Yes, this is my first post since the Gators won the BCS National Championship on Monday Jan 8.  There was a bit of trouble with the domain, so I had trouble posting, but it all seems to be taken care of now...

 

Anyway... WOW!  As you know, I did believe that UF could beat Ohio State.  But I never dreamed it would be a butt-kicking like that.  I must admit that I was a tad bit nervous after Ginn returned the opening kickoff for a TD.  But I knew it was early and I knew there was still time.  I was much more at ease after the Gators soon tied the score on a fairly easy drive.  And from then on, it was all UF.  I am very surprised that OSU quit the way they did.  Was Ginn's injury a factor?  Maybe.  But I doubt it meant that much.  First of all, he got hurt celebrating, and I have very little sympathy for that.  Second, he doesn't play on defense, so his injury didn't have any impact on the Buckeyes' inability to shut down the Gator offense.  And his injury also wouldn't have had any impact on OSU's O-Line's inability to block anybody. 

 

Holding both the football and basketball titles at the same time is amazing!  And what makes it all the sweeter is that I really had no expectations that either would happen.  The hoops team was a 3-seed last March and hadn't advanced beyond the first weekend in 5 years.  While I did pick UF to reach the Final Four, I was afraid that was a stretch.  And I really had no dreams that they might go beyond that.  Winning it all was quite a thrill.  And for this football season, I never thought a national championship was possible.  According to the NCAA, UF had the hardest schedule in the country.  So I didn't think a national championship was possible.  But with a some gutty wins and a bit of luck, it happened.  Both of these were very sweet victories. 

 

Hey, can it continue?  It's never easy to win, but I think it's possible.  The basketball team is currently ranked #1, so they are certainly in a position to contend again.  And as of this writing, UF is also #1 in football recruiting, which -- while recruiting certainly doesn't always translate to wins -- it is still a very good sign.  So can either team repeat?  Well, I'm sure the odds are against it.  But I do think both are possible.  These are issues for the future.  For now, I just want to enjoy holding both titles at the same time.  It's time to celebrate something that has never been done before.  And since it very well may never happen again, I will make sure to appreciate it while it lasts...

First of all, I must say that I am happy to have reached my running goal for 2006.  My goal was 1200 miles, and my run on Dec 31 put me at 1202.4 miles.  Not much to spare, but I made it.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute.  I have decided to set 1350 as my goal for 2007.  I think that is reasonable. 

 

Tonight of course is the BCS Championship game, Florida vs Ohio State.  Ohio State is the favorite, and with good reason.  So do the Gators have a chance?  Yes, I think so.  Florida has more speed than anyone else Ohio State has played this season.  It won't be easy, but I think the Gators have a shot.  We'll find out tonight.

Yeah, it's 2007.  Christmas came and went, and then New Years came and went.  And there's nothing thrilling to report.  Perhaps the most interesting... well, at least unusual... news is that Maggie and I went to sleep before midnight on New Years Eve.  So this marks the first year probably since the 1970s where I didn't stay up until midnight on NYE.  Oh well.  Neither of us was in the mood to do anything "fun", so we didn't.  No harm done.

 

And now a new year is underway.  Nothing much else has changed...