My phone lights up on Wednesday afternoon. The number isn’t saved and the area code is unfamiliar. There is an invitation to see the Florida Gators’ new ballpark and the message is signed “Scott Stricklin”.
Twenty-four hours later I’m in a car with Florida’s athletic director on the way to see the brand-new $65-million baseball stadium. The park has quickly sprung from the Earth after a ground-breaking ceremony on February 8, 2019.
As we pull up to the construction site, Stricklin is beaming. He’ll go and see the progress at least once a week, if not more, but there’s so much happening every day that even he stops and takes pictures or asks questions while walking around.