Justin's Weekly Brain Seepage: Week One
Iโm back like a rapper with a new album!
Wait, I think I used that one last year? Oh well, canโt stop now.
For more than a few seasons now, Iโve been unleashing my brain seepage weekly upon the minions of my website, www.tigerreport.com.
But you can call it Justin's Weekly BS for short.
But about five months ago, I found this site and have been hanging around here way too often and neglecting my roots, which is this column. So I thought itโs time to bring it to B/R.
Gustav is a stupid name anywayโฆ
First off, if your name is Gustav, I apologize. In fact, thereโs a Bleacher Creature named Gustavo Destro and without knowing him, I told him he has the coolest name on the site a few months back. It made me want to change my name to โAntonio Cobra Commanderโ or something. How about โArmando Storm Shadowโ?
But Gustavoโs in the clear because thereโs an โoโ at the end of his first name.
Iโm not sure why we name hurricanes anyway. All it does is alienate the people with these names. You think โKatrinaโ is a popular new baby name in Southern Louisiana?! I assure you itโs not.
Hurricane Gustav pounded Louisiana but youโd never know it from the national news because New Orleans is just fine, thank you. My momโs neighbor has a 40 foot pine tree through his living room but that doesnโt make the national news. Iโm sure right now heโs in a four hour line this morning for a blue tarp so it can stop raining in his house. Heโs a Notre Dame fan, I doubt the Irish is the first thing on his mind this morning.
Iโll probably be without power for a week or so. I missed much of the college football weekend after the 10 a.m. local time kickoff of LSU vs. Appalachian State. I didnโt find out that Tennessee lost to UCLA until yesterday (Wednesday) morning. Iโve pretty much been completely cut off from the college football world.
And Iโm one of the lucky ones.
My house is still standing, the windows are in tact, and our post-Katrina new roof held up just fine.
No one in southern Louisiana should ever clean out their fridge or freezer at any other time during the year. August/September down here forces you to do it anyway. And I was a really big fan of that new, almost-full Paul Newman salad dressing. Damn.
What did I have for breakfast Sunday morning?
A shrimp and spinach alfredo omelet with French fries. Why? Because thatโs what was in the freezer and if you donโt eat it now, I promise you donโt want to come back to it in several days after the power comes back. I had half a mind to sprinkle some Jambalaya that I had in the freezer over those eggs. Better judgment prevailed.
By the way, Iโm from New Orleans originally. If anyone needed to be spared Gustavโs wrath it was the Big Easy. Iโm thankful this storm didnโt wreak havoc like Katrina did.
But just because New Orleans is still standing doesnโt mean a huge portion of Louisiana, capital city included, is hunky dory.
But enough about life, letโs focus on sportsโฆ
โItโs Saturday morningโฆIN DEATH VALLEY!!!โ
LSU fans saw more or less what they expected from the Tigersโ first test of the season.
A stout running game with question marks at quarterback. They also showcased shaky special teams and a defense that has some early season kinks but looks to be dominant once again.
Most fans with no rooting interest Iโm sure wouldโve loved to see another game like Michigan/App. St. last year. Les Miles isnโt sorry to disappoint. With the impending threat of the hurricane, Les had his boys set for business as usual.
Mountaineer QB Armanti Edwards is a special talent but had nothing working against the LSU defense. This game was over at the half and Miles let the bench get in some work.
I mentioned the key to the game was actually ASUโs defense. A smaller, weaker, absolutely out-gunned unit that got thrown around like a 12-year-old gold medal-winning Chinese gymnast.
LSUโs line was spectacular and created holes that I couldโve run through. Luckily, it never came to that as Charles Scott had a monster day and proved to be the โbetween the tacklesโ threat the LSU running game so desperately needs.
One set of Tigers downโฆtwo to goโฆ
The only other game I saw from start to finish this weekend was the Clemson-Bama game.
Clemsonโฆtsk tsk tsk.
You had a chance to prove all the doubters wrong and what did you do?
You pooped the bed.
And you sparked what Iโm sure is National Championship talk right now in Tuscaloosa. Sometimes itโs good to be out of the loop.
I havenโt heard much from the outside world but Alabama fans have a right to be excited. That was a Nick Saban team hitting on all cylinders and a young one at that.
So this one time performance begs the question: Is Bama the real deal now or is Clemson just pulling their late season shenanigans earlier in the season?
Or is it both?
โFarva, whatโs the name of that place you like with the $#!% all over the walls?โ
Speaking of, we just canโt get away from the shenanigans caused by the hurricane down here in Baton Rouge. Damage to Tiger Stadium, as well as the fact that most of the city remains without power, and is still in recovery mode, has forced the postponement of the LSU-Troy game this coming weekend. Or are they Troy State again? Maybe Iโm thinking of Kent State?
Both teams have a bye on November 15th and the game will be rescheduled for that date and honestly to illustrate how bad it is down here, Iโm totally ok with it. I think the game needed to be moved and LSU made the right decision.
So Iโm heading 65 miles east to visit my mom and sister this weekend (they got power back yesterday!) and I plan on planting my buttocks on the sofa and falling into a college football-induced coma.
No prediction this week since LSU is off. Last week, I hit the LSU side of the score on the head but gave App State too much credit to the tune of eleven points.
My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Louisiana affected by Gustav. Although I live in Baton Rouge, numerous places in southern Louisiana were hit even harder by Gustav especially the Parishes on the coast like Terrebonne and Lafourche. It may be a longer process than most of us want, but we will return to life as rabid college football fans and things will slowly get back to normal.
Itโs what we did after Katrina, and itโs what weโll do now, and no doubt weโll have to do it again someday. Also, hereโs to hoping Hanna and Ike and all those other storms brewing out there fade away like the hopes of Aggie fans as long as Mike Sherman is the coach.
Take care, and Go Tigers!!!
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