An Open Letter to Urban Meyer Regarding Lane Kiffin's Recent Comments
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 12:15 AM EST
in Football
42 comments
Dear Coach Meyer:
I feel certain that, by now, you have heard that Tennessee head football coach Lane Kiffin accused you of cheating. Surely word must have reached you; it was, after all, widely reported throughout the blogosphere, from Dr. Saturday to Alligator Army, from Clay Travis to Deadspin, from Every Day Should Be Saturday to right here at Dawg Sports.
I, of course, was shocked at the leveling of such an accusation against a man of your stature, as I know you would never commit an N.C.A.A. infraction. Oh, sure, you might gripe and complain about the rules you have to follow, but, by golly, I’m 100 per cent convinced you follow them to the letter. (The spirit of the rule? Well, maybe, maybe not, but the letter? Oh, yeah, I’m positive you’re staying inside the letter, technicalities and loopholes and all.)
Since Coach Kiffin is new to the conference, and your familiarity with the S.E.C. as a relative newcomer to the league yourself is somewhat limited, I should take this opportunity to introduce you to the Volunteers, whom you may have overlooked.
You’ve gone 4-0 against the Big Orange since arriving in Gainesville, so you probably don’t view Tennessee as much of a rival. However, while Coach Spurrier was building the Gator program in the 1990s, the Vols were the major obstacle standing between Florida and the conference championship.
Coach Spurrier’s first loss as the Saurians’ head coach was a 45-3 thrashing his team absorbed in Knoxville; it was Florida’s only S.E.C. loss of the 1990 campaign. Coach Spurrier’s last loss as the Saurians’ head coach was a 34-32 heartbreaker to the Big Orange suffered in The Swamp; that loss deprived Florida of a trip to the 2001 conference title game.
Between 1992 and 2001, Florida and Tennessee were the only two teams to represent the Eastern Division in the S.E.C. championship game. The annual grudge match between the Gators and the Volunteers was, throughout the glory years of Florida football---I’m sorry, the former glory years of Florida football (before you got to Gainesville, of course)---the biggest game in the S.E.C. East, bar none.
I know you to be the sort of coach who circles big games on the calendar months in advance, who focuses his laser-like intensity on showing up particular opponents in special games, and who internalizes every perceived slight as a wrong to be righted in the only just and fair way you believe wrongs can be righted in this world: by embarrassing the other fellow in a way that brings you the momentary pleasure of a fleeting sense of vindication and thereby silences, if only for an instant, the nagging self-doubt that plagues you deep in the soulless innards of your cold mechanical robotic heart that renders you incapable of love.
No, it’s O.K.; it’s perfectly normal. You shouldn’t consider yourself psychologically twisted, emotionally stunted, and deeply unhappy in any way whatsoever. The fact that Lane Kiffin’s daddy loves him enough to serve as his defensive coordinator should not in any manner remind you of the fact that you use winning football games as a shallow and pathetic substitute for the obvious lack of affection and affirmation you received as a child, not any more than the fact that Bobby Bowden has made every effort to help his sons advance in the coaching profession or the fact that Mark Richt’s entire extended family has relocated to Athens.
The fact that your hated rivals all seem to come from caring families and be well-adjusted adult human beings is sheer coincidence and has nothing to do with your burning need to destroy them to snuff out the pain and silence the voices telling you you’ll never be good enough, no matter how many scores you run up or how many championships you win. That’s just something thought by every sentient being who has ever observed your behavior, but they’re probably just jealous, because you’re Urban Meyer and they’re not.
Well, anyway, Florida’s real rival has reasserted itself. Lane Kiffin has interfered with your recruits, stolen them away from you after they already gave you their verbal commitments, and mocked and belittled you by calling you a cheater and a loser. A cheater and a loser! Who does this guy think he is, anyway?
Clearly, it is time to teach Coach Kiffin a lesson . . . Coach Kiffin and all those Volunteers. They deserve to be the object of your whole focus. They are the only Eastern Division rival that matters. The entirety of your attention must be trained on Tennessee and Tennessee alone. I mean, who is this upstart to call you a cheater and a loser? Did I mention that he called you a cheater and a loser? That’s worse than any other insult I know! It’s certainly much worse than, say, doing a dance in your own end zone at a neutral site.
I have heard talk among some ignorant Gator fans that there is another team in the Eastern Division about which to worry. I can’t recall which team that is, exactly. South Carolina, maybe? (They do, after all, have Coach Spurrier! Who is a more beloved Gator than you will ever be, and whose sons are right there on the field with him in Columbia, just rubbing your nose in their normal loving human relationships.) Anyway, I’m sure this other team, whichever one it is, is nothing to worry about for you. No, Tennessee’s the one you need to be thinking about, morning, noon, and night. Oh, yes, it’s going to be a big deal.
Oh, now I remember: Georgia. Some silly folks think you should worry about Georgia. This, obviously, is absurd. Who the heck is Georgia, anyway? For crying out loud, you beat Georgia 49-10 when the Bulldogs supposedly were national championship contenders!
Forget about Georgia. Florida has beaten Georgia 16 teams in the last 19 years. That’s not a rivalry! Don’t pay any attention to those 19-year cycles or Georgia’s record against defending national champions or the open date before the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. These are mere trifles, for you have Tim Tebow and you have, well, you.
No, circling the Georgia game on the calendar would just be a waste of Magic Marker. It’s Tennessee, I tell you. It’s always been Tennessee. Ignore the Richt behind the curtain; Lane Kiffin is your enemy now. Go get him!
And Georgia? Don’t worry about Georgia. You play the Bulldogs in your own back yard, and you really showed them after the end zone celebration business. The time outs? The fake kneel down? The 49 points? Yes, that whole thing about the Bulldogs being a rival is ancient history. What is this, 1968?
Georgia is nobody. Overlook the Bulldogs. Just move along right on down Duval Street; there’s nothing to see here by the St. John’s River.
Just ignore Georgia. Georgia might as well be one of those Mississippi schools Florida can look past with no risk. Nope, none whatsoever.
Sincerely yours,
T. Kyle King
P.S.: Lane Kiffin called you a cheater and a loser! I also heard he told Nu’Keese Richardson that your dad said that Nu’Keese should play for Tennessee because Lane was more like a son to him than you are. Do you believe that crap?
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I'm sure Urban will think of something
to get his team excited for Jacksonville. He will probably adopt a bulldog and have him poop on the practice field and say Uga did it.
mlmintampa
UF C/O 06
by mlmintampa on Feb 6, 2009 12:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
That’s pretty good – but it’s easier to just fake up more “quotes” by Herbie.
by peachy rex on Feb 6, 2009 12:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
poor Urban
He’s such a stand up guy and people just treat him like crap.
by UgaBulldog14 on Feb 6, 2009 8:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Glorious.
Simply glorious. Kyle, you’ve really outdone yourself this time. I will ask this one question, though. On September 19, which way will you want the score to go in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field? Florida will no doubt be 2-0 (and likely top-ranked), as they start out with games against such powerhouses as Charleston Southern and Troy. Tennessee will either be 1-1 or 2-0, as they have games against Western Kentucky and UCLA. Tennessee has a fairly formidable schedule with games against Auburn and Georgia at home, and then games at Alabama and at Ole Miss. Add in pre-November South Carolina (who in the world knows how they will be?) and that’s not too easy. Florida, on the other hand, has a game in Baton Rouge, Bobby Petrino’s first visit to the Swamp, the Cocktail Party (which, as you stated, should be ignored), and a visit to Columbia in November…Carolina will, no doubt, have wilted by that point in the season. Well…and there’s a very interesting game in Starkville that will no doubt be hyped to the point of vomiting on the worldwide leader. Anyway, basically it comes down to this. I don’t think Tennessee can make it through their schedule unscathed, even with the manchild that is Eric Berry. Florida, however, seems to have a pretty patty-cake schedule. Therefore, I would love to see Tennessee go down and put Florida behind the eight ball in the first SEC game for both teams. Agree or disagree?
by hailtogeorgia on Feb 6, 2009 9:01 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Agree . . .
. . . but don’t waste energy hoping for it to happen.
Urban Meyer is 4-0 against Tennessee. Lane Kiffin is wet behind the ears. The Gators are loaded. Tennessee travels to The Swamp. Coach Kiffin has given Coach Meyer extra added motivation, and we all know how that goes.
If the Vols stay within 30 points of the Gators, they should consider it a moral victory. It’s going to get ugly.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 9:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Do
you think this is being blown out of proportion a bit from the UF side? Its one thing to humiliate Meyer on national TV, on the field (endzone dance) but this Lane Kiffin thing is a joke. Its like swatting a fly, just because its annoying doesn’t mean it deserves all of your attention.
Thirty-Six to Nothing
by Bens4vcobra on Feb 9, 2009 12:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Very nice, Kyle
And I agree… the Vols are going to get smacked around just like Vanderbilt Kentucky they did last year.
by vineyarddawg on Feb 6, 2009 9:20 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Touche ...
Dude, you have outdone yourself this time …absolutely hilarious! I’ve thought Kiffin’s hiring was a bad joke since the beginning, but I never thought it would reach such absurd proportions. They’ll be begging Phil Fulmer to come back in two years if not before. It seems Al Davis’ “immature liar” statement was not far from the truth. Go Dawgs !!
by calhoundawg on Feb 6, 2009 9:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Very good, Kyle
It can’t hurt to have this vindictive man’s anger focused outside of Athens. I hope that Coach Richt learned something from last year and is using that beatdown in Jax as motivation for the year. Notice how that worked out for both Florida and Tech? Didn’t Florida have to do extra reps in the weight room for every rushing yard and every point allowed? Paul Johnson put up the Georgia game date on the mirrors in the weight room right after he was hired. We may have laughed it off at the time, but it obviously worked for both of them because they were focused on the goal of beating the tar out of Georgia. I hope Coach Richt takes that to heart and our players are as focused this offseason as they were since the “Finish the Drill” campaign in 2002.
http://hobnailboot.blogspot.com/
by AuditDawg on Feb 6, 2009 9:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
The irony is
…there is no irony in your words about us and Fl. An off-week won’t help us.
Where is Wayne Peace when you need him?
Better yet, where is Scott Woerner and Eddie Weaver when you need them? If we just had playes with 1/10th of their heart……..as it is we have guys that just want to go to “the show.”
Anyone going to the SEC Hockey Tourney in Birmingham?
by JEFFCODAWG on Feb 6, 2009 9:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
The open date may not make the difference this year . . .
. . . but it’s darned sure mattered more often than not over the course of the last 20 years; I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but, where one team has had an open date before Jacksonville and the other hasn’t, the team with the bye week has won a good deal more often than not. There’s a reason the Evil Genius lobbied hard to get a week off between the Gators’ games against Auburn and Georgia (back when that was the usual arrangement).
I’m not going to the S.E.C. hockey tournament because I’m protesting the competitive disadvantage the Big Ten gets by being located in states that are colder. Hey, it isn’t any dumber than the uniform start date in baseball. . . .
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 12:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Very well done
Best news for Lane Kiffin is that the previous administration already got beat by 39 points the last time we went to Gainesville, so worst case scenario is familiarity and he’s got nowhere to go but up.
by Will on Feb 6, 2009 11:20 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Losing to Florida by 39 points on your last trip to the Sunshine State?
I wish I could say I couldn’t sympathize, but, unfortunately, I can.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 12:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
One more thing
This is out of left field, but does anyone know if a team has ever played in all four heiphenated named stadiums in the SEC in one year? I think it would be a feat of extraordinary proportions to go into Bryant-Denny, Vaught-Hemingway, Jordan-Hare, and Williams-Brice and win all of the games. The only teams who could feasibly do it in the modern era would be LSU, Arkansas, and Mississippi State, and even then I don’t know if it’s possible. Anyway, I’d be interested to know if it’s happened or has been attempted.
by hailtogeorgia on Feb 6, 2009 11:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Dear ……..what was your name again???
On Dawg Sports you promote and support Tennessee?? I think that’s hilarious and thanks to Kiffin’s brainless comments now EVERYBODY is talking about Meyer! As Mick Hubert says, “How sweet it is!”
Kiffin is the the newcomer lacking knowledge of the NCAA AND SEC rules, not Meyer. Great way to start off a program two months in as coach with a SEC rule violation, a reprimand by the SEC Commissioner and a forced apology! The AD at TN is just sweatin’ it now which only adds to his discontent so far with Kiffin.
Meyer if far from a newbie and doesn’t need your reminder of times past or the glory days of Spurrier. Either you studied hard to write this piece or have a hard time forgetting that time period yourself…hurts too bad to forget doesn’t it! Let’s live in the moment and play one game at a time …oops that must be too painful for you as well. Maybe next year Dawgs. lol
Don’t be so bitter about having a losing team or that Florida wins games, wins championships or has a Heisman trophy winner! Attacking a man’s character or family is just the lastest and the lowest form but when you have nothing else to base your hate on, we expect nothing less.
Meyer doesn’t worry about Georgia or TN, he’s concerned with his team and how hard they train and how well they play. Meyer plays to win as every coach does, he’s only better at than most. Your coach should give it a try and remember, there’s always next year…just remember to back it up!
Love,
Gator Nation
by UGAisGatorBait on Feb 6, 2009 12:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
My name is T. Kyle King . . .
. . . your reading comprehension skills are pathetic if you consider this piece “promot[ing] and support[ing] Tennessee,” I’m feeling just fine about my alma mater‘s history of winning championships and producing Heisman Trophy winners, I’d also want to “live in the moment” if I was talking smack to a rival against whom my team has a losing record, and, oh, yeah . . .
. . . you’re banned. In the words of Les Miles, have a great day!
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 12:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Please, please, please
can someone get this guy’s reaction to “A Modest Proposal”? I would love to see him go off thinking that Swift actually wanted to eat babies. I really do not understand how one can read the entire letter and still not have the slightest idea that some of it may be comical and not serious. I can just picture him getting more and more mad while reading it, and being so fired up about his well-worded and infinitely creative response.
by hailtogeorgia on Feb 6, 2009 1:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Don't ban him,
give him his own blog. There are few ways to shame the gators more effectively than by letting their fans speak for themselves. (EDSBS excepted, ofcourseofcourseofcourse). This seems to go for Auburn, Tennessee and South Carolina as well.
by wesgiglio on Feb 6, 2009 1:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
To be fair, there are other exceptions besides Orson
I have had nothing but (mostly) cordial dealings with our Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee bloggers here at SB Nation, and regular Gator commenters like Year 2, Gatorpilot, and skigator93 represent their fan base passionately and well without ever crossing any lines.
I don’t note that to be critical of your point, but I know it annoyed me to no end when, in a comment thread at Every Day Should Be Saturday, I asked about the “Arp! Arp!” thing (which has never made a lick of sense to me; we say “Woof! Woof!”) and Orson, perfectly politely, explained that it was intended to reflect Georgia fans’ narrowmindedness, as expressed in jorts jokes and the like.
That bugged me, for two reasons. First of all, all fan bases make recurring standard (and oftentimes overlapping) jokes about one another; we’re not any worse about it than anyone else. Secondly, although I’m sure he didn’t mean to be insulting, Orson made a blanket statement about “Georgia fans”—-not some, not most, not present company excepted . . . “Georgia fans.”
I work hard to be a nice guy who’s magnanimous in victory. It bugs me to be lumped in with the tiny yahoo contingent that seems to be pointed to by most opposing fan bases as a representative sample.
Since I didn’t like it when it was done to me, however inadvertently, I didn’t want to be guilty of having it done here.
I like your suggestion, and your point certainly is true of the above commenter, but I don’t want to lump the righteous in with the unrighteous.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 1:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That's why I stay away from the AJC commenting sections
Your comment about fans being generalized or just lumped in is way too prevalent over there. I like the SB Nation, because there tends to be a higher level of civil discourse between fans of opposing schools. As you said, Year 2, Gatorpilot, and skigator93 and I have discussed numerous things with each other without resorting to petty name-calling and sweeping generalizations of each other. When ppl like Mr. GatorBait come on and satisfy those sweeping generalizations it sets back their fanbase in our eyes when he is clearly not representative of the best of their fanbase. As far as banning, I don’t know how I feel about that living in a democratic society and all. I understand people like that are just trolling and looking for an easy rise out of us and it is an impediment to civil discourse. I like the old saying my grandma used to give me “It’s better to remain quiet and let people assume you’re stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
http://hobnailboot.blogspot.com/
by AuditDawg on Feb 6, 2009 2:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Point taken on the banning
My policy is that, whenever I get a comment that’s purely for the purpose of being obnoxious, I always check the user. If it’s someone with a track record (here or elsewhere), I will give them the benefit of the doubt. When (as usually is the case in extreme situations) it’s someone who has no other SB Nation blog memberships, signed up for a Dawg Sports membership, and posted one snarky comment two minutes later, there’s no reason to be patient; they’re probably not coming back, anyway.
Nevertheless, it’s something to think about, and a first-time warning (which is what I do whenever someone has a track record or isn’t as extreme) might be more appropriate. My gut tells me that it does more to further healthy civil discourse to remove those who clearly cannot and do not want to contribute to reasonable exchanges, but that may be overkill and I certainly will give that some consideration.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 2:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
There’s a place for everything. I might indulge in a spot of loathing for the ol’ Crimson-and-Black at Alligator Army, but I would never do so here (besides mentioning the mere existence of such loathing – which, really, is to be taken for granted considering my affiliation.) Nor would I say anything inflammatory at TSK, which is neutral ground for us all, and really ought to be preserved as such.
On balance, I’ve found the SEC SN sites to be remarkably good-natured (and not just TSK); I poked around some other conferences during bowl season, and we seem to be an exception to the rule in this respect.
by peachy rex on Feb 6, 2009 4:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
One more thing
I know you hate Auburn, but c’mon T. Kyle…you hate Florida.
by wesgiglio on Feb 6, 2009 1:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Sure I do . . .
. . . I just consider them a passing evil.
I’ve hated the Gators since the 1990s. I’ve hated the Plainsmen since the 1890s.
Unless they beat us 92 times in the next 100 series meetings (which, granted, I can’t rule out altogether), the stalwarts in orange and blue (“S.O.B.s” for short) from Gainesville will never give rise to the level of visceral contempt that I reserve for the S.O.B.s from the Ugliest Village.
I hate Auburn.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 1:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Passing Evil?
Wow. I didn’t know that we were so low on the Bulldog Rivalry chart. Since you guys were one of the few SEC programs that we have played every year sine we joined the conference (and because of our frequent woodshed visits during my childhood,) your beloved team is Public Enemy #1, in my opinion. I actually agree with why we are down the list of rivals for you, as a hundred ten years of hatred is hard to beat, but I just want you to know that I loathe your team as if we were your #1 rival and hope to beat you every year with all my soul. Unfortunately, since I live nowhere near Gainesville, I can only hope that they really focus on how excellent a program that UGa has and how you guys have the talent to beat us down if we go in thinking we dominate because of the uniform.
by Will4of5 on Feb 7, 2009 10:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks . . . I think
However, if the Gators think they dominate because of the uniform, I can’t say I blame them.
In the 1990s, Florida was just plain better than Georgia. The Saurians were more talented and better coached. Now, whatever gap exists in coaching and in talent is minor. Last year’s dominant showing notwithstanding, the series has produced much more competitive games in recent years, with Georgia falling by narrow margins in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006. To some extent, psychology has to have played a part in some of those games, just as it had to have played a part in Georgia’s simultaneous seven-game winning streak over Georgia Tech, which also featured some nailbiters.
A minor correction, by the way: Georgia and Florida haven’t played every year since the two teams became charter members of the S.E.C. The league was formed in 1933 and the squads did not meet in 1943, when Florida (like many schools) did not field a team because of the Second World War. (The Bulldogs, also like many schools, did not field teams in 1917 and 1918 because of the First World War.)
Still, your overall point is a good one and I do not speak for all, or even most, or perhaps even much of Bulldog Nation when I state that I consider Florida only our second-biggest rival. It’s just that we’ve struggled consistently with Auburn since 1892 and we’ve struggled consistently with Florida since 1990; hence my “passing evil” estimation, which may represent the triumph of hope over experience.
I hate the Gators, but they are nouveau riche, so they get (relatively) novel contempt. We’ve been hating Auburn since before there was a University of Florida. It’s one thing not to like Hannah Montana; she’s only been an annoyance for a little while . . . but I haven’t been able to stand Billy Ray Cyrus from way back.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 7, 2009 11:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Postscript:
Having just compared Auburn to Billy Ray Cyrus, I may have to try writing a musical tribute to the Plainsmen entitled “Achy Trailer Park.”
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 7, 2009 11:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You know what?
You guys are right. I take it back. I only mean the various anonymous commenters I’ve read here and there, and that’s a sweeping generalization. Mea culpa.
by wesgiglio on Feb 6, 2009 4:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Nice post
I’m a friendly gator fan and enjoyed your post. Alas, no amount of contempt for Lane Kiffin will let us take our eyes off of our unequivocal # 1 rival. And that my friend, would be Georgia. Our # 2 rival (Miami) is only rarely on our schedule and # 3 is FSU. Everyone else is a just another team to beat.
Next year Georgia will once again be ready to duke it out in Jax for the SEC East crown and we’ll be motivated for that. Hopefully, we won’t be too cocky because that 49-10 game last year was deceiving. We got EVERY break in the first half and y’all could have easily been leading at intermission.
In this Gator’s mind, there are 2 games that stand out on the schedule next year. At LSU and the Cocktail Party. Let’s hope both teams come in there undefeated and put on a show that will leave Pete Carroll quaking in his boots.
Whenever UF’s winning ways get you down, just think of Hershel Walker and Lindsay Scott. That’s gotta make you smile.
by 01Nov2008 on Feb 6, 2009 5:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment
Thoughts of Herschel and Lindsay make me smile, much as thoughts of Tebow and Harvin make you smile. The difference is that you’re recalling a memory from a little over three months ago and I’m recalling a memory from the week I turned 12 . . . and, the week of this year’s Cocktail Party, I turned 40.
I’m glad to know we’re still regarded as a rival in Gator Nation; frankly, Florida has dominated us in the last roughly 20 years the way we’ve dominated Georgia Tech during that same span, and it got pretty easy to think of the Yellow Jackets as second-rate has-beens before this year.
We shall see about next year. There may be a half-dozen games I’m worried about between Labor Day weekend and Halloween, so I haven’t even seriously started thinking about Jacksonville, but one comforting thought is that, after having been run out of the building most years in the 1990s, the rivalry has produced some very close games in the last seven years, with last fall being the obvious exception.
We’ll see you by the St. John’s River . . . and, hopefully, in the comments section around here in the future.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 8:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Far be for me...
I am not a gator alum or fan (thank God), but I find your rival rankings a little odd. I would have certainly guessed:
1. UGA
2. FSU
3. Tenn
4. Miami (Miami)
As you noted Florida doesn’t play Miami regularly, so I figured that would have diminished the rivalry some. In the 90s, I think Spurrier kept the UGA rivalry going despite the fact that as Kyle noted the Tenn and FSU games were usually bigger and more important to the gators.
Just my thoughts, but then again I bleed Red and Black.
by fotodog on Feb 6, 2009 11:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I can buy that Miami remains a highly-ranked Gator rival
If you asked me to name Georgia’s biggest rivals, I’d certainly rank Clemson ahead of Tennessee, for instance, even though we’ve played the Volunteers annually since 1992 and have faced the Tigers just six times in the last 21 years.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 11:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
About Urban Meyer
I know this wasn’t the focus of your article, and you probably wouldn’t have said anything if you had known, but when Lane Kiffin made those very unprofessional (to say the least) remarks, Urban Meyer was in Ohio with his dad …. who’s battling cancer (I read about it in an article on gatorcountry.com). I just felt like it’s insensitive to talk about “robotic hearts” and “soulless innards” when he’s going through a tough period with his family.
by ufsm on Feb 6, 2009 8:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I apologize to you and all of Gator Nation, ufsm
Obviously, I didn’t know, and I wouldn’t have said such a thing if I had.
Unlike Lane Kiffin, I didn’t mean to say anything offensive, and I’m sorry that the unfortunate timing made it come across that way.
As we were reminded a few years ago when an Auburn player from the New Orleans area initially believed he had lost family members in Hurricane Katrina, there are some things alongside which athletics rivalries pale to absolute insignificance, and this is one of them.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Coach Meyer, his father, and the rest of his family will be in our thoughts and prayers. If you happen to have the link to the article you mentioned, I’d appreciate it if you posted it. Much obliged.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 9:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nah, it was funny.
I enjoyed reading it. And Meyer will never see it, so who cares.
Orange and Blue Hue: The World through GATOR-colored Glasses -- http://www.orangeandbluehue.com
by Gatorpilot on Feb 9, 2009 9:48 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Article
http://www.gatorcountry.com/football/article/this_years_georgia/5631
Btw, despite the comments about Meyer’s personality and childhood, I think you’re a very colorful writer.
by ufsm on Feb 6, 2009 9:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Thanks, on both counts
For whatever it’s worth at this point, here is my attempt to right what was, however unintentionally, a wrong done by me. My bad.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2009 10:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Dear Mr. Mayor...
You are a scholar and a gentleman. Here’s hoping one of our two dogs (UGA or Smokey) puts it to Florida next year, or dare I dream the impossible and hope that we might both feast on gator.
Either way, I salute you, sir!
============
lawvol: Gate 21 - Life, the Universe, & the Bounce of the Ball
by lawvol98 on Feb 6, 2009 11:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Jealousy is a horrible thing
You silly puppy dogs are so worried about Urban Meyer and the MIGHTY Florida Gators that you cant even see how over rated and stupid your own head coach is. A blind one armed monkey could have as much success at UGA as Richt has. Maybe some day you idiot UGA fans will see a span of 20 years that you owned the series like we have. You realize since 1940 UGA has a losing record against Florida? Ahh, I love those games pre-1940. It is the only thing you leg humping knuckle dragging puppies have to hand your pride on.
by myscreenname on Feb 7, 2009 11:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
So is an inability to understand wit
T. Kyle, here’s candidate #2 for banning. Just joined SB Nation and DawgSports to get a rise out of us. I wouldn’t be surprised if this were GatorBait from above with a new user name. How’s the trash-collecting business treating you,myscreenname? Obviously, you didn’t go to any college in Gainesville as you are incapable of understanding a witty piece that was meant in good fun. As you’ve noticed from your fellow Gator fans above, they seem to understand this and that Kyle has always been gracious to his Gator friends and others that come here as long as they remain cordial, unlike yourself. Posters such as yourself are what makes your entire fanbase look bad. No doubt, Florida’s been one of the most successful programs of the last two decades, but that doesn’t give you a right to come into someone else’s house and spit on the floor just because they write a piece about your coach in good fun with no real hostile intent. Better yet, why don’t you get back to sucking down your Natty Lights and wearing your jean shorts so you can satisfy some more stereotypes for us? Orson would disapprove of you as I believe skigator and GatorPilot from above would as well. You are a disgrace to your school and your team.
http://hobnailboot.blogspot.com/
by AuditDawg on Feb 7, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You're certainly right that this guy is nothing but a troll . . .
. . . but, because of the point you made previously, I’m going to leave this one alone: no ban, no warning, and, after this comment, ignoring it completely.
Chances are, the guy doesn’t come back. If he does, I’ll deal with it then as the situation warrants. If not, we all move forward as though he never came by in the first place, without even giving him the satisfaction of getting a rise out of us.
You made a good point about the risk to open discourse of being too quick on the “ban” button, so I’m holding off on taking any action and seeing what develops.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Feb 7, 2009 7:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
open letter to
I truly enjoyed the open letter.There will always be people that miss the humor in such a piece but then again, we all miss a turn now and then. I love college football and I love the Gators but what would any of it mean without great rivalries like the ones with Georgia, the Vols etc. Mutual respect is an absolute necessity in interactions between honorable people and there was no disrespect intended with the “open letter”. With Florida’s loss last year at the cocktail party, I did detect some decidedly ungentlemanly feelings within my own breast. None of us pious people are completely exempt from the “Woody Hayes School of Justice” but thankfully, we manage to keep it contained to small quarters. Thanks for the “open letter”. It was a genuinely witty piece appreciated by Dawgs and Gators alike. I’m looking forward to the next season and the day when we shall gather at the river.
May God bless you all,
G-ville Boy
G-villeboy
by G-villeboy on Feb 14, 2009 9:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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