'Twas The Night After The Iron Bowl

‘Twas the night after the Iron Bowl
And all through the land,
Not a “Roll Tide” was uttered by a Crimson Tide fan.
They used to be boisterous, they used to be loud,
They used to be boastful, and cocky and proud.

But they lost all their swagger, they lost all their swing.
For one little second had changed everything.
The score it was even. The clock had run dry,
When Little Nick Saban then started to cry.

He demanded a second be put on the clock.
The worse that could happen? A miss or a block.
But fate it is fickle, and greed has a price,
And what happened next just wasn’t too nice.

The previous kicks, wide left and wide right.
So he put in a rookie, 'twas not very bright.
The kick was a boomer of 56 yards,
But the extra yard needed was not in the cards.

And back in the end zone a lone Tiger stood.
He caught that ol’ football, he caught it real good.
He started to run, he heard the cheers grow.
The Crimson Tide offense? Too fat and too slow.

One hundred and nine, he ran for a score.
If needed, he could have run one hundred more!
The crowd, it erupted while storming the field.
The Crimson Tide’s season was settled and sealed.

A cry of “War Eagle!” soon echoed the Plain.
Nick Saban’s expression was one of pure pain.
And up in Ohio they shouted "Go Bucks!"
For it gave hope to all, well, except for the Ducks.

In Tuscaloosa you could hear a pin drop,
And in Tallahassee, a tomahawk chop.
For the night after Auburn, the Tide has no clue,
That the new boss in town wears Orange and Blue!

(Author: Chuck Porretto | Photo: Ashley Brooke Barrett)

'Twas The Night Before The Iron Bowl

'Twas the night before the Iron Bowl
And down on the Plains

The Tigers were ready

To protect their domain.
  The shakers were laid out in orange and blue,

And tailgaters were cooking their own bbq.

 The RV's came from far and away,
The Family ALL IN to the fields of hay.
We were up all night as we anticipated
Tiger Walk, an Eagle soaring, and being validated.
The Malzahan Miracle will surely be in effect
  As the Tigers get ready to give Bama heck.
Will they run? Will they throw? 

Will they soar down the field?
Ever to conquer and never to yield?
Will Marshall throw bombs,
To the quick Sammie Coates?
Will Tre Mason go over the top
For a birthday gift for Bo?
Will Prosch make big holes,
Or Dee Ford cause a fumble?
Will a packed Jordan-Hare
Register an earthquake rumble?
Thiereze will play like a champion prize fighter!
"It's GREAT to be an AUBURN TIGER!"

The Crimson Tide will come, cocky and proud,

But the Boys In Blue refuse to be cowed!

Pat Dye field will be loud with great noise,

As tomorrow will separate the men from the boys.
No matter what the score is by the end of the game,
"I believe in Auburn," I'll always proclaim!
Win, Lose, or Draw, Auburn's my team.
And though we're the underdogs,
A girl can still dream.
My Tigers will leave it all on the field.
The Family's ALL IN, Never to Yield!

When it's all over, and we've beaten the best,

 We'll Thank God above because we're so blessed!

When the Iron Bowl is over, Dixie won't be the same!
We'll all ride the Gus Bus to the Championship Game!
#WarEagle!!!

A New Beginning

From the poisoning of our trees,
by a man with a poisoned mind.

To the trail of mass destruction
that April’s Fury left behind.

Our Auburn family has pulled together
to face adversity head on.

And extended our hands to our brothers
so that healing can go on!

We have bid a farewell to familiar faces
and are anxious to meet the new...

Who will proudly wear the Jerseys
of Auburn's Fearless Orange and Blue!!

On Saturday, at Jordan-Hare
Another football season will begin.

Some things may be different,
But still, "All We Do Is Win!!!"

We are The National Champions!
We will put Utah's Big Blue in their place!

We are The Courageous Auburn Tigers!
And we are back in the race!!!

WAR EAGLE!!!

Poetic Tiger

September 3, 2011

 

The Big Dance: Round 2

I don't know about anyone else, but after Round 2, I feel like the Prom Queen who tripped over her dress and fell flat on her face. I've picked myself up, but my dress is torn and tattered, my glamorous up-do is straggling down around my face, and my corsage? My corsage is beyond repair, yet I can still smell the fragrance from the flowers....a faint reminder of the promise and potential the dance had to offer. I imagine that scenario is somewhat similar to how Kansas must have felt at the end of their game against Northern Iowa. :(

Personally, I think all of the prognosticators and “talking heads” do a disservice to all of the other teams when everyone singles out one team to win it all. Yes, I'm disappointed that Kansas lost...but only because it totally screwed up my ONE bracket. Other than that, I didn't have a personal interest in any of these games. I found myself pulling for the underdog, St. Mary's Gaels, rather than Villanova, even though I had picked Villanova on my bracket. Typical female I suppose, since we girls just ♥love♥ Cinderella stories...we're brainwashed with it from the time we're little, and that's just how we roll. It's a fact of life. It was the same with Missouri and West Virginia. On my bracket I picked WVa over Missouri. I had been told, repeatedly, that West Virginia has a really good team, but.....I’ve been told that before.

One autumn day in particular stands out in my memory. On September 19, 2009, I stood in the Deluge of the Century at Jordan-Hare stadium and watched the underdog Auburn Tigers womp the WVa Mountaineers 41-30...so maybe, just maybe, that’s why I found myself pulling for the Mizzou Tigers! Random thought about that rainy game at Jordan-Hare: I noticed a West Virginia fan all decked out in his yellow and blue Argyle pants (I lie not), standing in the rain with a lovely orange poncho emblazoned with a huge, blue AU on the front and back, and I thought to myself, “I bet that sux!”

The loss by Kansas really ruined my ONE bracket! I have 32 of 64 games, if I have it figured correctly. I have 40 of 64 pts on the Rivals/Yahoo bracket, with a group total of 31 of 48 pts. On my ESPN bracket I have 430 points for a 92.9% simply because I eliminated Kansas earlier in the bracket. In the College Hoops Pick’em, I missed day one because I didn’t click “submit” after making the picks, so I had a whopping total of zero on day one....I’m new at this, so geez, it takes me awhile to navigate these sports pages. Since then I have accumulated a grand total of 22 points, which is 56.7% and is one more than the average of 21, or 50%,...so at least I’m “above average!” :) It remains to be seen whether any of the remaining teams I picked will end up in the Elite Eight. It's looking good for Kentucky and Tennessee *cross fingers* and yes, I'll admit, I'm pulling for my SEC teams like no other! I'll keep you posted!

Laterz,
~Starr

Every Girl Loves To Dance

The Big Dance

When my significant other, Jimmy, called me and suggested I complete a bracket and submit it to a pool he was in, I experienced a rare sense of deja vu, since we'd had this same conversation a couple of years ago when I had my first taste of March Madness.

To my credit, in the 4 years since that first bracket, I have actually attended a basketball game. I didn't even attend a basketball game in high school. Yeah, weird, but true. My first ever college basketball game was the last game the Auburn Tigers played at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum on March 3, 2010. I probably would not have gone to that game had it not been for my uncle, Wallace Tinker. You see, my uncle, was on the Auburn Tigers team that played the first game at BEMC on January 11, 1969, when Auburn defeated LSU and Pistol Pete Maravich, 90-71. Uncle Wallace (#33) was the first to score points at BEMC, a 7-ft jumper from the right baseline. March 3rd being the last game the Tigers would ever play at BEMC, my uncle was there, with many of his original team mates, to score the final points at BEMC. It was a family thing. My uncle Wallace is my mother's baby brother. I had to go.

To my honest surprise, I enjoyed my first roundball game. True, I didn't know a lot about how the game was played, what was happening, or why the last minute of the game was equivalent to 15 minutes in real life. I enjoyed the "up close and personal" aspect of the game...seeing the players faces...Aubie waving his fingers in front of my face. In a wonderful end to an awesome era in Auburn history, Auburn won the last game at Beard-Eaves over Mississippi State 89-80! Following the game, as my uncle stepped onto the court, I found myself thinking "this is a walk to remember!" As Uncle Wallace stepped up to the exact spot where he'd scored the first points 42 years ago, I had goosebumps up and down my arms and tears in my eyes. I was so proud when Uncle Wallace nailed it, scoring the final points, on the first shot! Amazing!

So, when asked this year to complete a bracket, I didn't have much time to research the teams, etc. I think I spent about 6 hours poring over stats, W-L records, FT %, rebound margins, speed vs size...until about midnight. Seriously! I didn't want to be the ditzy brunette. I had to fax my bracket to Sean, Jimmy's brofriend, the next morning so it was a last minute cram session reminiscent of final exams in college. ;-/

Every girl loves to dance. I suppose I'm no exception to the rule, and now I find myself enjoying "the Big Dance" and, yes, I'll even admit it.....I'm afflicted with March Madness. What else could make me watch basketball? I guess it's a good thing that this week has been Spring Break. To be honest, for Spring Break it's been a sucky one here...drizzly, rainy, cloudy....you get the picture? If it were otherwise I doubt I'd have succumbed to this yearly insanity that so many are afflicted with. I never understood it until now.

How am I doing in my bracket? I filled out several on ESPN, one on the Rivals Yahoo page, and the ONE that I faxed to join the pool Jimmy invited me to join. At the time of this blog, in the ONE pool I've correctly picked 11 of 16 games, which I guess is ok; I'm still not exactly sure how these pools work...point wise. No problem. I did this, #1 because Jimmy asked me to, #2 it's challenging me to learn about something new, and #3 just for the fun of it! It's gratifying that I picked Old Dominion and Murray State, both upsets.....but it's just as disappointing that I also picked Georgetown and Marquette, which both lost. :(

I'll update this after each Round is completed. Maybe some of you basketball know-it-alls can give me tips for next year! X-D

Gotta go watch the rest of the games.

Later dayz,

~Starr

A Walk To Remember

Last night I attended the final Auburn basketball game at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. For me it was significant for very personal reasons. Admittedly it was the first EVER basketball game I’ve ever attended...I never even went to a basketball game in high school. So in a moment of nostalgia, my first and last basketball games at BEMC occurred on the same night. Sad, but true. I have many fond memories which took place at BEMC, but none which included basketball, which is truly weird when you consider the family history that has taken place at that venue. BEMC is where I’ve attended AU’s fan day; it’s where I had my picture taken with Bo Jackson’s Heisman trophy, and it’s also where I first saw the band, Switchfoot, in concert. All are happy memories that I treasure.

However, those memories pale in comparison to last night at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. You see, last night was special and this is where family history comes into play. On January 11, 1969, the LSU Tigers and “Pistol” Pete Maravich came to the Plains to play the first game ever played at BEMC. My uncle, Wallace Tinker (#33), as a Senior Forward on the team, scored the first basket in BEMC history with a 7 ft. jumper from the right baseline. Although Pistol Pete went on to score a whopping 46 pts, the most ever scored by an opponent in BEMC history, the Auburn Tigers defeated LSU 90-71. It is fitting that the Tigers ended their 42 years at BEMC with an 89-80 victory over Mississippi State. War Eagle!!!

After the game, as I watched my uncle walk onto the court I was thinking to myself, “this is A Walk to Remember!” I stood with my son, Jacob, and my cousins and watched with anticipation this moment in Auburn history. My uncle stood in the same spot from which he’d scored the first points at Beard-Eaves, and nailed the basket on the first throw to score the final points of the final season. Thus ended the 42 year history of Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. I was teary-eyed I have to admit. Jacob, who is 12, looked up at me with pride in his eyes and said, “Mom, I guess this means I have basketball in my blood.” I just chuckled and hugged him and told him that he did, indeed, have a family legacy of basketball...and not just ANY basketball, but Auburn basketball! We stayed for the net cutting, autographs, and pictures “under” the picture of Uncle Wallace that hangs on the Coliseum walls. My other uncle, Billy Tinker, also played for Auburn, but was not in attendance last night.

Uncle Wallace shooting the final points at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum, Auburn, AL

It was a glorious ending to Auburn’s 42 year history at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. May the Auburn traditions of excellence, sportsmanship, and “family” continue at the new Auburn Arena next year.

Til next time, Warrrrrr Eagle!

~Starla