My Beloved 27 GHB Bloggees (Welcome Gil, Irby, Jeff, Brandon, Chris, Coach, Sean, Jim, Scotty and Rusty):
Monday I saw Fran Fraschilla, the ESPN college analyst and former Manhattan, St. John's and New Mexico coach, speak to the Birmingham Tipoff Club. My favorite story he told has some Dale Carnegie overtones.
Fran was a young assistant coach of a school (I believe it was Ohio State) playing Kentucky. Before the game Wildcats Coach Joe. B. Hall shook hands with the opposing head coach and assistants addressing each and everyone of them by name. Fran was impressed that Coach Hall knew who he was even if Coach Hall had studied the game program right before the game. Fran indicated that when he, himself, became a head coach, he regularly did the same thing.
Later in his talk, he was making a point and addressed the Tipoff Club's High School Player of the Week, Jeremy Watson, by name...more than 30 minutes after Jeremy received an award at the beginning of the program. Fran certainly talked the talk and it made an impact on all of us. As Dale Carnegie always emphasized, "The sweetest sound to everyone's ears is their name". NEXT
To the NBA. One of our bloggees had always been unimpressed with big man Marreese Speights when he was wearing the Orange and Blue. He was shocked when Speights went to the 76ers as the 16th pick of the 1st round of the 2008 NBA draft. Our bloggee continued to be surprised with the positive impact Speights was making in the NBA shooting about 50 % averaging about 8 points and 4 rebounds in about 16 minutes a game during the first two years
Then came Doug Collins and this year Speights' minutes have decreased dramatically with three of his last five games resulting in the dreaded DNP in the box score. Evidently Collins agreed with our bloggee and is frustrated with Speights' lack of "intestinal fortitude" (quoting one of my favorite "rasslers" growing up, Buddy Colt) . http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NBA&id=1516&line=146341&spln=1
I look for Speights to be wearing different laundry soon and congrats to our bloggee for eventually getting it right about the former Gator center. NEXT
Sticking with the NBA, former Vandy and Missouri star and nephew of Coach Mike Anderson, Birmingham's DeMarre Carroll, has been sent to the Dakota Wizards of the NBDL by the Memphis Grizzlies. The 2009 first round pick will join former UAB Blazer and Mississippi State hoopster, Walter Sharpe, on the squad. http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=687787 NEXT
Speaking of the NBDL, look who is on the Iowa Energy....Chris Lofton, Tennessee's Gator killer. That guy would never miss, even from way, way downtown. Evidently his 6 ' 2 height hasn't helped him in the pro ranks, especially without playmaking capabilities. http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/chris_lofton/career_stats.html Vandy's sophomore sharpshooter, John Jenkins, reminds me of Lofton and I will be extremely worried when we play the 'Dores mainly because of him (and their crazy building) NEXT
Don't forget, the Gators play # 6 ranked Kansas State on Saturday at 2:30 in a game that will let us know if we are making progress with respect to playing top teams since our Novermber 2nd half trouncing by Ohio State. In Birmingham, it is on Fox Sports South, in Florida on Fox Sports Florida. Those of you in other parts of the country check your local Fox Sports station. THAT'S IT
Enjoy and Go Gators (even though I know some of you new bloggees are just here for the ride),
Barry
P.S. Most of us are also football fans. If you loved Dandy Don Meredith and did not see the tribute at halftime of Monday Night Football, be sure to click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvZ09Mp1-DA . The end of the interview with Frank Gifford is quite moving.
