It's weird to say, but 9/11 made me want to move to New York City. I had been there only once before, but seeing the residents of what I consider one of the greatest cities in the world come together and do some fantastic things was incredible to me. It piqued my interest, even if living there had never been on my radar.
A year and a half later, I moved into my apartment on W. 43rd Street and, over the course of years, met some of my closest friends to this day. I grew up as a person there and became who I am today. I can't thank those I knew or still stay in constant touch with enough about being there when needed. Some of the most fun nights turned into mornings in my life that happened appropriately in the city that never sleeps, and I still depend on these friends who were with me then for support.
It was a harrowing day for everyone in the United States and most of the world. For the first time in my life, I remember being concerned about my safety in this country. So today, on the 23rd anniversary of the tragic event, let's remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, along with the innocent civilians who never made it home.
Let's get into some ramblings.
- Standing on the field at the end of the Alabama A&M game, the loudspeaker started blaring Creed's "Higher." That isn't what shocked me. What shocked me was that the entire student section knew the words. That song came out when I was a freshman. I'm 43 years old.
- I asked defensive lineman Philip Blidi, who played high school football in New Mexico, if he could get behind my conspiracy theory that Albuquerque was the original state capital but changed to Santa Fe because Albuquerque was too hard to spell. While he didn't totally buy into it, I could sense he was intrigued.
- There's nothing more that I would put money on than several people in the press box complaining about "Swag Surfin'" and how the student section does it. Who cares? Let the kids have fun. You might as well be yelling at a cloud.
- As I said on The Rundown earlier this week, my phone number was leaked by someone during the Cal game, leading to many random text messages that weren't so pleasant. This isn't the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last. I hope whoever did this feels great about themselves.
- I was behind a car the other day with a personalized license plate that read "CCK RN." Now, I am sure that these are the initials of someone who is likely a registered nurse, but my mind went elsewhere, and I am confident yours would have, too.
- The people who sent Payton Thorne a Venmo request due to losing money on the Tigers on Saturday are disgusting. It's your fault that you bet on a bunch of 18-22-year-old kids.
- TikTok of the Week: This guy hits it precisely on the head what I think of other people's bumper stickers.
- Auburn's non-conference schedule for men's basketball is one of the hardest I have seen from any school in a long time. That is a bear of a slate that will challenge this veteran team early and often. I am looking forward to seeing what the Cameron Crazies can come up with when it comes to Bruce Pearl. That should be worth the price of admission alone.
- Last week, national media were ready to put Notre Dame into the College Football Playoff based on the win at Texas A&M. This week, they wonder if Marcus Freeman is in over his head after the upset loss to Northern Illinois. Here is my point: Notre Dame stopped being relevant long ago, and some people haven't noticed.
- Why do so many people hate the word moist? Is it because of how it sounds? Or something else? I don't get the hate for moist. Moist. Moist. Moist.
- Once again, I must congratulate my buddy Chuck Hunt on a great round of golf that beat me. And, once again, I must remind you, the reader, that he makes sure I put this in the ramblings.
- Can we stop with the White Outs now at Auburn? The stadium absolutely pops with the All Orange in person and on television. It looks great.
- Finally, we are almost to the best time of the year for sports when you have college football and the NFL in full gear, MLB playoffs every night, the English Premier League on Saturday and Sunday mornings and getting close to NHL and NBA season. You can find me in my recliner, flipping back and forth between channels.
