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Florida baseball team flies in style in Rolling Stones' plane

 
The Rolling Stones’ plane was available for the Gators to fly on. Some were excited; many didn’t know who the Stones were.
The Rolling Stones’ plane was available for the Gators to fly on. Some were excited; many didn’t know who the Stones were.
Published June 15, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. — The Florida Gator baseball team got the rock-star treatment before even landing in Omaha last week for the College World Series.

The team flew from Gainesville on the Rolling Stones' private jet, a Boeing 737 with the band's famous tongue logo on the fuselage.

According to UF's athletic department website, the Stones played in Atlanta last Tuesday and flew to Orlando the next day for their Friday show. Their next concert is Wednesday in Nashville. With the Stones in Florida for a few days, their plane was bid out for other charter flights.

Coach Kevin O'Sullivan said he worked on scouting reports during the flight.

"The players really enjoyed it," he said. "I think they were jacked up, but there were quite a few of them who didn't know who the Rolling Stones were."

The Gators (50-19) face Virginia (40-22) tonight at 8 in a CWS winner's bracket game. Sophomore left-hander A.J. Puk starts for the Gators and will face Cavaliers lefty Brandon Waddell.

Florida is coming off a 15-3 victory over Miami on Saturday in which the Gators tied a CWS record by scoring 11 runs in the fourth inning.

"We came out a little nervous, and I certainly did not see an 11-run inning in the fourth," O'Sullivan said. "I can't say enough about our approach there. … The first few innings we tried to do too much."

Florida has won 10 straight since losing the opener in the SEC tournament.

Miami (49-16) and Arkansas play an elimination game this afternoon at 3.

TCU 10, LSU 3: Preston Morrison limited LSU to five hits and a run in seven innings, and TCU capitalized on Tigers starter Jared Poche's middle-inning struggles on Sunday. The Horned Frogs (50-13), in the CWS for the second straight year, will play Tuesday against the winner of Sunday's late game between Cal State Fullerton and Vanderbilt. LSU (53-11) meets the loser on Tuesday in an elimination game.

Obituary: Former two-way player Dick Kirk, who had one of the most memorable touchdown runs in UF history, died Tuesday at his home in Fort Lauderdale. He was 72. Mr. Kirk will always have a place in UF lore thanks to his 42-yard TD run at Alabama in 1963 that sparked a 10-6 upset of the heavily favored Tide and quarterback Joe Namath. It was the first home loss at Denny Stadium for Bear Bryant and one of only two at home in his 25 years as Alabama's coach.