I AM A BASKETBALL god

“My house is so new, it still has the wheels on it.

I hadn't heard about the hitchin post. I'll check into.

I hope to read about the Hurricane Wilderness today. When I talked with my wife about it, she didn't shout or throw anything. I think that's a good sign.”

“Hurricane Wilderness is a good two and a half day trip without pushing it too much. If we have to plan on a day and a half (Trailhead on Friday night/Early Sat morning; off trail by noon on Sunday) then I suggest we go to Sylamore Creek.”

“You're wearing her down, Dayhiker. Good job.”

“Next year's basketball season is already over for my poor Tigers. We lost our top two recruits to the NBA, we lost our best inside man to graduation, we lost our best player (a Freshman, Wagner) to the NBA, and we lost our most improved player (a Sophomore, McFaggeon) as a transfer to Tennessee (somehow, I just can't think of that as a good thing). Next year, unless Calapari can pull a rabbit out of the hat, we are going to be struggling.”

“I'll try for the 2 1/2 variety. If I drive 500 miles I'll want my $$$ worth.

Also, I'll have to go through Memphis. Maybe chili and I could hook up and drive the last leg together?”

“Chili. I just read about Dajuan Wagner. That is tough to take. I don't know about you guys, but I hate all these guys going early to the NBA. We will know at 4pm today if Drew Gooden is leaving or staying. It would be a miracle if he stays.
It is so frustrating when Memphis was really on the verge of breaking into the big time.”

“I thought I'd put this over here instead of the football thread to avoid a flame war. I'm afraid the venom between most of the SEC schools is fixing to turn us into the SWC. Bama is on probation. Ark and LSU are being investigated. UT just self-imposed. It's not looking too good.”

“I hope this is not treading on the sacred, but I would love to see the SEC broken up. I think the freakin' Big 12 is too big, also. No league should be so big that each school doesnt' play every school in their league every season.
DUNADAN HAS SPOKEN!”

“The recruiting in the SEC is absolute war. While breaking the rules is never acceptable, I can at least understand why it happens.

Two days it is. Hurricane Wilderness. What about the date for the trip? Are we going to start a thread? Let's call it the "I am a football god ceremonial ECT". Dayhiker, you get here, I will get us the rest of the way.”

“What I had always enjoyed was SEC v. the world. There is so much paranoia and envy between the schools now that people don't seem to feel that way. I still pull for our teams on a regional and national basis, but from reading UA and UT message boards I'm in the minority. I enjoy the good natured ribbing and joking. That seems hard to do now. People take it personal. I have one architectural client that is an Auburn grad that I can kid with. Everyone else is hyper-sensitive. He gave me hell in 2000. Every Monday morning I'd get a phone call. This past year I got to kid him through football and basketball season. He said to wait til baseball season. Every Monday I fax him the baseball poll. Bama is ranked #2 and AU is unranked. He kids back just as strongly and no one takes it personal. Great fun.”

“dayhiker, that sort of "light hearted" rivalry exists between Tennessee and Auburn (and a few other SEC teams). We still haven't forgotten the long string of defeats in the hands of the Tide during the 70's and 80's. LSU fans are mostly @ssholes, so nobody can get along with them, and Florida has become the biggest thorn in our side.

I have noticed there are "hard core" fans in every sport. Just go to Talledaga and utter "Dale Earnhardt sucked" and see what happens..........you might need to be armed if you try that.”

“I heard a commentator on a national sports talk show make it sound like if you cheered for your rival when they were playing non-conference that you were some kind of moron or wuss. I couldn't disagree more. I always root for the old Big Eight teams. I even cheer for Missouri when they play out of conference because I am vying for sainthood. Hell, I still follow most of the old Missouri Valley teams from way back, which is why I like Memphis.”

“I am the same way Dun. I actually cheer for Florida *groan* to kick the #&%!$ out of FL State and Miami.”

“This same commentator said it doesn't help recruiting if you have a tough league. I don't know how some people get to be nationally syndicated. If I was a blue chip recruit, I would want to go where the action is. Not some school that has no competition in their league.”

“The University of Memphis just can't compete with the SEC in football recruiting. Good players would rather go to a SEC school faced with the prosepect they will never start as opposed to coming to Memphis with a really good chance that they will start (against Louisville or East Carolina or.....)

Hey, maybe we could get arc sydicated....I think "I am a football god" show would be entertaining. arc could be the Howard Stern of the sports world.”

“I'm staying the heck away from Talladega. I live 15 minutes away. The locals batten down the hatches this weekend. The interstate is basically a lock down from Friday at lunch til Monday at lunch. One time I made the mistake of scheduling a mtg in B'ham on Monday morning. I was an hour late.”

“been there, done that dayhiker, when I go to Talledega, I don't even plan on leaving until Monday afternoon.”

“What do you mean by 2 days? Show up Thur night and hike Fri and Sat with Sun being a short hike and travel day?

Do yall want to start a thread and have 10 show up, or do you want it to be this very small group that has been talking about sports for the past 8-9 months?”

“Sports cult sounds good to me.
OK, guys, I haven't even looked on a map to see where Hurricane Wilderness is. Give me some pointers so that I can check it out.
I love the idea of getting Arc on the radio. He could get the fans to call in and then shout them down for not rooting for Fla.”

“chili's link says it's a few miles from Pelsor, Ark.”

“Yes, now I remember looking at that website. Must do some planning now.”

“OK, I'm getting psyched. Did we have the last part of May as a possibility? There is a weekend there where my better half will be gone. I would love to do it in the fall, if that is the general thought.”

“BTW.....you guys would be the only ones to have met the elusive Dunadan. Can you handle it?”

“One more thing. What about inviting everyone who posted on the Ayn Rand thread? Might not be so fun without Arc to kick around, though.
8)
-crazy mike”

“I've spent all of my points with the wife with 3 trips from Jan - March. Need to wait till late summer or fall to build back up. I listed some dates around when various teams had open dates. When it comes down to it, I'm willing to miss any game but the UT and AU games. Everything else is just window dressing.”

“I love it. The autumn is the absolute best time to hike, IMHO. Let's try to push the weather limit just a bit. Less vermin and it tends to be drier in the fall. Being a KU fan, there are no football games that I will worry about missing. Unless we get a chance at those scum-sucking Gators!!! (ha, ha, ha)”

“If we get to the trailhead late Thur or early Fri morning, we can do 8 miles on Friday and 8 on Saturday, we would have 3 or 4 left on Sunday.

If we hike from east to west, we will lose about 1000 feet of elevation. I have Tim Ernst's book on this section and I can make copies and get them out to you.

I am flexible on whether we do this as an ECT or as a small group. My idea is that this would be a serious football discussion weekend.”

“water is not a problem in the Hurricane Wilderness...leaf change should occur in mid October so we could have good color then.”

“I'm with the Chili-man. It sounds like a plan. This gives me plenty of time to warm up my wife to the idea.
I, too, do not care if this turns out to be an ECT. Or even a Midwest trip. Or even a Southwest trip.
You guys can tutor me on the finer points of football.”

“October would be great. UA-UT is 10/26. Maybe the 19th would be good? My birthday is the 23rd, so my wife and I can celebrate on the 26th after UA wins---right chili?”

“well, the third Saturday in October is out for me and dayhiker.... other than that, I am flexible”

“One good thing is that the season will be underway, and we'll actually have stuff to talk about instead of how great we're all doing in preseason practice.

I sorta' like the idea of a small trip. My other TT experience had 6 of us and you didn't really get to talk with one another enough. We did have 14 mile days, so that may have had something to do with it.”

“One good thing is that the season will be underway, and we'll actually have stuff to talk about instead of how great we're all doing in preseason practice.

I sorta' like the idea of a small trip. My other TT experience had 6 of us and you didn't really get to talk with one another enough. We did have 14 mile days, so that may have had something to do with it.

chili - our game is the 4th Sat this year. A travesty by the SEC office.”

“blasphemy! fourth Saturday? WTF? I hadn't noticed.

Oh well, it would only be fitting to make this hike on the third weekend then.”

“I'm in.
Please tell me what Jackie Sherrill demonstrated to his Miss St team.”

“The best way to get there is take I-40 to Russellville (where I live) then Hwy 7 North to Pelsor. If you guys have room ( for a Razorback fan) let me know. I do this trip once a year. In Oct. or Nov. the creek crossings will be easy.”

“He brought a bull onto the center of the field, had the team huddle around it and then someone demonstrated the fine art of castration. I think his point was that would happen to all of his slackers. He gave some lame reason for it after the outrage started. He took a good deal of heat over the event. But Starksville, MS is the best place Jackie could have gone to.”

“sounds good to me arky. That was my thinking as well on the stream crossings. We shouldn't have any need to take the high water cut off.”

“Hey, Arky, it would be great to have you. You could interpret for us if we meet any locals. (grin)
Go Hogs!
I think I do remember that, now that you tell me, Chili. I think drawing a picture might have been more tasteful.”

“and a lot less controversial”

“Come on arky, and I won't even ask you if Ark is playing with 11 or 12 men on the field. Sorry couldn't resist. For the uninitiated, the UA-UA game has twice come down to goal line plays where either the last play or second to last play Ark had 12 men on the field, it wasn't called and Ark scored. The Arkansas game in both football and basketball has turned into quite a rivalry in the last few years. Houston Nutt aside, most Bama folks have a fondness for Ark because the Bear was born in Fordyce, AR.”

“Interpret, Dunadan, you'll be the only one with an accent.”

“Walter Chrysler is from Kansas.”

“Bill Clinton is from Arkansas.”

“OK, so maybe I'm not going on this trip.”

“LMAO.”

“You laugh but.... My family is originally from that part of the world. I love to talk football. He!!, I can even give you the signal for Illegal Participation. I have been a football official for the last 16 years.”

“That will make me the odd man out. We might have to bring an interpreter to translate football to roundball. Sounds like we have a foursome. About the right size, I would say.”

“I will help to get your started, dun

first lesson

goal post = hoop

bomb = three point attempt

1st down = reset the shot clock

getting the drift now?”

“Unfortunately, I'm about to leave for a meeting in Anniston. I live 15 minutes to the west of Talladega Racetrack. Anniston is 15 mintues to the east of the racetrack. It's race weekend. I hope 1 hour is enough time to get there. It's pretty amusing looking at all the vehicles on the interstate heading to the track. Believe it or not, a Confederate flag or two is even visible.”