Fair Weather Fan Oct. 20, 2021
YES, I AM STILL HERE peeking out of the newspaper’s window on Main Street and the #1 Fair Weather Razorback Football Fan (a mysterious force that lives within me) is thrilled about one thing — and one thing only — in football this past weekend.
UConn broke its losing streak. The Huskies managed to defeat the Mighty Yale Bulldogs. UConn hadn’t won a game since the end of WWII.
#1 F Weather Fan sorta knows the feeling of following a doomed team.
Scrappers played better than I thought they would against Ashdown. But it’s beginning to get iffy whether or not we keep our streak of making the playoffs at 30 years in a row.
My heart goes out to Mineral Springs Hornets fans, and I hope for better days.
The #1 Fair Weather Razorback Football Fan predicts that the Hogs will lose two of their next four games. How’s that for a sour attitude?
During the first quarter in the Auburn-Arkansas game, when his favorite fair weather team was trying its best to give the game away early, he starting spurting blood from his nose and ears.
It’s called the Razorback Stigmata. Look up ‘stigmata.’
The Latin name for this condition is Pigus Pitifulius.
It happens every time the Razorbacks — team or coaches — do something seriously stupid.
After a pretty good start to the season (even including the losses to Georgia and Ole Miss) the Razorbacks managed to take two or three steps backward when they played Auburn. Just as #1 Fan expected.
The #1 Fair Weather Razorback Football Fan still has a little ‘pull’ at this newspaper, and he insisted that the UA-UAPB game not be a part of the weekly prediction contest lest it jinx the Hogs. He looks for every edge he can get.
After Saturday’s game #1 FW Hog Fan burned his lucky shirt.
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GOT ANOTHER Scrapper Band majorette to add to my list of the Lovely and Talented. I omitted the name of Pat Puryear Blakely from the list of former majorettes. I remember and appreciate Pat for her time in the twirler line. Also among Scrapper Band twirlers: Rea Hill and Karen Dildy.
In addition to twirling skills, Pat played the clarinet; Rea played the French horn; and Karen played the flute. Musicians all.
Please tell me the names of any other majorettes. Send to:
louie@nashvilleleader.com
If you can contribute a name and give a close estimate of the year, your name will be put into a drawing for a free J-Turn warning ticket in Downtown Nashville. The drawing is contingent upon me actually being sworn in to this high office.
Because of my own fear of the Flag Line Moms, I always like to mention that Majorettes and the Flag Line can co-exist.
For several years back in the ‘60s, the Band and Majorettes had to co-exist with the Scrapper Belles. The Belles were a big hit all over Arkansas, and they got invited to parades and all-star games. And of course they had to have music so they drug the Band along.
Did the Scrapper Belles perform at halftime or pre-game of our hometown football games? I can’t remember. If it was at halftime, then they cut into the time for the band to perform, thereby slashing the time Majorettes got to twirl and strut and be the center of attention.
However, I have been reliably assured that there were no catty remarks passed between the two groups.
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CLASSROOM VISITORS. A reliable source tells me that a teacher recently summoned a janitor to take care of a mouse that was terrorizing her classroom. The janitor put out some sticky traps, then ruined the teacher’s day by telling her that he had also caught and killed four snakes in classrooms this year — two timber rattlers, a cottonmouth and a rat snake.
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PLEASE GET the Covid-19 vaccine. Hospitals in many places are so clogged with Covid patients that they can’t admit other sick people who need to be in the hospital.
One of my heroes, Collin Powell, former US Secretary of State and former general of the US Army, has died of Covid. His family said he was fully vaccinated.
News articles said that he died of COMPLICATIONS of the virus.
Vaccinated people DO die of the virus, but the percentage is teensy compared to the number of unvaccinated persons who die.
Gen. Powell had blood cancer which made him very vulnerable.
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THINGS I LEARNED from opening an email: I’m a multi-tasker. I can listen, ignore, and forget all at the same time.
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WORD GAMES. The twins: Out and About. They’re rarely at home. Where? Your guess is as good as mine.
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HE SAID: “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” Harry S. Truman, 33rd president of the united States
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SHE SAID: “All the intelligence and talent in the world can’t make a singer. The voice is a wild thing. It can’t be bred in captivity. It is a sport, like the silver fox. It happens.” Willa Cather, American novelist
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
Football Weekend, Oct. 27, 2021
YES, I AM STILL HERE peeking out of the newspaper’s window on Main Street and I gotta tell you how impressed I was with the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff football team and band, last Saturday, when they were a part of our state’s history by being an in-state team that played the Arkansas Razorbacks in any sport.
That’s something that hasn’t happened often. Our John Robert Schirmer is fond of reminding anyone who will listen that the Ouachita Baptist University Tigers are the only team in Arkansas to defeat the Razorbacks. Twice. With one tie as well.
Over the years I’ve known several kids from this area who went on from high school to pursue their education at UAPB. Some were athletes, some weren’t. I applaud them (and their parents) for the sacrifices made to get an education.
But from all accounts, the REAL star of the UA-UAPB weekend was the UAPB Marching Golden Lion Band (they have another nickname but I can’t remember it).
Bands from ‘Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ have the reputation of being great entertainment, and UAPB was certainly no exception.
Some years ago I was at a Mardi Gras season parade in New Orleans when a black college band went by. I can’t remember whether it was Grambling State University or Southern University.
They were so great and they were having a blast. Made you appreciate the joy of being young and in New Orleans for the parades.
The Golden Lion football team arrived at the stadium knowing they were going to get their ears pinned back, but they gave great effort and represented their school well.
And just think how the #1 Fair Weather Razorback Football Fan would have whined and moaned if the Hogs had lost.
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IF YOU’RE NOT TIRED of reading about college football, here’s an appetizer.
Clemson, once among the ruling class of the football playoffs, won’t even participate in their own conference championship game this season.
I know why.
As you know they lost SuperQB Trevor Lawrence to the pros.
And they replaced him with a quarterback named D.J. Uiagalelei.
That didn’t work out. Broadcasters and sportswriters got tired of mispronouncing and mispelling his name, so the Tiger coaching staff replaced him with a guy named Taisun Phommachanh.
That didn’t help. Clemson kept losing.
Here’s my tip: Recruit yourself a quarterback with a name easy to pronounce and spell. Like, Tuanigamanuolepola “Tua” Tagovailoa. It worked for Alabama.
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I KEEP HEARING from other Nashville band alums who, like me, really really really miss the great old days when the marching band had majorettes Out in front just ahead of the trombone line.
In some recent columns I have listed some names of majorettes from my own memory and from the suggestions of others.
Let me repeat: Flag Lines and Majorettes can co-exist.
We ought to have both.
The only ‘down’ side is that the majorettes of my day and the flag lines of today are also probably among the best musicians in the Marching Orange and Black, and my opinion is that it is good when a band has plenty of musicians who can play instruments and march (in step) at the same time.
I believe that music is an important part of a good education, so I hope you encourage kids to join the band or take piano or guitar lessons. Or twirling lessons.
So, here are names of more young ladies who twirled and thrilled the crowds and the trombone lines of yesteryear:
Ashley Kemp, Pam Walters, Susan Baker, Sandy Baker, Kelly Lovelis, Kim Lovelis, Lisa Tolleson, Sunny Chambers, Tammy Croy, Angie Clements, Suzanne Pile. All maiden names.
Please keep those emails coming in. Tell me of more majorettes.
louie@nashvilleleader.com.
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THE LOVELY AND TALENTED at the State Fair.
Lovely in the Youth Pageants at the state fair — Young Miss (age 7-8) Queen CarliAnn Spradling of Nashville.
Talented in the Youth Talent competition at the state fair — Vocal Solo Champion (age 5-9) Callen Spradling of Nashville.
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PLEASE GET the Covid-19 vaccine. If you don’t care about protecting yourself, then get vaccinated so that you don’t spread the virus to others. Even if you don’t get sick with the virus, you can spread it to other people.
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WORD GAMES. The twins: Shipping and Handling. They always cost extra — BUT WAIT — sometimes you get an extra sample of the product at no charge other than the twins.
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HE SAID: “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” St. Francis of Assisi
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SHE SAID: “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” Ella Fitzgerald, First Lady of Jazz
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
