A True Paladin

Needless to say, I could write an entire entry into my blog on the sweetness of Auburn’s victory over Ole Miss. Yet, no matter how much I articulate and memorialize the victory while sitting around the blogging campfire, it is not the subject for today.

Today, I want to discuss Auburn’s upcoming game with the Furman Paladins. Yes, that same Furman from Greenville, South Carolina. From my home, the drive to their beautiful campus is just over half an hour. It is a great school with high academic standards, and one of my wife’s best friends (as well as work colleague) graduated from there. Her name is Kim.

Kim is one of the dearest Christian women I have ever met. Her faith is real. Her opinions are well thought out. She is smart. She has an almost dry sense of wit and humor that I find not only funny, but also refreshing. The things she loves, she loves with passion. She is a great mother to her two children, one who is at Presbyterian College and the other at The Citadel. And her husband, Jeff, couldn’t have asked for a better wife.

Kim is a cancer survivor. Unfortunately, her husband Jeff was not. The two of them suffered through more physical difficulties, virtually at the same time, than any family should ever have to. This past July 20, Kim’s soul-mate Jeff passed from this life to the next after a long battle with colon cancer. She had undergone her own surgery and therapy for breast cancer. (By the way, whenever I wear a pink bow, I wear it not just for women in general, I wear it for Kim).

Frankly, this blog could have been about Kim’s husband, for you see, Jeff was an All-American at Furman, who went on to coach there and at N.C. State. He eventually was the athletic director at Boiling Springs High School when three of my daughters were there. In fact, one day, while it was POURING rain, he went to my second daughter’s car and turned off the lights….getting drenched in the process. That was just the kind of guy Jeff was.

But this is about Kim. Although she tells me that she is o.k. and plowing through, I can’t imagine how difficult the last three months have been. I’m sure there are times when she would say that she isn’t much of a fighter OR survivor, but that just isn’t the case. Kim is both. My wife has witnessed it much closer than I, but even from my distance I have seen it. I am proud to say that she is my friend. I am proud to say that she is one of my wife’s closest friends. I am proud to see her faith in action. And if Kim Snipes is anything like what a Paladin supposed to be, then she is the truest Paladin. And because of Kim, I can’t help but be a fan of the Paladins….even if I will be rooting for my Tigers this weekend.

WJLaneSR

Drugs and Keys

I have been on some really good drugs this week. After spending the better part of a day in the emergency room with a kidney stone, and trying to get some relief with lesser drugs, the E.R. Doc finally had the nurse give me morphine. After that, I didn't feel the pain of the stone any longer, the pain of getting taken to the woodshed by LSU, or any other pain. In fact, I felt no pain at all. Morphine was the key to giving me some much needed relief. And thank God for that key.

Speaking of keys, there must be hundreds of books, pamphlets and DVD’s on the subject “Keys to Success.” I did a google search and came up with “Keys to success in marriage”, “Keys to success in business”, “Keys to success in life.” There were keys to success in dieting, financial management, attitude, career, motivation….the list goes on and on. Whenever I hear a phrase beginning “here are the keys to success in….” I think to myself, “does this mean that the answers were always in the box we carry around? Do we already have the answers and someone else just needs to open them up for us?” Sounds kinda metaphysical to me.

Rather than opening up a box today, I want to look around the box. Maybe it's the remnants of the morphine keeping my head a little fuzzy, but rather than giving you what I think are the keys necessary for Auburn to be successful against Ole Sis on Saturday, I am going to give you some non-essential skeleton keys that MIGHT just make the difference. Here are my skeleton keys for success:

Ole Miss is known for their cheer “Hotty Toddy”. A hotty toddy, according to Exquecher Rolls of Scotland, is a mixed drink of Scotch and water served hot so that it is more palatable to women. The word “toddy” comes from the Scottish “Tod’s Well”, which supplies Edinburgh with water.
Auburn, on the other hand, has “Bodda Getta”. Let’s be honest, here. You can’t really shout “bodda getta” without a belly full of Blue Ribbon Beer or Jack Daniels. There ain’t any “hottie toddy….hootsie tootsie” at Auburn. And at the end of the day, which one would you rather bring with you to a bar fight?

Next, Auburn has the champion mascot, “Aubie”. Aubie has been the College National Mascot Champion six (6) times since 1980. He has finished in the top five another seventeen (17) times. Aubie has made appearances on every major television channel, and is an ambassador for Auburn University.

Colonel Reb, on the other hand, died an ungraceful death. Ole Miss doesn’t use him anymore. He was bringing disgrace to their hallowed school for learned Mississippians. You might remember him: the white bearded old man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a cane. He was the mascot that caused websites to pop up everywhere calling for a boycott of “everything Ole Miss” because he was too much like a plantation owner. Unlike James Dean, Colonel Reb became “a rebel without a cause” and he became “Ole Dis-Missed”.

Finally, isn’t it interesting that the University of Mississippi is found in a town called “Oxford”? Somehow, those two words just don’t seem to go together….Oxford…Mississippi. As I recall from my grade school education I received in Alabama, this would be called an oxymoron. Two words of contradictory meaning used together for a special effect, such as “wise fool”, or “legal murder”. Another would be “Oxford, Mississippi”. Of course, it would probably be safe to say that most people in Mississippi wouldn’t know an oxymoron if it hit them, and in fact, probably think it is a stupid beast of burden who needs to be yoked and plowed.

Again, you just don’t have that with “Auburn, Alabama”.

And which one would you rather take to a bar fight. Someone from "Oxford", or someone from "Auburn"??

Call it drug induced dillusions, or call it guessing, I am tossing these skeleton keys on the floor.

I am boldly predicting an upset on the early afternoon Plains. The keys, when scattered on the floor, say “Auburn 27 – Ole Miss 24”.

And that’s as scientific as I can get it.

WJLaneSR

Gonna Have Big Fun....

“Thibodeaux, fountainbleau, the place is a buzzin’, Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen, Dress in style, go hog wild, me oh my oh, Son of a gun we’ll have big fun down on the bayou…..well jambalaya, crawfish pie and-a fillet gumbo, cause tonight I’m gonna see my mon cher amio, Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay-o, Son of a gun we’ll have big fun down on the bayou.”

Hank Williams first released this song back in 1952, and it reached number one on the country charts almost immediately. It remained number one for 14 straight weeks. The song is clearly Cajun in theme, and encapsulates the fun and excitement on a Saturday night in the Louisiana bayou.

Saturday night on the bayou. It’s that time again. Auburn and LSU. Strange things happen when these two old rivals come together. Allow me, for a moment, to stroll with you down memory lane.

It was 1988. Auburn’s national championship hopes were on the line. Auburn was leading 6-0 with less than two minutes left in the game. LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson threw a touchdown pass to Eddie Fuller which caused the crowd to roar so loud that it registered on the campus seismograph as an earthquake. LSU won, 7-6.

In 1994, LSU led 23-9 going into the fourth quarter. Auburn had a 13 game winning streak going on at the time. Auburn intercepted 5 Jamie Howard passes in the fourth quarter, returning 3 for touchdowns, giving Auburn a 30-26 victory.

The next year, down in the bayou, Patrick Nix dropped back to pass out of the Auburn endzone. He thought he heard a whistle blow, stopped where he was, and sacked for a safety. Auburn lost the 1995 game, 12-6.

The following year, in 1996, while the two sets of Tigers were playing at Jordan-Hare stadium, the old Sports Arena was burning to the ground. The flames were so high that they could be seen from inside Jordan-Hare. Jarrett Holmes missed three field goals that day, and LSU won 19-15.

In 1999, Auburn went into Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Tommy Tuberville’s birthday and showed no mercy. Not only did they beat the Bengal Tigers of LSU 41-7, they celebrated the win and the birthday by smoking cigars while standing in the endzone.

In 2001, the game was moved to December because of 9-11 and the World Trade Center tragedy. LSU won at home that night, 27-14. Tommy Tuberville had to get security to escort him to the team bus.

In 2004, Hurricane Ivan almost forced the game to be delayed until later in the season. However, on Friday morning it was announced the two teams would play as scheduled. The defending national champion Bengal Tigers came into Auburn and took a 9-3 lead. Because of a failed extra point, the Auburn Tigers were in striking distance. With 1:14 left to play, Jason Campbell hit Courtney Taylor for a 16 yard touchdown pass. Auburn missed the extra point, but a personal foul was called on LSU’s Ronnie Prude. The second time was a charm, and Auburn won, 10-9.

The winner of the 2004 game, John Vaughn, became the goat in 2005. He missed 5 field goals in Baton Rouge and LSU won 20-17.

In 2006, the pair of Tigers entered the game at Jordan Hare Stadium with their highest head-to-head ranking ever. Both teams were early season national title contenders. LSU led 3-0 at halftime. Auburn took the lead with a third quarter touchdown, and held on to win, 7-3. It was the lowest scoring game between the two Tiger teams since 1935, when LSU won 6-0.

The 2007 game was played down in the bayou , and will be remembered for the winning field goal kick that never happened. Down 24-23, LSU was driving the ball. They were within field goal range with the clock running. LSU had one time out left. In one of the most discussed plays of 2007, the Les Miles led Tigers decided to try a long pass to the endzone before a possible fieldgoal attempt. The pass was caught and LSU won 30-24.

Last year the College Gameday crew came to Auburn for the matchup between Auburn and LSU. Auburn took a 14-3 lead at halftime, only to come out and squander it. LSU changed quarterbacks, and ended up winning 26-21. It was LSU’s first victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 10 years.

Which bring us to 2009. Saturday night. A renewal of the rivalry between two foes. Strange things can happen down on the bayou on Saturday night. Does Auburn have one up its sleeve? What will Les Miles do? We’ll have to see……Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun down on the bayou.


WJLaneSR

Kentucky Fried

He was doing what any decent father would do. Protect his children. Is there a more noble duty? And in this case, they weren’t even HIS children. They were just children, and they shouldn’t be subjected to it. He was just doing what was right.

It happened last week in Norwell, Massachusetts. Jared Garfagna and his girlfriend, Sara Mohn, were waiting for their order. Not “patiently” waiting, mind you. After all, it takes a while to deep fry chicken.

According to the authorities, they started shouting vile profanities at the counter clerk, as well as toward the person cooking. There were children waiting in the order line, and a bystander, waiting for his order, told the couple to stop using profanity. He said, “There are children in line….watch your mouths.”

According to witnesses, this just made the couple curse even more. The man again said, “Please…don’t use that kind of language in front of these children. It isn’t appropriate!”

What happened next can only be described as foolish and stupid. The couple proceeded to hit and kick the man until he was on the floor of the local Kentucky Fried Chicken. He had lacerations on his head, under his eye, and across his cheek. By standing up for those children in line, he subjected himself to a Kentucky Fried Beating. Unbelievable.

Which reminds me of Saturday night, when the Auburn Tigers, of their own accord, subjected themselves to a Kentucky Fried Beating. Unbelievable.

Rather than standing up for innocent children, however, they were just standing up before the snap count. (Can anyone say, “Another illegal motion penalty”?)

Instead of putting the Wildcats of Kentucky away when they had multiple chances, Auburn was showing it’s undisciplined self by having, on one drive alone, six…count them…penalties. And when the defense had the chance to legally stand up and be counted…during the last six minutes of the game, it fell down on the floor and gave up two touchdowns AND a victory. A Kentucky Fried Beating.

The Tigers are now in a precarious situation. They must go on the road this week to Death Valley. Baton Rouge. The Tiger Den. LSU awaits on Saturday night.
If the Tigers don’t find an answer to their sudden impotence on offense, they won’t be Kentucky Fried this week. They’ll be filleted and gumboed.

WJLaneSR

Losing

Maybe it is apropos that I quote Mr. October. Although he was never a hero of mine, I can’t disregard his impact when post-season play began. I have some very good friends who are Red Sox fans, and to them I apologize for quoting a former nemesis from the Yankees. However, when the shoe fits, wear it.

Reggie Jackson once said, “I don’t mind getting beat; but I hate to lose”.

As I sat with a stoic stare at my old fashioned, non-plasma non-flatscreen television set on Saturday afternoon, that quote oozed from the depths of my memory. I had done all the screaming, fussing, cussing and discussing that was in me. I had no words left.

After watching a wide-open would-be touchdown pass float well beyond the receiver; after multiple fumbles causing multiple Arkansas touchdowns; after watching the Tigers sleep through the wakeup call until midway through the third quarter; after watching the first half offense look like it needed a dose of geritol; the quote hung in my craw.

“I don’t mind getting beat; but I hate to lose.”

But lose Auburn did. The Tigers lost in every facet of the game. They didn’t just get beat, because getting beat implies that both teams showed up and did their best and one team just got beat by a better team. Big Blue didn’t show up. Auburn had no fire in the gut. Sometimes it looked like the Tigers had no guts at all. For more than half of the game, the Auburn Tigers weren't just getting beat. They were losing. And losing it. Defeated. Manhandled. Overpowered. Outsmarted. Outcoached. Outscored. Taken to the outhouse. Or in this case, taken to the Pig Pen.

I hate to lose.

Finally, after getting a little bit of respect in the media….after getting a little positive press for the head coaching hire….the good guys from the Plains of Alabama reverted back to that same old condition they had WAY too many times under Tuberville: they couldn’t handle the success. Arkansas, with the worst defense in the SEC going into the game, looked like a pros. Auburn’s offense looked like The Tony Franklin System reincarnated. Somebody, PLEASE, throw out the trash and make sure those three ring binders with that dadburn system gets tossed with it!!!

For every sickening minute --- and yes, I watched EVERY sickening minute --- I said over and over to myself: “I hate to lose.”

I don’ t have anything to say about gut-check time, getting back on the right track, overcoming adversity, moving on, playing better, being shorthanded, being young, not having many scholorship players, or any other cliché about the future of Auburn Football. Right now I just have a pit in my stomach. I hate to lose.

I guess I should say something positive to Arkansas and Coach Bobby Petrino, especially after the blog I wrote a few days ago. O.K…….here goes. I’ll quote another great sports philosopher, the great Yogi Berra. Here’s the quote for you, Coach Petrino, and for your Hogs: “You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.”

WJLaneSR

Can you smell that smell??

I don’t know when grunge became cool. They say it has something to do with Seattle and a dead guy named Cobain. I don’t know when it became acceptable to use horrendously bad language in public….especially in front of women. I don’t know when hearing “F-bombs” dropped no longer brought embarrassment. I DO know this; call me old-fashioned, but my ears still turn red and I still duck my head when I hear that bomb dropped.

The behavior of some people is analogous to walking around in a cloud of dust, sprinkling dirt on all they come in contact with. They seem to be happily dirty. They don’t try to explain it. They don’t try to hide it. They don’t try to fight it. For them, it is a part of their character, and a fact of their life. In many ways, their behavior is as slovenly filthy as Pigpen from the Snoopy comic strip. But whereas Pigpen was kind of cute in his dirty ways, other people are not. They're just nasty.

Maybe that’s why Bobby Petrino is a good fit for Arkansas. They are Pigpen central. Home of the Razorbacks. Chitterling country. Can you smell the Pig Sty?

You certainly can when you observe Petrino’s behavior. This past week the Southeastern Conference has been debating the “Excessive Celebration” rule. Really, it is an “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” rule. And if you look up the words “unsportsmanlike conduct” in the dictionary, you will find a picture of Bobby Petrino. Oh, he may have a great offensive mind, but his demeaner is simply offensive.

Not only is he a sojourner coach looking for his next gig, he has one of the filthiest mouths in all of football. When ESPN or CBS has a Hogs game, they cannot show Petrino more than a couple of seconds without showing, in glaring and colorful clarity, F-Bombs, the Lord's name in vain, and other words being mouthed out toward coaches, referees, players and the camera. Cover your kids eyes and ears when he is being shown and turn down the volume. Mama, you don’t wanna hear this!

My mother would have taken a bar of Dial soap and a fingernail brush to his tongue. That smell in Razorback stadium isn’t from the Boar Hog they have down by the endzone, it is the stench that comes from Petrino’s mouth over on the sideline. As Jack, who worked in the Machine Shop at Columbus Mill, used to say about a Plant Engineer: “That man sho’ can cuss!”

Tomorrow, Auburn plays the Hogs in Fayett-nam. I hope they packed a lot of soap for the trip, because even though there is an artificial rug for the turf, there will be plenty of filth flying around that will need to be scrubbed off.

War Eagle!
WJLaneSR

Vol-In-Tears

“I have a perfect horror of words that are not backed up by deeds.”

Those were the words of Teddy Roosevelt spoken at Oyster Bay, New York in July, 1915. Roosevelt didn’t like people who “talked big”. In fact, during his term as the governor of the state of New York, he fought privately with Tom Platt, the party chairman, over a political appointment. Platt came out publicly in the paper and said, “I’m going to ruin Roosevelt!”

Of course, that didn’t happen, Roosevelt went on to run for the Presidency, and eventually won. Platt was basically never heard from again.

Over the last 6-8 months, a lot of noise has come from Old Rocky Top. “We’re going to sing Rocky Top all night long in Gainesville after we beat Florida in the Swamp.” “We’ve closed the recruiting gates to Memphis.” In fact, Lane Kiffen has become the Mouth of the South.

The Volunteer Nation bought into the boy with a golden tongue. They ate the orange jello he was selling. They were infused with a dose of the citrus vitamin.

Then came the disease which seemed to permeate Neyland Drive.

Hoof and Mouth Disease. This disease causes painful blisters in the mouth and on the palms of the hands. It can, and often is, passed from one person to another. The blisters begin in the mouth, causing lesions that get on the hands. Much like spewing venom from the mouth and settles on the hands.

You could also call it “The Lane Kiffen Disease”. For all his venom spewing, it seemed to settle on the hands of his receivers. I am sure that is why they couldn’t catch a ball that was thrown to them. Maybe they should have stayed away from the orange kool-aid.

While all of that citronic clutter was being heaved from the rocky summit, down on the Plains all was quiet. Just work. Hard work.

When asked what was going on down there, the response was only: “We’re just doing what we do.” Do What We Do. DWWD. The Gene Chizic motif.

The showdown in Knoxtown was the tale of two programs. Hype, hoopla, Big Orange. Low key, quiet, flying under the radar Big Blue. I was there.

The final score was Auburn 26 – Tennessee 22. The game wasn’t that close. The Vols were dying from Hoof and Mouth disease. And Auburn was taking a page out of Teddy Roosevelt’s bag of quotes.

When asked about the incident with Tom Platt, his response was: “I have always been fond of the West African proverb: Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

Under Chizic, that’s what Auburn does. Kiffen, on the other hand, continues the truth of the old Southeastern Conference proverb: “No fruit sucks like the Big Orange.”

War Eagle!
WJLaneSR

Have you ever seen the Rain?

Bosco and Tanner were in the front yard barking. Neither seemed overly upset, just excited. Something clearly had their attention. I thought it was because they didn’t recognize my son and me. Perhaps that was correct, but I think there was another explanation. Although unrecognizable to me at the time, it was a foreshadowing event.

My mother decided to stay home. My son, my dad and I packed up my full-sized gas guzzler SUV with the ice chest, fat-saturated snacks, portable table and stadium seats. With totem window flags in place and magnetic helmet stickers on the doors, we were ready to leave. At that moment, there was no thought of the carbon footprint we were leaving; only the Tiger Paw print we were hoping to leave on the stomach of some Mountaineers.

We took the westerly trek down Interstate 85, and there were momentary glimpses of the sun playing hide and seek from behind the clouds. I began to think to myself that the weather was going to hold off, and it was going to be a good night. One of those songs that just kind of sticks in your mind…you know, the ones that you can’t get out of your mind when it finds itself buried within the gray matter….began to hum around in my cranium. Not that I really KNOW the song, just that my son likes to play it. It’s by The Black Eyed Peas and the words are something like: “I’ve got a feeling….that tonight’s gonna be a good night…that tonight’s gonna be a good good night…..”

We tailgated, libated and belly sated ourselves before heading to hallowed grounds. It was a little humid, but otherwise pleasant. The band was circling the playing field as we found our traditional seats. The stands were a sea of orange speckled with navy, with a smattering of yellow in one endzone corner and two upper deck corners. Just over my right shoulder, it was purple.

The rain began as a few drops, which soon turned to buckets. Just as the two teams were fininshing their warmups, the purple behind my right shoulder gave birth to a thunderbolt. The delay was begun.

It was then that I realized why Bosco and Tanner, who don’t live with the same families, were together in my parents’ front yard barking. They were gathering two by two. It’s the only explanation, because the next hour the rains came in diluvial proportion. I was expecting Noah to come floating out of the locker room tunnel, because Jordan-Hare Stadium was quickly becoming a lake.

The students never left. They sang. They shouted. They partied. One student was overheard shouting, “I love a little water with my bourbon”. The stadium sound system belted out Dan Fogerty of Credence Clearwater Revival singing “I wanna know...have you ever seen the rain?” And even after the watershed delay, the students were revved up to a level I haven’t seen in a couple of years. It carried over.

The eagle didn’t fly Saturday night. He couldn’t because of the weather. Instead, I heard that a dove was released to see if he would bring back an olive branch. I'm sure that happened, because Auburn handed that peace gift to West Virginia in the first two series of the game. It was as if Auburn said, “Welcome to Auburn, sorry about the rain, here….take a couple of touchdowns on us. It’s a southern hospitality thang.”

And still…the students never let up. They never sat down. They never quietened down. They were too loose, too wet and too happy to stop the enthusiasm over a couple of hand delivered touchdowns. After all, the night was young, and a coupple of gift wrapped TD's ain't gonna stop the rain that had become their party.

Auburn seemed to get stronger as the night wore on…the crowd seemed to get louder as the clock ticked on….the mountaineers seemed to make more mistakes as the Alabama evening beckoned on….and an orange and blue rainbow seemed to appear on the horizon as evening turned to late night. (O.K., it was a blimp of some sort behind a few lingering clouds, but let’s not mess up a good story).

A game that started out as a continuation of the last time Auburn and West Virginia met, spun on a wet and muddy dime, and became something altogether different. It was as if all those lingering doubts and concerns and leftover feelings of 2008 were washed away. Literally. Auburn’s defense rose up from the mud that was the stadium floor, and sealed a victory with an interception run back for a touchdown.

Oh, sure, Auburn has a long way to go. But this all has a new feel to it. And West Virginia was a pretty good football team.

One of the first things Gene Chizik said after he was introduced as the new Head Football Coach of the Auburn Tigers was, “we’re going to get Auburn back to where it was, to where it should be. But we’re going to build our program the right way, and we’re not going to take any shortcuts.”

Kind of reminds me of what Noah had to say about building the ark. And THAT’S something a couple of dogs can bark to.

WJLaneSR

From Hot to Cold....or "Blowin like a breeze?"

We arrived the day before. The weather was o.k., clear, a bit breezy. It was really hard to tell where downtown was. We drove 70 miles from the Pittsburg airport to get there.

Our hotel was beside the interstate. It was late afternoon when we arrived, and we were hungry. We ate dinner at a chicken-wing type bar that seemed more suited for the NASCAR crowd than for a college town. Thank goodness we decided to drive around and find the stadium. Had we not done this, I don’t know if we ever would have found it the next day. It was hidden between two “almost heaven” mountains.

I can’t help but remember that weekend last year as this Saturday’s game approaches.

My son, my dad and I made the trip to Morgantown last year to see the Auburn/West Virginia game. And that weekend sticks in my mind, my craw and my gut as the straw that broke the camel’s proverbial back for the 2008 Auburn Tigers. It was a Tiger team that fell apart that night.

It was cold. My son had on two shirts, a sweatshirt and a heavy coat. He was still cold. I had on a long sleeve shirt, a coat and gloves, and I was cold. Sitting high in the endzone facing the wind with the stadium down in a holler between two hills didn’t help, because the wind shot directly toward us as though we were in a wind tunnel.

The following January, I had a conversation about that night with Mark May. Yes, that Mark May from ESPN. I was in the concierge lounge at the Marriott East in New York, just across the street from the Waldorf, the night before the College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Mark May was staying at the same hotel as me. He came into the concierge lounge, and we struck up a conversation. It centered around Auburn, because I had on my orange and blue “AU” cap.

May told me that he was at the West Virginia game, and knew something wasn’t right when he looked at the Auburn sideline. Although at the time Auburn was ahead, the players NOT on the field were huddled around the jet heaters trying to get warm. They weren’t paying attention to the ballgame. He said that Coach Tubs got so mad about it that he had the heaters turned off at halftime, not to be turned on again during the game. He said that coaches were yelling at each other, players were shivering, and everyone seemed to be confused. I didn’t recall seeing any of this, but I was a part of 3 generations of Lanes being frozen by a Big East windstorm at the time.

What I DID see in the second half was heat from the other sideline. Heat in the form of Noel Devine. I saw him zip around, through and over Auburn’s defense for 207 yards rushing. I saw an Auburn defense coming apart at the seems. I saw an Auburn offense that never could find the seems. Mark May saw a football team on the sideline falling apart right before his eyes. A national television audience saw a Tuberville coached team quit late in the fourth quarter…giving up a meaningless touchdown because the team was already defeated.

Fast forward to this week. Auburn is favored in the game. It won’t be cold. Both offenses have big play potential. This will NOT be an easy game for Auburn. It will be even more difficult for West Virginia.

For all the hype of both these offenses, and all that hype is deserved, this game will be won by the defense. The defense that can put the other offense in 1st and long. The defense that can keep the other offense off the field. The defense that can put fast, speed rush on the quarterback. And the defense that can stop two potentially potent rushing games.

I do predict a high score. But when the dust from the Plains settles (and it may be mud, according to the weatherman), it will be Auburn 34- West Virginia 24.

WJLaneSR

Just Another Thursday Meeting

The meeting was uneventful. We exchanged business cards. We exchanged pleasantries. We talked about when they had done business for a former company I worked for several years earlier. He asked about some people I knew, I asked about some people he knew, we basically “caught each other up".

Bud worked for The Hartford. They had been our Worker’s Compensation carrier at my previous company. He wanted meet with me, pitch the business, and I was willing to listen. After all, I was in New York anyway, and he was buying lunch. I had sat through what seemed to be hundreds of these type meetings before, and hundreds since. It was just another Thursday business-lunch meeting.

We ate lunch outside on the pavilion, pastrami sandwiches if I recall, because the day was nice. Breezy, but nice. Of course, there’s always a breeze downtown.

After lunch, I took the subway back to our offices.

That was Thursday. Thursday, September 7.

At that time, The Hartford’s office was in one of the surrounding buildings. It was Building #6. That’s where our meeting took place, and that’s the last time I saw Bud.

Tomorrow marks the 8th anniversary of 9-11. 5 days after I was at #6 World Trade Center. The following Tuesday after I had been there on Thursday. Bud was one of those people never found.

I’ve thought about this often over the last eight years. How I could have been meeting him on Tuesday of the following week instead of Thursday the week before. Was it a scheduling issue? Was September 7th always the date we were going to meet? Did we change the date? I really don’t remember. I’ve tried, but I just don’t.

What I DO know is, I could have just as easily been there on 9-11 as 9-7. As were thousands of other people.

Usually, I write about fun things like first downs and touchdowns. I brag on my Tigers and rag on the other SEC teams. And I will do that again.

But not today. For we are on the eve of the 8th anniversary of my generation’s Pearl Harbor. The U.S. attacked. On her shores. War declared.

Tomorrow is a day of remembrance. I happen to be in New York as I write this, and I see many people going about their everyday business…the hustle and bustle that IS the city. I wonder how many of them will pause tomorrow….and remember….and honor the fallen.

Let’s never forget. I know I won’t forget. I won’t forget how I could have been there on Tuesday instead of Thursday. I won't forget what they did to us. And I won’t forget Bud.

WJLaneSR

Dancing with the Stars

She is the artistic director of the New England Dance Ensemble in Manchester, New Hampshire. She learned the art as a boarding student in Chester, England.

Barbara made sure her three children – Dan, Patrick and Katie – had an eye for the arts and an ear for classical music. “The boys danced. Being from Wales, I just felt they needed that exposure. We don’t find it weird (in England) for boys to dance. Here in America, there’s a social stigma attached to it and it’s not a cool thing to do.”

While at the same time raising her three children, her family hosted dancers from around the world, including the English National Ballet, the Royal Ballet, and the National Ballet of Madrid.

Not only did all three children learn to dance, they also learned to play musical instruments. The oldest of the three, Dan, learned to play the piano. In fact, he became somewhat of a novice concert pianist.

When he was growing up, Dan and his brother also enjoyed playing with the other boys. Especially football. They were the only brothers in their neighborhood who practiced ballet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and practiced football on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning.

By the time Dan was in high school, he was the quarterback for Trinity High School. They would win the state championship that year.

Dan reflects that “ballet involves great athleticism and flexibility. When you watch some world class dancers and watch their ability, it is pretty impressive. Dance and football are very similar with commitment, dedication and the amount of people involved. It requires a tremendous amount of teamwork.”

Dan continued his passion for football, but never gave up his love for dance. Playing tight end at Ursinus College, he became hard-nosed as well.

Being from New Hampshire, he became good friends with Chip Kelley, head football coach at Oregon, and Gary Crowton, coordinator at LSU. The three of them became known in football circles as “The New Hampshire Mafia.”

Dan became a part of Urban Mayer’s staff at Utah, and followed him to Florida, where he became offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Then, in December 2008, he was hired to replace Sylvester Croom as the Head Football Coach of Mississippi State.

His name is Dan Mullen. And on Saturday, he brings his maroon clad bulldogs into Jordan-Hare Stadium to face the Auburn Tigers.

He hasn’t given up playing the piano, but now he also plays a cowbell. And being the head football coach at an SEC school isn’t a bad gig. I guess you might say that now, he is dancing with the stars.
WJLaneSR

All things are become new

What a strange Labor Day Weekend. The dawning of the 2009 college football season. The end of summer. The beginning of a new school year. The Good Book would sum it up like this: "Old things have passed away, behold, all things are become new."

And yet, I entered the weekend feeling as though I were brining some old baggage with me. It felt a little like "not ALL things are become new."

Not that this was a typical and normal Labor Day Weekend for me. Quite the contrary. One of my daughters was in Charleston where she goes to school. Another daughter was in Charlotte where she will be attending school. And yet another daughter was on her pilgrimage way to Portland, Oregon. My wife was riding with her across the fruited plain, traveling some 3000 miles in a Honda Civic. They were enjoying the wide expanse of states like Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. All the while my son, who is 13, was spending the weekend camping in the North Carolina Mountains.

So that left me…and the dog.

Fortunately, I have a nephew who is going to school at Spartanburg Methodist College, and between him and my “Charlotte” daughter, they tag-team dog sat. This freed me up to take advantage of my favorite pastime. After all, Saturday was the start of a new Auburn football season. And besides, I already had someone lined up to teach my Sunday School Class for me.

So, all by myself, I loaded up my Expedition with a stadium seat and other paraphanelia. Then on Friday evening I headed for my parents house. They lived in a small town on the Alabama/Georgia border. What should have been a 4 hour drive turned into something much more. A large contingent of the Virginia Tech nation was heading to Atlanta, and the holiday weekend traffic had already begun. To top it off, when I got below Atlanta, I-85 is a total mess. Literally.

Arrive I did, though, and on Saturday I travelled to the Plains of Alabama with my parents to see the Auburn Tigers play.

Which brings me to the baggage I felt I was bringing. You see, I had this nagging feeling that Deja Vous was about to happen. That I was about to see a rerun of the Tony Franklin experiment. Not that I WANTED that to happen, mind you, but that shadow, like a little demon-dude, was sitting on my shoulder. And he was still sitting there when I entered Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Until I saw the kickers come out to warm up. I began to watch Assistant Coach Trooper Taylor working the sideline crowd (most of whom were recruits). He was jump-hipping them, sneaking up behind them and “goosing” them, jumping into their photo-ops, and just having fun. And the recruits were eating it up. They were laughing, high-fiving, and having a blast. Unlike what I saw last year, which was much more business-like when visiting with recruits.

The team came out with a vigor and enthusiasm that I hadn’t seen in quite some time. And the sideline signals didn't look like a cross-walk crowd in Manhattan just as the traffic light changes.

Then it dawned on me….this wasn’t a Tony Franklin team. Not at all. This was something different.

To continue the weirdness of the evening, a family of 6 showed up to sit in 4 seats right in front of us. They squeezed, sat on top of each other, and clearly didn't know Section 13's manners and etiquette. Oh, they weren't foul mouthed or bad, they were just standing up, taking pictures, talking to people around them, and asking questions about how much these seats cost, what did you think of the last coach, and what do you think of this one.

My dad leaned over and whispered a question to me. “Does he look like anybody to you?”

My response was direct and immediate. I told him “Yes, he looks just like Gene Chizik, and even sounds like him.” We agreed that this was as close to a twin as one could get. And I have to say, I’m not convinced RIGHT NOW that it wasn’t Coach Chizik’s brother.

The eagle flew pregame, and for the first time I ever remember, it flew outside the confines of the stadium for a minute…but came back in. The band played, the tigers roared, and as we all know, Auburn was victorious.

The baggage I came with was unloaded in Section 13 Saturday night. This wasn’t last year’s team. This was something else. Maybe something special. Well over 500 yards offense, the longest play from scrimmage in Auburn history, a true freshman who rushed for 150 yards (first time that has happened since Bo Jackson), and a second running back with over 100 yards rushing as well. Two 49 yard field goals….I could go on and on.

Will all this continue into next week when an SEC opponent comes into town? I don’t know. There’s not a little shadow-dude on my shoulder to tell me. After all, the old things have passed away, and behold, all things are become new.

WJLaneSR

College Colors Day

Maybe it’s in your closet hanging behind that charcoal suit you haven’t worn since Easter. Or perhaps it is under those branded golf shirts in your bureau. It could be a t-shirt, a knit shirt, or a dress shirt. Possibly it is a blouse, or hair bow. You know it as your lucky game-day apparel, and you know what I am talking about.

It’s time to take it out, dust it off, wash it, iron it, kiss it, go through whatever ritual you have for it…and then put it on….because Friday is College Colors Day.

College Colors Day is an annual celebration organized by the Collegiate Licensing Company and it’s consortium of colleges and universities. Your alma mater, favorite school or team, or local university is probably participating. All of the schools in the SEC and the ACC are.

College Colors Day, which coincides with both “back to school” and the kickoff of intercollegiate athletics….including football (yeah!! and for me…War Eagle!!)…seeks to celebrate and promote the traditions and spirit that make the college traditions great by getting fans, alumni and students to wear apparel of their favorite college throughout the day of Friday, September 4, 2009.

Therefore, I invite you to join me….as I will be wearing MY favorite Orange, Blue and White shirt, to put on YOUR favorite team apparel…and make Friday an exciting College Colors Day. Heck, you can even bring your pom-pom shaker to work or school if you dare!

There’s nothing like the college traditions. And what a great way to start the first weekend of the new college football season.

I just hope my shirt still fits. I’m not sure that charcoal suit does.

WJLaneSR

1 Week Away

We are one week away. Only 7 days. Next Thursday evening. Its college football time again.

The lineup may not be laden with heavy hitters, but there are some pretty good matchups, I think. The marquee game will be the Gamecocks of South Carolina versus the Wolfpack of North Carolina State. This game will carried by ESPN, with a kickoff time of 7:00 p.m. eastern.

As the Ol’ Ball Coach prepares for his 5th season as the top cock-of-the-walk, he does so with the expectations of being “middle of the pack” in the SEC east. Visiting Raleigh to play the Wolfpack will not be the easiest feat, but the Gamecocks need this win. Without that momentum, it could be a very difficult following week with a trip to Athens, Georgia waiting on them.

Other games on Thursday night see North Dakota State visiting Gene Chizic’s former troops at Iowa State, and North Texas at up-and-coming Ball State (David Letterman gives a cheer from the Ed Sullivan Theater!)

And finally, for those who can’t sleep on Thursday night, don’t take a Tylenol PM. Just keep your television on ESPN, and at 10:15 pm EST you will see Oregon at Boise State. And before you snooze in your recliner, this may actually be the best game of the night. Oregon enters the game at #16, and Boise State enters at #14. There is a lot on the line for these two programs.

And just in case your double espresso of college football on Thursday night doesn’t get you through to Saturday’s big kickoff day, you can tune in to ESPN on Friday night and catch Gus Mulzahn’s former Tulsa team square off in the Big Easy against the Green Wave of Tulane. Friday night on Bourbon Street. Could it get any sweeter?

Saturday’s lineup looks like this:

For all you early-morning Bloody-Mary types:

12:00 Noon Eastern
Kentucky at Miami (Ohio) ESPNU
WKU at Tennessee SEC Network
Navy at Ohio State ESPN
Minn. at Syracuse ESPN2

1:00 PM Eastern
Jax State at Ga. Tech ESPN360

For the Tailgating crowd:

3:30 PM Eastern
Georgia at Okla. State ABC
Jackson St. at Miss. St ESPNU
Missouri at Illinois ESPN
Baylor at Wake Forest ESPN2

And finally, for the Dinner-Time night games:

7:00 PM Eastern
La. Tech at Auburn ESPNU
Mo. State at Arkansas ESPN360

8:00 PM Eastern
Alabama vs. Va. Tech ABC

10:00 PM Eastern
Maryland at California ESPN2

10:30 PM Eastern
LSU at Washington ESPN

So…hope you get enough college football next week…it’s the first full week. Don’t be like the little boy at the church dinner-on-the grounds, though. He ate so much that it made him sick. He never wanted to see another spread of food like that again. At least, until the next time.

WJLaneSR.

Swine Flu Alert

The H1N1 virus is a serious threat. The World Health Organization raised the pandemic level to 5 a couple of months back, which basically meant that it was spreading from country to country.

The company I work for has taken the H1N1 threat very seriously. We have put into place contingency plans “just in case” the pandemic becomes a problem.

But let’s be honest. The H1N1 flu hasn’t been as fatal as first thought. In fact, more people are dying in this country from the REGULAR flu strain than from H1N1.

Of course, autumn isn’t here yet, and that’s when flu season really begins.

Which begs the question….when all of us tailgater, road-tripper, football fans gather in large stadiums this fall….will we be subjecting ourselves to the H1N1 flu? I don’t know.

But Ole Miss sure seems to be concerned about it.

In a press release from their Althletic Department, Ole Miss has reacted quite strangely to the H1N1 threat. Here is the release and I quote: OXFORD, Miss. - In an abundance of caution regarding the potential exposure of various flu strains, Ole Miss officials announced Tuesday that Saturday's planned "Meet the Rebels Day" has been cancelled for this year.
"After consultation with our team physicians and Coach Houston Nutt, we felt it was in the best interest of our football team to cancel this year's 'Meet the Rebels Day'," said Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone.
"While we may be over cautious regarding the flu, our season opener is less than three weeks away and we can't take any chances," Nutt said. "We certainly regret not being able to interact with our fans at this time."

I gotta tell you, I don't know if I have ever seen anything quite like this. I was TOTALLY taken back by this announcement from the Rebel Athletic Department.

But after thinking about it a while, I finally understood.

You see, H1N1 is also known as……SWINE FLU.

The Reverend Head Coach Houston Nutt has tried very hard at Ole Miss to distance himself from his days at Arkansas as the Head Boar Hog. He won't even use the name "Arkansas" around Oxford...only calling it "that school." And it makes perfect sense that he wouldn’t want anything swine related around his current football program. They are a pre-season top ten pick, are coming off a great year last year, had a very good recruiting year, and some say will contend for the SEC West championship. Why would he want to upset his apple cart over H1N1?

After all, you could say it was “swine flu” that got him run off from Arkansas.

WJLaneSR

The Art of Being Right

O.K. First things first. I’m only going to gloat for a minute. I was right. No doubt about it.

I told you that I thought Todd would be named the starting quarterback, many of you sent me messages of disagreement, saying it would Burns or Caudle. In fact, most comments were that it would be Burns. But...I was right. Todd was named the starting quarterback for Auburn. (This is the part where I beat on my chest a little, with a wiley grin, and say "told you so!").

Which for some strange reason reminds me of a philosopher I once studied while in college.

His name was Arthur Schopenhauer. In 1831, he wrote a short treatise entitled “Die Kunst, Recht zu Behalten”. “The Art of Being Right”.

Maybe you are married to someone who practices this philosophy. I don’t know…I’m just saying.

I don’t remember all 38 methods it states can be used to show that you are right, but I remember a few. Let’s see….

Generalize the other person’s specific statements
Yield admissions through questions
Choose metaphors favorable to your propositions
Find one instance to the contrary
Exaggerate your statements
Interrupt, Break and Divert the dispute

Seems like Arthur was trying to teach us how to lie.

But that wasn’t the purpose of his treatise. The purpose was to teach one to debate…Particularly to debate legal issues.

Which brings me to Delaware’s Democratic Governor, Jack Markell. It seems Governor Markell, in an effort to increase his state’s coffers, has proposed legalizing single-game and parlay wagering on sports to help erase their budgets deficit.

Boy, has this ticked off the major sports agencies.

The NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and the NCAA putting up strong objections, and have joined forces to legally battle the little state of Delaware on this issue. (I couldn’t find where Ultimate Fighting or World Championship Wrestling gave any sort of objection, or even cared).

Nevertheless, the legal debate has begun, and the joint sports associations have started their media blitz trying to show that widespread legalized gambling would threaten the integrity of their sports by creating incentives for cheating and game-fixing.

In May, Delaware’s Supreme Court ruled that this “sports betting plan” did not violate the state’s constitution “as long as chance is the predominate factor in winning or losing.”

The case is now before the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia, where both sides will get their opportunity to legally debate the issue. There are very strong opinions on both sides of the aisle.

Who will win the debate? I don’t know…..Ask Arthur Schopenhauer.

Now as for who’s right…well…that's another question.

WJLaneSR

Back in the Saddle

My hiatus is over. Dog days, two-a-days, and school days are upon us. Locker rooms across the country have the fragrant smell of sweaty socks and jocks. Body parts are chafed, itching, burning and peeling. It’s Gold Bond Ointment and Powder time. Its football time again.

Since we last conversed, many things have changed in my life. My oldest daughter moved from Charleston and is headed to Portland, Oregon….with a 1 month pit-stop at our house. My youngest daughter totaled her car in a one vehicle accident that sent her and the vehicle on a three flip rollover (she’s o.k.). My middle daughter went to Nairobi, Kenya on a mission trip, came home and passed 4th semester Spanish during her “mini-mester”. My son was tapped into the Order of the Arrow in Boy Scouts, and has his ordeal this weekend. And my wife and I celebrated our 29th anniversary. Being “ever the human resources professional” that I am, I should add…that’s 29 years without a break in service.

I learned to “twitter” during my hiatus, and find that it is interesting, and temptingly addictive. It gives new meaning to the phrases: “just how much do you want to know”, and “I don’t believe I’d a told that”.

So now, summer comes to a close. Down on the Plains, the Tigers are already in the midst of two-a-day practices and in fact had their first scrimmage last night. Many questions remain to be answered, and most will continue to dangle like a participle until kickoff time on September 5th. The most pressing question is, “who will be the starting quarterback?” My beloved wife of 29 years would say, “Who cares?”

I do.

Therefore, I offer to you my assessment of the quarterback situation at Auburn this year.

First and foremost, I believe WITH CONVICTION that Gus Malzahn already knows who he wants. I believe the “fair shot” thing is just that….to make sure that none of his gunslingers believe they were slighted and not given a fair shake. That being said, my assessment:

Kodi Burns: Malzahn has known him since the high school days. Malzahn likes him personally and recruited him at Arkansas. He has big-game experience, and this always has to be taken into consideration. However, he has shown consistently that although he has a tremendous amount of athletic ability, he makes bad decisions. Or at least incomplete ones. And while we are talking incomplete, he has a passing problem and it is still apparent if you look at the summer workout videos on any of the Auburn sites. He is still throwing behind and at the feet of receivers.

Neil Caudle: It’s now or never for the Spain Park superstar. His knee problems seem to be corrected, and in the spring game he showed much more poise than he had shown during most practices. His problem, before the spring game, was WAY too many interceptions in practice. Although he came from a spread offense, he will never outrun anybody. My suspicion is that he will fade into the background for good, if not named the starter.

Chris Todd: There was no question he had shoulder and/or arm problems last year. His passes had no “umph” to them, and most floated like a sunbather on an Inner-Tube. Has his arm strength come back? Is he now what he was purported to be when he was almost/woulda/shoulda/coulda been the starter at Texas Tech? As with Caudle, if not now for him, then never. He’s worked hard and those closest to the situation indicate he has the best grasp, mentally, of Malzahn’s offense.

Two freshmen: Rollison may be the future. Or Moseley. Many say Rollison reminds them of a young Jason Campbell. But even the young Jason Campbell got roughed up when he entered the SEC. It’s just no place for a freshman, no matter how good they are. My feeling is the freshmen quarterbacks redshirt. Clearly they are the future, but not the right now future.

All that said….what do I think? Let me put my finger up and feel the wind.

I think it ends up being Todd. Why? Just a hunch. Mostly based on what I hear about his grasp of the offense mentally. But hey, I could be wrong. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

Oh….and one more thing before I forget. My family grew by one this past week. My son has a thirteenth birthday next week and he got one of his presents early. He’s a Boston Terrier puppy. And his name is Carnell.

War Eagle!

WJLaneSR

25 years ago and today

Maybe what goes around does come around. I mean, here we go again.

The Collegiate Commissioner’s Association is taking up the topic of a football playoff for Division I schools. The wildest proposal will come from the Mountain West Conference.

All the Commissioners can do, however, is make a proposal to the Bowl Championship Series Presidential Oversight Committee. Talk about political, the committee name alone has the feeling of a billion dollar lobbyist reception at the Waldorf!

How many times is this topic going to be discussed, debated, and ultimately not acted upon? And no, the first time this came up was NOT when Auburn got left out of the party back in 2004, although for most Tiger fans it feels that way.

In fact, it made the headlines 25 years ago. The NCAA Division 1-A college football coaches were having their meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. It was June 9, 1984. One of the delegates to the conference was Georgia head football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley. During the session, the delegates voted almost unanimously for a proposal that called for a playoff game to determine a national champion in football. (Remember Tommy Tuberville’s call for a “plus 1” game?) Following the vote, Coach Dooley was quoted as saying, “It’s a step forward. The public wants one. The press wants one. In my opinion, it would be really good for college football. It’s time we have one.”

The proposal was offered to the NCAA Council’s legislative meeting on June 28th in Chicago, where it was shot down. It was discovered at that meeting that the Conference Commissioners were unanimous in their opposition to a playoff of any kind.

And here we are, 25 years later. Same issue. Same story.

In an interesting tidbit of trivia, the same day Coach Dooley reported the results of the coaches votes regarding a playoff, the Associated Press Gridiron Gauge came out. This was a poll which used a number of factors to determine who supposedly had the most difficult college football schedule for the upcoming 1984 season. That honor belonged to none other that Auburn.

In 1984, Auburn would open with Miami, the reigning national champion. Add to that schedule Texas, Southern Miss, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida State, Ga. Tech, Mississippi State, Florida, Cincinnati, Georgia and Alabama, and you have what the AP called “the toughest football schedule in the nation.”

Let’s compare that to the schedule for 2009. Louisana Tech, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Ball State, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Furman, Georgia and Alabama.

Interesting comparison, huh? Just a couple of things I thought you might be interested in thinking about today.

WJLaneSR

Marissa's trip

There are so many things I could write about today. I could write about a friend having surgery today, and praying it all went well. I could write about Alabama being put on probation yet again, leaving the window of "repeat offender" open until 2014. I could write about the passing of a great swim coach at Auburn.

I choose to write about my daughter's trip.

As you may or may not know, our second daughter departed this morning for Nairobe, Kenya. She is part of a mission team that will be in Mwingi working with Real Life Church in nearby Kamuwongo (about 2 hours drive from Nairobe). This is the first Christian Church to be built in that area of Kenya, and they have just over 50 members.

My daughter's team will be supplying food, medical aid and education to the children of that area.

Attached are photos of the church building as of yesterday, the mission team from South Carolina, and the symbol/logo that is on the team's t-shirt.

Needless to say, mom and dad are hoping she and the team stay safe, accomplish much, and have a life changing experience.

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and support.

D-Day

It was 65 years ago today. June 6, 1944. The invasion of Normandy. D-Day. The 1st and 29th Infantry Division of the United States Army faced the 352nd Infantry Division of the German Army. It was Germany’s best trained division. The place was Omaha beach, which had high bluffs, heavily funneled bunkers, machine guns and artillery. 5000 American soldiers died that day, most within a few hours. It is estimated that 20,000 American soldiers were wounded.

One of those wounded was a young lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers who landed with the 1stth Infantry Division.

He was assigned to the First Engineer Specialty Brigade. Having already participated in the invasion of North Africa, Sicily and Italy, battle was no stranger to him. But his recollection of D-Day would be different.

“When the ramp was lowered from our landing boat, the entire company became inert,” he recalled. “Except for me as a lieutenant, and hey, I was just an engineer, we were leaderless and almost incapable of action. Every officer and sergeant was either killed or wounded, and it became a struggle of survival and rescue. Boys from Georgia, Alabama, New York, California and all over the country were dying right beside me.”

He was also wounded. A piece of shrapnel tore into his left arm during the invasion. He wrapped it up and continued his effort to survive and rescue. His left arm would never be the same.

He received a purple heart for the wound he received in the Battle of Omaha Beach on D-Day. He would also receive a Bronze Star. He went on to fight in the Battle of Okinawa, and achieved the rank of Major. He considered a military career, but decided to resign his commission after the war. He was more interested in teaching and coaching young men.

He became a football coach, and in his pre-game talks to his team, he would often draw analogies between the great battles he had fought in World War II, and the battles about to take place on the gridiron.

Most Auburn fans only know of him as “the gentleman head football coach.” After all, he was at the helm of Auburn’s football team for 25 years.

The Stadium bears his name. In fact, when the stadium name was changed from “Cliff Hare Stadium” to “Jordan-Hare Stadium” in 1973, it was the first time in NCAA history that a stadium was named for a living, active coach.

His name was Ralph “Shug” Jordan.

And today, I don’t want you to remember him as the beloved and endeared Auburn Football Coach from the 50’s to the 70’s. No, today I want you remember that he was just another boy, a boy from Selma, Alabama, who stood side by side with other young men….some from Georgia, some from New York, some from California, some from Alabama….

Today I want you to remember him as one who fought for country and for our freedom. I want you to remember that 65 years ago today, he, along with others who were our country’s best and brightest, hit the beaches of Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword. Remember that he was wounded along with thousands of others as they hit the Normandy Beaches on D-Day.

His name was Ralph “Shug” Jordan. And he IS a “true” American hero.


WJLaneSR

Golden Years

the Rome Georgia Daily News reported that the Northwest Georgia Auburn Club had their annual meeting on Monday, June 1st. It was attended by approximately 100 excited Tiger fans from Rome and the surrounding area. Hoping to hear some “red meat” that would excite the fans, the faithful showed up clad in their Tiger Attire. What they heard from the Tiger’s offensive coordinator was instead quite reserved. In fact, there was no talk of Tiger Prowl or Big Cat Weekend.

Rather, there were words of caution. And maybe this was the correct approach, because the upcoming season does have a lot of unknowns. When asked about spring practice, the response was “We knew coming in that we had to get tougher physically, and that’s what we worked on in the spring. We spent a lot of time with our offensive backs and our wide receivers because if you look at the cold hard facts, and I looked at the game film from every game played last year, we just haven’t had a very productive running game in two or three years. Some people think that the offense we are putting in is pass first, but this offense is run first. ”

When asked what he thought of the results from the spring, particularly in regard to the lack of run production last year, the response was “We’ve got to find people who enjoy knocking folks down and stomping on them. That’s what we’re looking for on our offensive line. And frankly, our line isn’t very deep. But we won’t be a real good football team unless we do that.”

Needless to say, the quarterback situation and the wide receiver situation drew the most questions. “We’ve got a couple of quarterbacks who saw action last year, and we’ve got some young quarterbacks coming in. They’re going to be under tremendous pressure to perform. The potential is there. A couple of our quarterbacks are going to be fine quarterbacks one day…maybe even great. Whether they will be fine players this fall remains to be seen. As for wide receiver, we’ve got a couple of young guys that are going to have to have big years for us. They’re going to have to play now. I don’t know if they’re ready or not, but we’ll see.”

Those comments were made by Auburn Offensive Coordinator Gene Lorendo on June 1, 1969, 40 years ago this week. One of the young quarterbacks he was talking about was sophomore to be Pat Sullivan. The assessment that he had potential and maybe could even be great one day was spot on. One of the young wide receivers who would have to step up, and who Lorendo wasn’t sure was ready, was sophomore to be Terry Beasley.

The words he spoke at the Northwest Georgia Auburn Club could have just as easily been said this year. Auburn DOES need some youth at skilled positions to step up and perform. Some even have potential greatness, but they have to “live into it.” And the offensive line needs to block so that Auburn can have a formidable running game again.

Jeff Beard, who was the Athletic Director at Auburn during those days, was also at that meeting 40 years ago. He told the crowd assembled at the Coosa Valley Fairgrounds outside Rome, “I believe we are about to enter some golden years in Auburn Football’s immediate future. I don’t believe for a minute that all our golden years are behind us.”

Well said, Director Beard. Let’s hope the same thing can be said of Auburn today. There are more golden years ahead, and they’re not all behind us.

WJLaneSR

Big Cat Weekend

O.K., I’ll admit it. I was a little skeptical when I first heard about the “Tiger Prowl”. You remember that, don’t you? All of the coaches allowed under NCAA rule hopped into a stretch hummer limousine with Auburn magnets and flags and criss-crossed the state of Alabama visiting schools, building relationships, giving photo-ops and signing autographs. As the momentum began to build during “Tiger Growl”, I began to see that this was not a recruiting ploy aimed at me, a 50 year old, but rather aimed at 18 year olds.

And I began to understand.

Push the fast-forward button 1 month.

All day yesterday, the “inside media” teased the Auburn faithful with “big news” that would be announced at 7:00 p.m. Auburn time. Who knew what the big news was? How was it kept so secret?

At 7:00 p.m., Rivals, Scout, Alabama Live, Auburn Undercover, and several media outlets posted stories about Auburn’s Inaugural “Big Cat Weekend”.

Arriving on the Plains last night and today, for a weekend of wearing flip-flops, t-shirts, hanging out, pie-eating contests, home-run derby and chillin’ with all of Auburn’s current football players, coaches and their spouses, came 25 to 30 of the top rated recruits in America. It is a weekend of family and fun for the “Big Cats”.

How is this for a list: The #1 AND #2 rated running backs, one from Texas and the other from my home base of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The nation’s #2 rated wide receiver. The nation’s #4 rated offensive tackle. The nation’s #6 rated offensive guard. The nation’s #18 rated defensive end. The nation’s # 2 rated outside linebacker, who flew in from Connecticut. The nation’s #4 and #15 rated cornerbacks. And this just begins the list.

And I continued to understand.

This coaching staff is willing to think differently, within the rules, and recruit as hard as anyone out there. They are not conceding one inch of turf, and are recruiting in areas Auburn has never been….Connecticut, California, Texas, etc.

And now, the latest news is…..you can join in the fun of the “Big Cat Weekend”.

At 9:00 p.m. Auburn time today, there will be a “Toomer’s Corner Walk-Thru”. All Auburn fans are invited to come to the corner, and roll that traditional tree. (A little birdie told me that it’s possible there could be guests there). It is the final activity planned for the Big Cats today, and everyone else is invited to participate as well.

It’s time to show your Auburn Spirit. Head to the Plains if you can. Take plenty of toilet paper with you. Show your Auburn Spirit. Shout War Eagle! And let the Big Cats see what Auburn is really all about.

WJLaneSR

Get Along

I don’t know if grammar is taught in school anymore. Maybe it has gone the way of Latin, which also is a curriculum course of bygone eras.

I never liked grammar. Not that it was too hard or difficult, but rather it wasn’t the language I spoke. Being married to a former subject of the Queen, who found her rebellious ways and abdicated her English loyalty to become a naturalized U.S. citizen while she was in college, I have been reminded throughout the years that mine is NOT the Queen’s English.

Mine is more chattahooglish. But, thanks to Ms. Claudia Malleson, I did learn the parts of speech, including what intransitive verbs were. Call my grammar lazy; just because I don’t USE the English language properly doesn’t mean I don’t KNOW the English language.

An example of an intransitive verb is two words used together, such as: “get along”.

Those words remind me of Woody Guthrie’s “Whoopee ti yi yo, get along little doggie, it’s your misfortune and none of my own.”

Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive has changed that up a little. He has informed the head football coaches, who are vacationing (cough, cough) I mean meeting in Destin, Florida this week, that he expects them to tone down their rhetoric toward one another, and just “get along”. According to Slive, the back and forth vicious idioms between coaches are a a misfortune to the conference AND to everyone involved. Whoopie ti yi yo.

The Reverend Houston Nutt, an evangelist of sorts and the head Ole Miss-erable Rebel, said of Slive’s message to the coaches who were meeting in conclave, “He brought it today….he came with it today….I thought he was pretty good.” Sounds like Reverend Nutt was ready to pass the plate after Slive’s sermon. Not that a plate needed passing, considering the CBS/ESPN deal. Can I get an “Amen!” Reverend Nutt?

I suspect Coach Kiffin was sitting on the back pew doodling on his bulletin and shooting spitballs at the Ole Ball Coach, and I’m sure one of the deacons had to remind mad-hatter Les Miles to remove his cap while in church. Saint Richt never saw any of this, as his head was bowed and his eyes were shut in reverence.

Saban probably took a page out of Napolean’s book and put two cushions in his seat so that he would look as tall as the other coaches. That buzzing noise? That’s just Rich Brooks snoring in the back. Petrino wanted to see a fight in church, while Urban Meyer was busy texting the Florida Lettermen’s Club to find out if they had received their tickets in Section C.

Afterwards, did they sit around and sing KumBaYa and roast marshmallows on the Destin beach? Or maybe sing Sister Sledge’s “We are Family”?

Nah. Probably Not.

After all….what extended family that comes together for a week at the beach “gets along?” Especially when so many of the cousins are dysfunctional.

Chizik probably just shook his head saying to himself…”just get me back to Lee County.”

WJLaneSR

The Flora-Bama

It was at my wife’s church office Christmas luncheon. She is the Director of Children’s ministries at the church, and I was the spouse that she brought along. Sitting at our table was her colleague and very good friend, Kim, and her husband, Jeff. Yes, he and I share the same name, so there is that “man-name-bond” that we kinda have…sorta…kinda. Kim is the Administrative Lead Person for the church.

While most would think that we were probably sitting at the table discussing metaphysical spirituality of the preacher’s sermon from the previous Sunday, we were in fact discussing a topic of much more….uh….fascination. Yes, that’s a good word.

I didn’t know anyone else in Boiling Springs even knew what it was, much less where it took place. But Coach Jeff did.

We were talking about the state of Alabama, and all of those major cities you find in lower, rural Alabama. Places like Opp and Enterprise and Brewton. And in the midst of the discussion, Jeff said, “there’s a place down in Alabama right next to Florida called the Flora-Bama.” My immediate response was “yes there is…and it’s where they have the mullet toss every year.”

I was floored. Couldn’t believe it. Right here, at the church office Christmas luncheon sitting at my table in South Carolina was another person, besides me, who not only KNEW about the Flora-Bama, but had been there. It took a couple of minutes, but I remembered it was in Perdido Key.

My wife asked me, “what is a mullet toss?” To which I replied, “It’s a fish…with a gizzard.” I told her that a contestant would stand in a 10 foot circle in Alabama, and throw the fish as far as he or she could into the state of Florida. A contribution for each fish flung is given to local youth charities.

My friend Jeff knew about this upscale establishment because he used to recruit that area of Alabama for a University where he was a defensive coach. I knew about the establishment because….well….let’s just say that he knew about that upscale establishment because he used to recruit that area of Alabama for a University where he was a coach.

We laughed about that, and frankly I all but forgot about it. Until recently. A few weeks ago, the Flora-Bama had their 25th mullet toss. I stumbled across that information, and it reminded me of the lunch we had at Christmas, which reminded me of how important times like lunch and laughter and reminiscing are. Times not to be taken for granted.

Coach Jeff….thank you for the laughter, humor and memory of that lunch. This mullet’s for you.

WJLaneSR

Benny's Hole

What a disaster. I started my journey home for the holiday weekend this morning at 6:00 a.m. I should have known better. Memorial Day weekend is one of the worst times of the year to travel, and trying to get a flight out of LaGuardia on this particular Friday was, let’s say, horrendous.

My flight was delayed…..delayed…..overbooked…..and yes, I hit the lottery. Late this afternoon I found out that I would not be leaving today, but rather on the 6:00 a.m. flight TOMORROW (that’s Saturday for all my retired friends who don’t keep up with the days anymore).

Soooo….I decided to do some more work on my book. Yes, I am writing a book. An adventure you might say, that began about 13 months ago. I’m getting close to the end, with about 300 pages written. I’ll bet you didn’t know I could put together that many words. But….I decided to let the cat out of the bag today, and let you know about it. So today, instead of writing about Auburn football mingled with a little southern humor/wisdom, I’m going to give you a tease. Hey, I’m tooting my own horn, o.k.??!! It’s been a long day, and besides…it’s my blog.

So here it is….a bit from my first novel, a work in process, tentatively entitled “Benny’s Hole”.

“Why do they have to wiggle so much?” Ellis asked.

Of course, this was wasn’t the first question he had asked since they kicked off their shoes, rolled up their blue jeans and headed for the creek bank. Ellis was always asking questions. “Why do clouds look like rabbits? Do you think we’ll see a snake? Can I catch a mud puppy? How many worms do we have?”

Ellis was struggling with a night crawler that just didn’t want to cooperate. Every time he attempted to stick the golden barbed hook into the worm, he seemed to wiggle out of the way. “Hold still!” he screamed at the grayish brown crawler, as if the worm had ears and could understand a shrieking Alabama drawl.

Frankie laughed to himself. Watching the determination on Ellis’s face, which was contorted with his short pink tongue rigidly sticking through the gap where his front teeth were supposed to be, made Frankie think of his mother. Not that his mother didn’t have her front teeth. It was just reminiscent of the way she slid her wire framed glasses down her long straight nose, got really close to her sewing needle, and with determination pushed a thread through the eyelet. She always seemed to stick her tongue out in the process.

“Got him!” Ellis screamed. And indeed he had. The night crawler seemed to flip back and forth, dangling from the hook that now pierced its midsection. Ellis finally slew the dragon…..or at least hooked the worm.

It was a “rite of passage”. No longer will the other boys call him a baby. He conquered his fear of the sharp barbed metal and the worm it skewered. He had overcome the fright of the wiggly unknown. He had experienced that dramatic moment when a boy finally and successfully baits his own hook.

“Will it bite?” “Will it bleed?” “Will worm guts come flowing out like boiled okra?”

Ellis had passed the hurdle. “He’s growing up,” Frankie though to himself.

Being the ten year old big brother of little Ellis, Frankie believed it was his job to show Little Brother the ropes. That included fishing for bream in Benny’s Hole.

On lazy spring days; it was the place Frankie migrated to. Not just for the fishing, although on a good day it would offer up enough blue gills for a small fish fry, but also because of the big hickory tree that had grown close to the creek bank.

Blue Jays and Starlings and Woodpeckers alike enjoyed the tree. Not only for the nuts it bore, or the nests it held, but also for the insects that seemed to inhabit it. The shade provided an ideal spot for a young boy to daydream about life and fishing while listening to the repetitious sound of a red-headed woodpecker tapping a hole just above him.

A dream of how one day he was going to get out of here, and leave all this behind.

So, if you want to know more about Ellis and Frankie….well…..one day in the not to distant future, you’ll have to read the book.

Take care.

WJLaneSR

Walk On

A gallon of gas cost 50 cents. Interest rates were 16%. The teenagers were flocking to see “Blazing Saddles”. “Jaws” and “The Exorcist” had people squirming in their seats.
It was the year of the “Thrilla in Manila”. The top selling albums were “AWB – Average White Band”, “Physical Graffiti – Led Zeppelin”, and “Red Octopus – Jefferson Starship”.

And he graduated from Auburn University.

It was May, 1975.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree. He then went to the University of Montevallo and earned a Master of Arts degree.

He played for Shug Jordan. In fact, he walked-on in 1970. In 1971, Jordan gave him a full football scholarship. He excelled both on the field and off it.

And in 1975, he graduated.

He was a part of that magical, miraculous 1972 football team that earned the name “The Amazins”.

He was a writer for “The Plainsman” while at Auburn. His major was journalism.

And in 1975, he graduated with honors from Auburn University.

He wrote a book that came out last year entitled “Walk On”. It is an autobiographical journey that explores those historical times at Auburn from 1970 to 1975. In his words, “there was a cultural change that was going on, not only in football but in the whole of society….we were, I guess, vessels of that change.”

After leaving Auburn, he never really looked back. For you see, with all the joy he experienced being a part of “the Amazins”, there had been an awful lot of pain as well. He went away to California, as far from Auburn as one could get and still be in the continental United States.

He was invited, coaxed, and finally convinced to come back to Auburn for a reunion in 2002. It was the thirty year reunion of “the Amazins”. Although he had severe reservations, he came back for the gathering. And it was there that he faced the demons that haunted him.

There he was. That old teammate who taunted him every day. Every single solitary day. Taunted him with the most vile racial slurs one could use. And said them with venom. Told him he was worthless. That he was less than human. Words that hurt and hurt deeply. Words you don't just "get over".

His adversary, that old teammate, the one who brought back haunting memories of hatred and racism, walked over to him. He didn’t say a word. He just hugged him. Hard. More than just a greeting hug. A real hug. A man-hug. A hug with tears in his eyes.

“We didn’t say anything. We just hugged. And it wasn’t one of those little hugs. And that was all we had to do. It’s 30 years later, and world really has changed. Even at Auburn.”

That reunion was the prod that Thomas Gossom needed to write his book. The book that came out in the fall of 2008. And Gossom is giving all of the proceeds of the book sale to the Auburn University Scholarship Endowment Fund.

You see, Thomas Gossom, or Thom Gossom as he is now known, was the first African
-American athlete to graduate from Auburn University. It was 34 years ago this month.

And although he has gone on to be a very successful actor on HBO and the big screen, an award winning writer and producer, and a corporate executive with BellSouth, it was the reunion that changed him.

And now, instead of walking away from Auburn with hurt and pain, he is walking on at Auburn again, to challenge and educate and motivate a new generation of students….of all color, race and creed.

And his challenge to all of us, in whatever we do, is…..Walk On.

WJLaneSR

A Dark Night

Maybe I’m not the batman enthusiast I thought I was. I haven’t seen “The Dark Knight”. I have no interest in seeing Heath Ledger as “the Joker”.

Mind you, when I was little, I religiously watched Adam West as “Batman”, and Burt Ward as “The Boy Wonder” fighting crime and contending with the villains of Gotham City. Of course there was “Alfred”, the loyal butler. Commissioner Gordon and Chief O’Hara were always found in the police commissioner’s office. But I think my favorite character was Burgess Meredith as “the Penguin”. I also loved the way each show would end with the narrator articulating a cliffhanger tag about next week’s villain with the words “Watch the next episode!”……

Although I have no interest in seeing Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of the caped crusader, I am in the minority. Heath Ledger won an Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor in the movie, and it is one of the top 15 moneymakers of all movies. The age group that this movie appeals to the most, and who have spent the most money viewing it, are the 17-23 year olds.

Maybe that explains Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Since 9-11-01, there has been a parade of yellow jacketed security encircling the playing field at Jordan-Hare, with the stadium announcer proclaiming with about 7 minutes left in any given football game: “For your safety and security, please stay off the playing field following today’s game. All exits at Jordan-Hare Stadium are now open.”

The yellow garbed security are poised and ready to arrest, tackle, or even hose if necessary, any violator of the “stay off the field” rule.

But let’s be honest. What Auburn student doesn’t want to run out onto the field, have a little fun with their friends, and celebrate?

Evidently, Auburn listened.

The week before graduation, on a clear, dark Saturday night, the “War Eagle!” and “Eye of the Tiger” and “Living on a Prayer” that is normally rocking the concrete and steel of Jordan-Hare Stadium was replaced with the thundering sound effects of “The Dark Knight”. Yes, Batman came to Pat Dye Field at 10:00 p.m. that evening.

Over 2000 students brought quilts their grandma’s had made, blankets they had purchased at WalMart or J&M, picnic baskets full of less than healthy munchies, and spread out all over the playing field. It was movie night at Jordan-Hare.

The Black Knight was shown in high definition on the jumbo-tron, and Pat Dye Field turned into Auburn’s 2009 version of a Drive-In Theater, without any cars.

Aubie showed up and drove a mini “bat-mobile” from the player’s tunnel, with smoke and background music like it was a Saturday in October….only this time playing the historical “Batman Music”. He was adorned with a mask and cape, and pictures were made with the caped Tiger-Crusader.

One nursing student was quoted as saying she came because she wanted to see the movie, and because she had never been on the playing field at Jordan Hare…..and who knows if or when that opportunity might happen again.

O.K., I’ll be honest. If I had the opportunity to sit on the fifty yard line to watch “The Dark Knight”, I probably would have been there too.

I do wonder, though…..just how dark was that night at Jordan Hare Stadium?

WJLaneSR

The Big Orange Mouth

He’s perhaps the greatest storyteller of all time. An author of adventures seemingly written for youth, but saturated with adult irony, symbolism and sitz en lieben. I have a copy of one of his volumes in my office, and from time to time, peruse it for humor and wisdom.

Perhaps Lane Kiffin should have taken his advice. Lest you don’t know Coach Lane (no relation to any family member of mine, by the way), he is the new Head Football Volunteer for the University of Tennessee.

It seems that this past week, assistant Vol Coach Eddie Gran was booted off Pahokee Florida High School’s property because of something Lane Kiffin said back in February. Gran was coming to the school to present a scholarship offer to junior Antonio Ford, but Principal Ariel Alejo said “no one from Tennessee is allowed on school grounds until Coach Kiffen comes to Pahokee and publicly apologizes for what he said.” And he told Coach Gran to leave the property....immediately.

Wow! What did Kiffin do that so upset the Pahokee school administration?

It seems it all had to do with one Nu’Keese Richardson, who was a student at Pahokee and signed a scholarship with Tennessee. The day after he signed, Kiffin accused Florida coach Urban Meyer of cheating and said he could not trust officials at Pahokee High with handling Richardson's paperwork. "Someone at the school was going to screw it up," Kiffin said Feb. 5. "The fax machine wouldn't work, or they would have changed the signatures - all the things that go on in Pahokee." Kiffin went on to say, "For those of you who haven't been to Pahokee, there ain't much going on. You take that hour drive up from South Florida, there ain't a gas station that works. Nobody's got enough money to even have shoes or a shirt on."

As it turns out, Urban Meyer not only did NOT cheat (at least in the recruiting of Richardson)….the rule Kiffin accused Meyer of breaking does not even exist.

Philip Marshall, senior writer for Auburn Undercover says, “Lane Kiffin has proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.”

Yes, Coach Kiffin should read one of the greatest authors of all time, and heed his advice.

That advice?

“It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.”

Of course, this is a quote from the great Mark Twain. I have these words written on a piece of paper that serves as a bookmark in my copy of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. The volume has a prominent place in my office.

Coach Kiffin, Mark Twain would tell you, “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”


WJLaneSR

An Autumn to Remember

October 1. The first crisp breeze of fall was in the air. It was football season, and for the southeastern United States, that meant Saturday pilgrimages to hallowed structures of iron, concrete and steel….with chorusing shouts and hallelujiahs.

It was Tuesday. I was still reeling from the 30-21 thumping that Tennessee had given the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, this a week after beating the Texas Longhorns 14-10.

We were living in rural South Georgia, and there was nothing else on television.

I remotely clicked it over to the Super Station. After all, it was the last week of the regular season.

It was late in the game. Jose Rijo was pitching. I don’t remember what inning it was, but the Reds were up 6-0. I thought to myself that I would just watch until it was over. After all, they had given it a good run.

Slowly, the Braves rallied.

It was reported in the Greenville, South Carolina newspaper that a local physician was watching the game as well.

David Justice came to the plate. I sat up on the edge of my seat, because there were two outs in the ninth inning. The Bravos were behind 6-5 with a runner on base. I don’t remember who it was.

The good doctor, so it was reported, was also sitting on the edge of his seat.

Reds reliever Ron Dibble got the sign. Fastball. Low and away. Justice can’t hold back on them, and he can’t hit them.

Skip Caray, the longtime Braves announcer who has now gone on to his reward in heaven, was announcing the game on the Super Station. Not too much verbiage. Only just enough.

He said, “Dibble winds and deals…..long fly ball…..”

The police were called to the physician’s house, according to paper. His wife thought someone was breaking in, and she dialed 911. It seems that when David Justice hit the Ron Dibble fastball that was low and INSIDE…not outside….he screamed at the top of his lungs, “Get Out!!! Get Out!!! Get Out!!!”

Fortunately, the two officers who arrived at his house with their blue lights flashing were Braves fans as well….after all, Atlanta’s “AA” farm team was located in Greenville at that time.

I am sure I was screaming also.
Caray continued “From Worst…to First! Listen to this crowd!!! Gotta borrow this one from you, Dad, ‘Holy Cow!’ After a David Justice home run in the 9th with the Braves down 6-5 and coming from the cellar with less than ten games to go in the season!!!”

I don’t believe I have ever experienced as much excitement about Baseball as I did that fall. Maybe it was because the Braves were all but written off. Maybe because it was all so unexpected.

I remember I stayed up late that night. I was riveted. I couldn’t sleep. All I could do was stare at CNN Headline News waiting for the west coast scores. “Twenty after the hour and Ten of” was when they would show the scores back then.

It was a bicoastal, late night pennent race, and it kept me, and many more like me, up until the wee hours of the morning….1:50 a.m…..ten of 2:00 a.m…..when the score came in. The Braves had done it.

It captivated the entire Southeast in the autumn of 1991.

Yes, it was the best of times…..it was the worst to first of times.

WJLaneSR

Talking Baseball....Baseball and the Braves...

I admit, most of my blogging centers around one particular college football team, with a little southern humor and perhaps a life lesson threaded through the less than Queen’s English vocabulary. But today will be different.

Not that I won’t be thinking about the Tiger Prowl, or summer workouts. In fact, I could write about spending some time with a friend who used to play against Auburn, or an acquaintance I made with a person who’s father coached against them. But I’m not doing any of that.

Rather, I am going to be nostalgic. Baseball nostalgic.

I watched the Braves last night….trying so desperately hard to keep from getting swept by the Mets. Making a run in the bottom of the ninth after a typical Mets error….bringing Chipper Jones up to bat with the winning run on base. Oh, for the good old days…..but alas….Chipper isn’t quite the Chipper of his youth, and a long fly ball out ended the game. They looked like the Braves of old…..if you’re as old as me. The Braves BEFORE the streak…the wins…the World Series.

I remember when we used to go to old Fulton County Stadium and buy cheap tickets, then walk down close to the field because you and 1847 other people were the only ones there.

The year was 1979. A bumper sticker was floating around that said, “Go Braves…and take the Falcons with you!”

Ah, the good old days. Thirty years ago.

Do you remember the Braves roster in 1979? Let me jog your memory. The Braves opened the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Starting pitcher for the Dodgers…none other than Terry Forster. When asked what he thought about the opening game against the Braves, he said, “Just look at him (Dale Murphy) over there. Doesn’t drink. Doesn’t smoke. Doesn’t take greenies. Nicest guy you’d ever want to meet. Hits the hell out of the ball, hustles like crazy, plays a great centerfield and isn’t trying to get anything from anybody. Doesn’t he just make you sick?!?”

Of course, in 1979 the Braves were still trying to determine if Murphy should be a catcher, first baseman, outfielder, or bench warmer.

And Murph’s teammates? Behind the plate were Bruce Benedict and Biff Pocaroba. In the outfield was Barry Bonnell, Jeff Burroughs, Gary Matthews, and subbing were Rowland Office and Brian Asselstine.

Infield was Jerry Royster, Glen Hubbard, Bob Horner and Darryl Chaney.

The pitchers that year included Phil Niekro, Larry McWilliams, Rick Mahler, Rick Matula, Eddie Solomon, Preston Hanna, Gene Garber, Tony Brizzolara, and Tommy Boggs.
The Braves were playing in the NL West back then, and the Big Red Machine won that division. The Braves? Dead last. 66 wins and 94 losses.

This was the year that Buzz Capra was released by the Braves.
This was the year that Dave Campbell was traded to Montreal for Pepe Friaz.

Fortunately, a little help was coming. Brett Butler was drafted in June, 1979, along with Brooke Jacoby and Paul Runge.

Last night I thought about how bad those Braves were in 1979. It felt a little bit like Déjà vu, as I watched the Braves of 2009.

Oh, yeah….one other thing. The Manager of the Braves in 1979? Bobby Cox.

WJLaneSR