Random notes:
■ Officially entered my Heisman Trophy vote Tuesday online — the little stiff-arm guy is all high-tech these days — and with that need to issue an apology to Bob Davie.
A few weeks back, during Florida's routine rout of Vanderbilt, the former Notre Dame coach and current ESPN color man said he felt Gators quarterback Tim Tebow would win his second straight Heisman. At the time, I thought Davie was nuts. I figured it was off-the-mark beliefs just like that which got the coach fired in South Bend.
One month later, I voted for Tebow.
The award is for the best college football player, not the best football numbers. (And I'm a numbers guy.) Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford put up better individual numbers. So did Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. So did Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. But none of those three is a better football player than Tebow, who led the Gators to another SEC title and did it against much better defensive competition than those Big 12 flamethrowers.
My ballot: 1. Tebow, 2. Bradford, 3. McCoy.
■ The Boston Herald reports that Rajon Rondo is about to sign a five-year endorsement deal with Nike. No better time, either.
The ex-UK guard has 71 assists in his past seven games with the Celtics. He produced his first triple-double last week with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 17 assists in a win over Indiana. And in the 10 games before Sunday's rematch with the Pacers, Rondo had made 56 of 96 shots for 58 percent from the floor.
■ Perhaps DeAndre Liggins' lack of attaining a starting spot goes back to that childish refusal to enter the game in Las Vegas. Maybe Billy Gillispie's message is, Liggins can play, but he can't start. Not yet, anyway.
■ Does Auburn really believe that names like Turner Gill, Derek Dooley and Rodney Garner are going to take recruits away from Alabama? Then again, perhaps the lack of marquee candidates for the job on the Plains has much to do with the circus on the Plains. Would you want to coach at a place where the first time you lose to your rival in seven years you are forced out the door?
■ Think the economy isn't hurting ticket sales? South Carolina expected an attendance boost when it hired Lexington native Darrin Horn as its head coach. Horn was fresh off taking Western Kentucky to the Sweet 16. His teams play an exciting brand of basketball. Yet, Carolina's season-ticket sales are down about 600 from a year ago, according to The State newspaper in Columbia.
■ Before you seriously match the word deserving and bowls, consider Vanderbilt. The Commodores finished 4-4 in the SEC. Kentucky finished 2-6. Vanderbilt beat South Carolina. UK lost to South Carolina. And, oh yeah, Vandy beat UK. But for their first bowl game in 26 years, the Commodores are stuck in their hometown of Nashville for the Music City Bowl, while Kentucky is down the road in Memphis for the Liberty Bowl. Reason: Kentucky has more fans. That's the real story of bowl season.
■ I'm going to miss watching Greg Maddux pitch.
■ The New York Mets are determined to spend, spend, spend until they win a pennant. Now what has that strategy gotten the cross-town Yankees?
■ Yes, the BCS got the big game, Florida vs. Oklahoma, right. But I'd rather see Alabama play Texas than Utah. And why not Boise State instead of Ohio State in the Fiesta?
■ You figure this out: Oklahoma gets the nod over Texas, even though Texas beat Oklahoma in the regular season. And Texas got the nod over Texas Tech for the second Big 12 BCS spot even though Texas Tech beat Texas during the season.
■ Don't worry too much about where UK basketball may end up come conference play. Last week, Vandy lost at home by 19 to Illinois-Chicago, then by 12 at Georgia Tech. After losing by 21 to Loyola of Illinois last month, Georgia lost by 24 at Illinois on Saturday.
