Over your chilled half-pink grapefruit, a specialty hereabouts, two soft-boiled eggs broken over a small pile of buttered yellow grits, three slices of lean bacon, brown bread toast buttered and strawberry jammed, glass of cold white milk, hot coffee and bite or two of mouth-cleansing chilled watermelon, these warm winter weather breakfast additives:

The Tribune’s well-researched story Tuesday, printed on Page 1 of the news section as a lead piece, said that USF would not allow coaches to teach athletes assigned courses. It also provided a breakdown of athletes recruited with lawful dispensations and said there would be a crackdown if anything illicit was discovered. The writers/researchers, Adam Emerson and Brett McMurphy, moving on the story because of the events at Florida State, did turn up apparent conflicts in class assignment to coach-taught classes and practices of admission that can raise eyebrows, but said the athletic department was clean.

Fine. Good.

I say it. And USF football coach Jim Leavitt says the same.

Leavitt has said repeatedly this is the place he wants to practice his craft despite the fact that he and the others in it are in a fishbowl. I love it overall, but mostly I love it here, in Tampa and at USF. If we are out of line on anything such has come up, we’ll fix it.

Leavitt chose not to be interviewed when the Alabama job came open.

He’s involved in that recruiting business right now. Done nothing wrong, then, or now. He is working hard on about five special kids. His work, I say, not him, may have eased a tad competitively with the Florida Gators looking more out of state this year, it appears, and Florida State’s class about set for today’s initial report.

Doug a Super Bowl Celeb Again

We were all pleased, I bet, when those who now run the Super Bowl on Park Avenue decided to give Tampa’s Doug Williams a key supporting role in the great spectacle the past one in Phoenix was. More people saw him on television than ever as a player, with the Buccaneers or Washington.

The Fox folks’ presentation of Doug carrying the heavy Lombardi Trophy to the podium for presentation to the champion New York Giants, through the Giants’ line so they could rub the trophy, was special.

Doug did well, as he did in the Super Bowl when he threw all those pass completions and at the press conference a couple of days before it when Doug was asked:

“How long have you been a black quarterback?”

Don’t remember what Doug said.

How could you top the question?

Lightning the Worst of All?

It is hard to admit the Tampa Lightning just may be the worst in the National Hockey League.

Not this team of Vinny Lecavalier, of Brad Richards, of Martin St. Louis.

Not this team that only yesterday was the Stanley Cup champions — the best of all.

This team that has taught us all about this sport, for which we all built this new home on the waterfront that has been such a success and always full, or near full, of supportive fans who have learned about power plays and high sticking, and to pronounce names like, well, Ley-cav-eh-yeah!

Going to play the almost-as-bad St. Louis Blues, the Lightning, so suitably named, had won only 21 games and lost 27, second worst. Los Angeles, where the situation is worse, had lost 30.

This can’t be the team we graduated from the auditorium at the state fairgrounds to these grand digs so many envy, and so many of us humped so hard to get built. It’s a beaut, as have been so many great Lightning games and other events over the years. But, jeez, guys.

The head coach, John Tortorella, said it right. He doesn’t want to talk about next year. Win now, for the owner of the moment. The fans are the ones.

Jeez.

Lightning, well, Tampa, fans are the most patient, of which I know.

Like Tortorella said, the season isn’t over.

Ask the Giants.