Saving Face ………………. Or How Not To Win Friends And Influence People
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry considering the ludicrous events that’ve taken place over the past twenty four hours . First the bombshell within college football has Florida’s __ Urban Meyer announcing his stepping down as coach of the Gators’ football team albeit that he’ll still coach the team in their Outback Bowl meeting against Joe Paterno’s __ Penn State football team . While I find this something of a shock I can also see the comical side of this all given the ongoing criticism that has taken shape within the local press here in the Central Florida area. What might be even more impalpable is the way with which Meyer chose to make this announcement and the circumstances brought up to validate his choice.
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Slide show for your perusal .
Urban Meyer had once before resigned from his post citing the fact that he’d undergone health issues, now he states that because of his familial issues in being away from his children for days on end he feels that he now owes it to them and that he needs to be at their side. Am I missing something here because there are a number of college coaches around the game of college football that are in a similar position being that they are also parents ? So what is it here that Meyer is now trying to have us believe at this moment in time ? A 7-5 season for the Gators wherein they fell short not only in their national title aspirations but also within the SEC (Southeastern Conference) where the Auburn Tigers led by their Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Cam Newton would prevail over Steve Spurrier’s ___ South Carolina Gamecocks in the SEC title game (56-17). Given that Newton was also once a member of the Gators’ football team before unceremoniously having to leave the campus over irregularities concerning a stolen laptop computer as well as allegations of cheating on a number of tests. What we now have within the local press are a number of journalists questioning Meyer’s choices as it regards game time decisions and his personnel. John Brantley , Tim Tebow’s successor has had something of an inconsistent season and although the coaching staff has used number schemes that didn’t prove effective it simply showed the frailties and weaknesses of this team and the play in particular of the Gators this season. So much for the pundits who lauded Meyer for having a top notch recruiting class this season as it now seems to have been to no avail.
Now while Meyer has stepped down the talk of his successor is now rife as to who many believe should be the next coach of the Florida Gators. Amongs those being named are Jon Gruden , Bobby Petrino , Bob Stoops , Jim Harbaugh , Chris Petersen and Dan Mullen to name but a few . Gruden and Stoops to my mind won’t be particularly interested in the position given the fact that both are well compensated in their present jobs . Gruden is on air analyst with ESPN/ABC while Stoops has one of the most lucrative contracts in all of college football along with very lucrative endorsement deals with several high profiled businesses within state of Oklahoma . Somehow I for one don’t believe that the Gators can match that sort of financial wherewithal ! Gruden while in the service of ABC/ESPN is still being paid the remainder of his contract after his abrupt firing by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and if anything the former NFL coach probably covets any one of a number of vacancies that will arise once the season is over . So any talk of Gruden being interested coaching a college program seems to be out of the question and is simply just talk . As to who will ultimately succeed Meyer will rest in the interview process and the decision made by AD Jeremy Foley .
It’s funny but when I heard that the Washington Nationals had signed Jayson Werth to a lucrative seven year $126 million contract I thought that it was a mistake but then I realized who Werth’s agent happened to be and it was none other than uber-agent Scott Boras agent to the stars. This sports agent has been the main provocateur within the game that has seen salaries now escalate to unheard of heights. Need I remind you that he has been influential in making Alex Rodriguez the highest paid player in the game and will have amassed in excess of $500 million in earnings from the game as a salaried player without taking into account off field endorsements. As this idiocy now prevails within the game no one from the game’s hierarchy much less the MLBPA , __ general managers or team owners seem to question the direction that the game is taking in terms of its financial viability. I understand that the Nationals and in particular the team’s GM Mike Rizzo wants to make a big splash but given the fact that Nationals have struggled to be competitive over the past few seasons, I see nothing really changing in spite of the signing of Werth and the promise of Stephen Strasburg . And less we forget that the organization is also counting on former high school phenom Bryce Harper to provide an impact for the team and at the same lure the fans to the Nationals’ Ballpark in Washington, DC.
Fans around the game have to be perplexed by what they’re now seeing as teams now seek to make their best attempt to be viewed as viable contenders. Am I mistaken here but the usual suspects will always be around no matter how many of these teams look to be part of what’s turning out not to be a level playing field at all. Now as the Winter Meetings have ended amongst the team owners and general managers the most prized free agent still remains on the open market and two teams are left standing to battle it out with the prize being the signature and services of Cliff Lee are the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers . And while Lee remains coveted the Rangers and in particular team President Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels . And the team has offered the pitcher a six year contract that’s estimated to in the region of $120 million , it’s said that the Yankees are prepared to offer Lee a seven year contract paying between $130 to $145 million , with the seventh year being an option year for the player and team.
One tries to assimilate this and make some sense of it all but I for one no longer find it a complexity at all. It merely now boils down to the avarice of the owners , players and the game’s hierarchy itself. No one seems to question the fact that the teams are now spending money like it’s going out of fashion but then again given the mendacity with which the government has chosen to run up the federal deficit and national debt should we be at all surprised to see the idiocy now taking place within the game of baseball ? I know at the end of the day the decision to be made by Lee will be his alone but at the same time even if his wife still has her doubts over the behavior of the New York Yankees’ fans and the profanity laced taunts she faced while attending the ALCS games at Yankees’ Stadium . It goes without saying that the player may well err on the side of wanting the money over remaining in Texas with the team where his postseason performances prior to the World Series were very exhilarating .
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Florida head football coach Urban Meyer announces his resignation during a news conference in Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010. AP Photo/John Raoux …….
Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley speaks to reporters after football coach Urban Meyer talks about his resignation during a news conference in Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010. Meyer is leaving one of the premier jobs in college football for the second time to spend more time with his family. AP Photo/John Raoux ……
Florida center Mike Pouncey, left, and safety Ahmad Black stand with Florida football coach Urban Meyer after Meyer discussed his resignation, at a news conference in Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010. AP Photo/John Raoux ……
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops reaches over to touch the trophy following their 23-20 win in the NCAA Big 12 college football championship game against Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010, in Arlington, Texas. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez …….
Stephen Strasburg, the overall first pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, takes part in a press conference where he was introduced at Nationals Park August 21, 2009 in Washington, DC. Strasburg, a right handed pitcher from San Diego State University, signed with the Nationals earlier this week wth a record contract for an amateur player. Win McNamee / Getty Images ……..
Former Phillies’ slugger and outfielder Jayson Werth who under representation by agent Scott Boras signed a lucrative 7 year $126 million deal with the Washington Nationals of the NL East. courtesy of AP Photo / Rick McManus ……
Uber-agent Scott Boras, seated left and perhaps his most high profiled major league client, Alex Rodriguez. Over the course of his career Boras negotiated contracts said to be worth in excess of $ 4.8 billion. And he was at the center of the most recent acquisitions made by the New York Yankees ,in that of Mark Teixiera and A. J. Burnett, two more of his clients. Of the ten highest paid players in the game , six of those are clients of Scott Boras. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/Hugh MacIntosh ā¦ā¦ā¦
This Oct. 18, 2010, file photo shows Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cliff Lee smiling after the Rangers’ 8-0 win over the New York Yankees in Game 3 of baseball’s American League Championship Series, in New York. On Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, the New York Yankees made an offer to Lee, a six-year proposal worth nearly $140 million. AP Photo/Charles Krupa ……..
This Oct. 18, 2010, file photo shows Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cliff Lee smiling after the Rangers’ 8-0 win over the New York Yankees in Game 3 of baseball’s American League Championship Series, in New York. On Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, the New York Yankees made an offer to Lee, a six-year proposal worth nearly $140 million. AP Photo/Charles Krupa ……..
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Picture gallery for your perusal
The future of the Gators may well be bright but we won’t actually know that until a new coach is hired by the AD and the identity that he wishes to bring to the team. As to how the Gators’ fans may well now view this all remains to be seen but as of now the well wishers are there for Meyer and for what he’s achieved for the program . But there also the detractors who no doubt feel somewhat betrayed by his actions . Make of it what you will . As to what’s now transpiring this off-season within the game of baseball let’s just say that even with Carl Crawford’s signing by the Boston Red Sox and their seven year offer of $140 million this won’t be the last time that we’ll see these type of maneuvers take place within the game. This off season Scott Boras made sure that the game of baseball remains where it is right in the doldrums and the fans of the game have remained bewildered by what has taken place . That my friends is how one saves face while not wanting to win friends and influence people !
What thoughts if any do you have concerning the Urban Meyer stepping down as coach of the Gators’ football team and your own thinking as to the Washington Nationals signing of Jayson Werth ? By all means simply leave a comment on this topic and as always thanks for the continued support.
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Alan aka tophatal ……………… š ___ š¦ __ š
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Eye candy …. Tiara
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Tophatal's Blog 
Is there a chance that there’ll be some sanity brought back to baseball ?
And if Meyer ups and take another college gig elsewhere six months or a year from now will he be seen as a traitor and be treated like a pariah ? These are the questions that need to be asked and answered .
You heard the girl ……… play hard !
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tophatal ………….. š
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Dunno…was he on the hotseat…didn’t follow them. Course there were some sound bytes on TV about it…even JoePa made a BIG comment on it…referred to the kids and all. Hell, he’ll turn up somewhere…maybe Pitt (fat chance!)
And oh, send me Tiara……
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al clement
It wasn’t so much that Meyer was on the hot seat but he simply hasn’t the demeanor to take the criticism that was leveled at him. A 7-5 season to most Gator fans is something of a major disappointment. At the same time I do believe he (Meyer) underestimated how far the team had fallen off the map this year .
The Outback Bowl won’t to my mind create all that much interest even if it involves Jo Pa and his Penn State team . The hype will be created however by the coverage given to it by the television coverage wherein they’ll go all out to try and say what a wonderful season Paterno has had in notching up his 400th win while Meyer steps down from the Gators. Put into account and when you look at it both teams failed miserably this season within their respective conferences.
Nebraska’s Bo Pelini interviewed for the vacant coaching position at Miami without seeking permission from Cornhuskers’ AD Tom Osborne . How’d you think that’ll now end up ? Pelini is an idiot to cross swords with Osborne and the school by doing what he did especially when he’s still under contract.
Do you think that you can handle these ?
Tiara says she’ll put out if you put out .
Or how about Jeny Romero who could put a bit of hustle in your muscle if you know what I mean ?
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tophatal ………. š
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This week when the news was announced, someone tweeted something pretty comical.
They said they were looking forward to the same old Christmas traditions this year: Singing carols, opening presents and the annual Urban Meyer retirement from Florida.
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Chris Humpherys
What am I not surprised ? Personally I think that he (Meyer ) may well sit out a couple of months and then return to the game in some capacity. I certainly don’t think that this is a permanent decision not by a long shot ! The guy is still only 45 or 46 ? I don’t think he’s that burnt out already . Bobby Bowden and Joe Pa’ have been at it for over four decades plus and this pi_s ant is saying he misses kids and prior to that had health issues. Coaching at the D1 level of collegiate football isn’t a bed of roses or hadn’t he figured that out at the time ?
Meyer is an idiot and it shows in his demeanor each time he’s in front of the press !
He can’t take critcism and lacks overall maturity !
tophatal …………… š
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Guys like Bowden and Paterno, and don’t forget Mack Brown, are becoming a thing of the past, Al.
Remember, they essentially forced Bowden to retire because he wasn’t winning enough.
I think we’ll start to see more coaches, like players, jump and move.
So let’s not get too attached, shall we?
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Chris Humpherys
I’m not getting attached but let’s put it this way is collegiate football now simply a young man’s game in terms of the coaching ? Or simply is it more about the money ? Jim Tressel is old school and we might dare say Joe Pa and Mack Brown as well. But beyond that today’s young coaches while some are innovative a great many of them are there simply about the money and not much else seemingly. Take Bo Pelini and his recent antics in interviewing for the Canes’ job whilst still under contract and not even having the decency to make his AD Tom Osborne aware of that ?
To me the biggest mala-prop here is that the coaches are some kind of doyenne when it comes to their status. I see that Meyer and his publicists are now stating his health once again came into play with regard to this recent decision ? What a crock of sh_t ! He should’ve stayed retired rather than giving the school the runaround rather than acting like an infantile kid !
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tophatal ………… š
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Very well said, Al.
I can’t disagree with any of that.
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I have a feeling that Urban has health problems. Whether it is physical or mental I don’t know, but something is not right with the man.
I wish him the best and thanks for the memories. Go Gators!
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aero
If Meyer as is being alleged had real health issues as it relates to his heart and stress then why return so soon after his initial retirement ? To me it was all about not being able to take the criticism and pressure that he’d come under. Now once again in his second step away he states it was more to being away from his kids and now his publicists are saying it’s a health related issue . Whom can you believe at this juncture ? He flip flops around more so than John Kerry and Ricky Martin ! In the case of Martin that was regard to his own sexuality .
I voted for it before I voted against it .
John Kerry
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‘I’m a proud gay man comfortable in my own skin and using skin . Though at times I do prefer to ride bareback ‘ ! Martin at play with a male friend.
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‘I’m just glad to be alive and show off my rings ! So what have you bitches got ‘? Urban Meyer
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tophatal ………….. š
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Chris Humpherys
Six months or a year from now should he (Meyer) return to the fray what then ? Do we simply look at the guy and say you’re a liar or do we forgive him and his actions ? Coaches such as Meyer tend to do more harm than good when they go back and forth the way that they do ! I do believe that he simply could no longer take the criticism that came his way !
Muschamp hopefully will be a more decisive coach in all aspects of the game .
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tophatal ………….. š
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Alan,
I don’t have anything against Urban Meyer wanting to spend more time with his family. He’s won two national championships down there, and what more is there to accomplish at the collegiate level?
As for Jayson Werth, I don’t know how much inspiration he will have to succeed playing for a team like Washington. That’s a lot of serious cash, but at the same time, losing can become frustrating very quickly. And since baseball is a game of trends, a player on a team like the Nationals could fall into a slump very easily.
Meehan
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Ravenation LLC / Meehan
Meyer is a jack-ass and the whole world now knows it ! This guy makes John Kerry seem methodical in his thinking and decision making .
As for Werth and the Nationals considering that they haven’t been relevant in NL East much less the game of baseball over the last decade I hardly think that his addition to the team will lead to profound changes throughout the organization . He’s not a leader by any stretch of the imagination and that’s what they actually need !
Way too many dumb ass owners and GM’s in the game of baseball today that they make the members of Congress seem cerebral !
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tophatal ……………….. š
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