I'm sure that many of the dozens of regular blog readers of TNRLM were wondering where their usual tailgate recap was following the Georgia/Vandy game.
Unfortunately, your regular correspondent spent most of the postgame afternoon napping in the Jeep Cherokee, so I suppose that there was not much to recall.
[Ed: Image pixelated to protect the incoherent. Or perhaps that's just an unusual skin condition caused by the combination of flu medication and whiskey].Ms. Freebird and I blame ourselves, since thanks to the good Doctor, we were able to "move on up to that deluxe apartment" in the Sky Club, as the good Doctor and Ms. M chose not to attend the Dores battle.
Without proper supervision, the above is the type of event that occurs, and you, faithful readers, are left without a tailgate recap.
Nevertheless, I was asked to share a few details of our trip to Red Stick with the Blog readers, and am happy to do so.
The Scrats, Freebirds, and a host of North Georgians spent the weekend at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi. [Ed: I got engaged there once, long ago. And it lasted almost 6 weeks! Post engagement pictures would probably resemble the photo above, including "pixelation."] The rooms were comped, and three card poker was kind, so it was all good.
The ladies stayed at the casino while Scrat and I jumped on a charter bus to the game on Saturday. We stopped in Slidell where we received half of a chicken, a BBQ pork sandwich, and a fried pie. Jake and Elwood Blues were nowhere to be seen.
Upon arriving in Red Stick, we made the obligatory visit to see Mike the Tiger. They keep him in a glassed-in enclosure, and he doesn't really seem to do a lot.
He was in the shade, but unlike UGA, apparently doesn't get air conditioning, or a nice bag of ice to lay on.
I was surprised that the outside of the stadium looked as much like a "Soldier Field" type of stadium as it did. Its also been a while since there was any significant remodeling inside. Lots of pipes and concrete from back in the day from when Governor Long was firing LSU football coaches.
For those that haven't heard that story, Louisiana Governor Huey Long loved his LSU Tigers. He attended every game, traveled with the team, and even led the band in parades. In the early 1930s, it was also apparent Long didn't have much love for coach Biff Jones. Jones was the coach at LSU for three seasons, from 1932-34. In those three years, Jones compiled a 20-5-6 record, which, however, did not please Long. At halftime of the 1934 season finale, LSU was losing to Oregon 13-0. Long approached Jones in the locker room, wanting to talk to the team. Jones said, “No,” to which Long responded, “Who’s going to stop me?” Jones again refused, and Long said, “I am sick and tired of losing and tying games.” And he added, “You’d better win this one.” Jones quipped, “Well Senator, get this: Win, lose, or draw, I quit!” Long bellowed, “What a bargain!” The Tigers won that day 14-13, but Jones stood by his word. (From Scout.com)
Great SEC environment at the beginning of the game, as one would expect.
As to the game, Stafford played probably his best game at UGA. Moreno won't go down. AJ Green is indeed "The Truth". Our line pass protected very well for Stafford. The main concern I had was how easy LSU moved the ball on us in the second half. Incredibly sloppy tackling. Will have to improve that for this Saturday. [Ed: Freebird was right about Stafford. However, he didn't get the benefit of hearing the color analysis on CBS by Gary Danielson, who was effusive in his praise of #7. So effusive, I'm surprised we didn't hear about a post game sexual assault, with the former Lions QB attempting a locker room reach around while Uncle Verne queued up some Barry White in the background].
By the beginning of the 4th qtr. and a three touchdown Georgia lead, things had thinned out a bit.
Despite their reputation, we had no problems with the LSU fans. Probably as noisy a group as I have ever heard, but didn't really find anyone wanting to pick a fight or otherwise.The guy right behind us was as loud for the Tigers as any fan I've ever heard (and this coming from a pretty loud fan); but once Georgia got up by three touchdowns in the third quarter, he got on his cell phone and began giving instructions to his wife for the post game setup. However, he was still quite loud, and Scrat and I found out that you need the charcoal really hot for the pork tenderloins, that you don't want the fire too hot for the jambalaya, and that a garlic and ginger rub, mixed with the marinade under the table, makes for a tasty post game LSU treat.
A 2 1/2 hour bus ride home put us back at the Beau Rivage about 9:45 PM. Unfortunately, our Slidell caterer apparently misjudged how many cans of cold beer would be required by 30 Georgia fans, so we had to finish off the trip with Budweisers. [Ed: did you get pixelated?] The Candidate would have been happy.All in all, a great SEC road trip. The Gators await.
Ed: There you have it. A first person account of the Dawgs - Tigers Gameday Experience, a bit of history about Huey Long, and post-ass-whipping tailgate tips straight from the mouth of a bona fide cajun. What more could you ask for? Many thanks to Freebird for his diligent correspondence and photo essay. Bring on the Jorts.
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