No matter how much you pay attention to something or another, no matter how absurdly obsessive, no matter how much you note to yourself not to forget, you always miss something.
I’ve been a rock & roller since it began. Starting in the 50s, through the 60s, through the era many of us know as “back in the day,” and beyond. There was a time when I went to every rock & roll show. Literally. Just about.
And spent way more time than any normal human being cruising the bins at record stores. Vine and Variety early on. Karma, ear X-tacy.
You see the photo.
Even with all that, there were groups I missed. Or, for often the strangest of reasons, ignored. In that category, Moby Grape comes to mind. In their case, I was just turned off by the Bay Area band’s name.
Silly me. Thanks to Little Steven’s Underground Garage on Sirius XM, I’ve “discovered” them. So too, Rhinoceros. There were just bands I never got to, even if I meant to.
More germane to the pigskin task at hand — Yes, I’m getting there, stick around — is what happened one year at JazzFest. Where I’ll print out the schedule, plan my day among the acts on the dozen stages. At dinner on this one night, my krewe and I were playing musical oneupsmanship, telling each other what we missed when we happened to be at a different stage.
During which smackdown, I looked at my plan for that day and was forced to own, “Oh my, I blew off Ray Charles.” (Fortunately I heard him several times live, starting in the early 60s.)
Well, that same phenomena happened this Football Saturday past. (And you wondered when I’d get out of myself and get to the topic that brought you here. Tsk, tsk.)
At some point during the day, I noticed in the scrawl that Vandy was up in the 2d half against recently ascended #1 Alabama. But among the games I tried to pay attention to, a side trip to check out the MLB playoffs, and a few real life things, I just forgot about the game in Nashville.
Until I’m winding down late at night just about my hit the hay time, and way way past that of The Professor. When I got a call from my oldest sports pal, a Vanderbilt alum.
“How about my Commodores?”
So, I totally missed that incredible surprise of a game. Which was just one such head-turning result on a day that dawned with a slate kind of meh.
I watched the highlight video, observing how transfer from New Mexico State Diego Pavia led the Dores to what some are asking, biggest upset in SEC football ever?
Even more smile-inducing was another video, the Mother of All Post Game Celebrations. Several thousand fans, mostly but not exclusively students, tearing down the goal posts, then hiking with them from what I know as Dudley Field and drowning them in the Cumberland River.
Which is, mind you, a shlep. Three, four miles at least. Through traffic, with police escorts. Down Music Row.
Pretty damn cool.
And here some thought all we’d care about as bronconagurskians was who shall be the CFP dozen — George Washington’s proclamation crossing the Delaware what 12 would be called in the republic — that make it to the playdowns. Sheesh.
Speaking of music row, there are hundreds of Nashville Cat wannabes strumming their Martins and singing their own tunes about being one Bud past last call, hoping some A&R guy or gal will stroll into an emporium during Happy Hour and pay attention.
One of them needs to carpe diem.
If there isn’t a tune recorded by now titled “Goal Posts in the Cumberland,” a prime opportunity shall have slipped away.
* * * * *
It was a day when the Crimson Tide weren’t the only Top 5 school to lose to an unranked one. Rocky Top fell to the Razorbacks.
First time that has ever happened in the conference that cares more.
(Razorback fans also stormed the field. As a second offender, the SEC fined the school $250,000. Vanderbilt’s tariff was only $100,000. The money goes directly to the losing institutions. As if Alabama and Tennessee need the moolah. I understand that such storming can be dangerous, but in Vandy’s case at least, it was totally understandable, acceptable, and the league should be ashamed.)
Southern Cal lost at Minnesota.
In the most exciting game of the weekend, Syracuse came back to upend UNLV not far away from the Sphere. Unless Miami’s resurgence late in Berserkeley was mo’ betta’.
The 11 men of Aggieland bashed brash Mizzou.
Unranked UDub upended the Wolverines.
Some of those were the new norm: Cross country battles between league brethren.
Which brings me to this fascinating stat. In the Big Eighteen, visitors who have traveled two time zones or more to play are 1-8.
Remember that before advising your bookie your choice in Ohio State vs. Oregon in Eugene.
* * * * *
In the NFL, a semblance of parity has been dictated through the draft and scheduling based on season before success or lack thereof.
In a development possibly of evolutionary possibility, the above results are anecdotal evidence that, contrary to what folks thought would evolve in the NIL era, it might be a significant indication of a semblance of parity in the college game.
The above results might be a trend. Or, maybe not.
Here’s a possible equation:
Pa = Po + $ x Tr
Parity equals Portal plus Money times Travel.
We’ll see if Stephen Hawking and Al Einstein respond to my texts.
Or, just observe how Crimson Tide transfer Eli Holstein has Pitt 5-0.
* * * * *
There isn’t a sideline reporter in the biz that comes close to being as good as Holly Rowe. She’s in a class by herself.
Legitimate questions, that should if actually answered reveal pertinent info.
To all the others, is it so hard?
Must you always ask — ALWAYS — after the biggest victory in the history of a program, “Coach, what does this win mean for you?”
* * * * *
Speaking of announcers, I love hearing Petros Papadakis do a game.
The former Trojan is an analyst for Fox, and is a cut above the herd.
His gravelly voice and accent I can’t quite figure out just get to me. Make me smile. He was on the call for that Syracuse/ UNLV battle.
* * * * *
West Point and Annapolis are both 5-0.
Asked if he was rooting for his military arch rival, Army coach Jeff Monken said, “I hope they lose every game.”
* * * * *
The play of the weekend, at very least, the most acrobatic was the game sealer in the Golden Gophers W over the Trojans.
Safety Koi Perich went Cirque de Soleil acrobatic to pick off a Miller Moss hoped-for game winner in the endzone as the clock ticked toward zeros.
— c d kaplan
Great post, Seedy — Though I’m as happy as you about the Tide flowing out and into the Cumberland River, I was impressed by your honest mea culpa of missing any of the game live. Even more, I chuckled over your admission of having passed on seeing Ray Charles at JazzFest back in the day (there’s that phrase again) and justifying it by noting that you’d seen him several times before. I wonder if one of those times was when I was also there at the Convention Center circa 1966, when Brother Ray introduced the young organist in his band as the ‘guy I want to take over for me when I’m gone.’ Then he said, ‘meet Billy Preston.’
Nice recap from all corners of a college football Saturday. I did see the 4th quarter of Alabama-Vandy and I do not recall seeing a more chaotic celebration and excited group of fans. The broadcast stayed with the scene as fans kept climbing out of the stands and onto the field. It was wild!
It is comforting for some perverse reason to observe these mega upsets of last week end. From a fan standpoint, it keeps the home team loss in proportion.
Now, we MUST, at least through their next game, gander up 65 North to Columbus Indiana to Nashville Indiana and then to Bloomington. There you will experience the 5-0 Indiana Hoosiers. First time they opened with an unblemished record(I think) since their Rose Bowl year of 1967. That team featured John Isenbarger, Jake Butcher, Al Gage and Harry Gonso. That team played USC with its”murderous” line up of OJ Simpson et al to a 14-7 loss.
Gloriana frangipana, hail to Old IU.
Go IU-beat Purdue which I hear tell aint hard to “due”.