weekend


16
Oct 10

Seven and oh!

War Eagle! 65-43.

In a game with no defense it was the defense that put it away, setting up 28 points in just five minutes of the fourth quarter. This game shattered conference scoring records. In the final analysis the offense built the pace, special teams contributed mightily with a punt block and two huge returns. The defense held late. This is as complete a game as we’re going to get, this season. It was a delirious affair.

In the pregame, praying for the heathen Razorbacks:

Pregame

And from here, the Twitter feed takes over. Post-game thoughts, as needed, are included in the bold.

Not a cloud in the sky, BEAUTIFUL day in the loveliest village.

Announcing starters. When Ryan Mallet’s name was called, we helpfully pointed out he’d be second string at Michigan.

My 14,000th tweet! Thanks so much for reading them!

Arkansas goes just north of nowhere to start the game. Auburn begins at their own 29.

Auburn picks up a big first down across midfield but there’s a suspicion of holding. Auburn punts. (You saw this happen twice.)

Looks like a nice crowd from Arkansas came down the pig trail.

Arkansas strikes first, 0-7.

The student body throws the opposing team’s football over the lip of the stadium after kicks. Hope Arkansas can fetch them.

Demond Washington is due a huge return. (He then brought the ball out to midfield.)

Cam Newton loves pork barbecue.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Cam Newton trucks Arkansas for the score. 7-7. (Seriously, who wants to hit that guy at this point?)

The play before Kodi Burns put down a serious block on the edge.

The Auburn secondary came to play. This could get scary. (I should have said they came to hit. Because they were making physical plays when they got to the ball carrier. But being there is key.)

@supurmario27 down the line. Bobby Petrino is thinking about a new job.

@wesbyrum pushes a 43-yard field goal through and Auburn takes a 10-7 lead.

Demetruce McNeal is a special team all his own.

The fans are of the belief that the officials are bovine specialists.

Arkansas drives the length of the field, big time drive, to retake the lead 10-14. Mallet got hit solid a few times. (Did you notice how slow he was getting up over the course of the drive? I think his problems were cumulative.)

Cam Newton is going as himself for Halloween. You can too! The bookstore now has signs announcing No. 2 jerseys for sale.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! @SupurMario27 scores. Maybe. Pending review.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! @supurmario27 carries it across and @wesbyrum extend the Tigers lead, 17-14.

Ryan Mallet is out. Don’t see him on the sideline, but he had been slow to get up on the previous drive. (And it was a long time before anything definitive filtered through the stadium.)

Auburn sells out and comes up with a game changing blocked punt. (Huge.)

Cam Newton rides scooters over defenders.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! McCalebb around the right side. @wesbyrum’s kick makes it 24-14.

TOUCHDOWN

Don’t know what they’re talking about on the sideline, but it better be about emphatically putting Arkansas away. (Turns out, that was not the case. Not yet anyway. You forget, sometimes, that the other team has a say in this too.)

Nick Fairley haunts quarterbacks’ dreams. (Really. The man’s terrifying.)

Arkansas’ back up quarterback drops a ball into a receiver’s waiting hands. 24-21. Nice little move on his part.

Nice screen to @supurmario27, negated by penalty. (Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.)

@wesbyrum sends us to the half with a 26-yard field goal and a 27-21 Tiger lead. (This all could have been exhausting, but in retrospect, it was really as if the game hadn’t even started yet.)

Shame Mallet has a bruised brain. Get well soon, razorback.

Cam Newton on a 28-yard jog as the Tigers get set to break this game open. (He doesn’t run fast. The earth just rotates more quickly when he is in motion.)

Arkansas’ defense holds, on comes
@wesbyrum to kick a 28-yarder, making it 30-21. (Be honest, who thought he might break the scoring record in this game.)

Do you think Urban Meyer now wishes he kept Cam Newton around?

Somehow the most penalized team in the conference is benefitting from the close calls. (Granted, this was written in the heat of the moment. We know better now.)

I’d like to see the Auburn DBs get off a few more blocks. (I’d also like a pony.)

Arkansas throws a TD (quarterback controversy!) and the score is now 30-28. (Right about here you’re wondering who this Wilson guy is. And you were right to do so. It is not too early to worry about him for next year.)

Onterrio McCalebb! 99 yards on the kickoff return. (I think that was Washington’s return, but I’ll take it.)

Delay of game? I thought Steve Ensminger had left the state. (Sorry, someone must be picked on when you start a drive at the opposing goal line and immediately penalize yourself. Of course it can’t be Coaches Malzahn or Chizik’s fault, and Cam Newton is blameless until the football gods. Ensminger gets the nod. He’ll be back in town next weekend. He’s coaching tight ends at LSU now.)

CamNewton

Cam over top. TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Someone in the athletic department is now compiling Heisman footage. 37-28.

Fear the backup. (I do. Really, this guy is frightening.)

OK, the defense is now giving them up small and big. Time to go back to the drawing board. 37-35.

Auburn needs some new block shedding drills. (I take it back. I don’t want that pony.)

Razorbacks are just itching for a fight.

Arkansas re-takes the lead to start the 4th quarter, quieting Jordan-Hare like only the Razorbacks can. (Seriously, if you’ve ever wondered how spooky it would be to hear 87,000-plus get deathly quiet, come visit anytime Arkansas is in town. They have a way of doing that, with or without Fred Talley.)

Two point conversion is good 43-37.

The Mallet brain bruise is a ruse. Wilson is Mallet. Petrino is a Falcon. Nutt coaches Arkansas and Ole Miss. Take the blue pill. (It made sense because nothing makes sense.)

Auburn’s first drive of the 4th quarter begins with Newton flinging one out to Darvin Adams near midfield.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Cam Newton to Emory Blake, 44-43. (Fine throw. Cam’s two best efforts of the day were on this drive.)

Last team with the ball in this game wins.

Wilson, Arkansas’ backup quarterback, has 271 yards and four touchdowns.

Cam Newton has 186 yards rushing. @supurmario27 has 60, Onterrio McCalebb has 29

Arkansas fumbled! @z_etheridge4 picks it up and sprints for the score. TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! 50-43, review pending. (I turned around right here, just to be sure the Barn wasn’t burning again. It had become bizarre enough to consider.)

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! I-40 is a trail of misery, Hog fans. 51-43.

Whoa livin’ on a prayer. How apropos.

Eric Smith, tough as a Northport steak! (I’d been wondering why he wasn’t in the game more, but now I can see he was just stoking up the hate.)

Wilson’s pass is intercepted by Josh Bynes who returns it to the Hog 7. Place goes nuts. (Does Auburn have seismographs on campus? Did they register this?)

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN. Cam Newton on the run pass option keeps and puts this one away. 58-43.

Now if the defense keeps it together against LSU next week …

Josh Bynes with a niiiice interception. @Ren_ called it before the play, too!

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! North Little Rock’s Michael Dyer breaks free and scores. 65-43. The SEC TREMBLES.

There’s a helicopter overhead. Someone’s trustees are here to recruit. Petrino.

Bo Jackson is on the sideline. Is he here for an anointing?

Auburn takes over on downs. An unusual statement in a game with 1,020 yards and 108 points. We need consistent defense. (My mythical pony can probably contribute a few reps.)

7-0, hammering a one-loss, 12th ranked Arkansas that gave Bama all they wanted.

If you thought that was crazy, Les Miles brings his psycho roadshow into Jordan-Hare next week. (This one won the Most Retweeted award for the day.)

Can Cam Newton play defense? How about basketball? Barbee salivates.

The student body takes up the Heisman chant.

To Toomer’s, to watch the celebration:

Toomers

And inside the drug store, for overpriced lemonade:

Lemonade


10
Oct 10

Catching up

Roses

Flowers on the lovely Samford University campus.

Timemachine

Later, he is going back to the future. He needs to find 1.21 gigawatts.

SixMile

This gas station is the only shot at groceries for miles around. Six, to be exact.

farmland

Shooting from the hip, as it were, in the middle of nowhere.

Drugstore

Looks like someone is a Mason … I hadn’t even noticed that driving by, being much more interested in the bright signage.

X

They’ll explain everything in an owner’s manual if you’ll stop to read the thing.

Sunset

And after this I drove in darkness for 20 minutes.

Allie

Upside down cat reads upside down.

Allie

She doesn’t go outside, but she’s hunting in her mind.


9
Oct 10

Football, via Twitter

Football on Twitter, copied and pasted for posterity. Tennessee at Georgia in the morning, Alabama at South Carolina in the afternoon and then a night of craziness as LSU visited Florida and Auburn went to Lexington looking for revenge against Kentucky.

The Twitter updates are in blockquotes. Anything that needed further thought is bold.

Football cake

Les Miles eats these. Next week he’ll try to eat the real thing. Somehow, this will win him a football game.

Mark Richt’s Bulldogs look like world-beaters today. Too bad they can’t book Tennessee for 12 games each fall.

Can anyone explain the internal logic for ESPN3 blackouts? I mean, besides there not being one?

And that was the morning, really, that and Dean Foy. In the afternoon …

Hey Alabama? South Carolina is calling. They’ve got your number.

Somebody in Columbia send me a garnett Beat Bama shirt, mmkay?

Spurrier’s back, baby!

Just saw a guy in an Auburn shirt cheering at Brice Stadium. War Eagle, sir.

When did Gary Danielson replace Barry Krauss on the Tide Network? #coloranalysthomer

Double bad news for Alabama: trailing at South Carolina and that big Penn State win looks less than impressive. Zook beat PSU badly today.

Spurrier just benched Garcia so hard in his mind … (Upon the instance of Garcia’s safety.)

When was the last time Alabama’s defense was gashed like this? Been awhile.

Ballgame. (Upon the instance of Bama failing to convert on a fake field goal.)

Danielson Summary: Bama cheats, Carolina still gets it done.

Alabama fans commence saying many things to soothe themselves for losing to Stephen Garcia.

JUST thinking that. RT @victoriacumbow @StevenStiefel I can see it on Nick Saban’s face: “Who am I gonna blame for this?”

SC beat Bama with their defensive line, wide receivers and backfield. Know who’s are as good or better? #wareagle

Tomorrow’s Tuscaloosa meme, today: Tide were looking ahead to Ole Miss.

And after that delightful mid-day diversion we come to the game of the night, Auburn at Kentucky:

I think of early drives as something Auburn refuses to prepare, opting instead for the joy and challenge of mid-game adjustments. #wareagle I’m ready for any other rationale you might have on the subject, too.

Cam Newton will trade you this stiff arm for your graham crackers. #wareagle

Meanwhile, Florida, on the alternative screen, show you why you should never wear orange jerseys.

Touchdown Auburn! If Cam has a Twitter account his new status from the sideline is “Isn’t even trying hard.” 7-7 #wareagle

Dyer, Lutzenkirchen, Dyer. Kodi Burns. Chewing up the yardage. Look for another drive or two like this before the night is over. #wareagle

@tzac81au, too, looks like he doesn’t have to run especially hard. #wareagle

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Cam Newton grinds out the last bit of the bluegrass. Now’s the time to set the tone for the rest of the night. #wareagle

Look at those Kentucky fans, dreaming about basketball already! #wareagle

Nick Fairley is trying out finishing moves for a potential wrestling career. #wareagle (Upon the instance of the first questionable 15-yard penalty.)

I’m thinking of inventing a candy bar and naming it after Josh Bynes. You’d buy one of those. #wareagle

Do not trick or treat Cam Newton’s place. He will just push your costumed kids to the ground like Kentucky defenders. #wareagle

That’s ridiculous. Just ridiculous. Cam Newton to Kodi Burns on the most ridiculous made up play ever. Ridiculous. #wareagle (Spurrier added it to his playbook for next week’s Kentucky game.)

Touchdown Auburn! Another play, another rushing score for Cam Newton. Three tonight as the Tigers roar out to a 21-7 lead. #wareagle (If only they did this for 60 minutes …)

Kentucky dribbles the ball and Craig Stevens recovers the fumble. First down Tigers! #wareagle

@atcrawford It wouldn’t be the most egregious MNC anyone ever counted. (He congratulated Auburn for claiming the transitive national championship for having beaten the team that beat Alabama …)

Should be 28-7, but nice to see
@wesbyrum connect to run the lead out to 24-7. #wareagle

Dear referees, @Z_Etheridge4 has been through enough. Now he’s going to go through some Wildcats. (Also, he’s still in play.) #wareagle

Dear referees, It is called gravity. And is legal. Newton (not the quarterback, the other one) wrote a law about it. #wareagle

Florida is playing LSU not to lose. Which is working into Les Miles’ oddly crafted hands.

Cam Newton is winning the Kentucky Derby. Write it down. #wareagle

Touchdown Auburn! Gus Malzahn is working in the future, driving up Newton’s stats so he can show off a Heisman to recruits. #wareagle

At the half: Tigers 31, Kentucky 17. Newton is 8-11 for 129 yards passing with 132 yards rushing and FOUR scores on 13 carries. #wareagle

So the first half of the third quarter was an excellent time to eat dinner. And if you are superstitious, I’m not having dessert. #wareagle Because my having food was clearly what caused the problem. That and whatever you were doing after the break. And whatever you’re doing, you really need to stop doing it during football because it was not helping matters.

@wesbyrum Chips one in for a score, Tigers re-take the lead 34-31. #wareagle

And we’re tied again, 34-34. I vote for a seven minute drive featuring Michael Dyer culminating in a @supurmario27 touchdown plunge.

Auburn just put us all in the uncomfortable position of Bob Davie making sense. Hate when that happens. #wareagle When Davie is talking about being sensible on kickoff returns you know you’ve over-thought a play.

We’re running yellow-37. That’s Cam scrambling around to make something happen. It is similar to colors green and red, and numbers 4-31.

@wesbyrum kicks the game winner. 37-34, WAR EAGLE, 6-0 and moving up the polls! #wareagle

LSU, with seconds left, lines up for tying field goal, fakes it, drops it, and STILL gets the 1st down. Les Miles’ soul has been sold again.

The play is being reviewed, but Les Miles is laughing because he knows the NCAA has NO RULES FOR HIS MIND.

The Auburn finish was just an inevitability and not quite as dramatic as the Florida game.

“They can spike it, run it out of bounds or throw it incomplete.” Or they can run the LESTER!

We should start to consider the possibility that Les Miles is sane and brilliant and the rest of us are crazy.

After the game Les Miles and are going to Vegas and betting it all on .5 turquoise and walking out with the roulette table! I changed the color because that makes it funnier.

Not a bad Saturday, that.


3
Oct 10

Catching up

Elevator

The most basic of elevator controls. But, then, this elevator might be half-a-century old.

Sunset

Sunset behind me, over Montgomery, Ala.

Sunset

Sunset over western Florida.

Sign

The bathroom was less than clean.

I downloaded Diptic since it showed up in the iTunes top 50 (free, of course). You can take pictures, new or old, and throw them in one of 19 templates to get a multi-shot effect. I just pulled these pictures off my phone to see how well it worked. I suspect this could be useful, and saves you a bit on Photoshop. You can also alter the border properties with ease. It is just another app aiming to help you tell a story with pictures. Almost like they are important or something … This could be a useful app. For inspiration, check out their Flickr group.


2
Oct 10

Henry and Dee

HenryandDee

We’re visiting with The Yankee’s grandparents, Henry and Dee. They retired to Florida and the visits aren’t nearly frequent enough because they are the sweetest people.

We had pizza for lunch, they took us to this park in the afternoon. We visited a pier and watched the boats and the birds. We had dinner at a new local restaurant Henry wanted to try. It was noisy and crowded, but good.

We had pie back around their table and gave them presents. They told us stories all day. I took pictures and recorded a few of the conversations.

I’ll share one or two of those in the next few days.