Dress Up Your Corn

No this isn't a post about fashion tips for Tulsa. har har!

I ran across these adorable Corn Holders and well, they are just perfect - don't you think?

They are available at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $9.99. Click link for BBB's online store. Perfect for Tulane tailgating me thinks!

The Search for "Anonymous_Tulanian"

I am on a mission y'all. and if there's one thing you, my dear readers, may learn from reading my drivel is that I am stupid stubborn. It drives Coach Hullabaloo nuts what I do and say sometimes. But I am persistent when I get my brain on something. Anyways, I'll let y'all know what I am up to in a moment.

So things have been a little unsettled in the Hullabaloo world the past few days. Instead of the anticipation-laden weeks leading up to football season with pre-tailgate paloozas and new recipe sharing, new outfits and such, the tubes are just awash in some soul searching discussions about the state of our football program.

Under condition of anonymity (just kidding, I just say this cause it makes it sound like I did some official investigating, which I did not. Nope, just your everyday New Orleans gossiping to blame) Mrs. Hullabaloo has learned that TPTB has hired The Aspire Group to lead their ticket selling and marketng efforts. Outsourced that task to "Experts." The search for a brand new Ticket Guru and Ticket Intern is underway. An Aspire consultant was brought in to New Orleans and a roundtable held with different factions of the Greenie Dat Nation: students, local fans, former athletes, and faculty for concerns and suggestions.

Clearly, Mrs. Hullabaloo has too many unvarnished opinions, so I was not included in these discussions. But the discussion seemed to have been interestng nonetheless without Mrs. Hullabaloo's input. I don't know if Aspire invited members of the Tulane family who do not attend games, because I think that discussion may have been more interesting in lieu of hearing Greenie Dats beat a dead horse.

First of all: are you sitting down? Because you need to be sitting down for this. I found out that Big Mike is the holder of a bonafide Bachelor of Arts in English from The Tulane University of Louisiana. Holy Facundus, right? What's more: on a full scholarship. Yes ma'am! And is the son of a former Tulane football player. That his father was a football player wasn't such a shocking discovery as that Big Mike is a multi-faceted individual. See: this is what I love about die hard Greenie Dats. Who knew, right? When I called Coach Hullabaloo and continued the gossip wheel about the Aspire Roundtables, halfway through my discourse he interrupted me and said "Hold On. I'm still trying to get over that Big Mike was an English major." Talk about LMAO.

All of the usual laundry list items were brought up with these poor Aspire consultants who I don't know quite expected the barrage of dysfunction that entails being a member of the Greenie Dat Nation. See, I'm not the only one with a complaint or something to say. While I bleed olive and blue and love it fiercely, this is hard work not just to endure foolishness, but you've got to have a the nose of an ardvark to uncover cute Greenwave gear in the market place, and master gameday tailgating under challenging conditions. I swear I don't know how Coach Toledo is able to remain a gentleman at all times and refrain from running screaming down Willow Street. But I pray to sweet baby Jesus that I be blessed his demeanor and manners sometimes. Cause this frustration can get the better of Mrs. Hullabaloo on more than one occasion.

As you know from my earlier post, Ticket sales is just but a mere symptom of larger systemic issues that have been documented on the Greenie Dat internet tubes all over. I need not rehash.

So then next on the list is that it came to Mrs. Hullabaloo's attention that Outreach Tulane is the same day as our opening game against Southeastern. You can just imagine that Mrs. Hullabaloo was fit to be tied, especially after this stadium size and 90% fundraising business and the stirring up of emotions from the Roundtables. Yes, I know that I may end up straight in hell for considering that a football game has higher priority than carrying out God's work thru charity. But as a well-raised Texas Girl I feel I have got my priorities straight.

(I feel like a stern parent here lecturing an unruly child. You WILL go to Tailgate. You WILL watch the Game. and You WILL enjoy it. I don't care if you don't wanna. Hilarious, right? LOL!)

Listen, Mrs. Hullabaloo is refusing a FREE trip in November to the very beautiful Buenos Aires to attend a baby christening (for the lovely couple who ruined the 2009 UTEP game for me by deciding to get married during football season). There is nothing in this world that I love (besides my husband. and my fur babies. and yes, of course the Wave) than good food eatin' and good shopping. Buenos Aires has these in spades. You have to want to find bad food and bad shopping in Buenos Aires. Yes Mrs. Hullabaloo will not budge. I do not take extraneous vacations during football season. It is too critical. I had surgery once the morning of a game and went anyways.

Now, to be fair - the ever-patient and hardworking, Jason Potuto and staff at the Wilson Center is working with Outreach to get kids to the dome in time for a tailgate lunch and then we all need to collectively hope and pray that the chirren actually stay to support and cheer the team.

But this is the tide that Greenie Dats labor with. So you can understand how frustrating it is to compete against a volunteer program that pulls hundreds and hundreds of students, faculty and family out to go paint an elementary school. Yes I will burn in hell for feeling this way. These wonderful and blessed souls are moving heaven and earth to do good will towards man. But it has to be on game day? and I can't help but wondering why the same fervor can't be made to round up these crowds to go say "We Support You" to their fellow classmates and students who represent them. It is quite a pickle.

Not all Tulane faculty is dense in the football schedule department. Waveprofessora is an exceptional exception to the general rule. I do love her and her Tailgating Krewe.

But all of this leads me to the title of today's post. WHO IS THIS MISGUIDED FACULTY PERSON AT TULANE? click to read his Nola.com comments. I am on a mission my fellow Greenie Dats. You must help me find this individual and stage an intervention! Putting all of his misinformation aside, can you believe what he said about the athletes? Or that he is annoyed by the offer for Free Tickets (well, then give them to me!)? Talk about OMG.

So Picture this: Mrs. Hullabaloo hosting Anonymous_Tulanian at a Hullabaloo Huddle tailgating. Serving him one of our fabulous tailgate concoctions, some of Priscilla's world famous brisket. and watching him eat his words. Or better yet - filling up his office with Greenwave gift baskets until he can bear it no longer. Or taping his eyes open and forcing him to watch the 98 season DVD over and over. Or The Greatest Play Never Made (Tulane-LSU 2009). Or Alex Carlton kicking WIDE RIGHT!

I'm on a mission - I am gonna find this character and kill him with kindess! My goal is to one day do a SuperFan profile on Anonymous_Tulanian.

You just see.

Mike Is Right

UPDATE: So Mrs. Hullabaloo has learned that TPTB decided to work on some solutions to some items addressed in this post. The Universe Works in Mysterious Ways. I don't believe that when TPTB embarked on their current evaluation of ticket sales that they anticipated The Can Of Worms that they opened up, it's like the little dutch boy with his fingers in the levee. But TPTB have reached out to a spectrum of the Greenie Dat Nation and Things Are Happening. So stay tuned my little chickens.

I honestly cannot be bothered with journalistic pre-season speculation about this or that. So blog posts like this are few and far between for me.

'Cause first of all, my little pumpkins, I'm over Nakia Hogan's drivel. For those of you outside of the New Orleans bubble, your reaction is WHO? Yes, I agree - except that I live here and sometimes I can't avoid actually having to read him in the Times Pic.

Nakia can't even write a bit about "local" football camps without a) putting down Tulane and non-BCS schools or b) focusing the article as if he were employed by the rag in Baton Rouge.

And second of all, I just have to point out the obvious and tell it like it is: well over half of the keyboard jockeys who flaunt their sports illiteracy in print KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE TEAM WHICH THEY CHOSE TO DENIGRATE.

So the idiots who think they are so clever to write "Tulane deserves to be #119 in our countdown because they suck" without any actual knowledge of players or game plans - and like that Times Picayune writer who hosted the "Online Chats" for Tammy without bothering to even know the correct players names (like that little detail wouldn't be important in a "Chat with Fans"), are a complete waste of my time and effort.

and I don't have to point out the obvious that they are a complete waste of time for all other serious Greenie Dats who do amazing feats like know who the head coach is and do things like, I don't know: buy tickets and sit their behinds in seats season after season. And some of these Greenie Dats actually bring their friends and children and try to pass along the legacy of Tulane sports. A-ma-zing.

Sigh. So it's for these reasons why I write here with you my dear Greenie Dats. We're like the Greenie Dat Resistance. Or more aptly in our situation: the Greenie Dats enslaved in Scott Cowen's Egypt waiting for our Coaching Moses to lead us back to the Temple. Shalom Y'all.

A few weeks ago I - being the straightfoward person that I am - called out the owner of a Tulane Spirit Shop for not even being a member of TAF. If Doug Lichtenberger can get away with kicking back just $75, I think that every alumni could be asked to at least do the same. Especially those who run "Tulane Spirit Stores" but yet neither actually support the Wave nor write about them. (I have to add that while chastising him for being a slacker, I had pointed out that the Saints already have droves of bloggers, so he should focus his blogging energy on his alma mater.)

So our Facebook conversation went like this:

Mrs. Hullabaloo: Excuse me Mr. Spirit Store Owner I am calling you out.

Spirit Store Owner: I'm being interviewed for a Tulane alumni magazine. But your proposal sounds interesting. How do I become involved?

Mrs. Hullabaloo rolls her eyes inside because like I just don't understand how these little lambs lose their way in supporting their alma mater. But I trudge on and respond: Here's the link. You can donate $150 and be a member of the Football Excellence Club. Better Football=More Fans=More Spending at your Spirit Store. Genius, I know.

Spirit Store Owner: That is outstanding! Thank You. I am now an officially invested member of the Greenie Dat Nation.

I was, truly, ever grateful for his enthusiasm. Plus, this transaction took all of about 5 minutes of my day.

So how does this all relate to what Big Mike had to say to the Times Picayune today?

Here's the rub: Cowen has announced he is greenlighting the fundraising for a 25,000-30,000 seat stadium.

I preface by declaring that am SO struggling with looking a gift horse in the mouth because while I am thrilled it's even being considered: 25,000 seats is a joke. I think at the very low end 35,000 is the very least that makes sense to go through all the effort. Otherwise: just upgrade Gormley and let's call it a day. [y'all I apologize for back tracking. I will eventually get to my point]. 25,000 seats is like sending out Black Tie invitations to a wedding and then having a cash bar. at some place like the Crystal Plantation.

Why oh why can't Tulane be upfront, come up with a Good idea and follow it up with a Good plan. All of the ideas have to be absurd and shrouded in secrecy among The Powers That Be (TPTB). and the plans have to be rolled out backasswards. and include pissing off everyone who wants to help. and then when TPTB can no longer shovel the inertia, TPTB come to realize that they did it wrong and then change everything at the last minute to do it the way it should have been done from the beginning, but they've shaved off that sliver of the fan or alumni base who decide they'd rather tune out. And then the piece of resistance is to come out and blame the fans. Or blame Coach Rick Jones. Remember THAT episode?

So we're like WTF, I give up.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat with the next item to mess up.

This happens with everything. Oh Mrs. Hullabaloo has got some stories. So I will go through the stages of 1. my mind just blowing up cause what took place was really messed up. 2. Then I'll cool down. 3. I'll remember how much I can't stand purple and gold. 4. Army will shank a field goal or Nick Pepitone strikes out LSU to win 8-7 and so then 5. I shake it off and ready for the next spectacle.

We, the true Greenie Dat fans, have outlived so many generations of TPTB and horrid Coaching decisions, that when TPTB open their mouths it's like that Snoopy teacher. Ok, yes we hear your noise, we are simply trying to outlive another one of you. Please let us enjoy our Greenwave in peace and give Jason Rollins a raise. Thank you. That is all.

Which brings me back to today's absurdity of fundraising for the Football Stadium. This is what Big Mike had to say in the Times Picayune:

"....Tulane relies on private donations and won’t proceed without at least 90 percent (!) of the funding secured. That’s a point of contention among many fans, including local booster club president Mike Johnston of the Greenbackers.

“I’ve never heard of any construction project in the history of mankind and time going back to the pyramids that demands they have all the money upfront before they start a project,” Johnston said.

It’s great that you are going to go find the Yahoo! (co-founder David Filo) for $10 million, the old widow (Phyllis Taylor) with $100 million or whatever, that’s wonderful but if you started a campaign with the grass roots fans they do have and you say, ‘Hey, we want a $1,000 or we want $1,500 pledges,’ I think you would find people would respond to that. But they won’t do it,” Johnston said.

Johnston said Dickson might have better luck securing a $20 million naming donor — something even the New Orleans Saints couldn’t muster for the Superdome — if he could show that donor the vast amount of common man support first. [!!!]

Dickson has traveled all over the country, inserting himself in previously unknown waters to raise funds for the football project as well as the Tulane Athletic Fund. He’s found himself on television series sets in Los Angeles and in investment banking board rooms on the East Coast."

Yes, big money is important DUH. But this is like the Medievil Days of the Clinton Limousine Fundraising. (I'm a liberal and a democrat, get over it, so I'm allowed to comment on this, ok?)

Great TPTB, go out and find someone who could care less but is willing to throw a pile of money down a black hole. And then what?

TPTB needs to come up with a 50 State Plan of "vested fans" and not just a Hollywood and Wall Street Plan of people who have no clue and won't ever attend a game in their life. You need both. and strongly. Regardless of the size of the darn thing, you can't have 90% financed by .001% of the fan base and then lock out everybody else.

Case in Point: Mrs. Hullabaloo suggested an X's and O's Summer Camp years ago to open up to casual fans to come in and experience what being a greenwave athlete is about. So TPTB co-opted my idea (yes they did) and advertised it to donors only. For $250 or whatever it was you can come do this. Guess what? Nobody bit. So then the week before they opened it up to everyone and attendance improved, but still there were bunches of fans who didn't hear anything about it and would have loved to have gone.

It's this kind of mentality of how we got into our current challenge in the first place. Tulane relied on a pile of money of some old blue bloods, so it didn't matter if there weren't a zillion fans. Well then the blue bloods kicked the can and now there's an atrophied donor base. Well, how can that be?!

My example above of the Spirit Store owner is CLASSIC. If nudged properly, I bet you that he would have forked over $1000 for the stadium. and while you're at it Coach Lichtenburger might be persuaded to donate $85 to TAF instead of just $75. (I just think this is hilarious, and I'm sorry for ribbing on Coach L, but really? $75?) Why couldn't TPTB round up a Possee of Stadium Pioneers so we can all go out as ambassadors of the Greenie Dat Spirit and bundle $1000 donations from our individual networks? I'm a big believer that if you don't ask, you're not going to get. and if you say You Can't, well then You Won't.

I think this would require outside of the box thinking. And since TPTB only want to build a 25,000 seat box this is gonna be very interesting to see how it all pans out.

So anyways, I have some barbeque rib recipes for my next post, so tune in. Love you Greenie Dats!

Recipes Recipes

So I ran across these recipes today and thought they sounded yummy and EASY. Cause we are all about easy here at Hullabaloo Huddle. Anything to foster peace and serenity while packing up to get to the Dome on Saturdays to watch Tulane football.


I think this recipe one will be PERFECT with the Creole Tea Sandwiches:

Blue Cheese Coleslaw
One package of regular cole slaw mix (14oz)
One package of package of broccoli cole slaw mix
Handful chopped green onions (everything is always better with green onions)
sprinkles of chopped parsley
4 oz of pancetta, regular bacon or turkey bacon
4 oz. crumbled blue cheese
6 oz Hellman's mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of honey
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Toss the slaws together with your green onion and parsley. Cook up your bacon, chop up and let cool and then toss into slaw mix. Put slaw mix into a plastic tub. Now combine wet ingredients for the dressing and put that in a container or bottle. Keep everything cool in your ice chest. Right before serving, toss slaw with the dressing and then top off with crumbled blue cheese.

Now if you want to get fancy and get your veggies fresh and chop them up - that is your perogative. Mrs. Hullabaloo might go that route actually cause I feel that fresh is always tastier. Ina Garten (she of Barefoot Contessa fame) suggests a squirt of dijon mustard and a dash of celery salt. You can swap out the parsley for cilantro (!). I think some chopped walnuts and sliced granny smith apple might even be awesome in here too. Make sure to toss your apple slices in some lemon or lime juice so that it doesn't brown. Anyways Honeys, any free-styling is up to you. Go with whatever you are feeling!



And I just love this next recipe for the Burger Bar Tailgating Menu for the game against the Cooters:

Ranch Cole Slaw
3 cups coleslaw mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup canned Mexicorn
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Combine the veggies, cheese and cilantro. Then mix your wet ingredients and cumin and whip up into a dressing. Pour over the tossed veggies and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving.

So August practice starts in THREE weeks. and then it's time to start memorizing the starters. I also think I might whip up a Tulane Tailgating Primer to post (where to park, where to pre-party, post-party, what food establishments MUST be visited).

Lots to do to get ready for Tulane Football season y'all!

Meraviglioso!

Our Play-by-Play Announcer has found his "Sole" Mate. his Muse. The Perfect "Pair", yes! Comhghairdeachas!

Signore e Signora Hullabaloo were privileged to be allowed into the inner circle of The Voice of the Greenwave to witness his nuptials to his very lovely Muse. Yes little chickens, The Graf is hitched!

It was a lovely celebration from beginning to end, and those who missed it (you know who you are) really missed a wonderful celebration and the Groom's Cake replica of Turchin Stadium, which was just amazing.

The cutest thing were the bridesmaids all decorated their heels like Muses shoes. Similar to this beauty given to Mrs. Hullabaloo last Mardi Gras (a gift from the Missus V.O.W.).



I have to say that I don't know what the happy couple was thinking by inviting BOTH Peggy and I cause it was just like regular season. Just as if we were sitting in 110 at Turchin or 140 at the Dome, people watching, color commentating, cackling outloud. Which made being serious while in God's house very difficult. During my communion prayer I tried to close my eyes and meditate in prayer and had to keep saying "shhhh!" to Peggy out of the side of my mouth while laughter tears were rolling down my face. Lol y'all.

So at the reception, Kaare Johnson, local radio personality and upriver alumnus, thought it might be funny and put a score on a piece of napkin and stuck it on the Groom's Cake. Mrs. Hullabaloo was not amused and ammended said score. Oh but yes I did. I think that's why I was getting darts from Messieur Johnson. But I shant have Turchin defaced. Not even in jest. I can't allow it.

Mrs. Hullabaloo shook some booty y'all. The band broke into a cover of Ying Yang Twin's "Halftime" and we got c-razy Crunk y'all. The band even played Boot Scootin Boogie and Peggy helped me remember the line dance. Lawd was THAT a blast from the past. Brought me right back to our adventurous jaunts as a Newcomb Co-eds out at Mudbugs.

Anyways, in all it was a fun night, such a special celebration in the Greenwave family. "Your Happy Final:" Mr. and Mrs. Voice of the Wave happily ever after....

Mazel Tov!