Sunday Hangover: Southern Miss

Jameson Williams had one heck of day, eh? 

He started the game with a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD, he had an 83-yard kickoff return for a TD in the fourth quarter, and he caught an 81-yard TD from Young. 

With Robinson sidelined, the Tide used its three younger backs with Roydell Williams leading the way with 110 yards on 11 carries and a TD. McClellan had a solid day with 12 carries for 98 yards. 

It was great seeing them run the ball consistently, but we have to keep in mind that it was against Southern Miss. They need to be able to run between the tackles more often because most of the running was on the outside. 

But the defense has to get better because I'm sure Kiffin will throw all kinds of crap at them at home this coming Saturday.

Music Friday: "Driver 8"

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will have an album of covers out in mid October. The album is a collection of Georgia-based songs from various bands since that state smartly elected two Democratic Senators and went in favor of Biden. 

The album's title is Georgia Blue. 

Here's a cover of R.E.M.'s "Driver 8." 

Random Notes from a Crank

Kids these days will never experience having to call a number to get the times of movies at theaters. 

Norm MacDonald died of cancer recently, and he was a stand-up comedian I enjoyed thoroughly. His talk show on Netflix, which only had one season, was hilarious. 

Here's a classic Macdonald joke to enjoy. 

Here's his perspective on his funeral. 

When did a change to Mr. Pibb happen? It's no longer Mr. Pibb. It's now Pibb Extra. Why lose the "Mr."? And what's "Extra"? Regardless, I find it far superior to the pop it's trying to beat out, Dr. Pepper. 

Sunday Hangover: Florida

As has become a disturbing trend, a game against the Florida Gators proved to be a close one and one in which the defense didn't play well. 

That doesn't bode well for the championship aspirations of the Crimson Tide. 

The defense has to get better, especially thinking of the Kiffin-run Rebels of Ole Miss. Hell, you gotta watch out for Arkansas too. 

The offense started well, but those three straight three-and-outs were brutal. Those cannot happen. The Tide must run the ball more effectively. 

Billingsley appears to be out of Saban's doghouse, which is one of the good signs in this game. 

Regardless, Young went into the much heralded Swamp and came out with a win. 

And the Georgia-Florida game looks to be a very interesting matchup. 

Music Friday: "Finger Lickin' Good"

Here's a great tune from a classic album, Check Your Head. I've always thought this song was underrated in the band's overall catalog. 

Have a good weekend. 

Sunday Hangover: Mercer

I forgot to do this dang post, but this game was one that provides some coaching moments for Saban and the staff. 

They could have run the ball much better than they did.

And the D gave up points that it shouldn't have because of a busted coverage. 

The injury to Anderson is a major concern because we will certainly miss him if he doesn't play in the Swamp on Saturday. 

JoJo Earle made a name for himself in that game, so I wonder if we might see him more in games to come. 

Music Friday: "Another New World"

I was listening to the Punch Brothers this morning and was reminded of this great song that I saw them perform years ago in Terre Haute at Rose-Hulman after maybe the band's second album. 

They eventually recorded this cover of Josh Ritter's song on Ahoy!

And I'm providing it here. 

Have a good weekend. 

Sunday Hangover: Miami

Bryce Young got off to a great start to his career with an impressive game versus Miami on Saturday afternoon. He broke the touchdown record for the a QB's debut in a first game as a starter. 

Joe Namath and Mac Jones had the previous record with three touchdowns. Young threw four: one apiece to Williams and Metchie and two to Latu. 

Latu getting the start is one of those stories that didn't get much coverage. Billingsley is trying to get out of Saban's doghouse for something he's done. He played, but he didn't have a catch, which is concerning because he was a strong contributor in the last half of last season. 

Latu is a big dude, and I'm hoping the new OC uses he and Billingsley like Irv Smith Jr. and OJ Howard were used.

For whatever reason, Hulu didn't start recording the game for me until halfway through the second quarter, so I didn't get to see Robinson running much or the drives of the Alabama offense that netted the 20 points. 

However, it looks like the Tide had a good day on the ground although the offense tilted more towards the passing game. 

Will Anderson Jr. was an absolute terror off the edge for Alabama. He was leading tackler for the team with nine total tackles and a sack. 

I liked what I saw from the defense. 

It looks like the Tide has a strong four-back rotation with B-Rob leading the group after he took advantage of another year of eligibility because of Covid. It'll be interesting to see which back-up emerges as the second back. It looks like it's a battle between McClellan and Sanders. 

Musing of the Moment: State of Tottenham Hotspur

I came across this article, "Son Heung-min Often Eclipsed by Kane but Can Dazzle in His Own Right," in The Guardian about Tottenham's Son. He's a huge star in his native land, but he has taken the backseat to Kane. As the author states, Son is "a Tottenham man to his bones, and one who actually wants to be there." 

If I ever buy a Tottenham jersey, and I'd get an away kit, it'll be a Son jersey. 

And as we saw in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League match, Kane is back. We'll see if the January transfer window tempts Man City to actually lodge a suitable offer for him. In Kane's statement, he said he's staying this "summer." 

My hope is that Spurs win some hardware finally this season, and that result makes Kane stay for good. 

Regardless, Dele looks like he's revived his career after being in Mourinho's doghouse during that failed regime. 

We'll see what happens at the end of this transfer window, but from the sound of it, all of the French-speaking players look like they're potentially on their way out of N17. 

Ndombele will the most difficult player to move because of his huge wages. 

The sad deal with him is that he's a fantastically talented player, yet he never seems to impress any of the managers. Jose got some good performances out of him, but from the look of it, Nuno isn't putting up with his crap. 

Music Friday: "Canola Fields"

I missed last Friday's post. It slipped my mind, and I realized it on Sunday. 

I've been so busy with all kinds of crap. 

Anyway, James McMurtry came out with a new album this month titled The Horses and the Hounds. 

Today I'm featuring the opening tune on the album. At first listen, it's a solid album. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Slow-Cooked Kale

I am a huge fan of turnip greens and collard greens that are staples of Southern meat-and-three restaurants. I did not grow either of those this summer, but I have a crapton of kale in the garden. 

So I cooked up a bunch of kale like one would do with collard and turnip greens.

Ingredients

A whole bunch of kale, stems taken out and chopped into small pieces

1 smoked ham hock

Water to cover

Red pepper flakes

Healthy smidge of smoked paprika 

Salt and pepper 

Process

This is pretty dang basic. Add all that above into a large pot and simmer for 1-2 hours. 

Musing of the Moment: Tottenham Defeat Man City

With Harry Kane not in the lineup, Tottenham defeated Premier League Champions Manchester City 1 to nil. 

In contrast to the team's play during the Mourinho regime, Spurs played with spirit and grit. Man City did want they always do--dominate possession. So Nuno set up a formation you don't see that often, the Xmas tree formation: 4-3-2-1. 

The often derided duo of Sanchez and Dier played quite well, so hopefully they will continue to do well under the new manager. 

Tanganga earned "man of the match" with a stellar performance of flummoxing Graelish and Sterling on the left side. 

Two players who rarely get much attention, Moura and Bergwijn, had outstanding performances. Bergwijn should have tapped home a goal to put Tottenham up 2-0, but he missed wide left. Dinking a volley over the keeper would have done the job. 

I enjoyed Son playing in a striker role. I think can play anywhere up front. 

If City really want Kane, they need to put together a serious offer soon, so Spurs can find someone before the transfer window closes. 

Musing of the Moment: Start of the Premier League Season & "Sold"

The Premier League season got off to a crackin' start yesterday with Brentford, who haven't been in the top flight level of English football for 74 years, beating dreaded Arsenal 2-0. 

Here are the highlights. 

Meanwhile my beloved Spurs take on Man City tomorrow as the Harry Kane saga drags on. I doubt Levy sells him to Man City. It's too late in the transfer window, and Tottenham have not added a striker to their squad yet. They would surely have to add two strikers if they were to get rid of Kane. 

Rumors abound about which striker/s Tottenham could add, but it's mid-August, and the window closes at the end of the month. 

Two ¶s above I used the word "sells," which is a term that always has not sat well with me. In international football, when teams get rid of a player to another team for a substantial fee, the going term is that player gets "sold." 

The term sold has always sounded a bit slave tradery to me. Ick.

Perhaps we can replace with traded or transfer? For example, one could say that Tottenham transferred Harry Kane to Man City for a fee of 150 million?

Semantics, sure. But I like transfer better than sell. 

Music Friday: "Stone Free"

On satellite radio I've been listening to RockBar lately, which is a station that provides uptempo guitar-based songs that are a mixture of newer stuff and classics. 

Here's a classic of that ilk live from France in 1967. 

Music Friday: "Idiots Rule"

I'm a Vikings fan, and the low vaccination rate of the team is a major blemish on the NFL. And Kirk Cousins' comments about surrounding himself with plexiglass are astoundingly stupid. 

The fact that the delta variant is creating havoc because of morons who aren't getting vaccinated is really angering me. 

The whole situation reminds me of the this song. 

However, I will say the idea of them "ruling" is a bit nuanced. They rule in a sense that we smart people have to go back to wearing masks because of their idiocy that has prevented herd immunity. 

Ruling by dumbassery...