* It was well noted how prominent Green Bay fans were at Sunday’s Bucs-Packers game at Raymond James Stadium. A veritable home-away-from-home game for the Packers.
If this is what it takes for a sell-out, so be it. As the 2-win season wanes, so have the RayJay crowds.
Moreover, we’re talking Packer fans. They’re from Wisconsin. It’s the winter. It’s awful. They’re here to stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and root for their Packers.
Frankly, welcome.
They behave like balm-appreciating, December guests, albeit of the loud, Cheese Head variety. They’re not obnoxious. They come from a town that is less than half the size of St. Petersburg, so they’re not slumming from the big city. They know that they’re not bigger and better than some Sun Belt wannabe, so they show up sans attitude. In short, they’re not from the Northeast.
* The University of Oregon, FSU’s semi-final opponent in the football final four, ran a large color ad in the New York Times after the Heisman Trophy was awarded to Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. He had the iconic pose. Under it: “Fits The Mold.”
Then his statistics: “Passed for over 10,000 yards. Rushed over 2,000 more. Graduated in under 4 years. With a GPA of 3.22.”
No, he’s no Jameis Winston.
BTW, according to Las Vegas, FSU is an 8-1 underdog to win it all. Oregon odds are 8-5.
* Congrats to the University of Tampa’s Chris Catanach, who was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II coach of the year. His Spartans won the national championship this year.