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From Fenway fantasy to Jagsonville reality

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette provides weekly content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Friday July 11.

You'd think I'd be able to take a two-day vacation to Fenway Park in Boston with my son for his 16th birthday without the Jaguars dominating the "breaking news" bulletins before boarding the plane on my return flight.
I know the team is disappointed on how season-ticket sales are going, but having a first-round draft pick arrested for cocaine possession, plus a newspaper report about a new owner possibly buying the team and moving it to Los Angeles, isn't exactly a way to get customers to rush to the ticket window.
Nothing the Jaguars can do now about receiver Matt Jones' stupidity other than cut their losses and move on. If they don't release him before training camp, it's simply going to create a distraction that the team doesn't need when they're in position to seriously challenge the Indianapolis Colts for AFC South supremacy.
As for the Philadelphia Daily News report that New Jersey billionaire C. Dean Metropoulos is negotiating with Weaver to purchase the team, we only have Weaver's denials against the newspaper's view that they stand by their story. My take is Weaver will sell this team sometime in the next 3-6 years and try to make sure the next owner keeps the team in Jacksonville, but he can make no guarantee with 100 percent certainty that it will happen.
When I returned to Jacksonville Thursday afternoon, which was supposed to be a vacation day, the feel-good experience of taking my son to see his beloved Red Sox (I grew up a New York Yankees fan) had to be temporarily put aside to focus on writing about the Jaguar developments.
It's two weeks before training camp. Couldn't we have at least gotten a break from Jaguar talk until it becomes almost 24/7 teal-and-black discussion? Guess not.
Anyway, be sure to check out my Sunday column in the Times-Union about the father-son memory of going to Fenway Park together for the first time. If you like home runs and Neil Diamond, it'll be right in your wheelhouse.

An empty feeling at Coke Zero 400

Florida Times-Union sports columnnist Gene Frenette provides weekly content for jacksonville.com This is his entry from Saturday July 5 at the Coke Zero 400.

From the tower press box at Daytona International Speedway, you can get a bird's-eye view of how the sagging economy is impacting NASCAR.
At the start of Saturday night's Coke Zero 400, the back-stretch grandstand that holds approximately 60,000 people is easily two-thirds to three-quarters empty. And there's significant stretches of green grass on the infield which, under normal circumstances, would be filled with motor homes.
The main grandstand with a maximum capacity of around 100,000 looks pretty full, but the significant dropoff in turnout was pretty much expected from pre-race estimates that were privately offered by NASCAR officials.
NASCAR fans are among the most loyal in all of sports. But when the economic climate is as bleak as it is now, it proves that an organization as solvent as NASCAR cannot escape the effects of people's pocketbooks not being as flush as usual.

Jacksonville really is Major League

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette provides weekly content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday June 26.


Jacksonville's reputation as a football town is currently undergoing a makeover. That's because the city is fast becoming just as much a pipeline for Major League Baseball as it is an NFL factory.
With the recent promotions of third baseman Brian Buscher, a Parker High graduate, to the Minnesota Twins and former Wolfson High pitcher Eric Hurley to the Texas Rangers, there are now an all-time record eight players who played high school ball in the Jacksonville area up in the big leagues, though Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ryan Freel (Englewood) is still on the disabled list. Last season, there were nine players from the Jacksonville area on a regular-season NFL roster.
Making this infusion of local baseball talent to the major leagues even more impressive is that many of the players are having a significant impact on their teams. They're not just taking up space on the bench.
Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones of The Bolles School is leading the National League in hitting at .394, along with 16 home runs and 46 RBI. Though he's nursing a quadriceps injury, Jones, who may return for Friday night's game at Toronto, is the leading vote-getter to be the NL's starting third baseman in the July 15 All-Star game.
Howie Kendrick, a West Nassau High product and starting second baseman for the first-place Los Angeles Angels, is hitting a respectable .318 with 15 RBI after missing six weeks this season with a hamstring injury. Busher, who was recalled by the Twins from Triple-A Rochester two weeks ago, has been on a hitting tear. He raised his average to .375 after hitting a ninth-inning home run Tuesday night off all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres.
Two former Bishop Kenny High stars, Jonathan Papelbon and Darren O'Day, are getting it done out of the bullpen. Papelbon, one of the game's elite closers, is 3-2 with a 2.08 earned run average and 23 saves for the Boston Red Sox. O'Day, a situational reliever for the Angels, is 0-1 with a 4.07 ERA since being recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake City on June 9.
Hurley has started three games for the Rangers, going 0-1 with two no decisions and a 4.24 ERA. He has nine strikeouts and five walks in 17 innings.
The only local player struggling right now is Philadelphia Philies starter Brett Myers (3-9, 5.51 ERA), an Englewood product. Myers has allowed a major-league high 23 home runs in 16 starts.
Besides Jacksonville's eight big-leaguers, there's some promising prospects in the minor leagues that could be called up by September, maybe sooner. Hurley's teammate at Wolfson, Billy Butler, was up with the Kansas City Royals as their designated hitter before being optioned to Triple-A Omaha a few weeks ago. He's hitting .337 with 5 home runs and 13 RBI in 26 games, so he could be recalled any time.
Mat Gamel, a third baseman for the Double-A Huntsville Stars, has been a nightmare for Southern League pitchers with a leading .373 batting average and 67 RBI, and is second only to teammate Matt LaPorta in home runs with 15. Gamel was selected Thursday to the U.S. team for the All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium on July 13. One of the top prospects for the Milwaukee Brewers, he could also be playing in the Olympics in Beijing in August.
Two other players in Double-A, former Englewood third baseman Dan Murphy with Binghamton in the Eastern League, and second baseman Corey Wimberly (Ribault) with Tulsa in the Texas League, are also having solid seasons that could warrant future big-league promotions.
Jacksonville will likely always have more passion for football. But when it comes to producing talent that can make it on the biggest stage, baseball is right up there.

A Giant contract number for Posey?

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette offers weekly commentary for jacksonville. com This is his entry for Thursday June 5.


With Florida State superstar Buster Posey being selected fifth by the San Francisco Giants in Thursday's Major League Baseball free agent draft, the hard part now will be coming to contract terms with the Seminoles' All-American catcher.
SIgning bonuses have been a tricky negotiation for clubs and agents over the past decade. With ESPN reporting that Posey wants as much as $12 million, speculation will escalate that it could be a long, drawn-out process before Posey begins his professional baseball career.
Posey, who leads all of college baseball in batting average (.468), slugging percentage (.897) and on-base percentage (.572), was the MVP of last weekend's Tallahassee NCAA regional and is a finaist for the Golden Spikes award, symbolic of the nation's top collegiate player. The question becomes how much is signing the consensus top defensive catcher and one of the best power hitters around worth to the Giants, who are weak at the position in their farm system.
Major League Baseball has had a "slotting" system in place since 2000 as a way of helping its teams sign the top drafted players without paying runaway prices for their services. However, the richer teams like the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox have been known to pay well above the slotting price to obtain the services of players they covet.
Posey, considered to be ready for the big leagues within two years, will likely want far above the approximate $3 million slotting price for someone in the No. 5 spot.
Last year, Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters was taken with the fifth pick and was given a signing bonus of $6 million by the Baltimore Orioles, more than double the $2.475 million bonus handed to Clemson pitcher Daniel Moskos, who was picked at No. 4 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wieters is a client of agent Scott Boras, who has a reputation of demanding well above market value for his draft picks.
Posey will be represented by the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which has recently ventured into the sports field after being the exclusive domain for actors, directors and music artists for decades.
Posey, who still has one year of eligibility left at FSU, has until the start of fall classes to sign a contract with the Giants. He could elect to return for his senior year, but it's doubtful his value will be any higher than it is at the moment.
In 1997, Boras client and FSU outfielder J.D. Drew was the No. 2 pick by the Philadelphia Phillies, but turned down a $3 million signing bonus and went back into the following draft in 1998. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and received an $8 million signing bonus.
Since then, Major League Baseball has tried to keep signing bonuses from getting out of hand, but the final price tag is at the discretion of the individual club. The San Francisco Giants don't have a reputation as a high-paying club when it comes to signing bonuses, but that could change with Posey.
With the aging Bengie Molina's contract expiring after the 2009 season, the Giants have no big-time catching prospects, though 21-year-old Pablo Sandoval got off to a hot start at Class A San Jose this season.
San Francisco desperately needs Posey, but it looks it's going to take a record signing bonus for them to get FSU's standout player in a Giant uniform.

Posey drafted No. 5 by Giants

Florida State All-American catcher Buster Posey, bypassed as the No. 1 pick Thursday in the Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, was taken fifth by the San Francisco Giants.

After the Rays took Georgia high school shortstop Tim Beckham with the top selection, Posey slid down to the No. 5 spot and will begin the process of negotiating a contract with the Giants after FSU finishes its 2008 season. The Seminoles will host Wichita State in the NCAA Super regional starting Friday and would advance to next week's College World Series in Omaha if they win the best-of-three regional.

ESPN reported after Posey was selected that he may be seeking as much as a $12 million signing bonus, an extraodinarily high number for the No. 5 pick because last year's top three picks only commanded around $6-9 million.

Posey, who leads the country in batting average (.468), slugging percentage (.897) and on-base percentage (.572), is also a finalist for the Golden Spikes award, symbolic of the nation's top collegiate player. If Posey elects not to sign with the Giants, he still has one year of eligibility left at FSU.

Posey, a native of Leesburg, Ga., has until the start of FSU's fall classes to sign with the Giants. If he signs a contract, he could be sent to the Giants' rookie-league team in Arizona or possibly one of their Class-A teams in Augusta, Ga.

Spurs prove they're not championship whiners

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette provides weekly commentary for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Wednesday May 28.

The best part about Tuesday night's dramatic 93-91 victory by the Los Angeles Lakers over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Western Conference finals was how quickly the defending champion Spurs threw water on the postseason's biggest controversy.
Clearly, there was enough contact by the Lakers' Derek Fisher on San Antonio sharpshooter Brent Barry, who was 26 feet away from the basket with time running out, to warrant a foul call. Barry pump-faked, got Fisher up in the air and he landed akwardly on Barry's shoulder, which would have meant a two-shot foul because Barry didn't commit to a shot attempt.
Instead, official Joey Crawford let the play continue, which ended up with Barry's off-balance attempt clanging off the backboard. The way Barry initially threw up his arms in frustration while looking at Crawford, the feeling was the Spurs would soon be filling the airwaves with charges of "We wuz robbed."
But in the aftermath, with the Spurs now facing a 3-1 deficit, a beautiful thing happened. Spurs coach Greg Popovich did his part to defuse any controversy by saying he wouldn't have called a foul in that situation. Even Barry acknowledged afterwards that the game wasn't lost on a non-call, but on what transpired in the 48 minutes before it.
Isn't that what championship teams do? They hold themselves accountable. They don't take a game-ending moment, rip the official for a non-call, and blame someone else for why they're on the brink of elimination.
What made Popovich and Barry's post-game stance so admirable is the situation could have justified a foul being called because it was more than incidental contact. Fisher hit Barry fairly hard, but the Spurs understood that unless you're a superstar like Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan, you're probably not going to get the whistle in a critical, game-deciding moment like that.
The truth is, San Antonio didn't lose Game 4 because of what an official failed to do, but what the Spurs consistently failed to do: hit big shots. Every time the Spurs had a chance to take a lead, they couldn't hit the field goal that could have given the crowd at the AT&T Center a reason to provide the home team with a huge emotional lift.
Barry kept the Spurs in the game with a 23-point night, but Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Robert Horry and Bruce Bowen kept missing important shots that might have allowed San Antonio to seize control of the game instead of relying on a last-second whistle to rescue them.
The San Antonio Spurs' season is practically over because they must now win two games in Los Angeles to return to the NBA Finals. They had a chance to pull out a game they had no business winning, but they looked like a champion afterwards when the media gave them every opportunity to complain about a no-call.
Thankfully, the Spurs showed some class and sportsmanship by not whining. Sometimes, even after a crippling defeat, you can still come away looking like a champion.

Worst part of job: athletes dying too soon

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette provides weekly content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Saturday May 17.

Going over to Fleming Island High School on Friday afternoon and watching a football team deal with the emotional fallout of linebacker Wesley Whiddon's death was a grim reminder of another sad experience.
A month ago, I wrote a story for the Times-Union just before the NFL draft about Heath Benedict, the ex-Newberry College offensive tackle and Jacksonville resident who was found dead in late March from an enlarged heart.
Benedict was expected to be a mid-round NFL draft pick. He was entering one of the most exciting times of a young football player's life when a previously undetected medical condition led to his premature death. Talking to Heath's parents was a difficult experience, but they wanted the opportunity to let people know who their son was and the great memories he provided during his short time on earth.
As a father of four children, it's hard not to feel an emotional attachment to this kind of story, and the same thing occurred Friday when I visited Fleming Island to talk to head coach Neal Chipoletti, his staff and players about Whiddon's tragic end. The Golden Eagles' starting middle linebacker was struck by a train while fishing with two teammates on a railroad trestle at Black Creek in Orange Park early Wednesday night.
I hadn't seen Chipoletti in over 20 years, back when he was coaching basketball at Forrest High School and took the Rebels to a state championship game with star player Otis Smith, now the general manager of the NBA Orlando Magic.
As a sports writer, most stories you deal with are generally of the positive nature, with others sprinkled with a controversy now and then. But the death of someone so young, and in such a bizarre manner, is a highly sensitive subject for so many people.
In this instance, it's not just heartbreaking for a kid's family, but his extended family of coaches and about 100 players involved with Fleming Island's football program on every level. You cannot possibly see the hurt and pain on their faces and not think to yourself that it could easily be your own teenaged son in that same situation.
Who even thinks for a second that anyone could get hit by a train while fishing? There was no alcohol, drugs or horseplay involved. Just three kids wanting a break from spring football practice and dropping a line in the water, and in a matter of seconds, so many lives are changed because one of the players couldn't get out of the way of an oncoming train fast enough.
For Sunday's Times-Union, I wrote a column about Wesley Whiddon and how his tragic passing has impacted the Fleming Island community. The Golden Eagles resumed practice Saturday morning for the first time since his death and Whiddon's parents, Wesley Sr. and Angie, were among many fans who showed up to support the team.
"I've never lost a player before while coaching them," said Chipoletti. "This is a first for me. I hope there's never a second."
Twice in the last month, I've had to write about football players dying too young. This job is much easier when the subject matter is the game instead of an obituary.

Players needs a three-hole playoff

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette was at The Players Championship all week and offers some post-tournament thoughts for jacksonville.com


After seeing how quickly Sunday's sudden-death playoff at The Players ended, I think the PGA Tour needs to seriously consider going to a more extended format. It's a shame that a deadlock between eventual champion Sergio Garcia and Paul Goydos after 72 holes in such a big-time event had to end with a quick thud -- a gust of wind pulled Goydos' tee shot at No. 17 into the water.

Goydos, who did a phenomenal job of taking a one-shot lead into the final round and holding at least a share of it throughout regulation, should have had the opportunity to recover from one errant shot.

All day long, Goydos had a knack for rebounding when it looked as if the wheels might be coming off a bit. It started with that tricky, downhill 50-foot birdie putt he made at No. 4 after bogeying the second and third holes. When it looked like he might be headed for a bogey at No. 10, he holed it out from 34 yards away for a birdie.

However, with a sudden-death playoff starting at the par-three island hole, Goydos drew the first slot and it was pretty much over when his ball found water. Garcia followed with a career shot, sticking his ball within four feet of the cup and a two-putt par for the win. Goydos made double-bogey.

It was great theater, seeing everything ride on such a signature hole. But in fairness to the competitors, The Players should go to a three-hole playoff and start it at the par-five 16th hole. You'd have the most entertaining risk-reward homestretch in all of golf to decide the biggest championship outside the majors.

Each of the Grand Slam tournaments has a different playoff format. The U.S. Open has an 18-hole playoff on Monday, while the British Open and PGA Championship have four-hole and three-hole aggregate playoff formats. Only the Masters has sudden death like The Players.

The only change The Players would have to make for a three-hole playoff, especially if the agonizingly slow Garcia is involved, is move the starting time for the leaders up about 15-20 minutes on Sunday to ensure enough sunlight in case of a 72-hole deadlock. So for television purposes, it's a minor adjustment.

Goydos had several chances to close out a victory, but bogeys at No. 14, 15 and 18 opened the door for Garcia. In Goydos' defense, none of those three bogeys was all that bad except for a sloppy putt at the 15th hole. Even there, he hit a marvelous approach shot right at the flag, but the ball didn't hold on the rock-hard greens.

Garcia deserved to win, but the championship should have been decided with all three closing holes at TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium course deciding the outcome.

Hopefully, the PGA Tour considers that option in the future. It'd only help their television ratings and increase already great drama.

Hold on for a wild Players ride

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at The Players Championship all week and filing reports for jacksonville.com. This is his early-day entry for Sunday May 11.


If Billy Mayfair's TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium course forecast is any indication of what awaits the Players Championship field later today, the leaders will be in for a long day.

"I'd say it's a par 76 or 77 right now," Mayfair said after shooting a final-round 81 in the blustery wind conditions. "We had a hard time keeping the balls from just not rolling on the greens [while waiting to putt]. You stand over a ball and it starts wiggling or trying to move.

"If the wind comes up more this afternoon and we don't get any rain, [the rest of the players] could be in trouble."

The par-three No. 3 hole could be especially troublesome for the leaders because it's directly into a 15-30 mile per hour wind. Today, the pin is at the back on the upper tier of the green, playing to 183 yards, and many golfers wait on the tee to try and hit when the winds are calmer.

"To get it on that back tier today is just about impossible," said Mayfair, who took a triple-bogey 6. "If you do get it back there and hit it a tad too far, it rolls over the back into the bunker. You have to try to hit to the center of the green."

Ben Crane hit the shot of the day at No. 3 among the early groups, putting the ball within 6 feet and making birdie. The only other birdie at that hole came from Bart Bryant, who made a 12-foot putt.

The heavy wind conditions could favor Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who is No. 1 this week in greens in regulation and stands in third place at four-under-par 212, three shots behind leader Paul Goydos.

It appears the potential for great drama will be there at the two closing holes, the par-three island at No. 17 and the par-four No. 18, which was playing almost a full shot above par after the first 22 players completed their round.

So far, the rain has held off through 2 p.m. and there's a strong chance that the thunderstorms that were forecast to push the tournament into Monday could miss us. Stay updated throughout the day at The Players by clicking on to jacksonville.com

A Cink-ing feeling at The Players

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at The Players Championship all week and providing daily reports for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Saturday May 10.


Most of the time, PGA Tour players make the game of golf look easy, but occasionally, they can look like 20-handicappers.
Such was the case for Stewart Cink at the par-five No. 2 hole, where he needed five shots to get in the hole from about 45 feet away.
Cink's approach shot barely rolled off the back of the green and down a grass embankment that was pretty well shaved down. He had about 25 feet of hill to get up, but Cink's first attempt with a wedge stopped about a foot short of the top before rolling back near its original spot.
He pulled out a 9-iron for his next attempt, but the result was the same. Cink's ball stopped just before reaching the top of the hill and came back down. For his fifth shot, he took out his putter, rammed it up the hill, but not far enough. Cink found himself almost in the same place he was three shots earlier.
Finally, with his second putt attempt, the ball made it up to the green and rolled within a foot of the cup for a tap-in double bogey.
"All in all, it took two perfect shots to end up where I did [behind the green]," Cink said. "I should not have made worse than a par there. I guess I learned my lesson."
Had Cink's 3-iron approach from 240 yards stayed on the green, he would have likely had no worse than a 15-foot putt for eagle. Instead, he put himself in an early hole. Cink was 4-over-par after eight holes, but played the last 11 in three-under to finish with a 73 and a 219 total (3-over-par) for the tournament.
While Cink made a nice recovery from a front-nine disaster, playing partner Adam Scott made his move up the leaderboard with four birdies in the first six holes before cooling off with three bogeys and winding up with a 71. It was a virtual repeat of Thursday's opening round when he made three birdies in the first five holes, then stumbled to a 75. Scott stands at one-over-par 217 going into Sunday's final round.

Boo! A wild ride up the leaderboard

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at The Players Championship all week and offers daily content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Friday May 9.
If not for an uncooperative putter, Anthony Kim might have walked off the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium course with the outright lead after his second round Friday, but at least playing partner Boo Weekly kept things light-hearted for him.

Kim missed birdie putts in the 5-12 foot range at No. 4, 8, 9, 11 and 16, but a second consecutive 70 left him at 4-under-par 140, keeping him two shots off the lead as the afternoon group began teeing off.

"I think today was my best ball-striking round I've had in the last six tournament days I've played," said Kim, who won the Wachovia Championship last week by a five-shot margin. "But the putter was a little bit cold."

What wasn't cold was keeping company with Weekly, the country boy from Milton who has built somewhat of a cult following because of his catchy first name and willingness to acknowledge frequent gallery chants of "Boo!"

Despite missing three putts that would have tied Sergio Garcia for the lead, Kim had no trouble keeping his emotions in check as he walked most of the day with the laid-back Weekly, who shot a one-under-par 71 and stands at 141.

One of the most interesting interactions came after both stuck their tee shots at the par-3 eighth hole within six feet of the cup. A soft-shell turtle crossed their path about 50 yards in front of the tee box, and Kim forced its head back in by teasing the tortoise with his wedge. Then Kim began rubbing its shell like he was petting the turtle.

Weekly started rubbing it with him, then made a noise that forced Kim to jump back, thinking the turtle might somehow lunge at him. Weekly took great delight in spooking Kim, which met with the approval of the small gallery that was following them at the time.

"I got him pretty good with that turtle," Weekly said.

Kim acknowledged that Weekly momentarily scared him, sticking his hand out for a slap as if to say, "Good one, you got me."

"I didn't know if it was a snapping turtle or anything like that, and I don't know much about wildlife and I know [Weekly] does," said Kim. "So when he yelled at me, he scared me pretty good. I think that's why we probably both missed those [birdie putts] on that hole."

The best Players' bird's-eye view

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at The Players Championship all week, providing daily content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday May 8.

For the last two decades, one of the best and most exclusive vantage points to watch The Players Championship belongs to Brian Phraner, an NBC cameraman who operates his equipment on a tiny island between the 16th and 17th greens.
Phraner takes a 12-foot, flat-bottom boat with a small electric motor from behind the 17th green to get to his work station. He has the island all to himself, unless you count several different species of birds who park themselves in the gigantic oak tree above Phraner.
Except for a late morning lunch break, and occasional bathroom emergencies, Phraner will be staying on that island from the time the first group arrives after 9 a.m. until the last group comes through around 7 p.m.
"It's a good spot, nice and private," said Phraner. "No distractions."
On Thursday, he was there when 48-year-old Tommy Armour III and Jose Coceres narrowly missed hole-in-ones. Armour's shot stopped a foot short of the hole, while Coceres rattled the pin and settled five feet behind the cup. Both made birdie.
Terry Hester, another veteran NBC cameraman who operates his lens in a television tower 30 feet high behind the par-3 17th hole, and Phraner both love the golf portion of NBC's schedule because it's their favorite sport to capture in pictures.
"Anybody would want to be up here," said Hester. "This is as good as it gets."
Unlike last year's first round, when high winds contributed to 50 balls finding the water at No. 17, it played rather tame for the golfers teeing off in the morning. Only five of the first 77 players failed to stay on dry land Thursday.
For more on the good life for spectators around the 16th and 17th greens at the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium course, check out my column in Friday's Florida Times-Union.

Another Auss-ome win at Players

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at The Players Championship this week and offers daily content for jacksonville.com

After my wonderful projections for the Kentucky Derby -- picking none of the top three horses and saying that Big Brown would be another favorite biting the dust -- be forewarned that my forecast for win, place and show at The Players Championship should not be taken to Las Vegas.
The first caveat for any picks at this event is that it's the absolutely hardest golf tournament to do it because the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium course favors no particular player. Big drivers, short hitters and medium hitters have all won the tournament, and there's no particular advantage for left-to-right or right-to-left players.
Even if Tiger Woods were in this field, I'm not sure I'd pick him to finish in the top three. That's how unpredictable The Players really is.
So here's my untrustworthy picks on the eve of the 2008 championship:
1. Adam Scott. His 71.36 scoring average in 22 rounds at the Stadium Course is one of the best around and the third-ranked player in the world is playing as well as anybody not named Tiger. He already has a Tour win at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship this season, so he's not pressing to get into the winner's circle. More importantly, Scott has a Players title to his credit and the Australians have karma here, winning four of the past 17 times. Scott can join Steve Elkington as the second Aussie to be a two-time champion.
2. Lee Westwood. A bit of a darkhorse pick, but you can bet somebody no one expects will be on the Sunday leaderboard. Westwood has only one PGA Tour victory, back in 1998 at the Freeport-McDermott Classic, but he can be a big-time pressure player as his splendid Ryder Cup record (14-8-3) indicates. Most experts picking Europeans would favor Ireland's Padraig Harrington or Spain's Sergio Garcia to be a contender, but Westwood does have top-six finishes here in 1998 and 1999.
3. Phil Mickelson. If anyone can break through and win as a defending champion, other than Tiger Woods anyway, it's Lefty. Though Mickelson has a spotty record at best at The Players, he obviously figured something out last year after turning to coach Butch Harmon for guidance. The PGA Tour would like for television ratings to not take too big of a dip without Tiger, and the best way to ensure that is for Mickelson to be in contention down the stretch.

Players buzz not up to par

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette will be at The Players Championship all week and offers daily commentary for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Tuesday May 6.

It's not just Tiger Woods who is taking a pass on The Players Championship this year. So, too, are some of the people paid to chronicle his every move.
While it's still early in the week, seats inside the media center at The Players are definitely less full than normal and the expectation is that the trend will continue for the remainder of the tournament.
At press conferences Tuesday morning for European players Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood, only 10-12 credentialed media were in attendance. That's a smaller number than usual for this event, an indication of both Tiger's absence and that the move to May is less convenient for the international media to make the trip.
"Economically, we're struggling with costs," said veteran golf writer John Hopkins of the London Times, who has covered The Players for the past 30 years. "Looking at balance sheets and Tiger not being here, [many publications are choosing to] give The Players a miss."
Hopkins estimates that the normal European media contingent on Tuesday at The Players would be 12-15 journalists, but it's down to six or eight this year.
Before the tournament was moved from March to May last year, many European golf writers made The Players and Masters as part of one long trip. But now that the events are almost a month apart, it requires two trans-Atlantic flights. Coupled with the fact Woods isn't here because he's rehabilitating from knee surgery, the 2008 Players lacks the feel of a major inside the media center.
Come Sunday, there may be great drama at The Players, but definitely less of a media contingent to write how it all plays out.

Bold move by Jaguars to nab UF's Harvey

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium covering the Jaguars in the NFL draft. This is his second entry after Jacksonville selected Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey with the 8th overall pick.

Wow! The Jaguars really do expect to win now and wasted no time with the first bold move of the NFL Draft.

By moving up from the 26th spot to the Baltimore Ravens' No. 8 slot to select Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey, the Jaguars took a major step toward fixing the weakest part of their team -- a pedestrian pass rush.

Not only did the Jaguars get a premiere pass-rusher, they got away with not having to give up their second-round pick in the process. Surrendering two third-round picks and a fourth-rounder to move up 18 spots in the first round was almost a steal.

"When you have that opportunity, you take advantage of it," said Jaguars' coach Jack Del Rio. "We didn't think we had enough ammo to get into the top 10. We weren't going to give away the whole draft."

Another factor that makes this trade a bonanza for the Jaguars is, given the depth of their roster, there's no guarantee that the third and fourth-round picks would have much of an impact or even make the team at all.

"We felt it was a reasonable trade," said James Harris, the Jaguars' vice-president of player personnel. "Defensive linemen can go any place. If we wait to [the 13th pick], we may miss him. We had him clumped in with a group of guys in that [bottom of the top-10].

"We're not sure if two third-rounders could come in and make the team. This was about evaluating our team and looking to strengthen it."

Harvey figures to fortify a Jaguars' pass rush that finished tied for ninth in the NFL with 37 sacks last season, but had a difficult time in the 31-20 AFC playoff loss to the New England Patriots. Quarterback Tom Brady completed 26 of 28 passes and was never sacked after John Henderson got to him on the opening play.

The Jaguars gladly let former Florida Gator Bobby McCray, a part-time starter at defensive end, walk into free agency after he registered just three sacks in 2007 after a 10-sack season the year before. At minimum, Harvey will come in and be a situational third-down pass rusher, but he should immediately challenge for a starting spot.

Del Rio said he didn't think the Jaguars "had the ammo" to get up into the top-10 of the draft, but they found a willing partner in the Ravens, an organization where Harris and Del Rio were both employed before coming to Jacksonville.

In Jaguars' history, the two draft-day trades that brought the Jaguars huge impact players were quarterback Mark Brunell in 1995 (for a third and fifth-round draft pick) and running back Fred Taylor in 1998 (for quarterback Rob Johnson).

For the first time in the Jack Del Rio regime, they made a bold trade that could net a similar result.

Tough call, but Falcons had to take Ryan

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is over at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium to cover the NFL draft. This is his early first-round entry for Saturday April 26.


When former Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith took the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job, there were so many holes to fill that it'd be hard to miss with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
As tempting as it was to take LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, and the Falcons needed an impact interior lineman to replace Rod Coleman, they did the right thing by selecting Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and the Falcons couldn't afford to gamble that whoever is their second choice (Joe Flacco or Brian Brohm) would be available with the 34th overall pick.
You could argue that the Falcons' starting quarterback will struggle mightily in 2008 no matter who it is, but if Atlanta's brass is convinced that Ryan has the right stuff to be successful, then it's imperative you grab him because nothing is more important than having stability under center.
I believe Ryan has the makeup to be a good one because he made Boston College a relevant team despite not having any big-time weapons. Other than tackle Gosder Cherilus, the Eagles weren't a club loaded with future NFL prospects. Yet Ryan had a knack for pulling out close games when his team needed big drives in the closing minutes.
This marks the sixth consecutive draft that a quarterback has been taken in the top three picks. The jury is still out on the last three quarterbacks that were the first to go off the board -- JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young and Alex Smith -- but the Cincinnati Bengals' Carson Palmer (2003) and the New York Giants' Eli Manning (2004) eventually validated the position in which they were chosen.
Smith has a huge rebuilding job ahead. It may be a couple years before the Falcons can recover from the debacle of Michael Vick's professional decline and the bizarre departure of former coach Bob Petrino.
By taking the best quarterback in this draft, the Falcons took the necessary gamble to eventually get back on track.

Florida State needs to show Parker tough love

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette provides weekly commentary on various issues for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday April 24.



It'll be interesting to see what the disciplinary measures will be for one of Florida State’s most skilled players, receiver/running back Preston Parker, after this week’s arrest on marijuana possession and a felony charge of carrying a concealed firearm. Under new athletic director Randy Spetman, FSU football has an opportunity to continue a makeover of its wrist-slapping reputation in the punishment department.
Not that schools like Florida, Miami, Tennessee and Georgia are any tougher on star players who wind up on a police blotter, but those athletic departments aren’t being presently weighed down by an academic scandal. Parker picked a bad time to be piling on a football program that is in recovery mode.
On the disciplinary scale, Parker’s case is as high-profile as it gets for any Seminole athlete. If all that matters to FSU is the 2008 won-loss record, Parker will be suspended for no more than a game or two.
But if Parker is either dismissed or misses a good chunk of the season, it’d be a clear message to all FSU athletes — and not just the ones sidelined for cheating in an online music course— that there’s serious consequences for bad behavior across the board.
In the long run, the football program may be better off if the hammer comes down on Parker.

Prepare to be blown away by Masters

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at the Masters and providing daily content for jacksonville.com This is his entry as play begins Sunday April 13.


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Judging by how the flags are flapping at 11 a.m. by the main scoreboard, the champion of the 72nd Masters may feel more like a survivor than a winner.
It's a Winnie the Pooh kind of day for the final round at Augusta, with west winds gusting from 20-30 miles per hour. So don't look for 12 of the 45 golfers to post scores in the 60s like they did in Saturday's third round.
It may not be as bad as last year's third round when champion Zach Johnson shot a 76 and the field scoring average was 77.352, the highest average since the 1982 opening round. But expect scores today to plummet significantly from Saturday, which could bring leaders Trevor Immelman (11-under-par), Brandt Snedeker (9-under), Steve Flesch (8-under) and Paul Casey (7-under) back to the field.
Strong winds could be a huge boost for Tiger Woods, who is six shots off the lead at 5-under, and is the only player in the final three groups to have any experience being in final-round contention at a major.
Who will win the Masters? The answer may be blowing in the wind.

An error-Philed day at the Masters

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at the Masters and providing content for jacksonville.com This is his entry on Saturday April 12 following third-round play.


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It wasn't as bad as giving away the 2006 U.S. Open on the final hole at Winged Foot, but Phil Mickelson's prodigious drop from contender to near afterthought in the third round of the Masters makes you wonder if all is right with Lefty.
On a day where soft conditions enabled most players on the leaderboard to post numbers in the 60s, Mickelson blew himself out of any realistic chance of winning a third green jacket by firing an inexplicable 75.
"I felt like I was going to have a good round today," said Mickelson. "I don't know what to say."
Mickelson got within two shots of the lead with a birdie at the par-five second hole. But every time he appeared to gain momentum, he gave it away with self-destructive play in what really wasn't difficult circumstances.
He caught a bad break at the par-five No. 8 hole, hitting the pin with his short approach shot, and the ball bounced back much further from the hole. He ended up three-putting for bogey, missing the par attempt from three feet.
Two more bogeys at No. 10 and 12 were followed by birdies at 13 and 14, but by that time, most of the leaders were running further away and Tiger Woods also passed him. Then came the final dagger on a rough day, a double-bogey at the par-three 16th after he plunked his tee shot into a bunker and a three-putted.
Suddenly, the Phil Mickelson that was starting to close the wide gap between him and Woods a couple years ago is looking shakier than ever on the big stage.

Playing the Masters waiting game

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at the Masters and providing content regularly for jacksonville.com This is his entry immediately following a rain delay on Saturday April 12.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Immediately after heavy rain began pelting Augusta National and the horn sounded at 1:01 p.m. to delay the third round, I sought refuge on the porch near the player's locker room, where caddie Jeff Willett was pleased to be relatively dry.
That's because Willett's boss, Masters first-time participant Brian Bateman, was "about 30 seconds away" from having to tee off No. 1 when Augusta National officials sounded the horn.
"It would have been about a five-wood [for the second shot] into the green [on No. 1] because it was into the wind," said Willett. "That hole is hard enough as it is without having to play it under these conditions. You could make double or triple [bogey] easy."
Bateman, who was scheduled to tee off at 1:00 p.m., stands at 1-over-par 145. Play is scheduled to resume at 1:40 p.m.
As umbrella-clad spectators were scurrying toward the exit in front of us, gingerly walking down a muddy hillside, Willett was grateful for the stoppage in play. He said he's been at other tournaments where rain simmilar to what drenched Augusta National didn't force a delay.
Stay tuned for further updates from Times-Union golf writer Garry Smits and myself later in the day.

Singh, Singh-ing In The Rain

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at the Masters and all week, providing content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Saturday April 12.


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Over an hour after the third round commenced Saturday, one of the more popular gathering spots at the Masters during a steady drizzle was the putting green.
Ponte Vedra Beach resident Vijay Singh, along with India's Jeev Milkha Singh, were honing their putting strokes while waiting to tee off. Fans completely engulfed the putting green, two and three rows deep in some spots, to watch the pair, along with defending U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera.
Many spectators hang around the putting green, which is just behind the first tee, while waiting for their favorite players to tee off. Tiger Woods (one-under-par 143) goes off at 1:10 p.m., while Vijay Singh and fellow Ponte Vedra Beach resident Jim Furyk will tee off together at 1:30 p.m. While Singh was putting around noon time, Furyk was in the locker room making adjustments to his equipment.
Right now, there's a steady drizzle, but the good news is lightning has so far stayed out of the area. Play will likely go on as scheduled as long as a downpour doesn't drench the Augusta National layout or lightning stays at least seven miles out of the area.
Leaders Trevor Immelman (136, eight-under-par) and Brandt Snedeker won't tee off until 2:40 p.m. CBS coverage begins at 3:30.

A Trip back In Jacksonville golfing time

Florida Times-Union sports colunist Gene Frenette is at the Masters and provides content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Friday April 11.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- In 1994, Trip Kuehne was engaged in one of the most memorable duels in golfing history when he nearly took down Tiger Woods in the U.S. Amateur Championship at the TPC Stadium Course.
Woods had to rally from six shots down at one point, finally taking control behind a putt for the ages from the fringe at the par-3 17th hole.
Friday afternoon, the 35-year-old Kuehne closed the chapter on his competitive golf career with another bitter disappointment: he failed to make the Masters cut after a double-bogey at the par-three 16th hole, finishing three shots out of playing on the weekend.
Kuehne, whose only previous Masters appearance came in 1995 as the reigning U.S. amateur runnerup, had publicly stated that his amateur career would be over after this tournament. He was a bit emotional after his 150 total (six-over-par) wasn't good enough to extend his play for two more days.
"[I'm] sad it's over," Kuehne said. "All I wanted was an opportunity on the back nine here to make the cut. I had it and just didn't quite get it done. But it was a hell of a ride, but I guess this is the way it ends. I think this is the way you're supposed to ride away."
Despite coming from a golfing family -- brother Hank is a PGA Tour player and sister, Kelli, is on the LPGA Tour -- Kuehne bypassed the opportunity to turn pro and is a successful fund manager with Double Eagle Capitol in Dallas.
Ironically, Kuehne came within a foot of a double eagle Friday at the par-five 13th. He settled for an eagle to get to four-over-par, but his wayward tee shot into the water on No. 16 ended his quest to make the cut.
"I did what most amateur golfers do, they shank or hit bad shots and, unfortunately, I picked a very inopportune time to hit it sideways," said Kuehne. "That's the regret I'll always take with me, not playing 16 when it's such a perfect hole for me."

While Tiger Woods, who shot 71 Friday and stands at 1-under-par, is seven shots off Trevor Immelman's lead, the Masters leaderboard is well stocked with left-handers as two-time champion Phil Mickelson, Steve Flesch and Mike Weir (2003 winner) are all in the top eight after two rounds.
Check out my column in Saturday's Times-Union on Flesch and his caddie, Jacksonville resident Paul Fusco, who played a big part in Flesch recording the low round of the tournament (67) by nudging him into the right club selection that led to his eagle-3 at the 13th hole.
T-U golf writer Garry Smits will also provide his usual large dose of Masters coverage for the remainder of the tournament.

Typical Tiger, slow out of the Masters gate

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at the Masters this week and will offer a regular blog from Augusta National for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday April 10.


If you were expecting the best golfer in the world to open the Masters by drawing thunderous applause with his spectacular shot-making, then you're not familiar with Tiger Woods' first-round history at Augusta National.
Woods, a four-time Masters champion, finished with an even-par 72 Thursday and in a 19th-place tie, but that's a familiar spot for the perennial favorite at this venue. In 13 previous appearances at Augusta National, Woods was a cumulative nine-over-par in the first round, but still wound up winning the event three times (1997, 2001, '05) despite posting his worst score in the opening round.
So shooting even par on a day when the average score was 74.18 isn't that big of a deal. In fact, Woods' 72 easily puts him in striking distance to make a move on co-leaders Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman (both shot 68) and the 16 other players who posted scores in the red numbers.
Like most competitors in the 94-player field, Woods found scoring conditions less than ideal because the sun-baked greens became firmer as the day wore on. In the few instances where he had very makeable birdie putts, he either barely missed (No. 2, 9, 10, 12 and 16) or misread from a short distance (a 10-footer at No. 11).
As it was, Woods still had a respectable 28 putts on the treachorous greens, which tied for 15th. As he said afterwards: "I played a lot better than what my score indicates. I hit putts really well and just nothing kind of went."
If those makeable birdie putts start falling, expect Woods to be in a familiar position at the Masters come the weekend: either at or near the top of the leaderboard.

Check out the Times-Union's Masters coverage in Friday's paper, including my column on the difficulty of trying to follow Tiger Woods around Augusta National with its massive galleries. T-U golf writer Garry Smits also will provide a recap of the first round, plus Masters notes and a sidebar story on defending tournament champion Zach Johnson.

Tiger: The Master Dominator off the course, too

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette offers weekly commentary on various topics and he's in Augusta this week for the Masters. This is his post for Wednesday April 9.


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- If you think of the Masters tournament as golf's version of "American Idol," then Tiger Woods is Kelly Clarkson and every winner after her rolled into one.

As is the case at most major golf venues, there's a Woods addiction and everyone must get their fix, including the media.

When Woods held his pre-tourney news conference Tuesday morning, every seat in the 175-chair press room was filled and there were probably another 30-50 people standing. So all those numbers you hear about how Woods drives up television ratings at tournaments where he's playing, it also extends to his drawing power outside the ropes.

And just as Woods has been on a dominant run since last summer, winning eight of his last 10 tournaments since the PGA Championship, he blows the field away in press conference attendance.

Four hours after Woods' question-and-answer session with the media ended, two-tie U.S. Open champion and two-time Masters runnerup Ernie Els had his scheduled media session in the same room, just 100 feet from where the working press sits each day to write their stories.

Do you know how many showed up to hear Els speak? A grand total of 18, and it was a similar number for Adam Scott, the 2004 Players champion, when he conducted his session. At least the room was about half-full hen two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson and defending champion Zach Johnson had their media sit-down time.

But it's a testament to Woods' stardom and television's all-Tiger, all-the-time mentality that golf's No. 1 attraction has created such an attention monopoly.

If it's like this at the year's first major, imagine how much it'll ratchet up at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, the British Open at Royal Birkdale and PGA Championship at Oakland Hills if Woods' quest to win the Grand Slam in one calendar year actually happens.

Woods hasn't backed off his comment earlier this year that winning all four majors in 2008 is "easily within reason."

Nothing seems out of bounds when it comes to what Tiger can pull off on a golf course. That's why the attention he receives from fans and media at the Masters is well beyond reason.

Jaguars break bank for Del Rio, what about Garrard?

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette offers his weekly opinions on various topics for jacksonville.com This is his version posted for Thursday April 3.

Now that the Jaguars have given head coach Jack Del Rio a generous contract extension, worth over $20 million for the 2009-12 seasons, now comes the harder negotiation: reaching an agreement with quarterback David Garrard.
Based on conversations with Times-Union sources familiar with the negotiations, the Jaguars and Garrard have made progress toward a new deal, but remain significantly apart on the guaranteed money. Garrard is hoping to approach the $30 million in guarantees that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo received last October on his $67 million contract. So far, the Jaguars are nowhere near that ballpark, which means that this negotiation could last a while longer because Garrard is believed unwilling to accept a deal significantly below Romo's.
Garrard is signed through next season and then becomes an unrestricted free agent, but the Jaguars could slap the franchise tag on him in 2009, but that tab will run somewhere in the $12-13 million range.
It's in both the Jaguars' and Garrard's best interest to lock up a deal before training camp for several reasons. One, the team has plenty of salary cap room and Garrard is anxious to sign a contract that will provide him a lifetime of financial security. For another, neither side wants an unresolved contract issue lingering all season with the franchise quarterback when the Jaguars figure to be a Super Bowl contender.
There's no way to accurately predict when, or if, the richest contract in team history will get done. Albert Irby, Garrard's agent, says the ball is in the Jaguars' court at this time. The Jaguars have declined to comment on the negotiations.
At Thursday's news conference announcing Del Rio's extension, owner Wayne Weaver said he hopes Garrard's deal will be done "sooner than later." It was a quick non-answer to a question that could remain up in the air beyond the April 26-27 NFL draft unless the two sides can quickly bridge the gap.
The Jaguars took care of Del Rio in a big way, giving him a whopping extension when you consider that the only NFL coaches averaging over $5 million per year have already won a Super Bowl. Del Rio's extension, which doesn't include the $3.5 million salary he was set to earn next season, is almost identical to the four-year, $21 million extension that the New York Giants gave former Jaguars' coach Tom Coughlin after winning this year's Super Bowl.
Del Rio reached the $5 million contract neighborhood that he was seeking. Now the question is: Will the Jaguars pony up to help Garrard reach his financial goal?


With the recently released police report involving Jaguars cornerback Brian Williams, which outlines his profane, sexually explicit and degrading comments toward women as detailed in policeman E.E. Bridges' notes from a September, 2006 drunken driving arrest, it puts the Jaguars in a difficult public relations dilemma.
There's no possible way to defend anything about a DUI, followed by allegations that Williams berated an officer of the law in such a distasteful manner.
Weaver and Del Rio properly condemned the things reportedly said, but they also didn't want to appear to take anybody's side because both stated that Williams denies making the racist and sexist remarks that were outlined in a front-page story in Wednesday's Times-Union.
Since Williams or his attorney, Hank Coxe, have yet to make a public statement to refute Bridges' account, it only magnifies the public sentiment building against the Jaguars' starting cornerback. There's no denying that Williams was in an impaired state at the time he rammed his vehicle into Bridges' patrol car, and he initially pleaded guilty to the charge, receiving a six-month probation sentence and suspended license.
A few weeks later, Williams withdrew his plea and in January, a judge approved it over the state's objections. At the time of his arrest, it was known that Williams verbally confronted the officer, but the details of what was said didn't become known until this week.
No matter how much Williams may deny the allegations, it's going to be a he-said, he-said situation. And given that Williams initiated the whole mess with his poor choices, it's going to be hard to take the word of an impaired NFL player over a sober police officer.
Williams has now received two rounds of negative publicity, and there remains the matter of whether the Jaguars or NFL commissioner Roger Godell will ultimately take any punitive measures as this case moves forward.
You have to figure Williams regrets a lot of things since his arrest. The biggest may be not sticking to his original plea so that this mess would have never come back to haunt him again.

With three of my original Final Four teams still in the hunt -- I picked Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA and Texas (Elite Eight loser to Memphis) -- I'm not going to change my position now.
I took Kansas to beat UCLA for the title before the tournament started. Even though North Carolina and Memphis have played better to this point, I'm sticking with the Jayhawks to cut down the nets Monday night against the Bruins.

On the NCAA women's tournament, there's a reason for Jacksonville hoop fans to tune in Sunday night when former Ribault High star Erica White, the senior starting point guard at LSU, closes out her college career with a fourth consecutive Final Four appearance. The Lady Tigers play defending national champion Tennessee in the second semifinal at 9:30 p.m., preceded by Connecticut-Stanford.
Another big day for White, along with former Ribault star Shante Williams of Florida State, will be next Wednesday (April 9) when the pair could become the first players from Jacksonville to be taken in the WNBA draft.

Gators embarrassing exit at SEC

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette offers weekly observations on a variety of sports topics for jacksonville.com This is his updated entry from the SEC basketball tournament for Thursday March 13.


With bubble teams falling out of NCAA tournament consideration all over the country, the Florida Gators wasted a terrific opportunity to extend their nine-year streak of Big Dance appearances with a pathetic display of basketball Thursday night at the Georgia Dome.

Instead of using the Southeastern Conference tournament to gain entry to the NCAAs, the Gators embarrassed themselves with a lackluster effort in an 80-69 loss to Alabama that wasn't anywhere as close as the score indicated.

Florida put itself in holes of 14-0, 26-5 and 42-14 in the first half because it couldn't hit any outside shots or stop Alabama senior guard Mykal Riley (26 points) from draining three-pointers from every conceivable spot on the floor. The outing so annoyed UF coach Billy Donovan that he minced no words afterwards over his team's woeful performance.

Donovan questioned his team's passion, its commitment to playing defense and whether his young squad of nine scholarship players (five freshmen, three sophomores and one junior)would develop into the kind of team that can ever contend for any kind of a championship.

"You know, it's hard for me to be excited going forward because I don't see things getting fixed," said Donovan. "Again, we're 31 games into the season, and I'm not going to sit up here and talk about youthfulness or what we don't have or what we lost or those type of things.

"What you want to see is you want to see a group of guys really understand what it takes to win. And sometimes you've got to go through some things to understand what it takes to win. It's in front of our guys, what it takes to win, and for whatever reason, I haven't brought it out in them. They're not committed to it. I'm not necessarily really that excited about these guys being sophomores, to be honest."

Donovan's scathing criticism came on the heels of freshman Chandler Parsons telling the media assembled for the post-game news conference that the team "didn't come ready to play."

It's pretty hard to argue the point when you consider that Florida was outrebounded 26-12 in the first half, got no points from its starters in the first 11 minutes, and had 6-foot-10 sophomore center Marreese Speights not attempt a shot in the game's first 28 minutes.

Though Florida did whittle a 46-23 halftime deficit down to six points at 57-51, aided partly by some suspect Alabama free throw shooting, it couldn't mask the disappointment of a horrific start in a game with monumental stakes.

The feeling was UF needed to win two or three games in the SEC tournament to assure itself of an NCAA bid. The Gators received a huge lift when bubble teams like Dayton, Arizona State, Baylor, Villanova and UAB all lost earlier in the day, opening the door for Donovan's team if it could beat Alabama and follow up with a win over Mississippi State.

But everything flamed out with a pedestrian first-half effort that left everyone from Donovan to the players shaking their head afterwards, wondering if things will get any better next season.

First, there's the matter of closing out this season in the National Invitation Tournament, which will announce its pairings late Sunday night, long after the NCAA Selection show.

Until then, Donovan didn't sound terribly optimistic that his Gators will be dramtically better in 2008-09 simply because he returns his entire team.

"I would say that just because this group, all of them, are a year older doesn't mean they become a year better," said Donovan. "I've never been a big believer of that old adage, the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores. I've never bought into that motto.
"They're wiser, they're more experienced, but the same issues are still in front of them, and until they address those issues, it doesn't really make a difference how old they are."

After winning back-to-back NCAA championships, including the last one at the Georgia Dome, the Gators exited that same venue Thursday night feeling entirely different about themselves.

Their confidence was not only shaken, but Donovan didn't have any problem calling them out for an embarrassing performance in a big-game situation. In more ways than one, UF's bubble had burst.

Bubble looking a little better for Gators

Florida Times-Union sports columnnist Gene Frenette offers a weekly perspective on various topics for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday March 13.


Going into tonight's opening-round game in the Southeastern Conference tournament against Alabama, the bubble-residing Florida Gators received some assistance today when other teams living on that NCAA tournament edge fell off and out of Big Dance consideration.

Florida (21-10, 8-8 in the SEC) caught a huge break in the Big East tournament when Villanova, after knocking Syracuse into the NIT, followed up with a 19-point loss to Georgetown, which likely means that two Big East teams needing a little bit of a tournament run are out of NCAA consideration.

There were approximately 20-25 teams like the Gators who are walking that NCAA high-wire, so the more that fall off, the better UF's chances will be to make a 10th consecutive Big Dance appearance if it can reach the SEC semifinals or finals.

It would appear the Gators need a minimum of two wins at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta to get into the NCAAs because they could use the leverage of a quality win over Mississippi State, UF's second-round opponent if it knocks off Alabama. Even with two wins, there's no guarantee of reaching the NCAAs because it depends on how many other bubble teams fare in their tournaments.

Two fellow SEC members -- Arkansas and Mississippi -- must avoid a one-and-done scenario in the SEC tournament, and the Rebels probably need two or three wins to help offsets their 7-9 conference record. Kentucky looks fairly safe, but the Wildcats wouldn't want to tempt fate by losing to the Georgia-Ole Miss winner on Friday.

Beyond the SEC, tournament losses early on Thursday by UAB (to Tulsa in Conference USA), Dayton (to Xavier in the Atlantic 10), Arizona State (to Southern Cal in the Pac-10) and Baylor (to Colorado in the Big 12) will greatly benefit Florida if it takes advantage by winning a couple games in Atlanta.

On the down side for the Gators, West Virginia got off its tenuous position by upsetting Connecticut, so the Mountaineers look to be comfortably in the NCAA field. St. Joseph's, whose star player is Pat Calathes, older brother of UF freshman, Nick Calathes, kept its NCAA hopes alive by advancing over Richmond in the A-10 tournament.

Here are some other bubble teams whose tournament results will impact Florida's chances of getting into the NCAAs -- Kansas State, Texas A&M, Arizona, Ohio State, Oregon, New Mexico, UNLV, Virginia Tech and Maryland.

In addition, it would help the Gators if top seeds Memphis and BYU win their respective tournaments. All this scoreboard watching, of course, is a moot point if Florida doesn't take care of business Thursday night against Alabama. And follows up with a win against Mississippi State on Friday.

Without at least two wins at the Georgia Dome -- the same venue where UF cut down the national championship nets last year -- Florida will be dancing at the NIT. The Gators' resume simply doesn't have enough juice to squeeze into the NCAA field.

Check out Friday's Times-Union for my column from the SEC tournament and complete game coverage by Mike DiRocco.



Unless John Daly gets some help for his obvious off-the-course demons, it's becoming more apparent that his golf career is dangerously close to being over. Daly's partying lifestyle and lack of desire to work at his game, which coach Butch Harmon cited this week as the reason why he's no longer working with him, is something he can no longer overcome with natural talent.

Harmon's public criticism of Daly's work ethic, coupled with him being disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Invitational for missing his pro-am tee time, is a double whammy for a man who achieved incredible popularity despite his abusive history and consistent marital problems.

The goodwill that Daly built up for winning the PGA Championship and a British Open well over a decade ago has pretty much evaporated as his professional and personal difficulties keep rising. He obviously needs someone to intervene on his behalf.

If John Daly doesn't turn things around pretty soon, it will be last call.

Can Gator heartbreak lay future foundation?

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette offers his perspective on a variety of topics for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday March 6.


An hour into the post-mortem of Florida's devastating 89-86 loss Wednesday night to Tennessee, coach Billy Donovan kept talking about what the fallout would be for his Gators in the wake of such crushing disappointment.

He wasn't referring to the "who's in, who's out" rammifications for the NCAA tournament -- which now seems more of a long-shot than 50-50 -- but his team's personal growth from an experience that left several players teary-eyed in the locker room.

"To me, it was a great growing experience," said Donovan. "They could really grow from this. When you have pain and hurt in that locker room, there's a chance to bond from that. Sometimes, pain and heartache brings you closer together than the wins. You cannot become a team until you go through some of these experiences."

No doubt, a large segment of Gator nation is feeling downcast about losing a game that could have put Florida (21-9 overall, 8-7 in Southeastern Conference)in good position for an NCAA at-large bid had they finished off the No. 4-ranked Volunteers. The Gators just didn't have the experience to put the clamps on UT guards JaJuan Smith and Chris Lofton, who hit critical shots during a 14-0 second half run that enabled the Vols to overcome a 55-42 halftime deficit.

But there's a potentially huge consolation for the Gators, providing that this bitter loss helps them become a team in the true sense of the word. After the game, Donovan rattled off some disappointing losses that his previous UF squad went through before it blossomed into a back-to-back NCAA champion.

It was clearly Donovan's way of sending a message to his current players, hoping they might take an emotional defeat and allow it to speed up their growth process.

"You're trying to strive to be the best possible team," said Donovan. "We were a team tonight. There was no team passion against Mississippi State [in last Saturday's loss]."

Given that over 85 percent of Florida's production is coming from freshmen or sophomores, taking the outright SEC champion right to the wire is a positive step. And with all the beef in UF's next incoming class -- 6-foot-9 Kenny Kadji, 6-9 Eloy Vargas and 6-8 Allan Chaney -- the Gators should be able to win playing more of a halfcourt game in the future than relying so heavily on three-point shots and transition basketball.

Providing, of course, that these Gators find a way to use their greatest disappointment of the season as motivation to become a team to be reckoned with.


With NCAA Selection Sunday just 10 days away, there's still considerable speculation about Florida's chances of extending their NCAA tournament streak to 10 consecutive years.

Right now, the chances are probably somewhere in the 10-20 percent range because there's simply too many teams on the bubble with better overall resumes than the Gators. They can help their cause immensely by beating Kentucky on the road Sunday, which would give UF a sweep over another bubble team.

The problem is, Florida has only one quality win (Vanderbilt) and even a win over Kentucky, which is three games ahead of UF in the SEC East standings, wouldn't be enough to put Donovan's team in the tournament.

Here's the numerical logjam that makes it hard to imagine Florida getting an NCAA bid without going to the SEC tournament finals, or maybe the semifinals -- there are currently 19 leagues that will send just one team to the Big Dance, 30 teams that are considered locks no matter what happens and another 8 schools (Oklahoma, Miami, Baylor, etc.) that look pretty safe as long as they don't collapse.

That's 57 out of 65 spots already reserved. For the last eight berths, there's about 20-25 schools with a chance to secure them, and a lot of them currently have better credentials than Florida, which is 1-7 against teams in the RPI Top 50.

And another factor to consider when you're looking at all these mock brackets from ESPN's Joe Lunardi and everyone else: none of these projections include conference tournament upsets that, every year, take away another two or three of those at-large bids.

So in addition to Florida needing to beat Kentucky and make an SEC tournament run, they have to root for teams like Memphis, Butler, Drake and Davidson -- all with solid at-large credentials -- to win their league tournaments and gain the automatic bid.

It comes down to a numbers game, specifically who you played, who you beat and how well your team performed in the last 10-12 games. Right now, none of those factors are in Florida's favor.


So far, NFL free agency from the Jaguars' perspective has shown that coach Jack Del Rio and the front office isn't afraid to spend money or shake up the roster.

The addition of wide receiver Jerry Porter from the Oakland Raiders and cornerback Drayton Florence from the San Diego Chargers are the most significant additions, but it's clear the Jaguars aren't shy about severing ties with major contributors.

Who would have thought midway through the 2007 season that three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcus Stroud would be traded or veteran guard Chris Naeole cut? The team also let popular receiver Ernest Wilford become a free agent (he signed with the Miami Dolphins), as well as backup quarterback Quinn Gray and productive safety Sammy Knight.

So what's the message? It's that the Jaguars feel this is their time to be a Super Bowl contender and with $35 million in salary cap room, they were going to do everything possible to close the gap on the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots.

Time will tell if they succeeded. Porter is a talented receiver who had mixed results in Oakland. Florence should definitely upgrade the secondary either as a nickel back or possibly a starter if the Jags move Brian Williams to safety. Either way, his presence gives the defense greater flexibility.

Now it's time for the Jaguars to go back into the film room and see if the April draft can bring them the player they'll need to beef up the pass rush. With the third and fifth-round picks they received from the Buffalo Bills for Stroud, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see the Jaguars trade up from the No. 26 spot in the first round to land a coveted pass-rusher.

Jaguars: Don't be too quick on spending trigger

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette offers his weekly perspective on various sports topics for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday February 28.


The NFL free-agency market opens up at midnight and my message for the Jaguars this year is to tread carefully. Just because the team has $32-35 million in salary cap space doesn't mean they should go out on a lavish shopping spree.

Among the fans' favorite things to do is spend a team's money because they often think a championship is just a purchase or two away. The mindset usually goes something like this: "If we could just get that big-time receiver or a guy that can get after the quarterback, we'll be in the Super Bowl next year." Oh, really. Here's my response: "When's the last time a Jaguars' free agent signing had that kind of impact?"

The Jaguars have signed 51 unrestricted free agents in their 13-year history and I can count on one hand the guys that were real difference-makers. Here they are in order of the value they brought to the club: (1) receiver Keenan McCardell; (2) linebacker Mike Peterson; (3) offensive tackle Leon Searcy; (4) guard Chris Naeole; (5) defensive tackle Gary Walker.

That's not a long and distinguished list. But when it comes to spending money on free agents that never lived up to their value, just as many flops come to mind. Starting with Hugh Douglas, Bryce Paup, Carnell Lake, Shawn Bouwens, Kelvin Pritchett and Patrick Johnson. Shawn who? Patrick who? Yeah, that's what I mean. They were so irrelevant, you don't even remember them.

The point is that free agent shopping is really more about getting value for each signee than throwing a bunch of money at one or two players. It's no secret that a pass-rusher and a wide receiver are the Jaguars' two greatest needs this offseason, but when you look at what's reasonably attainable on the market, it's pretty slim pickings. Randy Moss is a great receiver, but it's highly doubtful that Jacksonville would be his first choice unless they threw so much money at him that he couldn't turn it down. If you're going to severely dent your salary cap for one player, better make it a quarterback or someone entrusted with sacking the quarterback.

After Moss, there's Chicago Bear Bernard Berrian, who is somewhat of an intriguing prospect, but at what price? He may command bigger money than the production on his resume suggests, so be careful about overspending because you have a need at a position that can easily be filled with as low as a second-day draft pick. I like Berrian, but I'd have to like his price tag as well.

On the pass-rushing front, the cupboard is pretty thin with the franchise tags placed on Terrell Suggs (Baltimore Ravens) and Jared Allen (Kansas City Chiefs). There's the Cincinnati Bengals' Justin Smith, but he's more of a run-stuffing defensive end than a sack artist. There's been some talk about pursuing the Tennessee Titans' Travis LaBoy, but he's not Kyle Vanden Bosch.

Good free agent acquisition is all about matching your need without killing your future budget. That's not to say some guys are not worth paying top dollar, but you have to keep those kind of purchases to a minimum. The good NFL teams win consistently by investing money in their own proven players, not throwing money at other players whose teams let them walk into free agency.

There are exceptions, but on the whole, teams tend to get under the market value for unrestricted free agents than equal or above the value they paid for them.

So the message to the Jaguars this year, as in most years, is buyer beware.



The Jaguars granting permission to three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcus Stroud to seek a trade, which became public knowledge when agent Drew Rosenhaus mentioned it on ESPN Thursday morning, is a stunning development, but it may not be the total downer that it appears on paper.

No doubt, Stroud has been one of the Jaguars' premium defensive players in franchise history. Along with twin tower sidekick John Henderson, that twosome represents one of the most fierce tackle tandems in the entire NFL in recent memory. On the surface, the former University of Georgia standout wanting out of Jacksonville is a surprise because he's a small-town Georgia guy that enjoyed playing not so far from his home in Barney, which is only 20 miles from Valdosta.

Obviously, Stroud is unhappy or he wouldn't be making this request. He still has three years remaining on the lucrative contract extension he signed in April, 2005, which will pay him $5 million this season, followed by $5.5 million in 2009 and $6 million in 2010.

Losing Stroud would be a blow to the Jaguars' defense, but it's not as devastating a loss as it would have been two years ago when he was at the top of his game. Stroud, who turns 30 in June, had microfracture surgery on his right ankle last offseason and was still a good player in 2007, but not at the level he was from 2003-05 when he was a Pro Bowler. Plus, he missed four games due to suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, which he blamed on a tainted supplement provided by a doctor.

While Stroud was out, backup Rob Meier, one of the most underrated players in Jaguars' history, filled in admirably and his presence would help soften the blow of possibly losing Stroud. However, no team can ever have enough quality defensive linemen, so the Jaguars and Jack Del Rio would have to address the critical loss of depth in that area with Stroud out of the picture.

If Stroud is traded, look for the Jaguars to make up for his loss immediately, either through free agency, the draft or in what they might fetch in return for Stroud. The Detroit Lions' Shaun Rogers, who ironically signed what was then the biggest NFL contract for a defensive tackle just three months before Stroud's extension, is being shopped around by the Lions. He's one year younger than Stroud and also a massive load at 6-foot-4, 345 pounds.


A solid 77-64 win for the Florida Gators' basketball team Wednesday night at Georgia because it kept Billy Donovan's team from losing valuable leverage in their quest for a 10th consecutive NCAA tournament bid.

With home games coming up against Mississippi State and Tennessee next Wednesday, followed by the last regular season game at Kentucky, two more wins would almost certainly lock up a spot for UF (21-7, 8-5 in the SEC) in the Big Dance no matter what happens in the SEC tournament.

Florida might be able to squeeze in with just one more victory, but that'd be awfully risky because three or four at-large bids could vanish in conference tournaments. Upsets in several league tourneys that would normally get just one or two bids, like a Conference USA, WAC or Horizon, could eliminate some teams that are now being pencilled in as No. 10, 11 or 12 seeds.

Former IU president breaks silence on Sampson

Former Indiana University president Adam Herbert, who served in the same position from 1989-98 at the University of North Florida, gave Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette an exclusive interview Monday about the fallout from the resignation of basketball coach Kelvin Sampson in the wake of five major NCAA allegations levied against his program.

Herbert, now a professor at the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs, had not commented publicly on the coach he approved to be hired in March, 2006. The hire happened despite Sampson being put on NCAA probation for being found guilty of his Oklahoma staff making 577 improper phone calls to recruits. Sampson agreed to resign from his IU post on Friday, accepting a $750,000 buyout in exchange for not filing a lawsuit against the school.

In May, 2006, the NCAA banned Sampson from calling recruits or making recruiting trips for one year for what it called "deliberate noncompliance” when he was at Oklahoma. Last October, following Indiana's investigation, it documented over 100 phone calls that were in violation of NCAA restrictions placed on Sampson and his Indiana staff. Sampson had to forfeit a scheduled $500,000 raise.

After an NCAA follow-up investigation, IU was charged with five possible "major" violations as a result of alleged phone calls made by Sampson's staff at Indiana.

Herbert was president at IU until July, 2007. He signed off on Sampson's hire two years ago after athletic director Rick Greenspan recommended him following a six-hour interview with the AD, two school trustees and Herbert.

The following are some excerpts from Herbert's extensive interview with the Times-Union. Look for Gene Frenette's column on the subject in Tuesday's Times-Union.

Adam Herbert: "I am very disappointed regarding the recent situation in the Indiana men's basketball program. It's particularly unfortunate that responses from Coach Sampson and also the university to the NCAA allegations can't be discussed publicly at this time until they get in front of the Infractions Committee [scheduled for June 14]. There are multiple sides to every story. I believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”

On what led to Sampson's hiring: "Historically, I have felt very strongly about rules compliance. I have insisted that coaches be fired for violating rules. Some people have asked about the selection process [of hiring Sampson]. What role did I play in the selection process? Did I tell the athletic director [Rick Greenspan] to hire this guy? The process does speak to the level of attention we addressed to it. The university has always used essentially the same decision-making process. The AD has responsibility for the selection and evaluation of coaches, along with raises and firing.

"In this case, the AD developed the list of candidates to be considered. He initiated the appropriate background checks [of the candidates]. He hired a consultant to help us. No one knew who was on our final list of candidates. The AD went through the process of narrowing the list to three or four people, with the help of a consultant. Because of the significance of basketball in this state and the issue raised about NCAA sanctions [in Sampson's case], I asked two members of the Board of Trustees to review the process.

"Once it became clear Coach Sampson was one we'd look at in greater deth, I knew it was an issue that would raise eyebrows. The AD held briefings for me and the two trustees, reporting back to us on everything he was able to find out. He talked with Sampson, the Oklahoma athletic director and the attorneys [for Oklahoma], so when we got down to the final discussions of what we might do, I thought we had a pretty good sense of what the issues were. We invited Coach Sampson to meet with Rick [Greenspan], me and the two trustees. We met for six hours. We had detailed questions about the phone calls [at Oklahoma].

"We came away from that feeling like [Sampson] was someone who understood what he went through and wasn't likely to make that same mistake again. He cared about the young men that played for him. All his players loved him. The parents were appreciative of what he did for their children. All of us wanted to feel comfortable that [NCAA charges against him] was an aberration.

"What I asked the [IU] general counsel to do was develop clear wording [in the contract] with our expectations. It says that violations of NCAA rules can be a basis for termination. There's very little wiggle room. It was to assure our expectations [of compliance with NCAA rules] were very clear.

"[Greenspan] recommended [Sampson] to the president, and I concurred with that, and the belief that we had every confidence that the letter and spirit of this agreement would be met. We had to have a pretty high comfort level [to hire him].”

On how bad the charges look for Sampson and the potential consequences for the rest of his career: "We don't know his side of the story. There may be some extenuating circumstances. He has to be given the opportunity to state his case. It's important to have the opportunity to speak to all of the allegations.”

On the possibility that Sampson may have betrayed the faith that Indiana University placed in him: "The reality is no president or athletic director wants to be put in this position. When you make decisions like these [to hire a coach], you take them very seriously. You certainly don't want to make a decision that creates problems in the future."

On what he expects the outcome will be of Sampson's appearance before the NCAA Infractions Committee on June 14: "All of us who were involved in the [hiring] process felt what happened previously was an aberration. I hope that turns out to be the case. I've talked with [Sampson] about it. I won't characterize [the conversation]. My hope is when he makes his presentation to the Infractions Committee, he'll be able to demonstrate the confidence in him was well-founded. I'm disappointed with the whole situation. We're all innocent until proven guilty. I know there are more facts to come out than have come out.

"He has a chance to prove that all of this is not true, and I hope he can.”

On the blow to Indiana University's solid track record of following NCAA regulations: "This is not an institution that sanctions violation of rules. That's not what we've been about. Every university will have secondary [NCAA] violations. It's virtually impossible to comply with all of them. The interesting question in this case is if the original violations [at Oklahoma] had not been there, would be these be major [allegations]? Probably not, but we are where we are.”

On Sampson electing to resign instead of trying to fight to stay on in the face of NCAA charges: "He didn't have to submit his resignation, but he chose to do so and encouraged his players to continue to compete, even though he feels his side of the story hasn't been told."

On why Indiana decided to hire Sampson despite the previous violations at Oklahoma: "He's been so well-respected over time. The only violations we were able to get were about telephone calls. It wasn't about providing financial assistance to players or getting jobs in which they were paid for not working. Nothing like that. The due diligence we did was about phone calls [to recruits]. There are a whole host of cases involving a lot worse allegations than phone calls.

"When you're looking at someone who is one of the best coaches in America and had 20-win seasons for a decade, this became a value hire for us. My view at the time, and still is, was that when you have a chance to hire someone with his track record and whose only offense was telephone calls, and we took a look at all of them. . . . When you look in the broader scheme of things, it was worth giving him a second chance."

Read Gene's column in Tuesday's Times-Union or on Jacksonville.com.

Gator hoops walking fine line

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette posts weekly commentary on various aspects of the sports world for jacksonville.com This is the entry for Thursday February 21.


A lot of speculation about whether Florida's two-time defending national championship basketball team will reach the NCAA tournament, so here's the lowdown on what I believe must happen for Billy Donovan's Gators (20-7) to reach the Big Dance -- win three more games between the four remaining regular-season contests and the SEC tournament.
If Florida can get to 23 wins, which would mean either a 9-7 SEC record and a tournanment win or a 10-6 SEC record and an opening-round loss, that should be just enough for the NCAA selection committee to give the Gators a 10th consecutive tourney berth.
Wednesday's 85-82 home win over South Carolina was critical. Not because it raised UF's profile in any way, but because they avoided the massive damage of losing to a team outside the RPI Top 100. Last week's home loss to LSU is what put the Gators in their current predicament. They could ill afford another bad loss.
It's possible that 22 victories could get UF a bid, but that's only if the Gators upset Tennessee at home on March 5. Otherwise, they better reach 23 because UF's horrible non-conference schedule has dragged their RPI (No. 57) down into bubble territory. And with only one quality win, against Vanderbilt at home, Florida could use a home win over Tennessee or SEC Western division leader Mississippi State (March 1) to spruce up its so-so resume.
Contrary to what some people think, being a two-time NCAA champion will carry minimal weight with the selection committee. The selectors are entrusted with picking the 34 most qualified at-large teams based on their overall body of work, and it's presumptous to assume that Florida will get the benefit of a close call just because it hoisted the trophy the past two years.
If it's an absolutely dead-even call between the Gators and say, Miami (Fla.), for the last at-large spot, then it's possible that some commmittee members will subconsciously favor UF, but there's too many other ways for the committee to settle close calls than simply to look at a school's recent basketball tradition.
One big negative for the Gators, especially if they split their last four games and get bounced out of the SEC tournament in the first round, is their overall strength of schedule. It's ranked dead last among all the teams in the six major conferences. That's a huge point against them. Also, under that same 2-2 closing scenario, it also means Florida would have lost six of its last 10 regular-season games, which might be a death knell for the Gators if there's not a win over Tennessee to offset the damage.
The last at-large teams taken for the NCAAs usually are a No. 11 or 12 seed. Right now, looking at the Gators' resume and comparing it with the rest of the country, Florida is right in that 11-12-13 range. UF is riding the bubble big-time, and let's not forget that some of these at-large bids could be lost if teams like Drake, Butler, Memphis or St. Mary's/Gonzaga fail to win their conference tournaments. That could end up costing UF a bid as well if they don't take care of business down the stretch.
Florida has had a very respectable season, considering their roster is almost exclusively made up of freshmen and sophomores. The long-term future looks incredibly bright, but keeping UF's March Madness streak alive will require the Gators to play significantly better than they have in the past three weeks.
It looks like UF's magic number is 23 wins. Anything less, the Gators will run the risk of settling for a consolation prize that none of them want -- hosting a National Invitation Tournament game.


Nobody knows more than Byron Leftwich what a difference a year makes. Last February, he was being named the Jaguars' starting quarterback over David Garrard because head coach Jack Del Rio didn't want any lingering controversy about the position to drag through the offseason. Six months later, Del Rio cut Leftwich and elevated Garrard to No. 1.
Now fast forward another six months and Leftwich has been cut again, this time by the Atlanta Falcons, now coached by former Jaguars' defensive coordinator Mike Smith. So in one year, Leftwich has gone from being the Jaguars' franchise quarterback to being released twice, each time by a coach with Jaguar connections.
Just another reason why the NFL is an acronymn for Not For Long.


With the NFL Combine underway in Indianapolis, that commences two months of speculation about what the Jaguars will do with the 26th overall pick in the April draft. Much of the focus will be on acquiring a pass-rusher, but the Jaguars have to be careful not to reach too much there out of need. You want value for the spot you're picking as well.
Barring a trade up, which the Jaguars have done only once in their first-round history (1995, moving from early second round to No. 19 overall to take running back James Stewart), the Jags are picking at a time when the best pass-rushers are likely to be off the board. It's hard to believe Chris Long (Virginia), Vernon Gholston (Ohio State) and Derrick Harvey (Florida) will be available, and there's a decent dropoff at defensive end after that Big Three.
So if those three are gone, do the Jaguars then just take the next best available DE in Clemson's Phillip Merling or Miami's Calais Campbell (who had a subpar season in 2007)? That's where reaching for need can get NFL teams in trouble.
The Jaguars have a playoff-caliber roster and they're seeking to get to that championship level. It might best serve them in the first round to just take the best available player — providing he's not a running back or quarterback — who will be of immediate help somewhere.
As the Jaguars discovered through an injury-riddled 2007 season, you can never have enough reinforcements.


After watching the Los Angeles Lakers' entertaining 130-124 victory over the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night, it's clear that there ought to be as much buzz over the Lakers acquiring Pau Gasol in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies as for the Suns landing Shaquille O'Neal from the Miami Heat.
O'Neal fared better than I expected with 15 points and 9 rebounds in 29 minutes, considering that he hadn't played in a month because of inflammation in his left hip and thigh. And as he gets adjusted to his new surroundings and plays more with All-Stars Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, it's possible the 36-year-old center might be able to acquire a fifth NBA championship ring.
But looking at the way Gasol scored 29 points in so many different ways, I'm not so sure that he won't be the difference-maker when the playoffs come around in what should be a wild Western Conference shootout. With Gasol on board, the NBA's best player in Kobe Bryant now has his Robin sidekick that was much needed for the Lakers to become a championship contender.
If Shaq was two or three years younger, I'd lean toward him bringing Phoenix a title. But seeing Gasol's versatile game, it's looking good for the Lakers to be king of the mountain again.