By now I’m sure you know about the intense sibling rivalry that my brother and I have heading into Friday evening’s UC/Florida matchup. The thing is, even though people want him to root for the school he attends, I have to tell you that he has been a Florida Gators fan his entire life.
Why? Well, for the same reasons I like the Florida Marlins and Mark Martin—I honestly couldn’t tell you.
The best I can come up with is remembering back to when my cousin TJ played baseball over the summer and his team was nicknamed the Gators. My uncle would often take us up to Delhi Park and let us watch TJ’s games. My brother was, and still is, a baseball fanatic. He learned so much from watching my cousin play catcher, and even inherited some of TJ’s skills.
And some clothes. Lots of clothes
Tony still has a few of their old jerseys which say “Gators” across the front. Looking back at photos from our first day of school in the late 90s I found that Tony was sporting a Florida Gators hat.
So it is tough to blame him if he sports a Florida Gators shirt on Friday evening while watching his school and his brother’s team duke it out for the 2010 Sugar Bowl title?
Today, December 29th is his 19th birthday, and for the second straight year I find myself calling him from the lobby of a hotel, telling him to enjoy his birthday, and of course the phrase to end all phrases this week, “Go Bearcats!”
One of the best memories I have of celebrating my brother’s birthday was heading to Dave and Busters in Fairfield in 1997. That same day the UC football team, led by Rick Minter, played in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
Oh the connections we could make right now. Dave and Busters held a UC team send off party last Monday night, and the colors of Boise State, where the game was played? Blue and orange, just like Florida.
So on today, the 19th anniversary of my brother’s birth, I offer this short story and while there are way too many stories about my brother and I to print here, I’m just giving you just one more thing to think about when the Gators take the field to take on the Bearcats on New Year’s Day at 8:30 (Eastern).
Oh and he’s going to be the first person I call when the improbable upset occurs on Friday night. Who else would I call?
Why? Well, for the same reasons I like the Florida Marlins and Mark Martin—I honestly couldn’t tell you.
The best I can come up with is remembering back to when my cousin TJ played baseball over the summer and his team was nicknamed the Gators. My uncle would often take us up to Delhi Park and let us watch TJ’s games. My brother was, and still is, a baseball fanatic. He learned so much from watching my cousin play catcher, and even inherited some of TJ’s skills.
And some clothes. Lots of clothes
Tony still has a few of their old jerseys which say “Gators” across the front. Looking back at photos from our first day of school in the late 90s I found that Tony was sporting a Florida Gators hat.
So it is tough to blame him if he sports a Florida Gators shirt on Friday evening while watching his school and his brother’s team duke it out for the 2010 Sugar Bowl title?Today, December 29th is his 19th birthday, and for the second straight year I find myself calling him from the lobby of a hotel, telling him to enjoy his birthday, and of course the phrase to end all phrases this week, “Go Bearcats!”
One of the best memories I have of celebrating my brother’s birthday was heading to Dave and Busters in Fairfield in 1997. That same day the UC football team, led by Rick Minter, played in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
Oh the connections we could make right now. Dave and Busters held a UC team send off party last Monday night, and the colors of Boise State, where the game was played? Blue and orange, just like Florida.
So on today, the 19th anniversary of my brother’s birth, I offer this short story and while there are way too many stories about my brother and I to print here, I’m just giving you just one more thing to think about when the Gators take the field to take on the Bearcats on New Year’s Day at 8:30 (Eastern).
Oh and he’s going to be the first person I call when the improbable upset occurs on Friday night. Who else would I call?
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