But my Nashville Hawkeye friends win the drinking game

/ October 21, 2014

I know it did not take long for moonshine shots to go down in a mini-manse in Nashville.

On the first offensive play of the game, a little past noon Saturday, C.J. Brown, the quarterback of my alma mater Maryland Terrapins, threw the football into the arms of an Iowa linebacker.

A couple plays later, the Hawkeyes led 7-0. And a dead Maryland drive and spirited Iowa march after that, it went to 14-0.

Bad game face in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood.

Bad game face in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood.

My pinky swear bet with CBXB, my blogging friend from Nashville and Iowa alum, was off to a terrible start.

I knew from reading her wonderful stories like the Weekend Winks linked above how her and her dad carried the tradition of drinking moonshine shots for each Iowa touchdown scored, and eating tremendous tailgate food in her mini-manse, and being great, great fans. Her two felines, Teddy and New Cat, always get into the action, two.

This, being my Terps’ first season in her squad’s Big Ten, I was the one who reached out with the wager. She agreed. Winner gets to send a big, smiley photo over to other’s blog, simple as that.

I could picture the look on her face. Her dad’s, too, for that matter. Already, halfway through the first quarter, as tbey triumphantly strutted their way through their shots.

But lo and behold, my Terps turned it around at home in College Park. Even though C.J. banged up and we had to put in our third-string QB, we regained control and went up 17-14.

Karen and Ellie B appreciate the change in tone.

Karen and Ellie B appreciate the change in tone.

My two constant partners in college football-watching Saturdays, my dear wife Karen and our beloved rescue mutt Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle, celebrated the lead and my decidedly more upbeat mood.

Of course, this being my Maryland Terps, they of the no-game-is-over-until type of team, Iowa was able to put together its own spirited fourth-quarter push that included a successful onsides kick in which our star wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, waved at the football as if it were a scary bat on the wing overhead that he really didn’t want to touch instead of a pigskin that he really needed to corral to help secure victory.

The guys in red prevailed 38-31 nevertheless. In football terms, that means my alma mater Terps are 2-1 in the Big Ten, 5-2 overall, and one victory away from securing a bowl bid with five games left to play.

So in Nashville, where Iowa fell to 2-2 in the conference and 5-2 overall:

CBXB in defeat. (From her blog)

CBXB in defeat. (From her blog)

CBXB's dad after the loss. (From her blog)

CBXB’s dad after the loss. (From her blog)

You betcha CBXB had her own take on the Saturday proceedings.

You can find her post from today, Friday, right here. Yes, it includes her paying off the pinky bet by posting two, count ’em, two, of my pictures.

And here’s another different one that captures my mood of Go Terps Go.

Thank you for being there, ESPN2.

Thank you for being there, ESPN2.

Are you a gloater, or a gracious winner? Are you a pouter, or a good loser? How long afterward do you carry victory or defeat with you, from sports or otherwise in life, and can you share a story in which this has bode you well or bid you ill will?

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53 thoughts on “But my Nashville Hawkeye friends win the drinking game”

  1. After years of telling people I went to Michigan and having them assume I was an arrogant jerk before I said another word, I just keep my mouth shut one way or the other.

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  2. I liked the photos and enjoyed seeing Ellie B, Karen and your pouting face, Mark! You are such a dramatic writer that really draws me into sports, even though I am not always a big sports fan, you get me interested! Smiles! Enjoy your weekend and let’s hope if there is a game, some winning goes on for your Orange guys and you, too!

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    • Neither Maryland nor Syracuse are expected to win tomorrow, on the road against teams more highly regarded than they are, but that would make a victory even sweeter as I am watching them on TV, Robin! Thank you for your kind words about my ability to pull you into the sports circle with my writing. 🙂

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  3. Pingback: Losers Lane | Cowboys and Crossbones

  4. I don’t have an answer to the sports questions, but I do have a comment/question: I *LOVE* that you and Karen (and even Ellie B) wear matching cheerleader outfits to cheer on your team even though you’re watching from home! The question is, do you always do that, or was that planned for the blogging photo op? Those are all great photos! 😀 I know you had fun with this one. 🙂

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  6. It seems to always be a rebuilding year for my favorite teams, so I try and be mindful of over gloating. I usually just Carlton Dance when we score. I am a loyal Colt McCoy devotee, so I gave the Niners the finger this weekend for cutting him this year. He had a great weekend with Washington, though, it’s all good.

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    • I am drawing an ignorant blank on Carlton Dance so three whips with a wet noodle on me for that one, Apple Pie. Good news on Colt McCoy replacing Cousins who replaced RG3 on the team that should replace their nickname because it offends the First Nation culture.

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  7. Ha! Funny pictures Mark. I’m glad your team won, I don’t follow the sport at all but I’ll root for whichever team i’m told to root for. I’m easy.

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  8. Speaking of college football, do you think my Fighting Irish got shafted by the refs, or do you think they made the right call? I still can’t get Seamus down off the roof!

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    • It was a great game, Austin. I hate to say it with Seamus up the roof there with Gary, but it was the right call. The second receiver purely blocked. If he looked like it was a pass route and they just bumped, maybe he gets away with the severe contact, but he just grinded it out. But what a great game for college football. Sorry your squad lost, Austin. Ouch.

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      • Sorry for the lack of depth in ANY comments, but last night was WP woes. WP would not pull up on ANY of our computers, only our phones. Odd. Halloween trickery I suppose. But this was a fun post.

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      • I think WP is going hinky on a lot of folks from the tone I’m getting on some comments and posts I’m reading, Colleen. Cat just wrote a whole post about WP cutting off her notices to everybody she subscribes to and then saying she clicked something on some page she doesn’t even know how to get on …

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      • I know. 😦 For a couple of hours we could not access WP at all by computer. Which is fine if they’re working on updates etc. It’s just the not knowing, if that ‘is’ what they are doing. I think I’ve lost some of the people I follow, and not having written a list of who I follow…..I worry I may not find them!

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      • I have taken all of the VIPs and moved their URLs onto my desk top for fear of losing them via the WP notice route, Colleen. I have 50 blog folks on my desk top just in case.

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      • Steve’s football team – West Ham – are currently fourth in the Premiership – this NEVER happens. They are usually nearer to fourth from bottom! He is sort of in shock!
        I love it when games are exciting to the very end even when I am nervous and Englands World Cup team have so often gone to need to win on penalties that you sort of get used to investing all your nerves in the last fifteen minutes (and then we lose anyway!)

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  12. what a fun ‘hands-on’ wager this was, and i love all of the action shots off of the field. as you know, i had a great wager, this past summer, with a fellow blogger, (you), who enjoyed a good rivalry between our beloved minor league baseball teams. i never hold a grudge and enjoy the game behind the game )

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    • No grudges here, either, Beth, but with my Terps and my Mets, I can get a tad more testy than with the Chiefs. Just sayin’. I expect the same from you with the Wolverines, and it’s up to you to come up with the terms this time. Ahem. Cough, cough.

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      • okay, this time whoever’s team loses, the other must print out a logo of the winner’s team along with text reading, ‘my team played and all i got was the better team’s logo’ – and wear it with pride, on a tshirt, attached with duck tape, in a prominent place in their hometown. picture posted on a post soon after along with the lyrics victor’s fight song. how’s that?

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      • Wow. You got it. I’m nervous already! You are very creative, Beth. Get your singing voice ready for ‘Maryland, My Maryland.’ You have heard it already if you watch the Preakness in the Triple Crown in Baltimore every year, by the way. ))

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  13. congrats on your win–you are not outwardly answering your own Qs–are you being a gracious winner or gloating? (methinks the first) Good pictures–always nice to get the visuals.

    I would be a horrible better because I don’t care who wins. I’ve been known to go to the mat with my sister-in–law on Words With Friends, but outside of that I don’t take time to consider victories or losses. It’s always time to move on to the next thing.

    When I ran x-country in high school, if other folks passed me it never even occurred to me to speed up. Figured they were faster so they deserved to get ahead. As long as I knew I was giving it my all (which I earnestly did), I was ok with losing. And I never won, so no reason to gloat. Oh, and there was the summer a few years back when we played tennis competitively with another couple (who was way better than we were) and loser always have to have a few chugs from the margarita jug. That was fun. But overall, wasn’t raised to be competitive and also don’t have the genes. So it’s fun to live vicariously and hear your stories 🙂

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    • The best part of this comment Liz — oh, besides you and Larry getting to take a few chugs from the margarita jug, that is — is to hear that you can go to the mats in a Words with Friends game. See. You do have a bit of competitive fire in you. And it’s about words. No surprise there, kiddo. 🙂 I love your attitude about the running, by the way. That was perfect. Running is an individual pursuit. As long as you’re doing your best, you are the winner, no matter the place. 🙂

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  16. That CBXB looks great even when she’s losing. Does she ever do anything without making ist seem like it was the best time ever? Lol. I’m a total sore lose and make no bones about it. I suck.

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    • She has style, no doubt, Don. Did you catch over on her blog that I hung a new nickname on her: Prima Drinkarina. I think I’ve captured our friend’s personality perfectly with that one, don’t you?

      Sore loser, hey? Since you seem to have a bit of a dry writer’s well these days, how about a post about the worst times a loss set you off? Just a gentle nudge …

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