I mainly dropped out of the premium section of Gator Country because of financial considerations but I can tell you I don't really miss it. The recruiting that so many seem to enjoy is entirely too dramatic for me. Heck I'll just check in on national signing day and see who the Gators got and skip all the histrionics. As for "inside" information there is little "real" inside info to be had IMO. What I really enjoy is some unbiased analysis like I've seen on the NFL network but that's hard to come by on the college level.
On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 2:42 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks for the insight. > > That is why I bought GatorBait for so many years - their analysis was > excellent. > > I'm not into any of them to sit around and chat in forums. > > I like Bob Redman at Scout / Fighting Gators and Mark Wheeler at Rivals / > GatorBait. > > I do like the TV stuff that Gator Country does. Gainesville Sun does that > now with Pat Dooley. > > Do you still find Gator Country worth it? > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: RE: [gatortalk] Randy started a MAJOR soap opera / insider > information > From: "Ed Williamson" <[email protected]> > Date: Thu, December 24, 2009 1:50 pm > To: <[email protected]> > > *I am a member not only of this list, but Gator Country, Fightin Gators, > and Gator Bait in addition to several other much smaller and less active > sites. The major issue that is really being fought over is not really the > information or misinformation (depending on which site is your favorite), > but results from Gator Country firing Bob Redman, who was the recruiting > maven and “insider” a little over a year ago. Bad blood has simmered with > the folks at Fightin Gators sniping and twisting any bit of information that > they can to try to make Gator Country look bad. Each site has its own > strengths and weaknesses. FG is significantly better and up on recruiting > for those of you who are “recruitniks”. It is plugged into the Scout > recruiting data base which is very good. GC has a much more user friendly > site with much better technology available as far and video, message boards, > chat rooms and superior “news reporting”. Their association with ESPN has > not yet produced the recruiting information bonanza that was promised as of > yet, but it is getting better. Now why the two sites can’t get along and > respect each other is beyond ridiculous to me. But frankly other than the > recruiting, the message boards at FG are very poor and not much activity > compared to GC. The only threads that get any action are threads that > assault GC. If a thread it dying at FG, all you have to do is insult GC and > it will crank up. The next issue is that when Bob Redman was fired by GC, > many “recruitniks” became very upset with GC and began complaining loudly > and vociferously about the decline in inside recruiting information. Within > a few months, Scout hired Bob for the FG site and many GC’ers joined FG, (me > included) to enjoy his expertise. Most of them keeping dual memberships. > Unfortunately, most of the FG’ers still on GC has kept up a rather continual > barrage of complaints and looking for any issue that they could try to raise > to cause unrest at GC. There have been skirmishes all along since then. > The most recent flap occurred when a GC insider made a post that alleged > that several of the Junior class that has possibilities of being drafted by > the NFL had not given an all out effort in the SECCG. He linked it to the > party where Carlos Dunlap got drunk resulting in his DUI arrest. He also > alleged that Billy Gonzales the WR coach that left UF and went to LSU was > really fired rather than resigning. Another insider that posts on both GC > and FG took issue with him and called him out. The ploy worked out well for > FG as far as this causing an internet flap and getting a real major argument > going between the two sites. The interesting thing as I observe this (I > refuse to participate in the idiocy of Gator fighting Gator) is that FG is > unanimous in the castigation of GC as most of their members are followers of > Bob Redman and most of them still have dual memberships and they have turned > GC into the battleground so that their site does not have the bitterness on > display other than their disdain for GC. * > * * > *The supposed issue of Tebow missing a tackle on purpose was a mistake in > understanding some commentary and was quickly rectified and apologized for > by the person making the post on GC, but the good folks at FG refuse to > acknowledge that and continue to throw that old issue on the current fire to > try to make it burn hotter. The sad thing to me in this is that Bob Redman > is a very informed person(and I like him) and he could put a stop to all of > this idiocy, but for some reason he and the other leaders at FG seem to want > to destroy GC and they continually encourage their followers to continue > with their assaults on GC. One other point that I would make for any that > are following any of this on the two websites is that although the first GC > poster did disparage the “NFL Juniors”, the rebuttal FG poster said that the > kids played their hearts out, they just weren’t well prepared because the > Coaches thought that Alabama would be easily defeated. Now I really don’t > want to rekindle any of this type of thinking, because I don’t think either > of them are correct or on target, but which is worse to say kids were > distracted by future wealth or the Coaches didn’t take their jobs seriously > getting prepared for the SEC CG?????? * > * * > *Here is some controversy to spice up your eggnog during the holidays. * > *J*** > * * > *Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. * > * * > *And a United Gator Nation in 2010* > * * > *From:* [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]<[email protected]>] > *On Behalf Of *[email protected] > *Sent:* Thursday, December 24, 2009 10:06 AM > *To:* gatortalk googlegroups > *Subject:* [gatortalk] Randy started a MAJOR soap opera / insider > information > > For those that care and are following along at home > > That "insider" information that was emailed to Randy and he posted here - > > > MAJOR soap opera / drama regarding it. (I am kidding that Randy had > anything to do with inciting a riot - or at least not this one) > > The guy that generated all that information is/was an important member > of GatorCountry (ESPN affiliate). Fighting Gators site (Scout affiliate) is > saying that it is all made up and not true. > > I remember a remark by one of the Gator Players parents - maybe Tebows? - > about some internet rumors being way off base. At the time - it did not > sink in. But supposedly the GC poster said that Tebow missed a tackle on an > interception on purpose. > > This poster is the same poster that said a lot of the juniors going pro > and seniors did not play hard in the SEC CG because they were afraid they > would get hurt. Made up some stories about Gonzalez leaving, etc. > > I am currently not a member of GatorCountry - all my information is from > Scout site - so take it for the bias it's worth. I would expect loyal GC > members to have a contrasting view. The third site (Rivals) appears to be > staying out of it. > > I live and breath everything Gator Football. When Gator Bait was a > weekly newspaper and the Gainesville Sun was a daily newspaper - I use to > get both mailed to me in North Carolina - just so I could have my Gator > fix. > > I remember so many Thursdays - dying for the mail man to come because > that was when the GatorBait usually showed up. > > Of course the internet changed all of that. > > But they usually had knowledgeable people going to the practices and > telling us what they saw. > > But all of that is gone now - with the blackout on the media. All we get > is the sterilized news from the Sports Information office. > > Now, I see the same sterilized "news" articles over and over from most of > the major news outlets. > > So I subscribe to get the "insider" information - which is rare - perhaps > once per month. > > They try to push all the recruting stuff - but that is so wishy washy - > and full of more drama - its like - who cares? Until a kid is sitting in > his classes and is wowing coaches and players on the field - they might have > even not signed with the Gators. Deonte Thompson, Carl Moore, and Debose > were all five stars and going to change everything. For a variety of > reasons - they did not change anything this year. My point is - why follow > all the recruiting stuff - when you have no idea who will sign, much less > play, much less perform? > > But I noticed this disconnect in insider information - and it has really > blown up. Scout site saying that GatorCountry is in meltdown, etc. > > I have no dog in this fight (to use a Michael Vick phrase). All I want > is Gator practices open so that the sites can go back to watching practice > and reporting on it. > > Not this sterilized information and fighting over which insider > information is right. > -- > 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 > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > > -- > 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 > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > > -- > 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 > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > -- 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 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
