Well, figured it was getting CLOSE to reconnecting with y'all now that August was here... But this whole OSU mess with "The Lying Hypocrite" now at the center of College Football news sorta demands noting, at the very least.
Not that I feel the slightest need nor urge to wallow in the festering mud that deepens and thickens now daily around the man (and the OSU program that KNOWS what it has to do but is steadily falling behind the relentless drive and momentum of events and image in desperate search for ANOTHER WAY OUT...Don't think there IS one, and they are now putting themselves in position to move from the "Denial" to "Acceptance" stage in such processes).
For true Gators, we have seen this, know the score--once the specifics broke out in the open, the generalities come as no surprise. Without re-exposing ourselves to TOO much emotional memory, suffice it to say that SOMETHING along these lines, cover-ups and lies to keep a lid on everything, above all keep winning and preserving the myth of THE SAINTLY LEADER through it all, would go too far and would crack somehow in just this sort of scandal eventually always seemed inevitable to a lot of us.
I told a rabid Rotten Acorn supporter over coffee at my local morning hang this just a few months back, in comment after his long extolling of Meyers' many virtues and rock-steady future of himself and his program there "since Urban finally made it to the place he meant to eventually get to and finish a long, unequaled career all along !"...My response:
"At UF we know different. You won't believe me, but you will eventually find yourself shaking your head, making excuses and ultimately wondering 'WTF HAPPENED HERE???!!!' His flaws are deep and yet somehow inherent in much of the earlier moves that grab success... In the end, and one not so distant as you would think, he will get trapped between his underlying 'win at all costs' and 'completely narcisistic hypocrisy and self-righteousness' philosophical foundations."
Didn't know when, COULDN'T know then HOW soon--but here we are.
As for what this means, at this point, for UF, well, I'm tempted to say "not a whole LOT, anymore..."--except you look at what we've been through since his time here, and then the weird "double-clutch" ending to his tenure, and the continued problems since NOT unconnected to all that, and let's face it: We are STILL hoping "maybe THIS hire will be the one"--the right man to lead up, out and away from the festering mess that lurked in the underpinnings of WINNING under Meyer, and his flight when he sensed it might all be ready to catch up with him here.
Not that I would give away those great years--but let us all at least acknowledge all the more what we AND Urban owe TT ALL THE MORE!!! It is clear now that, along with everything else, #15's spirit, heart and just plain goodness probably inadvertently covered over a whole lotta potential flaws and questionable dealings and procedures that were going to catch up with us, "the house-of-cards that Urban built", eventually. Even more than Tim's amazing talent, leadership and physical skills PLUS depth and skill across the board elsewhere, maybe Urban KNEW he couldn't replace THAT, TT's "AURA"--and on some level KNEW he had to high-tail it OUTTA here once it was gone.
I have truly good and positive feelings of hope and fairly swift renewal with our latest "new coach"--but you won't find the Florida Gators on many "Experts' Top 25" for the coming season, and so far that isn't a surprise--NOR any kind of "short shrift". He's going about it the right way, I think, but it'll take time, at least a season or two, the continued "right moves" and some luck breaking our way before we'll likely, reliably find ourselves back in that "annual mix". So from where I'm standing, seems clear we've been paying the bill Meyers' "arrogance and self-righteous hypocrisy" ran up here in six years for another NINE years at least since--Altogether 15 years and counting, hoping this time maybe we're at a similar "starting point" on a new exciting path towards "greatness done right"...and can only continue to hope, wait and see if we are now finally about to begin the true and full climb OUT. And UP.
Not that I feel the slightest need nor urge to wallow in the festering mud that deepens and thickens now daily around the man (and the OSU program that KNOWS what it has to do but is steadily falling behind the relentless drive and momentum of events and image in desperate search for ANOTHER WAY OUT...Don't think there IS one, and they are now putting themselves in position to move from the "Denial" to "Acceptance" stage in such processes).
For true Gators, we have seen this, know the score--once the specifics broke out in the open, the generalities come as no surprise. Without re-exposing ourselves to TOO much emotional memory, suffice it to say that SOMETHING along these lines, cover-ups and lies to keep a lid on everything, above all keep winning and preserving the myth of THE SAINTLY LEADER through it all, would go too far and would crack somehow in just this sort of scandal eventually always seemed inevitable to a lot of us.
I told a rabid Rotten Acorn supporter over coffee at my local morning hang this just a few months back, in comment after his long extolling of Meyers' many virtues and rock-steady future of himself and his program there "since Urban finally made it to the place he meant to eventually get to and finish a long, unequaled career all along !"...My response:
"At UF we know different. You won't believe me, but you will eventually find yourself shaking your head, making excuses and ultimately wondering 'WTF HAPPENED HERE???!!!' His flaws are deep and yet somehow inherent in much of the earlier moves that grab success... In the end, and one not so distant as you would think, he will get trapped between his underlying 'win at all costs' and 'completely narcisistic hypocrisy and self-righteousness' philosophical foundations."
Didn't know when, COULDN'T know then HOW soon--but here we are.
As for what this means, at this point, for UF, well, I'm tempted to say "not a whole LOT, anymore..."--except you look at what we've been through since his time here, and then the weird "double-clutch" ending to his tenure, and the continued problems since NOT unconnected to all that, and let's face it: We are STILL hoping "maybe THIS hire will be the one"--the right man to lead up, out and away from the festering mess that lurked in the underpinnings of WINNING under Meyer, and his flight when he sensed it might all be ready to catch up with him here.
Not that I would give away those great years--but let us all at least acknowledge all the more what we AND Urban owe TT ALL THE MORE!!! It is clear now that, along with everything else, #15's spirit, heart and just plain goodness probably inadvertently covered over a whole lotta potential flaws and questionable dealings and procedures that were going to catch up with us, "the house-of-cards that Urban built", eventually. Even more than Tim's amazing talent, leadership and physical skills PLUS depth and skill across the board elsewhere, maybe Urban KNEW he couldn't replace THAT, TT's "AURA"--and on some level KNEW he had to high-tail it OUTTA here once it was gone.
I have truly good and positive feelings of hope and fairly swift renewal with our latest "new coach"--but you won't find the Florida Gators on many "Experts' Top 25" for the coming season, and so far that isn't a surprise--NOR any kind of "short shrift". He's going about it the right way, I think, but it'll take time, at least a season or two, the continued "right moves" and some luck breaking our way before we'll likely, reliably find ourselves back in that "annual mix". So from where I'm standing, seems clear we've been paying the bill Meyers' "arrogance and self-righteous hypocrisy" ran up here in six years for another NINE years at least since--Altogether 15 years and counting, hoping this time maybe we're at a similar "starting point" on a new exciting path towards "greatness done right"...and can only continue to hope, wait and see if we are now finally about to begin the true and full climb OUT. And UP.