Nada

*Editor's note: Happy Thanksgiving in advance! I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving!?!? Such a shame it had to fall on Iron Bowl week and my grandma's birthday... :) This post will probably be it for the next few days so I hope you all have safe travels. May we all remember the things God has blessed us with over the past 365 days. He's certainly blessed me with too many things to name here (in fact, my mind can't even wrap itself around all the things He's done) so I'll close with the wise words of my facebook status: "I'm thankful to God for many things, not the least of which is being born a Bama fan."

So, there's just not much out there on the WWW to discuss here, at least not regarding the Iron Bowl. Nada. But out of respect to this game, I really don't want to discuss anything else here at Steph's Other Space for the rest of the week. :) Sometimes I get all philosophical and reflect on the season as its conclusion draws near but that would just look cocky. (And really, it's too early for all that. Bama is going to be playing in January.) Or I could analyze the Xs and Os of the upcoming matchup but that would just appear cocky too. I suspect most Auburn fans realize that their chances for a victory on Saturday are none too good but I know many believe there's still some Auburn mystique that will allow them to slay their Goliath in Tuscaloosa. (Don't you think The Tide has some mystique too?) Rest assured there will be plenty of time to talk smack here after the game for at least one of us, right? For now, I will be transparent and say that I will in fact be devastated if we lose on Saturday. Why even try to pretend that a loss wouldn't cut to the bone, especially one to Auburn of all people? The only upside would be extending Tuberville's tenure for at least another season. But for all the talk that Bama might be overlooking this game on Saturday, let me resoundingly and unequviocally deny that charge. You can bet that every Bama fan from Muscle Shoals to Mobile has waited years (approximately 6) for this day to roll around again. I for one will be in the stadium when it opens TWO HOURS before kickoff. (Seriously.)

On a somewhat related note...while I know this may touch off a heated comments mudslinging debate, I have often wanted to discuss a matter that is a firm foundation for my soapbox. I hear ad nauseum about a perceived classlessness or redneckedness or general poorsportsmanshipness that festers in Tuscaloosa so let me make a humble, hat-in-hand suggestion. Get in your vehicle on Saturday and drive yourself up to the Capstone and spend a day in Tuscaloosa. I say with a large degree of certainty that you will not encounter anything more than the usual SEC-caliber banter and perhaps a couple of drunk idiots that reside at any college football game on any given Saturday. We do not show up to the game in our top hats and white gloves but I assure you we--as a collective fan body-- do not behave anything like the enemy would have you believe. You see, I have traveled to many an away game to see my beloved Tide play so I can speak of such things. When I find that a fanbase in general does not ever really travel to see their team compete on the road-- thus they only experience football as a homer--then I find that their perspective is skewed to say the least. Do you know what I encountered last year at the Iron Bowl in a section far removed from the student haunts? A steady, 3-hour barrage of f-bombs and death threats (really more like death wishes preceded by f-bombs) that would have made Bear Bryant throw a punch. I behaved myself as best I could despite the insults being hurled no more than 5 inches from the back of my head because I was sitting in free tickets given to me by some of my dearest friends and I sincerely appreciated their generosity. (Just FYI, they are two of the nicest Aubos I've ever met and I can even say that she looks cute as a button in her Auburn gear so this is no reflection on them whatsoever.) It's true that the insult-hurlers were young, though not that young, so what really shocked me was the entire Auburn section's willingness to say--you guessed it--nada. You see, I've been to plenty of games both at home and on the road when Bama fans would actually *ahem* correct an out-of-line Bammer. It's what you should do, not only to show compassion for your fellow stadium-mate but to protect the reputation of your school. I have literally gone behind unruly (read: drunk!) Bammers on the road and picked up their trash, tossed it in a garbage can, and then apologized to the nearby home fans for their rude behavior. I do it all in hopes that someone might someday say "Gee, those Bama fans really aren't THE DEVIL like I was taught from infancy." It's a shame that on the many, many, many times I've participated in a non-home Iron Bowl game, I have not been shown the same courtesy. The point of all of this is that if you haven't shown up to see your team play on another's turf, I suggest you give it a try before hurling insults and one-liners galore at the other team for their perceived evils. You might be a tad bit surprised. In fact, I can't guarantee you won't be converted.

Anyway, I'll surmise what I'm trying to say with this... We're not overlooking this game and if emotions won the game, Auburn shouldn't even bother to show up. But if you read me regularly, you KNOW I don't believe emotions win games. You know what wins games. Either way, I wouldn't bet the farm against Bama, ya know?

ROLL. TIDE.

"Losing doesn't make me want to quit. It makes me want to fight that much harder." Bear Bryant