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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Florida State in the ACC Championship Game



It is a little tiring hearing about how Florida State is a football school. The fans of Duke and Carolina are used to having everything their way. They get the best seats in the arena - they get to pick the city where we play - it seems they get to pick the best restaurants - hotel - decorations - cars - and bling. They do not like some little upstart basketball program from "the land of the misfit toys" to come to town and challenge their supremacy.

It is tiring to hear Dick Vital and the rest of the talking heads going on about the 20 or so McDonald All-Americans wearing Tar Heel and Devil blue.

Back when FSU was 9-6 after getting pounded at Clemson - everyone was ready to leave the sinking ship. The race baiters had a chance to pick on Coach Leonard Hamilton because his six senior team had not gelled into the fighting force that it became later. When the Noles beat North Carolina in Tallahassee - they loved calling it a fluke. Then when the Noles went to Duke and won the game at the buzzer - it was just luck. But things have changed.

Leonard Hamilton has molded a determined force in his own image. Leonard raised himself up from a dirt farm with grit. He got his degree through basketball - was a player - and even spent some time in the NBA. He has been named Coach of the Year in both the Big East and the ACC. He finds players in the strangest places - Lithuania - the Air Force - Tallahassee Community College - and even gets some after they graduate from other colleges.

This team has been a a joy to watch. 6 seniors are going to graduate on time - they are in the swan song of their basketball career. Some of them hit hard times - like the a high school dropout - the one that spent some time in prison- the two that played at other colleges - the Air Force veteran and war hero - and several others that are too short or too light to play in the big leagues.

The announcers will go on about the Dukies and Tar Heels that will go first in the NBA draft. They will complain when the FSU fans storm the court and knock over their microphones. They will talk about how FSU fans are only concerned about Wide Right. The scalpers are complaining that tickets that would bring $300 for a Duke/Carolina Championship will only bring $100 to see the Cinderella Noles.

Lulu has had this hotel room for two months. She was hoping her sons could get here to enjoy the championship with her. It would have been very easy to sit at home and watch the action on our big Sony with its Directv DVR. But we stayed the course - the like our Seminoles. Brother Jackie from Virginia made the 6 hour drive to share the joy. But Lulu has her hotel room key in one hand and her Florida State Flag in the other.

On Friday we took crap from Miami fans. They said Bernard James's kick was a little "wide right." Then we had to watch the game from the end zone because the prime seats were filled with fans in blue along the sidelines. But as the final buzzer went off - half of those blue shirts were in their cars going up I-85. Those left in the light blue are very uneasy.

Carolina hopes to avenge the 33 point loss they suffered in Tallahassee on national television. Coach Roy Williams abandoned his team on the court as he rushed off to save his own embarrassment - before Coach Hamilton reminded him - "Coach ---your team."

Through all of this - Coach Hamilton has been a model of class and dignity. He has been a role model for his team and all the other teams and fans at FSU.

Carolina has all the weapons to clobber FSU today at 1 PM. We will be in our end zone seats - hoping to witness something special. 5 or 6 of these Tar Heels will end up in the NBA. We are hoping to side track them for one day - just like the 5 or 6 Dukies that will make millions in the NBA. We are just hoping they will be hanging one less banner in the Dean Dome and the Seminoles will be wearing their ACC Championship rings for the rest of their lives.

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