Hey jealousy
DISCLAIMER: I am a Gator homer. And I can't believe I'm wasting my time even addressing this.
ESPN.com: Page 2 : Florida fell short in final moments
From Taurean Green's hip-shaking dance in the face of UCLA in the final seconds to Joakim Noah's facial contortions and trash talking, a little bit was enough.
This is really pathetic. You expect to find this stuff posted by trolls on the message boards, but for a senior writer at ESPN.com to spew this kind of vitriolic copy is a disgrace. He could have the decency to provide a disclaimer at the beginning of the column that he is a West Coast homer.
So he's not happy with Taurean Green shaking his butt for 5 seconds at the end of the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME? Gee, I guess Keown thinks they should have met with the UCLA players at center court after the game and sang kumbaya.
And what do journalists who cover the Gators for more than one game a season say about Noah? Here's a good example.
Teammates say Noah doesn't seek the spotlight -- "He'd rather it be all about the team," said sophomore forward Al Horford -- but Noah didn't look uncomfortable Sunday. Tampa Tribune columnist Joey Johnston calls Noah "the most compelling player ever to play in the Final Four," and he might be right. Noah is thoughtful like Shane Battier, enlightened like Lew Alcindor, rebelliously curious like Bill Walton.
I'm also surprised that he didn't complain about the majority of UF's field goals coming by way of layup or dunk. How disrespectful of them to not do the honorable thing and try more difficult shots?
He speaks of the almighty "tournament moment" being when one UCLA player helped another UCLA player up at the end of an emotional win. Obviously, being a West Coast snob, he watched all of the UCLA games. By the same token, based on his nearsighted assessment of the UF team's character, he didn't watch too many other Gator games during their improbable run. If he had, he would have seen the way the UF players gave new meaning to the term teamwork and unselfish play.
The bottom line? It's scary, but a bunch of folks that I know that can't stand the Gators (most as a result of various intense football rivalries), have said how impressed they were with this group of basketball players. The usual descriptions I have heard include humble, respectful, team-oriented and classy. In his column, Keown makes a snap judgement on a fine group of 20-somethings who just won the arguably toughest championship to win in collegiate athletics. Tsk tsk.
Photo by chasingfun.