Don't act like y'all don't know where we be neither.



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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Go State! Go State! Part II

It gets dark in Mississippi. Pitch black dark.

The State's nearly the size of England with a population of less than 3 Million... most being congregated in three spots. Jackson in the middle, Southaven/Olive Branch (this is the Mississippi part of Memphis) in the north and The Coast.

If you got yer map out, and shame on you if you don't, you'll notice that Louisville (sanely Anglosized as Lewisville in this state) and Carthage are not among these population centers...and between those two there is nothing more powerful than a reflector on a mail box to illuminate the night...and those need headlights to work.

There are the headlights...and the black top, yellow and white strips racing at the car out of the dark. With nothing on the periphery but darkness...it's hard to tell whether it's the car or the road that's moving at an 80 mile an hour clip.

Saturday night, just as I turned south on 25, passing Louisville, turning into the dark...the Highway 61 Project at Ole Miss unleashed Junior Kimbrough on the night.





That's Junior at his friend and acolyte Charlie Feathers' house...both from the Holy Springs area, Feathers said music began and ended with Junior Kimbrough. Who'd argue with that in the middle of the night?






Gives me goose bumps every time I hear it...

That's Mississippi.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

The Old Ball Coach - South Carolina

This is probably the toughest game on the Schedule to deal with.

After the 2001 season, Steve Spurrier...resigned as head coach of the Florida Gators to peruse a coaching job in the National Football League. Spurrier wasn't just any coach. He had been a quarterback at Florida and until 1996, the only Gator to win the Hiesman Trophy. He was hired on the last day of 1989 to coach his alma mater and spent the next 11 years revolutionizing the SEC and turning Florida into a force of nature. He is the Greatest Gator of Them All.

Florida had never won an SEC Title when Spurrier took over*...he won six in 11 years. In 1996 he lead the team to it's first ever National Championship. They've never looked. Bear Bryant referred to Florida as a sleeping giant...it was Spurrier that woke Em up.

He was a phenomenon...people loved him and loved to hate him.

1995_11_20_STEVE_SPURRIER_LARGE

Darth Visor, Steve Superior and wryly The Ole Ball..."I'm just an ole ball coach." He wasn't the lovable grandfatherly figure that eats ice cream with fans, who's touted for doing things "the right way," while enabling child molesters...but, he ran a clean program and he was a winner.

"They can call us sore winners...call me arrogant, a crybaby. Whatever...they're not callin' us losers any more."

The day he left was devastating...but nobody had a cross word to say about him. When he took over the Washington Redskins...we all became Redskin fans. It didn't help though. His tenure in Washington was a failure.

When he left the Skins there was hope that he would back as coach of the Gators. His replacement was fired that same year. Probably for the best, it didn't happen. Florida hired Urban Meyer and Spurrier, with a promise of membership at Augusta National, took over at South Carolina.

Now every year he coaches against the team that he still calls his own. Half the time when he asked about the Gators he refers to them as "we" and "us." Not today. Today he's the opposing coach...he's gotta be beaten but, it's not easy to watch or root for.

*At least officially...though Daddy still keeps a Pepsi-cola bottle on his shelf that say's otherwise.

Florida 3 - South Carolina 7

Florida 3 - South Carolina 14

South Carolina had never won anything before Steve Spurrier. Last year they won the East and played in the SEC Championship game...they were favored this year to win the East again. It's not lookin' good for the Gators.



For our, newest reader'....Spurrier's finest moment in The Swamp. The year before, 1996, the Gator's beatened the Seminoles in the National Championship's game. In 1997 the Seminoles came to Gainesville undefeated. All they had to do was beat the underdog's Gators...and they were headed to the National Championship's game again.



It was my last night in Germany and I broke danced on my buddy's floor.

Florida 6 - South Carolina 14

Gators are moving the ball.

Florida 12 (they scored a touchdown...failed on the two point conversion) - South Carolina 17 (field goal)

Y'all are gonna be on your own for the rest of the game...I gotta get goin'.

Hold on. There's only a minute forty seconds to go. I can wait for that. South Carolina's got the ball at mid field and they just picked up a first down. Florida's got to somehow get the ball back.

48 seconds left...SC is punting.

SACK...ball game.

Florida 12 - South Carolina 17

He should have left Brisset in.

If Georgia loses to Auburn tonight...South Carolina goes to Atlanta.

Friday, November 11, 2011

The Bar Has Been Raised.

We have the best readers on the internets.

You don't believe me? Read the comments here, go to the blogs of these people...you'll see. They're all well above average intelligence, excellent writers and funny. They make this blog. We log on every day in hopes of a comment here or even better a new post on their own blogs. We love them all but...

Today we love one of them slightly more than the rest...one of you has moved into first place among equals. Shockingly it is not one of our regular contributors, she doesn't even have a blog of her own...she is a regular lurker. Worse still...she one of those lurkers. The one's that either contact me directly about the blog or passes on comments through third parties like Martha.

How is it that a non-contributing, passive reader of the blog, has reached this lofty status with us here at Flimsy Cups?

She gave me a ticket to the Mississippi State/Alabama game this weekend.

That's how easy I am.

Thank you Ms. Quick.

Pictures from last years Mississippi State/Georgia game...also, courtesy of Ms. Quick.

IMGP3654

MSUUGA3

IMGP3681

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

This Is Penn State!

We gotta take a break here for a minute and talk about an utter disgrace.

Joe Paterno is a disgrace, the Penn State football Program is a disgrace, Penn State University is a disgrace.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about here's a link...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/09/penn-state-joe-paterno-jerry-sandusky

I really don't like to get into this sorta stuff here...one, what a drag. Two, the response to such things, you would think, is obvious. I don't see the point in announcing to the Internet that I too am against rape, murder, etc...but, evidently the response in this case is not obvious to the people at Penn State.

Today it has been announced that Paterno has decided he will retire at the end of the year. The end of the year???

They cannot let this moral bafoon decide when and how he goes out???

They are still trying to protect him and this ridiculous image of moral superiority they've created for themselves. Paterno says this has been "devastating" for him. Get.... you geezer. I don't care anymore about how this affects Joe Paaaaaaaaaaa than he did about those children.

He passed it up the chain? He's the Emperor of Happy Valley...he passed it up the chain??? That scumbag was on the campus working out less than a week ago.

This is just the most horrifying example of how far some of these folks north of the Ohio River have their heads up their *** when it comes to their institutions and moral standing in the world.

Ohio State fans will still bleet about the supposed cheating and general dirtiness of SEC programs...clueless, utterly clueless...and made that way by their own misplaced sense of moral superiority.

Yeah well, I'll take a five hundred dollar handshake, a 250 grand handshake, over child molestation every day.

Never mind that utter coward graduate assistant coach.

Penn State has disgraced its self. If Paterno's on the sideline Saturday there aren't words.

There's been a lot of embarrassed alum and former players talking about how "this is Penn State"...this can't stand, ect, etc, and bhaaaaaaaaa.

Fire Joe Paterno now or we will all know exactly what Penn State is.

UPDATE: Board of Trustees for Penn State met tonight and fired Joe Paterno and the Pres. of the University is gone as well. It's a step in the right direction but, it was the only step they could take.

One reporter claimed there was already rioting on campus.



This is Penn State. Where they celebrate cowardice and enabling.

If this were Ole Miss, or if this were Mississippi State, there wouldn't be a riot...there'd be a lynch mob. Paterno and that punk McCreary and all of 'em would need an armed escort out of town.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Canal Buuuuullll-uhhhhh-vaaaard.

I left the house at O-Dark Thirty this morning and headed to New Orleans. It's only a three hour drive, I didn't have to be there until noon but, I didn't know exactly where I was going. I did have directions but I know how helpful those can be in Mid City.

I once drove in circles 'til I got dizzy trying to make sense of the relationship between Canal St and Carrolton...and I had a flippin map and a compass. It can be a nightmare down there. Streets change names when they cross boulevards and avenues. Worse still, these roads often determine the directional designation of a street. In other words, whether a street is called north or south has nothing to do with the direction that it travels but whether it is north or south of certain roads. You can be driving on South Crazy St heading west...or maybe even north.

The place is a giant crescent, Crescent City, but the streets aren't laid out like a spider web...that would be too deliberate and regular. The maps look like The Boy's attempts at drawing a cat..and street signs are put up with a nonchalance that only New Orleans could achieve.

So, I had no expectation that the directions would get me exactly where I was going but they'd get me close enough to be guided in by phone. Between an early start and my approximate directions I was in good shape...or so I thought as I smoked a cigarette, drank coffee, outside of a gas station in Hattiesburg. Then the phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Hey Sugar."

"Uhm...I've got a set of directions here. Did you need those?"

"Awwwwww CRAP! Let me get something to write on."

I tried to tell myself it was no big deal. Martha had the directions...just write Em down...no problem but, I knew I was in trouble.

"Just start at Canal," gee great, "I know Canal's in there right?"

I was trying to keep the details to a minimum...genius.

"Yep you get off the Interstate at Canal and turn right...then you make a right turn on Harrison...Oh my.," oh no, "it looks like you'll have to drive about thirty miles to get to Harrison."

WHAT THE...assuming my vague, spinning, mental picture of the area was correct...that'd put me in the middle of Lake Ponchatrain!

"No..no. Wait. Harrison is right there off the exit...right on Canal, right on Harrison and then right Vicksburg."

"Ok then...right on Canal, right on Harrison, right on Vicksburg. Got it. Thanks Sugar."

At that I was still pretty confident I'd get where I was going. I had hours to get there and a general direction of where I needed to be. In New Orleans, sometimes, that's all you can hope for. I stubbed out the smoke, climbed in the truck and me and Elvis headed south on 49...



to be continued

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Dixie Holds It's Breath...

...the entire U.S. is holding it's breath.

LSU and Alabama kick off in less than 10 minutes...for the biggest football game that I can remember in 38 years.



Tickets were going for 10,000 bucks...though you could get a volume deal at 4 for 22 grand. Bryant Denny Stadium holds over 100 thousand and some estimates are saying there will be double that outside of the stadium...just to be there.

Mazes just called me to ask about the game...and y'all know how jealous he is of the SEC.

It's not normal for me to post twice in one day but, this is not a normal day.

The **** is on y'all.

Trent Richardson is a Grown Man.

Full Grown.

Right on cue LSU backs him up.

No Good...wide right.

Bama stunned Em for a second there but LSU bowed up.

There's Jefferson....he's gotta play tonight against those blitzes.

Williams is an Australian...that's at least two out there.

He was open but ifhe'd have caught that ball he would have been blown to atoms by the safety.

Speaking of Australians...wing is ridiculous. It's like he's swingin' a nine iron.

Just when it looks like they got 'Em stopped...penalty was stoopid though.

They can forget about the lateral run game.

Another field goal attempt...Missed again.


Uh oh...that hurts.

McCarron put there but Claiborne made an outstanding play on the ball.

End of the first 0 - 0. what you might expect from two of the best defenses in all of football.

DA*N! Mazes what would Trent Richardson do to the Colts defense?

Kickin again...wt....BLOCKED!

That's a wash on the turnover.

BOOOM...BLEW YER *** UP!

That Wing kid may be the best punter since Guy. There's gonna be a lot of furious Australians if the SEC starts cherry picking some of their best players. I don't know what Australian Rules Football pays but it can't be as much as the SE....I mean NFL.

Even Mary-Cathcart has come into the living room to watch the game.

It takes five men to tackle Richardson and LSU usually has six there but when they don't...that's what happens.

Are they gonna try and kick it again??

Finally.

Alabama 3 - LSU 0

I thought Kirkpatrick had screwed em there for a minute...but they held it.

Alabama 3 - LSU 3 Halftime.

Every bit as good as advertised.

Now we'll see if Jefferson can make a difference.

Even though the play lost two yards it got an ooh out of Martha.

Upshaw is a monster.

If not for the penalty that would have been real trouble. I feel for Lee.

Bama gets another three points off the interception.

Alabama 6 - LSU 3.

This is a solid drive. They need it. They're only down three but in this game first downs are like touchdowns.

That's how you defend the option...textbook.

So much for the drive.

Oh my...oh man...that's a serious mistake.

Fourth Quarter.

Alabama 6 - LSU 3 but LSU's in field goal range after the interception.

Tie ball game.

Alabama 6 - LSU 6.

That was a great stop by Bama. These defenses are
Mind boggling.

What a run...you can't stop him all night. Just punishing people.

They gon' have to have another look at that.

Interception.

Nicks and scrapes are starting to show.

Alabama could get the win and Richardson the Heisman on this drive.

Of course, he gets blown up by Taylor on the next play.

Beckham's return negated by a stoopid penalty on Kirkpatrick...who's still down. That was just Idiotic.

Under four minutes...LSU's movin the ball. This may be the game.

End of regulation...Alabama 6 -LSU 6.

Overtime.

Alabama gets the ball first.

LSU backs Em up...it's on the kicker. No freaking Good!

All LSU has to do is keep it in the middle of the field and kick a short field goal.

Oh crap...he stepped out. Bama hanging by a thread.

This is it.

LSU WINS IT!!! 9 - 6.

What a ball game. There is no hype in this league.

Vanderbilt: With Guest Commentary

Vanderbilt is coming to town today and for the first time since 1945 they are bringing a football team with them.

If the Gators lose today it will be the first time they've lost five games in a row since 1988. That was the same year that the Commodores last won this game.

If the Gators lose today it'll be Yale football around here for the rest of the season.

I've gotta go to Vicksburg...do some work. Working on Saturdays in the Fall is a crime but, the boss man is in a jam and I couldn't leave him there.

You'll be in capable hands....I think. I mean I know the hands are capable. I just don't know if he'll show up. That's what you get dealing with college professors.

Y'all know Allan.

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He's is a PhD in, and professor of, philosophy. Which seems appropriate for today's game.

Nat, I know the game is on Gator Sports.com and you can try ESPN.Co.Uk. Game starts at 11:00 central time...I reckon that'd be about 7:00pm your time. 1900?

Go Gators.

Athletes 7 - Brains 0

Round of applause for Dr Allan everybody.

There's less than two minutes left. Florida's winnin' 24 - 21. Vandyy just scored....onside kick comin up.

Fail. Sorry about your luck scholars...game over. Go on back to the li'berry and read your books.