Pat Dooley’s Back Nine (June 19th)

The Back Nine comes at you after a magnificent Father’s Day that included a magnificently strange baseball game.

10. For openers, let me tell you that I am so happy the Gators will not be playing baseball until Wednesday. I am spent after watching that nerve-wracking second game of the College World Series. In all my years of watching Gator sports, I’ve never been so upset and then so happy and then have my wife say, “You need to calm down your adrenaline.” She was right. After watching the first six innings at The Swamp, we raced home to watch the last of it. So many heroes, so many near goats, but the bottom line is that Florida is one win away from being in the CWS final.

11. Of course, one of those goats would have been Kevin O’Sullivan for miscounting his mound visits and having to pull his closer. It was almost his Fourth and Dumb. Cade Fisher saved the day and I definitely agreed with not putting Jac Caglianone in there in the ninth. And what about Ty Evans, related to the bench in May and being a hero in two games in Omaha. That city creates heroes who sometimes fly in from nowhere.

12. One more thing about the six-visit rule. We are trying to speed the game up which is great. But if we are trying to speed the game up, how can we have umpires (you always have to play around them) meet on the field about a home run, then talk to the coach and then go to a long replay? Just stupid on so many levels.

13. So, here we are with a Wednesday game to play for it all. Opponent to be determined. Starting pitcher to be determined. All I know is that on Saturday, we were at Dockside watching two big events and my brother-in-law was at one and my daughter was at the other (more on that later). It was a pretty amazing weekend.

14. Oh, about that U.S. Open. Sunday was boring, but I was happy for Wyndham Clark. I was happier for Jenny, my oldest, because I texted Billy Horschel, who immediately got her and her husband VIP tickets for the third round. They had a blast and I had a blast watching knowing they were there. I don’t know if we will ever see the Open back at the LA Country Club, but people definitely overreacted after the first round.

15. Kind of like they overreacted when Florida had a quarterback flip to Ole Miss. I mean, it became more of an epic meltdown when Lane Kiffin Tweeted out a picture of Tom Petty. The guy lives to troll (but not to win championships) and he hit Gator fans where it hurts. And then, by the end of the day, the Gators had landed four four-star commits. People wonder why I’m not into recruiting and I think my question was answered Saturday. It’s all fluid. And I am so tired of players sending out Tweets saying they are coming home. No matter where you go, there is a decent chance it’s your first stop. That’s it.

16. Tip of the visor to Ricky Castillo, who won his first professional tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour in a playoff. It has felt like a drought of Gators in golf (other than Horschel) and that is going to change. That much we know.

17. Bob Huggins. That’s about all I have to say. From legend to knucklehead.

18. Lots of music in my life this weekend and a lot of new clothes. Karen and Kelsey always make Father’s Day special. Here’s the new playlist:

* “Spellbinding” by The Smashing Pumpkins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtT46ScAgVY

* “Cool About It” by boy genius.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-XICfi4j3Q

* And for an old one, “Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny) by Elton John. This is definitely the best tribute song to John Lennon and it made me cry the other day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojdAD_xNt9c