Santa Claus on the Line
And there I was feeling sorry for myself.
Like many of you, I was resigned to spending Christmas in Shreveport. It wasn’t the prospects of watching Wake play in the Indepedence Bowl that had me down. I saw the Deacs rally to beat Oregon in 1992 in Bill Dooley’s last game as head coach and it was a wonderful game. My bellyaching had to do with the date, Dec. 26. Amazingly, given my occupation, I have never missed Christmas at home and I was in no mood to start now—especially with my kids Nate and Rebecca home from college.
But, not seeing any way out of it, I was bucking myself up. I even resorted to the same spiel I gave last week about perspective. So many of my sportswriting buddies aren’t writing sports anymore. The jobs just aren’t there. So I told myself that if I had been out of the business for too long and was told I had my old job with the Journal back with the only caveat that I would have to cover Wake in the Independence Bowl the day after Christmas, then I’d have been ready to walk to Shreveport for the opportunity.
That said, I still didn’t want to spend Christmas away from home.
Then along about dinner time last night the phone rang and Santa Claus was on the line. Actually it was Steve Shutt, Wake’s associate AD for media relations, and he didn’t even need a white beard and red suit to grant my holiday wishes. Forget the gumbo and shrimp etouffee, Shutt told me. Virginia Tech had been given a BCS slot to play Michigan in the Sugar Bowl and the Deacons had been bumped up a notch in the ACC bowl’s pecking order.
Better get new strings for the Gibson, he said. The Deacons are headed to Guitar Town
As Cal Smith sang in his timeless standard Country Bumpkin:
“In this wondrous life of many wonders,
One more wonder came.’‘
Look out Nashville, here I come.
Back to the main page.
By Dan Collins on 12/05/2011 (1:32 pm)
Comments
As Dan said, “Santa Claus gave WF a wonderful gift” in sending them to Nashville. Now, that we have gotten a “second chance” to prove ourselves, we need to go there and have fun and kick Miss. St. behind at a much better bowl (than the Independence or Military)! Grobe promised, the players and coaches will be ready to perform, we shall see! Go Deacs!
Bobby on 12/07/2011 (1:24 am)
mad props for the Steve Earle reference.
And mad props to the Deacs for going bowling in Nashville.
WhoDatDeacon on 12/05/2011 (11:00 pm)
Good for you Dan, and a good winnable if challenging match-up for Wake.
The BCS is a joke though. At least a SEC team will lose in the national championship game. Va Tech did not deserve to get in a BCS game, and what the Bowl System did to Boise State is absurd. A playoff is the only way out of this, but that argument doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere with the established powers in college football.
Charles on 12/05/2011 (7:49 pm)
Go deacs. Good Luck! What a difference one season makes.
Craig Carter on 12/05/2011 (7:20 pm)
We will be in Nashville for the great win over Mississippi State. I have two kids and a daughter -in-law who are Wake alumni, however, I am a proud alum of the great University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. All of the Wake Nation should thank USM for beating Houston and freeing up the spot in the Sugar Bowl for Vir Tech.In addition, by knocking Houston out of a BCS bowl it means the Conferences USA will lose the $10million dollar plus BCS payout and instead that money will now go to the ACC. The Deacs share should be several hundred thousand dollars. So, when you see someone from USM please tip your had and smile.
Now, Go Deacs.
B-bob on 12/05/2011 (7:19 pm)
An early present for lots of folks. UNC (due to greater number of fans) will come much closer to meeting the ticker-sales “quota” in Shreveport, and Wake will take thousands of more fans to Nashville, due to both location and date. Somebody (Wake and/or the ACC) was going to be eating a lot of tickets had Wake been sent to Shreveport. Santa - thank you! Now, about that blonde I requested ...
Rhenish on 12/05/2011 (5:17 pm)
Hi Dan, La. is next door to me, but I will be on I40 on Dec 30. Nashville here we come.
Whitlock on 12/05/2011 (3:42 pm)
Another opportunity for a team with a lot of talent to play to its potential. Good luck with exams, guys, and then it’s time to get down to business. Go Deacs!
DC on 12/05/2011 (3:11 pm)
I, too, am glad it’s Nashville.
And one of my fave Steve Earle songs is “Guitar Town”.
Ken Green on 12/05/2011 (2:47 pm)
Country,
Better for you to be in La. rather than Nashville even with Christmas on the line.
We all know that with your musical talent, you will likely never return to W/S. You will be auditioning…
Cause you will likely be discovered! If this occurs, please remember your ol’ friends on the blog! At the very least, I know you will be happy to be in Nashville!
Tom Willis on 12/05/2011 (2:34 pm)
Got my game tickets, hotel and airfare! I can’t wait to cheer on the Deacs, go to the Grand Ole Opry, etc. and see the sights in Nashville! Go Deacs!!
Jim on 12/05/2011 (2:27 pm)
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