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football

An ode to some pickles

Updated and edited my vita, which was a job that was past due.

Rode 25 miles on my bike, enjoying the beautiful January afternoon. The afternoon was the best part about it. It’s going to take three or five good long rides to start getting my form back. My only complaint about riding is that just when I hit my stride events overcome me. Something will come up to preoccupy me for too long and all that hard work is undone.

Around finals I had a nice 45 mile ride and just started to get back into a good pace and comfort level. Then I got sick for a week and change, and then there were 10 days of holiday travels.

So this week has been a return to square one. (I’m not a very good cyclist.)

Visited the library this evening. Thought I’d do a little historical research. This is an issue of the 1914 Orange and Blue, Auburn’s student paper that preceded The Plainsman:

Note the championship-wining football team’s headline. The story included this argument for facemasks:

Babe Taylor, Auburn warrior, and by the way, Birmingham-bred, displayed a vast amount of gameness yesterday afternoon. In the early part of the first quarter someone, unthoughtedly of course, kicked in the upper section of Babe’s face, in the neighborhood of the left eye. Babe’s face wore an expression of agony and the blood trickled down his features in doublequick time, but he stood by the fort and played a grand game of football.

Sixty percent of the front page is devoted to football, which happened pretty regularly, even in 1914. Note, also, that the band played Touchdown Auburn, which was a tune that pre-dated Jim Fyffe’s famous call by many decades. There’s a note that students from Alabama telegraphed their congratulations on the championship — you have to wonder what their angle was.

There’s a poem on the right hand side, a dream of a beautiful young woman, and “An Ode to some Pickles.”

Upon a night long ago
Three fellows sat at ease
And tried to soothe their inner man
With pickles and with cheese.

The cheese, by nature yellow,
Met quick and sure defeat;
But the unassuming pickles
Were very green and sweet.

The eats were good and everything
Seemed lovely for a while —
Till a feaster’s flesh, turned wan and pale
In the middle of a smile.

His face began to shudder,
A twitch and then a jerk;
We looked at him and realized
The pickles were at work!

A private, and not especially good, joke 97 years ago was published in a newspaper. And you’re reading it today. None of this would have been conceivable to the poet who wrote those lines.

Didn’t find what I was looking for — though I have a feeling I’m getting close — so I’ll have to go back. No problem there, the old microfilms are great fun.

Alabama / Auburn / cycling / football / Monday — Comments Off
2
Jan 12

A day of football

Slept in, mostly because I stayed up late. I stayed up late mostly because I didn’t fell well the night before. Something I’d eaten didn’t agree with me. When that unpleasantness passed me by I slipped under an electric blanket for a hibernation.

And so then there was a lot of football today. Somewhere along the way Ross Collings started examining Georgia’s big game performances in recent years. That turned into this long bout of schedule staring.

This is what I did during breaks in the football action today: the complete SEC story of victories against teams that finished in the top 25 of the BCS for the years between 2008-2011.

They are sorted by the most successful program against their opponents in terms of raw wins – no style points, home/away, injuries, upsets or other considerations have been made. Each school has a list of the year of the game, the team they defeated and that opponent’s final BCS ranking of that season.

All efforts have been made to keep this accurate, but your eyes get dizzy looking through 14 teams’ four years of scheduling. No, seriously, have a look. The source links for the BCS rankings are below. If you find any errors, write them in the comments.

As you can see, LSU has had an impressive run, particularly the last two years. They’re neck and neck with Alabama. In fact, the best part of the upcoming BCS title game is that it will break a tie between the two programs. Auburn is next in terms of wins over BCS ranked opponents. Not bad when you consider that we’re talking about 2008-2011 here.

LSU**
2008: Georgia Tech (14)
2010: Alabama (16)
2010: Texas A&M (17)
2010: Miss State (21)
2010: West Virginia (22)
2011: Alabama (2)
2011: Oregon (5)
2011: Arkansas (6)
2011: Georgia (16)
2011: West Virginia (23)
2011: Auburn (25)
**LSU and Alabama meet for the perfunctory rematch on Jan. 9.

Alabama**
2008: Georgia (15)
2008: Mississippi (25)
2009: Texas (2)
2009: Florida (5)
2009: Virginia Tech (11)
2009: LSU (12)
2010: Arkansas (8)
2010: Michigan State (9)
2010: Miss State (21)
2011: Arkansas (6)
2011: Auburn
**LSU and Alabama meet for the perfunctory rematch on Jan. 9.

Auburn
2009: West Virginia (16)
2010: Arkansas (8)
2010: Oregon (2)
2010: LSU (11)
2010: Alabama (16)
2010: South Carolina (20)
2010: South Carolina (20) SECCG
2010: Miss State (21)
2011: South Carolina (9)

Arkansas*
2010: LSU (11)
2010: Texas A&M (17)
2010: Miss State (21)
2011: South Carolina (9)
2011: Auburn (25)
*Hogs play BCS #8 Kansas State on Jan. 6.

Florida
2008: Oklahoma (1)
2008: Alabama (4)
2008: Georgia (15)
2009: Cincinnati (3)
2009: LSU (12)

South Carolina
2008: Mississippi (25)
2010: Alabama (16)
2011: Clemson (15)
2011: Nebraska (20)

Ole Miss
2008: Florida (2)
2008: Texas Tech (7)
2009: LSU (12)
2009: Oklahoma State (19)

Georgia
2008: Michigan State (18)
2009: Georgia Tech (9)
2011: Auburn (25)

Missouri
2008: Northwestern (23)
2010: Texas A&M (17)
2010: Oklahoma (7)

Texas A&M
2010: Oklahoma (7)
2010: Nebraska (18)
2011: Baylor (12)

Vanderbilt
2008: Mississippi (25)
2008: Boston College (24)

Kentucky
2010 Carolina (20)

Tennessee
None

Mississippi State
None

This would look very pretty, and reveal something, I’m sure, if you put it in the appropriate type of chart or infographic.

Update: The War Eagle Reader has picked this list up, too.

Also I added a CatEye computer to my bike today. This was a thoughtful Christmas gift from The Yankee and, in that spirit, I attached it in that spirit. I’m never good at building or installing the first of something. Sure, there are instructions, but there’s always some detail missing, or an extra part that psyches me out, or a missing part whose absence can defeat even the heartiest of spirits. Or, more to the point, some small thing I didn’t notice in the illustration.

This computer requires a magnet on the spokes, a sensor attached to the fork no more than five millimeters away, and then the computer itself, attached in a four-part ceremony to the handlebars. The computer must be no more than 70 millimeters away from the sensor, and the back of the computer must be facing the sensor. And, also, it must spend at least 48 percent of each lunar cycle pointing to magnetic north.

All but one of those facts are true.

So there was first the incorrect installation of the sensor on the fork. Then there was struggling through the computer, programming the clock, tire circumference and the always troubling 12-hour or 24-hour setup. Then there was mounting the computer in the four-part handlebar bracket, which was its own series of curiosities. After which I discovered I couldn’t remove the computer from the bracket.

A few engineers were consulted and we finally concluded that our instincts are wrong and sometimes you must force it.

So now the sensor, the magnetic it is detecting for movement and the computer are all mounted. I pick up the front wheel and spun it, the first test to see if the computer and sensor are communicating. One of the LCD elements in the crystal should be flashing.

It is not.

The first troubleshooting element is the sensor and magnet configuration. They must be no more than five millimeters apart. Not six, because that is not in the Holy Book of Armaments. So I nudged over the senor a bit closer to the magnet mounted on the spokes. Pick up the bike, spin the wheel, the LCD flashes. The computer works.

This should have taken about six minutes. It took me the better half of one half of a football game.

So the first time is always a challenge. It could have been that I was working from the Korean instructions. Next time I’ll use the English version.

The second time was a breeze. I installed the same computer on her bike. It was done in no time flat. Now we are ready to ride and see, truly, how fast — or slow — we are going. And, of course, if you’re dissatisfied with the speed you can always reprogram the computer’s understanding of your tire circumference.

So you can imagine why digging up that list of football victories above was a good way to spend a windy evening. There’s an impressive, and thankfully temporary cold front blowing in just now. We won’t break 40 degrees tomorrow. I’ll try out my new cycling computer on Wednesday.

Auburn / football / photo / weekend — Comments Off
31
Dec 11

Fans at the bowl game

Fans at Auburn’s bowl game had a fine time. Except, maybe, for the very last guy.

adventures / Auburn / football / photo / weekend — Comments Off
31
Dec 11

Chick-fil-A Bowl, Auburn vs Virginia

Ahh, the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where 7-5 Auburn wore their home blue jerseys to meet an 8-4 Virginia team that wore some bad orange jersey-helmet combo. Where there was a shaker and a plush cow toy at every seat. Also, thousands of them were parachuting from the catwalk. It may have been the largest airborne insertion since Market Garden:

Oh, yes, the football game. Auburn won 43-24.

Auburn’s defense had trouble getting to Virginia’s quarterback and the Tigers started slow. Fortunately, when the QB was on target his receivers weren’t helping. And he missed a few receivers. Still, Virginia would finish with 312 yards passing.

Auburn’s starting quarterback Clint Moseley went out early with a bad ankle.

Kiehl Frazier, 10, scored two touchdowns and had 58 yards rushing. He had the team at the goal line to score again at the end of the game, but the Tigers killed the clock. After the game he said he doesn’t really like rushing. Read: he’d rather be a quarterback than a 3.4 yards per carry novelty act.

Perry Jones had 32 yards for the Cavs, who finished the game 123 yards on the ground.

With Auburn’s Mike Dyer suspended indefinitely from the team, the rushing duties fell to Onterio McCalebb, who finished with 180 yards and a score on 13 total touches and the MVP award and the young Tre Mason, pictured here, who had nine carries, 64 yards and this 22-yard touchdown out of the backfield.

Gabe Wright eats quarterbacks. The freshman’s sack, Auburn’s only one of the night, set up a blocked punt safety that helped turned the game in Auburn’s favor.

Auburn’s Barrett Trotter, who started the first half of the season but was pulled for Clint Moseley midway through the Florida game with injuries mounting and a stalling offense, came on in relief tonight. He finished with 175 yards and a touchdown passing, including a beautiful 50-yard bomb. He looked calm and collected, gaining 52 yards on the ground.

More important than his stats and steady leadership, he received a great compliment from his coach after the game. Gene Chizik told reporters that if his own son grew up to be like Barrett Trotter he would have done his job as a father.

And so the season ends, with players playing in their first bowl game — in the first half! — outnumbering the team’s entire complement of seniors. There were only five seniors who have been on the team since they signed out of high school. There are only about 15 seniors all told, including transfers and walk-ons given scholarships, wearing the orange and blue. The numbers were low because of the usual reasons: injuries, attrition, leaving school, coaching changes and so on.

The seniors have seen Auburn football at its lowest and its highest, coaching change turmoil and a national championship. In their last three years they’ve scratched out 30 wins, three bowl victories, an SEC championship, an Outland award winner, a Heisman and a national championship.

football / photo / Tuesday — Comments Off
13
Dec 11

Sick, making this a photo day 2

I feel better. I feel approximately 45 percent better. That’s not to say I am operating at 45 percent. I’m running at about 17 percent right now. That’s how bad yesterday was.

So Thursday night I felt it coming along. The cold steel bolt in the bottom of my throat, the watery eyes, something was coming up. So I started taking pills.

Kept it up through Friday, but felt OK through most of Saturday. Popped a fever Saturday night just before we got back to the hotel after the game. That fever broke overnight, though. Sunday I felt really good.

And then yesterday when I could feel the ancient indians pulling the soul from my body. Sinuses. Throat. Coughing. Congestion. Periodic minor fevers. I had all of that and more, really it was everything but the flu.

Today the sinuses are much closer to normal. I’m willing to swallow at least once an hour now, so that’s some improvement. I am still fighting off mild fevers, but doing so with ease. The coughing is killing me. I haven’t moved around very much.

And so there’s another picture to take our minds off of it.

This was on display at the USAA tent at the Army-Navy game. This football is from the 1945 China Bowl, played in Shanghai, some 13 hours before the Army-Navy game was played back home. But you have to change your thinking about the Army-Navy game from now to then. In 1945 Army was on their way to a national championship. Navy was a one-loss team and would finish second in the nation. This was at the height of their powers when it came to football respect.

Anyway, this was also 1945. The war was just over. This game was played by a bunch of Army soldiers against sailors of the line. The Navy won. This football was signed by all the members of that team and sent back home. Today it is on display for pictures like this.

But look at that date: Dec. 1, 1945. Who, four years earlier, could have pictured themselves in China?