GatorCountry brings you a new podcast as we talk about the latest news around the Florida Gators as 11 student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19.
Andrew Spivey and Nick de la Torre talk about what those mean for the Gators and for sports in college this fall.
Andrew and Nick also talk about the Gators latest run of landing commits as they landed three commits last week.
TRANSCRIPT:
Andrew:                 What’s up, Gator Country? Your man, Andrew Spivey, here with Nicholas de la Torre. Nicholas, we’re back, and we’re another day closer to what we think is football season. Guess what? We’re going to have baseball.
Nick:                         Yeah. You’ve been begging for it. This whole thing, Andrew, the tell me when and where. Tell me when and where, and then they kept getting offers, and it was like, no, not there. No, not then. No, not there. The Commissioner said, guess what, you’re playing.
Andrew:                 You know when you’re a little kid, and you go to the toy department, and you want a toy so bad, and your mom wouldn’t let you get one? That’s how I felt every day for like the past three weeks when it was like, we’re going to have baseball. Nope, not having baseball. Nope, we’re not going to have baseball. Every time it was just like somebody taking a knife to my poor heart. I don’t even know if I have a full heart left anymore, Nick.
Nick:                         You’ll find out if you have a heart. Is it the first?
Andrew:                 July 1st. We’re taping this on Wednesday. Some guys are starting to report today and tomorrow. From what I understand, pitchers have to go take their Covid-19 test first, and then they have to bring in the position players and everything else. So, the way I understand it is guys are going to start reporting here soon. Like you said, we’re going to have baseball.
This is my thing, Nick. I say this, and I’ve seen a lot of people say they don’t care how many games it is, but you and I are baseball traditionalists. I say that any baseball season is good from the standpoint of not having baseball at all would be detrimental to the sport. I know some people have said baseball’s dead already, it takes too long, yada, yada. I’m not one of those that are in that category, but I do think had they not had a baseball season it would have been bad news going forward. It’d have been very hard to bring some young people back into the game.
Nick:                         I think so. It’s going to be interesting to find out what kind of damage, if any, this does long-term.
Andrew:                 Right.
Nick:                         I think you and I agree, we’re both happy to have baseball back, but like 60 games is not a baseball season.
Andrew:                 No, it’s not. I was watching Harold Reynolds and Dan Plesac and those guys that are on there who are on MLB Network, and it said every game from July 24th or July 23rd, whichever day your team starts, to the end of the season is a playoff game. It’s a playoff game. 60 games is a playoff game. It doesn’t matter if it’s the 9th inning, and you’re down 7-6, and you got to bring your closer for the fourth straight day. You got to do it.
Nick:                         Yeah. It’s going to be interesting. You and I were talking, just having five extra players, are those all going to be pitchers? You’re going to be having double-headers, and you’re going to be playing all kinds of games.
Andrew:                 I don’t know. Part of me, Nick, and I’ll say this. You and I have talked about this. Listen, if the Braves win the World Series, I’m celebrating the hell out of it. Period.
Nick:                         I’m putting as asterisk next to it. That’s what I’m doing.
Andrew:                 I don’t care.
Nick:                         Big old asterisk.
Andrew:                 If they have a parade on Peachtree St.