GA-FLA

“Where have you gone Tight End Bowers?

The Peach State turns its lonely eyes to you…”

(With apologies to Simon and Garfark, and Mrs. Robinson)

While the rest of the outside world worries about trivialities like war in the Middle East, it’s GA-FLA weekend in the Golden Isles!

The last Saturday in October reserved for the annual installment of the Georgia-Florida rivalry- or Florida-Georgia for the Godless transplanted New Yorkers south of us, though I do have the complete set of Ron DeSantis trading cards – and the ‘circus’ is in town.

As for the game, GA a 14.5 point favorite – ironically, as is Israel – but the game can surprise.

But no surprise with the ‘circus’…

Because the game is played in neutral site Jacksonville, GA students convene in St. Simons, generally arriving Thursday, departing Sunday, and bussing round trip to the game.

And while ‘back in the day’ students arrived on Tuesday night, the current fun heat map glows reddest on Friday, our visitors confined to “Frat Beach”. 

The week’s contraction a cooperative effort of the University and St. Simons community, once the event bordered on out of control…

…liquor and energy drink companies showing up with live music and samples – one year, walking the beach I was accosted, multiple students drinking shots from my navel – and kids from colleges throughout the SE arriving.

Those kids and I have kept in touch, so there’s that. I found a few of them asleep on our lawn this morning, and my navel’s shaved and ready…

The University taking the controversial stance of expecting students to actually attend class, moving this fall break to the week before the other fall break, which when combined with Thanksgiving break means the students are pretty much off for November.

Kids Today! (Shakes fist angrily – particularly vigorously, to get all the angry fist shakes out of the way early).

As an aside, if “kids are smarter today”, why is this the only time there’s a beach ‘Lost and Found’ area, a fence to protect the dunes, and a directional sign to the ocean?   

The local community taking the controversial stance of enforcing the drinking age, requiring attendance at a job fair, and establishing ‘frat beach’ – an area near the Coast Guard station where the students are essentially roped in.

And they say you can’t control immigration…

While underage drinking isn’t technically allowed at Frat Beach, it isn’t actively enforced – the wink/wink that all those milk jugs contain Powerade…

County commissioners even act as Frat Beach judges, grading the various acts of debauchery, as well as awarding “Best Halloween Costume”. Last year’s winner dressed as a student.

The community has reached a grudging peace with the weekend, good for the local economy and nothing a Saturday morning beach sweep can’t cure – unfortunately, student’s mothers not here to clean up after them.

All this might sound odd to non-college football fans – apparently the NFL has a decent following, but we don’t ‘the fabric of our lives’ much to that here – but there’s nothing like the ‘good old-fashioned hatred’ of Southern football rivalries.

Mainly because the fans live with each other – these are year-round antagonisms.

I was raised on Nebraska-Oklahoma, a relatively cordial rivalry – but separated by Kansas (kids – check a map).

So nothing prepared me for the intensity of Southern football rivalries, and the critical importance of college football: Was anyone surprised the SEC “stared down death” to play football during Covid?

If you’d like, view it as coronation of the trivial, but we know better: This game is bigger than life itself!

Until next week’s game, of course.

For 192 more posts like this –each with a wish for Evy’s queso party dip– go to beersatthenifty.com. Your phone will display every post, and you can waste an hour or two.

Or send me an email to the site, and I’ll add you to my Sunday distribution.

TO ENHANCE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THIS POST, PAIR IT WITH THE FOLLOWING SONGS:

New Mountain Goats CD just released – quite good. But today:

With serious apologies to Simon and Garfark, Mrs. Robinson, and Mr. Gladstone

Mrs. Smart   

And here’s to you, Coach Kirby’s wife,
The fan base loves you more than you will know
Whoa, whoa, whoa
God bless you, please, Georgia football,
Sanford holds a place for those who pay
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

We’d like to know a little bit about your annual contribution for our files
We’d like to invite you to the games
Look around you, all you see are tailgating eyes
Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home

Hide it with an RPA, the defense mis-aligned,
Look, Ladd is open for a TD throw,
Hide your signals behind cardboard signs,                                                                                                     So Michigan doesn’t know.

It’s a little secret, just like the offensive game plan
Most of all, you’ve got to hide it from the D

Coo, coo, ca-choo, Coach Kirby’s wife,
Jesus loves you more than you will know
Whoa, whoa, whoa
God bless you, please, Georgia football
Sanford holds a place for those who pay
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

Sitting on a sofa on New Years Day.
Win the Rose Bowl and three peat?
Laugh about it, shout at the TV
In the old days when we had to choose
Every way we looked at it, we knew we were gonna lose

But we’re nervous about number three,                                                                                                             -Such slow starts – and Philly has our D,                                                                                                                                

Where have you gone, tight end Bowers?
The Peach State turns its lonely eyes to you
Woo, woo, woo
What’s that you say, Ortho surgeon Andrews?
Brock has left but may still play,
Hey, hey, hey
Pour me another IPA!