March is finally here, and that means three wonderful things have arrived: Spring Break, March Madness and Spring Training.
Here is where I rub it in that roughly 24 hours from when you read this, I'll be making my way down to Port Charlotte to catch the Tampa Bay Rays take on Puerto Rico. You've gotta love professors who cancel class the last two days before a week off.
But while you suffer through studying for exams before break - because you weren't lucky enough to get professors as cool as mine - here's something to make you feel better.
The Starting 9 - Reasons Your Spring Break Might Be Better Than That of a UF Athlete:
9. Who cares about health? - While you're out getting plastered, spring athletes will likely be stuck in Gainesville. No team needs to stay healthy more than the UF women's tennis team, which is currently playing with only five scholarship players. It just lost to FSU for the first time ever. Ouch.
8. No chances for disappointment - Well, you could get rejected by the cute girl you hit on or you might check e-Learning and see your failing grades from this week. For the former, at least you'll never see her again, and ditching the computer will solve the latter. At least you're not the UF track and field teams who continued to fall short at the Southeastern Conference meet this weekend (no titles since 2004). That's the standard here in Gainesville.
7. You hopefully won't go missing - Ahem, Alex Tyus. You've had a heck of a breakout year, man, but you have only scored 13 points combined in two games against Tennessee. Length is Tennessee's forte, but the Gators need Tyus.
6. You won't be on crutches - You will be able to walk around normally, something softball senior Kim Waleszonia sadly will be unable to do. UF's center fielder sustained an unknown injury to her left leg Saturday, just one day after breaking the school career hits record. It will be key to see how much time she must miss.
5. You won't burn out - like the UF women's basketball team seems to be doing. The Gators are now 1-4 since topping Tennessee at home and seem as if they certainly peaked early. They will likely have a rematch with the Volunteers in Friday's SEC Tournament Quarterfinals. I predict a Tennessee win, but more on this later.
4. You won't feel extreme pressure - Certainly nothing like the UF men's basketball team will feel during the next two weeks. This team doesn't come across as one that plays well when it absolutely must.
3. You won't be embarrassed - The UF baseball team built up everyone's hopes with a season-opening sweep of Louisville and then got swept at home by Miami. Yes, Friday and Saturday's games were close. But they were still losses, and home ones at that. But 16-2? That's just ugly.
2. You won't sit around waiting for bad news - If the UF women's basketball team loses in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals as I predicted earlier, it will have to wait 10 days for Selection Monday on March 16. The Gators are a lock to make the Field of 64, but ESPN.com's current bracket projection have them going to Seattle for a first-round game. I'm smelling a one-and-done.
1. You won't make history (in a bad way) - While you're stumbling back to Gainesville on March 15, the UF men's basketball team will be gathering for Selection Sunday. After 10 straight years in the Big Dance, the Gators will face the same three-lettered fate for the second straight year: NIT.
Be safe everyone.
