Monthly Archives: September 2019
Wrapping up a blah week
Sorry I have not blogged since my ride to the top of the Gateway Arch. However, I really have not had much to blog about.
The trip from St. Louis to Russell was nowehere near as exciting as it was the other way. I was trying to get home before the expected thunderstorms arrived in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. It rained between Bonner Springs and Topeka, but that was it.
I was dead tired when I got home Saturday. I was dead tired all of Sunday. Then came a tough work week. The paper in Smith Center had its problems and I didn’t get done until late Tuesday afternoon. Didn’t sleep much.
I made a gigantic mistake going to Golden Q tonight for the 1930 trivia game. There must be 200 bikers in this place. Jocelyn barely acknowledged me. I’m bailing as soon as the game is over.
Thank God this point is moot the next two weeks–next Saturday I’m going to Lindsborg to see Caitlyn play, so I’ll be near Salina, then I’ll be in Kansas City the Saturday after, which is the night before my birthday. I think from now on if I’m going to be playing on Saturday night, it will NOT be in Hays.
I’m souring a bit on Golden Q. I was here Thursday for a little while, and there must have been 50 people in line to order food. And the line was moving slowly. At least it gave me the chance to pick up Freddy’s for the first time in awhile. Then again, it might be because I haven’t seen Cassidi here the last few times.
Tonight, the Golden Q stinks. Literally. Only 15 more minutes thank God!
I want to return to St. Louis in three weeks for the Blues-Canadiens game. I’m trying to convince Larry and Terri to go too, but they may not be able to. Oh well. Wish I had someone to meet me there, but if I have to go solo, I can manage. I managed well enough at the arch.
Two special ladies have birthdays today. One is Chelsea Funk, Caitlyn’s oldest sister. The other is Wendy (Durr) Wall, whom I met at LSU. God I miss Wendy. I need to not go on about her or I will cry.
Ohio State leads Nebraska 38-0 in Lincoln…at halftime. Maybe the Cornhuskers can beg the Big 12 to let them back in.
Skinned knees, a burned case and the view from high above St. Louis
I’m exhausted. Getting up 0318, driving seven hours, staying up until midnight after almost 21 hours without even a nap, walking in the heat and humidity to visit a national landmark, tripping on stairs, nearly burning my iPad and thinking I left my driver’s license at said landmark within the space of 36 hours does that.
It has been a mostly great 36 hours, though.
Caitlyn has the most to do with it. Seeing her for the first time in 341 days did my heart a lot of good. It seemed to do her heart a lot of good too.
Peggy loved that I went to St. Louis to support Caitlyn. Then she suggested I visit the Gateway Arch.
I’ve been in the shadow of the arch twice in my life.
The second was in 2006, when I met Renetta Rogers and her mother, Elizabeth, in St. Louis. I thought Renetta and I were going to continue what relationship we had. However, I screwed up royally. I don’t really have the time nor the stamina to go into exquisite detail like I normally do. Go back to my very first blog post in June 2014 to read more about Renetta.
Back to the first time I was in the arch’s shadow.
It was July 21, 1992. I was with my family on vacation. For some reason, we chose St. Louis as a vacation spot. We went to Russell to visit my grandparents the previous summer, and my dad felt once every other year (or every three years) was enough. My parents and I have more than made up for it.
My brother and father went to the top of the arch. My mother and I didn’t. It was like this when we went to Astroworld in Houston three years prior; my brother and dad went on a roller coaster, my mother and stayed grounded.
The trip to St. Louis was bad. My dad got lost the first day in a driving rainstorm. Following the visit to the arch, the water pump in our 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88 broke, so that consumed a few hours. We went to two Cardinals-Braves games at the old Busch Stadium. The seats were terrible both times; the first we were in center field more than 137 meters (450 feet) from home plate, and the second, the seats were behind home plate at the very top of the stadium. I was deathly afraid of heights when I was (almost) 16, and I refused to sit in the seats. My dad stayed with me on the concourse most of the night, save for a couple of innings when he went to sit with my brother. I feel shame about that a lot.
When I went to Lisa and Jeff’s wedding two years ago, I didn’t go into the city of St. Louis. Last year when I went a couple of days before Thanksgiving, I didn’t seriously consider it, even though I drove into Illinois in search of all things, a certain type of hot dog buns. It took me six stores before I found them in the tiny suburb of St. Ann. Now I discover Hy-Vee in Kansas City has them.
I slept on Peggy’s suggestion. When I got in the shower just before 1000, I decided to go.
I tripped on steps at the old St. Louis courthouse not too far from the arch. I have two skinned knees as a souvenir, but better than blowing a hole in jeans which cost $55. Two gentlemen checked on me, and fortunately, they didn’t have to summon medical assistance.
I was smart to buy my arch ticket online and pick it up at will call. The line to buy tickets must have had at least 50 people. There was time to tour the museum and get a drink (I was parched) before the ride.
The trams which take you up to the top of the arch are cramped, and that’s putting it mildly. The cars barely seat five people. Worse, if you’re taller than 135 centimeters (4 feet, 5 inches), you’ll hit your head if you don’t duck.
I happened to be in the tram with two men from South Carolina and another from Augusta who were in Missouri for tomorrow’s South Carolina-Missouri football game, along with a representative of the National Park Service. The ride took four minutes. When the tram door shut, I was afraid I might faint due to going up, but it didn’t happen.
The observation area has windows to view downtown St. Louis on the west side and the Mississippi River and Illinois on the other. You are allowed to stay in the observation area as long as you like, and I stayed for 40 minutes. I was the last one from the group which boarded the south tram at 1215 to descend.
When I was in Baton Rouge two years ago, I wanted to go to the observation deck at the state capitol, which soars 132 meters (432 feet), the highest in the nation. However, since it was the weekend and we were leaving Monday morning, I didn’t have time.
Following the arch, I went to the old St. Louis King of Francs basilica, which used to be the seat of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The exterior is stone, and the interior is beautiful, just what you would expect from a Catholic basilica.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures.
I went to light candles at the back of the church and pray. Lucky for me, a couple found things of mine were starting to catch fire from the candles.
The iPad was one of the things which was too close to the candles. I was scared the tablet would be ruined.
Thanks to the Targus Corporation and their sturdy case, with an assist from the Lord, my tablet was safe. I almost dropped the tablet in the garage. I’m not used to carrying the thing, since I usually have it in a bag. However, I didn’t want to carry the bag into the arch due to security.
As I walked back to my car in a parking garage between Busch Stadium and the arch, I knew I had to replace the case. I knew there was an Apple store in a mall off of I-270 in St. Louis County. I made a beeline for the store, but as I drove on 270, I thought I might want to see if Best Buy had any cases and if they would offer them at a lower price than Apple, where the basic folio was $99, and the so-called smart case with the keyboard–which I don’t need–cost $199.
The Lord was working for me again.
Not only did Best Buy have cheaper cases, but they had the exact same case I burned. Add in a $20 price reduction (from $75 to $55), and I was on my way. Don’t worry, I didn’t do this as I was driving; i pulled into the mall parking lot, looked it up on the iPad, and made the transaction.
Another near-crisis came up on my drive from the mall to Best Buy.
I discovered I could not find my driver’s license. I took the license out of my wallet at will call to claim my ticket, and absent-minded me didn’t put it back in the window in my wallet I keep it.
My mind was racing. Not only would I face the long drive from St. Louis to Russell without my license, but I would have to gather documents and go to the license station in Hays (the one in Russell is only open one day a week).
In the Best Buy parking lot, I found my license in a tray below my radio. The tray was closed from the time I got in my car in the parking lot. I had to laugh.
I spent the last three hours of the afternoon traipsing around St. Charles County, going to the grocery stores and White Castle. When I got back to the hotel, I wanted to collapse. But I stayed awake long enough to plan my exit tomorrow. And blog..
That’s all from St. Louis. I was hoping to stop at Buffalo Wild Wings in Kansas City to see Ashley, Tina and Rita, but with heavy rain likely there tomorrow, I’m going to have to keep on trucking to Russell. Besides, I’ll be back in Kansas City soon enough.
I love you Peggy and Caitlyn!
Number 3 on the court, number 1 (or 1A) in my heart
The reason I got up at 0318 this morning is someone I care about very much.
Caitlyn and Ottawa had a volleyball match in St. Louis (well, St. Louis County–more on that in a moment) against Missouri Baptist, the number one ranked team in NAIA volleyball. I guess that makes MBU the NAIA equivalent of Nebraska or Penn State.
Last year, the Spartans eliminated the Braves from the NAIA national tournament in Sioux City.
I saw this match last month on the schedule when I debated going to Hutchinson for the Braves’ season opener. I decided against Hutch, but then got the idea I might cross the Show-Me State for this one.
Why drive almost 800 kilometers (500 miles) for a volleyball match?
The reason: make sure Caitlyn had some support a long way from home. Besides, I hadn’t seen her in 11 months–my birthday last year when I went to Ottawa, then drove straight back to Russell at night because snow was forecast the next day. Snow forecast on October 14? This year, we’ll be lucky if it’s below 25 C (77 F) on that date at the rate we’re going.
I knew Peggy would not be able to make it to St. Louis because of her teaching and coaching duties. I didn’t figure Clark would make the drive, which is 190 km (118 mi) longer from Norton than Russell. Chelsea would have faced a drive about the same length as that from Norton, and she had coaching duties, too. Even Courtney and Andy, who are four hours from St. Louis, had too much going on. If it were a weekend, I’m certain many members of the Cox clan would have gone to St. Louis.
Thursday is my best day to travel. The work for the papers is done, and I can’t do much because most events are Thursday afternoon through Saturday.
I wanted to be there for Caitlyn. I wanted White Castle. And I wanted to shop at St. Louis’ two major grocery stores, Dierberg’s and Schnucks, which have many items I can’t find in Kansas City or Wichita, and certainly can’t find in Salina or Hays.
I had my alarm set for 0410 this morning. Yet I was up 52 minutes before that. By 0435, the Buick was out of the garage at 1224 North Brooks and pointed eastward.
When I got to Kansas City, Kansas, I experienced something I hadn’t in many moons.
Rush hour traffic.
There was an accident 8 km (5 mi) past the Kansas Speedway. Just after the I-435 exits, I-70 east became a parking lot. In the past, it really would have upset me, and I would have tried desperately to find an alternate route.
This time, however, I sat patiently in line, inching along, just going with the flow. No horn honking, no rage. I made sure to keep a safe distance between the vehicle in front of me. The Buick hasn’t been banged up. I want to keep it that way.
Leaving early gave me enough time to get my car washed in Independence. Thousands of bugs did suicide missions on my front bumper and windshield over the previous 11 days. For good measure, I washed the car again in Columbia after stopping for White Castle.
The hotel where I’m staying is in St. Louis County, which is distinct from the city of St. Louis. The two were once one in the same, but in the 1890s, the city was granted independence from the county by the Missouri legislature.
This makes Kansas City and St. Louis sharply different.
Kansas City extends its tentacles into four counties: Jackson, Platte, Clay and Cass. The surrounding municipalities–Liberty, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs–tend to be large.
The city of St. Louis has maybe one-fourth the land area as Kansas City. St. Louis County features so many municipalities you won’t know where you are if you don’t pay attention to the road signs.
My hotel is in Chesterfield and passed through Lake St. Louis on I-64. MBU has a St. Louis address, but is closest to Creve Coeur. I also passed through Town and Country on my way to MBU. I’ve been through Maryland Heights, St. Ann and Clayton…am I missing any?
St. Charles County has a lot of municipalities, but they seem to be better defined. Wentzville, St. Peters, St. Charles, O’Fallon are the main ones.
MBU having the St. Louis address was just like my second apartment in Baton Rouge. It had a Baton Rouge address, but was in an unincorporated part of East Baton Rouge Parish. Glen Oaks High on the north side of town is the same way.
I tried to be inconspicuous when I entered the MBU gym. It worked for 20 minutes, but then at 1730, Caitlyn waved.
I told Crista yesterday I didn’t want to see her before the match because I didn’t want to break her concentration. I’m sure Caitlyn was stunned to see me. Crista was the only other person who knew of my plans, and I didn’t reveal those until yesterday’s session.
MBU won in straight sets. I waited for Caitlyn until after she and her teammates showered for the trip back to Ottawa. .
She was delighted to see me. I brought her a white rose and some White Castle for the team to enjoy on the ride west.
This is the third longest trip I have made to watch an athletic event since moving to Kansas. The two that were longer were the trip to Kentucky two years ago and the one to Baton Rouge last year.
Now I feel really good about going. I will sleep even better than I would have before–if these yahoos staying in the hotel for a weekend wedding can hold it down.
Tomorrow? Part of me wants to visit the Gateway Arch. Part of me wants to be lazy. With Saturday looking like a deluge in Kansas City, I’m probably going to bed very early and leaving very early, but probably not before 0600.
Twenty straight hours awake. Time to call it a night.
Your occasional blogger is back
Sorry for not posting for 12 days. Lots of things to write back home. I’ve had added responsibilities, and it has taken up much of my time Mondays and Tuesdays. The rest of the time has been spent with my vices, trivia and online racing.
Ben Roethlisberger’s injury had to send a shudder up the spines of Steelers fans. Many probably remember Terry Bradshaw’s career ended after the 1983 season due to an injured elbow.
Bradshaw played only one half in 1983. It was the next to last game of the regular season vs. the Jets which also happened to be the final football game at Shea Stadium. Bradshaw threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter, but by halftime, Chuck Noll had seen enough and inserted Cliff Stoudt, the man who won two Super Bowl rings without having to set foot on the field.
Pittsburgh won the game against the Jets to clinch the AFC Central, but it was routed in the playoffs 34-10 by the Raiders. In the playoff game, Stoudt’s first pass was intercepted by Lester Haynes and returned for a touchdown. A month later, Stoudt was starting for the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions.
As a side note, Jets fans began rioting in the stands as the game vs. the Steelers neared its end. Leon Hess, the Jets owner, was the least popular man in the Big Apple, especially with Mayor Ed Koch, who took every chance he got to rip Hess and the Jets for not negotiating in good faith with Queens, Koch’s administration and the Mets.
The Jets looked like they would return to New York City with the West Side Stadium, but it was blocked by flaming dipshit James Dolan, owner of the Knicks, Rangers and Madison Square Garden. Instead, the Jets simply partnered with the Giants on what is now Met Life Stadium.
Drew Brees’ thumb injury makes the NFC South race competitive. Hopefully the Saints can tread water with Teddy Bridgewater (or Taysom Hill). It won’t be easy this week in Seattle.
Eli Manning to the bench? I never thought I’d see the day. By going to Daniel Jones, he is avoiding the idiocy demonstrated by Bill Parcells in his first season as Giants coach in 1983, when he thought Scott Brunner was a better option than Phil Simms. What the F**K? It shows even Hall of Fame coaches screw up.
The Brewers are still in the National League wild card chase despite losing Christian Yelich last week to a broken kneecap he suffered when he was hit in a game in Miami. Leave it to the Marlins to F**K things up.
Speaking of MLB, a CBS Sports writer will not use “Indians” when referring to Cleveland. Here we go again with the PC crap. Commissioner Rob Manfred blackmailed the Indians into getting rid of Chief Wahoo, stating the team would not host the All-Star Game until Wahoo was eradicated, and now this.
What is offensive about the word Indians? Come on. People need to stop worrying about things like the names of sports teams.
Global warming is real. For it to be 34 Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) on September 19 in Russell and Hays is absolutely ridiculous. My jeans have not been worn since my trip to Columbia in April for the LSU-Missouri baseball series. If I were still in Louisiana, I could understand. But not now.
The climate change deniers need to explain how Hurricane Dorian reached winds of almost 300 km/h (185 MPH) and didn’t weaken when it hit the Bahamas. Katrina weakened (slightly) from a Category 5 before it struck Louisiana and Mississippi. That may not happen in the future. Look at Hurricane Michael, which was strengthening as hit made landfall in the Florida Panhandle last October.
I want to go back to Buffalo Wild Wings at Shoal Creek very badly. I have a crush on Rita Roberts, the general manager. I haven’t said anything to anyone about it…until yesterday when I mentioned to Crista Rita is cute.
I don’t want to jeopardize my ability to go to that Buffalo Wild Wings, so I’m probably going to keep my feelings to myself.
Speaking of Buffalo Wild Wings, on my last visit there, I met a couple who was going to the Backstreet Boys concert at Sprint Center that night. I told them the Backstreet Boys performed the national anthem before Super Bowl XXXV in January 2001. They were incredulous.
I am still puzzled as to what got into me the last time I was in Kansas City. Talking to Joanne was one thing, because I met her previously. But Rhonda and Kim after Joanne that night, and now the couple that Saturday. Maybe I am a late bloomer.
I woke up at 0318 this morning. There’s a reason. I don’t have time to expound upon it now. I will later. Enjoy your evening.
Late start to the last day (for now) in KC
I finally got to Buffalo Wild Wings…3 1/2 hours late. I originally planned to get there for 1100 to see the Missouri-West Virginia game. However, stupidity on my part (staying up very, very late) led me to sleeping way past my 0930 alarm. Actually, I woke up at 0905 with a terrible case of indigestion, then turned off my alarm. By time I finally rousted myself from bed, it was 1306.
I seriously considered staying at the hotel the whole day, but with my Buzztime app closed and not connected, I knew I had to get out of the room if I wanted to play trivia today. Therefore, I deicded to drive to Liberty. It also helped that I wanted to get my car washed again after bugs doing suicide missions on my bumper yesterday. I’ve washed my car every day since I’ve been in Kansas City. I’m paying for that ulimited wash plan, so why not use it?
Back to Russell tomorrow. I’ve got a boatload of work to get done before Wednesday at noon…at lot of it is due Monday and Tuesday. The nearly non-stop trivia has to end on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but it can continue Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday for the most part.
It has been a very fruitful trip. Each day has had something good.
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Wednesday was my day away from Buffalo Wild Wings. After finishing up what work I had for the Russell County News, I ventured deep into Johnson County for a new experience.
I found The Gents Place in an online search last month. I discovered it was an upscale barber shop which featured massaging shampoo treatments, and even better, straight razor shaves.
I have always wanted to shave with a straight razor. However, I am also realistic. I know it’s expensive and labor intensive, and I am often forgetful, and with a straight razor, that’s big trouble, becuase if the razor gets dull, the face is carved like a Thanksgiving turkey. Therefore, I settle for the safety razor, which is far superior to anything a cheap cartridge razor sold by Dollar Shave Club, Harry’s or any drugstore sells.
It was expensive, but well worth it. I loved the smooth feel after the straight razor shave. Heather, the lady who took care of me, was wonderful. I can’t wait to go back.
Actually, I went back Thursday. However, it was to retrieve the case for the keyboard I carry with me to use with my iPad. I didn’t realize I had left it in Leawood until I was back at the hotel north of the Missouri River.
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Thursday got a little hectic after my return to Leawood. I made the long venture to Liberty to get the car washed and pick up some things at Price Chopper. But instead of proceeding to Buffalo Wild Wings, Frank texted me and said he needed some articles right away. So I hit the gas down Cookingham Road to US 169 to the hotel. Everything was done before 1500, so I didn’t miss that much time at B-Dubs.
A very nice surprise was waiting for me. Joanne, one of the teachers I met in June, was enjoying a beer. She recognized me right away–I was wearing the same shirt I did that day in June–and we chatted for an hour and a half. I told Tina to put her beers on my tab. Of course, this surpised Joanne the way it did in June.
Heather, the teacher who was with Joanne in June, got engaged later in the summer. When Joanne texted her and said I was there, Heather still remembered me. I was impressed.
Joanne wasn’t the only lady I met Thursday.
A few seats down at the bar, I noticed a couple of ladies enjoying themselves. I complimented one on how her green sweater complimented her eyes. That got me talking to them.
The ladies, Rhonda and Kim were old friends who. had not seen each other in a long time. I offered to pay for a beer or two, but they politely declined.
I shocked myself by going up to two ladies whom I had not seen before and striking up a conversation. Where was that when I was 33? Better late than never.
A Bears fan wearing a Mitch Trubisky jersey sat next to me to watch the Packers-Bears game. I told him I bet he wished that jersey said “Mahomes” instead of “Trubisky”. He shrugged it off, but after Trubisky’s poor performance in Green Bay’s 10-3 win, I bet he wished Mahomes were a Bear and not a Chief.
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I woke up at 0350 Friday morning. I don’t know why. I set my alarm for 0615 because I had an appointment in Liberty at 0900. The early wake-up gave me time to do a few things, especially get my car’s interior clean, before my appointment.
I returned to Buffalo Wild Wings Zona Rosa for the first time since March. I met Larry to play trivia for three hours. I made my way to Shoal Creek later after a little R&R at the hotel.
I didn’t expect to see Larry, because he told me earlier in the week he was in Cincinnati on business. But I logged into the Zona Rosa server from the app and saw I was in second place. So I drove around the parking lot, and sure enough the BMW with the St. Louis Cardinals license plate was there.
I ate too much late last night and I took too much Metamucil. No wonder I’m feeling bloated and gassy today.
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Antonio Brown signed with the Patriots. Like Tom Brady needs more help.
Random football stuff
The National Football League’s 100th season kicks off tonight in Chicago when the Bears host the Packers. Really, it’s the 60th season of modern professional football and 50th of the merged NFL. The Patriots, last year’s Super Bowl champions, would normally have the honor of playing the first regular season game at home on a Thursday night, but since this is the NFL’s 100th season, the league decided its oldest rivalry should trump Brady and Belichick. Nobody outside New England is complaining, and I’m sure some Patriot fans are not upset, since they can now go to the season opener Sunday night in Foxborough vs. the Steelers who may not have been able to on a Thursday.
I’m in Kansas City, where Patrick Mahomes II, not the sun, is the center of the universe. Mahomes opens defense of his Most Valuable Player award Sunday in Jacksonville. The Chiefs don’t play at home until Sept. 22 when the Ravens and Lamar Jackson come to town.
If Kansas City isn’t 2-0 (the Chiefs play the Raiders in Oakland next week) when Baltiomre invades, there will be plenty of unhappy campers in Chiefs Kingdom. The Kansas City Star conducted a poll this week asking fans what is their realistic expecations for the Chiefs in 2019. Over a third said “winning the Super Bowl” and another 40 percent said “reaching the Super Bowl”. If that’s the case, there will hundreds of thousands of disappointed Chiefs fans come January 19 at 1830 (if not earlier), because I can’t see Kansas City defeating New England, no matter if the game’s at Arrowhead or in Foxborough.
In the NFC, the Saints had better get to the Super Bowl. They were screwed royally by incompetent officials in last year’s NFC championship game, and two years ago, they were undone by horrendous tackling which allowed the Vikings to score the game-winning touchdown on the final play. Drew Brees is 41 and can’t keep this up forever. The Saints should have no trouble winning the NFC South (should, because the Falcons will be tough if their defense improves), and if they have home field advantage, New Orleans will have a distinct advantage with its fervent fan base in the Superdome.
Saints and Patriots in Miami for Super Bowl LIV. Sounds good to me. And the Saints celebrate the 10th anniversary of their first Super Bowl championship with their second. Drew Brees rides off into the sunset on top.
Two nights before the Saints host the Texans, the states of Louisiana and Texas will have their eyes fixed on Austin.
LSU and Texas will square off for the first time in the regular season since 1954, and only the third time since then. It’s criminal the flagship universities of neighboring states, both with elite football programs, have not played a regular season game in 65 years. The only meetings since ’54 were in Cotton Bowls 40 years apart. LSU won 13-0 after the 1962 season to cap Charles McClendon’s first season at the helm, and the Longhorns prevailed 35-20 after the 2002 campaign. In each case, the loser went on to win the national championship the next season, the Longhorns under Darrell Royal and the Bayou Bengals under Nick Saban.
It would be hard for LSU and Texas to play every year, but why not four times every decade? One game in Baton Rouge, one in Austin, one in Arlington at Jerry World, and one in New Orleans. Saban wants the other Power Five schools to schedule more games against other Power Five schools, and he is dead on. This bull about helping out lower level schools by giving them big paydays doesn’t float with me.
For instance, let the small schools in Louisiana–McNeese, Southeastern, Northwestern, Nicholls, Southern, Grambling–play Louisiana Tech, UL Monroe, UL Lafayette and Tulane (although Tulane should consider itself on a higher level and try to schedule more Power Five games). LSU should not be subsidizing these schools’ athletic budgets with a football game. Doing it in men’s basketball and baseball is just fine.
Tthe SEC and ACC should be required to play nine conference games by the College Football Playoff committee. It is patently unfair the SEC and ACC play only eight conference games, then use the fourth non-conference date to schedule directional Louisiana, while the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 each play nine conference games. The Big 12 and Big Ten also up the ante by requiring teams to play a Power Five non-conference game.
Sadly, Saban is outvoted 13-1 at every SEC meeting about nine conference games. and I don’t see it changing until Saban is fishing with Ms. Terry on Lake Burton full time.
LSU should play Tulane every year, but the Bayou Bengals should demand the majority of the games be in Baton Rouge. The Green Wave will make twice as much on a game in Baton Rouge as they could ever hope to make on a game at their 30,000-seat on campus stadium, so why not? Without any travel expenses, save for the diesel fuel for the buses and possibly a hotel if the game is in the morning, the Wave will clear a bundle which would go a long, long way to helping their other programs. Yes, there should be games in New Orleans, but they have to be at the Superdome, and LSU must be guaranteed at least 40 percent of the ticket allotment.
If I were in charge of LSU football scheduling, it would be Tulane, a Power Five foe (ACC and Big 12 would get first priority, but Big Ten and Pac-12 would be worked in), and a nearby foe, such as one of the other three FBS teams in Louisiana (Tech, Mornoe, Lafayette) or antoher southern team (Southern Miss, Memphis, UAB, SMU). If the SEC. is obstinate about not adding the ninth conference game, then LSU should sechedule a second Power Five.
High school football starts in my native state and my home state this weekend.
I’m still pissed Kansas refuses to find a single site for its championship games. To me, it reduces title games to just another game; the only difference is it’s played on Saturday afternoon at 1300 instead of Friday night at 1900. If I were a high school player in Kansas, I would be livid that my title game could be on another high school field or a junior college field instead of the stadiums at KU and K-State, or at Children’s Mercy Park, where Sporting Kansas City plays.
Louisiana has played at the Superdome since 1981 (save 2005, when the damage from Hurricane Katrina forced a relocation to Shreveport), but I wish they were at Tiger Stadium. That won’t happen, thanks to a lot of people who don’t want to move them out of New Orleans, and LSU, scared to death its field will get torn to bits. If Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State can host high school championship games on its fields, why can’t LSU?
Ah, the mysteries of life.
Foots Prints 