Eleventh Woman

Lawd y'all! I seriously did fly over 1300 miles dragging a cute Tulane seat cushion all the way up to Syracuse and ended up forgetting the damned thing in our parked car. So I literally had to sit through that loss on those stupid metal bleachers.

Yes, I expected to be 2-2 at this point in the season. But I expected a for real 2 and 2. Not two embarrassments, plus two gimmes. The mistakes we were making against Jackson State are, hello, STILL HAPPENING.... Plus we are adding some lagniappe mistakes to our repetoire, in addition to dusting off some oldies but goodies from the Toledo Ball years.

2 blocked punts, one blocked field goal, a sack derby and my favorite: 10 men on the field! Because who needs 11 men? It worked so well for us the 2012 season, so why give it up? I'm fixin to wear a shirt that sez "Tulane, Home of the 11th Woman"

I am serious y'all! If we can't shake it, might as well embrace it.

Tulane: Cradle for
the T Formation
the Spread Offense
and now presenting, The Ten Man Scheme!

Coach Hullabaloo was telling me over dinner in Syracuse that he was so mired in all of other mistakes that the 10 men on the field almost escaped him until he watched the Syracuse offense pointing at our line and headcounting, mouthing "one, two, three" and then doing a double take and counting again. To Ten. And it happened more than once. So I have to stop considering this happenstance. It's gotta be in the playbook.

I did read some of the message boards and laughed my head off at some of the commentary by one of the Brothers B. It's been hours, and I am still busting out in random laughter about his observation that some of the money men behind TPTB must have had a "brain bris." OMG ha! hilarious! And that our only hope is that the New Orleans coroner mistakenly pick up a certain someone in charge due to a dead personality.

Seriously, I needed that chuckle. Thanks Bro B for the comic relief!

I was berated on twitter that I needed to submit my questions to the Coach's Radio Show in order to have satisfactory closure about our performance on Saturday.

So for what it's worth, as a complete hypothetical I'm gonna test drive some questions here first.....If you are catching a ball in the endzone on a punt return or kick off, do you A) run for it if the opposing team is bearing down on you B) pause with the ball in hand, gaze upon it in admiration before coming to a decision C) Take a knee or D) answers A+B.

Or if you are on a kick return assignment and the ball lands and is surrounded by the opponent's players, do you A) get in the mix B) try to pick up the ball C) Stay away from it D) answers A+B

I'll let these question stew a bit.

Another item that chaffed my hide today. The special teams line being responsible for snapping Cairo's streak. Hold the flippin line! If the Good Lord sees it fit for me to live another day, I will never be able to beeee-lieve that they did that to him after he flew 5,000 miles from Sao Paolo to New York, literally from one end of the hemisphere to another, just days after burying his father.

Inexcusable.

Now, about the gameday experience itself.....

Syracuse had a DJ who sat in the student section and actually spun some great tunes. His turntable was blue. I loved that. Could you imagine the apoplexy of the Nimbys if we did that?! Would be cool to get the Fogeldevlin Fieldhouse rockin' though.

Coach Hullabaloo was delighted that Syracuse sold beer.

But OMG on that that train whistle. It was grating my last nerve. I'll spot them the cute idea to memorialize Ernie Davis as a gametime tradition, but it reminds me too much of that stupid cannon at Michie Stadium.

And How does a stadium that is named after an air conditioning company NOT have air conditioning? Since a rainy cold front was moving through outside most everybody was in long sleeves, only to melt in the sauna which was the Carrier Dome. Oy.

Anyways, pre-game we tailgated in practically Canada, that's how far away the Skytop area is from the Carrier Dome. Syracuse is weird about on campus revelry.

This was the sweet tailgating that our lovely Wave Momma organized out in the Skytop. We did have a lovely time and got to meet some SuperFans that drove in from Long Island and New Jersey, as well as other players' families. Thank you Wave Momma for your hospitality!

Meanwhile, back on campus there were these two big official looking tents with this banner for the official "on campus" tailgating.

And that was it. (I photoshopped the quotes around fun, ha ha)

Oh, except for these people.

And here's me with the all of a dozen people watching the Syracuse Band do the official march to the Carrier Dome.

While everybody else was dealing with the shuttle transporation from the Skytop. Quelle Depressing.

In my dreams, I envision gameday at Tulane like the Boulevarding at SMU. With the Band lining up on the Newcomb Steps, all of the boosters and alumni tents spilling out along the Newcomb and UC Quads. All of the student tents along McAllister. For one long continuous revelrous procession cheering Onwards to Yulman!

Sadly, it's probably going to be something how like Syracuse has it set up. It is, therefor, my first order of business is to start a Novena that TPTB finds it in their heart to permit a tent scramble like they do in The Grove (please, please, please, pretty please!). And pray, pray, fervently pray that they do not believe that Syracuse's pre-game is a brilliant flipping plan to follow. Because the on campus areas were completely anemic. Knowing how they think, it will probably end up this way for us whiners and complainers. We very well might be banished to tailgate at Tulane Lakeside Hospital parking lot next year. Because the "brain bris" people that Brother B laughed about, the ones who support all of the bull, do not go to games or tailgate. And gameday will most likely be built around accommodating them.

Ok, so that's that. Next up is a road trip to Funroe. But before I geaux, I am compelled to beat a dead horse. Because this is my blog and I shall do as I please:

P.S. Gimmick schedules do not enhance our gameday preparation.

P.P.S. I'm NOT going to apologize for having high expectations. Some of yous may be satisfied with the excuses, complacency and "right for our situation" empty promises that continually churn out from the excuse factory. But I, however, will not.

That is all. Enjoy the rest of your week.