Category Archives: sports

Sports

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University of Tennessee footballEven though my husband and I haven’t actually lived there for years, we still consider nearby Tennessee home. It’s where we grew up, it’s where we graduated from college, it’s where our daughters were born, it’s where family and friends are, it’s where we head back to whenever we can. And although I am not especially a University of Tennessee fan, I don’t wish them any particular ill will — we are not UT haters. That being said, when three of your football players get arrested for armed robbery, seems to me that drastic and immediate action is called for. Wouldn’t you think? However, hours after the arrest, UT is still “reviewing” the case. And I know that people who get arrested get due process and a presumption of innocence, but such a namby-pamby delay smacks of “let’s first figure out how badly the loss of these players will affect our football chances before we do anything drastic.” C’mon, people! Guns? Robbery? Hello??? Outta there. Immediately. That’s my .02, anyway. In his sports-editor blog at the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, http://nems360.com/blog/3079620, my husband says it much better. Okay, I feel calmer now. Thank you for listening to me rant and rave. And if it turns out that the football players in question were safe and sound in their dorm rooms studying for finals instead of pulling guns and demanding money on convenience-store customers, I will apologize. Promise. In the meantime, help me solve another mystery — The Case of the Missing Bottle Opener — in my weekly newspaper column at http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20091113/ARTICLES/911135000. No ranting there.

Travel

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Interstate traffic jamOkay, here’s a Friday puzzle for you. Let’s see how well Travely’all know Southern geography. Recently I was headed to … well, a Southern city  … on … well, a Southern interstate … when a wreck stopped traffic completely for about 40 minutes. In true Southern fashion, of course, the delay turned into a party as folks got out of their cars to wander around and share conversation, Diet Mountain Dew and homemade chocolate-chip cookies. Luckily, while this particular interstate is the main football-game route on home weekends, both Alabama teams were away on this day so there were no fuming irate fans trying to circumvent the miles of parked cars. Believe me, you do not want to get between an SEC fan and kick-off. Finally — in the middle of a fascinating story from the guy next to me about how his ex-girlfriend’s cousin’s boss might possibly know my daughter’s friend’s mother-in-law — we started moving and I finally got to where I was going. See if you can identify the city — there’s a huge clue in the photo (click to enlarge) — and the interstate. Your prize? Only the satisfaction of being well-traveled, Southern-wise. And, really, isn’t that reward enough?

Tupelo, Mississippi

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Ole MissI love Tupelo, Mississippi. It’s a small Southern town with Mississippi Statebig-city shopping and restaurants, a town that honors the best of its past while heading confidently toward its future — and a town where tolerance is celebrated and fairness is expected and you can even say you’re a Tennessee fan if you do it quietly and respectfully. And unlike the adjacent state of Alabama, where Tupelo, Mississippieveryone is expected to declare for Alabama or Auburn immediately upon birth and there are businesses that Alabama fans will not frequent because of War Eagle allegiance and vice versa, the Ole Miss v. Mississippi State rivalry is somewhat more civilized — especially in neutral ground such as Tupelo. For example, check out the local Cracker Barrel, where neighboring rivals Ole Miss, in nearby Oxford, and Mississippi State, in Starkville, get equal billing in souvenir sales. Although, if you look closely, it does seem as if Mississippi State has a bit of advantage in terms of display footage. Makes me wonder where the store manager went to school. And in further evidence of Tupelo’s open-door reputation, I spotted this hair-salon sign (click to enlarge) — and, uncharacteristically, I have nothing to add. Just … nope. Nothing.

Football and TV

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It’s perfect football weather this weekend here down South — clear, cool and not too hot or too cold. And is this only a Southern thing, or are “game day dresses” trending everywhere? I mean, folks have always dressed up for football games here in Alabama — you either do that or you wear your team colors from head to toe — but this year I’ve noticed ads and even specific sections in stores devoted to “Game Day Dresses”  — pretty sundresses and other casual-dressy outfits, usually but not necessarily in team colors. Just wondering if that’s something you see only in places where the word “tea” means a tall glass of sweet icy deliciousness.

Besides keeping up with football, I’ve been trying to keep up with TV this season. I’ve never ever had so many shows I’m trying to watch. It’s extremely exhausting to stay current with all the action and I’ve already fallen behind. I did find enough time to write about it in my weekly newspaper column, http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20091002/ARTICLES/910025004, although, as my husband pointed out, I didn’t have the guts to admit to the one show he can’t believe I watch: Toddlers and Tiaras. I know, I know. It’s horrifying, but I can’t look away.

Sports

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 University of Alabama at Birmingham marching bandAs the calendar gets ready to flip over to September, these are exciting days in Alabama. Why, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you — and you know that if you have to ask, you obviously don’t live in Alabama. Because … it’s Football Eve! Finally, after weeks — months? — of anticipation and planning and hard work and sweat and tears, football is here again. Tonight there are a few high school games, with the bulk of the high-school season openers on Friday night. The University of North Alabama, our hometown college that’s always a powerhouse, plays its first game on Saturday, and then next weekend we get down to business as Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and others show us what they’ve got. All across the state, everybody’s busy checking supplies of school T-shirts, pom-poms, shakers, grills, BBQ and coolers. And of course, just because the season’s starting doesn’t mean that practice time is over. There are still hours ahead of drills and run-throughs under the steamy summer sun as frustrated cries of “Left! Left! You’re supposed to turn left there!” and “Didn’t you see Clint there on the 50-yard line? How could you run over him?” ring out across the practice field. But it’s all worth it on Game Day, as the lights pop on and the crowds gather and the fans follow your every move — roaring approval and rising to their feet in wildly enthusiastic applause for a job well done.

Yup — I love marching band season. Why? What did you think I was talking about???