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OT: Identity theft

Finally had it happen to me. Was served from payday lender legal this afternoon a day after returning from vacation. Really soured my mood going back into the work week after 12 days off.

It was for a $2,600 registration loan that has ballooned up to $6,700. No notices were ever detected thru the 3 major bureaus, I didn't get any collections calls/confirmation of a loan request from the soft pull etc. The vehicle was in a car accident 3 weeks prior to the registration loan being taken out last November. The vehicle was actually at a collision center in the process of being totaled out. Maybe it's coincidence but I have my doubts. Sucks regardless and time and likely $$$ I'm gonna have to waste to prove it wasn't me.

Just a reminder to freeze your credit reports when not actively looking to apply.. Especially important when your sending out lots of personal info from a life event so im eating my own words toght now even with credit monitoring in place.

Baseball to Cap Trip with Big 12 Series at Texas Tech - Game 1 Friday 7pm ESPN+

I've tuned out UCF baseball lately. Looks like do or die this weekend:


"The Knights will enter the series with a 25-23 overall record and currently in 13th place in the Big 12 standings with a 6-18 mark with six conference games remaining. The top 12 teams will qualify for the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship that will run May 21-24 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas."

Anyone remember this guy?

I came back from a business trip and found that this Jeep had parked next to me at TPA. I recognized the name, so I looked up his social to confirm. I didn't take a pic of it, but he was proudly displaying a UCF license plate as well.

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OT - Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ at Sold-Out Virginia Tech Concert Sparks Seismic Activity

Metallica played their first concert at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium on Wednesday (May 7th) where the crowd’s rapturous reaction to “Enter Sandman” — which has doubled as the Hokies football team’s intro music for the past half century — triggered the Richter scale.

Stadium DJ for a day

Sitting here listening to music while I work and an interesting idea struck me. We all know the stadium music has been a divisive topic and everyone has their own opinions on what should be played. But what if there was an actual opportunity for fans to be the DJ for a game? Would you pay for the chance if it was offered? I have no connection with UCFAA, just thought it might be an interesting (or terrible) idea. Thoughts?

OT: Best golf course in Orlando/Central Florida?

Played at Tranquillo today at the Disney Four Seasons. It was amazing! Ever hole was like a postcard. Stunning course. Very challenging but not over the top. Definitely the best course I’ve played in Central Florida.

The best part was the fact that we only paid $25 for the round. It’s normally $239 today. My buddy’s wife got us the the employee discount. One hell of a discount.

I would say Tranquillo is tied with TPC Sawgrass but that’s in Ponte Vedra.

For the golfers out there, just curious, what’s the best course you’ve played in Central Florida?

***Ex-MLB first-rounder Mason Denaburg to join UCF as punter (interview)***

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For most of his life, Mason Denaburg's dream was to pitch in the big leagues. A former Merritt Island High School two-sport standout who became a first-round MLB Draft pick of the Washington Nationals in 2018, Denaburg's professional baseball journey was filled with promise — and heartbreak. A string of injuries, five surgeries, and countless rehab sessions derailed his career before he ever made it to the majors.

Now, at 25, Denaburg is turning the page — not away from sports, but back to one that had always been quietly waiting in the background.

He's officially joining the UCF Football team later this month as a punter, reigniting an old skill he hadn't seriously pursued since high school.

His last full high school football season in 2016 - his junior year - Denaburg earned First Team All-State honors as a punter.

"It's been a long road with baseball," Denaburg said. "I've been hurt a lot. It wasn't like a joke, but my brother was like, 'Hey, you should mess around and just punt.'"

His younger brother Brady, a standout kicker who began his career at Syracuse and recently transferred to Minnesota, planted the seed when he returned home last December. Mason had just undergone surgery to repair a torn hip labrum — the latest in a string of setbacks that began not long after he signed with the Nationals in 2018. Shoulder surgery, Tommy John, a hernia, a nerve issue in his elbow — the list piled up.

"I pitched with a torn hip labrum for the last two years," Denaburg said. "I was a free agent after the season. I didn't really want to play indy ball, and at the same time, I knew I was 25. The clock's kind of ticking with college football."

With no baseball contract and his rehab nearing completion, he started punting for the first time in nearly seven years.

It wasn’t long before he realized he still had it.

Brady encouraged him to take it seriously. And so, this past winter, Mason shifted fully into football training mode — connecting with former UCF kicker Dylan Barnas, who's now a private trainer working with specialists in the Central Florida area.

Barnas, a fellow Merritt Island alum who in 2017 played for UCF under then-head coach Scott Frost, saw potential in Denaburg and reached out to Knights special teams coordinator Pete Alamar with video clips.

That initial film, Mason admits, wasn't perfect.

"The technique obviously wasn't there," he said. "But from December to May, it got a lot better — the flight, the distance, the hang time."

Denaburg visited UCF for spring practice in April, where he finally met Alamar in person and shook his hand.

"I told him my story," Denaburg said. "He told me to go home and send him six punts right and six left. I did it that same day, and he texted me back saying he wanted to talk more."

Soon after, Denaburg returned for another visit — meeting Frost, other staffers, and players — before making it official.

"I told Coach Alamar I wanted to come here," Denaburg said. "It's the perfect situation. My girlfriend lives in Windermere, my family is 40 minutes away, and I’m really enjoying myself for the first time in a long time."

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Denaburg's road to UCF has been anything but conventional. He originally committed to play baseball at Florida after his freshman year at Merritt Island. While UF had floated the idea of him playing both baseball and football, the latter always took a backseat.

"I think that's part of the reason I didn’t get recruited for football elsewhere," Denaburg said. “Everyone knew I was going to play baseball at Florida."

Though he played quarterback, wide receiver, and handled kicking duties in high school, his football career never had a true finale. He missed most of his senior season while playing for USA Baseball's national team in Canada, and injuries later consumed his pro baseball years.

But kicking and punting never completely left his mind.

"Ever since I was 10 or 12, I could kick and punt," Denaburg said. "It was always like a Plan B. I’d say, 'If baseball doesn't work out, maybe I'll try football.' I never thought it would actually happen. I wanted baseball to work more than anything."

Now that he's back in football, he's laser-focused. With four months of training under Barnas — "three to four times a week," he noted — Denaburg believes he's made rapid strides.

"Obviously Dylan's not a punter, but he's been around the game for a long time," Denaburg said. "He really helped me turn it around."

Denaburg describes himself as a "spiral, standard punter," not someone who does the rugby-style rollouts that have become common in college football.

He'll enter a competition this summer with Michael Carter and Ohio State transfer Anthony Venneri, who will also enroll this summer.

"I think it's just come in and compete for a job, just like anything," Denaburg said. "It's no different than being in baseball. Even though they're on your team, at the end of the day, someone is going to win the spot."

During his visits, Denaburg connected quickly with Frost, now back at UCF for a second stint after his successful run in 2016-17.

"We kind of just talked shop a little bit," Denaburg said. “He asked about baseball. He's a big Cubs fan. I really liked how he carried himself at practice. He's very professional in how he communicates with his players and staff."

For Denaburg, this opportunity is more than a second chance — it’s a fresh start.

"I'm enjoying going to the field. I'm enjoying going to the gym. I'm enjoying getting better at something — honestly for the first time in a really long time," Denaburg said. "The baseball thing kind of got to me mentally for a while. It was a tough couple of years."

He knows Alamar is taking a chance on him.

"There's not many coaches out there who would say, 'This kid hasn't punted in seven years, let's give him a shot.' But he is. And I'm going to work as hard as I can to prove him right."

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Who are the most Toxic fans in CFB?

Login to view embedded media Maybe I'm WAY off base, but I look at 'The Most Toxic Fanbases' list and scratch my head.
Iowa #1??? Yikes, where'd the heck did THAT come from?

I've always viewed Hawkeye fans as your classic, fair weather fans. A decent fanbase when they're winning and 'out the door' when they're not. I'm guessing their ranking has to do with the venom surrounding Kirk's son when he was the OC. But that stuff goes on with every fanbase. How did we feel about Chinander as our DC back in the day?

When I hear the word, TOXIC, I think of pure evil. I think nasty. I think hateful. I think taunting. I think of destructive type of fan behavior. In the NFL, people always point to Eagles fans. In CFB, that's the Miami Hurricanes---and their fans weren't even on the Barstool Sports list.
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