Thursday, February 15, 2007

Good People, Good Times

So I was driving home from buying a Members Only jacket the other day when my car nosedived into a speed bump.

'What was that?' I wondered. I fly through this school zone all the time. Surely, the slow leak that I had patched last week hadn't fallen off.

-flashback to last week-

'Sure, we'll patch that tire up for ya at no charge.'

'Thanks. Know how long the wait is?'

'It'll be about 90 minutes.'

'I'll be at the bar across the street then.'

So 9 games of pool, 7 losses, 4 shots, and 3 buckets of beer later I had the best set of tires ever.

-end flashback-

Maybe I just hit the speed bump at the wrong angle? Two miles later I noticed I was driving on my rims. So I get out and take a look... yep, that's a flat tire.

Most people would get down about this, but not me. I actually like changing tires. Maybe it's because I like saying changing tires in that Cole-Trickle-Change-My-Tires-But-Cole-The-Race-Is-Over kinda way. The only downfall (besides the obvious flat tire) was that I had to take a leak so bad I could taste it. My dog 800 yards away probably did too.

So there I was ignoring nature's call while stuck in the middle of the street between a cop's (who recently became a father) house and a house for rent. Now I know what you're thinking, but forget it! I didn't have any water balloons in the trunk. So I decided to just change the tire.

Before I could finish slightly loosening the 4th lug nut before raising the car on my jack, a passerby pulled up next to me and asked if I needed anything. Got a fluorescent jacket, I wondered (watch the following video).

'Oh, I think I got it. Thank ya though.'

I raised the car up, removed old flat tire, placed spare tire, slightly tightened lug nuts, and was about to lower when passerby #2 stopped by asking if I need any help. He got the same response. It was when I finally lowered the car that I realized that my spare was flat too. Well, 'relatively flat' is what my urine-laden bladder diagnosed it as.

Anywho, the moral of the story is that everyone should know how to change a tire. Even you female readers of the SoD should know. If you're a guy and don't know how, then there's a good chance you probably enjoy Kevin Bacon movies. Either way, check out the following video for tips:


VideoJug: How To Change A Tyre

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

USC's Recruiting Class and Spring Game Information

Damn, what a good time to be a Gamecock! College football's National Signing Day was this Wednesday and USC brought in 31 athletes to be listed as the #6 class in the nation (#4 according to ESPN). Momentum is overflowing right now and I'm glad it's time that we changed our goals from winning more than we lose to winning the Southeastern Conference.

This class included the #1 ranked wide receiving corp highlighted by North Carolinians Chris Culliver and Jason Barnes. Culliver reportedly runs the 40 in 4.37 seconds (to comprehend this better, know that Troy Williamson ran a 4.38 at the NFL combines). Jason Barnes comes to us from the always-talented Independence High School and towers at 6'4". I say towers, except when next to colleague Joseph Hills out of Florida who will likely end up at receiver. Suddenly the loss of #4 is a little easier.

Then there's the defensive side of the ball. I think we have finally found depth on the defensive line. Anyone who watched the national championship game should know how crucial that is and we are finally at that point. Clifton Geathers, Travian Robertson, Cliff Matthews, and redshirted Kendrick Ellis finally give us a quality depth chart.

So we beat Clemson, we won our bowl game, and we just brought in the (circa) #5 recruiting class in the nation- now what? Well, recruiting junkies can finally put their lives in perspective. But, more importantly, you can save the date for April 14th when USC holds its annual Garnet and Black Game. For the hordes of people that don't realize that this is a just an intersquad scrimmage, Hootie and the Blowfish will be performing this year.


We finished high, but still finished behind Florida, Tennessee, and LSU (all three of which are on our schedule next year). And Georgia is right behind us.

So for my two cents I'm going to go ahead and say this- With the returning starters on offense and defense, the redshirted linemen from last year, and our new immediate impact players, I'll consider it a failure for the team and Spurrier if we do not play in the SEC Championship game next year. Regardless if we're playing in Baton Rouge or Knoxville, we should be able to win every game we play next season. The culture has changed.

Labels: