Nov 25, 2019
.
Local Football Rivalries are… “local”. That’s OK.
***
If “all politics is local” then certainly Football Rivalries are Local. How much more “local” can it be than the 26 miles separating bell towers.
Yes, in the grand scheme of Big Time College Football what will take place in Carter-Finley Stadium this coming Saturday night is in a tie for “huh” with 98% of “rivalries”.
In my first ever meeting with Holden Thorp at Sutton’s Drug Store over chili dogs, he asked me… Why do so many people care what goes on here at UNCCH?
My legendary reply… In the greater grand scheme, most people DON’T care what goes on at UNCCH.
The rookie Chancellor was referring to the media’s magnifying glass which he perceived as ever-focused on every twitch and shrug that takes place at The Flagship. Meaning, of course, the Local / Regional media. I was referring to the larger universe which – in concentric circles of every 75 miles – dissipates rather quickly at about the 2nd circle.
Subsequent events that followed required me to amend my reply…. Unless, of course, something OUTRAGEOUS is uncovered such as Marvin hits SEND… and then… and then… and…
The annual football game between the two Goliaths of the UNC System is not A Big Deal to anyone other the two fan bases. Even that is conditional… depending upon what is at stake.
If there was a National Rivalry Rating Service for College Football. … the State v Carolina Football Rivalry would fall in the “others receiving votes include…”. That should not diminish the significance of the game to the parties directly involved.
.
An apt comparison might be “grandchildren”. Blondie and I get very excited about pretty much everything that
ReRe and YaYa do.
We are considering purchasing two more refrigerator doors for display space for the hundreds of darling pictures.
The concentric circle theory for “obsessing about ReRe and YaYa” is give/take 11-12 people with half of those being borderline… but that doesn’t diminish their importance to us one iota.
.
This year at stake is UNCCH’s “bowl eligibility” which most projectors are projecting to be the punch line Christmas in Shreveport. Of the umpteen plus thirty bowl games, there are a handful that qualify as “THIS is suppose to be a REWARD?… REALLY?”.
The infamous Quick Lane Bowl in beautiful downtown Detroit is a LuLu. As are assorted others so insignificant to not even merit mention here.
One of my personal favorites – The Beef O’Brady Bowl is now something else. Christmas In Shreveport used to be The Poulan Weedeater Bowl… those were the days.
Yeah, yeah I get the yadda yadda about (1) extra weeks of practice… (2) the impact on semi-literate 17 y/os recruits … AND, of course… (3) the all-important football staff bonuses. … yawn, snort, burp.
But, alas, in the Upside Down The Rabbit Hole World of Foam-fingered Howler Monkeys…
.
WE are “going to a bowl” and YOU are not; therefore I am a much better human being that YOU are and EVERYONE knows that!
There ARE chronologically “adult” humans that truly believe that. You know who you are. You are pathetic.
.
Some will say the job security of Dave Doeren or at least Dave Huxtable is “at stake”. I have no evidence that is the case. I suppose a traumatic butt-whuppin’ applied by the visiting team could precipitate that, but that might depends upon one’s definition of “traumatic”.
I still can only name one player of the two teams combined – UNC’s QB Sam Howell – so I am in no way qualified to predict the outcome. UNC certainly fared better against the Fighting Dabos than did the Wolfpack – OUCH! – but such comparisons are only relevant if one wants them to be.
.
There is a 96.3% likelihood that fans and/or players will do “something stoopid” Saturday night.
There is a 110% certainty that “THEY” will cause the “something stoopid” to occur because THEY are all a buncha……..!
.
I will not be in attendance Saturday night nor even able to view the game as I do not have access to The Swoffy Channel.
ESPN’s Gameday has chosen – once again – to be elsewhere. “Elsewhere” this Rivalry Weekend being Minneapolis where Golden Gophers and Bucky Badger will play for Paul Bunyan’s Axe… and a spot in the Big Ten Plus Four Championship Game.
In the Big Ten Plus Four, pretty much every game is “for something” that goes back 95 years to Fielding Yost or Red Grange or Bump Elliott or …
UNC and NCSU fans… 99% of College Football America will be focused elsewhere this Saturday evening. But you don’t care about those 99% any more than they care about you.
Your perceived self-worth in your cul-de-sac … your church pew… your civic club… your office water cooler IS On-The-Line! Mumbling “wait’ll next year” as you dejectedly exit the stadium won’t help much. It never does.
All Rivalries Are LOCAL!
.
Speaking of Breakfast Tea… about two months ago I switched over from coffee to tea in the AM. I was going with an EnglishBlack Tea but just recently switched to an Irish Black Tea. Who Knew? A splash of creamer and a dab of honey… and I’m ready to face each New Day.
***
For an avid book-lover – reader or listener – there are fewer pleasures more Oh Boy … Oh Boy!! than discovering a New Author with a multi-book series. I did that this week. The new (to me) author is Scott Mariani and his series character is Ben Hope... a retired SAS Spec Ops guy who is an expert at hostage rescues… and saving The World from sinister evil-doers. There are 20 Ben Hope adventures waiting for me. I am hurrying to finish a Clive Cussler Issac Bell Adventure to begin the Ben Hope series.
***
With Autumn giving way to Winter, I was looking for back-up places to walk on those “it’s too cold…” excuse days. We live a mile from one of America’s few remaining successful shopping malls.
“He became a mall-walker in his later years” will NOT appear in my obit but it is not a bad back-up. Twice around both levels is almost three miles.
Wherever I walk, I project a “leave me alone other than a smile and a nod” persona. So the homeless guys one encounters at 6 AM in a mall don’t bother me… likewise the “you wanna join our group?” people. No thank you. I don’t do “group”.
.
FINAL REMINDER: Whoever wins Saturday night… totally avoiding “those people” until redemption next year is easier to do than you might imagine.
.
More BobLeeSays – CLICK
.
BobLee, I somehow missed this column, the first go-round. As for ‘all rivalries are local’, we have a dandy here. My kids go to Bandys High School. Our ‘hated rival’ (in everything from Football to jacks) is Maiden HS. If you have not heard of them, they made a New York Times story (is that still a thing?) about the decline of football, back in the fall. I grew up in Raleigh, actually going to school with one of Bob Kennel’s boys (who went to ECU). Moving here, to the country, the HS rivalry thing hits a different gear.
I understand competitive emotions and I certainly have strong feelings toward “political rivals”… but the level of vitriol generated by non-combatants over “games” is reaching the TILT level.
Yes, I have seen a mother, and grandfather arrested at an Optimist Club football game. Yes, they were “banned”, until Dad wrote a check…
I will say… re: BK… I have attended several FB / MBB and BsB games with him … and despite his acknowledged Wolfpack passion … HE IS ALWAYS A GENTLEMAN!
To be clear, my mention of BK was the my “small world” HS connection, not to imply he is one of the rabid board monkey legion. No mud splattering was intended.
Boblee. You mentioned Bump Elliott. His son Bob passed away two years ago prematurely. I met Bob when he was an assistant at unc recruiting up here in MD. He became a long time long distance friend. I think he was the heir apparent to hayden fry as head cosch at iowa had he not been taken ill bur then worked at many places including ISU and ND. He was a really fine gentlemen and well respected throughout the ncaa. You and your readers should google him.
BD UNC 72
I believe Bump and brother Pete were both Big Ten head coaches at the same time in the late 60s. One at Michigan, the other at Illinois… I could be mistaken?
“…We are considering purchasing two more refrigerator doors for additional display space..”
.
Also a proud grandparent, I too can appreciate that need! A classic BobLee analogy!
Actually, last Christmas ReRe and YaYa’s mother – Kid – gave us a digital picture frame thingy called NixPlay. We load pics into it thru some Internet Magic and the frame thingy sequences thru them all day at 5 secs intervals. We have over 100 in it now. Very cool!
Love pix of the girls- as always! The boy is on the way! 3 refrigerators!!
HAA! Baby Gus will have his own picture wall! This NixPlay digital picture frame thing is pretty cool. Over 100 pictures take turns popping up every five seconds.
This one ticked off all – as in every – button. I know better than to even try to add anything. Concerned that because of your thoroughness 68’s take will be limited to 5,000 words.
The READ MORE cut-off will be our salvation. When I switched over to that Reader Comment program, THAT feature was a nice bonus!
.
Are ECU FB fans optimistic about “the new guy”? I would think they would be with the high-scoring offense. Poor “Scotty” has not found much success at Maryland.
There’s optimism in G’ville. Of course if the new guy is too successful……. I wonder if the Big Ten would like to return Rutgers & Maryland for a refund? I’m sure both teams are in high demand for homecoming games though. Would the ACC even take the Terps back?
ECU will ALWAYS be a springboard for coaches. Ruff was the only one that coulda been “a Long-termer”.
.
Nahhh. No way Maryland ever would ask … or be invited back. It was a Really Dumb move for all concerned. Stoopid has Consequences.
My kids are way too many generations removed from basement shoveling to understand the threat of Santa bringing coal to the bad kids, but maybe, just maybe, they will get how bad a gift it is to receive 2 tickets to the Shreveport Bowl. I am going to start the trial today to see where it lands on the behavior modification spectrum. . In the local rivalry dept, ours may be worse, I think, because it extends into Spring with hoops. ‘You just wait until whatshisname, the new guy who I will barely learn what number he is before he… Read more »
Re: Giving game tickets as a gift… “Pastor Danny” played WR at Wheaton (Div III) ten years ago. “The Thunder” is currently undefeated and among the favorites in the protracted Div III Playoffs. IF The Thunder make it to the Finals on Dec 20 – I have promised him a r/t to Houston for the game. The Wheaton coach is in his 24th season with an 85% W/L record… with zero “scholarships”. . There is an old joke about First Prize was One ticket to The Game … 2nd Prize was Two Tickets to The Game. Personally, I would not… Read more »
I am of the opinion that per your rule about UNC coaches of does he know how many Choos in Choo Choo that Mack has that one down unlike the last few who occupied that post. Since I do have the Swoffy channel I will likely watch until the game loses my attention span, which will likely be somewhere in the early second quarter, and then move on to some Law and Order rerun……. We also got a mall about a mile away from where I live as well, all be it a medical mall, refashioned from an large old… Read more »
As an “Old Newspaper Guy” you do know that you can write your own Obituary. I used to think each paper had its Obituary Guy who was responsible for researching everyone who died and writing them up. . Obituaries are nothing but Ads about yourself or a loved one. I had a friend who spent $400 on a 1,000 word novella about his father. Damnedest bunch of crap I’ve ever read. … We have a “regular contributor” here who has likely already purchased a whole freakin’ page for his. . As for Mack2.0… yes, he has “connected” very well with… Read more »
REMINDER: Even with both programs having less than stellar records… there are Flaming Jackasses in both fan bases. Rivalry Week tends to bring “them” out.
.
If you truly believe one, or even a handful, of Their Flaming Jackasses represent “all of’em”… then Your Flaming Jackasses represent “all of your fans”.
.
My reminding you of that will not change your knee-jerk reaction but I figured I would say it any way.
Hopefully a bunch of beer will be sold at the State/UNC game to make up for the empty seats and to ease the pain of watching two bad teams.
I had not thought about the consequences of adding easily available alcohol to a stadium of mixed emotions. The ebb / flow and outcome might figure in to the volatility of that mixture. Cold temperatures and/or precipitation also a factor.
.
Most TruBlue I deal with are reasonably pleased with Season One of Mack2.0 … it exceeded most expectations. NOT the case with Wuffs AT ALL.