19 NOV 06: THUMB-ELLINA DANCE
It was such a dramatic Saturday in college football that it's hard to know where to begin. So I'll start with the rivalry which obviously matters most - and say: How about Kansas kicking Kansas State!?!!!
My old alma mater Kansas made itself eligible for a bowl game with a 39-20 squishing of.... what? What's that? What do you mean, this isn't The Blog of Kansas? Well, it's not The Blog of Tuscaloosa either - even though Auburn appears ready to annex it.
Auburn edged Alabama 22-15 to win its fifth Iron Bowl in a row. CBS noted the Tigers have never lost at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa - which should prove once and for all the Auburn fans were right, when they complained about that home-field advantage in Birmingham.
So what made the difference for Auburn on Saturday? A quick check of the roster should make it obvious. Auburn has a running back named Kenny Irons and a defensive back named David Irons. In the Iron Bowl, Alabama answered with.... well, who exactly?
Both Irons had key plays in the Iron Bowl win. Kenny Irons had an eight-yard run for a touchdown - and some of us wondered if he drew up the play Friday night with his new PlayStation 3 game system.
David Irons sealed the Iron Bowl triumph by intercepting a pass from Alabama's John Parker Wilson in the final 80 seconds. It wasn't a "pick six," but it certainly completed an Auburn "Fantasy Five."
(If you Alabamians need help understanding that last joke, do a Google search for "Georgia Lottery." I don't think it's a sin to do that.)
I hadn't heard until Saturday about the fuss over Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville wearing a "Beware the Thumb" T-shirt. If I had seen that, I probably wouldn't have thought of the Tigers going for five Iron Bowl wins in a row. I would have guessed Tuberville was concerned about President Ed Richardson firing him.
Auburn has beaten Alabama in five consecutive Iron Bowls, for the first time since the 1950's. That old string ended once Bear Bryant became head coach of the Crimson Tide. So hmmmm - does anyone have Mike Dubose's phone number?
Some Saturday night sportscasts dared to declare Alabama head coach Mike Shula was "on the hot seat." He's lost four Iron Bowls in a row, finished the regular season 6-6 - and the Miami Dolphins' coaching job may be open in a few weeks.
Despite going 6-6, Alabama still could wind up in a post-season bowl game. Early speculation has the Tide going to Shreveport, Louisiana - but some cruel Auburn fans might be rooting for them to go play in a Boise, Idaho snowstorm.
Auburn finishes the regular season 10-2. The Tigers might wind up at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, or the Outback Bowl in Tampa - where I believe the winning team takes home the world's largest Bloomin' Onion.
A check of the Auburn sports web site shows the Iron Bowl wasn't the only big rivalry win of the weekend. The Tiger men's and women's swimming teams beat Alabama - and combined, they've swept Alabama 11 times in a row. It's time the Crimson Tide lived up to its name, and installed a wave machine in the Auburn lanes of the pool.
There will be an interesting Iron Bowl P.S. on Columbus TV next weekend. A bet was made during the current Rivertown Ford infomercial - and because Auburn won, "Put It on Sale Mike" promises to eat crow on camera in the next episode. Why do I have this funny feeling he's going to eat a picture of Sheryl Crow instead....
Elsewhere, McClung Memorial Stadium hosted the annual "Peanut Bowl" of youth football Saturday. I didn't have a chance to attend this -- so does anyone know if the coaches of Carver and Shaw High Schools were there, recruiting five-year-olds?
And in that OTHER Columbus, Ohio State edged Michigan 42-39 to advance to the Bowl Championship Series title game. Did you notice how the Columbus police handled the crowds after the game was over? I've never seen a more organized effort to guard goal posts in my life....
E-MAIL UPDATE: This may look like an election leftover, but I think there's an explanation....
Not sure what Bob is still running for, but he has an ad on the Ledger website. I found it alternating with a Georgia Trend ad on every article on the Politics page.
Bruce
Yeah, it does look strange. But think back to August, when Mayor Poydasheff opened his campaign headquarters [11 Aug]. He asked "for your vote on November the nineteenth." That's today -- so maybe he's hoping for a late rush to the polls. Admittedly, 12 days late....
And remember how we caught Bob Poydasheff's web site with 2002 information in early August [7 Aug]? His ad might just be at the Ledger-Enquirer's politics section for the next two years.
We noticed some other things happening around the area this weekend....
+ The annual "God Bless Fort Benning" event took place in and around the Columbus Civic Center. Soldiers were given the day off to attend -- but for some reason, the 86th Support Group was ordered to leave for Iraq Friday. Doesn't the Army understand there's a contest against SOA Watch to win?
+ WRBL showed hundreds of SOA Watch demonstrators spending Saturday night on Broadway. All they had to do was carry a beer in the wrong direction, and Columbus Police could have arrested them one day early.
+ Fire erupted at the Fred's store on Auburn Avenue -- and witnesses said a customer in the back of the store appeared to start it. As a public service, we urge shoppers NOT to test whether or not the pajamas are flame-retardant.
+ Workers at Goldens' Foundry downtown were tested for tuberculosis, after an employee developed the illness and died of something else. I'd be more interested in seeing the workers tested for lung cancer - and I'd really like to know if the Columbus Chamber of Commerce forgot about that plant, when its office was moved just up the avenue from it.
+ West Point declared a "level four water emergency" and urged residents to boil drinking water, after a mysterious substance was found in the system. Those sneaky North Korean spies....
+ WRBL's Saturday night newscast introduced a woman whom anchor Heather Jensen openly hoped would become a "permanent weekend meteorologist." So what happened to Mark Tauriello? Did the managers decide with his booming voice, he should do play-by-play of pro wrestling matches?
+ Davis Broadcasting held its annual 24-hour fund-raiser, so low-income children can have toys in December. Isn't this a curious event? The public is asked to donate for this cause, while the company can afford to buy new radio stations northwest of Atlanta....
+ Instant Message to everyone who found us through a blog based in New Zealand: Thank you for helping make this past week the busiest one on record for this blog. And for the record - no, I do NOT have ulcers. I listen to what my pastor says. I listen to what others say. And I drink plenty of liquids, so it all passes through.
BURKARD'S BEST BETS: Gas for $2.02 a gallon at QV, Interstate 85 at Exit 57 in Auburn.... dinner rolls for one dollar a package at Kroger.... and FREE wooden souvenir crosses from Columbus Police at the Fort Benning main gate after 3:00 p.m.
COMING MONDAY: Columbus's biggest event of the year.... or should we say two?....
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