My grandmother, a lifetime Kentucky fan, ran to the phone to call her brother to celebrate the inevitable Wildcats victory. It was March 28, 1992, and she still had a rotary telephone where you actually had to dial it, so before she got all seven digits in, I said, "You should wait. There are 2.1 seconds left."
She dismissed me, but 2.1 seconds later, she was downtrodden. Christian Laettner and the Duke Blue Devils had just ripped the heart out of the entire Commonwealth so severely that I still don't think they have recovered.
That wasn't my first memory of sports heartbreak, but that was the first time I saw someone else's dreams go up in flames in a matter of seconds. She died four years later, but I'm confident she will be rooting on Auburn when the Tigers take on the Blue Devils this December. It makes too much sense. Let's get into some ramblings.
- One of my biggest pet peeves is how, every year, there is controversy over whether the course for the U.S. Open is too tough. Too tough? These are the world's best golfers with a sprinkle of amateurs. Make it the most challenging course in the world. That's what I like to see. I don't want to see any player going -9 on the first day. I want to see the winner finish over par. It makes me feel better about my game.
- Does anyone remember the Nickelodeon show "Today's Special," or is it just me? Just me? Great.
- That two-week run of Maui, Iron Bowl andAuburn at Duke might be one of the most attractive two weeks of travel for any Auburn beat writer in the profession's history. I'll go ahead and put my name in for the Maui trip. Hawaii is one of the three states I have yet to go to. (I'm totally not going there.)
- I don't know which three players will represent Auburn in Dallas for SEC Media Days, but a trio of Eugene Asante, Payton Thorne and Rivaldo Fairweather would be my best bet.
- The rivalry between Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania cracks me up, and I'm not even an NBA fan. The passive-aggressive deep shots they take at each other are hilarious. Anyway, the Celtics in 4.
- There are many things worse than having a stomach virus, but when it happens to you, much like it did to me earlier this week, you can't think of much. I can now hold down solid food, so I'm back to full health.
- Yes, I do have a negative column ready for July 1, when Oklahoma and Texas officially join the SEC. Why do you ask?
- The following things improve almost any food item: banana peppers and A1 sauce—end of list.
- Returning to the Auburn-Duke matchup, the battle between veteran Johni Broome and freshman phenom Cooper Flagg should be must-see television.
- This is the last note on the game, but the Cameron Crazies walked so The Jungle could run. Could you imagine a neutral-site game with both student sections getting courtside seats? Let's make it happen.
- There's a commercial for a prescription drug that drives me crazy. It uses the song "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman, and I want it struck off this planet.
- As I have often discussed with Auburn SID legend Kirk Sampson, I enjoy watching this guy discuss his recipes on TikTok while finding him annoying. It went over the top, with him claiming to have a special recipe for deviled eggs. Sorry, sir. You will never beat mine.
- The 2024 Euros start tomorrow in Germany, and while I wish I could be there, I'm looking forward to nothing more than a month of some of the best soccer on the planet. Do I want Die Mannschafft to win? Yes. Would I mind seeing England finally breaking through? Of course. Do I want the Dutch to crash and burn? Absolutely.
- Finally, I want to wish every father out there a Happy Father's Day this Sunday. I'm lucky enough to be able to fly back to Kentucky and see mine on that exact day. Call yours if you can.
