Former longtime Gainesville Sun sportswriter Pat Dooley contributes on a weekly basis to Gators Wire with “Pat Dooley’s Book of Lists,” chronicling his thoughts on the past, present and future of Gators sports. Look for more frequent contributions during football season.
Summers are long and in Gainesville we have what we call “hot rain” that comes at you hard and makes you think about flood insurance. And then it starts bouncing off the pavement to get you from both underneath.
So, you can understand how summers make us a little squirrely around North Central Florida.
In late summer, I start Dooley-Palooza which is a tour of multiple Gator Clubs around the state where these poor souls who have had to change out of soggy shirts just going to their cars are ready for some football.
Last week, it was the panhandle and I received dozens of questions about this upcoming season. Because, in the end, that’s what the 2021 season will be, the answers to a lot of questions.
Remember that old Chicago song “Questions 67 and 68”? That’s about how many questions I have and fans have been asking heading into this season.
Look, we’ll never have as many questions as we did at this time last year. Are we going to play? Are we going to finish? How many people will be allowed into stadiums? Do we have to wear masks while we’re eating a hot dog and how will that work?
That we made it still feels like a miracle and there are still going to be plenty of questions about public safety. But we will stick to football today with the best questions I have heard during a long, hot, humid summer.