Perhaps I Blogged Too Soon
Isn’t interesting how the word “blog” has evolved from a contraction of the words “web” and “log” into a verb almost as quickly as it has entered our vocabulary. When a noun becomes a verb, its sort of a sign of something being a major phenomenon in culture. Take the word “punk’d” for example. It, too a contraction AND a verb. It’s only a matter of time before “blog” becomes an adjective. “Carlton’s writing style was so bloggy.” And I’ll bet it makes Webster’s within 2 years (if it hasn’t already).
But that’s not why I ‘m here. I’m here as a follow up to my last entry about the Tennessee-Georgia football game. If you haven’t read October 9 (”Wait ‘Til Your Father Gets Home”) you might want to first.
The game was another of those movie-style finishes. One team controls most of the game, only to have the opposing team start to make a comeback late in the game and its faced with mere seconds to win the game. You know the typical outcome, right? Everything goes silent as the ball is lofted into the air. It spirals in slow motion in sharp relief against the soft focus of the slack-jawed fans in the background watching it pass. The clock ticks off the final seconds as the ball falls into the hands of the receiver just as he eludes a hit to trot across the goal line. Cue sound: the crowd errupts. Cue music: cymbal crash and swelling strings. Cue the extras: everyone storms the field in victorious celebration. Throngs surround the underdog receiver to congratulate him, but he his focused only on fighting through the thousands to find his girl. They meet mid-field with a crashing kiss in a crushing embrace. Musid swells more and camera pulls back to an overhead shot of the entire stadium. Screen fades to black. The Lion roars. Everyone goes home all warm and fuzzy.
The thing about this scenario is that it’s usually YOUR team that has the ball mere seconds before the clock runs out. It’s usually YOUR team that is coming from behind. You see, that movie was playing, but it was playing for the Georgia fans.
Tennessee came out a whole different team from last weeks bumbling Keystone Cop unit. They took control early from a, so far this season, dominant Georgia team. End of first quarter and Tennessee is winning 10-0. As the game goes on, Georgia does manage to score a couple of times, but Tennessee does a great job of holding them back. By the last few seconds of the game, it’s 19-14. Georgia just needs a touchdown to win by one point, and they have possession. They also have a lot of yardage to cover. Tennessee makes it tough for them, but they get in scoring range with one second left on the clock. NO LIE. ONE SECOND. Tick-Tock, and it will be over. What ever the result is of this final play, that’s the game. Georgia has fought back to come from behind and is set up for the big win.
And there begins our famous movie scenario. The ball is snapped. TICK. Everything goes silent as the ball is lofted into the air. TOCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKK. blah, blah, blah….Cue sound: the crowd errupts. Cue music: cymbal crash and swelling strings. Cue the extras: everyone storms the field in victorious celebration. Throngs surround the underdog to congratulate him.
And I’m a happy man.
Why am I happy? Because the underdog won. Just like in the movies. You forget that in this particular game, Tennessee was the underdog. No one expected Tennessee to win…including me. Georgia DIDN’T score on that final play. In fact, Tennessee intercepted the pass in the end zone. TENNESSEE WINS! Cue sound: the crowd errupts. Cue music: cymbal crash and swelling strings. Cue the extras: everyone storms the field in victorious celebration. Throngs surround the underdog to congratulate him.
It’s great to be a Vol. But a Bulldog? Not so much.
