SIDE SALAD - Everything crunchy is good.

BIBBIDI. BOBBIDI. BOO-YA.

How 'bout them Gators!

Wow. Wow. Wow. All I can say is wow.

The Florida Gators will be playing for the NCAA men's basketball national championship Monday night.

I knew it would happen all along.

Seriously.

In my Yahoo Pick 'em bracket, I chose the Gators to go all the way:

Okay, so I had them playing Kansas, but I did pick Florida for the finals and for them to win it all.

Which means, of course, that my bracket, nicknamed the Death Ballers, could win it all:

Sweeeeet.

There's only one drawback to all of this hoops hooplay, however: the comparisons between Florida and it's Final Four opponent, George Mason.

See, George Mason shouldn't have gotten that far. And anytime your basketball reach extends your grasp, well, that calls for the nation's sports section headline writers to stretch the boundaries of credibility by overuse of tired metaphors.

For example:

Cinderella Chomped: George Mason's run finally ended Temple Daily Telegram, TX

Slamming Cinderella
GatorBait.net

Gators end Patriots' fairy tale
The Journal News.com

George Mason is a true Cinderella
New Albany Tribune, IN

Cinderella bitten by Gator
NorthJersey.com, NJ

Put away the slipper, it's meaningless now
Mobile Register

Midnight for Cinderella at College Basketball's Big Dance
Voice of America

Wrong ending on the Cinderella story
MSNBC


Send Cinderella home
Times Herald-Record, NY

Gators deny Cinderella a chance
Contra Costa Times

Gators deny Cinderella a chance
Contra Costa Times

Gators end George Mason's Cinderella run
The Palm Beach Post

Gators slam brakes on Cinderella's run
Denver Post

Cinderella's ball is over
London Free Press

Gators gobble up Cinderella
Louisville Courier-Journal

Hot Gators send Cinderella home
Inside Bay Area

UF sends Cinderella home
Miami Herald

Gators Use 3-Pointers to Shatter Cinderella's Slipper in Final Four Rout
The Ledger

Florida ends George Mason's Cinderella run, advances to title bout
The Sports Network

Cinderella run finally ends for George Mason
San Antonio Express News

Billy’s club beats down Cinderella
Kansas City Star

Baby Gators end Cinderella's streak
The Auburn Citizen

Florida sends Cinderella home
The Herald-Tribune


Cinderella meets the Gators
Gainesville Sun

Cinderella tripped up at the ball
Peoria Journal Star

Sun 'n' surf showdown Noah, Florida send Cinderella home early
Pioneer Press

Fairy tale ends Patriots fall to Gators, 73-58
Fredericksburg.com

Take that, Cinderella!
The Pueblo Chieftain ,br>

Mason took Cinderella to unthinkable heights
Sports Illustrated

Florida writes The End for GMU fairy tale
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Gator fans revel in own Cinderella story
The Palm Beach Post


Cinderella team's win huge for local printer
Sun-Sentinel

Fairy tale ends Patriots fall to Gators, 73-58
Fredericksburg.com

Cinderella gets dumped
The Columbus Dispatch

Cinderella bitten by Gator
NorthJersey.com

Patriots Suffer Glass Slippage
Los Angeles Times

SEC's Florida shatters slipper of Cinderella
San Diego Union-Tribune,br>

SEC's Florida shatters slipper of Cinderella
San Diego Union-Tribune

Florida strikes 12 (treys) and sends Cinderella home
The Morning Call

Clock strikes midnight on Cinderella George Mason
The Toledo Blade

Florida rewrites fairy tale for Cinderella team GMU
Daily Record

Clock strikes midnight for Cinderella Patriots
The Herald News

Some, however, decided to break some new trail and wear out a few other tired metaphors:

Mason jarred as Gators roll
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Gators ride Noah's ark to US basketball Final Four
AFP via Yahoo! News

This one sounds downright painful:

Balls fall Gators way
Sun-Sentinel

Posted by Jeff at April 2, 2006 01:04 PM