Monthly Archives: September 2023

SEC Football: Week Five

Me and Miss LeCroy had a grand ol’ time at GABBAfest last weekend in Macon. Ate at Mama Louise’s H&H Soul Food Restaurant, God rest her soul, the best fried chicken in these United States and mouth watering sides. Mashed taters, mac n cheese, lima beans, fried okra, and sweet tea! Haw! The music was outstanding featuring Lee Roy Parnell on Friday night and the Bruce Katz Band on Saturday night. They were joined by a host of other musicians in a tribute to Dickey Betts, who remains underrated IMHO. God bless you Richard. Our pickin’ was not as good as these players’ was but it turned out okay. 7-2 took us to 40-9 on the season. That’s an .816 pct. And now I give you… Week Five!

Florida at Kentucky (-1)

The Water Lizards have been up and down. The Wildcats steady and proficient. Getting the job done. Neither team has lit it up or looked overpowering. Kroger Field Cats return to those friendly home field confines after a conference win in Music city. I expect them to take care of business once again. Kentucky 24, Florida 21.

Texas A&M (-6.5) vs. Arkansas (at Jerry World)

The JimboPetrinos took advantage of a bumbling Auburn squad last week. Don’t look for the same from the Piggies. They lost a tough one in Red Stick and look to turn it around Saturday. Upset special! Arkansas 27 Aggies 24.

Missouri (-13.5) at Vanderbilt

Eli’s coming to NashVegas! Better hide your heart girls, and boys. The 4-0 and 23rd ranked Tigers ain’t messing around and intend to keep that streak and have a Drinkwitz whomever they please. Missouri 38, Vanderbilt 23.

LSU (-2.5) at Ole Mrs.

And yet Ole Miss has a 56.6 chance to win according to ESPN’s FPI. Say what?! That don’t add up! Whatchu talking bout Willis?! Somebody been drankin’! LSU 24, Ole Miss 21

South Carolina at Tennessee (-12)

The Cocks wore the Corn Cobbers OUT in 2022. Scored 60 something. Well, that was in Columbia, SC. This un here is up on Rocky Top. Spencer Rattler is at the top of the SEC QB pile as we speak. The Vols Joe Milton ain’t too shabby either. Revenge of the Vowels. Tennessee 31, South Carolina 28.

Alabama (-14.5) at Miss State

The Tide tussled with one Mississippi in Week Four. Now they have two Mississippi in Week Five. The Bullies will not be a push over in Cowbellville on a Satday night but Nickydemus’s Elephants will prevail. Alabama 30, State 17.

And down on the Plains…

Georgia (-14) at Auburn

Well well well! As R.L. Burnside used to proclaim. What have we here?! The Kirby Clan headed to East Alabama for a Saturday afternoon picnic. Piece of cake! 28 in a row. Oh how we fear and tremble! Make it 7 straight against the Tigers. Not so fast, my friend! Let’s turn it back 81 years…

GEORGIA SUFFERS ITS FIRST DEFEAT; Auburn Ends Bulldogs’ String of 15 Victories and Ruins Their Rose Bowl Hopes TUMBLING GEORGIA FROM THE NATION’S NO. 1 POSITION Georgia Upset by Auburn, 27-13, After Fifteen Straight Triumphs.

Columbus, Ga., Nov. 21, 1942- -Georgia lost today to brilliant and under-rated Auburn, 27 — 13, and the crash of America’s No. 1 football team probably resounded all the way to Pasadena, Calif. 

🎶 Lightning striking again… 🎶

Upset special number TWO!

Auburn 27, Georgia 20.

I saw Lightning Lou Christie a couple of times. At a Big Bam Summer Show and, oddly enough, at the Thomasville, AL High School Gymnasium. I was in the company of Reg Albritton and Miss Peggy Jean Tait at the Clarke County show . God bless em both! Those were the days! Dancing. Parking. Singing along to American Pie. Maybe having a cold one, or ten. Bless y’all’s hearts! Be safe out there and love your neighbor. Peace out!
Take us home, Mary Hopkin…

“Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
Think of all the great things we would do?

… Those were the days, my friend
We thought they’d never end
We’d sing and dance forever and a day
We’d live the life we choose
We’d fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
La-la-la-da-da-da 
La-la-la-da-da-da 
Da-da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da…”

Photo courtesy of openverse




SEC Football: Week Four

Not great picking in week three. A 7-4 record bringing the 2023 totals to 33-7 for a .825 pct. All is well. A couple of upsets here in Week Four. Press on to find out which games they will be.

Kentucky (-14) at Vanderbilt

The Cats are looking to retain an unblemished record at Music City in week four. Clark Lea’s Anchormen dropped a heartbreaker out in Sin City and look to rebound in the first conference game for both squads. The upset is possible but not likely. Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 17.

Ole Miss at Alabama (-7)

Oh me, oh my. Where do I begin? To steal the opening line from the theme song of ‘Love Story’. It was a wildly popular book and movie. I was a freshman at Auburn when I saw it the first time. I rewatched it many, many years later. What was all the fuss about? The same could apply to Alabama’s football team three games into its 2023 slate of games. What was all the fuss about? Hype does not a great team make. Reality has taken a front row seat in T-Town. How does this saga continue to unfold? I’ll use three words of wisdom that I attempt to subscribe to concerning football, as well as life in general. We shall see. Ole Miss 27, Alabama 24.

UTSA at Tennessee (-20.5)

Beep beep! ZOOOOOM! The Roadrunners will race into Knoxville hoping that Florida beats the Vols twice. That’s the only way the Texas aggregation comes out on top in this scrap. I expect the Rocky Toppers to rebound nicely. Tennessee 42, THE University of Texas at San Antonio 17.

Arkansas at LSU (-17.5)

The Piggies stumbled and fell in their own slop last week. At home. Versus BYU. Blowing double digit leads TWICE. 38-31. Now they travel to Red Stick. The Bayou Bengals clobbered Miss State in their last outing. In Starkville. You do the math. LSU 35, Arky 17.

Charlotte at Florida (-28) & UAB at Georgia (-42)

Sports fans! We’re trying something new here at Bird’s Banter and SEC Football. It’s a combo package. We give you two picks in a package of one. And you, the fans, get to pick your own scores. I’ll put four scores out there and you assign them to the quartet of teams in the combo. We know who is going to win these two debacles. We just want to try and have some fun with it. And here they are: 7, 49, 38, and 3. You may proceed. Type your answers in the “reply” section if you so desire.

Memphis at Missouri (-6)

Tigers vs. Tigers. And it should be a rollicking good contest. The hometown Tigers could find themselves on the losing end if they can’t refocus after that highly emotional win over a quite solid K State team which was ranked 15th. Here is one of those shaky nods to the Show Me felines. Missouri 28, Memphis 23. “Help me, information, get in touch with my Marie
She’s the only one who’d call me here from Memphis Tennessee
Her home is on the south side, high upon a ridge
Just a half a mile from the Mississippi bridge…”

Miss State at South Carolina (-6.5)

The Bullies, as referenced above, were destroyed at home by LSU. The Cocks ain’t the Tyguz but they ain’t pushovers either, as evidenced in Athens last weekend. State continues its descent to the bottom of the SEC West. Roosters 26, State 17.

Auburn at Texas A&M (-8.5)

The line on this battle of west division foes has swelled rapidly from Aggies -6 to -8.5. And ESPN’s FPI gives the Tigers just under a 33% chance to be victorious. I call an even line with it being a tossup. Big Kyle Field advantage? AU is 4-1 out there. Bobby Petrino has the passing game rolling but Connor Weigman can’t light it up if he’s running for his life. I think the visitors will stuff the A&M rushing attack as well. When it’s all said and done, I think the team with the fewest turnovers wins. Auburn 31, Texas A&M 28.

Me and Miss LeCroy have the annual GABBAfest (Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association) in Macon this weekend and thank goodness for the Noon ET kickoff in College Station! We can watch it all from the comfort of our hotel room. It’s a Ramblin’ Man Revival tribute to Dickey Betts Saturday night at the Grand Opera House. Leroy Parnell headlines. WDE!!!

Take us home Dickey!

“You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day
Lord, you know it makes me high
When you turn your love my way…
Turn your love my way, yeah…”

Eat a peach for peace!

SEC Football: Week Three

How’re y’all doing ? Bless your hearts! George Jones often opened his shows with that line when he took the stage. Then he’d usually say something like, “We love you so much already that we won’t leave till 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning if you’ll stay with us. So let’s do it!” That’s how late we stayed up watching Auburn and Cal last Saturday night/Sunday morning. Whew! That’s the word I have after escaping with the “W”. Like Al Davis, the long time Oakland Raiders owner used to say, “Just win baby!” We are now 26-3. on the season for a pct. of .896. That rounds up to 90% if my math skills are intact. I don’t know about the rest of me. Pickin’ time!

LSU (-9.5) at Miss State

A great way to kickoff an SEC football Saturday at 12 noon. A dangerous game, In StarkVegas, for the more talented visitors from Red Stick. Methinks the Pups need to open it up a bit, they’ve gone run heavy, and turn QB Will Rogers loose. LSU 31-21.

Kansas State (-4) at Missouri

The Wildcats roar into Columbia ranked number 15, undefeated, and have shredded their opponents by a combined total of 87-13. Mizzou is 2-0, as well, but they sho nuff struggled with MTSU last week. Cats win and cover. Kansas State 28, Missouri 20.

South Carolina at Georgia (-27.5)

It was the summer of 1984 and my family was traveling from our home near Albany, NY back to the state where we grew up, Alabama. We were passing through North Carolina. It was hot and we were all thirsty. I suggested we stop at Camp Lejuene to get a drink of water. Our dog included. Oops! Turns out our dog was “with” puppies and they were all born three-legged. I know it’s a ridiculous story. And so is Georgia’s schedule. Spencer is rattled. Early and often. Dawgs 41, Cocks 17.

Alabama (-33) AT South Florida

At Tampa. Nice trip. Good recruiting move. Clearwater Beach. Hey! Get down there early and enjoy Ybor City and Busch Gardens. Stir up some excitement. The game will not provide any. If it is exciting it’ll be a long year for Alabama. Tide 48, South Florida 10.

UL Monroe at Texas A&M (-36.5)

Jimbo played for Terry Bowden at Salem College and at Samford. He was with Terry as a ol quarterback coach for many years, including at Auburn. They won a lot of games together. Now Terry coaches at ULM. The program with less resources than any other program in the FBS. I wish Coach Bowden luck. He’ll need it. Texas A&M 45, UL Monroe 14.

Tennessee (-6) at Florida

The Vols have not beaten the Water Lizards in Gainesville since 2005. The Great Pumpkin was head ball coach in Knoxville at the time. It was Urban Cryer’s first season in The Swamp. In other words, it’s been awhile. Weep not, ye Vols in tears! Tennessee 27, Florida 17.

Samford at Auburn (-34)

My one word summation of Auburn’s trip to the Golden State? Whew! And I would add, it got the “W”. That is the bottom line. The Bham Baptists are being sacrificed at the altar of a Power Five feast. It will be ugly but the Bulldogs will take a seven figure check back to Birmingham. Hugh Freeze & Co. will probably sling it around a good bit more this week. Gotta tune up that passing game. It will be needed in spades beginning next week in College Station. Auburn 51, Samford 0.

Vanderbilt (-5) at UNLV

A VegasFest! Las vs. Nash. The one-armed bandits will be humming and the Music City gang will be strumming. It should actually be a good game. Dores 31, Rebels 24.

Georgia Tech at Ole Miss (-17.5)

”Oh if I had a daughter sir I’d dress her in white and gold”, and take her to The Grove. She’ll tailgate like her life depends on it. Bobby Dodd once vowed that he would never take his team to Mississippi. Legendary Tech coach Bobby Dodd is going to roll over in his grave Saturday. I’d love to see the Ramblin’ Wrecks make it a close game. But… Reb-Sharks 42, Bees 20.

Brigham Young at Arkansas (-8)

The Cougars are looking for love in Fayetteville. But why women who prefer much younger men as a mascot? Beats me! To each his or her own. The Razorbacks won’t be seduced by a team they whipped in 2022. The Hawgs look to sweep this brief affair. Only a two game series. Sam Pittman’s Pigs will take advantage of the home field and remain undefeated on the season. Arky 30, BYU 24.

Akron at Kentucky (-25)

The Zips invade The Bluegrass in an evening kickoff at Kroger Field. The Cats should romp to a 3-0 record when this one is in the books. The Zippos will light a path back to Tire Town wounded and weary. Kentucky 38, Akron 10.

Remember to take care out there and love your neighbor. If said neighbor is a cougar… well, you’re on your own. Just do like Hillbilly Jim says when he signs off on his Outlaw Country show on SiriusXM radio. “Be kind to one another. It’s the right thing to do.” Take us home Ronnie McDowell!

“Older women, are beautiful lovers
Older women, they understand
I’ve been around some, and I have discovered
That older women know just how to please a man…”

Photo credit Miss Melodye LeCroy. Bird riding George Jones’ tractor at the now defunct Nashville restaurant and bar complex.


SEC Football: Week Two

We’re having technical difficulties here at Bird’s Banter. I’ve written several predictions, some multiple times, over the last two days, only to have them not “save.” I come back to the site and they have vamoosed. The three immediately below somehow survived. Soooo, on the bigger competitive games it’ll just be teams, lines, picks. Below those games will be the NWTTE games. Not worth the time and effort. The heavily favored teams will win em all and said favorite will be underlined. Let us roll.

Vanderbilt at Wake Forest (-10)

The Dores and the Deacons. Almost sounds like Jim Morrison and company crashing a church committee meeting. “You cannot petition the Lord with prayer!” The clearly buzzed frontman screams at the chair of the ‘Harumphs’. That’s one I’d pay to see, particularly if said deacs were of the fundamentalist ilk. Ok! This is actually one of the best matchups in Week Two of NCAA Football. In a stemwinder. Wake Forest 31, Vanderbilt 28.

Ball State at Georgia (-42)

The Cardinals are do do hammered for the second week in a row versus an SEC foe. The Dawgs pit crew will be challenged as the home squad speeds through another laugher. Georgia 49, Ball State 3.

Ole Miss (-7.5) at Tulane

”Way down yonder in New Orleans…” It’ll be rockin’ in the Superdome Satday! The hometown Green Wave have a decent shot at besting the Reb-Bears but the visitors have too much firepower. And thinking about this game flings a roast beef po boy craving on me. Ole Miss 35, Tulane 27.

Texas A&M (-3.5) at Miami. Aggies in a dandy.

Texas at Alabama (-7) Bama by 8.

Arizona at Miss State (-9) State wins and look good doing it.

NWTTE

Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky

Kent State at Arkansas

Austin Peay at Tennessee

Grambling at LSU

McNeese at Florida

Furman at South Carolina

And…

Auburn (-6) at California

I had the pleasure of working at Berkley, in campus ministry, from August of ‘86 through mid-April of ‘87. We got to see the Big Game, as it is called, with a 1-9 Cal team, coached by Joe Kapp, upset an 8-1 Stanford team. Also saw John Prine for the first time. Arlo Guthrie opened for him. It’s a beautiful campus and I loved it. We had really hoped to get out there for this one but it didn’t work out. I don’t think Auburn showed a whole lot last week. It won handily without having to do so. Auburn will open it up Saturday night with a nicely balanced offense and will really get after Cal and its quarterback in Ron Roberts’ attack style defense. Special teams? Another pick six? Could Brian Battie take a kickoff return to the house? Will Jarquez Hunter return.? Yes he will. And the Tigers will take the Golden Bears down! Auburn 34, Cal 24.

Hot dang! Can’t wait for this late night clash! SEC Football from noon until about 2 AM Sunday! Love your neighbor and be safe if you’re traveling to see your team play. Peace out. Take us home Jonny Prine!

”And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile
It don’t cost very much, but it lasts a long while
Won’t you please tell the man I didn’t kill anyone
No, I’m just tryin’ to have me some fun…”