Conspicuously absent?

No, just undeniably exhausted. Let's see... I think we've now gone to 9 games in about 11 weeks and it's finally catching up. Of course it doesn't help that WE LOST TO ULM, people! I don't really have a lot to add to what's out there in the media, though I'm happy to answer a few FAQs:

1. Is this Alabama's worst lose ever in your mind? I don't know if Bama as a team has ever looked worse than they did on Saturday. They don't care and it's obvious. It reminds me of the time Freddie Milons reportedly refused to load the team bus going to Starkville because of some team "issues" shall we say. For sure this one ranks right up there in the Top 5 or so but I have at least a couple that rank ahead in my mind. Since it's Iron Bowl week, I'll recap a couple of Iron Bowl games that were nothing if not abso-freaking-lutely miserable. 2000 was the first time they played the game in BDS and we as a Bama Nation were all hyped up. I even left my itty-bitty one at home so I could make the trip. It was so cold and damp, I had frozen hair just like a scene from Titanic. Literally, my hair crunched if I moved it. And yeah, of course you know we lost. Then there was the Iron Bowl two years ago where I sat next to a 40-something-year-old woman in a rubber tiger hat who knew nada about football but screamed and carried on as though she was a defensive coordinator. I think I got up and "relocated" after Brodie's 9th sack. In 1997 Alabama lost its homecoming game to La Tech (at the time they were revered about like ULM, even though they had Tim Rattay under center if my memory doesn't fail me) and I actually sat through the entire game despite the fact that my grandmother was in the hospital on life support. My dad didn't even go to the game (a real rarity) to be with my mother but he insisted that I go and sit in their seats since there was nothing I could do at the hospital. I was already in a raw mood and that game did nothing to offer solace from the situation. Then of course there is my all-time favorite... back again in 2000 I sat through the entire UA-Southern Miss game at Legion Field despite the fact that I was 38 weeks' pregnant. I was swollen (and clearly on the verge of preeclampsia, though I didn't know that at the time) We lost 21-0. My famous last words: "If they put Tyler Watts in that game for one more series, I swear I'm going to go into labor..." 9 1/2 hours later, we welcomed our first son into the world. True story.
2. So did you boo the team on Saturday? Actually, no, I did not. Do you think the players who deserved the boos really care? They just got 4 years of college for FREE with very little work actually required of them. And the way I figure it, listening to boos is a small price to pay. Those who really do care about the team don't deserve the boos.
3. What about JPW, since you at one time "hearted" him? Undecided. He definitely sucks it up as of late and has lost all semblance of confidence but I think he cares, I think. So far he hasn't said anything boneheaded in the media this week (ie: "I don't think I'm really playing that bad.") Like I told my husband (who at times heckled JPW but let's face it, he's jealous of my affections!) At the time JPW was recruited, we couldn't get a Vince Young or Dennis Dixon-esque player so we remain stuck with a fair-haired, blue-eyed boy who grew up wanting to don the Crimson jersey. I'm not going to boo a guy for doing the best he can do, even though he's clearly outmatched in Division-I football. In case the Bama fans haven't noticed, here's the names two other guys who wanted to sign with Bama about the same time as JPW: Brandon Cox and Chris Smelley. Look up their stats.
4. So what's your take on the game this weekend? Given the track record of my previous picks (see previous post entitled "Because everyone else is doing it..."), I'm picking Auburn by three touchdowns (that be 21 points for those of you from LSU!) Me thinks the Aubs might need to quit laughing (hey, for real, I'd totally be laughing too!) just long enough to figure out how the heck to fit "Honk if you sacked John Parker Wilson" on a bumper sticker! You'll probably need about about 90,000 of 'em come Saturday night.
5. Which brings me to: Are you still going Saturday night? Why, yes I believe I will and thanks for asking. Someone has got to go and absorb the punches to a once-proud program. I'd be mortified if I turned on ESPN and saw no one in crimson except the band... which is a distinct possibility given the current atmosphere at The Capstone.

Well, that's it for now. I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving! Just freaky how time has evaporated as of late...