Team 137 by Jim Harbaugh. Football talk and Predictions.

[CGVT]

No, Bama football is all you have.

Oh yeah, you have George Wallace too

[AlabamAlum]

No, Bama football is all you have.

Oh, that stings. It's true though. Except for the tigers, that is. Coincidentally, this is the anniversary of that adventure. Here's what happened:

You see, I spent my formative years on the subcontinent, as my father was a major in the British Army and stationed in India during the Second Opium War. Once, while he was away on campaign, I was tasked to eliminate a streak of rogue tigers who had been killing the villagers in a place called Bharatpur. My houseboy, Qattay, was my faithful servant on this expedition. The journey was a hard day's travel and we made a hasty camp to get some rest. But before I could finish my tea, a village woman named Culay ran in and shouted that tigers were attacking. We quickly followed and after killing three of the beasts, I set my sights on the fourth -and last- but unfortunately my rifle jammed. Thinking and moving on instinct, I drew my knife and leapt on the back of the behemoth. My blade found his carotid, and dealt a mortal blow, but not before the tiger had mauled Qattay. As the tiger fell, I rushed to my servant's side and surmised that his wounds would likely prove fatal.

Nonetheless, I thus began a frantic search for help when I happened upon Sgt. Gunny McDonald, a deserter from the Scottish regiment that had been under my father's command. Gunny thought I was a part of a team to bring him back, so he attacked, but I kept my wits about me and killed him with a Kimura Lock.

Afterwards, I rifled through the dead sergeant's supplies to find something -anything- that would help abate poor Qattay's pain and found a bottle of Drambuie among Gunny's things. I ran back to my camp faster than I had ever ran before, but upon arrival I found that he had died while I was gone. Grief-stricken, I sat down and drank the whole bottle before making my way back to the base.

Now, every December 22nd I toast a glass of Drambuie to the memory of Qattay. As god is my witness....

[CGVT]

That was a better read than what Alabama football did 40 years ago...

[iam416]

I'm curious about this 1982 Liberty Bowl thing. The only thing I recall about 1982 is that Penn State throttled the fuck out of Nebraska on its way to winning the national title despite getting housed by Alabama, and that Illinois had a rifle-arm QB that was unstoppable under most conventional meanings of the word -- Eason, I believe his name was Eason.

[lineygoblue]

::: reminds me of the old Megasite days ... ::::

[AlabamAlum]

I'm curious about this 1982 Liberty Bowl thing. The only thing I recall about 1982 is that Penn State throttled the fuck out of Nebraska on its way to winning the national title despite getting housed by Alabama, and that Illinois had a rifle-arm QB that was unstoppable under most conventional meanings of the word -- Eason, I believe his name was Eason.

Glad you asked, Talent:


It was a blustery and frozen night as I entered the dank, austere surroundings of the Liberty Bowl on the late December night of 1982. Slow barges lumbered down the Mighty River. Blues bands played as if they were heralding in a fresh lamb to the slaughter.

The Mighty Fighting Illini were big. They were strong. They were mean. The wounded and much-beleaguered Crimson Tide team formed a thin red line as they shielded themselves from the cold and valiantly headed onto the tundra that night.

The rifle-armed All-American, Tony Eason, set his angular jaw against the gale-like, frozen winds on that dark Memphis night. Like a gridiron Baryshnikov, Eason?s 6?4? frame danced nimbly through the pregame warm-ups as he focused his mind on the task at hand: Embarrassing ? no humiliating ? the great, but terminally ill Paul Bryant and his rag-tag band of undersized and injured players...

Head Coach of the Mighty Fighting Illini, Mike White, knew a pro career lay ahead of him. He chuckled slightly as he perused the gameplan and thought to himself, ?This is Bryant?s last game. I?ll make him wish he?d quit sooner.?

The ailing Bryant grimaced as he slowly emerged from the tunnel. Heart disease was killing him and he knew his doctors had warned him about coaching this game, especially considering the extremely harsh weather. He struggled to keep from letting his family ? the players ? see him in such mind-searing pain as he covertly placed a nitroglycerin tablet under his tongue. He never wanted this game to be about him. He simply wanted the players to hold their heads high and compete honorably for the University, their families, and most importantly, themselves. ?Make your mamas proud," he grumbled, as the last of the players and trainers ran from the tunnel.

Somehow, Alabama had managed to keep the game close through most of the game; however, Eason was driving his team for what should have been the winning score. But Alabama's defense came through ... one last time for Bryant. Afterward, the young Illinois coach said that he had never seen a team hit as hard as Alabama that day. Bama was outgunned and out-manned, but they played with incredible heart and won the game for Bear on desire and grit alone.

That fateful Liberty Bowl was played on December 29, 1982. Less than one month later Bryant would die of heart disease. Coincidentally, less than one month after that, his beloved wife of 59 years, Mary Harmon Bryant, would die, too.

From the time Bryant first prowled the sidelines at the University of Alabama in 1958, until the day he died in 1983, no other team in the Nation won as many games, had as high of a winning percentage, or as many championships. And no one was really even close.

[AlabamAlum]

(Talent - And I would give real money to read the "Bloodsport" bit again. Don't guess you saved it?)

[iam416]

I did not. Perhaps Strangelove tucked it away somewhere. He has to be good for something, doesn't he?

Any time you seamlessly work in a reference to The Dark Kumite you know you've done well. Thinking about that jackwagon who started the thread and his earnest response ("I think we're talking about different things." -- or something) -- that makes me smile.

[AlabamAlum]

I have abandoned all hope with Strangelove.

Yes, his genuine confusion about what you were saying was priceless. Toying with witless dullards is good sport.

Anyway, I don't know how serious this board is about off topic banter. I do not want to draw the formidable ire of liney, so I will settle in and watch the genius of Terry Bowden as he sends his Zips onto the cold blue turf in Boise.

[UMStan White]

Great addition to the forum AA

[Prime2]

::: reminds me of the old Megasite days ... ::::

Close. Appears that rhetorical question (I guess) has been "asked" before...

http://goatpen.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=100&start=4340

[lineygoblue]

You're safe as far as I'm concerned AA. I am enjoying the banter. :-)

[AlabamAlum]

Thanks, liney. You are my favorite Michigan fan/portly HS ref with a username that starts with "L" and ends in "E" - and, while those qualifiers narrows the field somewhat, I mean that sincerely.

[lineygoblue]

You had me at "thanks" AA ...

[Jeff Buchanan]

You'll find reasonable and intelligent people here, with the exception of talent, of course. What do you expect from a Michigan men?

Enjoyenyour input. Please continue.