Another week is nearly in the books, but none have been nearly as eventful as this past week in the sports world since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, with big news happening both in the collegiate and professional ranks.
In college football news, the Southeastern Conference finally announced that it will play out a 10-game, conference-only schedule this fall in response to other major conferences making similar arrangements. While the exact lineup of games has not yet been listed, one of the glaring voids on the calendar for Gators fans is the loss of the Florida State rivalry game in 2020 — the first time since 1958 that the two schools will not face each other on the gridiron.
As has been mentioned in these Gators News reports over the past few days, Major League Baseball continues to struggle with its abbreviated 60-game season as the novel coronavirus continues to rear its ugly head in clusters around the league, with the St. Louis Cardinals the latest team falling victim to multiple positive tests.
Can confirm #STLCards games at #Brewers game has been postponed. @JonHeyman 1st. Cards are self-isolating at their hotel, not going to the park.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2020
However, the National Basketball Association re-launched its season yesterday from its “bubble” at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex to a great deal of fanfare, as the league has managed to avoid the mishaps that have befallen MLB with its novel approach to playing out its games. While time will tell how well it works, from the looks of it, the NBA is the only organization to get things right in the battle against COVID-19.
Around the Swamp
- Three-star defensive tackle Desmond Watson joins the Florida Gators’ 2021 class: The program’s fifth commit in July, three-star Armwood (Seffner, Florida) defensive tackle Desmond Watson became the latest member of the Gators’ 2021 class on Thursday.
- SEC announces plan to play 10-game conference-only football schedule: The Southeastern Conference announced on Thursday that its member schools will adhere to a 10-game, conference-only schedule for the upcoming 2020 football season beginning on Sept. 26.
- Carlos Del Rio is Florida’s most impactful 2021 recruit according to ESPN: Quarterback is the most important position on the field, so it’s not surprising that when listing the biggest impact prospect in each of the top 25 classes for the 2021 recruiting cycle, Loganville, Ga., product Carlos Del Rio was named the best for the Gators.
It’s great to be a Florida Gator!
It took 15 innings and several lead changes as @GatorsSB and @HuskerSoftball battled in an epic elimination game at the 2013 #WCWS. https://t.co/c2x6SGwwUg
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) July 30, 2020
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