Freeloaders VI: Tide Rolled Out

Freeloader's Part 6 brought us to the historic Iron Bowl where Alabama and Auburn squared off in a match of two clans that don't care for each other.

It was a glorious Saturday in Tuscaloosa. The fans of both teams were out in full force and we saw one of the more memorable tailgate display's. A gaggle of Alabama fans armed with a casket containing a stuffed tiger inside. Nice touch.

One of the things that struck me about Tuscaloosa was the fact that they clearly see dead people (or person in this case) because they believe at any moment Bear Bryant could come back to save them. Alas that is not the case and 2006 Tide were a struggling 6-5 hoping desperately to defeat their arch-nemesis and save their season.

The game and the fans were fantastic (free Jim Beam for everyone). Despite Alabama's anemic offense, the Tide hung around and had a shot in the 4th quarter but were unable to get it done. The loss was the final nail in the coffin for Tide coach Mike Shula. He was bought out and after a soap opera-esque search Nick Saban was hired on from the Dolphins. Saban became the 7th coach since Bryant retired 26 years ago.

Our post-game foray included a long night in a bar discussing Shula's impending demise and the complete out of touch nature of Alabama fans. All in all, Tuscaloosa did not disappoint. The trip itself had many memorable moments:

Media Moment: Getting filmed on the field by a local news crew posing with the Auburn mascot while wearing Alabama attire.

Line of the Trip: "Who's #4?" Said by the author as he is buying a #4 jersey in the book store. That would be Tyrone Prothro (you idiot) the patrons around me said with disdain.

Fashion Item: The houndstooth collection (hats, skirts, etc)

Culinary Moment: Dreamland Barbecue

Freeloader Moment: Sitting with the bowl scouts and a nearby Joe Namath at dinner the night before. We had no business being there.

As Chapter VI came to a close we look ahead to Chapter VII and our second trip to the Midwest...