Georgia On My Mind
Posted April 1, 2007, 5:36 PM ET

The state of Georgia is the place to be this week.

Monday night, the city of Atlanta hosts the National Championship game between Ohio State and Florida; afterwards, the sports world turns its attention to Augusta for The Masters.

I just hope the National Championship game between the Gators and Buckeyes offers more drama than their previous matchup....and that's true, whether it is football or basketball. Earlier this year, the Gators destroyed the Buckeyes in both sports.

Perhaps the bigger question surrounding the showdown involves the status of Florida coach Billy Donovan. While his squad is on the verge of becoming the first repeat champ since Duke pulled the trick in '91-'92, the talk involves his future as the Gators' coach...will he bolt to the Bluegrass State and take over the Kentucky program?

No matter what happens Monday night in Atlanta, I wonder if Donovan will be pressed with a post-game question on TV, asking about his job status - like when Kansas coach Roy Williams was a few years ago, regarding his interest in the North Carolina job?

Williams' response on national television was an instant classic. Williams defiantly chirped: "I don't give a sh^%$t about North Carolina"....Of course, Roy quickly did an about-face and was announced as the Tar Heels' coach shortly thereafter. Funny, how that happens. We'll see if Donovan has a complete dislike of Kentucky.

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Speaking of potential coaching changes: there is an interesting story taking place at Duke University. No, it has nothing to do with Coach K....this one surrounds Coach G. I'm talking about Gail Goestenors, the outstanding coach of Duke's women's team. Coach Grzyzewski has been flirting with the job opening at the University of Texas. As of this blog posting, she still hasn't decided her fate.

It is interesting to note that Coach Grzyzewski makes a reported $530,000 per year to oversee the Duke's women's hoopsters. The Texas Longhorns are reportedly offering her anywhere between $800,000 and a million per year to move to Austin.

I read last week in a few Triangle papers that Duke's women's basketball program lost over 2.1 million bucks last season, despite being ranked #1 throughout the year - which included a 30-0 record, before choking in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

The Duke women's program, as good as it is, lost more money this season than their infamous football program (which just so happens to have the nation's longest losing streak). For the record: Duke football cost the athletic department $1.7 million this past season.

So, Coach G wants to leverage the Blue Devils for more cash? If Duke had any sense, they would help her pack, hire a coach for the minimum, and in the process help their bottom line. It would be a different story if the women's program actually offered something to the fiscal discussion....but that's not the case, while having arguably one of the best coaches, teams and programs in the land.

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Did my eyes deceive me? I could have sworn there was another Jerry Richardson sighting!

The Panthers' Grand Pooh-Bah was quoted in Sunday's Charlotte Observer in a stunning Q&A segment. The Panthers' owner actually fielded 9 questions, and by my account probably spent all of 7 minutes of his busy schedule discussing the status of his franchise.

I couldn't help but laugh, when Richardson discussed the importance of winning. He made the comparison of the Panthers and Bobcats versus sporting events like the PGA Tour and NASCAR events, which also blanket the Charlotte sports scene....His direct quote was the following:

"The Wachovia is a huge success and will continue to be. Lowe's Motor Speedway has two major races here a year. One of the unique things about the Wachovia and Lowe's is, they don't have to win. You can go to The Wachovia or to the racetrack, buy your ticket and have fun and they don't have to win the tournament or the race."

I'm sure Tournament Director Kym Hougham and LMS President Humpy Wheeler loved hearing that. What makes the PGA Tour and NASCAR events in Charlotte so great is that the folks in charge put on a great show...they don't just show up and count money. Both events go out of their way to make sure the fans are treated in a first-class manner. Both Hougham and Wheeler are available for media interviews, too...a unique concept that Richardson has failed miserably to grasp. Jerry Richardson's claim and breakdown were completely disrespectful to both events and the professionalism involved in putting on great events.

But my favorite quote from Richardson was his last statement in the Q&A with writer Pat Yasinkas. Jerry Richardson says, "We literally have to work harder. It's not because the market is so competitive. In my judgement, there aren't enough people to support all of this (sporting events). We have to work harder. When we make a mistake or we have a season the fans are significantly disappointed about, it's very risky. The fans have options for their time and their money. We have to perform at a very high level literally all the time."

I guess Mr. Richardson has forgotten about the PSL. It doesn't matter if the Panthers are 1-15 or 15-1, Jerry has over 60,000 fans by the balls. If he wants to raise ticket prices, or keep them the same...it doesn't matter, because the fan has to abide by his decision.....that is certainly not the case for the PGA Tour or NASCAR events in the martketplace. If Hougham and Wheeler don't put on a good show, fans are not obligated to buy a ticket.