Saturday, January 9, 2010

Happy Anniversary Ball Game



Today Scott and I went to the Georgia Tech vs. Duke game in midtown Atlanta.  It was so fun!  Georgia Tech has some great players this year and they pulled out an exciting win.  But Duke is very scary good.  They are such a finely tuned machine and so smooth and quick, I feel bad for everyone that has to play them.  But Georgia Tech played with a lot of heart and their stadium is very old, very cool, and very loud - a great place for a game.  There were lots of students wearing shirts donated by Waffle House, which seemed appropriate considering where we live.  (I know Jamie would appreciate that tidbit of info.)  And, as a special half-time presentation, the Tech team from 25 years ago was there to celebrate their anniversary.  John Salley and Mark Price came out and the crowd loved them.  I felt like my mom, standing there clapping, because I was proud to see an outstanding Oklahoman (Price) recognized for his career.  John Salley worked the crowd and pumped them up and it was a good moment for the school.

I am now an fan of their fight song.  (I will not be able to sing it, though.  Words shown below...)  I heard it over and over and it really sticks with you.  It kind of sounded like a thousand pirates were singing their theme song at the game today.  The song became associated with the school in 1890 and it was inspired by a trip to Athens, Georgia for the Tech vs. UGA game.  The words to the song were added to the tune "Sons of the Gamboliers" sometime around 1910.  Scott and I were clueless about what a gambolier was, so we came home to ask our family's bizarre information expert.  Darby didn't know, either.  Oh well.

It turns out that this song gained even more popularity over the next 50 years.  The song got recorded on many popular records.  According to the university program, Richard Nixon and Nikita Krushchev sang this song together at the historic Kitchen meetings in Moscow.  I looked it up, and Wikipedia says that this is true, so that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I close my post with the words to the Ramblin' Wreck.  I did have to edit for profanity ( I am the wife of a preacher man, you know.)

I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a @#$% of an engineer,
A @#$%uva, #$%^uva, $%^&uva, %^&*uva, ^&*@ of an engineer,
Like all the jolly good fellows, I drink my whiskey clear,
I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a @#$% of an engineer.

Oh, if I had a daughter, sir, I'd dress her in White and Gold,
And put her on the campus, to cheer the brave and bold.
But if I had a son, sir, I'll tell you what he'd do,
He would yell, "To #$%^ with Georgia," like his daddy used to do.

Oh I wish I had a barrel of rum and sugar three thousand pounds,
A college bell to put it in and a clapper to stir it around.
I'd drink to all good fellows who come from far and near.
I'm a ramblin', gamblin', @#$% of an engineer.

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