MIAMI - You stumble in at around 5 in the morning. You're met headfirst with a view of your normal weight room, your sanctuary, warped into a Quentin Tarantino horror flick. You can't see anything besides the four walls, because the windows are blocked with panels - it feels like you're in jail.
MIAMI - Joe Haden is a starting cornerback for UF - one of the nation's most well-known and respected teams - and he's about to play for the Gators in their second BCS Championship appearance in three seasons.
MIAMI - While the time between the Gators' last two games may have been tough on players mentally, it's a good thing they had those 33 days to recover from injuries.
MIAMI - It all started with a playful jab. It's become a war of the words.
While the Gators' tickets to the BCS National Championship Game were punched Dec. 6 with a win against Alabama, the journey began much earlier.
MIAMI - Oklahoma senior center Jon Cooper chuckles and agrees it's usually a good sign when the offensive linemen aren't in the spotlight. Cooper's content not to deal with "100 cameras" and is happy to take the occasional slap on the back or get a free dinner.
MIAMI - He doesn't know. Even if he has an inkling, he won't tell you. Perhaps you'll get one of his school-boy chuckles and "yes sirs" or "yes ma'ams." It could be just a grin and an "I don't know."
It doesn't take much for old friends to become familiar foes.
For close to two hours, UF made the third-largest crowd in women's basketball history forget they had come to view the BCS National Championship in the O'Connell Center following the basketball game.
Forget about their record. Forget about what they've done over the past two months.
In a sport where individual performances are usually key, the Gators have what senior Bradley Ally calls "united energy," a force that helps bind the Gators together and deliver some truly outstanding performances.
Teresa Crippen and her sister, Claire, have always been close. Being only 16 months apart, the two never really had anything but love for one another.
MIAMI - Chris Brown was sitting at home watching his normal ESPN programming when he saw teammate DeMarco Murray, the man in front of him on the depth chart, and his own mug shot flash across the screen.
MIAMI - It appeared to be one of the misfortunes of sports, one of those bad things that happen to good people.
MIAMI - Practice not only ended for the season Tuesday afternoon, it also ended the practice career of UF's seniors.
MIAMI - If I had to list the reasons why I love sports, athletes talking trash would certainly rank near the top. It's as much a part of athletics as muscles, sweat and egos, but the art of smack talk seems to have fallen by the wayside lately.
It's all uphill from here.
If the Gators have learned one thing this season, it's that when the chips are down, Nick Calathes antes up.
FORT LAUDERDALE - Brandon Spikes has stressed all week long that being in South Florida is a "business trip." Luckily for Spikes, he did get a slight reprieve with a great joke on Sunday.
If the Meet the Team event is a prelude for the rest of the season for the gymnastics team, then UF fans can look forward to the opportunity for more than one national championship.
Solutions by The State News
