It's an unlikely pairing, given their history together, but Ron Zook has a new ally in getting Gator fans to believe in him: the Internet.
The same man who had sites devoted to his future dismissal months before his first game as head coach is taking his act online. The University of Florida's official sports site has unveiled a new page for him at gatorzone.com/ronzook, which is a good thing, even if it is the only site Zook can go to and believe everything he reads.
"There's so much information out there on the Internet that just isn't true," Zook said Wednesday afternoon. "The big thing last year was that I wasn't going to be around. The Internet, with recruiting, it absolutely made it harder. It's something you have no control over, so there's nothing you can do about it. Any time I spend thinking about things like that is a waste of time."
Time at his new page is more wisely spent. The intro, with Zook quotes and images interspersed with the sound of Florida's marching band and Mick Huber touchdown calls in the background, is enough to get Gator fans excited about football season, eight weeks before a huge trip south to face Miami.
A welcome-to-my-page letter seems personal, telling fans he's already back water skiing after badly injuring his ankle this spring and inviting readers to submit their best tailgating stories for a contest on the site. A photo shows him busy at his desk, with two laptops behind him.
Zook said he'll be hands-on with keeping his page fresh. He'll answer e-mailed questions ("In a short amount of time, I can knock out a bunch") and gladly fill a clause in his contract that requires two live chats per year. Fans visiting his page can submit their e-mail addresses to join a Zook mailing list for updates and quotes during the season.
Zook said computers weren't used much in his first stint at Florida, so he learned much of what he knows when he went to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drew up their plays by computer. Today, he says college coaches must be technically savvy, because the recruits sure are.
"Most, if not all student-athletes are very computer literate," Zook said. "They want to find out as much about us as they can, and we have just about our whole press guide online now. You still tell them who you have ahead of them at their position, but they already know because they've printed out the depth charts."
He knows a good live chat requires short answers, which lead to more questions, and he knows that the NCAA treats instant-messaging the same way it does phone conversations in regard to when coaches can contact recruits.
Zook just wants his supporters - and detractors - to trust him.
"There's a lot of concern, but I tell people that just means that people care about Gator football," he said. "This is the best job in football. I just never said it was the easiest."
TID-BYTES: More than 10.8-million votes were cast for baseball's "All-Star Final Vote" contest, which chose Boston's Jason Varitek and Milwaukee's Geoff Jenkins to complete the All-Star rosters. That total, combined with 4.6-million online ballots for the All-Star starters, makes it the largest online voting program ever, according to MLB.com. ... Fans can help decide the All-Star MVP by voting online during the game. Their votes count 20 percent toward the selection, with the rest decided by writers and announcers.
- If you have a question or comment about the Internet or a site to suggest, e-mail staff writer Greg Auman at auman@sptimes.com
