by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Like most of the law schools represented at the Florida Bar’s annual convention, the University of Florida held its reception at the World Center Marriott in Orlando. But many of the alumni in attendance Thursday night had their hearts and minds in Omaha, where Rosenblatt Stadium is playing host to the College World Series this week. And as the reception was getting started at 6:30 p.m., the school’s baseball team was preparing to take the field against Arizona State University in a game that would decide which team advanced to the championship series.
Even some of the law school’s most prominent alumni were aware that their beloved Florida Gators were playing the most important game of the year as they were shaking hands and slapping backs with fellow alumni.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out, how I’m going to see this baseball game,” said Howard Coker, partner at Coker, Myers, Schickel, Sorenson and Green as he left the reception and headed toward a business dinner. “I’m going to try to get this dinner done and then see if I can watch.”
Like most Florida fans, Coker isn’t used to planning for important games in June. Most of the alumni’s athletic fervor is reserved for football games in fall with a little reserved for late-season basketball. It’s unthinkable that an alumni event would be scheduled in conflict with a big Gator football game or the NCAA basketball tournament.
The university’s alumni affairs staff, which plans and puts on the reception each year, tried to make some accommodations when it became apparent that the reception would clash with the team’s most important baseball game ever. The staff made arrangements with the hotel to have two televisions delivered to the room in time for the first pitch. But that plan, which at first looked like a home run, instead died on the warning track.
“We had it set up to have the game on,” said Kristen Muire, program assistant in UF’s Alumni Affairs Department. “But the hotel doesn’t have cable available in the meeting rooms. The game is on ESPN, so that was out.”
But Muire quickly figured out a backup plan.
“We’re going to get everybody together and take over the hotel’s sports bar as soon as the reception is over,” she said.
The plan was agreeable to most in attendance, and the Champions sports bar inside the Marriott hosted a healthy contingent of Florida fans as the Gators won 6-3, advancing to the championship series against the University of Texas to be played this weekend.
The conference is over for most today, clearing the way for the Florida law alumni to watch from first pitch to last out. Class of 1970 graduate Kim O’ Connor is glad for the chance. In addition to missing the Thursday night game, O’Connor was denied a chance to watch UF play Florida State in the previous super regional round when the games sold out.
“I was psyched to watch them, I had a hotel room booked and everything. Then they told me the tickets were sold out,” said O’Connor. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to see the game tonight, but it’s important to get back and reconnect with your school. Hopefully I’ll be able to watch them this weekend.”
But not everybody had their minds on baseball. Recent graduate Susan Wynn said her work as an associate attorney precluded any focus on sports.
“We work too hard to worry about that,” she said. “Our firms put us to work, they don’t let us watch baseball.”