Florida QB Tim Tebow drops back for a pass during spring practice.

It’s that time of year again.

It has been less than three months since the Gators beat Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game, but already I have begun to wither away.

Recruiting battles and signing day gave me a quick fix, but even that left me wanting more. September, to me, is like Christmas to an eight-year-old.

Lane Kiffin even made me more excited. I was starting to get bored of thrashing Tennessee, but this year’s beat-down will be savored.

Yes, it is spring football.

There are several things that I will be looking for this spring.

Tim Tebow’s Growth as a Passer

New QB coach Scot Loeffler will be counted on to make Tim Tebow, already considered to be one of the great players in college football history, into a more complete quarterback.

Loeffler will presumably help Tebow improve as a pocket passer and subsequently as an NFL prospect. The Gators’ new QB coach has coached NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady, Chad Henne, Drew Henson, and John Navarre, all at Michigan.

Loeffler has already gone on record as to say that Tim Tebow will be an NFL quarterback.

Who Will Play Tackle?

Phil Trautwein and Jason Watkins are busy getting ready for the NFL Draft in April, leaving the tackle positions up for grabs.

Juniors Carl Johnson and Marcus Gilbert appear to be the front-runners, but don’t count out sophomore Matt Patchan as a possibility if he can gain some weight.

Redshirt freshman David Young hasn’t showed us anything due to injuries, so if he stays healthy we’ll get to see what he has to offer. Early enrollee Jonotthan Harrison would also like to show off his abilities this spring.

Who Will Replace Percy Harvin (and Louis Murphy)?

As if that were even possible…

Andre Debose doesn’t arrive in Gainesville until this summer, so for now the job will have to be done in committee like in the SEC Championship Game win against Alabama in which Harvin did not play.

David Nelson will look to break out this spring after having a promising close to the season. Riley Cooper also looks to become a go-to guy for Tebow.Look for transfer Carl Moore to fit more comfortably in the offense than last season.

Redshirt freshman Frankie Hammond Jr. could be the surprise of the spring. After sitting out last year, the speedster put on 20 lbs. of much needed muscle mass and could be a big contributor.

Also, look for sophomore Deonte Thompson to really come into his own and become a top contributor. How will Brandon James, Chris Rainey, and Jeff Demps be utilized in the passing game?

How Will the Offense Look After Losing Off. Coordinator Dan Mullen?

Mullen left for the head coaching job at Mississippi State (whatever man, it’s your funeral). That means O-line coach Steve Addazio has been promoted to Offensive Coordinator, but overall, the offensive scheme should not change much since the offensive plays are called in a committee that includes Head Coach Urban Meyer, who obviously has the most influence.

All in all, I am very excited to see how this team evolves this year. We know what to expect from the defense, which returns all 11 starters and 21 of 22 from it’s 2-deep.

Who will work their way to the starting lineup? Will Hill? Jelani Jenkins? Dorian Munroe?

The offense is the big question of the spring, but with Tim Tebow at the helm, I am not terribly worried. I mean, the offense is returning seven of 11 starters, so they are in good shape.

My nightmare that is the 08-09 UF Men’s Basketball season is finally over.

After last season’s embarrassing NIT, we were all lead to believe that the Gators had grown up and knew that it was going to take hard work to get where it was that they wanted to go.

The NCAA Tournament.

Well, this season has come and gone, ending with a loss to an average Penn State team in the quarter-finals of our second straight NIT in typical Gator fashion… lead in the beginnig, let them back in it, and then disapear for the last few minutes. It had its ups and downs. Chandler Parsons looking like he may actually be worthy of his scholarship with an outstanding effort against Vanderbilt in which he had 27 points and shot 7-8 from down town. But, then there was Georgia. An 88-86 loss to the Bulldogs in Athens was an embarrassment and gave the Dawg’s their first conference win. I believe that is the game that cost us a tourney bid.

So I am not going to analyze the numbers of the season, it is too frustrating to look at all the stats to explain what went wrong. I think its safe to say that size and poor shot selection in the last eight or so minutes of games are the two things that really set this team back. I think it is safe to assume that the two are related also. Look, Alex Tyus is clearly talented, very much so in fact, but how many times have we seen him try to back down a center and toss up a wild hook? Too many for me to count. How many times has Dan Werner worn himself out before the end of the game because hes banging with guys 30 lbs. heavier than himself? How many times has Chandler Parsons been pushed around like a school girl by, well, everybody? Lack of size is obviously a problem on this squad. Everybody sucking wind at the end of a game means players are more prone to stupid fouls, no legs for the jumpers, and missed free throws. Is it any surprise that we have blown so many leads at the ends of games, and let teams run away with games that were close for the first thirty minutes?

Fortunately, I think that we have every reason to believe that next season the Gators will be a very much improved team. I am, of course, assuming that everyone is staying put, with the exception of Walter Hodge, who is graduating. I know Nick Calathes has decided to test the waters, but I think before it is all said and done, he’ll be back for one more year.

To me Vernon Macklin, a transfer from Georgetown, will be the key to Florida’s success next season. Macklin, a 6’10” 240lbs Forward, gives us a big body that will be able to handle the Center position, freeing Tyus to play PF and using his athletic ability much better against smaller defenders. Also allowing Parsons, Werner, Allan Chaney, Eloy Vargas and Adam Allen to produce more effectively as bench players going in against smaller guys, backups or tired starters. And let me just say, I am hard on Parsons, but the fact is his problem is he’s not a Joakim Noah or a Corey Brewer. I have high expectations out of out SF/PF position. But get him running and playing on a full tank of gas he can be a very good bench player. He shoots the three… sort of… and I swear, he has had some of the nastiest put back slams I’ve ever seen. I think the addition of Macklin to the line up will free him to do much more of that. Macklin has had to sit out this season per NCAA transfer rules, but should be very comfortable fitting in with the team since he has practiced with them all this season.

Incoming freshman Kenny Boynton could be the factor that takes this team from really good to great. An all-american, Boynton is the #2 ranked SG in the country according to Rivals.com. Alongside Calathes, he can be a scoring machine. Next year, we could be one of the most talented teams out there. Wishful thinking? Possibly, but how does this lineup sound?

C- Vernon Macklin, F- Alex Tyus, G-Kenny Boynton, G- Erving Walker, G- Nick Calathes

don’t like three guards? Put in Werner, Kadji, Ray Shipman, or Parsons… still looks pretty good to me. Oh yeah, freshman C Deshawn Painter is supposed to be pretty good too, but who knows if he’ll even get a chance to see the floor? All in all, I think we have a legitimate shot to make some noise in the tourney next year. At the same time, I will be a little wary until I see them put it all together on the court, but the pieces are there, and I trust Billy Donovan to see to it that they fit.

Guess we won’t know for sure until November.

AL Rookie of the Year Favorite Evan Longoria

ln a year that showcased a rather deep rookie class, it would be a disservice to only acknowledge the top rookie of both leagues. Therefore, I bring you my 2008 All-Rookie Team, composed of rookies from both the American and National Leagues.

* SP—Armando Galarraga (Det)—The starting pitcher spot was the most difficult to decide on. The Braves’ Jair Jurrjens and Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda were not far behind, but with a 13-7 record and opponents hitting only .226, Galarraga was a notch above the rest. His 13 wins led all rookies, and it’s definitely worth noting that he led his team as well, which was more wins than Justin Verlander, Kenny Rodgers, Dontrelle Willis, and Jeremy Bonderman. Also, his 126 strikeouts leads all AL rookies.
* C—Geovanny Soto (ChC)—Maybe the best power-hitting catcher since Mike Piazza, Soto was the first rookie to ever start at catcher for the National League in the All-Star Game. His 23 home runs while hitting .285 were good, but his rookie-leading 86 RBI, 35 two-baggers and 60 extra-base hits make him a favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year.

* 1B—Joey Votto (Cin)—Coming into spring training, Votto was on a lot of people’s short list to be the top NL Rookie. At season’s end, he has a shot to be the upset winner. Batting .297 with 24 homers, he’s near the top of all the power-hitting statistical categories. With 11 errors at first base, he’s pretty good with the glove, but not great.

* 2B—Alexei Ramirez (CWS)—With 21 home runs, “The Cuban Missile” has excellent power for a second basemen. He also holds the major league record for most grand slams in a season by a rookie, and is tied for the big league record with four. The fourth slam came in an 8-2 win over Detroit in the last game of the season to clinch a one-game playoff with the Twins.

* SS—Mike Aviles (KC)—Playing in Kansas City, a lot of people may not have heard of him, but keep the name in the back of your head…because, in a few years, he’ll be playing for a contender (any team not named the Royals). Aviles had the highest batting average of any rookie (with at least 145 at bats).

* 3B—Evan Longoria (TB)—Is there a more complete player in this rookie class? Not only did Longoria hit 27 homers in only 122 games (leading all rookies), but he shined defensively, too, consistently making big plays with his glove.

* OF—Jacoby Ellsbury (Bos)—Although it feels like Ellsbury has been around for a while, this was his first full season. He was an essential part of the Red Sox 2007 World Series Championship team and built on that performance this year by hitting .280 and leading all rookies with 98 runs scored and 50 stolen bases.

* OF—Jay Bruce (Cin)—Bruce probably had the hottest start of this rookie class. In his first week after being called up, he already had three home runs, nine singles, three doubles, and six walks while hitting .577 (15-of-26). He cooled off as the season rolled on, but was still a solid contributor for the Reds with a .251 average and 21 homers.

* OF—David Murphy (Tex)—This Texas native must be feeling at home in Arlington because he was leading AL rookies in RBI with 76 when he went on the DL on Aug. 7 and did not return. He finished with 15 home runs, 28 doubles, and a .275 batting average.

* RP—Joey Devine (Oak)—In 45.2 innings pitched, Devine struck out 49 and allowed only three earned runs to give him a major league-leading (minimum 40 innings pitched) 0.59 ERA, en route to a 6-1 record for the A’s.

The Winners

NL Rookie of the Year

Geovany Soto seems to be the clear favorite this year. His numbers are near the top of a lot of categories all while leading a Cubs pitching staff to a division title.

AL Rookie of the Year

In my opinion, Evan Longoria beats out Alexei Ramirez for the award because of his stellar defensive play, making him a mainstay on “Web Gems” on Baseball Tonight. Helping the Rays win the AL Championship probably seals the deal.

#20 Ga. Tech @ #19 North Carolina

Notre Dame @ Boston College

Kansas @ Nebraska

Louisville @ Pittsburgh

#11 Ohio St. @ #24 Northwestern -UPSET ALERT!-

#3 Penn. State @ Iowa

#21 Cal @ #7 USC

Cincinnati @ #25 West Virginia

#5 Florida @ Vanderbilt

#1 Alabama @ #16 LSU

Game of the Week

#9 Oklahoma St. @ #2 Texas Tech -UPSET ALERT!-

Season Record (60-40)

The name of this blog is temporary… “Hot Corner” I feel implies too much baseball, but I want to talk about all sports (that I am interested in), like college football and basketball, NBA, MLB, NFL and other random things some may find compelling. And by college football I mean the SEC, because all other conferences are inferior, but you already knew that.

Stay tuned, I am going to be starting for real some time in the next few days.