. But, all this makes all that worth it.