This continued into 2012 as the young and rebuilding Dores ventured to Gainesville early in the conference schedule and lost three straight to the Gators.

Here is where the justice part comes in.

During the Florida-Vandy games in Nashville in 2011 Florida closer Austin Maddox    hit a home run (he is a complete player) and while rounding the bases he gave a pretty smug look, maybe even a leer, into the Vandy dugout.  I thought the team would come unglued, even coach Tim Corbin and it took a moment or two to calm things down.

Fast forward to yesterday’s game in Hoover where the Dores entered the 9th inning down 4-3 and proceeded to run rampant on the Gators and guess who the closer was that the Dores “ran over”?

You would be 100% correct if you guessed Austin Maddox.

I suspect Maddox has matured from that little spat of 2011 and I am not sure that many others remember this, but I do and I know many others who do.

Who says there are no Baseball Gods……

I’ll be in Hoover today to watch the Dores play the Bulldogs of Mississippi State.

You might remember that I predicted this final on Tuesday of last week.  You can click here to read the post and see my picks.

Just goes to show you that even I can get one right occasionally.

I first thought that LSU and Vandy would play in the finals next Sunday, but I think Mississippi State is on a roll and they just may beat the Tigers.

Kentucky will have an early exit and Florida will lose early before being knocked out by South Carolina.

USC typically plays poorly in Hoover, and this year may be a slight improvement.

Ole Miss will continue their misery and Auburn will get an early win and then head home.

Georgia will be, well they will be Georgia.

You may feel free to disagree and I hope you will share your comments with me.

If you would like to submit your thoughts for the championship you can fill out your own bracket by clicking here and submitting the results.

Hope to see many of you in Hoover.  I hope to see myself there next Sunday to watch the Dores play.

As we head into the final curve of the regular season in SEC baseball let’s take a look at “who’s hot and who’s not” as we head into Hoover and the SEC baseball tournament next week:

Stone cold

Tennessee and Alabama will watch from the sidelines as they didn’t make the field.  Both teams had challenging seasons, but I suspect we will see the same leadership at each school as we head into the next season.

Chilly

Georgia and Auburn have not ended the season on high notes and Ole Miss is also on life support as they try to salvage a game today in Nashville.  The Mildcats of Kentucky are also creeping along after learning that winning 22 in a row over sub-par competition doesn’t do much when you get into the conference season.

Warm

Florida, LSU and South Carolina are always doing well and they are ending the season on high notes.  Arkansas is also doing OK, but they are not the stalwart we all through they would be earlier in the season.

Hot

Mississippi State and Vanderbilt are playing their best baseball at the right time.  The kiddie corps at Vandy is coming of age (razors have been issued) and they will be a force in the tournament in Hoover.

I so look forward to the tourney next week and hope to see you there when Vandy plays LSU in the finals next Sunday.

Until then, enjoy your baseball.

Vote and reply with any comments.

We are heading into the third full week of SEC Men’s basketball and here is a quick synopsis of what we know:

The “Have Nots”

• Ole Miss is really bad and Andy Kennedy needs to be comparing notes with Houston Nutt regarding buyout suggestions.
• Darrin Horne has the same fate in front of him at South Carolina
• Auburn is not great, but they beat Ole Miss, better known as Ole Misery
• Tennessee is down, but the addition of the Jarnell Stokes should make the Vols a decent team
• Georgia has a long rebuilding process in front of them, but they have senior Gerald Robinson and freshman Kentavius Caldwell-Pope to build around

The “Haves”

• Kentucky is loaded again, but most of the talent is green with the exception of Darius Miller, Doron Lamb and Terence Jones
• Florida is like a donut; strong around the outside, but weak in the middle.  Boynton and Erving Walker give the Gators a strong perimeter presence
• Alabama is just the opposite of Florida; weak in perimeter shooting, but strong in the middle with Jamychal Green and Tony Mitchell
• Mississippi State is a strong, balanced club led by Dee Bost, Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sydney
• Vanderbilt has a starting lineup with 4 seniors and a junior; they have considerable experience, but questionable ability to “close out” close games

To be determined

• Arkansas is in a transition stage with new coach Mike Anderson and they feature freshman phenom BJ Young of St. Louis
• LSU has shown signs of promise, especially their win over Marquette, and they are led by junior, Iowa State transfer Justin Hamilton and sophomore Andre Stringer.

So there  you have it, the Haves, the Have Nots, and the to be determined pieces of the SEC men’s basketball puzzle.

My prediction is that all of the Haves will make the NCAA tournament and that LSU and Arkansas will make the NIT.

I’ll be back in future editions to revisit this early prediction and to see if I have to eat any crow.

I doubt that will happen. 

Vandy has picked up their game, but Auburn  looks really bad right now.  The Tigers played a cupcake pre-conference schedule and that was apparent after the beating they took in Nashville yesterday.

Kentucky is, well, Kentucky.  They won again at home, but we will see how the road treats them soon.  USC is not strong again this year and I suspect that Darrin Horne will be looking for a new role after this season.

LSU is still a work in progress.  I was shocked when they defeated Marquette last month and the Tigers handled the Rebs from Ole Miss quite handily yesterday.  I believe that Andy Kennedy could share some resume tips with the aforementioned Darrin Horne after this season, even sooner.

Alabama is a team in search of a perimeter game and when it appears, consistently, they will be a bona fide Top 20 program.  Yesterday may have been that day.  Georgia may have  peaked under Mark Fox and the future there looks murky.

Florida came to Knoxville and expected their newspaper clippings to win the game for them.  The pesky Vols had a different outcome in mind and Cuonzo Martin’s crew played hard and spanked the Gators.  Florida is the flip of Bama; the Gators are searching for an inside game and they should look up the word defense in the dictionary while looking.

Mississippi State learned the challenges of the road in league play as they went down to the Hogs in Fayetteville.  Mike Anderson was the perfect fit for the Razorbacks and I suspect they will be a surprise team this year in conference play.

More next weekend.  Be sure to tune in for the second LSU win over Alabama tomorrow in the SEC playoff, also known as the BCS National Championship.

For those who know me best you will think of Vanderbilt head football coach James Franklin,     the man who has helped lead one of the biggest turnarounds in college football in 2011.  The Commodores won two games in each of the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but then changed course to have a stunning 6 win season in 2011.  Coach Franklin’s success is still being felt as many teams continue to poach his coaching staff.  Having others recruit your coaches is a sure sign that you are headed in the right direction.

The “Other James Franklin” is a newcomer to the SEC, but he has already made a name for himself in college football.  James Franklin, the quarterback of the Missouri Tigers, will line up against the Commodores in Columbia, MO on October 6 as the Tigers begin their inaugural season of SEC football competition.

This James Franklin started all 13 games for Mizzou in 2011 and threw for 2865 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns.  I suspect he will be a handful for many teams because of his dual-threat capability.

So there you have it-James Franklin will meet James Franklin in 2012.  The victor will be determined on the field, but both of these gentlemen are well respected and successful in their careers.

1.  The sun rises in the east, Democrats want to raise taxes, and the SEC wins the BCS National Championship as the Auburn Tigers defeat the Oregon Ducks on a last second field goal by Wes Byrum.

The Tigers were a dream team in 2011, led by the Heisman Trophy winning Cam Newton on offense and spearheaded by Nick Fairly on defense.

2.  Florida won the Men’s Indoor Track and Field championship in College Station, TX

3.  South Carolina won their second consecutive baseball championship by sweeping a two-game series over arch-rival Florida in the finals in the “new” Rosenblatt” stadium in Omaha, NE.  Fellow SEC rival Vanderbilt joined the top two in the final four.

4.  Vanderbilt ended up as the runner-up in Women’s Bowling in 2011.  The Commodores won the national championship in 2007.

5.  Alabama won the Women’s Gymnastics national championship in Cleveland, OH.

6.  Kentucky won the Women’s rifle championship.

7.  Florida finished as the runner-up in Women’s softball.

8.  Georgia finished as the runner-up in Women’s Swimming & Diving.

9.  Florida won the Women’s Tennis national championship

As you can see, it was a great year for the league and the best keep getting better.  With the Tigers playing the Tide in January we are guaranteed our 6th consecutive BCS football championship and the Gators are ranked #1 in baseball in many preseason polls.

Congratulations to all of the athletes of the SEC.  We are proud of you!

I hear all of the PR-what do you think?

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!