Friday, October 31, 2008

Booze, Booze, Booze and, oh yeah, some football squeezed in there too...

By the time you read this, I'll be in Jacksonville and, more than likely, extremely drunk. Ask a Florida fan what their favorite thing about the last weekend of October is and they are almost certainly going to say the Florida-Georgia weekend/World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (or Fantasy Fest is they're gay like Burr). Not only is it a weekend that features more booze per square mile than any other college football weekend you've ever laid your eyes on, but its also the perfect embodiment of SEC Football in its overall display of fan passion, football tradition and flat out redneck ridiculousness. If you can't tell, I absolutely love everything about Florida-Georgia weekend. And, I'm really looking forward to this year's edition, and the University of Florida settling some unfinished business come Saturday at 3:30.

However, there is one thing about this weekend that's a bit disappointing to me. You see, this weekend was supposed to be even better, more wild and memorable than it promises to be. Two years ago, TJ, Greg, Jerry and Slater flew in to Jacksonville on the Thursday night before the game and, to borrow a phrase from the kinds, it was on. Basically, the weekend started with Slater knocking out some poor underaged Georgia fan for pushing me (Slater had known me for maybe 3 hours at this point) and ended when Greg caught the world's most disgusting nose bleed late Saturday evening. To say the weekend was memorable doesn't do it justice. By Friday evening, our crew had swelled to 10 as one of Greg's rugby buddies later flew into town which was quickly followed by the arrival of two of my friends from my time at Florida (Roberto & Socks...ask TJ). From this point on, it was completely and totally out of control...and we were all set to do it again this year. Sadly, it wasn't in the cards. Jerry's playing Jack Bauer over in Switzerland, Socks has a wedding, Slater's a pussy (his words, not mine) and TJ has to take inappropriate pictures at some state fair this weekend. Roberto will be joining us at some point Saturday morning but, for all intents and purposes, the weekend will consist of Greg, Vitas, myself and a revolving cast of characters we either know or have just met. Just three guys who've known each other since 7th grade getting drunk, acting like idiots and trying like hell to not get arrested (Believe me, its happened to more than one person I've gone up to Jacksonville with for this weekend). And you know what? It might not be the same, but I guarantee that it will be a ton of fucking fun. The fact that Halloween occurs on the night before the game will only make the weekend that much better (Can you say hot Georgia girls in slutty halloween costumes?).

As for the game, I'm not sure how it will turn out. I think Florida should win. Their defense is much improved, the offense is far more diverse, Tebow's healthy and, perhaps most importantly, the Gators have a revenge on their mind. Georgia pulled some bush league shit last year with that planned celebration after their first TD. Honestly, I don't blame them. They've made a habit of getting their asses handed to them by the Gators in Jacksonville over the past 15 years and Mark Richt needed to find a way to energize the players and fans. Mission accomplished. Unfortunately for him, he also awakened the Gator fanbase and pissed Urban Meyer off something fierce. Florida fans had begun to take Georgia for granted a bit. FSU and Tennessee were considered bigger, more important rivals over the past decade and LSU had become a more celebrated conference opponent as well. Thats certainly not the case anymore. Florida fans have a renewed sense of hatred for the Bulldogs and would like nothing more than to beat Georgia and maybe even run up the score a bit. Now, don't get me wrong, Knowshon Moreno scares the shit out of me and AJ Green is the best WR that the Bulldogs have had in many years. On top of that, Georgia's defense is extremely talented and has gotten healthy recently. With that said, I think Matthew Stafford is overrated due to his physical skills (Seriously, Gary Danielson may have an aneurysm on Saturday with all his fawning over Tebow and Stafford) and the general public doesn't quite realize how much more balanced the Gators are as team this year. If I'm right about this game, the weekend will be as memorable as the last Florida-Georgia weekend, albeit for entirely different reasons. If I'm wrong, well, at least I can take solace in a weekend full of booze, Georgia girls and Greg ending the weekend with another spectacular nosebleed...and I'll get pictures of it this time.

18 comments:

rob said...

the more important question of the weekend: left or right?

i say left.

T.J. said...

I don't know if Mark thought I'd be posting this at 9:30am, but if he is extremely drunk already I will be mighty impressed.

And, left...

TR said...

I need to create a bucket list of sports events to attend, and I need to put this game near the top of that list.

Maybe we can have our first annual G:TB editorial board symposium in Jacksonville next Fall?

rob said...

done and done, rhymo

and the bucket list is a winner idea. i'll assign it to you to write for gtb, but we'll all pitch in.

leadership, dammit.

rob said...

also, my sister lives in jacksonville, so we'd have a free place to stay.

Mark said...

Not drunk yet (waah waaaah) but I will be soon. And its unquestionably left.

Mark said...

I can't wait to be a drunken mess at Rob's sister's house next year under the guise of "official G:TB business". But, first things first, I have to go get started on being a drunken mess this year. Have a nice weekend fellas.

T.J. said...

Has Greg started bleeding profusely yet from his nasal cavities? It's just not a fun event weekend until Greg starts losing pints of hemoglobin.

TR said...

The trip would really be just a 48 hour bender right? Fly in as early as possible Friday morning, give it a run until Sunday morning, and then crawl back on a plane and regret the whole thing on your flight while drinking a Bloody Mary and nursing a massive headach.

Mark said...

You've got the hang of it already Rhyme-O...

T.J. said...

I particularly enjoyed the Thursday evening arrival...which of course makes Sunday's hangover that much more brutal. But I assure you it is well worth it.

Rob, warn your sister now...

rob said...

can we buy tickets now for the right to be in the room with dennis at the moment it becomes clear that alabama and texas both go undefeated? in the unlikely event such a thing happens.

T.J. said...

Well, luckily for Dennis, now that you have put that in print at G:TB it is a mortal lock one of those two teams lose. Dennis should thank you.

rob said...

it's pretty much a given that one of them will lose. alabama's got lsu and florida (assuming both teams get to the sec championship) and i don't think the tide's good enough to beat florida. texas probably has a better shot to run the table.

Whitney said...

Rob, how many nights were we in Atlanta for the (displaced) Sugar Bowl? That was a tidy little quick hitter of a drunksports trip. And a damn fine one.

Whitney said...

My local paper printed this gem recently:

Clinton Portis commenting Sunday on tying O.J. Simpson's mark of five straight games of 120-yards plus rushing:

"It's one of the few times you can say O.J. is great company."



O.J. is so unGheorghey, but Clinton Portis is a huge DOG (Disciple of Gheorghe).

rob said...

well, we spent the better part of 2 days in that sports bar, so i think we were there for 2 days and 2 nights. that flight home was a doozy.

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