Now Available

Check Out the GridIron Blog

RSS

  • All I Do Is Win

    Nov 16, 2010 CATEGORIES: Auburn, Cam Newton

    DJ Khaled may or may not know Cam Newton, but Cam Newton sure does know DJ’s Khaled’s hit song, “All I Do is Win.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWCXzyLp0Ds&feature=fvw

    With phrases like, “can’t never count me out, so y’all better count me in” and “All I do is win, no matter what”, you can see why Cam, despite a dark cloud looming over his head right now, sings along the loudest. And why the Auburn family is still counting Cam “in”.

    But Cam is not the only one singing along (try telling Nick Fairley that Cam Newton is the only one that “wins”). The anthem has been adopted by every player, coach and fan. Simply put, all Auburn has done this year is, well, win.

    But what about this verse?

    All I do is win, win, win no matter what

    Got money on my mind, I can never get enough

    Shhhhh, we won’t focus on this money verse. Most of us can’t understand the rappers delivery of each word anyway.

    Surely, the entire stadium has no idea what is really being sung. Such is part of the entertainment of being in Jordan Hare Stadium while the Caucasian majority crowd is attempting to keep their shakers on beat with DJ Khaled and the talented players on the field. Comical, really. In a very motivating way.

    The Auburn family shows unwavering support for Cam. “I Heart #2” pins, “Stand by your Cam” shirts and “War Cam Eagle” chants, Auburn is standing behind Cam Newton.

    Two of my favorite quotes from the weekend:

    “ Look, if we got him (Cam) for under 200k, we got the deal of the century.”- Diehard fan realizing that every SEC team has suspect recruiting methods, period.

    “I’d spoon with Cam Newton. I’d even let him be the big spoon. And I would tell him how small I felt in his arms. Yea… I’d spoon with Cam.”- Heterosexual Auburn Alumni.

    Many fans held their breath before the game waiting to see if Cam was going to start. That same breath was stored and used for 15 minutes of straight post-game adulation for the Tiger  49-31win over the Bulldogs. For Cam and every Tiger that went out on Saturday and played their hearts out despite the world outside of Jordan Hare Stadium.

    I’m with Coach Chizik on this one… “Cam Newton is eligible to play football at Auburn University and that’s what he’s going to do.”

    And this season at Auburn university, all they do is win.

    Comments (0)

  • A Trip Down Beta Lane

    Nov 15, 2010 CATEGORIES: Auburn, SEC

    November 13, 2010, 8:20 AM I arrived in Auburn, AL at the Beta Fraternity house.

    No, I wasn’t meeting my date for the game (they pick Belles up at the sorority houses anyway), I was paying homage to where my infatuation of and loyalty to the SEC and the Auburn Tigers began some 12 or so years ago. A place where my older cousins and all of their friends, thought it would be best to show me what college was supposed to be.

    Pictures of this monumental weekend incriminate me as a belle who wore ribbed turtlenecks and found ways to borrow/steal Beta brothers’ favorite-worn-in-hats. (Yes, at one point, I was that girl). Despite my thievery (to all of my guy friends that I have stolen from, my apologies, but I have been so comfortable in all of your t-shirts and sweatpants all of this time), I was recruited to come to Auburn by some very convincing Gents and some even more welcoming Belles. I was about to become an Auburn Tiger, so naturally, my pillow case needed to have Aubie nicely screen printed on it. And it did for a while.

    As the story goes, I didn’t end up enrolling at Auburn, but I never lost my passion for the Plains(men).

    Years later, with the book a distant dream and my loyalty to Auburn still intact, I made a trip to the Plains for the 2004 Auburn v UGA game.

    Little did I know, that was the beginning of Gridiron Belles.

    Now, in 2010, I thought it fitting to wrap up my tour of stadiums by coming full circle and heading back to the Plains for the South’s Oldest Rivalry. And, another victory over Georgia.

    I tell you this because the book is going to be unbiased. It’s going to contain objective information from all 12 SEC stadiums and graded according to my experience at each stadium, not any preconceived opinions I’ve had or other people’s that I’ve been subjected to.

    Thus, I am not going to flood the book with my favoritism toward Auburn and say that it is the best school for all competing divisions: tailgating, prettiest belles, game day traditions, recipes, hospitality, stadiums, fans etc.  After all, I’m not an Alabama fan. 

    But, I am going to show said favoritism this week on the blog by writing a LOT about Auburn football. I took copious amounts of notes and have an abundance of stories to share, so be prepared.     If you’re an Auburn fan, you’ll be able to relate. If you’re not, you’ll still be able to relate and appreciate because you would write just as much about your team.

    So now that I’ve taken a walk down memory lane to the Beta house and the 2004 undefeated stadium, I’ll leave nostalgia behind. The upcoming entries will be in  modern times.

    So modern that I haven’t stolen clothing or hats from the last two of my hosts! A real Belle I’ve become.

    AU vs. UGA

    12 years later and the same Betas are still trying to get me down to Auburn.

     

    Comments (0)

  • Thank Heaven for Ole Miss

    Oct 25, 2010 CATEGORIES: Auburn, Ole Miss

    Previously, I’ve always been thankful for The Grove. I’ve always been thankful for the standard Rebel fans have set for the rest of the SEC in dress, class and ability to tailgate.

    Presently, I am beyond grateful for Ole Miss’ talent on the gridiron. For the past three weeks the number one ranked teams have been 0-for-3 in winning their game during the week of their reign.

    Like I said, I love Ole Miss. I do. Truly. What I love even more is Auburn’s scheduled match up against a 3-4 Ole Miss on Saturday.

    Do I think Auburn can win? Without a doubt. Do I think Ole Miss is capable of an upset? Absolutely—just ask any Gator fan about last season.

    My point is that I despise being ranked #1. I would rather be #2 and provide the upset at the title game.

    But I don’t always get what I want. And in college football, getting what you want obviously requires more than a deal with the devil.But, I guarantee that the Auburn nation will be wearing that same Bible Belt they had on last week.

    This time it will just have to prove capable of not only providing a W on the field but a compass to “lead Auburn fans not to temptation” in the Grove before kick off.

    WAR EAGLE!

    Comments (0)

  • Fire and Brimstone or just SEC football?

    Oct 21, 2010 CATEGORIES: Auburn, LSU

    If you thought the only team in college football that has a religious connection was Notre Dame, you haven’t yet realized that LSU(6) is coming to Auburn(4) to play football this weekend.

    With the highly anticipated Auburn v LSU gridiron show down, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how LSU ended up undefeated in the first place . Surely there is some higher power at play here.

    Yes, I know. This is not a unique thought. This isn’t even newsworthy anymore because everyone knows about Lucky Les’ deal with the devil.

    So here’s the new angle: Catholicism v The Bible Belt.

    In my small to limited research, I have yet to meet a real LSU fan who is not technically a catholic*. I didn’t say practicing, I said technically. As in, technically baptized years and years ago for this sole reason that all of their prayers could be said and answered on Les Miles’ behalf.

    I am wondering if all of those rosaries and prayer chains for LSU wins have actually paid off. Has The Big Guy finally heard them?

    After all, the LSU crowd is loud enough to literally make the earth shake. As they did in 1988. Against Auburn, no Les. (yes, pun intended) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_Game)

    So what happens when BOTH sides of the same war pray to the Big Guy? One en francais, the other in Southern?

    LSU may have the catholic thing but Auburn sits squarely in the center of the Bible Belt. A Belt, mind you, that these Plains people wear proudly, swear by daily and give thanks to. Most of their thanks to said Belt are for nouns, such as: An abundance of toilet paper for Toomers Corner, Eagles, and Big-Guy-Given talent in the form of Cam Newton.
    Oh, and they’ve finally started saying prayers of thanks for Gene Chizik now that they are finished praying for the house of the AD who fired Tommy Tuberville to burn.

    With no intention of getting fire and brimstone on you, it can’t be denied. This game in some way or another involves the devil, the Big Guy and one very sacred good luck Belt.

    All of this fire and brimstone mixed with football sounds like another typical Saturday in Dixie. But with two undefeated teams lining up, the BCS championship game has come early. Doesn’t matter if you scream “Geaux Tigers” or “War Eagle”, we call all thank the Football Gods for one helluva game that’s coming on Satuday!


    *I actually do know 1.5 jewish LSU fans, but that wasn’t going to help the flow of my theory.

    Comments (0)

  • Eat Drink and be Southern

    Oct 19, 2010 CATEGORIES: Arkansas, Auburn, Food, LSU, South Carolina

    My gameday ritual is fairly nonnegotiable: A nice morning run, a trip to the grocery story for gridiron grub and the paper, getting ready in front of Game Day with Kirk, Lee , Chris and Des, cooking during the first half of the 12 o’clock game ( none of my teams have had to play that early), and then sitting down ( if at home) or heading to tailgate( if attending a game) to prepare for kick off.

    Don’t even think about asking me to be social unless it’s in front of a flat screen or in a stadium and includes incessantly discussing the games in play, rankings or upsets.

    This weekend was no exception, except I actually got my exercise in. Times three.

    The Auburn v Arkansas game started my day off on the right foot minus an obvious lack of defense. The Cam Newton, Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson show was quite entertaining—for reasons other than watching my dog scamper under the table when I cheered. I was pacing, yelling and clapping for four quarters. (Pretty sure that’s cardio, weights AND practicing healthy lung care). Between the rushing Cam Newton was doing and the tackling Nick Fairley was executing, I was burning calories through osmosis. Thanks boys!

    Finally, I thought, an evening of seemingly one sided match ups. I prepared to sit and relax while  watching (unlike my pacing and dog-scaring from earlier).
    Thanks to the drive of the KY Wildcats upsetting Steve Spurrier, Coach Mullen transforming from the grasshopper to the professor (enter Karate Kid reference), and LSU only soundly beating McNeese State in the 3rd and 4th quarters, I was left getting my calisthenics in the form of nervous twits (no, not tweets… who has time for that during a game?), excessive pacing and high-rep-squats (sit down, stand up, sit down, stand up—repeat—for hours).

    When the last second ticked off the clock, I was exhausted and ready to celebrate. Auburn was still undefeated, Mississippi State and Coach Mullen got the big win they deserved and the anxiety of UK coming back to beat South Carolina was now over.

    How do Southerner’s celebrate best? Food, bourbon and more food.

    Thanks to the mentioned cardio sessions, I indulged in an Arkansas staple of sausage and cream cheese and a Mississippi staple of marinated cheese. Did I mention the nice glass of Woodford that got poured for the KY victory? Well, that was probably going to be poured regardless…

    So Belles, next time you think you need to take a pass on the carbs and sausage or stick with light beer, realize that you’re a true fan. You’ve done your exercise. Finish out your Southern duties and enjoy the fine delicatessens and spirits of our heritage!

    If you have any favorite gameday recipes, for celebrating or commiserating, please send them my way! Christie@gridironbelles.com

    Comments (0)

  • Two words: Emotional Phenomenon

    Oct 15, 2010 CATEGORIES: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, SEC, South Carolina, Vanderbilt

    Thanks to my new Alabama friend, Warren, the Emotional Phenomenon of the SEC has been brought to my attention.

    An emotional phenomenon occurs when all common sense flies out the window and emotions allow individuals and entire fandoms to act illogically.  Ie: Florida fans cheering vehemently for a Gamecocks victory over Alabama.

    Florida fans, naturally still grieving their castration from Alabama the previous week, were grieved stricken. Severely. We call this post stress disorder; Warren calls it an Emotional Phenomenon.

    To avoid falling victim to the foolish spectacle of the Emotional Phenomenon, read about your team below to see who you should and should NOT be cheering for this weekend.

    Vandy (SAT scores don’t count) at Georgia

    Vandy Fan: You likely thinking this a chance to secure an SEC win. The dawgs from Athens aren’t exactly putting up an aggressive fight this season. You are cheering for the Vols to lose out. Which, might not require too much effort on your part. But don’t worry, if you took a big study break and headed to Athens at least you’ll learn how to tailgate and show school spirit.

    Georgia Fan: Bring on the protein enriched kibbles and bits, this is your big chance to take down the lone private school team in the league AND make it look like Coach Richt should keep his job. Which, may not make you smarter, but it should help your ranks.

    Cheer for Old Rocky Top to win out. Yikes.

    Arkansas(12) v Auburn (7)

    Auburn Fan: You are hoping that the Tigers seal the deal early and that Cam can keep up his half-season-long-endurance of carrying most of the team. But, you’re actually a bit nervous because Arkansas gave those other Alabama kids a good run for their money. Alas, you’re not just farm and agg kids, you can beat Arkansas and BAMA any day, right? Auburn’s been scraping by—cross your fingers, wear your lucky underwear, follow every superstition. You’re cheering for someone to win at the UK v USC game… you’ve beaten both, it doesn’t matter. And, of course, you’re always cheering for a BAMA loss.

    Arkansas Fan: You’re ready for revenge against anyone playing football in the state of Alabama AND you know this is your best ranking/season in a long time. Do the razors on the back of the hogs prevent a Heisman hopeful carry all of the pressure? You think so. You’ve got the whole package this year. This is the new Arkansas v BAMA game… But now you’re cheering for BAMA to win ( against Ole Miss).

    McNeese State(who?) at LSU (10)

    *Probably scheduled years ago to give LSU a mid season boost because let’s face it, no one thought LSU was going to be undefeated this far into the season this year. Not even Lucky-Les.

    LSU Fan: You are following suit and making deals with the devil that every other SEC team loses, especially Auburn, South Carolina and Alabama. Florida, you actually want to win now. I know, it’s crazy, but each team is selfish until we all gather and chant S-E-C …

    McNeese State Fan: You’re just glad your school’s name was finally posted on espn.com

    South Carolina (10) at Kentucky (basketball rankings don’t come out until later)

    South Carolina Fan: The Cocks are fired up and they need to be. Kentucky almost tasted victory last week against USC rival (and victor) Auburn and they are itching for more. Alas, Spurrier has his boys right where they need to be—playing a basketball team coming off his biggest win with South Carolina. South Carolina needs Alabama AND Auburn to keep winning—ultimately one of them will lose in the Iron Bowl and South Carolina wants to be the next best thing.

    Kentucky Fan: You’re hoping your Wildcats are still hungry for a win on the gridiron and not just at the racetrack before the game. It’s time to let go of the wins over cardinals and hill topers, these Cocks and the SEC play real football. Focus on football for 6 more weeks, I promise basketball season is coming and the bad dream will soon be over. Oh, and by the way, you need Ole Miss to win out to help you. Sorry, Charlie Cats.

    Mississippi State at Florida (22)

    Mississippi State Fan: You can taste a huge SEC victory. But this is more than the players on the field, this is Mullen v Meyer. Coach Mullen, as nice of a guy that he is, is going to have to pull out all the stops to prove to his mentor ( Mullen coached with Meyer at Bowling Green and Florida) that he was taught well. Beware bulldogs, they don’t bite, they chomp. You need to cheer for yourselves… !!

    Mississippi (Ha!) at Alabama (8):

    BAMA Fan: You’ve never been happier to be playing some preps from the Delta. You are about to get out all of your frustration on kids that go to college just to dress up and party. As a BAMA fan, you can relate to the dress up and party part but your bragging rights come from actually winning on the football field. Do not, under any circumstances, lose this game. For the sake of the prestige of SEC football and any hopes of turning 13 into 14 (EVER), do NOT lose this game. Cheer for Auburn to win so you can have a shot to redeem yourself when you play the #1 SEC team at the Iron Bowl.

    Ole Miss Fan: Let’s face it, you came to tailgate with Alabama. You’ve heard The Quad rivals The Grove and you want to see what it’s all about. This football thing is just to pass the time before all of the pretty Greek co-eds head to Galettes. Go ahead, skip the kool-aid, drink a Yellow Hammer, you know you just watched one of the best football teams in the country and probably sang along during “Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer.”

     

    Comments (0)

  • First Half Not Necessary

    Sep 10, 2010 CATEGORIES: Auburn, Clemson

    Where was Auburn the first half?

    As the Auburn Tigers were making their anticipated comeback during Saturday’s non-conference game against the Clemson Tigers, I was asked several times where all of the skill, intensity and determination to win was during the first half. Why has Auburn gotten comfortable being a second half team?

    Especially during a home night game…

    Why did Cam Newton save his big plays for the 3rd and 4th quarters? How was Dyer able to get through the holes only in the second half?

    While the Tigers (Auburn Tigers that is) had me hanging my head low during the first half and then clawing my own legs while anxiously watching on the edge of my seat, the answer is simple.

    Why play four quarters when all the Tigers need is two?

    Comments (0)
    • Return...