Lost Weekend

Patrick Jackson scores
Photo by Tom Morris latechsportspix.com

Louisiana Tech won in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It's the Bulldogs' seventh win of the season and that all but assures them a spot in some bowl game somewhere. It just might be Shreveport, which could be a nice result for all concerned. Arkansas came up just short against Mississippi State today, meaning the Hogs have no shot at becoming bowl eligible. The Independence Bowl's last glimmering hope to have a Southeastern Conference team this year seems to rest on the shoulder pads of the less-than-reliable Auburn Tigers. If they can somehow beat Alabama (#1 in the nation and undefeated, by the way) next week, then maybe things will shake the I-Bowl's way.
What a lost weekend. The high school team for which I do radio was defeated in the playoffs. LSU was embarrassed at home against Ole Miss, and the wife's college team lost, too.
I was disappointed, in a way, to stay at home this weekend. With the way things have gone, I'm glad now to be getting the down time.

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Daddy D in the News

Howdy from the press box
Originally uploaded by Darrell

Having spent the majority of my adult life compelling people to speak for publication or broadcast, seeing myself quoted in newspapers has kind of an inside-out feeling to it. My mission was to raise awareness of the Independence Bowl in certain circles. So, with a nod to our departing president, "Mission Accomplished!" I was quoted as a representative of the game on the front page of the Nashville newspaper on Sunday and spoke of the bowl game in another story which was distributed by the Associated Press and Gannett News Service.
Our bowl game has been around for more than three decades and we're proud of it. The Traveling Companion and I rubbed elbows with representatives of games in much larger cities, most of them from NFL markets. One of the strengths of our event is that it's the only game in town, so visitors get a lot of attention from hosts, locals and the media.
We still don't know which teams will play in our game. We've had Alabama each of the last two years, and they're currently #1 in the nation. Eight Southeastern Conference teams have come to town, as well as many from the Big XII. We've even had Notre Dame. We've also has UTEP, Southern Miss and Miami of Ohio and all are welcome despite the disparity in national notoriety.
This was my first time to be a front man for the bowl and I was proud to do it. I just hope I didn't embarrass the bowl game or the city. I don't know how my superiors in the organization will measure my performance, but getting the name out there in the media means something. Now, we just need to get a couple of nice teams to come to down just after Christmas.

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Leftovers From the Road

Darrell in Kentucky
Originally uploaded by Darrell

(Lexington, KY) - Our departure from the Bluegrass state has been delayed slightly by the icy conditions. I've said many times, "If I ever talk about moving to someplace cold, have me immediately arrested." Daddy D doesn't do cold.
The Unversity of Kentucky's shade of blue is beautiful to my eye. if I lived here, I think I'd wear school colors almost every day. It's very tempting to load up on a bunch of UK gear, just for the color. I know that wouldn't fly in purple & gold country, though; so, my credit card is safe.
I spent a lot of time in the press box Saturday night and I was grateful for it. The driving rain never became snow, so the conditions were borderline miserable to me. I was amazed and amused by the number of people who were transfixed by their BlackBerries and i-Phones during the game. Between texting with friends and keeping up with scores around the country, people up and down the rows of media and dignitaries seemed to be in some kind of prayerful posture. I was among the devoted, keeping an eye on LSU's improbable comeback at home against Troy. The Tigers fell behind by 31-3, but scored 37 unanswered points to win. I watched it unfold through live stats on my Blackberry. Technology amazes me.
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Here's something I don't understand: I've stayed in a lot of inexpensive hotels in my day, and usually internet access is free. I'm staying at a relatively pricey place this weekend, and they charge us ten bucks a day to get onto the net. Somehow, that defies common sense.
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It's been a tough weekend for my blue-clad hosts. The men's and women's basketball teams lost and so did the football team. The volleyball team won, though. I'm in the same hotel with the volleyball squad from the University of Florida. Those girls are tall!
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After the Vanderbilt football team beat Kentucky, I encountered a Kentucky fan who was attempting to deride the celebrating Commodores. They were thrilled to be bowl eligible. The Kentucky fan was screaming 'You're going to Shreveport!" He did not mean this as a compliment. I walked up to him and said, 'Hello, I'm from Shreveport. If your team comes to our bowl game, we would love to see you there. I think you would have a good time."
He stared at me. I said, "We're proud of our bowl game and we would be thrilled to have either of these teams. I just want to invite you to come and I promise we will show you a nice time."
He said, "You're making me feel like an ass. I'm just upset." I said, "Please don't use Shreveport as a taunt. It's a nice place and we would be excited to see you there."
He said "Okay, sorry."
Kill 'em with kindness. That's our way.

Now, it's time to de-ice the wings and head home.

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Celebration Headache

Vandy fan
Originally uploaded by Darrell's BlackBerry

These are heady times in our house. My poor bride couldn't sleep last night because she had a headache. She had a headache because the football team from her university was on national television and won by a single point to remain unbeaten and in first place in the Southeastern Conference east division.
The game went down to the final minute and her blood pressure was through the roof. She was wearing her colors, screaming at the TV.
How big an event was this: even Joe College and the girlfriend hung around and watched. Yes, the whole immediate family was gathered 'round the living room pulling hard for the Vanderbilt Commodores. The daughter, who will be making college decisions soon, wants to consider Vanderbilt.
We have not reached agreement on which was more entertaining, the game of my wife's quite out of character antics. Let's be clear here: Vanderbilt hasn't had a winning season in a quarter century. To be nationally ranked and undefeated through five games is just absurd. Yet, there they are. They've beaten Auburn, South Carolina and Ole Miss. They still need to play Florida and Georgia among others, so staying undefeated is just unthinkable. Here's hoping their return to reality features a soft landing instead of a crash to Earth.
She has vowed that we will go to whichever bowl game the Commodores get invited to. That's great for me: a December trip to Memphis or Nashville...or stay at home in Shreveport. We dare not think any higher than that lest we be emotionally crushed.
The season is perfect as of now. It will be great no matter what happens. It will be most satisfying for her if the'Dores can get one more win. It will be dreamlike if it comes at the expense of the Tennessee Volunteers.
See you in December. Go Gold.

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A Gold Moment

SEC East standings
Originally uploaded by Darrell

While Southern Cal and Florida fans are suffering following their teams' shocking losses this weekend, the graduate of a Southeastern Conference school in our house is riding high. Yes, the Vandy Girl who shares my home is worked up. It probably won't last, but for at least one more week, The Commodoresare undefeated and atop the SEC East Division standings. Since Vanderbilt does not have a game this weekend, its stranglehold on 1st place will last two weeks at a minimum. Georgia plays Alabama tonight, so we will be flipping back and forth between that game and LSU-Mississippi State.
My resident 'Dores fan is a realist. She knows there's virtually no chance her team will win the division. She's just hoping for two more wins so they will be bowl eligible.
How excited is she? She got on the internet and ordered some Vandy gear, and she's been checking the front porch twice a day while she impatiently awaits delivery.
In the meantime, I'm facing a potential conflict of interest. I'm on the selection committee for the Independene Bowl, which has a contract with the SEC. If the Commodores get it done, will I need to recuse myself? What if they're bowl eligible and we don't invite them? I'll never hear the end of it.
Maybe they will win their way into the Sugar Bowl or something and I won't be conflicted. Maybe pigs will fly over downtown New Orleans, too.

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Nick Saban is a Rock Star

For a season or more, football fans in Louisiana have been pretending to hate Nick Saban; but actions speak louder than words. Saban is spending a few days in the state with his University of Alabama football team. The Crimson Tide will play Colorado in the Independence Bowl, and the Buffaloes have essentially been an afterthought. There are plenty of reasons to keep up the "Hate Nick" charade: he left LSU and he now coaches Alabama. There was a two-year gap between those circumstances, but none of that matters.
I had a chance to chat briefly with him one-on-one on Friday. He was polite to me and to everyone he encountered. He patiently signed autographs and posed for pictures. While a line formed to get a piece of Saban, Colorado Coach What's-His-Name was essentially ignored. I watched Saban carefully. He discreetly looked for an opportunity to exit, found it, caught the eye of a nearby Alabama state trooper and made a bee line for the back door. He left without incident and no one said an unkind word to him or about him.
A lot of local fans are planning to wear LSU colors to the Colorado-Alabama game. While that may make no sense, it lets them feel good about themselves. It also girds them for their intention to boo Saban. But, they will be stuck in a conundrum. They don't really want him to lose, because an Alabama win will make LSU and the rest of the Southeastern Conference look better. Plus, if Alabama's good, it's easier to pretend to hate Saban a while longer. Also, Crimson-clad fans around town outnumber their conterparts by about 1000-1. Considering this is the second year in a row Alabama has played in the Independence Bowl, that's pretty impressive. (Thanks to Photos By Brian for the image.)
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Daddy D Note: I, among many others, shared the head table with Saban at a bowl event. My employer funds two community service scholarships for high school seniors and I had the honor of presenting them to the deserving recipients. The young lady in this photo is bound for LSU. The other (not pictured) is going to Yale. I'm not sure if I'm flattered or disturbed that the mayor (in the top right corner of the photo, seated next to his wife and a prominent Baptist preacher) seems to be paying attention.
Saban photo is by Dougas Collier of the Shreveport Times -----------------------------------------
One more thing: The Independence Bowl mascot, Le General, was around. Of course I stopped for a photo. Unfortunately, I only had my cell phone.

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Fightin' Words? Consider the Source

"Do you think spending the holidays in Shreveport two consecutive years is a reward? I lived in Shreveport for 14 months right out college and it felt more like a death sentence. I still have nightmares of having my car breaking down late at night in Bossier City. Medication and afternoons on a shrink's couch simply can't get me past this." - Paul Finebaum in today's Mobile Press-Register
It is tempting to get worked up when you read something like this, but let's take a breath. You have to know this writer's work. He's intentionally provocative. In other words, he writes stuff like this simply to incite a reaction. I tried something similar for a couple of years on the radio, but didn't have the stomach for it. I got tired of people not getting the joke. It wore on my wife and family that there was always someone mad at me about something Radio Darrell said. Even now, there's a local radio personality who stirs people up. Some people just don't like it. Others just don't get it.
From Finebaum's perspective, another trip to Shreveport could be a grind. For people here, the only thing attractive about a 6-6 Alabama team coming back to the Independence Bowl* is the opportunity to pretend we hate Nick Saban for three or four days. We don't really hate Nick Saban any more than Finebaum hates Shreveport. He was unhappy when he lived here and wrote for the Shreveport Journal. That was in large part because people didn't understand or appreciate his particular brand of sports wrting. He moved on. We moved on. He's basically been forgotten here, except on the rare occasion he tries to deposit excrement on our cake.
We can hate Finebaum for sport, just to be in keeping with the spirit of things; but then we're playing his game. Ignore him and he will go away, just like he did when he was fourteen months out of college. That's really the best thing we can hope for.
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*Alabama will play Colorado in Shreveport on December 30. Remember, this is the team that lost four games in a row to end the season, including falling at home to Louisiana-Monroe. So, now a joke is making the e-mail rounds:
BREAKING NEWS !!!!!!
The University of Alabama is going to decline the invitation to the Independence Bowl. Their travel agent showed them the route between Tuscaloosa and Shreveport. It turns out Alabama won't be able to go because they can't seem to get past Monroe.
Finally, keep this in mind: It was in vogue twenty years ago to make fun of the Independence Bowl. I hear Finebaum is up for a role in the big-screen version of the late, lamented TV show "Arrested Development." Sometimes, typecasting works.

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