Tag Archives: Allman Brothers Band

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!

Show Me The Way To Go Home

I’m tired and I wanna go to bed… Lawd. REALLY weary of the AU disfunction. Thus, SEC Weekly picks, as you have come to know and love it, is being put to rest. For the remainder of 2022 at least. And we are about to travel. Macon this weekend for the GABBAfest (Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association shindig). Our first in 15 years and that was due to football. New England road trip beginning on 10/2. And goodness knows what else as football proceeds toward the Georgia-Bama matchups in December and January. Sure does look like UGA from this angle. Yes, my interest is headed downward with a bullet.

I’ll be watching when the Auburn-Mizzou game game starts at Noon ET Saturday. But I will not put myself through similar torture as was the case until midway through the third quarter last week. Shades of 2012. Nope!

Now, let us run through some quick picks. Last week I was 9-3. And didn’t hit my locks as I did in weeks one through three. Total on the season stands at 33-6. That’s 85%!

Kent State at Georgia (-45). Dawgs 52, Kent State 0

Missouri at Auburn (-7). Auburn 27, Missouri 20

Bowling Green at Mississippi State (-30). State 42, Bowling Green 13

Florida at Tennessee (-10.5). Tennessee 35, Gators 24

Tulsa at Ole Miss (-21.5). Rebs 45, Tulsa 17

Northern Illinois at Kentucky (-26.5). Cats 38, Huskies 14

Arkansas at Texas A&M (-2). Hawgs 23, Aggies 21

Vanderbilt at Alabama (-40.5). Bama 49, Dores 3

New Mexico at LSU (-31.5). LSU 41, Lobos 7

Charlotte at South Carolina (-22.5). Cocks 40, Hush Hush Sweet 16

There you have it! Y’all have a great weekend! You can bet we will!

“Ain’t but one way out baby, Lord I just can’t go out the door, Ain’t but one way out baby, and Lord I just can’t go out the door. ‘Cause there’s a man down there, might be your man I don’t know…”

Peace out!

Photo credit Pexels Free Photos

Ramblin’ with Neil Young

I was listening to a podcast, today on my walk, of Marc Maron interviewing Neil Young. It was great hearing Neil again. Like an old friend you haven’t seen or heard from in years. And Neil is still Neil. Thank God. He continues to rail against corporate farming, Monsanto, and the pillaging and plundering of Mother Earth in general.

Give ’em hell, Neil!

Since I sat down here and began to write, I’ve been sweeping away at a dusty corner of my mind in an attempt to recall my first memory of Neil and/or his music. I’m pretty sure it would be from the CSN&Y album Deja Vu. That record came to me from the old Columbia Record Club, as did many other great records of that day.

Helpless was on Deja Vu and it remains near the top of my favorite tunes of Neil’s. A great song.

His After The Gold Rush album was back somewhere in that time frame, as well. Another good one. What lyrics on that title cut.

Please click here to read them.

Whew! Man! And the french horn on there!

Takes me back to 332 W. Glenn St. in Auburn and the fall of 1970. But I won’t bore you with  any nostalgic ramblings of my freshman year at Auburn again. Not right now at least.
It wasn’t until 2003 that I saw Neil in concert for the first time. I missed catching him in Tuscaloosa in 1973. Some friends of mine were going to make the trek over there from Auburn. I think this was the Harvest tour. I thought I had to study for mid-terms so I declined the invite. Dumb, as I flunked out anyway. And I didn’t do a whole lot of studying that week. For the most part I was amped up on speed and cannabis, and chain smoking cigarettes. I went from Tuesday to Friday without sleeping a wink.
I’ll leave it at that other than to say,  *WARNING! DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!*
Back to the first time I saw Neil. 2003. Bonnaroo. Neil closed the festivities that opening evening. And that set, that he and Crazy Horse did, sits at the very top of Bonnaroo shows that I’ve seen. I mean they rocked! In the free world as a matter-of-fact.
The second time Me & Paul saw Neil was later that summer at a Willie Nelson Picnic.This was in Willie’s back yard, literally, about 30 minutes outside of Austin in Spicewood, TX . That was a wonderful two days of music. A few of the other acts beside Neil and Willie? The Dead, Billy Joe Shaver, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Pat Green, Leon Russell (RIP), Billy Bob Thornton, and Los Lonely Boys.
That brings me to our last encounter with Neil in a live setting. It was at Radio City Music Hall in the spring of 2004. The day before Melodye’s birthday. March 18th. I think she turned 35 that year. Wink wink, nod nod, know what I mean?
Neil and Crazy Horse performed his Greendale album, all of it, as a stage play. They then did about another 1 1/2 hours of Crazy Horse music including Powderfinger (another favorite), Rockin’ In The Free World, Cortez the Killer, All Along The Watchtower, Cowgirl in the Sand, and a couple of others.
Yes ma’am!
The next night, on Mel’s birthday, and the following night we caught shows by the Allman Brothers Band at The Beacon Theater.
Friday morning followed the Thursday night Neil & Crazy Horse show. We were staying at the Hotel Le Parker Meridien about three blocks from Central Park, and about a five minute walk from the Museum of Modern Art. We did  them both.
The walk in Central Park was especially memorable as it began snowing before we departed our room and it evolved into one of those special moments. All of it was really. The entire three day trip. The time we spent at Strawberry Fields was a highlight. We miss you, John.
I better call it quits for today. Gotta shower, get the dogs, and our, dinner ready.
I am very, very fortunate. I feel the word blessed has become a bit cliche, but that is certainly the case with me and my dear running mate. Blessed beyond comprehension.  I cannot imagine any life other than the one we have spent together, thus far.
I say thus far, because we ain’t done yet. Not by a long shot.
Peace.