Missed it by this much...

The UT Spartans warm up before their first
contest on Saturday.  This is (obviously) one
of the most picturesque settings for college
athletics anywhere.

While the gridiron gangs were beating on each other Saturday afternoon, I was firmly anchored to the bleachers in Pepin Stadium on the campus of the University of  Tampa, watching the Spartans lacrosse team win twice.  They dispatched Florida State 8-7 in game 1, then thumped crosstown rival University of South Florida 13-5 with a reduced squad in the followup game.  That was all good.  The not so good was that our favorite player was held out of both games by the trainers, who are working on strengthening his balky shoulder.  As he is, shall we say, on the competitive side, being held out of competition had short circuited the outlet for his game day truculence,  putting the lad in a rather dour frame of mind, post game.  He was particularly disenchanted with the behavior of the gang from FSU, one of whom knocked out our boy's roommate early in the first contest with a blind side head shot. When I asked about the play, he assured me that had he been allowed to participate, the offender would have garnered swift retribution, and having seen this occur several times previously, sometimes preemptively (e.g. "I just hit him back...first") I'm sure it would have been unpleasant. 

Probably a good thing for all that he was on the IR list.  On to the summary of our accounts.

**** LSU -15 1/2 @ TENNESSEE WIN
Final 37-7
It is such fun when these teams make us look good...and make us some money.

*** OKLAHOMA -33 1/2 @ KANSAS LOSE
Final 47-17.
Kansas stymied OK 4 times in the red zone, allowing field goals each time.  Had OK turned just one of those into 7 points, we'd be going to Sizzler.

The sunset, from our hotel room, on Saturday
night in Tampa.  The famed minarets of
Plant Hall on the campus of the University
of Tampa are silhouetted on the right.

** OHIO STATE +4 @ ILLINOIS WIN
Final Ohio State 17, Illinois 7
Did you think that Ohio State would lose a third consecutive game in a row?  Too bad for the Illini.  Let's see how they respond in next week's game, particularly Scheelhaase, who wasn't so good this day.



* IOWA STATE @ MISSOURI -15 WIN
Final.. I don't remember, but an easy cover
I think it was 37-17, and I should look it up, but it's late and I'm tired.  We booked this W early and then sat on pins and needles through the evening, intently listening to every word from the Philco to see if OK would be OK, which they were not.   For anyone under the age of senile, sitting around the Philco means listeing to the radio, which is what people did before satellite TV and giant screen HD...such a quaint image.  BTW, Philco was a big manufacturer of radios, and for a long time, their name was synonomous with "our big radio in the parlor", "parlor" being what people used to call their living room, which we don't even have any more, parlors having given way to the mercifully short lived "rumpus room" and then to the "rec room" and then to the "family room" and now to the "Ipod" that lets you take everything with you and you don't need a room around you to listen, but you still need one to keep your big screen 'cause nobody listens to radio anymore.

So, fans, we came within an eyelash of being perfect ourselves during "Pursuit of Perfection" week.  Don't remind me about my 7 for 7 Parlay that was as successful as Northwestern's defensive backfield.  One of these days we'll punch a $2 parlay for instant riches.  I need my man TwoGun to run down those Round Robin rules for me once again to get something salvageable going when the parlay fizzles. 

That's it for now, we'll bring back some southern warmth...I hope!