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It’s March Madness for Goodnes Sakes!

Posted on March 27, 2013 by susanrray

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Pardon me, if you ring my doorbell and I don’t answer.  And when you call my house, please leave a message on the answering machine.  I’ll get back to you, but it’ll be a couple of weeks.  It’s March Madness, for goodness sakes!  I’m hiding away in our downstairs den in front of our big-screen TV.  Got to take in all the basketball while I can.

Maybe I’m such a March Madness nut because basketball is the only sport I halfway understand.  I was raised in Pickett County where the high school gym filled to standing room only for every Friday night home game.  When I was a babe in arms, my parents took me to my first game, and the only hometown games I didn’t attend for the next 17 years were played when I was sick in bed.

During March Madness, I cheer for my favorite teams – men’s and women’s.  I was disappointed that TTU* didn’t make the NCAA tournaments and I’m still baffled that there were only three SEC men’s teams selected and I’m frustrated that the Vols piddled away their NIT game.  Even if my favorite teams aren’t playing, I’m still watching.

Before or during every game, I choose a team I want to win.  OVC and SEC schools are my first choices.  Then ACC schools and coaches I like.  If I don’t know anything about either team, I often choose the underdog.  Or a team uniform I like – not neon colors or camouflage–patterned shorts.  Sometimes, one player like Brittany Griner on Baylor’s women’s team gives me reason to support her team.

I watch basketball games to see five athletes perform together and separately.  I clap for back door cuts, lob passes, and switches on defense.  I like slam dunks, 6 out of 7 free throws, and three point shots.  Good defense, assists, and team play – that’s makes a game worth watching.  And I like after game celebrations.  Did you see the Wichita State players dance after they beat #1 Gonzaga?  Or how about the 15th seeded Florida Gulf Coast equipment manager putting on a show after his team earned a trip to the Sweet Sixteen?

I can’t watch every game live, but I’d like to.  Both men’s and women’s games.  That’s why a DVR was invented.  I can scan the play of a game in less than an hour or sometimes just take in the last quarter.

It’s said that the basketball games during the NCAA tournaments are the best events in sports.  Of course, they are.  That’s why I’m excited.  We’re smack dab in the middle of March Madness!

*For readers who need help with initials. 

            TTU- Tennessee Technological University

            NCAA – National Collegiate Athletic Association

            OVC – Ohio Valley Conference

            SEC – Southeastern Conference

            ACC – Atlantic Coast Conference

            NIT- National Invitational Tournament

            DVR – Digital Video Recorder

Filed under: sports | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Fall’s Biggest Social Events

Posted on October 18, 2012 by susanrray

How about the tailgating at TTU?  Lots of food and fun.  A bounce zone for the young and young at heart.  Fathers and sons playing football.  Corn hole games.  Frisbies.  Some folk bring their own food.  Some dine on the free food and beverages that are provided by local churches and businesses.  Tech cheerleaders pump us up for the game, and my favorite, the TTU Marching Band performs.

When did tailgating begin?  The American Tailgater Association, on its website, details the history of sharing food and drink before events and says the first documented tailgate probably took place in 1861 at the Battle of Bull Run.  It states, “At the battle’s start, civilians from the Union side arrived with baskets of food and shouting, ‘Go Big Blue!’  Their efforts were a form of support and were to help encourage their side to win the commencing battle.”  The Romans ate and drank outside the Coliseum before gladiator games.  Doesn’t that fall into the broad definition of tailgating?  Surely, they shared food and spirits and talked about the upcoming sports events.

In 1869, a group of Rutgers fans and players, wearing scarlet-colored scarves as turbans, paraded before the football game between Princeton and Rutgers.  This was one of the earliest recorded celebrations before a sporting event.

There are all styles and levels of tailgating.  Tailgating was simple when we drove a big wood panel station wagon.  We lowered the tailgate, spread out a plastic tablecloth and food.  Pimento cheese sandwiches, chips, and store bought cookies.  Then came vans.  We packed chairs, coolers with drinks, upscaled to ham rolls, fancy dips for chips, and cupcakes decorated with our team’s mascot.  Or we picked up a family-pack barbeque dinner on the way to the game.

For some folks, RV tailgating is the ultimate.  As good as life gets, I’ve been told, and an event that can go on for several days.  No need to go to the game.  RVers park close to the stadium and watch the game on big screen televisions.  They relax in their comfortable chairs, eat and drink all through the game, know there’s been a big play when they hear the roar of the crowd, and maybe even the game announcer, and celebrate when their team scores on the big screen.

Football fans on the Ole Miss campus take tailgating to the extreme.  And when I tailgated in The Grove, I made a check mark on my bucket list.  Ten acres in the center of a campus shaded by oak, elm, and magnolia trees.  Thousands of fans under a sea of red, white, and blue tents.  And the table settings and fare were fit for a southern girl’s wedding reception.  Elaborate centerpieces, silver candlesticks, tablecloths, fancy hor d’oeuvres, barbecue, fried chicken, shrimp, and all the fixings.

Tailgating isn’t just about the food.  It’s getting ready for the big game.  Food, friends, and fun —what’s not to like about one of fall’s biggest social events?

Filed under: Food, Friends, sports | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

TTU Purple Pride

Posted on September 6, 2012 by susanrray

I’m searching in my closet for purple and gold.  Purple shirt and purple sweater.  Gold scarf and gold eagle pin.   All to show my Tech Pride.

Last week when Husband told me that TTU football coach Watson Brown would speak at Business before Hours, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, I wanted to go.  Because I was curious to hear about the player who transferred from the team that wears orange jerseys.  Coach Brown told how hard work and determination won the OVC last year and that this year’s team includes a senior quarterback, a group of freshman receivers, and a solid defense.  And I heard two phrases that I liked about the newest team member:  ‘there’s no I in team’ and ‘a second chance.’

I’m a long-time Tech sports fan.  I attended my very first football game at Tennessee Tech when I was a high school student.  As a Tech student, I missed very few games.  And I loved homecoming.  We girls wore wool suits, with skirts, high heel shoes, and corsages.  A corsage made with a huge yellow mum and purple ribbon.  I wasn’t a fair weather fan.  One homecoming, my brand new leather shoes, bought just the day before, were ruined by a torrential rain.  Homecoming 1969, when the temperature was below 30 degrees and snow fell, I was there to cheer on my team.

Tech Pride runs wide and deep in my family.  My dad, husband, son, brother, niece, nephew, and a host of in-laws all earned degrees from Tennessee Tech.  And at the beginning of every school year when I hung my Tech diploma on the wall behind my desk, (because my principal told us teachers that’s where our college diplomas belonged) I was proud.

I’m sorry to admit that my Tech Pride has waned for a time.  There’s no good excuse.  But last week my Tech spirit soared.  After hearing Coach Brown’s comments, I was eager to see the first game of the season.  And I was there, along with 10,000 other people.  It was a great night for Tech football.  Tents and tables welcomed tailgaters.  The student side of the stadium was filled.  Cheerleaders led the fans in cheers and did a push-up for every point the Tech team scored.  The band entertained at half time.

And the players won their first game of the season.  A team win.  The quarterback threw passes that both freshmen and veteran receivers caught.  When Tech’s lead went from 31-7 to 31-24 in the third quarter, Tech’s defense got tougher.  And the player who used to wear orange?  He looked good in purple as he caught passes, one for a touchdown.

My Tech Pride is revived.  I’m ready to put on my purple sweater and cheer on my football team this Thursday night at Tucker Stadium.  The tailgate park opens at 4:00 p.m.  Kickoff is at 7:00 and it’s Take a Kid to the Game Night.  A perfect outing with my Grands.  And they already have purple shirts.

Filed under: Everyday Life, sports | 4 Comments »

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