Merry Christmas and here’s to Santa being good to you. (imagine me raising a toast of egg nog to you)

Grateful Dead did a song called “Truckin’” and it included a lyric that said, “what a long strange trip it’s been.” It even included New Orleans references. Well, to say that this weekend was a long strange trip would be a major understatement.

We enjoyed the bowl atmosphere. Bourbon Street, pep rallies, parties and food all make NOLA a fun trip. The game, well that was another story. But in the end I remind myself that this was the 4th bowl in five years and that’s unchartered waters for my university. In my opinion, we need to realize that every road to somewhere has its bumps. The Tigers have had a few of those bumps but they finished the season with a winning record and that’s what it is all about. Do I expect more improvement next year? Oh, yeah. Tommy West does too.

New Orleans allowed Tigers fans to see a Tigers great again. He is now the backup QB for the New Orleans Voodoo. That is Danny Wimprine of course. Danny was as he always is, a credit to the school even years after he left. I say that he’s another player who needs his number retired. I really hope I see the day when 18 is put away.

Back to the strange trip. We rolled out of the parking lot at the Superdome at about 11:15 or so. The mood was as you would expect a tad bit on the somber side. I hate losing. Some would say I take losses harder than most athletes. But there was a different feeling to this one. We reflected on how this season had started and even losing the bowl game hurt a litle less. The season could have ended the Saturday after Thanksgiving not the Friday before Christmas and that is a good thing. So we we somber yet optimistic.

We had a two car convoy in our group that would probably expand to many other cars as the night went on. We got in an early stop so we could load up on caffiene and sugar. I was prepping myself for the Tigers perfect 24 hours, a bowl game and a basketball game between two top five teams all within 19 hours and 400 miles. We crossed into MS. Then it got strange.

There was a alternator light. Then a check engine light. Then BAM, the temp needle spiked. The car was going down and going down hard. I got lucky as it happened right at an exit. Well, it was good and bad. It was an exit in the middle of nowhere. The real odyssey was about to begin.

We didn’t know where we were. The insurance company, State Farm, had to tell me. They were great in finding me a tow company to call. I love them. We were 10 miles south of McComb, MS. I called the tow company and they had 8 in front of me. That’s right 8 people were ahead of me for a toe on a clear night in rural MS.

It was then that I told the 3 guys with me to go with the other car. I would be fine. They all refused to go. They were going to finish this trip with me no matter what. Folks, I feel lucky to have friends like David and Jay Heath and Tony Mullins. But there was no reason to my friend Janice to stay. I insisted her and her son get going. Off they went. They made it home safely.

We towed it to a Walmart parking lot. I wanted access to it when I got the tow back to Memphis. The guys got to the hotel about 3 and I finally arrived at 4ish. I did not have a clue as to what I was going to do. You don’t realize how hard it is to move a car 300 miles when it won’t drive.

The hotel allowed us to stay until 2 p.m. so we could watch the game. We were really, really loud in cheering on the Tigers that day. I guess now we have to go to McComb for every big game. Nah, I’m kidding.

My brother in law finally got there with his truck and a trailer to tow my truck back to OB. In five hours the trip was over. We got home 19 hours after we left NOLA. I was tired and frustrated but I was also happy. The Tigers won and I found out how good my friends were.

Onto my game observations. The Tigers were down 14-9 in the first half when Joey Dorsey got his second foul. The Tigers outscored the Hoyas 34-26 to take a lead at the half. All the talk was about Dorsey and his impact. But the Tigers made their first push with JD on the bench. That’s one of the reasons why I love this team.

Again, the reason the Tigers have an excellent shot at the national championship is because teams will not be able to shut down one guy and beat them. You may take away one bullet but they’ve got five more to fire.

If North Carolina is better than the Tigers then they must be ready for the NBA. It is hard to believe that anyone is better than this team. I know I’m biased but the proof is in the pudding. The Tigers manhandled the Hoyas who will be the class of the Big East. It was if they toyed with them in the 2nd half. It goes to show you that when they focus they are simply unstoppable.

Can this team go unbeaten? Boy it would be easy to say that they are going to do it. They will be up for AZ this weekend. Gonzaga will be a battle. Tennessee will be another tough one but I think that is another of those games where the Tigers will be 100% focused because of last year’s result. So is it possible? Yeah, and I’d say that if they get through the non-conference schedule unblemished then it is about a 95% chance it will happen.

In closing, if you want Tommy West fired then you’re lost. We’re not like other schools who fire winning coaches. We have more class than that. Memphis fans need to appreciate what we’ve got going. There will be rough patches but we fans need to do as REO Speedwagon said many years ago and let’s get to “Ridin’ The Storm Out.”

Merry Christmas to all and to all, good night.