Watching a football game in the rain or snow sure looks cool on television, but for the players, media and fans in the stadium, it can be a real headache.

I have expensive rain gear to protect my camera equipment, which works pretty well, but in the same way rain makes the field muddy and slow for the players, the rain gear slows down us photographers. Add to that the humidity that seems to rise from the field like steam, and it’s extra hot on the field and sidelines. The moisture in the air makes it very easy to get dehydrated, so it doesn’t surprise me when players cramp up in rainy weather. You don’t feel as thirsty, but you are losing fluids the same as if it was sunny.

I can’t wait to get some dry clothes on and edit my take once my fingers don’t look like raisins.

On the good side, rain sure makes for some great images.

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With 1:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, redshirt junior quarterback Andrew Blaylock entered the game. A career-scout team player, Blaylock was inserted to hand off the ball and run out the clock. Obviously, it’s a big honor to get him on the field as a way to reward him for his contributions on the practice field.

As he stood on the sideline watching Charleston Southern fail to convert on a fourth down play at the 10-yard line, Tim Tebow and John Brantley were there with him to offer last-second pointers.

Tebow kept yelling “don’t be afraid!”

When Blaylock ran onto the field, Tebow was shouting “don’t be scared one-four.” (Blaylock wears number 14 on his jersey.

Tebow stood with Brantley, quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler and senior wide receiver David Nelson to watch the final moments of the game.

When Blaylock ran the ball up the middle for a nine-yard gain, the sideline erupted in cheers and laughter.

Blaylock handed off to Vincent Brown for the final play of the game, then was greeted by Tebow and several other teammates who ran to congratulate him.

Great moment that the tv cameras and fans probably didn’t get to see.

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After photographing the first two days of fall football practice, I can report that Gators fans have a lot to be excited about.

Everyone is already excited about the strong possibility that the Gators will go undefeated, win the Southeastern Conference Championship and the BCS Championship while senior quarterback Tim Tebow will contend for his second Heisman Trophy.

No secrets there.

However, what isn’t getting talked about is how focused and excited the team looks. The practices run like clockwork. The coaches are intense, but loose at the same time. Everybody appears to be having fun, the way musicians do when they really hit a groove during a concert and the band is in perfect harmony.

With practices closed for the rest of the season, there won’t be any showboating or reasons for distraction at practice.

What’s even more impressive is how deep the roster is. Even with the loss of Tebow, Brandon Spikes, Brandon James, David Nelson, Jermaine Cunningham, Dorian Munroe, Ryan Stamper and Riley Cooper after this season, this team is set up to be very good in 2010 and 2011 because of the tremendous job the Gators have done with recruiting.

Many third-year players will have tough decisions to make after the season in figuring out whether to leave early for the NFL Draft or return to contend for what could be a staggering third-consecutive championship season. Of course that is getting ahead of things, but it is easy to see why coach Urban Meyer is as happy as he’s ever been in Gainesville.

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I spent the afternoon down in Tampa today to do one last photo for the upcoming issue of Gator Country magazine.

Michael McFarland, a 6′6″, 230 lb. tight end from Tampa Blake High School, has already made a verbal commitment to be part of the 2010 signing class for the Florida football team. He’s got the frame to put on however much weight coach Mickey Marotti deems necessary, and gigantic hands that will catch a lot of passes or snare plenty of tackles.

He was playing in a summer basketball tournament at Alonso High School against Tampa Catholic. Blake won, 62-49 (I think), with McFarland scoring about half of his team’s points, I think. (I wasn’t keeping score)

While he’s an talented athlete of impressive stature, his off-field story is even better. I’m very happy for him because he’s become a great role model for his teammates and several children. I’m even more impressed with his legal guardians, Calvin and Consandra Barrs for what they have done for a few other young men.

I don’t want to give too much away, so don’t miss the next issue of Gator Country magazine. David Gardiner wrote an outstanding piece about McFarland and the people in his life who have helped him get where he is.

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Cody Jones and I are in Hoover, Ala. for the SEC baseball tournament. After a long drive yesterday, I knew I was in Alabama after I saw a guy with a mullet haircut as soon as we went to eat.

This part of the state is beautiful, and the weather today was no exception.

The only drawback on the day so far is that the Gators lost the opening game of the tournament to Arkansas 8-5 after committing four errors that led to seven unearned runs and being held to four hits. If not for the nine walks allowed by Arkansas, it could have been worse.

This is a great sports venue. The AA Birmingham Barons go on a road trip at this time each year so that the tournament can be held. Fans from all across the SEC are always on hand. I’m always impressed with how many fans come from Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, MSU and Mississippi.

My favorite part is hearing all of the cheers for each school. Just because they don’t have the support of 80,000 people at a football game, they aren’t afraid to belt out their cheers.

The funniest cheer is, of course, Hotty Toddy.

“Are you ready?
Hell yeah! Damn Right!
Hotty Toddy, Gosh almighty
Who the hell are we, Hey!
Flim Flam, Bim Bam
OLE MISS BY DAMN!”

Just picture about a hundred people screaming that and doing a silly dance. It’s very amusing.

The Arkansas fans have their own cheer where they “call the hogs.” It’s quite impressive when there are 40,000 people doing it at the Georgia Dome or 70,000 fans at a game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

“Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
Razorbacks!!”

However… 16 fans calling the hogs at Hoover’s Regions Park just looks goofy.

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As the Gators came from behind to defeat Alabama 11-4 on Friday night at McKethan Stadium, there was plenty of talking being done on and off of the field.

The Alabama softball team was watching the game along the fence on the concourse down the right field line. They are in town to face the Gators in a doubleheader on Saturday and a game on Sunday.

A few of the players were very vocal in their support for the baseball team, but a couple of the others were hurling some good heckles towards the Gators.

Some of it was funny, mostly the stuff aimed at the umpires. The heckles for the Gators were more colorful. The usual heckle content, saying the players were terrible, trying to distract the pitcher, nothing over the top.

However, after Florida took the lead in the seventh inning, the heckles took a turn.

One of the players started yelling at Riley Cooper in right field, saying that he and his roommate (Tim Tebow) are actually dating. I was impressed that she knew that Tebow and Cooper are roommates, but not so much with how she went about trying to get in Cooper’s head. The comments weren’t exactly PG-rated, and there were kids around.

On a more positive note, the Florida players were as talkative as I’ve ever seen them on the field. A lot of cheering for each other while on base and from the dugout. This really looks like a team that is building some chemistry.

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There was an odd coincidence between the heckles overheard as the Gators’ swept Tennessee on the baseball diamond and the Lady Vols on the softball field this weekend.

First, as the Gators took a Saturday doubleheader from the Lady Vols at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, a Florida fan pointed out that Tennessee junior utility player Nicole Kajitani didn’t need two digits on the back of her number. The heckler shouted “hey, double zero! Your number is redundant!”

I’ve never thought of it that way. Although, it’s possible to have both a 0 and 00 on the roster since they are considered different numbers.

Then, at McKethan Stadium, a heckler was having fun with the Tenneesee first base coach, Nate Headley.

Headley is listed as the volunteer assistant coach, a position that exists due to a provision in the NCAA rules for all sports except football and baseball.

These coaches are not paid by the institution they work for, although the team is allowed to pay for their travel expenses and furnish pre-game and post-game meals. The main benefit of being a volunteer coach is that the rules allow for them to receive compensation for employment at sports camps and clinics held at the institution. That means that coach is in charge of running the summer camps and gets paid for their time at them, what they hope to be enough to live on for the entire year.

So, in Headley’s case, is it redundant to call him the Volunteer volunteer assistant coach?

In the words of the aforementioned heckler, his job title was redundant.

While that might not be technically accurate, it was a funny part of the heckling efforts. Usually, the volunteer coach just hears “you’re not even good enough to get paid!” or “the football players make more than you!”

Headley was also hearing about how not only was he not getting paid to be a coach, but how his brother is a much better player than he was. Headley attended Colby Community College in Colby, Kan., on a baseball scholarship in 1999.

His younger brother, Chase, was a baseball letterman at Tennessee from 2004-05 and earned All-America and All-SEC acclaim as a third baseman on the Vols’ 2005 College World Series team. Chase was selected by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the 2005 MLB draft and made his major-league debut with the Padres in the summer of 2007. I plan to draft him in my fantasy baseball leagues if he’s available after the 12th round.

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While facing the Florida softball team on Wednesday, the Georgia players were prepared for the grueling challenge of playing in a doubleheader on a 70-degree day.

Well, maybe they weren’t prepared to play. They got destroyed in both games, getting only one hit in each end of the doubleheader. The first game was shortened due to the mercy rule.

Instead, the #7-ranked Bulldogs prepared to avoid playing with empty stomachs.

Their dugout was stocked with plenty of Diet Coke, Gatorade, Aquafina bottled water, Teddy Grahams (two kinds!), Cheez-It crackers, Wheat Thins, Sunkist Fruit Snacks and two kinds of Sun Chips.

The #1-ranked Gators had a healthier selection of granola bars.

I’d wager that the Georgia players are happier with whoever is filling the “team mom” role, even if they lost both games.

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Gainesville is sparsly populated this time of year. Personally, I love it. The traffic is barely noticeable, the lines at Publix are shorter, yet the bars and nightclubs don’t seem to be any less crowded. Its the best of both worlds.

Why?

Spring break began yesterday.

Tim Tebow is off in the Phillipines again, and I’m sure that many of the football players have left town to go on vacations or spend time with their family.

Athletes on most of the other teams don’t have it so easy.

With no classes, the baseball and softball teams have extra practice and workouts. The softball teams hosts Georgia for a doubleheader tomorrow.

The golf and tennis teams are busy competing and the track teams had athletes in the postseason.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams are both preparing for and competing in the postseason.

The gymnastics team is preparing for and competing in the SEC championship meet and. NCAA regional meet.

The volleyball team played exhibition games in Chicago and the soccer team has workouts leading up to their final spring game.

In a lot of ways, I bet that the athletes look forward to classes resuming so that they get some rest while sitting in class or study hall.

The only downside for them is that parking on campus and traffic around town gets hectic again.

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