Tit, meet Tat

Sorry in advance that this post won't be as scintillating as the title would suggest...

Well, that picture really does tell the story... the whole story. Unfortunately/fortunately (however you want to look at it), my trip to the infamous Baton Rouge just didn't live up to the hype. Now mind you, I'm not talking about the actual football experience... that part was great and a much better game than anyone could have ever imagined (though let me be clear that it was my preference for Bama to stomp them early and often so that we could make our way over to the good guys section and really enjoy the win but I'll take that win nonetheless!) Perhaps because the legendary Death Valley was so built up in my own mind, it just seemed to fall short. I mean, the stories of that place are mythic in proportion. I think I truly expected to see ragin' cajuns swinging from giant old oak trees hissing "Tiger bait, tiger bait, TIGER BAIT!" or maybe even real, live (so to speak) vampires rising up from purple-n-gold coffins in some whacky attempt to put the voodoo on us. Alas, it was tame. Very tame. Infinitely tamer than those fans who represented the storied Lousiana State University in Tuscaloosa last year. Remember this? Not even a pimp suit in sight this year. (Apparently even more went down in T'town last year as I read in a Baton Rouge newspaper that some "boorish" LSU fans took a leak on Bear Bryant's statue outside our stadium. Now as if that's not "boorish" enough, take a look at where that statue stands and imagine it on a gameday in terms of people. I can't imagine they didn't get arrested for indecent exposure but then I realized there's probably some sort of loophole for LSU fans... can anyone say "clogged court system"?) Anyway, I theorize there must have been some sort of beer-drinking contest or something for LSU's allotment of tickets to last year's game (I assure you it wasn't an essay contest) because they sure sent some doozies. Imagine my surprise/disappointment when I learned there really wasn't 90,000+ more just like them back in Baton Rouge. That's bad for funny stories here on Steph's Other Space but I think overwhelmingly good for mankind.

So, since I don't have a lot of material (and my husband, parents, and sister have all heard my "good stuff" already), I'll just post a few random tidbits from my rendezvous at the ole Red Stick.

1. The LSU band really is full of sights and sounds to behold. I'm being serious. They play the whole time, before kickoff and even beyond the bitter end. I was equally impressed with the vast number of cheers the LSU faithful have memorized as well as their willingness to participate... on many levels. First, not every fan base is willing to go all out in cheering on the home team, my beloved Crimson nation included (not always, but definitely sometimes.) Second, I would have a hard time believing they have the mental acuity to remember all those cheers (there must be at least 40 of 'em) if I had not seen it myself. There are hand motions and everything. (Cost of regular-priced tickets: $55. Watching old-white-guy season ticket holders participate during that song: Priceless.) Plus, this part was pretty cool (it's no Dixieland Delight but what they lack in music quality, they make up for in enthusiasm!) Hmmm, upon further research, now I wonder what they were shouting at us during this song.

2. Tiger Stadium is really just an oversized Cramton Bowl (those from The Gump will get the reference.) Seriously. I even heard the LSU fans complaining about their stadium's amenities in relation to the ticket prices. There was some construction going on outside so I imagine they are trying to make some upgrades but really it needs an ultimate makeover. I'm not trying to be snooty... it was just a little surprising, that's all. But in so many ways, it suits them just perfectly (as does Less Miles!)

3. The PA dude actually announced that the sun had set and it was nighttime in Baton Rouge. Hellllllllllooooooooo Captain Obvious! I believe they may also hold beer-drinking contests for the PA job* as it appeared they had given the mike to a fan, just any ole fan with a propensity to talk too much during a game ("Scott is out over the LSU forty--correction, the Alabama forty-- for a gain of two yards... boy, that was a tough two yards." And that's much closer to an actual quote from Saturday rather than a paraphrase.) Again, it definitely wasn't an essay contest that won him the job.

*Insert Kenny Stabler joke here but keep in mind Stabler is our color analyst, not the public announcer at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and besides... Stabler could/would be knee-deep in a pitcher of margaritas and still sound more knowledgeable than this guy.

4. I wasted several one-liners during the game because we were in fact severely outnumbered and I rather enjoy the use of all of my extremities. Still, I could NOT resist quietly mumbling "you can do it!" after the LSU alma mater during the pregame show. Pee-paw probably didn't hear me and wouldn't have really gotten the reference anyway but I imagine if I was in the Bama section, I would have shouted it for all to hear and subsequently been named the MVP of the Bama section. Nah, too old? Oh, who am I kiddin'... The Waterboy never gets old, especially when you're in Baton Rouge. Which reminds me, if they hate Nick Saban so much, what do they think of Adam Sandler?!?! Dare I ask...

5. Finally, below is a pic of the actual wristband for the gameday shuttle we rode from The Sheraton downtown to the stadium. (Total random sidenote: I saw this lady at The Sheraton and commented that I hoped to be just like her someday...) Anyway, an LSU fan commented to me that they could have at least made the wristbands in some color other than red and white but I told her not to worry, it appeared they let LSU pick the beer logo...

As far as the actual game went, I'm not surprised it was so tight. I thought it seemed like a mirror image of the game in Tuscaloosa last year where ultimately the best team won but the opposition sure gave it their all. Yeah, the refs made some questionable calls or non-calls in the game but I believe that's where the tit meets the tat. I know from experience that it was a heartbreak for the loser, but does anybody remember how the rest of the season turned out for the winner??? I just can't seem to put my pointed index finger on it...

PS: Nice read from The New York Times.