I apologize for the lateness of this entry, but I have been incredibly busy this month. However, I did have the occasion to attend this year's Capitol One, neh, Citrus Bowl, between the University of Michigan and the University of Florida in Orlando, Florida. Given the event, and since I am dating a UF grad, I felt that it was important to go through the chronology of the events and the game. I actually took these notes on my blackberry at the time of the game, but I am just now getting to transfer it to the blog. Anyway, after a night of partying for New Year's Eve at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando (which I highly recommend by the way) we woke up ready to go to the game.
10:03 - Start the departure process at the valet stand.
While waiting for the car, all of the kids are wearing Tim Tebow jerseys. Apparently Tebow has been preaching the gospel, "go forth and multiply", and it has been working.
Also while waiting for the valet to bring our vehicle, a kid wanders out into oncoming traffic in the valet area. A valet captain runs out and pulls a J.T. Snow saving little Dusty Baker. The mother is about 5 feet away, and much like Dusty Baker, was completely oblivious. Not only did she do nothing, she never even said anything to the valet captain. Ridiculous.
10:29 - Actually leave hotel. The valet isn't the swiftest.
11:03 - Come to the entrance of our parking lot, at the Amway Arena.
11:04 - Alexis vacates car at entrance of parking lot, gets sick from last night.
11:04:30 - Enter parking lot at Amway Arena.
11:08 - Alexis finds us at our parking spot.
11:35 - Alexis round 2.
12:11 - Alexis round 3 outside stadium.
12:14 - Someone put the name Spurrier on the back of their Ben Hanks 11 UF jersey.
12:21 - A guy sees a man selling sandwiches, and tells him, "If it's not an italian sausage, fuck your dad's little fucking homemade sandwiches". Not even sure exactly what this means, but it sounds awesome.
12:26 - Mark and I have to go to the bathroom, so we take a piss on the team buses.
12:34 - Mark is drinking a beer out of a Zephyrhills bottle. A lady cop on a horse tells him that is "the most covert beer she has seen".
Ron Paul people, signs and campaign stuff are absolutely everywhere. You would think he was the actual frontrunner.
12:40 - We meet Ashley. Ashley is important because she has our tickets.
Our seats on on the goaline for the goal that says "Michigan", about 17 rows up. We are hoping that we get a birds eye view of a close play.
1:08 - Already drunk - Kickoff.
1:21 - Michigan TD. Poor defense on Florida's part. Only good play was a bad intentional grounding call.
1:30 - Gator people around us are complaining about standing up, specifically one guy and two ladies, one of which seems to be with him. Apparently they are not real football fans! I am now convinced that Michigan will win simply because of these fans. Florida people can be soooo stupid.
1:38 - One of the guys asking us to sit down just said to his friends, "Come on, we need to get some life in this crowd." CLOWN!!!
1:49 - Gators TD.
2:09 - Number 19 on the Gators D is imploring the Gator fans to stand up. Very interesting given our previous episode with Beavis and Buttsnatch asking us to sit down.
2:16 - Michigan TD - Mike Hart.
2:22 - Skates (Percy Harvin), got caught from behind by Morgan Trent, a junior cornerback who just showed incredible speed on the play. On that play, he just made himself a player to watch for next season.
2:30 - Big sack of Tim Tebow after a TD was called back because Florida did not have enough men on the line of scrimmage.
2:31 - Michigan blocks a field goal attempt.
2:33 - Great play call by Michigan. They line up four receivers left and throw a tight end screen right. Great execution.
2:35 - Big Mike Hart fumble.
2:37 - The announcer says that the "Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association welcomes you to central Florida." Really, where else would they welcome me?
2:42 - Interception at the 1 - really bad pass by Chad Henne on the double option.
2:52 - I go to the bathroom, and I overhear two guys talking about what a good pro prospect former Heisman winner Gino Torino from Miami was. Assuming they meant Gino Torretta - DOPES!
2:58 - Michigan TD.
3:01 - First half ends, 1 hour and 53 minutes after it started.
3:11 - While walking through the crowd getting refreshments, a lady grabs her kid and says, "I know that your natural direction takes you toward french fries, but you have to keep going straight."
3:29 - Onsides pooch kick recovered by Michigan. Florida caught completely off guard.
3:34 - Michigan TD by Mike Hart.
3:45 - Florida TD.
3:53 - Big Hart fumble. Dumbass who asked us to sit down says, "this must hurt his draft status". This guy obviously doesn't know anything about football.
4:01 - Florida TD.
4:08 - End of third quarter - 28 to 28.
4:12 - Guy wearing a Spartan shirt walks by. A UF fan tells his kid that they are Michigan's big rival. Apparently, he never heard of Ohio State. I am guessing that fan was in geography class with Channing Crowder.
4:18 - 19, 23 and 25 of Florida's defense all want their fans to stand up. Amazing. I thought we were all supposed to sit down, at least according to the three Florida fans behind us.
4:19 - Michigan field goal.
4:30 - Big Florida interception on a tipped screen.
4:34 - Florida TD, by Skates. Florida up 35-31.
4:37 - In the bathroom, and I spy a Danny Wuerrfel New Orleans Saints jersey.
4:41 - Michigan TD, 38 - 35. This touchdown set up by a huge catch by Arrington on the sideline in which he catches the ball with the defender's back.
4:47 - UF goes for it on 4th down. Dumb call with 2:47 left in the game. Punt and play field position.
4:52 - Field goal Michigan to go up 41 to 35. UF needs a touchdown now.
4:55 - Kids in front of us rooting for Florida ask everyone to stand up, saying, "a loss will be your fault if you don't". I hope that those kids forever blame the three stooges behind us.
4:57 - 4th down scramble hail mary - no good. Michigan ball with 1:48 left.
4:59 - 3 hour 51 minute game mercifully ends. Good bye for Lloyd Carr. With as much crying as he has done this year, he always has a spot open on Dick Vermeil's staff.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
NFL Divisional Playoffs Predictions
We here at We Make It Rain love football and gambling, so here are our predictions for this weekend's NFL Divisional Round Playoffs. Betting lines from canbet.com.
Seattle (+8) v. Green Bay
Out of all the remaining teams, Seattle probably has the most suspect running game. It is interesting that they play the Packers, who at the beginning of the season looked as if they would have one of the most suspect running games in the entire league. Enter Ryan Grant, who has had the second most rushing yards in the NFL since week 8. In addition, the Packers receivers have really emerged as a force this year, with Jennings, Driver and Donald Lee becoming not only good targets for Favre, but also viable playmakers in their own right.
Seattle has the most underrated quarterback of the past 5 years, Matt Hasselback, who has finally found some receivers that don't automatically drop the ball out of habit. Bobby Engram had 94 catches for 1,147 yards. Shaun Alexander, however - DONE!
On the defensive side of the football, Patrick Kerney has emerged as a pass rushing force with 14.5 sacks this year, second in the NFL. However, the Packers are likely to call a lot of timing routes, and look for Farve to throw the ball well before the Seahawks pass rush has time to make their presence felt. Plus, Seattle's secondary is suspect. Meanwhile, the Packers play solid team defense, with linebacker Nick Barnett leading the way with 131 tackles, good for 5th in the NFL.
If I thought that Shaun Alexander had anything left, I would love to pick the Seahawks in this one, but I can't. The do play it close enough to cover.
The Seahawks, plus the 8.
Jacksonville (+13.5) v. New England
Everyone would love to see an upset here, and make New England finish with the worst possible record mathematicallly for a team of their talent, 16-1. If you don't understand that sentence, don't worry, ask me to explain it to you.
It is not going to happen. Jacksonville can run the ball on anybody, and with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, they have the best backfield tandem in the NFL. Both are capable taking any run to the house for 6. As good as Garrard has been this year, he just doesn't have the total passing package to keep New England's defense honest. The receivers are not big threats, and with Asante Samuel covering one side of the field, the Pats linebackers can load up against the run. I believe Jacksonville may get yards rushing, but I look for New England to limit the big play.
New England is the most powerful offense ever. Brady, Moss and the team all set records for touchdowns. Wes Welker lead the NFL in receptions with 112 (tied with T. J. Houshmandzadeh). And although Belicheck abandoned the run for most of the year, Maroney still averaged 4.5 yards per carry. Jacksonville's defense is one of the most physically toughest in the league. However, New England has proven that it can score against anyone, including the Jaguars.
Don't look for an upset here. Take the Patriots, and give the 13.5.
San Diego (+9.5) v. Indianapolis
This game is a rematch from the game earlier this year when Peyton Manning absolutely IMPLODED! 6 interceptions. Probably would have thrown more had he not run out of time. The Colts offense has not seemed as explosive as in the past, likely due to all of the injuries to the wide receivers. The immortal Craphonzo Thorpe even saw significant playing time. I do not expect Manning to have the same type of game. I look for the Cotls to score almost at will against the Chargers D. Although Merriman, Phillips, Castillo and Cromartie are among the best in the game, the Chargers do not have enough defensive firepower to compete with the Colts.
The Colt defense is once again solid, led by NFL Defensive Player of the year Bob Sanders. Sanders is the type of safety that simply looks forward to making hits in the running game, in addition to the standard role of pass defense. Sanders leads a defense that will be matched up against an offense coached by Norv Turner. NORV TURNER! I don't care how many LaDanian Tomlinsons you have, it is hard to overcome that albatross. Plus, Antonio Gates is hurt.
Take the Colts and give the points.
New York Giants (+7.5) v. Dallas Cowboys
This game is looking like the prime game for the favored team to lose. The home team has never won all 4 divisional round games since the NFL switched to the wildcard format. This might be the game for the underdog.
First, the Cowboys have yet to figure out that they need to use Marion Barber as the every down back. He simply brings more to the table than Julius Jones. I do believe the Cowboys could use Jones so that Barber does not wear down, however, this is the playoffs. You have to play your best players. Second, Tony Romo has not been the same since his thumb injury. I think the injury has had more of an effect on him than anyone in the Cowboys would admit. Owens is back from his injured ankle, and even though he may be able to play, I believe his speed, quickness and agility might be limited enough to make his matchup with the Giants seconday more even. With the extra second or two that it might take the receivers to get open, the Giants pass rush should be able to get to Romo. Once that happens, look for Flozell Adams to commit multiple false starts. Jason Witten, though, has simply been the best tight end in football this year.
For the Giants, Eli Manning has played much better as of late, and Ahmad Bradshaw has provided the tough running that this Giants team needs to win. Assuming Plaxico Burress is able to continue his level of play with his ankle improving, the Giants offense might be able to score a lot on the Cowboys. Roy Williams is great in run coverage, but the safeties can be suspect in pass coverage. I look for Eli to throw the ball often to challenge the Cowboys secondary.
The Cowboys beat the Giants handily in the first two games, but this is not the same Cowboys football team. Likewise, this is not the same Giants team, which has been so consistently inconsistent this year. I don't think the Giants will win, but take the Giants and the 7.5 points.
Happy Football, and don't drink too much. Well, at least not much more than normal.
Seattle (+8) v. Green Bay
Out of all the remaining teams, Seattle probably has the most suspect running game. It is interesting that they play the Packers, who at the beginning of the season looked as if they would have one of the most suspect running games in the entire league. Enter Ryan Grant, who has had the second most rushing yards in the NFL since week 8. In addition, the Packers receivers have really emerged as a force this year, with Jennings, Driver and Donald Lee becoming not only good targets for Favre, but also viable playmakers in their own right.
Seattle has the most underrated quarterback of the past 5 years, Matt Hasselback, who has finally found some receivers that don't automatically drop the ball out of habit. Bobby Engram had 94 catches for 1,147 yards. Shaun Alexander, however - DONE!
On the defensive side of the football, Patrick Kerney has emerged as a pass rushing force with 14.5 sacks this year, second in the NFL. However, the Packers are likely to call a lot of timing routes, and look for Farve to throw the ball well before the Seahawks pass rush has time to make their presence felt. Plus, Seattle's secondary is suspect. Meanwhile, the Packers play solid team defense, with linebacker Nick Barnett leading the way with 131 tackles, good for 5th in the NFL.
If I thought that Shaun Alexander had anything left, I would love to pick the Seahawks in this one, but I can't. The do play it close enough to cover.
The Seahawks, plus the 8.
Jacksonville (+13.5) v. New England
Everyone would love to see an upset here, and make New England finish with the worst possible record mathematicallly for a team of their talent, 16-1. If you don't understand that sentence, don't worry, ask me to explain it to you.
It is not going to happen. Jacksonville can run the ball on anybody, and with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, they have the best backfield tandem in the NFL. Both are capable taking any run to the house for 6. As good as Garrard has been this year, he just doesn't have the total passing package to keep New England's defense honest. The receivers are not big threats, and with Asante Samuel covering one side of the field, the Pats linebackers can load up against the run. I believe Jacksonville may get yards rushing, but I look for New England to limit the big play.
New England is the most powerful offense ever. Brady, Moss and the team all set records for touchdowns. Wes Welker lead the NFL in receptions with 112 (tied with T. J. Houshmandzadeh). And although Belicheck abandoned the run for most of the year, Maroney still averaged 4.5 yards per carry. Jacksonville's defense is one of the most physically toughest in the league. However, New England has proven that it can score against anyone, including the Jaguars.
Don't look for an upset here. Take the Patriots, and give the 13.5.
San Diego (+9.5) v. Indianapolis
This game is a rematch from the game earlier this year when Peyton Manning absolutely IMPLODED! 6 interceptions. Probably would have thrown more had he not run out of time. The Colts offense has not seemed as explosive as in the past, likely due to all of the injuries to the wide receivers. The immortal Craphonzo Thorpe even saw significant playing time. I do not expect Manning to have the same type of game. I look for the Cotls to score almost at will against the Chargers D. Although Merriman, Phillips, Castillo and Cromartie are among the best in the game, the Chargers do not have enough defensive firepower to compete with the Colts.
The Colt defense is once again solid, led by NFL Defensive Player of the year Bob Sanders. Sanders is the type of safety that simply looks forward to making hits in the running game, in addition to the standard role of pass defense. Sanders leads a defense that will be matched up against an offense coached by Norv Turner. NORV TURNER! I don't care how many LaDanian Tomlinsons you have, it is hard to overcome that albatross. Plus, Antonio Gates is hurt.
Take the Colts and give the points.
New York Giants (+7.5) v. Dallas Cowboys
This game is looking like the prime game for the favored team to lose. The home team has never won all 4 divisional round games since the NFL switched to the wildcard format. This might be the game for the underdog.
First, the Cowboys have yet to figure out that they need to use Marion Barber as the every down back. He simply brings more to the table than Julius Jones. I do believe the Cowboys could use Jones so that Barber does not wear down, however, this is the playoffs. You have to play your best players. Second, Tony Romo has not been the same since his thumb injury. I think the injury has had more of an effect on him than anyone in the Cowboys would admit. Owens is back from his injured ankle, and even though he may be able to play, I believe his speed, quickness and agility might be limited enough to make his matchup with the Giants seconday more even. With the extra second or two that it might take the receivers to get open, the Giants pass rush should be able to get to Romo. Once that happens, look for Flozell Adams to commit multiple false starts. Jason Witten, though, has simply been the best tight end in football this year.
For the Giants, Eli Manning has played much better as of late, and Ahmad Bradshaw has provided the tough running that this Giants team needs to win. Assuming Plaxico Burress is able to continue his level of play with his ankle improving, the Giants offense might be able to score a lot on the Cowboys. Roy Williams is great in run coverage, but the safeties can be suspect in pass coverage. I look for Eli to throw the ball often to challenge the Cowboys secondary.
The Cowboys beat the Giants handily in the first two games, but this is not the same Cowboys football team. Likewise, this is not the same Giants team, which has been so consistently inconsistent this year. I don't think the Giants will win, but take the Giants and the 7.5 points.
Happy Football, and don't drink too much. Well, at least not much more than normal.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
No You MAY Not!!!
We here at We Make It Rain not only enjoy golf, but follow it as fans. However, due to its nature, golf doesn't readily avail itself to the blog format, as it is hard to capture the thrillingness and excitement of golf on paper, and unless you have seen me play, it isn't particularly funny. But, I came across something interesting this week. The PGA Qualifying School.
Now, those that follow sports know that Q-School might be the most grueling and mentally taxing event in sports. The golfers that do not earn enough money on the PGA tour in a given year (or win, or earn other exceptions), have to play in one, six round tournament in order to return to the Tour for the following year by finshing in the top 24.
The fact that Q-School finished this week, and the fact that it took place on two courses at Orange County National - Crooked Cat and Panther Lake - two course that I have played multiple times myself, do not in and of themselves make it interesting. (For those that don't know - the two courses are designed completely different, one being more "American" style and the other more "links" oriented). Neither does the fact that Frank Lickliter won after shooting a 29 under 403, or that familiar names (to golf fans anwyay) Carlos Franco and Duffy Waldorf earned their tour cards for next year. (Who knew that they had to go to Q-School)?
What made this year's Q-School interesting was who didn't make it. Think back to 2000, the PGA Championships at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky. Tiger had already won the U.S. Open and the British Open. He was looking for three in a row on his way to the "Tiger Slam". He nails a birdie on 18 on Sunday, but is tied when his competitor nails a birdie on 18. Three hole playoff. Tiger birdies the first hole, 16. Both players made incredible pars on 17. Tiger hit a tree twice on his drive, after just hammering his tee shot left. From there, Tiger hit into the left rough, and then into the right bunker. His bunker shot is a thing of beauty as it lands within two feet of the cup. Tap in par. His opponent's approach shot catches the edge of the green, but he has 40 or so feet for birdie, which he narrowly misses. That opponent, who stared down Tiger down the stretch of a major, forcing a playoff, and nearly forcing a second was the immortal Bob May.
And now, in the finicky world of golf, Bob May cannot even play on the PGA Tour next year. He asked if he could come play on the Tour, with the real pros, and after shooting a 13 under 419 and tying for 27th place, the PGA Tour said, "No you may not". (He missed the playoff by one stroke). Welcome to the Nationwide Tour Bob. You will always have your own Valhalla. Remember, it could be worse. You could be Ian Baker-Finch.
Now, those that follow sports know that Q-School might be the most grueling and mentally taxing event in sports. The golfers that do not earn enough money on the PGA tour in a given year (or win, or earn other exceptions), have to play in one, six round tournament in order to return to the Tour for the following year by finshing in the top 24.
The fact that Q-School finished this week, and the fact that it took place on two courses at Orange County National - Crooked Cat and Panther Lake - two course that I have played multiple times myself, do not in and of themselves make it interesting. (For those that don't know - the two courses are designed completely different, one being more "American" style and the other more "links" oriented). Neither does the fact that Frank Lickliter won after shooting a 29 under 403, or that familiar names (to golf fans anwyay) Carlos Franco and Duffy Waldorf earned their tour cards for next year. (Who knew that they had to go to Q-School)?
What made this year's Q-School interesting was who didn't make it. Think back to 2000, the PGA Championships at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky. Tiger had already won the U.S. Open and the British Open. He was looking for three in a row on his way to the "Tiger Slam". He nails a birdie on 18 on Sunday, but is tied when his competitor nails a birdie on 18. Three hole playoff. Tiger birdies the first hole, 16. Both players made incredible pars on 17. Tiger hit a tree twice on his drive, after just hammering his tee shot left. From there, Tiger hit into the left rough, and then into the right bunker. His bunker shot is a thing of beauty as it lands within two feet of the cup. Tap in par. His opponent's approach shot catches the edge of the green, but he has 40 or so feet for birdie, which he narrowly misses. That opponent, who stared down Tiger down the stretch of a major, forcing a playoff, and nearly forcing a second was the immortal Bob May.
And now, in the finicky world of golf, Bob May cannot even play on the PGA Tour next year. He asked if he could come play on the Tour, with the real pros, and after shooting a 13 under 419 and tying for 27th place, the PGA Tour said, "No you may not". (He missed the playoff by one stroke). Welcome to the Nationwide Tour Bob. You will always have your own Valhalla. Remember, it could be worse. You could be Ian Baker-Finch.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Sean Taylor - RIP
As we all now know, Washington Redskins safety and former Miami Hurricane Sean Taylor has died as a result of a gunshot wound to the thigh, which apparently pierced his femoral artery, causing massive blood loss. All reports indicate that he underwent surgery, but never regained consciousness after being picked up by the ambulance. All reports also indicate that he was shot by an intruder inside his home sometime before 1:45 a.m. on Monday morning, the second such intruder within the last 8 days. As far as any more details, they are sketchy at best, nonexistent at worst, and I won't speculate as to any of them at this time.
As the resident fan and expert of the "U" here at We Make It Rain, I feel obliged to describe what this terrible tragedy means to those affiliated with the "U", as well as just fans. Nobody, unless they have been through something this horrific, could ever try to describe what this means to his parents, fiance', 18 month old daughter and assorted family and friends.
Since a lot of people are thinking it, I'll go ahead and get the obligatory, Miami is a bunch of thugs, they recruit thugs, they play like thugs, and act like thugs paragraph out of the way. Yes, a lot of the players that Miami recruits are local, and are raised in rough sections of town. Yes, some of the players were toughs, both on and off the field, prior to and during their tenure at Miami. Yes, some have been involved in incidents of their own making. But let's look at what the media is saying about Taylor. First, he had a weapons charge against him and he plead out to 18 months probation. What really happened: He saw some guys driving around on his ATV's. Taylor's defense was that they stole his ATVs. This probation period meant that he wasn't allowed to have firearms (foreshadowing). He was fined 17 times or so in the NFL. Yes, one of those was for the spitting incident with Michael Pittman, and some were for late hits, but a lot of them were for "uniform violations". Really thuggish there. He missed the rookie symposium. Boy is that awful. Maybe there is something behind the two break-ins at his home, and maybe we will know the full story at some point (only with some good police work), and maybe this was payback for something from Taylor's past (Cue Tupac - "always worried about the payback, from some punk that I roughed up way back"). Nevertheless, all we know is that an intruder was in his room, Taylor grabbed a machete that he kept in his room for protection (A MACHETE!), and then the intruder opened the door and fired 2 shots, with 1 hitting Taylor in the groin. Perhaps if he wasn't on probation, he could have legally kept a gun, and better protected himself, but that is simply conjecture.
Now that the foregoing is out of the way, here is what I remember about Taylor - WOW! He could hit, ball hawk, and always made his biggest plays in the biggest games (what seemed like 90 interceptions against FSU). Since the Monday Night Football slopfest between the Steelers and Dolphins was so bad last night, my buddies and I got into one of those random discussions of, "Who is the best ....... of all time?" When we discussed Miami, as the only Miami fan in the group I spoke first. Russell Maryland, Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Sean Taylor, Ed Reed. Those were the first names that came to mind. What company there! He was an absolute stud.
After the 2004 NFL draft, I couldn't stop commenting to my colleagues as we were discussing football, that Sean Taylor was ultimately going to be the best pick in this draft. Now that was some praise, and I truly believed it. I would still believe it if we would have had the opportunity to discuss this draft, and him, a decade later than this. Yes Fitzgerald has been great, Roethlisberger has really developed (with a ring to boot), Steven Jackson looks great, as does Roy Williams, and Jon Vilma "must protect this house", but Taylor was still right there. He was leading the NFC in interceptions with 5, even though he has missed time with an injury. He was a Pro Bowler last year, and showed that he could make the big play and the big hit in the NFL as well. If only the intruder was unarmed, and was simply trying to go across the middle against Taylor - who would have won that battle? I think we know the answer to that question.
This incident signifies an increasingly common occurrence, which remains largely ignored - the targeting of rich African-American athletes. Paul Pierce and Sean Taylor being the best and possibly most notable. The reasoning behind this is most likely money - because, well, they have it. However, this is nothing new in the sporting world. Russian hockey players have stories of family kidnappings for payment, as do Latin American baseball players. Both of these situations went largely ignored by the mainstream media, and possibly even law enforcement, because, well, it would never happen here. Well guess what - it is happening here. Who is to say the underlying reason. Is it purely financial? Probably in some cases. Some punks trying to make a name for themselves? Probably in some cases. Whatever it is, athletes from bad situations and neighborhoods need to learn that they have more at stake than others that are able to survive and grow away from that environment. They simply do not have the luxury of maturing at their own pace that the rest of us might enjoy. Look at the rap community. Most of the general public is not surprised when a rap artist is shot. They figure that it is par for the course in that world (and no, I am not suggesting that it is, or that it should be). These athletes need to grow up and mature much faster than most of the rest of us. Taylor was 24 for crying out loud. 24!!!
This is also another hit to the University of Miami. Miami recruits a lot locally, so a lot of its players have known each other for a long time. Most of the players that move on to the NFL stay local. You might remember a situation a few years ago when Edgerrin James refused to attend voluntary off-season workouts with his Colts teammates. Why? Because he was working out in Miami with his former teammates and current players. It would be difficult to find one team whose players all interconnect with each other like at the "U". Part of that may be the small size of the university itself. Less than 10,000 undergraduates attend college there. Whatever the reason, Miami is a close knit community. This is the third tragedy to affect this community in just over a calender year. Lineman Bryan Pata was shot in the back in the parking lot of his apartment complex. Kevin Everett was injured on a special team's play for the Bills, which almost killed him. Miraculously it looks as if he is going to walk again. Now this. Cynics and idiots would say "well this is what Miami deserves for being thugs". But look at those three tragedies. Thuggishness had nothing to do with them. The only explanation for all three of these incidents is just happenstance. A weird freaky happenstance.
I apologize for the disjointedness of this post, as I didn't really have time to outline and/or edit it, but this is just my ramblings and thoughts for this terrible tragedy.
I will end it by paraphrasing some things that I have heard and/or read elsewhere. The blog Kissing Suzy Kolber gives a weekly NFL award called the Meast of the Week. The Meast comes from a performer who is so good, that they must be half man half beast. This award started with Sean Taylor, and deservedly so. In this situation, Taylor was on probation and probably not allowed to carry firearms. Therefore, when he heard an intruder, he grabbed his machete to try to protect his family. He was shot while doing so, paying the ultimate price in protecting his family, which he did so with much more ferocity than he ever could have protected an end zone. He was the ultimate safety, giving up everything to keep others from his house. Underarmed, and not knowing exactly where the intruder was, he nonetheless sought them out, so that his fiance' and daughter might be saved. Although he is no longer with us, his family is. Now that is a MEAST!!! This might be the best pass breakup Taylor every could have accomplished.
We will remember you at your best, as a phenomenal safety, and as a protector of your family. I will remember you for all the big plays - especially against Florida State.
Rest in Peace Sean Taylor, and all the best to your family and friends.
As the resident fan and expert of the "U" here at We Make It Rain, I feel obliged to describe what this terrible tragedy means to those affiliated with the "U", as well as just fans. Nobody, unless they have been through something this horrific, could ever try to describe what this means to his parents, fiance', 18 month old daughter and assorted family and friends.
Since a lot of people are thinking it, I'll go ahead and get the obligatory, Miami is a bunch of thugs, they recruit thugs, they play like thugs, and act like thugs paragraph out of the way. Yes, a lot of the players that Miami recruits are local, and are raised in rough sections of town. Yes, some of the players were toughs, both on and off the field, prior to and during their tenure at Miami. Yes, some have been involved in incidents of their own making. But let's look at what the media is saying about Taylor. First, he had a weapons charge against him and he plead out to 18 months probation. What really happened: He saw some guys driving around on his ATV's. Taylor's defense was that they stole his ATVs. This probation period meant that he wasn't allowed to have firearms (foreshadowing). He was fined 17 times or so in the NFL. Yes, one of those was for the spitting incident with Michael Pittman, and some were for late hits, but a lot of them were for "uniform violations". Really thuggish there. He missed the rookie symposium. Boy is that awful. Maybe there is something behind the two break-ins at his home, and maybe we will know the full story at some point (only with some good police work), and maybe this was payback for something from Taylor's past (Cue Tupac - "always worried about the payback, from some punk that I roughed up way back"). Nevertheless, all we know is that an intruder was in his room, Taylor grabbed a machete that he kept in his room for protection (A MACHETE!), and then the intruder opened the door and fired 2 shots, with 1 hitting Taylor in the groin. Perhaps if he wasn't on probation, he could have legally kept a gun, and better protected himself, but that is simply conjecture.
Now that the foregoing is out of the way, here is what I remember about Taylor - WOW! He could hit, ball hawk, and always made his biggest plays in the biggest games (what seemed like 90 interceptions against FSU). Since the Monday Night Football slopfest between the Steelers and Dolphins was so bad last night, my buddies and I got into one of those random discussions of, "Who is the best ....... of all time?" When we discussed Miami, as the only Miami fan in the group I spoke first. Russell Maryland, Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Sean Taylor, Ed Reed. Those were the first names that came to mind. What company there! He was an absolute stud.
After the 2004 NFL draft, I couldn't stop commenting to my colleagues as we were discussing football, that Sean Taylor was ultimately going to be the best pick in this draft. Now that was some praise, and I truly believed it. I would still believe it if we would have had the opportunity to discuss this draft, and him, a decade later than this. Yes Fitzgerald has been great, Roethlisberger has really developed (with a ring to boot), Steven Jackson looks great, as does Roy Williams, and Jon Vilma "must protect this house", but Taylor was still right there. He was leading the NFC in interceptions with 5, even though he has missed time with an injury. He was a Pro Bowler last year, and showed that he could make the big play and the big hit in the NFL as well. If only the intruder was unarmed, and was simply trying to go across the middle against Taylor - who would have won that battle? I think we know the answer to that question.
This incident signifies an increasingly common occurrence, which remains largely ignored - the targeting of rich African-American athletes. Paul Pierce and Sean Taylor being the best and possibly most notable. The reasoning behind this is most likely money - because, well, they have it. However, this is nothing new in the sporting world. Russian hockey players have stories of family kidnappings for payment, as do Latin American baseball players. Both of these situations went largely ignored by the mainstream media, and possibly even law enforcement, because, well, it would never happen here. Well guess what - it is happening here. Who is to say the underlying reason. Is it purely financial? Probably in some cases. Some punks trying to make a name for themselves? Probably in some cases. Whatever it is, athletes from bad situations and neighborhoods need to learn that they have more at stake than others that are able to survive and grow away from that environment. They simply do not have the luxury of maturing at their own pace that the rest of us might enjoy. Look at the rap community. Most of the general public is not surprised when a rap artist is shot. They figure that it is par for the course in that world (and no, I am not suggesting that it is, or that it should be). These athletes need to grow up and mature much faster than most of the rest of us. Taylor was 24 for crying out loud. 24!!!
This is also another hit to the University of Miami. Miami recruits a lot locally, so a lot of its players have known each other for a long time. Most of the players that move on to the NFL stay local. You might remember a situation a few years ago when Edgerrin James refused to attend voluntary off-season workouts with his Colts teammates. Why? Because he was working out in Miami with his former teammates and current players. It would be difficult to find one team whose players all interconnect with each other like at the "U". Part of that may be the small size of the university itself. Less than 10,000 undergraduates attend college there. Whatever the reason, Miami is a close knit community. This is the third tragedy to affect this community in just over a calender year. Lineman Bryan Pata was shot in the back in the parking lot of his apartment complex. Kevin Everett was injured on a special team's play for the Bills, which almost killed him. Miraculously it looks as if he is going to walk again. Now this. Cynics and idiots would say "well this is what Miami deserves for being thugs". But look at those three tragedies. Thuggishness had nothing to do with them. The only explanation for all three of these incidents is just happenstance. A weird freaky happenstance.
I apologize for the disjointedness of this post, as I didn't really have time to outline and/or edit it, but this is just my ramblings and thoughts for this terrible tragedy.
I will end it by paraphrasing some things that I have heard and/or read elsewhere. The blog Kissing Suzy Kolber gives a weekly NFL award called the Meast of the Week. The Meast comes from a performer who is so good, that they must be half man half beast. This award started with Sean Taylor, and deservedly so. In this situation, Taylor was on probation and probably not allowed to carry firearms. Therefore, when he heard an intruder, he grabbed his machete to try to protect his family. He was shot while doing so, paying the ultimate price in protecting his family, which he did so with much more ferocity than he ever could have protected an end zone. He was the ultimate safety, giving up everything to keep others from his house. Underarmed, and not knowing exactly where the intruder was, he nonetheless sought them out, so that his fiance' and daughter might be saved. Although he is no longer with us, his family is. Now that is a MEAST!!! This might be the best pass breakup Taylor every could have accomplished.
We will remember you at your best, as a phenomenal safety, and as a protector of your family. I will remember you for all the big plays - especially against Florida State.
Rest in Peace Sean Taylor, and all the best to your family and friends.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Bad Football Weekend Diary
I had the distinct, ummm ......, let's call it honor, of being able to spend almost the entire last weekend enjoying football live. The first game was the last game (almost) of the Orange Bowl. I say almost, because apparently Florida International University still has a game or two, but it was the U's last game at the OB. It really wasn't - Miami had already played their last game at the OB, given their inability to show up for the Virginia game, but more on that later. On Sunday, I had the opportunity to watch the Buffalo Bills game against the Miami Dolphins. This was exciting because it is one of the few legitimate opportunities for the Dolphins to win this year. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a staunch Hurricane fan, but I am neither a fan nor a hater of the Dolphins.
This weekend came about because my friends Christian and Debbie S. have Dolphin season tickets, club level, but are also graduates of the University of Virginia. The big group (mostly Virginia fans) was going to rent a bus to the 'Canes game. Since we were doing both games, Christian, Debbie, Hannah (hereinafter "Racecar" - figure it out) and myself were going to drive to Miami, check into the hotel, have the bus pick us up, go to the game, have the bus drop us off at the hotel, then wake up and drive to the Dolphins game. Not a bad plan at all.
Here is what transpired:
Saturday, November 10, 2007
1:45 p.m. - Christian and Debbie pick us up at Racecar's house. I completely forgot that the University of Virginia celebrates football in style. Christian in a coat and tie, Debbie completely dressed up. We get in the car in our T-Shirt and shorts. Side note, Racecar is a Gator. Neither the 'Canes or Gators really celebrate football in the full Southern tradition. Although football is an institution at the University of Florida, and everyone in Gainesville loves UF Football, it isn't as formal as at UVa, or Auburn, etc.
2:55 p.m. - Check in the Hotel.
3:00 p.m. - While changing clothes (different T-Shirt), I start flipping through the television channels to find some college football. I found something much better, Karate Kid II, on Telemundo.
3:01 p.m. - Confirmation that the bus has left West Palm Beach.
3:12 p.m. - To 7-11 for some "refreshments". Although the cooler is packed, that is for Sunday's game. The bus is stocked, but it isn't here yet. Plus, I figured I might be able to find some Hurricane Malt liquor in honor of the game. Wrong. Old English has to do.
3:51 p.m. - After tiring of Spanish language television and some boring college football, I stumble upon I'm Gonna Get You Sucka. What a way to start what was supposed to be a football weekend. I almost want to watch this movie and skip the game. Almost.
4:07 p.m. - Bus arrives. Almost everyone is already tanked. Especially Kyle.
4:17 p.m. - Kyle begins passing out beers to others on the bus. We think he had a few for himself.
This is a good time to mention the mixed drinks on the bus, or shall I say mixed drink. Only one concoction in a water cooler - the Peanut Island Leg Spreader. It also goes by a couple of other names, that due to legal considerations, seriously - no joke, I cannot mention. Just a fascinating potable, and very accurately named. I think Kyle must have had more than his share at this point. More on Kyle later.
5:08 p.m. - Near the Orange Bowl - fans, mostly students, walking by the bus. A couple of the younger guys on the bus are fascinated by two particular young Miami students and can't stop themselves from staring. One of the riders on the bus (I didn't see who said it) says, "Put your Man Boobs on the window to try to impress the Miami girls". Thankfully for all of us, and for the Miami girls, he didn't.
Just mostly generic drinking and enjoying ourselves.
5:46 p.m. - Racecar comes back from the restroom and relays this conversation among two girls that she heard. Girl 1 says that she was going to the Dolphins game tomorrow with a weatherman's son. Girl 2 - "Let it Rain"! We here at We Make It Rain applaud the response!
6:15 p.m. - I decide to use one of the inconveniently positioned facilities outside the tailgate area. While standing in line, I notice someone that honestly looks like a vagrant slumped on the sidewalk leaning against the fence that encloses the "parking area" for the tailgates. About 6 of Metro-Dade's finest are checking on this man. (After some debate about whether he is a man or a woman, we find out that he is in fact a man). One is kicking his legs (the guy is sitting indian style) trying to get a reaction, while another is pouring water on his face. After about a half dozen kicks and two or three pours of water, the man tries to get up. Even though it is incredibly difficult for him, he finally manages to stand (in real time, this whole episode takes about 7 or 8 minutes). When he stands, a couple of the officers give the "Touchdown" sign, and the guy proceeds to fall headfirst onto the sidewalk. Eventually the police move the guy, around the corner against the same fence, where he remains at least until I go into the stadium. Bizarre. Why they didn't arrest him and take him to the drunk tank or at least call for EMS I have no idea. This guy could have hurt himself or someone else. I am surprised that he didn't seriously hurt himself when he fell.
6:23 p.m. - Talk to the people in line around me. The girl in front of me is a UM grad student, who graduated from the University of Vermont. At some point in time, I am able to mention something about how I wasn't particularly worried about being stabbed by a UM fan. She isn't amused, as apparently she was friends with the UVM student that was recently kidnapped and murdered. My humble apologies for upsetting her like that. How could I have known? The older couple behind me mention something about how the line needs to hurry. I mention that I just might stay in for 10 minutes to make them mad. The guy goes, "Don't worry about it. I just walked from Pennsylvania and held it the whole way. What does ten more minutes mean?
This seems like a good time to mention that I was on the bizarre jersey watch. I saw a ton of Michael Irvin, Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Jeremy Shockey - pros and college jerseys. Then out of nowhere appeared a Yatil Green. Huh? Out of all the talent Miami has produced in the past, Yatil Green?
6:41 p.m. - First noticeably audible playing of Soulja Boy's "Crank That". I figure I should do a running tally. Right now - Soulja Boy Tally is at 1. The White Person Soulja Boy Tally is also at one. Not pretty. If you don't know this song - by all means - check it out. If you don't know what it means - boy are you in for a treat.
6:53 p.m. - Enter the stadium. Great seats - halfway up the bottom section at the 48 yard line. Thanks Christian and Debbie.
Festivities include the announcing of the Miami seniors by none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. His duties include the announcing of one player's major - "Ocean Pictures". Gotta love the "U".
7:14 p.m. - First beer that we pay for inside the stadium. The ID checker is hilarious. Its almost as if he hasn't had anyone order a MGD before.
7:32 - Virginia TD. 7-0.
7:56 - Virginia TD. 14-0.
8:10 - Virginia FG. 17-0.
8:19 - Virginia TD. 24-0. It is officially ugly.
8:30 p.m. - Talking to Christian about the game. We decide Miami needs to run Cooper more. The very next play - Cooper rushes for 25 yards. Is there hope?
8:32 p.m. Nope!
Soulja Boy Tally up to 2.
Time Unknown - Missed Virginia TD getting beer.
Halftime festivities include the honoring of several of Miami's greats: George Mira, Ottis Anderson, Bennie Blades, Russell Maryland, Gino Torretta, Darren Smith and Andre Johnson included.
At this time I figured I should mention that if the U, and Miami, wanted to do it right, then Pitbull should be giving the halftime performance, perhaps with a cameo by Trick Daddy. Will S., Christian's younger brother and a Virginia student, states that the halftime performance basically mirrors UM's game performance.
9:23 p.m. - Another Virginia TD.
9:29 p.m. - Miami's first real play.
9:43 - Go to the concession stand for more beer and a hot dog. When we get there, the concessionaires say that they can't serve beer anymore. (Where was the last call?). They get 2 hot dogs, place them on the counter, and I pull out a $10 bill. The dogs were $4 a piece. The concessionaires then say, sorry, we can only take exact change, and put the dogs back into the warmer. Ridiculous. The fourth quarter just started!!!! Relay this story about 4 dozen times to those back in the seats. No wonder this stadium is being destroyed.
10:35 - Rip up two seats, then see a security guard and a police officer looking right at me. I do the most logical thing, I walk right up to the guard and ask if I can just take the seat. He says, predictably, no. At least they didn't arrest me for ripping the two seats off the bleachers.
10:37 - Our section is now noticeably empty, even for a rout. Notice that reason our section was empty was because of the number of leg spreaders drank by Kyle, who has evacuated his stomach onto the seats about 5 rows in front of us. Move away.
Go back to the bus. Grab a spicy sausage from a vendor along the way.
During the trip to the hotel, Debbie mentions that she thinks the blowout win for Virginia was a good thing, and not just because she wanted them to win. She opines that a blowout by Virginia was the only thing that could deflate the energy from the crowd enough to keep them from rioting. I think I agree.
Time Unknown - Pass Out.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
First thing, We Make It Rain supports all the Veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and National Guards! THANK YOU!
7:45 a.m. - Racecar's friend, Cheryl, goes into labor in Charleston, South Carolina. Congratulations to you and Jason.
7:46 - 9 a.m. - Not quite awake yet, so time to watch bad tv, which includes Run's House. Great episode in which Diggy has 2 "girlfriends" over to visit constantly. One is white and the other is black. One of them is Ja Rule's daughter. (Guess which one she is). Diggy is 12.
9:04 a.m. - Call from Debbie. We are going to meet for breakfast buffet in 15 minutes. Get dressed. While getting dressed, Alicia Keys video comes on. Racecar notes that "no matter how she tries to present herself, she looks masculine". My response ... "Perhaps its her penis."
9:22 - Breakfast buffet includes steak!!!!! God Bless the Holiday Inn.
10:00 - Christian has an online class until 11.
11:03 - Even though Christian's class is still going on, we pack our stuff into his car, and get ready to go to Dolphin stadium.
11:07 - Christian's class ends.
11:17 - Park at the stadium, set up canopy. Drink beer. Nice Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to start the day.
11:32 - Our cohorts, Kim, Jack, Shannon and Buck arrive. Buck immediately relays his travel conversation which included talk of Cleveland Steamers and "sexcrement". Glad I missed that ride. Worried though, since that car had all of our tailgate food.
11:37 - The tailgate next to us arrives, which includes O.J. McDuffie. Yes, the former NFL great O.J. McDuffie. Well, at least the former Penn State "great" and former NFL "good" O.J. McDuffie. Huge party there. Lots of music. The tunes are good party-starting music- Janet, Blackstreet, lots of old R&B. I then remark to the rest of my group, particularly Racecar, the difference between a Florida tailgate and a Miami tailgate .... more rhythm.
11:41 - Generic guy "fantasy football" talk. I mention that since the Bucs were on a bye, I had to pick up the Bills Defense. One guy who had Lee Evans then says, I guess we are all rooting for the Bills. I reply, I'll take a 3-0 Dolphins score.
Another random jersey watch. There were the typical Bills and Dolphins jerseys. Marino, Ronnie Brown (complete with trick knee), Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas (with and without concussion), Roscoe Parrish, Paul Posluszny, LT. But one particularly took the cake. Your former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - JACK KEMP!
11:43 a.m. - Soulja Boy Tally is up to 3.
11:45 a.m. - Realize that Buck has gotten sick twice already. In his defense, he was at a wedding the night before. Kyle and Buck - that sounds like a combo to get sick from drinking.
Lots of beer flows.
1:04 - Game starts - nobody really notices.
1:17 p.m. - Jesse Chatman throws up on the field, then is taken to the locker room. Apparently throwing up is the theme for the weekend.
1:34 p.m. - Racecar stubs her toe on the asphalt on the way to get more beers. Breaks off half of her toenail, and cuts into her big toe so much that she will probably need stitches. It really doesn't look pleasant. I fight the urge to pull a Kyle, Buck and Jesse Chatman. Go to the infirmary in section 156.
2:01 p.m. - Return from the infirmary. People question where we were for so long. Reply that we were looking for a quiet place for a quickie, and that we found one in section 156.
2:05 p.m. - Kim and Jack discuss finding section 156.
2:24 p.m. - Kim and Jack realize that Racecar hurt her toe.
2:29 p.m. Kim and Jack just realize that section 156 was the infirmary.
3:03 p.m. - Score is 3-2. Even better than my earlier wish, because the Bills Defense got a safety. Now is probably a good time to mention (WARNING - only actual football analysis of this game) that Chris Kelsey is having one helluva game.
Since the game is so boring - nothing really to report.
3:52 p.m. - A girl in a Marshawn Lynch jersey is taken away in cuffs from section 431. Crowd cheers.
Game ends - mercifully - at least for the fans. Continue the tailgate until the parking lot is empty, or until it starts to rain, whichever comes first.
A big thank you to Christian and Debbie for the tickets and the ride. It was a great weekend, the horrific games notwithstanding.
This weekend came about because my friends Christian and Debbie S. have Dolphin season tickets, club level, but are also graduates of the University of Virginia. The big group (mostly Virginia fans) was going to rent a bus to the 'Canes game. Since we were doing both games, Christian, Debbie, Hannah (hereinafter "Racecar" - figure it out) and myself were going to drive to Miami, check into the hotel, have the bus pick us up, go to the game, have the bus drop us off at the hotel, then wake up and drive to the Dolphins game. Not a bad plan at all.
Here is what transpired:
Saturday, November 10, 2007
1:45 p.m. - Christian and Debbie pick us up at Racecar's house. I completely forgot that the University of Virginia celebrates football in style. Christian in a coat and tie, Debbie completely dressed up. We get in the car in our T-Shirt and shorts. Side note, Racecar is a Gator. Neither the 'Canes or Gators really celebrate football in the full Southern tradition. Although football is an institution at the University of Florida, and everyone in Gainesville loves UF Football, it isn't as formal as at UVa, or Auburn, etc.
2:55 p.m. - Check in the Hotel.
3:00 p.m. - While changing clothes (different T-Shirt), I start flipping through the television channels to find some college football. I found something much better, Karate Kid II, on Telemundo.
3:01 p.m. - Confirmation that the bus has left West Palm Beach.
3:12 p.m. - To 7-11 for some "refreshments". Although the cooler is packed, that is for Sunday's game. The bus is stocked, but it isn't here yet. Plus, I figured I might be able to find some Hurricane Malt liquor in honor of the game. Wrong. Old English has to do.
3:51 p.m. - After tiring of Spanish language television and some boring college football, I stumble upon I'm Gonna Get You Sucka. What a way to start what was supposed to be a football weekend. I almost want to watch this movie and skip the game. Almost.
4:07 p.m. - Bus arrives. Almost everyone is already tanked. Especially Kyle.
4:17 p.m. - Kyle begins passing out beers to others on the bus. We think he had a few for himself.
This is a good time to mention the mixed drinks on the bus, or shall I say mixed drink. Only one concoction in a water cooler - the Peanut Island Leg Spreader. It also goes by a couple of other names, that due to legal considerations, seriously - no joke, I cannot mention. Just a fascinating potable, and very accurately named. I think Kyle must have had more than his share at this point. More on Kyle later.
5:08 p.m. - Near the Orange Bowl - fans, mostly students, walking by the bus. A couple of the younger guys on the bus are fascinated by two particular young Miami students and can't stop themselves from staring. One of the riders on the bus (I didn't see who said it) says, "Put your Man Boobs on the window to try to impress the Miami girls". Thankfully for all of us, and for the Miami girls, he didn't.
Just mostly generic drinking and enjoying ourselves.
5:46 p.m. - Racecar comes back from the restroom and relays this conversation among two girls that she heard. Girl 1 says that she was going to the Dolphins game tomorrow with a weatherman's son. Girl 2 - "Let it Rain"! We here at We Make It Rain applaud the response!
6:15 p.m. - I decide to use one of the inconveniently positioned facilities outside the tailgate area. While standing in line, I notice someone that honestly looks like a vagrant slumped on the sidewalk leaning against the fence that encloses the "parking area" for the tailgates. About 6 of Metro-Dade's finest are checking on this man. (After some debate about whether he is a man or a woman, we find out that he is in fact a man). One is kicking his legs (the guy is sitting indian style) trying to get a reaction, while another is pouring water on his face. After about a half dozen kicks and two or three pours of water, the man tries to get up. Even though it is incredibly difficult for him, he finally manages to stand (in real time, this whole episode takes about 7 or 8 minutes). When he stands, a couple of the officers give the "Touchdown" sign, and the guy proceeds to fall headfirst onto the sidewalk. Eventually the police move the guy, around the corner against the same fence, where he remains at least until I go into the stadium. Bizarre. Why they didn't arrest him and take him to the drunk tank or at least call for EMS I have no idea. This guy could have hurt himself or someone else. I am surprised that he didn't seriously hurt himself when he fell.
6:23 p.m. - Talk to the people in line around me. The girl in front of me is a UM grad student, who graduated from the University of Vermont. At some point in time, I am able to mention something about how I wasn't particularly worried about being stabbed by a UM fan. She isn't amused, as apparently she was friends with the UVM student that was recently kidnapped and murdered. My humble apologies for upsetting her like that. How could I have known? The older couple behind me mention something about how the line needs to hurry. I mention that I just might stay in for 10 minutes to make them mad. The guy goes, "Don't worry about it. I just walked from Pennsylvania and held it the whole way. What does ten more minutes mean?
This seems like a good time to mention that I was on the bizarre jersey watch. I saw a ton of Michael Irvin, Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Jeremy Shockey - pros and college jerseys. Then out of nowhere appeared a Yatil Green. Huh? Out of all the talent Miami has produced in the past, Yatil Green?
6:41 p.m. - First noticeably audible playing of Soulja Boy's "Crank That". I figure I should do a running tally. Right now - Soulja Boy Tally is at 1. The White Person Soulja Boy Tally is also at one. Not pretty. If you don't know this song - by all means - check it out. If you don't know what it means - boy are you in for a treat.
6:53 p.m. - Enter the stadium. Great seats - halfway up the bottom section at the 48 yard line. Thanks Christian and Debbie.
Festivities include the announcing of the Miami seniors by none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. His duties include the announcing of one player's major - "Ocean Pictures". Gotta love the "U".
7:14 p.m. - First beer that we pay for inside the stadium. The ID checker is hilarious. Its almost as if he hasn't had anyone order a MGD before.
7:32 - Virginia TD. 7-0.
7:56 - Virginia TD. 14-0.
8:10 - Virginia FG. 17-0.
8:19 - Virginia TD. 24-0. It is officially ugly.
8:30 p.m. - Talking to Christian about the game. We decide Miami needs to run Cooper more. The very next play - Cooper rushes for 25 yards. Is there hope?
8:32 p.m. Nope!
Soulja Boy Tally up to 2.
Time Unknown - Missed Virginia TD getting beer.
Halftime festivities include the honoring of several of Miami's greats: George Mira, Ottis Anderson, Bennie Blades, Russell Maryland, Gino Torretta, Darren Smith and Andre Johnson included.
At this time I figured I should mention that if the U, and Miami, wanted to do it right, then Pitbull should be giving the halftime performance, perhaps with a cameo by Trick Daddy. Will S., Christian's younger brother and a Virginia student, states that the halftime performance basically mirrors UM's game performance.
9:23 p.m. - Another Virginia TD.
9:29 p.m. - Miami's first real play.
9:43 - Go to the concession stand for more beer and a hot dog. When we get there, the concessionaires say that they can't serve beer anymore. (Where was the last call?). They get 2 hot dogs, place them on the counter, and I pull out a $10 bill. The dogs were $4 a piece. The concessionaires then say, sorry, we can only take exact change, and put the dogs back into the warmer. Ridiculous. The fourth quarter just started!!!! Relay this story about 4 dozen times to those back in the seats. No wonder this stadium is being destroyed.
10:35 - Rip up two seats, then see a security guard and a police officer looking right at me. I do the most logical thing, I walk right up to the guard and ask if I can just take the seat. He says, predictably, no. At least they didn't arrest me for ripping the two seats off the bleachers.
10:37 - Our section is now noticeably empty, even for a rout. Notice that reason our section was empty was because of the number of leg spreaders drank by Kyle, who has evacuated his stomach onto the seats about 5 rows in front of us. Move away.
Go back to the bus. Grab a spicy sausage from a vendor along the way.
During the trip to the hotel, Debbie mentions that she thinks the blowout win for Virginia was a good thing, and not just because she wanted them to win. She opines that a blowout by Virginia was the only thing that could deflate the energy from the crowd enough to keep them from rioting. I think I agree.
Time Unknown - Pass Out.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
First thing, We Make It Rain supports all the Veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and National Guards! THANK YOU!
7:45 a.m. - Racecar's friend, Cheryl, goes into labor in Charleston, South Carolina. Congratulations to you and Jason.
7:46 - 9 a.m. - Not quite awake yet, so time to watch bad tv, which includes Run's House. Great episode in which Diggy has 2 "girlfriends" over to visit constantly. One is white and the other is black. One of them is Ja Rule's daughter. (Guess which one she is). Diggy is 12.
9:04 a.m. - Call from Debbie. We are going to meet for breakfast buffet in 15 minutes. Get dressed. While getting dressed, Alicia Keys video comes on. Racecar notes that "no matter how she tries to present herself, she looks masculine". My response ... "Perhaps its her penis."
9:22 - Breakfast buffet includes steak!!!!! God Bless the Holiday Inn.
10:00 - Christian has an online class until 11.
11:03 - Even though Christian's class is still going on, we pack our stuff into his car, and get ready to go to Dolphin stadium.
11:07 - Christian's class ends.
11:17 - Park at the stadium, set up canopy. Drink beer. Nice Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to start the day.
11:32 - Our cohorts, Kim, Jack, Shannon and Buck arrive. Buck immediately relays his travel conversation which included talk of Cleveland Steamers and "sexcrement". Glad I missed that ride. Worried though, since that car had all of our tailgate food.
11:37 - The tailgate next to us arrives, which includes O.J. McDuffie. Yes, the former NFL great O.J. McDuffie. Well, at least the former Penn State "great" and former NFL "good" O.J. McDuffie. Huge party there. Lots of music. The tunes are good party-starting music- Janet, Blackstreet, lots of old R&B. I then remark to the rest of my group, particularly Racecar, the difference between a Florida tailgate and a Miami tailgate .... more rhythm.
11:41 - Generic guy "fantasy football" talk. I mention that since the Bucs were on a bye, I had to pick up the Bills Defense. One guy who had Lee Evans then says, I guess we are all rooting for the Bills. I reply, I'll take a 3-0 Dolphins score.
Another random jersey watch. There were the typical Bills and Dolphins jerseys. Marino, Ronnie Brown (complete with trick knee), Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas (with and without concussion), Roscoe Parrish, Paul Posluszny, LT. But one particularly took the cake. Your former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - JACK KEMP!
11:43 a.m. - Soulja Boy Tally is up to 3.
11:45 a.m. - Realize that Buck has gotten sick twice already. In his defense, he was at a wedding the night before. Kyle and Buck - that sounds like a combo to get sick from drinking.
Lots of beer flows.
1:04 - Game starts - nobody really notices.
1:17 p.m. - Jesse Chatman throws up on the field, then is taken to the locker room. Apparently throwing up is the theme for the weekend.
1:34 p.m. - Racecar stubs her toe on the asphalt on the way to get more beers. Breaks off half of her toenail, and cuts into her big toe so much that she will probably need stitches. It really doesn't look pleasant. I fight the urge to pull a Kyle, Buck and Jesse Chatman. Go to the infirmary in section 156.
2:01 p.m. - Return from the infirmary. People question where we were for so long. Reply that we were looking for a quiet place for a quickie, and that we found one in section 156.
2:05 p.m. - Kim and Jack discuss finding section 156.
2:24 p.m. - Kim and Jack realize that Racecar hurt her toe.
2:29 p.m. Kim and Jack just realize that section 156 was the infirmary.
3:03 p.m. - Score is 3-2. Even better than my earlier wish, because the Bills Defense got a safety. Now is probably a good time to mention (WARNING - only actual football analysis of this game) that Chris Kelsey is having one helluva game.
Since the game is so boring - nothing really to report.
3:52 p.m. - A girl in a Marshawn Lynch jersey is taken away in cuffs from section 431. Crowd cheers.
Game ends - mercifully - at least for the fans. Continue the tailgate until the parking lot is empty, or until it starts to rain, whichever comes first.
A big thank you to Christian and Debbie for the tickets and the ride. It was a great weekend, the horrific games notwithstanding.
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