Billy's Back!

So, in last Thursday's post, I was clearly quite angry at Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan. Angry and confused, I lashed out -- I couldn't understand why the man would want to leave the greatest job he'll ever have.

Couldn't comprehend why he'd want to leave a place where he's treated like a god, a place where his name will grace the court someday, in exchange for the NBA and it's spoiled, unmanageable whiny millionaires.

Turns out, he didn't. The next day after signing a contract with the NBA's Orlando Magic, Billy realized he'd made a mistake. And after a few days of legal wrangling, the Magic released him from his contract, allowing him to return to UF, and college basketball, where he belongs.

He's taken a lot of heat for this, of course. Sports columnists and people on sports message boards are calling him a "flip-flopper," a "waffler," "unprofessional," and many, many worse things. But isn't this still America? Isn't a man allowed to change his mind? Would it have been better for him to coach the Magic even though he didn't want to be there? Does any team, college or professional, want a coach that's not 100% committed?

This is what coaches do. They change their minds and break contracts when something else appeals to them. I mean, Billy Donovan still had two years remaining on his original UF contract, which he would have broken to take the Magic job. Sure, most coaches don't break a contract after 3 days, but it's not unprecedented.

In the end, everything works out OK. The Magic signed their second choice for a head coach, Stan Van Gundy. With his previous NBA experience, he may turn out to be a better fit for the Magic anyway. Billy D stays at Florida, and can assure future recruits he's not going anywhere for a while -- terms of his deal with the Magic forbid him from coaching in the NBA for the next five years. And as we saw when Kentucky tried to take him away, Billy's not interested in a demotion to any other college campus.

In fact, I don't think he'll coach anywhere else than the University of Florida ever. And for the Gator Nation, hearing him say these words gives us chills:

"As long as the University of Florida wants me, this is where I want to be. I think you throw out the word forever and there is a fine line to that, but in my heart I want to be at the University of Florida for the rest of my time coaching."

The "year of the Gator" continues into its fourteenth month. I also find it quite interesting that the Gators' most incredible year ever has coincided with our daughter Sophie's first year. She must be a good luck Gator.

Billy Donovan, you traitorous fucker.

Billy Donovan to become next Orlando Magic coach

Screw you, Billy Donovan. After jerking around Gator fans with your ill-conceived flirtation with Kentucky in April, you made the right choice and chose to stay in Gainesville. The Gator Nation relaxed and waited for you to sign the contract offered to you, the one that would make you the highest-paid coach in college basketball history.

And how do you thank us? By signing with the goddamn Orlando Magic? A piss-poor excuse for an NBA franchise that chews up coaches and spits them out? For heaven's sake, they let previous coach Brian Hill dangle for 21 days following the end of the season (on his second term with the team) before kicking him out the door.

And this is what you desert the greatest job in college basketball for? One of the perennial cellar dwellers in the NBA? You'll flame out with the Magic, just like every single one of their previous coaches.

I hope your career goes down in flames for this move, you fucking rat. At least Steve Spurrier had the integrity to leave UF at the end of the season. Who the fuck are the Gators supposed to hire now? How many decent basketball coaches are still unemployed in JUNE???

You've forever tarnished your legacy. You could have stayed in Gainesville for another decade or so, and the Gators would have forever been playing on "Billy Donovan Court." Instead, you've relegated yourself to a fifth-rate NBA job, on a team with horrendous management, playing in an outdated arena. You're done, Billy the Kid.

And I can't believe you'd do this to Gator fans. You must have taken loyalty lessons from Nick Saban.

After all your bullshit professions about how you loved Gainesville, you're going to be persona non grata there now. I'd suggest you never return. This Gator fan -- and many others -- say you're no longer welcome.

PS-- The one bright spot in this pathetic situation is that this should piss Kentucky fans off as much as it angers Gator fans. Billy D would rather coach the ORLANDO FUCKING MAGIC than the Kentucky Wildcats?? Nice program you've got there in Lexington, guys.

He's OURS, KenSUCKy.

Billy Donovan turns down Kentucky, staying at Florida

To all you arrogant, delusional, inbred Kentucky fans (certain that Billy D was coming to Lexington, just as Alabama fans "knew" Steve Spurrier was coming to Tuscaloosa last year), who said things on ESPN.com message boards like:

Whether it's the right coaching choice for Kentucky remains to be seen, but don't fool yourself. This is a done deal. It's been done for the last six months.

And this:

Pretty much from what someone said and the rumors and knowing some people in the Kentucky Boosters and School, it is a done deal. the reason he doesnt have to worry about it, is because he kn ows he will be in UK Blue next year

And this:

He may not have talked to them yet...but HE is the next coach at Kentucky and will be announced before the bunny hops this weekend.

And this:

Kentucky Announcement .... Friday April 6, 2007... Donovan Named Basketball Coach.. Mark it down.. and I am not a fan of either school...just a fan of the game...

And this:

Whatever, I think you guys will be feeling very BLUE (no punt intended) come next Tuesday. Mrs. Donovan has been in Lexington looking at horse farms this week, I tend to think that would not be necessary if a move wasn't imminent. We sahal wait and see.

And also this:

yea your right about Donovan letting UF sweat it out and thats smart, but there is no way they could match UK's price range anyways. any honestly do you really believ him when he says he hasnt talked to the university of kentucky on the subject of being their coach...please? He's going to be UK's coach next year.

All I can do is to quote the great Nelson Muntz, when I say to you:

HA HA!

Oh, you arrogant bastards. You were so drunk on your homemade moonshine, you were living in an alternate reality. Convinced that Billy D could never prefer Gainesville to the "history," "tradition," the "lore" of Kentucky basketball. You were adamant in your assertions that it was a done deal, that Donovan was just itching to follow in the steps of Tubby Smith, a coach you forced away to Minnesota because 20-win seasons aren't good enough.

Billy has everything he'd ever want in Gainesville. A fully supportive athletic director, a rabid fanbase, and he'll soon have a fat new paycheck. I think it's possible that he could leave for the NBA someday. But any other college job? Hell no. As I said in my last post, leaving UF for UK would have been a downgrade.

Kentucky fans actually thought that UK had a bigger checkbook than UF -- HA!

From 2005, the most recent data available, here are some figures to chew on:

Total athletic donations:
UF: $26.9 million, 3rd nationally
UK: $8.1 million, 37th

Total sports revenue:
Florida $77.7 million
Kentucky $54.5 million

Ah, you fools. Living here in Birmingham, I used to think that Alabama fans were the most delusional in all of college sports, the fans who refused to acknowledge their greatest glory days were behind them, their greatest coach dead. Now, I think UK fans are giving 'Bama fans a run for that title of "most delusional," the only title either one of them is particularly close to.

Today, just like every day, and particularly every day for the last twelve months, it is truly great to be a Florida Gator.

Champs, again. (Again).

The Gators have done it again. Winning the national championship, over Ohio State. Again. Just like they won the football title over Ohio State in January, and just like they won last year's basketball championship.

Since it's also the first night of Passover tonight, I say:

If the basketball Gators had only won two SEC titles in a row, Dayenu.
If the basketball team had only won six straight over former SEC power Kentucky, Dayenu.
If the basketball team had only one last year's national title, Dayenu.
If the football team had only won six straight against its three biggest rivals (FSU, Tennessee, and Georgia), Dayenu.
If the football team had only won the 2006 national title, Dayenu.

And yet, the basketball team wins AGAIN tonight, once again showing we own Ohio State and their overrated thug center, Greg Oden. The Gators have now won a basketball-football-basketball "triple crown" of sorts, a feat that may never be repeated. How many schools can seriously claim to contend for titles in both major sports?

The University of Florida has the greatest athletic program in the country, and they proved it tonight. It is great to be a Florida Gator, baby!!

(And the ridiculous Billy Donovan-to-Kentucky rumors are just that. Rumors. Not only would leaving Gainesville for Lexington be a lateral move, I'd say at this point, it would be a downgrade. Donovan would have to be the biggest fool in the world to leave UF, and he's not.)

"I'm such a baby 'cause the Dolphins make me cry"

Well, Nick Saban won't be crying any longer, I guess. After two miserable years as the Miami Dolphins' head coach, Saban has agreed to become the next coach at Alabama, returning to the SEC where he won a national title with LSU. The contract is reported to be in the $40-50 million dollar range for 8-10 years.

I don't begrudge someone taking a new job, though it confuses me that Saban -- like Steve Spurrier before him -- would so quickly bail out on the NFL, returning to the college game, where both men have already won everything there is to win. Doesn't seem like these coaches would wave the white flag so quickly.

I do think that Saban is a rat without integrity for how he handled this whole situation. At a December 21 press conference, Saban said this:

"I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."

Pretty cut-and-dried, there. He'd danced around the question for a while, but less than two weeks ago, made this pretty emphatic statement. Turns out, it was all a load of crap.

Shame on you, Coach Saban, for deserting the Dolphins, quitting on Wayne Huizenga after two lousy years, when you promised to "turn the team around." Shame on you for taking the easy way out and running your yellow belly all the way to Tuscaloosa. You're a coward, and although the Crimson Tide faithful will disagree, I hope you fail miserably in Tuscaloosa.

At least Spurrier had the decency to quit the NFL before taking a college job. And he didn't lie about his intentions either.

G-d and Football, Redux

So, my comments regarding the Hoover High School football team, and their Baptist chaplain, were published in today's Federation Update. (See my previous post for the original comment.)

Here's the BJF's response:

RESPONSE TO ERIC'S LETTER In response to Eric's letter, the BJF contacted a Jefferson County school administrator familiar with such issues who then talked with his own athletic director about the Hoover situation. Both men have many years of experience in Alabama public schools. They, too, questioned the Hoover situation. Said the school official, a devout Christian himself, "If a man of the cloth is there only to encourage, support, and talk about generic ethical or motivational issues, the school could probably justify this. Doing this in the name of any one particular religion or religious leader might cause concerns among those of different faiths.? The school official felt that while the practice of having a volunteer chaplain share Christian-based theological exhortations to motivate the team might technically be legal, "in a public school setting there is an obligation to avoid any semblance of promoting any one particular religious affiliation."

Not a bad reply. It's a sad but true fact that in Alabama, it's always a pleasant surprise to hear public officials acknowledge that religion should be kept out of classrooms, courtrooms, locker rooms. (Of course, this particular public official didn't have the chutzpah to identify himself by name, unfortunately.)

I hope that the publicity shined on Hoover High via "Two-A-Days" brings pressure on them to kick Rev. Slay out of the locker room. I'll say it again: he doesn't belong there.

G-d and Football

Hoover High School, in suburban Birmingham, has gained a little bit of national notoriety this fall, thanks to MTV featuring the Hoover football team in the reality series "Two-A-Days."

A few minor controversies have arisen over MTV's portrayal of the Hoover team, as MTV lives up to their usual standards -- cutting and pasting dialog and filmed scenes into segments that play up conflict and drama. After all, MTV's job isn't to present accurate information, but rather to entertain the viewer and sell commercial space to advertisers.

Hoover's team chaplain, Rev. Terry Slay, has been criticized -- and praised -- for framing football games in a theological context. He portrays Hoover's games as battles between good and evil; sort of odd to depict an opposing team of teenage football players as evil, isn't it?

Yet in all this babble about Rev. Slay, the most important question has been largely unasked: Why does Hoover High School have a team chaplain? Look, I went to a Catholic high school -- so of course our school pastor prayed with the team before games. But why does a public high school have scripture and prayer in the locker room??

Even our own Jewish community's Federation Update seemed to ignore this issue when they linked to a Birmingham News article about the Slay controversy on Sunday:

"Hoover High School is ranked the top high school football team in the country. Coach Rush Propst has developed a superior program which has garnered the suburban Birmingham school national attention. MTV is running a 'reality series' on the Hoover Buccaneers based on last season. The team chaplain and the fervent religious message he preaches linking football and God have become topics of controversy. In a front-page story Saturday, the Birmingham News reported, 'Under the hot glare of TV lights, Hoover High School football chaplain Terry Slay has stoked locker room emotions, as depicted in the weekly MTV show 'Two- A-Days,' and has taken some heat for his theological interpretation of gridiron life.'" AL.com link: "Bucs chaplain's MTV image lauded and lambasted"

In response to Update not mentioning the "team chaplain at a public school" issue, I just emailed this comment to the Federation:

"In Sunday's update, a link was provided to a "Birmingham News" story about the Hoover High School football team's chaplain, and the notoriety he's gained via the MTV program 'Two-A-Days.' The 'News' article mentions that team chaplain Terry Slay has garnered both criticism and praise for his depictions of football contests in theological terms, often referring to the opposing team as 'the enemy.' However, the more important question, ignored by both Update and the 'News,' is this: why does Hoover High School, a public school, have a team chaplain at all? And, why do they have such an obviously Christian chaplain, who quotes passages from the gospel of Luke as motivational messages? It is true that Rev. Slay is not paid by the Hoover school system -- he performs chaplaincy duties for the team as a volunteer. Still, paid or not, doesn't this seem to be an implicit endorsement of Christianity, and particularly of the Baptist variety, by Hoover High School?? (Slay is a youth pastor at Hunter Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.) What about players on the team who don't subscribe to Slay's beliefs? What about the players who may be Protestant Christian, but of a different denomination? What about players who are Catholic, or Mormon, or Jewish, or who choose not to be religious at all? Is it fair to make them listen to Rev. Slay's exhortations about "thieves" and "enemies"? Is it fair to make them bow their heads in prayer before each game? Should they have to excuse themselves from the room, making their private beliefs (or lack thereof) known to all, causing a distraction and weakening the team unity that's so crucial in game like football? Remember, these kids didn't sign up for an after-school Bible Study club -- they signed up to play football. So, although I completely disagree with Rev. Slay's depiction of football in theological terms, and I don't believe for a moment that G-d cares who wins a high school football game, that's not the most important issue here. I wish that both the 'Birmingham News' and Federation Update had focused attention on the real issue -- Rev. Slay's mere presence in the locker room. He doesn't belong there.

Not getting any work done today....

....thanks to this:

High-quality streaming video on the web of the NCAA basketball tournament, free of charge (for the first 3 rounds, anyway). Amazing.

Currently, Florida is beating South Alabama 60-42. Go Gators!!!