The Rivals Unite for Recovery Alumni Flag Football Game.

Yesterday we took the Tiger Tail Team Van out for a "test run" of sorts to the Rivals Unite for Recovery Alumni Flag Football Game at Spain Park between Auburn and Alabama.  Luckily for us, the temperature at 4:30 yesterday was quite bearable for a mid-August day.  Unluckily for us, the van decided to start having shenanigans about five miles from the school and we had to make an unexpected stop.  The short and simple of it... never good to have a brake line that seems to have a leak.

After a roughly twenty minute stop we decided to press on and made it to Spain Park without any further incident, except for some pleasant waves and honks from passerby's and the occasional obscene gesture.  Once we got to the game we managed to finagle our way into a corporate sponsored parking lot and decided to park at a place where we thought everyone would walk by.  Unfortunately for us, we were on the wrong end of the parking lot.  After over an hour and no visitors, we moved closer to the Fun Zone and parked in a place where people would have to walk by.

One thing is certain about the Tiger Tail Team Van:  It draws attention when it can be seen.  Over the next hour and a half before the game, we witnessed quite a few Auburn fans having their picture made with the van and Alabama fans taking quick pictures on their phones to send to their friends.  Regardless of allegiance, every kid wanted to walk up and get close by it or touch it.  That old beaten up tail and its fake fur still attracts a crowd.  It was entertaining to watch from a small distance.

As for the game itself, it was a lot of fun to see some ex-athletes get out on the field together for a good cause and entertain the largely mixed crowd.  It was hard to tell who was who because everyone had the number "1" on their jersey.  I felt like it may have been a tribute to Cam Newton since he changed his number in Carolina.  It was very apparent that some of the players on both teams still played football (flag) around the area and that others had stopped playing ball a long time ago.  The most impressive players had to be Siran Stacy, Adalai Trone, Kevin Lee and Kenny Irons.  They made many of the other guys look like they were moving in slow motion.

After the game was over, we moved the van to where all the football players would have to walk by it.  Some stopped by and said hello.  A few told us that they remembered the van from when they were in school and that there was no way that this was our van.  Others took a quick snapshot with their kids.  The thing that impressed me most was that both teams were mixed among one another heading to the locker rooms telling each other stories and carrying on like old friends who hadn't seen each other in awhile.  It reminded me that sometimes it is us "fanatics" that have turned this rivalry into the bitter, 365/24/7 war that it has become.

MVPS:

Adalai Trone - Auburn (A man of humorous words... one at a time)
Siran Stacy - Bama (He was the most impressive player out there for his age!)

Best Plays:

Auburn - Brandon Cox to Lee Guess for a 45 yard TD on a go route with great coverage.
Alabama - Andrew Zow to Chad Goss in the final minute of the game.  Goss laid out to make a diving catch on the turf and trust me, he's feeling it this morning.

In the end, Alabama drove 75 yards with less than two minutes to play and got a two point conversion to go up 42-41 and ultimately win the game.  What makes it funny to me is for some of those players, it was their first ever win against Auburn on the field.  One Bama fan told me I'll glad trade you our one point win here for one in November and he is right.  I doubt I will here "42-41" from anybody anytime soon til next years game. I just hope they are smart enough to have it again...

Now its off to God's Country and to meet our sponsors...