Gator Boy

My favorite player in this year's NCAA tourney has been Joakim Noah. Not so much because of his play, which has been magnificent. Because of what he has said.

In an interview session with dozens of reporters before the Minneapolis regional, Noah was quoted as saying, "If we worried about all the stuff you guys worry about, our heads would explode." Which makes, more succintly than I was able to, the point I was trying to make in my note about the differing approaches of 20 year olds and 50 year olds in "Thelma and Louise 2" a bit further down the page.

But my favorite was his response to a sportswriter who asked him to compare his Florida team to Michigan's Fab Five. He replied simply, "The Gator Boys are hot, so no comparisons." This guy plays in the moment, and seems from his answers, to live that way too. So on Saturday, when the game tips off, I'll probably be rooting for George Mason. Whatever the moment demands. I hope he understands, and I think he just might.