Week #12 - My thoughts and observations …

JAX Bound – KCock93 and I loaded up the Ford Explorer Sport Trac Friday morning and departed Cayce at 10:15 … The weather was terrible until we reached I-95 as a driving rain accompanied us for the first 60 miles … But, once we were able to “get going” at a good pace we stopped at a Western Sizzlin’ for lunch in Pooler, Ga. … We were looking for ‘local fare’, but since the Sizzlin’ had closed its doors on Knox Abbott Drive in Cayce some years ago, we decided to give it a try for nostalgia sake … We each ordered the petit sirloin and with the accompaniment of a salad, yeast roll, Texas toast, baked potato, brownie, and tea you could hardly go wrong with the $12 price tag – total! … An older lady was our waitress and she was super nice … She informed us that she had a daughter living in Gaston, S.C., after living several years in Lugoff – she preferred the drive to Gaston, which shaves about an hour off her trip from near Savannah … She also told us that her neighbor’s house had burned down that morning and that she had driven back home twice to make sure her home was not affected – talk about too much information for folks passing through … Oh well, I guess if it gave her some peace of mind to get it off her chest that it was worth listening while we shoveled food down our throats … After lunch we got back on track and made good time as we pulled over for a gas fill up in Kingsland, Ga., just above the Florida state line … We were checked into the Holiday Inn Express around 3:30 p.m., and since our parents were heading down later that afternoon we decided to wait upon their arrival … My mother has always been a Gamecock fan and was a regular attendee at Williams-Brice Stadium for more than 25 years, but some time in the mid-1990s she chucked it pretty much altogether for the comforts of my parents home … My father is a USC die-hard (guess apples don’t fall from the tree) at football, men’s basketball, men’s soccer, and baseball games but he always finds a way to get Mom to take in the Florida football game – every other year in Gainesville! … I think the main reason Mom is willing to go is because they generally eat at some nice places and this weekend was no different – much to the liking of my tastebuds and wallet .

The Chart House – Our parents had made reservations at The Chart House at Jacksonville Landing and the place has an aquatic décor of oyster and clam shell ornaments along with a seafarer’s theme throughout the establishment … After KC93 and I polished off a couple of Coronas at the bar while my parents enjoyed a couple of Grey Goose martinis, we were seated right by a window overlooking the St. John’s River … If I have my stories correct, my grandfather on my Dad’s side, was the state sales manager for Jim Beam a number of years ago and while working in Jacksonville one week he was entertaining some clients by the river when a stiff wind blew his favorite Bear Bryant type fedora into the water below – he had several other hats in that same style, but that one was his favorite and I remember listening to him lament the fact that he had lost it in such fashion … Anyway, my father, brother, and myself enjoyed oysters on the half shell while my mother tried the lump crab stacked on a mango salad – exquisite appetizers! … For entrées my brother and father had the outstanding Snapper Hemingway, my Mom dined on a lobster tail, and I had the scrumptious blackened Mahi Mahi – great texture and good heat for seasoning … KC93 and I continued through the meal with another 4-5 Coronas and my parents shared a bottle of red wine … Great meal and fun time by all … We got back to the HIE around 11:15 p.m., and called it a night in preparation for the SEC “Game of the Week” in Gainesville.

North Florida – One thing that is always a constant in north Florida is the presence of the much maligned jorts, mullets, tank tops, and mud bogging … Some things never change! … On the way down from JAX to G-ville Saturday morning we pulled over to grab a $7 bag of boiled green peanuts that were absolutely incredible! … They were literally pulled right out of the pot on Hwy. 301 and the vendor told me that he does this for every home game as he buys the goobers from a local supplier … Of course, their Gator attire consisted of some royal blue t-shirts replete with the infamous jorts and crocs – fashion wear for adults that is "a sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament" (kudos Austin Powers) … The trip through the north central part of the Sunshine State is really an eye opener as you roll (literally thanks to the constant flux of speed traps) past the towns of Baldwin, Lawtey, Starke, and Waldo – nothing like the pride of a prison system to keep these areas thriving (remember Ted Bundy)? … It was pouring rain when we awoke in Jacksonville but luckily had cleared for the trip down and we made the 1 ½ hour drive in nice weather.

UF Tailgating – There might not be a better place in the SEC to tailgate than on the outskirts of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium … In 2006 we found a spot near the J. Wayne Reitz Union Center, which serves as the student union for the UF campus – kind of like the Russell House at USC … It is situated off Museum Road and if you get there earlier enough (i.e., 11:00 a.m., for a 3:30 p.m., game) parking is free under a canopy of trees covered in Spanish moss … We met a guy from Naples, Fla., who – also donning crocs – let me know that he wasn’t a resident of Gainesville, but that he had spent 8 ½ years of his life getting an undergraduate degree … He was nice enough to allow us into their area as he blared a Neil Young tribute CD from his Suburban and grilled every kind of meat under the sun, um, clouds, throughout the day … About an hour later my friend K.P., his wife K.P., and his two friends arrived to tailgate with us … The great thing about the Reitz Union Center is that the bathrooms are located on the bottom floor and are clean as a whistle … Another plus is that the center has a food court with a wide selection of foods and we opted for Subway sandwiches since we had a good breakfast at the HIE earlier in the day … One note, we never saw any law enforcement enact the open container policy, because we just drank our canned Natural Light beer out of koozies, but we did hear that several people were warned for not having their alcoholic beverages in cups.

56-6 – Oh yeah, there was a game Saturday afternoon as well … One of the garnet-colored wearing glass co-owners of a Gamecock website kept spewing on the radio Friday morning that USC fans would see a revolutionary style of offensive innovation and trickery beyond the imagination on special teams – I saw both at Florida and I never want to see that display again … Awful … In a span of 2:15 late in the first quarter the game was over and the next three-plus quarters is still a blur to me after watching those all blue uniforms with orange helmets zoom all over the gridiron … Gamecock Nation was well represented in Gainesville, but even the Orange & Blue faithful hit the exits early at The Swamp as the game was 28-3 at the half – and an identical score line the next 30 minutes … We stayed until the final whistle and good luck to the Gators in their quest for another National Championship … P.S. – The Swamp does not have a bad view in the stadium and the UF administration pulled off another great flyover that featured

Game Thoughts – Someone needs to get Urban Meyer a uniform with a jersey number on it, because I have never seen a coach stay on the field as long as this guy does … He rants, raves, and wreaks havoc on the Florida sidelines to the point that an astute SEC official should flag him for “over coaching” … My goodness – what is there to do as the head coach at Florida? … If I was a Gator fan, I would be asking how in the world this team lost a game this year … The speed of Florida is simply incredible and even though South Carolina is a SEC-fast team compared to other regions of the country, there is no team that is any faster than the 2008 Gators – unreal … Kenny McKinley made six tough catches for 37 yards, Spencer Lanning logged 10 punts for a 40 yard average and downed three inside the 20 yard line, and Ryan Succop was true on both field goal attempts from 41 and 44 yards … Other than that – nothing to write home about regarding individual superlatives … A former great mid-1970s quarterback at South Carolina sat behind us and was involved in a verbal exchange with a couple of Florida fans midway through the first quarter and even indicated that a little bit of pushing was going on, but I didn’t pick up everything with my headphones on … I do know that the couple got up and left midway through the second quarter because the guy kept complaining about sitting in the USC section – real loyal fan with seats like those :-).

Postgame – What more was there to say? … We ran into one of our long time buddies J.C., on the way out and he was down at The Swamp on a “guy’s weekend” with his stepson … We just laughed at what had transpired and said leave the loss in Florida and get ready for the open date and Clemson! … We didn’t waste any time getting out of town and fortunately a police woman gave us a break when she opened up another lane of traffic for us to get left out of the Reitz Union Center lot so that we could circle around to University Drive and the route out of Gainesville … With my parents in tow – we decided to make it a late supper at Morton’s Steakhouse in Jacksonville down near the waterfront … It was excellent and the host, Alex, was extremely helpful and courteous as we were still in our game wardrobes … Come to find out he is an avid Florida State fan and was keeping us posted on the FSU/Boston College game … He told us that Jeff Fisher, head coach of the undefeated Tennessee Titans, usually dines at Morton’s the night before the game, but that he had broken tradition this weekend … We all ordered the single cut filet mignons after three of us enjoyed the Chopped Salad while my Dad ate a Beefsteak Tomato Salad … Accompanied by steamed jumbo asparagus and sautéed mushrooms the meal was perfect along with a couple of Sam Adams’ Oktoberfest beers for KC93 and myself while the folks downed a bottle of red wine.

Sunday Drive – We eschewed the HIE breakfast and got on up the road stopping once in Kingsland, Ga., for gas … Great weather allowed KC93 to put it in the wind and driving time from south Jacksonville was 4 hours, 15 minutes (8:45 am – 1:00 pm) and with one breakfast stop at Burger King during our gas stop we made it back to Cayce in great fashion.

Open Date & Clemson – Another free weekend that comes at a great time for the Gamecocks … Get the Florida game out of the system altogether and let’s go take care of a 5-5 Clemson team that has to win its final two contests at Virginia and vs. South Carolina to qualify for a bowl game … Give me 7-8 wins a year and a victory vs. Clemson and it’s a big season at South Carolina … I’ve been attending since 1979 and USC has recorded a ‘W’ just eight times vs. the Tigers in that span … Carolina owns a 5-8-1 record at Memorial Stadium during this time frame … Another statistic is that during those 29 seasons the team with the better record entering the game has won 20 times, lost eight games, and one decision ended in a tie … Three of the last four outings has seen the team with the lesser record win the contest.

*** 1979 CU 8-2, SC 7-3, SC WIN
*** 1980 CU 5-5, SC 8-2
1981 CU 10-0, SC 6-4
1982 CU 7-1-1, SC 4-6
1983 CU 8-1-1, SC 5-5
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1984 CU 7-3, SC 9-1, SC WIN
1985 CU 5-5, SC 5-5
1986 CU 7-2-1, SC 3-6-1, TIE
*** 1987 CU 9-1, SC 7-2, SC WIN
1988 CU 8-2, SC 8-2
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1989 CU 8-2, SC 6-3-1
1990 CU 8-2, SC 5-4
1991 CU 7-1-1, SC 3-5-2
*** 1992 CU 5-5, SC 4-6, SC WIN
1993 CU 7-3, SC 5-5
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1994 CU 5-5, SC 5-5, SC WIN
1995 CU 7-3, SC 4-5-1
*** 1996 CU 7-3, SC 5-5, SC WIN
1997 CU 6-4, SC 5-5
1998 CU 2-8, SC 1-9
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1999 CU 5-5, SC 0-10
2000 CU 8-2, SC 7-3
2001 CU 5-4, SC 7-3, SC WIN
2002 CU 6-5, SC 5-6
2003 CU 7-4, SC 5-6
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*** 2004 CU 5-5, SC 6-4
*** 2005 CU 6-4, SC 7-3
*** 2006 CU 8-3, SC 6-5, SC WIN
2007 CU 8-3, SC 6-5
2008 CU 5-5, SC 7-4
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Soccer – Kudos to Coach Shelley Smith’s squad that reached the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, but just like 2007, the Gamecocks bowed out in the First Round in extra time … Carolina’s 3-2 loss to William & Mary at Durham, N.C., ended USC’s season at 11-7-4 overall … Danila Monteiro is the only senior departing this squad so Carolina should be in good shape to challenge for a top four finish in the SEC in 2009 … As for the men’s squad, Coach Mark Berson’s 31st team ended its year with an 8-6-5 mark after posting a 1-1 record at the Conference USA Tournament … USC whipped host SMU, 3-0, but dropped a 2-0 decision to C-USA regular season and tourney champion, Tulsa … Four seniors – Kevan Hawkins, Spencer Lewis, David Smith, and Brennan Williams – depart Columbia, but the nucleus of some now well-seasoned players return for 2009 … Next year is a critical season for the Gamecocks, which reached the NCAAs 17 times from 1985-2005, but has missed postseason play each of the last three years despite posting a 30-16-6 (.635) record (11-5-1, 11-5, 8-6-5) … A reminder to all that in men’s soccer only 48 teams make the postseason tourney out of 200+ teams and 32 of those spots are automatic bids to conference champions … It’s probably the toughest playoffs to qualify for in any NCAA sport … However, there is enough talent at Stone Stadium to finish 1-2 in C-USA next year and make a run in the postseason – something that has not happened for the Gamecocks since 1998.

M-Basketball – Is it just me or does the home court at Colonial Life Arena not look awful? … I wasn’t a big fan of the gradient fill of the foul lanes and actually prefer the new look in that regard, but the lettering on the rest of the floor is gaudy to say the least … Congratulations to Coach Darrin Horn for becoming the first men’s basketball coach at USC to win his first two games since World War II (that is a stat I heard today and I’m not looking it up but it sounds about right) … Anyone else having a hard time getting jazzed up about basketball season before Thanksgiving? … I have always felt that the sport should not start until December since it is played until the first weekend of April as this part of the country just doesn’t get into games against the likes of Jacksonville State, Gardner-Webb, N.C. Central, etc. … The women play arch-rival Clemson on Wednesday and hopefully Coach Dawn Staley’s troops can level their mark at 1-1 after dropping the season opener at Penn State.