Thursday, October 28, 2010

Spooky

Maybe it is all the Halloween hoopla. When we arrived safely home from witnessing the “Taming of the Bengals” down on the Plains, Trunk ‘r Treat awaited us. Little goblins and ghosts, ninjas and pumpkins, and even “Thing 1 and Thing 2” paraded by our trunk.

Trick or Treat week had begun.

Now I don’t consider myself particularly superstitious, but I did find it a bit ironic that following the commencement of Halloween Week, the BCS weekly poll was announced with Auburn ranked #1. My son was thrilled, and immediately wanted to call his Granddaddy. We then called our daughter, who is in chiropractic school in Oregon to inform her that her alma mater had jumped the Waddling Ducks in the BCS poll. She was thrilled. She even sent me a copy of the Oregonean Paper stating that Auburn had stolen Oregon's thunder.

I began to ponder, contemplate, reflect, chew over, mull over, deliberate and think about what I would write. I read the newspapers, the fan internet boards and perused a magazine or two. I listened to the pundits on ESPN, Sports Sound-off, and others. I thought to myself, “What else can be said about Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers?” And besides, I didn’t want to jinx things. (O.K., so maybe I AM a little superstitious.) And yet, what better week to write in one’s blog that revolves around Auburn Football than this week? But I just haven’t been able to get my mind around what to write.

Ernest Hemingway’s words haunted me: “Writing is easy; you just sit at the typewriter and bleed.”

It is now Thursday morning, and I find myself sitting in the Delta Sky Club on the mezzanine level in the San Francisco International Airport. My flight to Atlanta has been delayed for two hours (no reason given) and the comments make me realize, “Auburn is relevant again.”

These comments stem from the fact that not only the expert analysts who write and speak college football for a living have Cam and the Tigers on their minds, lay people do as well. I am wearing an Auburn shirt, and have had several people remark how well Auburn is doing, and how Cam Newton is “the real deal”. What is most fascinating is that this is coming from people in PAC-10 country.

Last night, while sitting at the hotel bar watching the Giants make Texas Toast out of the Rangers in Game 1 of the World Series, one of the locals struck up a conversation with me. He was a Stanford fan, a PAC-10 fan, and felt as if his Cardinal(s) could hold their own with Auburn. He did admit that Cam Newton was something special, and he thought Cam would win the Heisman this year. He went on to say, “What was that guy’s name from Alabama who won the Heisman last year? Is he still playing, or did he go pro?”

Wow.

How quickly people forget or just move on. That which was relevant yesterday is irrelevant today. And that which was irrelevant yesterday is relevant today. Back in my part of the world, the Tide fans think no one will EVER forget Ingram’s name. Here in the Bay area, however, they know about Cam Newton, but couldn’t remember Mark Ingram.

I think the best thing about Auburn being ranked #1, with a front runner for the Heisman Trophy, is that it has put Auburn back on the map. It has made the Tigers relevant again. People all across the country are talking about them, writing about them and know who they are. The Crimson Tide is yesterday’s news. And there is nothing the cross-state rivals can do about that.

Spooky, isn’t it.

Monday, October 18, 2010

"Jambalaya, Craw Fish Pie, File' Gumbo"

What an exhausting game. After it was over, I felt as though I had sprinted down Pat Dye Field. (That would be a site for sore eyes!) My neck hurt from looking to the left as Cam ran down the field, then looking to the right as an Arkansas pass soared the other way.

I’ve never seen so much scoring in a football game during regulation.

Heck, Jeff Lebo's basketball teams never scored 65 points.

A few rows over from us, two Arkansans had removed their shoes, but it was no use. Not enough fingers and toes to count that high.

At the end of the day, 65-43 would make all the highlights, Cam Newton would be solidified as the front-runner for the Heisman, and Auburn would find itself ranked #4 in the first BCS poll. All this with a suspect-at-best defense.

And now we turn to my favorite food.

Louisiana creole cuisine is a unique style of cooking that originated in and around the bayous of the Mississippi River delta region. New Orleans became the city known for all things creole.

The holy trinity of Creole cuisine is chopped celery, bell pepper and onions. The two most famous Creole dishes are Gumbo and Jambalaya.

Gumbo is really a stew with whatever meat is available. In the bayou region of Louisiana, that would be shrimp, crab, oysters, crawfish, chicken and/or sausage. The stew often contains file’, which is nothing more than ground sassafras. It always has a roux base (thickening with fat and flour), and it isn’t true gumbo without okra. Why the okra? Because the name of the stew comes from the African word “gombo”, which means okra.

Jambalaya combines ham with sausage, rice and tomatoes. There is red jambalaya and brown jambalaya. The red jambalaya is native to New Orleans, and the color comes from a combination of tomato paste and shrimp stock. Brown jambalaya comes from rural Cajun areas, and gets its color from “tasso”; pork shoulder that hangs in the smokehouse.

Add to that a little "Bam! Kick it up a notch! Whooobaaa!" (meaning some Louisiana hot sauce for you non-creole connoisseurs) and it doesn’t get much better.

The Creoles are visiting the Plains this weekend, bringing their palate for wild things with them.

Gumbo, voodoo dolls, rougarou…all led by a carpet bagging mad hatter.

Les Miles coaches as if he’s been drinking Hank William's favorite from a big fruit jar while cooking up LSU’s football version of jambalaya, craw fish pie and file’ gumbo.

Auburn will have to bring their “A” game to beat LSU. The offense will need to eliminate the mistakes (holding penalties, fumbles and end of the half time management), and the defense will have to….well….kick it up a notch!

If they do, Auburn could be sitting at 8-0 after tangling with the Bayou Bengals.

If not, the Creoles will emerge undefeated.

I'm picking Auburn by a slim 3 points. Maybe that's going out on a limb, I don't know.

One thing is for certain, however. On Saturday afternoon, the northeast corner of Jordan-Hare will definately smell like corn dogs.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Killing hogs

My granddaddy raised hogs.

I still remember the last hogs he raised. I was maybe 12 years old. He let me name one of them, and I named him Tobey.

My mother still talks about how he raised and slaughtered hogs. She tells how, when it came to hog-killing time, my grandfather (actually my great-grandfather, but I knew him as my grandfather), after a hog had been killed and gutted, would immediately send the liver to the house. That delicacy would have his name on it, and would be eaten for supper after a long, hard day of slaughtering hogs.

Hogs were the prime source of meat for most families in the rural south, especially during the depression. There were a couple of reasons for this. Number one, it didn’t take a lot of land or resources to raise hogs. All that was needed was a place for a pen, some water for drinking and mud wallowing, and slop. Pig pens could be found anywhere, using most anything to keep the pig penned up; plywood, tin, fencing wire, barbed wire, whatever was available. Slop would be, well, slop. Grandaddy had a can on the back porch that "parts and leftovers" would be put in, and then carried down to the pigpen and tossed into the trough.

The second reason was even more important. There was almost no part of the hog that couldn’t be used….with the exception of the squeal. Every part of the hog had a food-use...the head, the meat, the guts, the feet, and yes, even the tail. Chitterlings, souse meat, scrapple, jowls, tounge, brain, ears, fat, and even the snout (sometimes called the "rooter") would be saved and eaten. One of my favorite "other parts of the hog" are the "cracklin's", that hard residue left in the bottom of the cast iron pot after the lard has been boiled all day and then poured into containers to harden. I love the cracklin's cooked into cornbread.

Nothing from the hog would be wasted.

My granddaddy used to say, on the first cold day of fall, that it was “cold enough to kill hogs!” That day was usually mid-October.

Come to think of it, October IS a good month for hog killing.

The way to kill hogs back then was to hit them in the head with the back of an axe or sledge hammer, or shoot them in the back of the head or between the eyes. As soon as the hog was knocked down or shot, a farmer who knew what he was doing would take a very sharp knife and pierce the jugular vein. This was called, “stickin’ him right in the goozle.”
The hog would then be scalded, scraped, cleaned, cut up, chopped, ground, cured, and smoked.

When the day was done, and the hog(s) had been slaughtered and dressed, there was always a celebration of sorts. It was a great day. Another autumn had come and there would be meat for the winter. The smokehouse was full again. All was right in the farmers world.

Saturday will be a good day to kill hogs. They will have to be hit hard and brought to their knees. There can be no mercy with the blood-letting. Auburn needs to hit them "right in the goozle".

Mid October. A touch of fall in the air. Hog killing time.

It won’t be easy, but killing hogs never is. It’s a messy job and a long day of hard work.

But the result will be worth it. Another win in the smokehouse. More meat to chew on. And at the end of the day, nothing left of the hogs except, maybe, a squeal or two.

Beat Arkansas.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Wilmore, Wesley and a Wild Turkey Win

We drove to Wilmore, Kentucky on Friday. Wilmore is the home to Asbury University (formerly Asbury College), and Asbury Theological Seminary. It is also home to some very dear friends. Bobby is a theological student in his final semester of seminary at Asbury, Phoebe, his wife, works in the Theological Seminary administrative office, and Tim is the president of Asbury Theological Seminary.

Julie, Will and I had a great visit and dinner with Bobby, Phoebe and their twin girls. Tim was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, preaching.

The purpose of our visit was two-fold. First, it allowed Julie a full weekend visit with Bobby and Phoebe, and second, it allowed Will and me to attend the Auburn-Kentucky football game.

While walking around the seminary, another couple drove up wearing burnt orange shirts very similar to the one I was wearing. They looked at us, smiled, and said “War Eagle!” Needless to say, this caused the statue of John Wesley, only a few feet away from us, to smile. The father of Methodism was holding his right hand up as though he wanted someone to put an orange and blue shaker in it.

Immediately I thought to myself, Notre Dame might have touchdown Jesus, but Asbury has “War Eagle Wesley!”

Our son was wearing an orange and blue striped Auburn toboggan. I’m sure he heard Wesley’s Auburn cry as well, for he stepped up to the statue and put the toboggan on Brother Wesley’s head. Old John was ready to go to the ballgame with us!

After walking around the campus, we decided to drive back toward Lexington to a restaurant. What should be parked out beside the Asbury campus? An R.V. with a big “War Eagle” across the side. Seeing Asbury dotted with Auburn orange and blue….along with my strong Wesleyan leanings……made me want to….well…shout "War Wesley Eagle!"

Will and I parked and tailgated with a large number of Auburn faithful who had made the pilgrimage to Kentucky. We met fans from Cullman, Opelika, Birmingham, Huntsville….I kept looking for the short man from Epworth, but I guess the head of the Methodist Movement decided not to attend the ballgame after all. Maybe he had a preaching engagement back in Wilmore. Go War Eagle Wesley!

We discovered something while tailgating. There isn’t a hamburger, chicken or taco joint within a couple of miles of the stadium. Being in Kentucky, I was certain that the Colonel would be on every corner….but NOOOO….not in Lexington. Will and I found a convenience store and purchased some 7-11 tuna sandwiches, a nuke-a-burger, and two slices of fake lemon cake.

I must admit however, prefab sandwiches taste really good while watching a bunch of chickens make the Tide roll away.

As for the tangle of two different cats….well, Auburn sure likes to make things interesting, don’t they.

Three of Kentucky’s finest were sitting beside us at the ballgame, and together they drained 750 ml of Wild Turkey. How they got the bottle into the stadium is still a mystery, but by the time Auburn got the ball with just over seven minutes to play, the amber liquid had taken its toll.
When I was in school, I learned that liquid could be changed into gas (steam), and it could be changed into solid (frozen). But what I was never taught was that liquid could be changed into language.

The now drunk Lexingtonians began cursing Cam Newton and the Auburn drive with every touch of the ball. And even though I was born in Alabama and didn’t fall off the tunip truck last night, they were using some words that even I hadn’t heard before. Must have been some sort of wild turkey call. Or maybe a wildcat’s whine when he’s cornered with no way out. Whatever it was, I told my 14 year old son to cover his ears.

I must say, though, that though they cursed with more gusto that a sailro, they had more faith in Auburn than I did.

They were certain that Auburn was going to drain the clock, drive the ball down the field, and kick the winning field goal with no time left on the clock. Maybe Wild Turkey makes one see visions of the future….I don’t know.

But every Wildcat fan around us predicted what would happen. And they did it with such colorful language that the October leaves were given a run for their money.

As for me, I kept waiting for a holding penalty.
Or an illegal motion.
Or a fumble.

But my well liquored neighbors sitting to my right had seen the vision. They had predicted the future. They had cursed their own Cat blue.

And in the end……they were right……right down to the last drop.

And as they quietly grumbled to themselves as they left the stadium, I looked up and thought to myself...."my heart is strangely warmed”.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Defense and Field Goals

One week earlier they were outmanned, outplayed and embarrassed. The Tom Osborne led Nebraska Cornhuskers took them to the woodshed, picked up a piece of split cordwood and put a whipping on them that was demoralizing and deflating. The visiting Huskers thrashed the Auburn Tigers 41-7 in front of a sellout crowd and national television audience, and the game wasn’t even that close.

Afterwards, Coach Pat Dye challenged the defense to pick themselves up and look in the mirror and have some Tiger Pride. There was an SEC game only 7 days away. Coach Wayne Hall and the rest of the defensive staff put the Tigers through torment and anguish that week. “Get Tough!” was the mantle.

The following Saturday, October 9, 1982 the defense was strong, hard hitting and tough, giving up only 72 yards rushing for the day. On the very first play, the Auburn defense dropped the Wildcats for a 4 yard loss, and that set the tone. The Kentucky Wildcats got inside the Auburn 20 yard line only once. A 51 yard pass from Randy Jenkins to Alan Watson with 35 seconds left to play, the Wildcats found themselves on the Auburn 10 yard line. On the very next play, Dennis Collier intercepted the ball for the Tigers. The defense didn’t give up a touchdown that day.

It was a good thing that the defense stood tall, because the offense, led by Bo Jackson and Randy Campbell, couldn’t put the ball in the endzone.

It became a day for the place kicker.

Through the first 4 games of the season, Al Del Greco was one of five in field goal attempts. In fact, Coach Dye considered benching Del Greco for another place kicker. Prior to the Kentucky game, Del Greco was quoted as saying “I read that if I missed one more attempt, they were going to find someone else.”

Al Del Greco set a Southeastern Conference record against the Kentucky Wildcats that day. He kicked six field goals in one game, which accounted for all of Auburn’s 18 points. In fact, had a 39 yarder not been 2 feet wide left, he would have had seven.

Up until that point, George Portela held the Auburn record with 5 set in 1977.

With successful kicks of 22, 28, 26, 23, 39 and 38 yards, Al Del Greco wrote his name in the record book.

After the Kentucky game, he said, “I just wanted one more opportunity. Maybe now, everybody will believe in me.”

Auburn won the game 18-3, giving them a 4-1 mark, while the Kentucky Wildcats went to 0-4-1.

The Tigers finish the season 9-3 that year. They would celebrate a tremendous victory in the Iron Bowl. The win would end the Tide’s Iron Bowl win streak at 9. “Bo over the top” would be Bear Bryant’s last game against Auburn. The Tigers would go on to defeat Doug Flutie and the Boston College Eagles in the Tangerine Bowl that year.

But those memorable feats would occur later that season. On this day, it was Al Del Greco who was the MVP.

Twenty-Eight years to the day from this Saturday, when the Auburn Tigers once again tangle with the Kentucky Wildcats.