Florida Gators thread

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Urban renewal
Meyer’s homecoming a smash at two locations

By KARL PEARSON Staff Writer
Star Beacon

Urban Meyer’s return to Ashtabula was a cause for celebration Friday night, but there were other persons who were beneficiaries of events at Lakeside High School and Mount Carmel Community Center.
Meyer, head football coach at the University of Florida and a 1982 St. John High School graduate, was the keynote speaker, along with new Eastern Kentucky University head football coach Dean Hood, a 1982 Harbor High School, at the first ESPN 970-AM WFUN Scholar-Athlete Recognition banquet early in the evening. Meyer went from there to an event saluting St. John High School’s 1983 Class A state championship baseball team and its coach, Bill Schmidt.
But the athletic department at SS. John and Paul High School benefited from the latter event and 18 recent graduates from schools throughout Ashtabula County were awarded $6,000 in scholarship money awarded by the radio station at its event.
The community as a whole responded well to both events. Crowds estimates were more than 300 persons at the banquet at Lakeside, while the reunion of St. John graduates ranging as far back as four decades ago attracted nearly 300 persons to Mount Carmel.
To be sure, the message Meyer shared at both venues, and Hood echoed, was a deep appreciation for what Ashtabula has meant in their professional lives and a wish they could come home more frequently.
“It’s great to be back home,” Meyer said. “I wish that I could get back here more often, but the demands of the family and the job don’t make it possible.
“I know this, the people who came up here from Florida (when his Gators played Ohio State for the 2006 national championship) and put Ashtabula down in their stories have been banned from our locker room. I’m proud to say everything I have started here in Ashtabula. I believe your roots lead you to where you’re going.”
Four scholar-athletes — Conneaut’s Christie Church, Lakeside’s Brittany Dell, Pymatuning Valley’s Steve Savel and SJP’s Jamie Kapferer — received $1,000 scholarships from the radio station. Four more — Conneaut’s Amanda Furmage, Geneva’s Jake Depp, PV’s Raymond Holmes and SJP’s Mallory Johnson — earned $500 awards.
Proceeds from a silent auction of various sports memorabilia had not been revealed at the event at Mount Carmel, but SJP figured to be a huge beneficiary of the proceeds.

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Players lead the way in summer

BY DAVID JONES
FLORIDA TODAY
Florida could win or lose a national title in the summer. And Gators coach Urban Meyer will have little impact.
College coaches cannot oversee practices from the end of spring practice until fall workouts start in August.
So coaches must rely on team leaders to run voluntary summer workouts. It's up to players like last year's Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow, to get teams on the same page.
"In the offseason when you're out there in pass scale and you're running, that's when you get your timing down for the fall," Tebow said. "That's when you get who is going to play down and everything. It's critical."
Spring practice is big. But Tebow, and many other college players like him, believe the summer is even bigger. It's during that time of year he gets to know his teammates and their tendencies.
"You'll even pick up the tempo, pick up the intensity in the summer," Tebow said. "The whole year you are building up. In the offesason you are doing different things, but you are building up, getting ready for August, just making sure everybody's ready, everybody's healthy, everybody knows what they're doing.
"It's not the time in the fall, in two-a-days, for the running back to step with the wrong foot. By then you have to know what you're doing and be able to do it so you can get work in."
And if a team comes into August out of shape and not technically sound because it goofed off in June and July?
"You've got problems," Tebow said.
That means coaches have to have a lot of faith. Star players, the team leaders, must tell the rest of the team how to get ready. Coaches can meet with players in the team's facility. But they are not allowed on the practice field in the summer months. The NCAA does allow trainers to oversee workouts, for health reasons.
Conditioning is also a priority. A bigger, stronger and smarter team that starts preseason practices in August has a huge advantage over other teams that didn't have such a great summer.
"The big thing is, give your players a game plan for the summer and trust that they'll follow it," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said.
That makes the Tim Tebows of the SEC just as valuable in June and July as they are in September and October.
Contact Jones at 242-3682 or djones@floridatoday.com

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UF signee Demps shifts focus to football


By Patrick O'Neill
Special to The Sun



Published: Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 11:58 p.m.

EUGENE, Ore. — Football is Jeffery Demps' first love, but right now the Florida football recruit is a world-renowned sprinter after his shocking 100 meter world junior record Saturday at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.
Demps used his record 10.01 to earn a berth in Sunday's semifinal, but his dream of making the U.S. team ended abruptly when Demps, who also set the high school national record, finished eighth and last in his heat with a time of 10.34.
Demps, who shocked the track-savvy Hayward Field crowd Saturday, said his sensational race is the highlight of his athletic career, but football remains his top sport.
"To come out here and break the world junior record in track is just incredible," he said. "It's better than throwing a touchdown."
Demps left from the meet Sunday hoping to be in Gainesville for a football workout today.
He said he plans to run track for the Gators, but is not planning any more races for the summer.
"I just grew up loving the game (football)," he said. "Track is something I can also do."
Demps said he came to the trials with "something to gain but nothing to lose. I was just coming out here to compete and have fun. I wasn't expecting to do nothing big."
After his record, Demps said he got a massage and tried to keep distractions "out of my head because I know today was going to be a big race. My mind was there, but my body wasn't."
Running three rounds of the 100 meters in stifling heat against some of the world's top sprinters wasn't easy, but Demps made no excuses.
"I'm used to running rounds but not that hard, but I'm not complaining. There is no excuse for that. Next time I'll do better."

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Offensive tackle Harrison commits to UF


By Robbie Andreu
Sun sports writer



Published: Monday, June 30, 2008 at 4:42 p.m.


For the second week in a row, the Florida Gators have added a big-time offensive line prospect to their recruiting class of 2009. The latest to pledge with Urban Meyer is Groveland South Lake offensive tackle Jonotthan Harrison, a high school teammate of incoming UF freshman running back Jeff Demps.
Harrison went public with his decision at a central Florida restaurant Monday morning.
He is the seventh prospect to orally commit to the Gators. His commitment comes less than a week after Naples offensive guard Nick Alajajian announced for the Gators.

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Speights' big payday

Former Florida center Marreese Speights will receive a hefty payday as the 16th overall pick in the first round of the NBA draft.

Speights will likely receive a two-year, guaranteed contract in the $3-4 million range, according to the current NBA rookie salary grade that slots salaries based on where players are drafted.

Last year's 16th overall pick, USC guard Nick Young, earned a shade more than $1.6 million in his rookie season with the Washington Wizards. This year, in the second year of a guaranteed deal, Young will earn $1.7 million. The Wizards hold a team option for $2.6 million in the third year of the contract, with the fourth year of the contract worth a potential $3.7 million.

Speights' agent, Andy Miller, will likely negotiate a three-to-four year deal with the Sixers. The first two years of the deal are guaranteed under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.

Because of the salary scale, most contracts get done fairly quickly. Young signed his deal on July 5, less than three weeks after the NBA draft.

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Finley doesn't make the grade, will try again in January


By Robbie Andreu
Sun sports writer



Published: Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 9:26 p.m.

In a rarity in the Urban Meyer era at Florida, a true freshman has failed to meet academic eligibility requirements and will not be enrolling this summer or fall.
The casualty is Dee Finley, a top safety prospect from Auburn, Ala. Finley fell short of qualifying academically last week and is planning to attend Milford Prep in New York, with the hope of enrolling at UF in January.
Finley is only the second freshmen not to qualify academically in Meyer's four years at Florida. Of the 94 players Meyer has signed, 92 have made the grade. The only other academic casualty was tight end Brian Ellis from Daytona Beach Mainland. He signed with UF in Meyer's first year and ended up going to a junior college in California
Eleven true freshmen began classes for the Summer B semester earlier this week, joining 10 early enrollees from the 2008 freshman class.
Other than Finley, the only other true freshman not in class yet is Groveland South Lake tailback Jeff Demps, who competed in the 100-meter dash in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials this past weekend in Eugene, Ore. Demps could start classes late this week or early next week.

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Ex-Gator swimmer Torres
an ageless wonder at 41


By John Henderson
The Denver Post



Published: Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at 11:56 p.m.

When you’re a 41-year-old woman and still competing against the top swimmers in the world, the old body doesn’t always work quite like it used to.
For Dara Torres, she’s had rotator cuff surgery and three surgeries on her knees.
However, her ears have always worked fine. And what she’s hearing in the swimming world is spoiling what her supporters think is the feel-good story of these U.S. Olympic Trials.
Of all the swimmers whom cynics accuse of being dopers, Torres is one of the suspects. The only hard evidence is her age and her times.
She has the top time in the U.S. in the 50 freestyle. Her American record 24.53 set last July is more than a second faster than the world record of 25.61 she set when she was 17.
Even her new relationship with David Hoffman, a 56-year-old reproductive endocrinologist, has raised some eyebrows.
Instead of telling the world about the joy of seeking her fifth Olympic team in her 40s after two failed marriages and a baby, she’s defending her credibility after coming out of a second retirement to seek Olympic gold.
‘‘I had some pretty fast times,’’ said Torres during a Tuesday news conference here, ‘‘and (coach) Michael (Lohberg) and I basically sat down and we were like, ‘OK, now people are going to start talking.’ ’’
They did. Various swimming blogs have openly suggested she’s doping. It’s a rumor that has haunted her since she won two relay golds and three individual bronzes in the 2000 Olympics at age 33.
Torres listened and went on the offensive. While in Colorado Springs, Colo., for altitude training in September, she met with Travis Tygart, head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and asked to be tested more.
‘‘I said, ‘Look, I want to be an open book,’ ’’ Torres said. ‘‘DNA test me. Blood test me. Urine test me. Whatever you want to do. Just test me because I want people to know that I am doing this right.’’
As part of a new USADA program, Project Believe, she’s one of about a dozen athletes who gets blood and urine taken at any time. Sometimes she’s asked to go to the nearest lab.
‘‘It’s a pain,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s a real pain. But I asked for this and I want to prove that I’m clean, so to me it’s worth it.’’
Lohberg said, ‘‘We can only hope tests do get better and more and more cheaters will be eliminated. We ensure we do what is the right thing to do. That you’re clean. That’s all you can do. My wife swam against the East Germans. She swam for the West German national team. We knew it all the time (they were doping). She came in fourth when we knew they had drugs so she lost a lot of medals.’’
Torres’ supporters, namely about 5,000 swimmers at the Masters World Championships, tell her it would be great to see a 40-year-old in the Olympics. As if she didn’t feel old enough, men’s swimming star Michael Phelps calls her Mom.
But since she returned to training, which includes a relatively short two hours a day five days a week and 90 minutes in the gym four times a week, she has attracted a new following.
‘‘When I first started, people said I was an inspiration,’’ she said. ‘‘But I think it’s been a complete 180 turn. I have so many people coming up to me now and telling me about their stories and what’s changed in their lives and I feel like I’m getting inspiration from other people.’’
So what has been the key?
She began working out a week and a half after giving birth to Tessa in April 2006. Besides Lohberg and a nanny, she has stretchers, a strength-and-conditioning coach and a sprint coach.
‘‘Age is just a number,’’ she said. ‘‘I have great people around me and I’m able to recover and, at my age, it’s all about recovery.‘‘
Her chances of grabbing one of the two 50 freestyle spots Saturday are good. Third-seeded Jessica Hardy’s 24.85 is a good 0.32 slower. Torres will also compete Thursday and Friday in the 100, where her 54.45 is sixth.
If Torres makes it to Beijing as the oldest swimmer to make an Olympiad, she likely won’t medal, but she will receive a lot more questions.
‘‘Unfortunately, there have been athletes in the past who’ve sat there and looked everyone in the eyes and said, ‘I have not taken drugs,’ and now they’re either in jail or being indicted,’’ Torres said. ‘‘You are now guilty until proven innocent.’’

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Rivers commits to Florida


By Kevin Brockway
Sun sports writer



Published: Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 11:44 a.m.


Austin Rivers, widely considered one of the top guard prospects in the Class of 2011, has committed to Florida, a source confirmed Thursday morning.
The 6-foot-3 Rivers, the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, averaged 14 points, four rebounds and three assists at Winter Park High School last season.
Rivers, 15, was just one of two Class of 2011 players invited to the Steve Nash Nike Skills Academy. He's just the fourth player that has committed to Florida as a high school sophomore, a list that includes Teddy Dupay, Mike Miller and current Florida guard Nick Calathes.
Rivers' older sister, Callie, is a sophomore-to-be on the Florida
volleyball team. His older brother, Jeremiah Rivers, recently transferred
to Indiana after playing two seasons at Georgetown.

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The Florida Times-Union
July 3, 2008

No down time for Tebow, who's up for his mission



By GENE FRENETTE
The Times-Union

You could understand if Florida quarterback Tim Tebow decided, out of a desire to have more time to enjoy the traditional benefits of his rock-star celebrity, to suspend all goodwill activities.
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No missionary trips for a while to the Philippines, Thailand and Croatia. No speeches to prisoners or the downtrodden about living out God's word. Cut down the visits to schools, churches and hospitals. Forget volunteering to perform a circumcision in a foreign land because doctors there are overwhelmed with too many patients.
The easy thing for Tebow - a Heisman Trophy winner and arguably the most popular amateur athlete in America - would be to kick back this offseason. Enjoy life. Stop trying to save every soul or appease all the people who want a piece of his time.
But Tebow can't bring himself to be too self-indulgent, which might be an attribute greater than anything the former Nease High School star has ever accomplished in football.
In fact, if it's a choice between running a spread offense or spreading the gospel, Tebow will always pick impacting somebody's salvation over scoring touchdowns.
"That's easy," Tebow said. "I believe God gave me this athletic ability for a reason. A lot of pastors and ministers can't go to the places I've been to share my faith because they don't have the same platform. I see playing football at Florida as a ministry and opportunity to share my faith even more. It's a chance to be a missionary without the title.
"Sometimes, you wonder that if I gave myself more free time, maybe I'd come back fresher and more rejuvenated [for football]. But at the same time, you don't want to miss out on the chance to impact people's lives. All these opportunities to spread God's message, you're not going to have them your whole life. So I want to push the limit. It can definitely wear you down, but I get so much joy from it that it picks me up."
Imagine being 20 and in such demand, your school has to sift through hundreds of speaking invitations or media interviews in a given month. Within 48 hours of ESPN.com running a story in early May about Tebow speaking at two Florida prisons, he was inundated with "about 40 to 50 requests, six from prison ministries," said UF spokesman Zack Higbee, who accompanies Tebow on many off-campus engagements.
Tebow has maintained such a hectic pace, he concedes there's "no time right now for a girlfriend." Whether it's a four-day trip to Los Angeles this month for the ESPYs or going to Thailand last week for another ministry, his schedule is largely dictated by one thing: the opportunity to spread God's word where it will have the greatest impact. And that also means having to say no and sometimes feeling guilty.
As much as Tebow wants to win Southeastern Conference titles (he gets excited talking about avenging last year's losses to Georgia and LSU), what bothers him most is not being able to fulfill everybody's wish to hear his message.
He has a kid-like enthusiasm about football, but a maturity far beyond his years when it comes to his faith. In May, Tebow consented to a five-hour photo shoot for a Men's Fitness magazine story because it was a chance to spread his message to an audience "different than Sports Illustrated."
"You want the opportunity to affect people," Tebow said. "I don't like to let people down. The criteria is, where can I have a bigger impact to show my faith? So many times, the public wants to look at the negative. It's tough to make the headlines doing something right. That's just our society.
"A lot of kids in my position would choose to do something different with their time. But my whole life, my goal has been to not be normal. I want to be a good example for the gospel. I don't want to do what the crowd would do."
While Tebow admires former UF quarterback Danny Wuerffel and his faith-based work with Desire Street Ministries in New Orleans, the men he often praises in his speeches are two favorites from the Bible - King David and Paul.
"[David] had the courage to face Goliath when no one would do it," Tebow said. "When David was older, he messed up along the way, but he repented and got back right. He was one of the greatest warriors of all time. God called David a man after his own heart.
"Paul wasn't always a Christian. He persecuted Christians. But his faith became so strong, he was persecuted for it himself. Even when he was in prison and getting tortured, [Paul] pressed on for the cause. I spoke about him in Thailand [last week] because he showed great perseverance through hard times. That's why I looked up to him. He was never ashamed of his faith."
Tebow often leaves himself susceptible to big hits on game day, but he's just as willing to put himself out there for all kinds of judgment off the football field.
Whether you agree or remain skeptical of Tebow's message, you have to admire his consistent desire to be a positive influence wherever he goes. Nobody could blame a college-aged kid for just resting on his football laurels, and leaving the ministry work to others.
Tebow isn't wired that way. While many college players use summer for their own version of spring break, or find themselves on police blotters, Tebow sees a bigger picture.
Football is his means to a greater end. Every touchdown is a chance to save more souls.

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Leak expected to join Alouettes' camp


DAVID NAYLOR
Globe and Mail Update
June 8, 2008 at 8:52 PM EDT

Former Florida Gators quarterback Chris Leak didn't last long during his first CFL stop but it may not be long before he's given a second chance.
Leak, who was the offensive most valuable player while leading Florida to the championship in U.S. college football 17 months ago, is expected to be in Montreal to work out before the Alouettes' coaching staff this week. Sources said Leak's agent was in touch with the Als over the weekend after the Hamilton Tiger-Cats released him last Friday, just three days after he arrived in Hamilton.
The 23-year-old Leak, who spent training camp with the Chicago Bears last summer, was apparently less than enthused with being in Hamilton where the Tiger-Cats are committed to starting quarterback Casey Printers as well as backup Richie Williams. Two other Hamilton quarterbacks, Timmy Chang and Quinton Porter, have also impressed in training camp.
But in Montreal, Leak would be joining a team led by 36-year-old Anthony Calvillo and backed up by Marcus Brady, a quarterback who has had numerous opportunities in the CFL but never displayed the consistency necessary to be a starter.

Leak, who led his high school team to three consecutive state titles and was among the most highly recruited players in the U.S., is from Charlotte, North Carolina, the same hometown as Montreal general manager Jim Popp.

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Torres reaches finals in 100 free


The Associated Press



Published: Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 11:59 p.m.

OMAHA, Neb. — With her 2-year-old daughter, Tessa, among those in the audience cheering her on her mom, 41-year-old Dara Torres turned in another amazing swim Thursday at the U.S. swimming trials.
Torres, the four-time Olympian and former Gator who has twice retired from swimming but is back again — 24 years after her first U.S. trials, moved on to the final of the women's 100-meter freestyle with the second-best time (53.76). Natalie Coughlin was the top qualifier for today’s final in the event, winning her heat in 53.64, touching just ahead of Torres.
‘‘It was my best time ever,’’ said Torres, holding her daughter. ‘‘I had nerves, but it was a good nerves, it was like I was ready to go out there and have fun.’’
As for Brendan Hansen, the world record holder in the 200 breastroke, Thursday night wasn't fun.
In the first major stunner of the trials, Hansen failed to make the Olympic team in the 200 breasts, knocked out by a fourth-place showing, laboring to the finish in the wake of three countrymen.
Hansen’s only solace: He still has a spot in the 100 breast and, most likely, the 400 medley relay.
It was of little comfort on this night.
‘‘I did my best,’’ said Hansen, the last of the eight finalists to leave the pool deck. ‘‘I gave everything in the pool tonight. I left it all out there. It just wasn’t there. It wasn’t my day.’’
Hansen wasn’t the only big name to falter on the fifth night of the meet, which failed to produce a world record for the second straight night. Six were set over the first three days.
Katie Hoff, who already had qualified for four individual events and one relay, failed to advance out of the semifinals of the 100 freestyle, denying her a chance to go for as many as eight medals in Beijing.
But Hoff’s 11th-best time against a field that included Coughlin and Torres wasn’t that surprising — the 100 was by far the longest shot on the 19-year-old’s grueling program.

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Ex-Gator Torres wins 100 free; Lochte takes second twice


The Associated Press



Published: Friday, July 4, 2008 at 8:33 p.m.

OMAHA, Neb. — Forty-one-year-old former Gator Dara Torres completed her improbable Olympic comeback, making the U.S. team for the fifth time by winning the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Wearing goggles older than some of her competitors, Torres got off to a blazing start and guarded her lead on the furious return lap to win in 54.78 seconds. Cheering her on in the stands was her 2-year-old daughter, Tessa. Natalie Coughlin was second in 54.83 seconds.
On the men's side, Michael Phelps set another world record, beating former Gator Ryan Lochte in the 200-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Phelps claimed his fourth individual victory of the trials with a time of 1 minute, 54.80 seconds, beating the mark of 1:54.98 he set while winning seven events at last year’s world championships in Australia.
Lochte had a pair of runner-up finishes on a grueling night, losing to Aaron Peirsol by two-hundredths of a second in the 200 back and returning about 28 minutes later to take on Phelps in the IM, which requires all four strokes.

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Gators top '08 DDS rankings


By Pat Dooley
Sun sports writer



Published: Monday, July 7, 2008 at 6:01 a.m.


Ladies and gentlemen, start your search engines.
You know you've been waiting for it because you can tell when it's coming. You sweat indoors and turn a different color outdoors. You stand over a grill and wonder if it's hotter in the coals or in your clothes. Yep, it's summer and that means the return of the DDS.
You've been waiting for it.
It's back.
The DDS is my summer rankings of the SEC's 12 football programs and — for those of you new to this — the DDS is the Dooley Decimal System. The problem with that clever name is that someone last year wanted to see my spreadsheet to understand how I could rank South Carolina ahead of Arkansas and, of course, there is no spreadsheet and there is no real DDS.
It's just a funny name for my rankings. Get over it. This is just my opinion and opinions are like passwords. Everybody has one.
And for the last time the DDS is not an opinion of which teams will be the best next season. It is a ranking based on the overall strengths of the football programs based on recruiting, coaching stability, facilities, talent level, assistant coaches, fan base, financial stability and national perception.
It's never been more difficult to rank all 12 because this is easily the best football conference in America. How many times have you heard the mantra — the best players, the best coaches, the best fans? It's not bragging. It's a fact.
So the eighth or ninth best program should not feel insulted. It would probably be third in the ACC or Big 10.
Here we go:
1. Florida
Nice homer pick, Dools. Sorry, but the Gator program is the best going right now. Florida has stability at head coach, great fans, tons of money and three straight top three recruiting classes. But what puts UF over the top is the addition of the new coaches offices and Gateway of Champions. It's going to make a great stadium the best in the country. I know, those of you reading in Tuscaloosa, Athens or Baton Rouge will question my credibility, but I ask you these three questions.
Who is the face of college football right now?
What is the best known stadium in America?
Who is the hottest coach in America right now?
You may not answer Tim Tebow, The Swamp and Urban Meyer to all three, but you could.
2. Georgia
Barely an edge over LSU and at least part of that goes to the fact that I made a trip to Athens this spring and remembered that it is the best college town in America. Mark Richt has it going on at Georgia and everything is in place for the Doggies to be a national contender for years to come even with a wacky president running the show.
3. LSU
There is a lot to like about the defending national champs and you could make an argument to put them second easily. The newly renovated stadium is a delight and the talent is in place for years to come. A new athletic director is the tiebreaker because you just never know how it's going to go.
4. Auburn
Who would have ever used the term “coaching stability” and Tommy Tuberville in the same sentence? Tuberville is one of the veteran coaches in the league right now and even with key coaching changes the Tigers are expected to contend for another West title. Facilities are good, especially the football offices and museum.
5. Alabama
I guess a second-year coach can be considered stability because I don't think Nick Saban is going anywhere. Alabama has the league's most passionate fans and they know this is their coach for awhile. But the recent past is still an open wound and the level of talent is going to take Saban some time to raise.
6. Tennessee
Despite some misgivings about Phil Fulmer, we are talking about the dean of SEC coaches. Fulmer has a changed staff and the biggest stadium in the league to go along with as impressive a training facility as you can find. And he's off to a great start in recruiting after a shaky 2008 class.
7. South Carolina
There is something about the culture up there that breeds mediocrity. They've turned Steve Spurrier into an average coach. That's just sad.
8. Arkansas
Facilities. Excellent. Fans. Rabid. Talent. Not bad at all. Stability. Shaky at best. Some of us wonder if Bobby Petrino is already angling for another job. I really believe the right coach can win big at Arkansas. I mean really big. I just don't know if that guy is Petrino.
9. Ole Miss
Here's why — the Rebels finally have a coach they can embrace. Houston Nutt will unite the Rebel Nation. Uh, check that. We don't want another Civil War. But I bet Nutt gets the facilities upgraded and he inherits some nice talent.
10. Kentucky
I don't think anyone expects a lot from the Wildcats this year, but I think the program is the best of the bottom-feeders. And this is what I was talking about earlier. There are a lot of programs in some other BCS conferences that wish they were on Kentucky's level.
11. Mississippi State
Smoke and mirrors do not a program make.
12. Vanderbilt
Worst stadium in the SEC? In the history of the SEC. No fans. Great town, though.

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Torres won't swim 100 in Beijing Olympics


The Associated Press



Published: Monday, July 7, 2008 at 2:43 p.m.


OMAHA, Neb. — Dara Torres has dropped the 100-meter freestyle from her Beijing Olympics schedule, choosing to make the 50 free her only individual event in her record fifth games.
The 41-year-old sprinter’s decision was announced Monday by USA Swimming. Torres will be replaced in the 100 free by Lacey Nymeyer, who finished third at the trials.
Torres had expressed concern that competing in two individual events and possibly two relays during the eight-day competition would be too hard on her body. She won the 50 and 100 freestyles at the trials, and her last Olympic appearance was at the 2000 Sydney Games.