After Auburn dropped its second game this weekend, to perennial SEC doormat Mississippi State, friend Bobby Star Eyes observed, “It's going to be a loooong season.” Tell me about it. What’s worse, the disappointment borne of high expectations, or the despair of continuing and ignominious failure? Being a Rodent fan makes me bit of an expert on the latter, and not much acquainted with the former. The Gophers last reached the heights of college football in 1960; that’s in my span of memory, but the optimism of that adolescent have long since been replaced by the pessimism of this adult. In Brewster and his staff, Minnesota’s only replaced one set of bozos with another. The Rodents have been singularly unready to play, outscored 56-14 in the first half of their two losses. After the intermissions of those two games they scored 56 while giving up 18. We were warned by a Minneapolis columnist who asked, rhetorically, “Do you suppose there’s a reason no one’s (previously) seen fit to make Bombastic Brewster a head coach?”Perhaps the deepest despair is suffered by those who have seen little of it? Wolverines fans, perhaps. Does Michigan’s win over Notre Dame really mean they’ve “righted the ship?” Consider that the Irish have gained 326 total yards and rushed for minus 17 on the season. We’ll know soon – No. 12 Penn State comes to the Big House next week.
Some are blissfully lucky in their allegiances, and unaffected by travails on the gridiron. Daughter Courtney, who cares little for football, was an undergrad at Columbia and is now at UNC, neither a good place for a football fan, but the latter certainly fine for basketball aficionados (which she’s now become). Similarly Kentuckians. Mrs. Franchitti, who we’ll likely see at Petit Le Mans next month, is a 1990 Kentucky grad who’s primarily known for haunting basketball temple Rupp Arena. Will the University’s fast football start now get a little love from Ms. Judd and other Wildcat fans? Pat Forde, writing on ESPN.com, described Saturday’s win over No. 9 Louisville as “one of the best nights in the largely miserable history of Kentucky football.” Given that history, the doubters will likely have to see a bit more before they flag down that bandwagon. That’s the way this University of Minnesota alum thinks – not that there’s a bandwagon of any sort in sight.
Jeannie enjoyed years of Colorado University success before the Buffalos’ slide into scandal and impotence. Chip (pictured) is a buffalo chip, meaning he’s a…well, you know. Chip, Ralphie IV (the other, live, mascot) and the rest of the Buffs were beaten by a rather ordinary ‘Noles team last night. Ho hum. If you’re a Colorado fan, there was compensatory satisfaction in the Corn Husker’s ass kicking by the No. 1 USC Trojans – that one was 42-10 after three quarters before three garbage-time TDs by (formerly) No. 14 Nebraska.
In a 1775 letter, however, Samuel Johnson found the up side to our discontent. “Disappointment, when it involves neither shame nor loss, is as good as success; for it supplies as many images to the mind, and as many topics to the tongue,” he wrote.
Murphy’s (Not so) Simple Football Dip
(An experiment with our friend Murphy’s dip today got good results, though it’s not exactly simple anymore.)
1 sixteen oz. can refried beans
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbs lime juice or juice of 1 small lime
1 eight oz. jar queso dip
4 oz salsa
½ lb. ground beef
Spread refried beans in a lightly greased pie pan (the glass kind is best). Layer with queso, leaving a half inch of bean dip at the edge. Sauté onion, brown beef, layer them over the cheese, and top with the salsa Bake in oven pre-heated to 350° for twenty minutes or until headed through. Serve with tortilla chips.
No comments:
Post a Comment