So my wife and I drug a feud 623 miles, from Jackson to Jacksonville. You’d think “the sunshine state” would shed some light on this hospitable Mississippi couple. Not really. These theatrics can cause a 24-hour divorce, usually on a beautiful October weekend. So again, 623 miles just isn’t enough distance to provide a buffer from this banter. Nope.
"A house divided cannot stand." Such a true statement, especially in this political climate. Of course, I am not using this quote in the way Abraham Lincoln used it. I'm talking about some pretty petty stuff here. I'm talking about a husband and wife, who live in the state of Florida, and holler for rival teams in the state of Mississippi. And this couple doesn't care much for coupling on these precious fall Saturdays.
As I write this, it's an early Monday morning following a fabulous football weekend. Mississippi State just crushed a talented Texas A&M team, while Ole Miss climbed to 5-0 after beating the #7 ranked team in the country. Now to echo Joe Biden, “Come on man!” The president even knows that Kentucky was nowhere near deserving of that ranking and the Rebel schedule has been cleverly concocted with cupcakes. Still, you gotta give the devil his due. And yes, I said “the devil.” I can’t help myself.
Now let’s get to the crazy. Since we swapped states, these two teams have swapped national titles. You’re welcome. Are you kidding me with the back-to-back College World Series championships? There's never been a bigger smile plastered on my face while watching my beloved Bulldogs finally grab something that's been so close, so many times. And I didn't even have to spaz-out due to typical MSU dramatics. It was a thing of beautiful. And to have Ole Miss do the same thing a year later, totally took the icing off that cake. So typical. And annoying.
What isn't so annoying, is living about an hour northeast from a town called Gainesville, where my Rebel wife got to have a front row seat (and a big grin plastered on her face), while watching Dan Mullen get chomped as the Gators coach (and fired by the former MSU athletic director). Sandy was all over that story, which was all over the media here. She had the popcorn popped. And I nibbled too. We may have actually bonded for the first time as rivals, as I was still bitter with the way the former coach slithered out of Starkville.
And that takes us to the gridiron days of Dan Mullen vs Hugh Freeze. Let’s be honest, that had just gotten too nasty. Just way too intense. But now, since we moved a couple states over, the demeanor is quite different. MSU has a famous coach (with the world's lowest pulse rate), and Ole Miss hired another famous coach, who appears to be having some sort of midlife transformation. It’s all quite interesting. Not to mention, these two guys seem to love being around each other. And while I may be “walking the plank” with this statement, I do like Lane Kiffin. And Sandy likes Mike Leach. We have officially entered the bizarro world in the Stedman house.
Back to reality. We all know this coaching bromance will escape the state soon enough, as one will move to greener pastures. But like politics, there’s always an October surprise, so who knows where fate will find Mississippi football this fall. Just remember, that 623 miles away, is a man clanging a clutched cowbell and a woman hollering her hotty-toddy tune. Same house, different room. So I'll end with a quote from Clint Eastwood. "Marriages are made in heaven, but so again, are thunder and lightning."
Robert Stedman is a former Northsider.
