The Way It Was, The Way It Is

  BLACK FRIDAY Lame Train leaving the station Seldom has a day been more appropriately named. It was a truly dark day for Miss. State football and Bulldog fans. In fact, let's pause and let those sweet, age-resistant boys who gave us the song "Sympathy for the Devil" pay a fitting tribute to this past Friday with their iconic [ you know the drill ... click on it]   Paint It Black  .  All too often in my life I have passed on the opportunity to allow myself to be overcome by good judgment. After witnessing in the UGA and Mizzou games the inability of our defense to slow down -- much less stop -- a potent running game, and knowing that our upstate rivals sported the 2nd leading rusher in the SEC, however, I caved. I chose to stay home with my remote in my hand, locked and loaded in the ready position with the safety off, to watch this year's edition of the Battle for the Golden Egg. [ Damn good thinking, if I say so myself. I've learned a little something in these ...

DUCK & COVER!!! For the first 4 games of the season and even subsequent close losses to teams like Tennessee and Texas, the Bulldogs looked like an improved team over last year's. The offense showed dangerous long range passing capability and occasional flashes of a solid rushing attack with Fluff and Booth. The defense, while not lock down, appeared much improved over last year's historically inept version and kept us in games. As with Saul in Acts 9:18, however, the scales have fallen from our eyes. In the past 3 games, the last two against the teams who (along with aTm) have been the most physical we've played and with the most potent running attacks, opposing runners have gone through State's alleged defense like crap through the proverbial goose. To our utter dismay our 2025 'Dogs look like a near exact replica of the 2024 defenseless Pups. And it was my personal misfortune to have ridden 1,172 miles in over 18 hours to have borne witness to the catastrophi...

      THE MAGINOT LINE Remnants of the Maginot Line In the 1930's France invested heavily in building a series of strong, supposedly impenetrable fortifications along its 280 mile border with Germany to protect itself from an invasion like it had experienced in WWI. Consequently the French developed a false sense of security. They were overwhelmed within 6 weeks as the Germans simply invaded through Belgium, went around the fortresses, and eventually through the line. Last weekend's win over Arkansas gave Miss. State fans (including yours truly) and seemingly our coaches and players the same sense of security that the French had in their fortifications. Our 'Dogs were back, and the Georgia Dawgs were ripe for an upset. Despite their 7 - 1 record and national ranking, UGA had struggled through a series of close calls with UT-E, Auburn, TSUN, and most recently Florida. Their running game and their defense had played well below their standards of recent years. State had sho...

CHITLINS Hogs wallowing at Reynolds Razorback Stadium It seems only fitting that 2 teams that were winless in the SEC would play a game that some would refer to as a rock fight, but most would consider a hog wallow. It was sloppy, nasty, dirty, messy, and ugly ... but it was a streak-breaking win for the Miss. State Bulldogs. The spirit of Johnny Baker, who broke a 22 game SEC winless streak from 1958 - 1961 with a diving catch on a 2-point conversion to beat Auburn at Legion Field in Birmingham, loomed over the the game.    Johnny Baker's (#84) streak-busting catch The 'Dogs, who had been mired in the muck with the Pigs, came from behind to pull out the win.  In one of life's great ironies for long-time MSU fans like yours truly, one of the main keys to victories was the liberal strewing of laundry by the SEC's finest, the traditionally pernicious (toward DOS) zebras.  It was as if an accord had been reached, and the refs grudgingly agreed to make up in this one gam...