The Intersection of Sports and Politics

The Senator and I in my "official" Senate photo during my internship.

I had the honor of interning for Senator Arlen Specter in the spring of 2008. It was the only internship on the Hill that I applied for. He had been my political idol for years. I admired his politics and his ability to tick members of both parties off simultaneously.

I have great memories from my time in his D.C. Senate office, but perhaps my best one brought together my two loves: sports and politics.

The Boss, as he was referred to in office parlance, loved Philadelphia sports. After his Senate primary defeat in 2010, he could often be found behind home plate at the Phillies games. And, like most who call Philly home, he was a huge Eagles fan.

Where most people not living in D.C. would have been in a tizzy over a glimpse of any of a handful of the powerful people that were in the Senate at the time (Sens. Kennedy, McCain, and Obama, whose office was right down the hall, just to name a few), it was more exciting to see what non-politician would walk through the door on any given day.

In 2008, Spygate was at its height, and Sen. Specter was the Ranking Member of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee. For those that aren't sure what the Judiciary Committee has to do with Bill Belichik recording his opponents, it's convoluted, but it has to do with NFL anti-trust exemptions.

Spygate had been in the news for a while and was still one of the major sports stories, especially since the Patriots had been denied their bid for an undefeated season with a loss in the Super Bowl to the Giants. There had been rumblings of the possibility of a meeting between the Boss and the Commissioner since his appearance on ESPN's "Outside the Lines, " but, as a lowly intern, you often had no idea what the next day would bring, much less the probability of such a high-profile meeting.


The craziness outside of the office (Thanks Amy Fetherolf!)

The Senate office, was located in the newest of the Senate Buildings, which meant it had two stories with at least one part of the office overlooking the hallway leading up to the front door on the lower level. I spent most of my time on the top floor so, at first I didn't notice the unusual number of people with cameras waiting in the hall. There was, however, a noticeable buzz about the office, and it didn't take overly long to guess what was happening.

There was some jockeying among the interns that were working as to who was going to get to go downstairs and answer phones so they would be front and center when the Commissioner walked in. Needless to say, I lost to the intern (who shall remain nameless) who was notorious for doing little work and ticking everyone off. So, along with the others who were relegated to the top floor, we took turns peeking out the window that allowed us to see the goings-on downstairs.

It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Who else can say they saw Ed Werder recording a statement from outside their office?

The memory is as vivid today as it was 4 years ago when it happened.

The world lost a passionate fighter today. He will be missed.

A Win At The Line of Scrimmage

It's arguable whether Florida vs. LSU is a rivalry. UF has its share of hated traditional rivals: Georgia, Florida State, and even Tennessee, but no two teams have played more important games in recent memory.

One of my most vivid memories from my Freshman year of college is the famous "jump pass" game. I remember standing on the fifth row in the stadium and seeing Tebow charge toward the line of scrimmage. All of a sudden he stops and the ball is suddenly falling like a popped balloon. For 2.5 seconds, there was complete confusion while 89,000 people tried to figure what the heck had happened. When Tate Casey fell on his backside in the very back of the endzone clutching the ball, the stadium erupted. It was the beginning of Tebow's magical career at Florida.

This game was nothing like that one, and yet they were the similar. Comparatively speaking, the 2006 showdown was an offensive explosion with 33 combined points scored. This year, a touchdown would have been enough to win the game. The 2012 game saw two relatively unproven quarterbacks struggle for much of the game. The 2006 match up had two veteran starting quarterbacks (Chris Leak and JaMarcus Russell).  This year, like that game 6 years ago, had a second year head coach leading the Gators and a running back that got better as the game went on.

But, like most contests in the SEC, the game came down to defense. Even the years that Florida's offense was reduced to a whole lotta suck, our defense was good. This game, they weren't just good, they were great. The line was dominant and the secondary was virtually perfect (with the exception of a 2nd half pass that turned into a Matt Elam strip and UF fumble recovery).

Now, am I saying that the LSU offense was a juggernaut? No. Quite the opposite, but when the #3 team in the country comes to call and you control the line of scrimmage, it's a huge win.

Florida may not be Alabama-good, but this team has the potential to win the East and compete to win a higher prize.

The Embarrassing One (or the story of Arkansas' Football Team)

Every group has one, and everybody knows one. It's the coworker that is so mortifyingly bad at what they were hired to do that you would rather work overtime every day of the week than let them do part of the project. It's the family member that you would just as soon people not know is related to you. It's the friend that you inevitably end up dragging home, drunk as a skunk, after he or she swore they had learned their lesson the last time. You know who I'm talking about.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the 2012 edition of the University of Arkansas' football team!

They're not just bad, they're horrendous, and I propose it might be a good idea for them to seek another football conference. Don't get me wrong, the SEC has teams that consistently aren't great, teams that are even pretty bad (see Vanderbilt and Kentucky). BUT... I don't remember the last time that either one of those teams lost games to both a Big East team and a Sun Belt team in the same season, much less with a 52-0 conference loss thrown in between. This is the first time in 12 years that a preseason top ten team has lost three times in September. That's just sad.

We can make excuses for them all day.

Their coach got into an unfortunate motorcycle accident with his mistress and was fired. True, but this is the same man that snuck out on the Atlanta Falcons in the middle of the night so he could "call the hogs" so it can't be a huge shock that his morals are somewhat questionable.

Their quarterback suffered a concussion and missed their beat down at the hands of Alabama. True as well, but he had a hand in the other losses. Not to mention the fact that he told everybody and their brother that the team, specifically the defense, quit, which is guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows... and not in a good way.

At the end of the day, maybe they just aren't as good as we thought they would be. Their Heisman Trophy-candidate quarterback is more likely to be a nominee for goat of the week than be invited to New York any time soon.

Therefore, it is only fair that Arkansas be given an opportunity to join a conference where they could be a candidate to win the conference immediately, even in their current putrid state.

Obviously, there is no better place for them than the Big 10. After all, this the conference that looks so far from being competitive with the other conferences that Northwestern is their current shining football star. Northwestern. A team that is more likely to be compared to Vanderbilt or Duke than Alabama or USC.

Northwestern. Not exactly the program I would want carrying my BCS Championship hopes, no matter how great their academics.

Ultimately, Arkansas, you're just embarrassing. We're the best conference in college football and you're running down the brand. Every time we feel the need to chant S-E-C and point to our four top ten teams, our naysayers feel the need to point out how bad you are. Like we don't know.

Bottom line... shape up or ship out to the land of "Old Man Football."

A Quarterback... Finally

Today, Will Muschamp finally announced a starting quarterback for the 2012 edition of the UF football team. The decision, unsurprising after Saturday's pitiful win against Bowling Green, was Jeff Driskel.

Going into the game, Muschamp promised the contenders a quarter to demonstrate why each should be given the keys to drive the bus (hopefully, not over the cliff that seemed imminent last year). Neither Driskel nor Jacoby Brissett put on the display that Florida fans were hoping to see. The next Tebow or Wuerffel did not magically appear; both looked little improved over last year.

The fact that the team had no starting quarterback this weekend, that both were so evenly matched that they were on the field simultaneously to take the first offensive snap of the game, is concerning. I was hopeful that the lack of a named quarterback meant that Driskel and Brissett were both setting the practice field on fire and the coaches had an abundance of riches to choose from. After watching them both play, I'm going to guess that was not the case.

Not to say that Jeff Driskel didn't settle down and look competent. He did. He also had major issues against a team that in no way resembles the superb defenses he will face the rest of the year. His running ability looked better than average, which is definitely an advantage, but it must first be paired with a passing threat. Through the majority of the game, Bowling Green was less than intimated by by a deep ball, often stacking the box with eight or nine guys at a time. If LSU, or even this week's Texas A&M team, feel that the they can concentrate solely on the running game, we are in for a world of hurt.

Hopefully, having a starting quarterback will eliminate some of the stupid penalties that plagued the team on Saturday. The announcers, on multiple occasions, blamed two "different voices" for some of the false start penalties. We'll see. Those of us who follow this team are more concerned that it indicates the same lack of discipline that we've seen the past couple of years. This team, unlike SEC Championship teams of the past, is not good enough to overcome 10+ penalties every game.

I think Jeff Driskel is good enough that this team will challenge for the SEC East title, like it should every year. Having a week of practice where you get all the first team snaps can't hurt.

This team faces a huge test this week. Not only is it the first road game of the season, but it is Texas A&M's introduction into the world of Big Boy Football in the SEC. GameDay will be there. The 12th Man will be out in full force.

Hopefully Jeff Driskel can handle the pressure. If not, this battle may not be over for long.

The Beginning

It's back. The best part of the year. The time of year when two colors become a thousand times more important than all the rest, and millions of people hold three simple letters near and dear. When the sight of a building can bring back a stream of great memories. When putting your arms around strangers and singing a song that a select number of people know, a song that will never crack the top 40, brings tears to your eyes.

That's right. It is FOOTBALL SEASON. Specifically, SEC Football Season.

I like to write, and I could talk football all day. In fact, people have been trying to talk me into writing a sports blog for a while now. So, when fellow SECers at work made the suggestion again, I figured it was time to give it a go. After all, where else can I write of my love for my Gators; disgust of all things red and black and garnet and gold; and my amusement when people make the argument that the SEC isn't the best conference in the country?

I did promise that I would throw a little "girly" into the blog, so be on the lookout for my Gator head shaped cupcakes in the coming weeks! (No, I'm not kidding. I have the muffin pan and everything. Be afraid.)

My hope is that this will become a place to share the funny stories about living and working in a place that does not understand SEC football; vent my frustrations about my football team, should the year continue the way that it started today; and poke fun at the ineptitude that is the Big 10 (and all the other conferences).

My plan is to do a weekend wrap-up post on Sundays, but I have to make an exception for tonight for a single reason: the Alabama vs. Michigan game that ended about 15 minutes ago.

First of all, if the result of the game comes as any surprise to you, you should have your head examined. Or consider paying attention to recent history. Or... maybe you should just wait for whatever lame school you root for to fall into irrelevance again (probably around week 4). Alabama is, was, and will be the better school for the forseeable future. They embody everything that SEC football is about: they have a competent quarterback, excellent special teams, and a defense that kicks major butt.

Don't get me wrong, Nick Saban scares the bejesus out of me and his team prevented my beloved Gators from winning back-to-back National Championships. BUT, the man can coach, and his teams generally don't make mistakes.

Which... brings me back to the game. One thing you'll learn about me: Kirk Herbstreit drives me up the wall. He hates the SEC and lets his Ohio State/Big 10 prejudice color 99.9% of the stuff he says. Knowing that, I probably shouldn't be surprised by anything that comes out of his mouth. However, towards the end of the game when Bama was crushing That Team From Up North, my dear friend Mr. Herbstreit decided that if this game had been played two years from now, the result would have been much different.

Umm... WHAT?! I get that his larger point was that Brady Hoke is still "rebuilding" Michigan and with a couple of more recruiting classes, they will be vastly improved. Okay, maybe. But, I'm sorry, that seems to suggest that Alabama is some how going to get less impressive over the next two years. We're talking about the same team that has almost an entirely new group of defensive starters from a year ago, right?

So... no. Not going to happen. Michigan might improve; they might even drag the rest of the Big 10 up from the gutter, where they currently reside with the ACC and Big East as the jokes of the automatic qualifying conferences.

But two years, heck ten years, is not enough time for Michigan to be in the same class as the top schools in the SEC.

If it happens, I'll eat every orange and blue article of clothing I own. And that's quite a bit. I'm not concerned.