I also agreed with most of what he said. It is a shame that we can't play them every year. It is a shame that the driving motive behind this issue is, in fact, money. However, I disagree with Mike on the motive. IT IS NOT GREED. It is an economic reality. That extra 2 million dollars does not go into some fat cat's pocket. Instead the money goes to provide scholarships for women's and men's sports. It goes to provide educational opportunities. What scholarships and programs might Florida have to cut if we played Miami every year?
Jerry From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Oliver Barry Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 5:03 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [gatortalk] Re: [gatornews] Ego, money sacking good grid rivalries I agree with Mike on most of his points. We are arrogant about Miami. We don't need them, they, along with f$U need us. Miami should've been rolling over to get us decent tickets, which they didn't do. We are all suffering for this, me included. I hate not being able to play them every year. F$U brags every year about playing both of us and being the state champs. Of course, they're not, but they have to have something. I don't agree with him about the games getting smaller either. At least they're not for us. No wonder Miami can't fill their stadium. No wonder the semis can't fill theirs. We, on the other hand, have 119 sellouts in a row! Suck up semis and scum!! Roll over or we'll never give you a chance to play another big time football power. Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI Real Estate Broker Halo Realty, LLC 700 E. Main St. Hendersonville TN 37075 [EMAIL PROTECTED] office: 615-822-3509 fax: 615-822-7741 mobile: 615-972-4239 _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 12:48 PM To: gatortalk googlegroups Subject: [gatortalk] RE: [gatornews] Ego, money sacking good grid rivalries <<Because arrogance and ego and, of course, greed have hijacked college football.>> <<the games just keep getting smaller and smaller.>> <<but I believe the death of the series had more to do with UF's feeling of superiority than UF's ticket priority.>> <<how about giving in-state fans a game they can get juiced about?>> <<that "national" schedule turned into dog-food games against teams like Montana State and Louisiana Tech.>> Is Mike Bianchi: A. Stupid B. Jealous C. Just trying to piss us off D. Has a deadline and needs to spew any old junk E. All of the above The games do NOT keep getting smaller and smaller. There are plenty of games to get "juiced about". Tenn, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, FSU, the SEC championship. Yes we squeeze a couple of easy teams - usually at the beginning of the year - but our strength of schedule is still much higher than most of the other 115/120 division 1 schools. The money is poured into the university and the athletics program. Which does what? Brings in more big time recruits. The program is self supporting. How much $$$ does FSU and Miami have to charge the citizens of the state of Florida each year to showcase "thugs on a field"? I agree with him about one thing - we don't need Miami. Miami and FSU could have joined the SEC - but they chose the ACC - which about as difficult as the leagues that USF and UCF play in. And Miami and FSU knew exactly what they were doing in joining the ACC instead of the SEC. I hope this guy is on the sidelines and Patchan takes a personal foul again ... -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [gatornews] Ego, money sacking good grid rivalries From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wed, September 03, 2008 1:20 pm To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ego, money sacking good grid rivalries <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/columnists/orl-bianchi,0,3285093.colu mnist> Mike Bianchi Mike Bianchi | SPORTS COMMENTARY September 3, 2008 Tim Tebow <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/sports/football/tim-tebow-PESPT008528. topic> 's eyes flashed with excitement and his voice raised a couple of decibels when the subject of playing the Miami Hurricanes <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/sports/miami-hurricanes-ORSPT000191.to pic> came up. "Playing the 'U' is something I've never done before and I'm excited about it," chirped the University of <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/univer sity-of-florida-OREDU0000153.topic> Florida quarterback in reference to the rare renewal of the UF-UM rivalry this weekend. "I think we should play Miami every year. That would be awesome. I'd love it." Everybody would love it. The players. The fans. The media. Everybody. But Florida and Miami don't play every year for the same reason UCF and South Florida are likely ending their four-year series after Saturday's game: Because arrogance and ego and, of course, greed have hijacked college football. Remember when college football was supposed to be about the players and the fans and the student body? Well, now it's about bean-counting athletic administrators and ego-driven coaches. "When the stakes are this high, everything changes," said Bill Carr, the former UF athletic director who took part in the failed negotiations that helped kill the annual Miami series in the mid-1980s. Back then the Gators <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/sports/football/florida-gators-ORSPT00 0172.topic> were just getting out of debt as an athletic program, and one of the main reasons they dropped Miami was to add another home game to help balance their budget. To this day, Carr insists UF would have kept playing UM if former UM athletic director Sam Jankovich had just agreed to give UF fans better seats in the Orange Bowl <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/sports/football/orange-bowl-PLTRA00000 03.topic> . Maybe so, but I believe the death of the series had more to do with UF's feeling of superiority than UF's ticket priority. The Gators felt UM needed them more than they needed UM. They felt they were subsidizing UM's budget by guaranteeing a rare sellout in the Orange Bowl every other year. And it wasn't just coincidence that they dropped Miami just as the Hurricanes turned into regular national-title contenders. The Gators tried to soften the PR blow by saying they were dropping Miami to play a more "national" schedule. Of course, that "national" schedule turned into dog-food games against teams like Montana State and Louisiana Tech. It's pretty telling that Carr, even today, expresses the same sentiment that ran rampant back then. "Florida," he said, "doesn't need to play Miami." He's right, of course. The Gators don't need to play Miami, just as South Florida doesn't need to play UCF. But -- and I know this a foreign concept in today's big-money BCS world -- how about giving in-state fans a game they can get juiced about? Is there any question UCF fans and players get more jazzed about USF than any other opponent? And if USF fans were honest, they'd tell you the same about UCF. But it doesn't matter to USF Coach Jim Leavitt, who is about to kill a perfectly good rivalry. And why? Because of ego run amok, that's why. Because Leavitt is infected with the same "you need us more than we need you" attitude the Gators had so many years ago. UCF Coach George O'Leary <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/sports/football/george-oleary-PESPT008 434.topic> seems tired of lobbying for the continuation of the USF series but still stated his case yet again Tuesday. "I think it's a great game for both fan bases," O'Leary said. "I think it's a natural game that provides a great college atmosphere. I'm not much for traveling five or six states over to play a game when we've got one 60 miles away. But it's not a big deal. If they don't want to play, we'll move on." I don't know what's worse -- USF's inexplicable arrogance or UF's incessant money grab. Let's face it, now that college teams play 12 regular-season games, the Gators could easily play Miami every year. Florida doesn't really need a seventh home game. The Gators -- bankrolled by millionaire boosters and a billion-dollar Southeastern Conference TV package -- are a money machine. They could easily subtract one home game every other year, play Miami and not even notice it in their budget. "Why would we want to do that?" UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley said. "Why would you want to take $2 million out of your pocket every other year?" Such is the business of college football. In order to indulge bigger and bigger athletic budgets and bigger and bigger egos, the games just keep getting smaller and smaller. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
