So to get you prepared for today’s SEC games, including the Kentucky-LSU showdown in Baton Rouge, here’s my list of the 10 best SEC basketball coaches of my childhood.

Please note that this focuses on coaches that coached mostly during my grade and middle school years, which would encompass 1991 to 1999, when I entered ninth grade at Fairview Junior High School.

1. Tubby Smith (Georgia, 1995-97, Kentucky 1997-2007)

Tubby Smith, a pioneer at both Georgia and Kentucky, led Kentucky to five SEC championships as well as the 1998 national championship. Not only that, he took Georgia to the 1996 Sweet 16.

2. Rick Pitino (Kentucky 1989-97)

Pitino brought Kentucky basketball back from the dead, resulting in three Final Four trips and a national championship for the Wildcats in 1996.

3. Nolan Richardson (Arkansas 1985-2002)

While Richardson did have some of his greatest success while Arkansas was a member of the old Southwest Conference, the Razorbacks won four straight SEC West division crowns, including the 1995 SEC regular season title. The Razorbacks also reached three Final Fours, twice as members of the SEC and won the 1994 national title over Duke.

4. Dale Brown  (LSU 1972-1997)

Dale Brown led the Bayou Bengals to two Final Fours, 13 NCAA Tournaments in 25 seasons as the head coach in the Red Stick. Not only that, LSU won five SEC championships, including three straight from 1979 to 1981.

5. Richard Williams (Mississippi State 1986-1997)

Coach of the most memorable team in the history of Mississippi State basketball, Williams led the Bulldogs to the 1996 Final Four as well as the 1995 Sweet 16. In 11 seasons as head coach, Mississippi State won two SEC West championships and the overall title in 1991.

6. Wimp Sanderson (Alabama 1980-1992)

Arguably one of the most colorful coaches in the history of SEC basketball, Sanderson led the Crimson Tide to six Sweet 16s in 12 seasons as head coach in Tuscaloosa.

7. Eddie Fogler (Vanderbilt 1989-1993, South Carolina 1993-2001)

I always thought that Fogler was one of the most underrated coaches in the history of the SEC. At Vanderbilt he led the Commodores to its first SEC championship since the Clyde Lee era as well as the 1990 NIT championship over Saint Louis University. At South Carolina, he won the 1997 SEC regular season title and went to two NCAA tournaments.

8. Rob Evans (Ole Miss 1992-1998)

Evans did something that should be considered revolutionary, which is get people in Oxford to care about Ole Miss basketball. While he didn’t achieve success until later on in Oxford, he did bring the school’s first SEC West title in 1997.

9. Cliff Ellis (Auburn 1994-2004)

Cliff Ellis took Auburn to heights it had not reached in 40 years as they won the 1999 SEC championship. In 10 seasons, Auburn would post three 20-win seasons and reach two Sweet Sixteens.

10. Lon Kruger (Florida 1990-1996)

Kruger led Florida to its first Final Four in 1994 as well as four postseason  appearances as head coach in Gainesville.

It was a broken heart.

Joe Paterno, without football, was a man without purpose. Paired with the weight of the horrific events that caused his ouster, shortly after claiming an NCAA record-setting 409th career win, it is a wonder that he lasted as long as he did.

For all the flowery tributes and fond remembrances by fellow coaches and former players, it cannot be understated how much the scandal that exploded in Happy Valley this year tarnished the legacy of the greatest winner in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.

It is a shame, but the suddenness of his death left JoePa with no chance to tell, in full, his side of the story.

When Joseph Vincent Paterno was born in 1926, child molestation was not something regularly discussed. At that time, there were not even federal laws regulating labor for children.

It makes sense that someone from that generation, especially a former service man like Paterno, believed in reporting it to superiors and trusted that the superiors would handle it correctly. It is an uncomfortable subject for anyone to discuss, especially for a man of that age who was accustomed to such a quiet life in the bubble of the Penn State community.

However, Paterno had to know what kind of power he wielded in State College; if something was to be done, the number one ally to have was JoePa. If he felt that an investigation into the allegations against his former defensive coordinator needed to be made, Paterno could have made it happen.

It may have put a black eye on the program at the time, but ultimately it could have saved his legacy, his livelihood and his life.

Paterno is not the first coach to be fired in disgrace. Woody Hayes punched an opposing player on the sideline to earn his walking papers. Bob Knight was shown the door after choking one of his own players during a practice.

The Paterno situation is different, obviously, because he was not the one committing the acts; he is only guilty of not doing enough to satisfy society’s opinion of “the right thing to do.” He did what is legally required, sure, but there was more to be done, and if anyone in the Penn State family could do it, that person was JoePa.

Hayes and Knight both had opportunities to rehabilitate their images. Hayes never apologized to Charlie Bauman, but he took a position with the Ohio State Navy ROTC program and continued to be a mentor to students until his passing in 1987. Knight traded in his red sweaters for a green one, taking a seat next to Brent Musberger as one of ESPN’s better basketball personalities.

Paterno will not have the luxury of rehabilitating his own image. In time, the many years of philanthropic work in the community and the high standards he kept for running his program will supersede this scandal.

For now though, questions are all that remain: How much did Joe Paterno know? What information did he receive and pass on to his superiors? Did he truly understand the magnitude of the allegations against Jerry Sandusky? How did anyone think that such an earth-shattering revelation would stay under wraps forever?

The questions may be answered in time, but Paterno will never have the chance to repair a legacy that took 43-plus years to build but so much less time to sully. We may never know the whole truth, but hopefully the time that worked against him in his final days will help to heal the wounded image left behind.

On October 31, 1959, a watershed moment in the history of LSU football occurred under the lights of Tiger Stadium as the Bayou Bengals took on the Ole Miss Rebels.

The Tigers, who won their first national championship the year before, were ranked #1 in the country going into their showdown with the #3 Rebels, coached by Johnny Vaught and at the time one of the best programs in the SEC and the country.

Down 3-0 to the Rebels in the fourth quarter, Cannon would break seven tackles for an 89-yard punt return for the only touchdown of the game for both teams as LSU defeated Ole Miss 7-3 to remain at #1 in the polls.

Cannon’s run, still remembered by many LSU fans, would propel him to the bright lights of New York City later that year, where he would win the school’s first and only Heisman Trophy as well as a distinguished career with the Houston Oilers in the old American Football League.

His jersey number #20 would be until 2009 when Tommy Casanova got his number retired the only number to receive that honor by the LSU football program.

For a program that in recent years produced defensive stalwarts such as Glenn Dorsey and Patrick Peterson both of whom were a couple of my favorite players to watch in the purple and gold, the 2011 LSU Tigers weren’t short of talent on defense.

After Peterson was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2011 NFL Draft, Morris Claiborne, a native of Shreveport that had five interceptions for the Bayou Bengals in 2010 was expected to be next in a line of great cornerbacks from LSU, receiving preseason third-team All-SEC honors.

While Claiborne was no slouch for the Tigers, a kid by the name of Tyrann Mathieu, a dynamic nickel back for the Bayou Bengals from New Orleans, would take the country and more importantly the world by storm.

Born on May 13, 1992 in New Orleans, Tyrann Mathieu grew up ten miles away from the Louisiana Superdome.

For the first four years of his life, Mathieu lived with his maternal grandfather after his birth parents gave him up for adoption.

After his grandfather died, he would be taken in by Tyrone and Sheila Mathieu, who in turn became his adoptive parents.

In the Mathieu household, young Tyrann would learn about the meaning of family due in part to something Mrs. Mathieu called “One Love”, which defined love as an action as opposed to just a feeling.

That love would motivate Mathieu to star in baseball and football at prestigious St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, known as the alma mater of current New Jersey Nets head coach Avery Johnson and world-famous jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

After racking up 32 tackles and five interceptions in the 2009 season, his senior season at St. Augustine, Mathieu saw offers from Southern Miss, the hometown Tulane Green Wave, Tennessee, Southern Miss, Miami of Ohio, Louisiana-Monroe, SMU, Hampton, Florida International, and the Bayou Bengals, committing to LSU on July 21, 2009.

During the 2010 season, Mathieu, playing alongside Peterson, would be named to the FWAA First Team Freshman All-American team as well as the Freshman All-SEC team while receiving the 2011 Cotton Bowl Defensive Most Outstanding Player Award for his two forced fumbles, one pick, one fumble recovery performance in the Tigers’ 41-24 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies, adding to his respectable 59 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two interceptions for the season.

Throughout LSU’s colorful football history, there’s been nicknames such as the “Ruston Rifle”, a nickname given to legendary LSU quarterback Bert Jones who led the Bayou Bengals to victories over #8 Notre Dame in 1971 as well as a thrilling victory over Ole Miss the following year.

“Cholly Mac”, a nickname given to Charles McClendon, the winningest coach in the history of the school.

And “PP7”, given to Peterson, who during his career became one of the most decorated players to ever wear the purple and gold.

But few nicknames captured the imagination like the “Honey Badger”.

The nickname was given to Mathieu by defensive coordinator John Chavis, best known for his stint as defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Volunteers under Phil Fulmer when the Vols won the 1998 national championship.

On the way back from a road trip, Chavis showed Mathieu a video of a honey badger, which is an animal that wreaks havoc in the African deserts.

The one thing that was taken away from the video shown to Mathieu was the line, “Honey Badger don’t care. He just take what he wants.”

Among the 1300 or so followers I have on Twitter, there is no follower as interesting as noted Alabama fan and SEC hoops junkie Hunter Johnson.

Besides no one has ever trolled Oklahoma State as hard as he did when the Tide got the rematch with LSU.

So in honour of him here’s this week’s SEC Hoops Power Rankings.

Thank me later.

1. Kentucky

The new #1 in the country, the Wildcats found themselves in a tough battle with the Crimson Tide Saturday at Rupp with a six-point victory. Now it’s on to Georgia where they face a depleted Bulldog squad.

2. Vanderbilt

Losing to Mississippi State isn’t a bad thing if you’re the Commodores. The Commodores did get a huge win against Alabama on Thursday in Coleman Coliseum to guarantee a split for the week.

3. Florida

The Gators played well against LSU on Saturday. Now it’s a trip to Oxford where they’ll face the Rebels Thursday.

4. Mississippi State

Bulldogs got a tough win in Memorial Gym on Saturday night, something that is a tough chore for teams in the SEC. This week the Bulldogs host LSU and travel to Gainesville on Saturday.

5. Alabama

Crimson Tide forgot to bring offense with them to the Coleman hardwood on last Thursday in their loss to Vanderbilt. They showed a valiant effort against Kentucky, losing by six to the Wildcats. A trip to Columbia should take the pain away.

6. Ole Miss

The Rebels ended a five-game losing streak to the Bulldogs on Wednesday night and followed that up with a win at Georgia. Now they have to prepare for Florida and South Carolina.

7. Arkansas

Razorbacks got big non-conference win against Michigan on Saturday, pushing their record to 14-5 overall. Hogs jump back into conference play with a showdown against Auburn in Bud Walton Arena.

8. Auburn

Tigers are gradually improving in Tony Barbee’s second season on the Plains. This week the Tigers will face Arkansas on the road and then travel to Knoxville to play the Vols.

9. Tennessee

While their record don’t speak volumes, the Vols have impressed me with their toughness all season. They showed it in their win against  UCONN on Saturday in Knoxville. Now they have to show it again against rival Vanderbilt.

10. LSU

Seven-game stretch will make or break LSU’s postseason chances.

11. Georgia

Just a rough go this season in Athens.

12. South Carolina

The SEC Basketball Welfare Program ya’ll. Government assistance at its finest.

“You shit on the Tigers all  the time,” they said, “And you wonder why some people in Memphis hate your guts.”

Ouch.

While most of my thoughts on the Tigers are more in the moment than anything, reading MemphisTigers.org or even listening to sports talk in Memphis during the basketball season can be frustrating.

The rational fans understand the expectations for the Tigers.

Win Conference USA, get a respectable seeding in the tournament, and make a good run in the tournament.

And when I mean good run I mean at least round of 16, not just make it to the Final Four.

It’s impossible to do that every season.

The moronic and elitist fan believes that Memphis should never lose to basketball afterthoughts like Southern Methodist or Central Florida.

That it’s on the same level as Kentucky and North Carolina in prestige.

When in reality, it’s on the same level as Xavier and Creighton.

They’re the one’s who praise Pastner when he wins a game on the message board.

And the ones who rips the hell out of him when they lose.

As I sit and write this, has it occured to them that in conference play, whether you play in the Missouri Valley or the SEC, that no team you play cares who you are a program.

If that was the case, then Memphis would go undefeated every year in hoops.

They would give you the program that you wanted.

Memphis isn’t entitled to anything as a program.

Not even a win against Central Florida.

Case closed.

Since arriving at Ole Miss in 2006-07, Kennedy has more 20-win seasons than anyone in school history, including two SEC West championships and two trips to the NIT Final Four.

However despite all the good he’s done in Oxford making people pretend to care about Ole Miss basketball, Kennedy has failed to take the Rebels to the NCAA Tournament, which hasn’t happened since Rod Barnes took the Rebs to the 2002 NCAA Tournament, the longest such streak in the SEC ahead of Auburn.

He has also lost five straight to Mississippi State going into tonight’s showdown with the Bulldogs, something that doesn’t bode well for your coaching future.

With Ole Miss sitting at 1-2 in the SEC and struggling to find offense, the time is now for Andy Kennedy to get a huge win.

Lose, and there could be changes looming in Oxford after the season ends.

That commitment was the product of another spurning, when the five-star signal caller decided not to honor his verbal contract to Indiana (on the heels of his brother being benched by Hoosier coach Kevin Wilson early in the season). Reports out of South Bend are that after all the consideration that goes into choosing a future home for a top-flight high school passer, his mother made the choice for him.

Kiel has been the subject of comparisons to Peyton Manning, among others, but all of the drama surrounding the flaky and flighty nature of his recruitment may lead to a bigger point that LSU fans do not see at the moment.

Anybody remember Ryan Perrilloux? He was an early commit to Texas before shuffling around and finally settling on LSU. Legend has it that those close to Perrilloux also pressured the Reserve, LA native into staying close to home instead of going on to Austin. The quarterback had elite level talent, but was a bit of a head case. He openly discussed competing for the Heisman as a freshman before redshirting.

He proved his talent between the lines in his limited opportunities, even winning the SEC Championship Game MVP in 2007 when regular starter Matt Flynn was injured.

For all of his talent, though, Perrilloux’s multiple suspensions, ego and other off-field issues led to his dismissal, a waste of a player that many LSU fans thought would take them to the promised land.

Obviously, Kiel and Perrilloux are different people from different upbringings, so it is somewhat unfair to say that Kiel’s recruitment flipping will lead to him flopping at Notre Dame.

What it does suggest, though, is that Kiel’s want for attention and indecision is a sign of bigger issues, not unlike the ones that plagued Perrilloux’s career in Baton Rouge. Kiel has all the talent in the world, but all of the trepidation surrounding his signing has set a high level of expectation for his performance.

A player with that kind of pressure only causes trouble for a team with national championship aspirations. In the long run, Kiel’s pre-arrival departure could be the best thing for all parties involved. Fans and coaches alike hate to miss out on a high-level talent, but the cost of this talent seems to be greater than the reward so far.

All this aside, Kiel rescinding his commitment does not give LSU fan permission to fling expletives at him via Twitter.

Quarterbacks are supposed to be players who lead by making the right decision in pressure-filled moments. Hopefully, for Kiel’s sake, his selections in the pocket are quicker and more final than the one made leading up to National Signing Day.

Aside from SEC baseball, which I thoroughly enjoy, SEC softball is one thing I can watch instead of the NBA when Feburary and March rolls around.

While the SEC does indeed boasts some of the hottest softball players in the country, the league has sent Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia to the WCWS in recent years.

The only problem is that none of those schools have come back with a championship.

So without further ado, here’s the first SEC Hoops Power Rankings for 2012.

Thank me later

1. Kentucky 

The Wildcats survived a scare against the Auburn Tigers last Wednesday as well as one at Tennessee on Saturday. Tomorrow the Cats face Arkansas at home, looking to go 4-0 on the young SEC season.

2. Vanderbilt

Commodores have two major tests this week, first against Alabama on the road on Thursday night in Tuscaloosa and Mississippi State at home in Memorial Gym.

3. Florida

Gators made quick work of the Georgia Bulldogs and the Gamecocks on last week. With their next game not until Saturday, it gives them a lot of time to prepare for LSU.

4. Mississippi State

Bulldogs are looking to build on huge win against Alabama as they take on archrival Ole Miss in Oxford on Wednesday night.

5. Alabama

Crimson Tide destroyed an improved LSU squad and lost a tough one against the Bulldogs in Starkville. This week it’s Vanderbilt and a road test against Kentucky.

6. Arkansas 

Razorbacks got their first SEC win by beating LSU on Saturday night in Fayetteville. Now they face a daunting task this week when they take on the Wildcats Wednesday night.

7. Tennessee

Cuonzo Martin has this Vols squad playing hard. Expect them to pull off another upset real soon.

8. Auburn

#8 is rather high for Auburn, however they hung with Kentucky at home and nearly pulled off the upset and followed that up with a win over Ole Miss.

9. LSU

While the boys from the Red Stick destroyed Ole Miss, they got trounced by Alabama on the road and lost by 9 to Arkansas Saturday. Should be close to the .500 mark by end of the week.

10. Ole Miss

Just how long will it be before Andy Kennedy finds himself in trouble in Oxford? Or does anyone care about the health of the Ole Miss basketball program?

11. Georgia

Bulldogs don’t have it this season.

12. South Carolina

Can Ray Tanner coach the basketball team?

Prior to LSU, Miles for four seasons was head coach at Oklahoma State University, better known as the alma mater of legendary running backs Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas and, until his arrival in Stillwater in 2001, a football afterthought that languished in the shadows of archrival Oklahoma and perennial powers Nebraska and Colorado in the Big 8 and later on the Big 12.

When Miles was hired as the head coach, one of the finalists for the job was a guy by the name of Mike Gundy, who as quarterback for the Cowboys, led the program to its greatest success, chalking up two of the school’s four 10-win seasons in football in his four years as quarterback between 1986 and 1989.

While Miles did get the job, the agreement was that Gundy, who had been wide receivers and quarterbacks coach at the school, would be named offensive coordinator on the staff.

The arrival of Miles in Stillwater coincided with that of an Oklahoma prep legend by the name of Josh Fields, who chose the Cowboys over Oklahoma, Arizona State, and Arkansas and whose mother was the first female scholarship athlete in Oklahoma State history.

In 2001, Fields in his first season as starting quarterback, led the Pokes to their first win over Oklahoma since 1998 as they defeated the Sooners 16-13 in Norman to finish the season 4-7.

The following season, Fields would help defeat the Sooners 38-28, denying Oklahoma another berth in the BCS championship game and the Cowboys would build on that momentum by appearing in the 2002 Houston Bowl, winning over Southern Mississippi 33-23 and finishing 8-5 on the season.

In 2003, Oklahoma State would finish 9-4, one of the best seasons in school history and earn a trip to the Cotton Bowl where they would face the Ole Miss Rebels, who at quarterback had a guy by the name of Eli Manning behind center.

Unlike the 2002 Houston Bowl in which the Cowboys emerged victorious, Oklahoma State would find themselves on the short end at the Cotton, losing 31-28 to the Rebels in what would be the final college game for both Manning and Fields.

In three seasons as the Cowboys’ QB, Fields accumulated over 6,000 passing yards as well as 55 passing touchdowns while Oklahoma State as a team consistently finished among the country’s best in scoring offense.

The big reason behind Fields’ success at Oklahoma State was that he had a capable offensive coordinator that could develop him into a solid passer in Mike Gundy as well as had a solid running back in Tatum Bell in the backfield that could take the pressure off him and get big runs for the offense.

The world was first introduced to Jordan Jefferson in 2008, after the Covington, Louisiana native appeared in seven games for the Tigers, starting two of those games, including the 2008 Chik-Fil-A Bowl in which he was named offensive MVP in LSU’s 38-3 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The following season, Jefferson would throw for 2,166 yards, including 17 touchdown passes in his first season as the full-time starter for the Bayou Bengals as LSU finished the season 9-4 and earned a trip to the Capital One Bowl where they would lose to Penn State.

In Jefferson’s rear view at quarterback was a Texas kid by the name of Calen Jarrett Lee, who had more than 30 scholarship offers including Kansas State, Nebraska, and Oklahoma before committing to LSU on May 30, 2006.

While not seeing time during the 2007 championship season due to redshirting, Lee would see considerable action during the 2008 season, going 4-4, including a victory over the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium before breaking his ankle.

The season that Lee put together at QB was deemed as one of the best for a freshman LSU quarterback since the legendary Tommy Hodson’s 1986 SEC Championship season. Lee would finish the 2008 season with over 1,800 yards passing, including 14 touchdown passes, which would be second only to Hodson’s stats 22 years ago for the Tigers.

While Lee was proving to be a capable quarterback, he was also prone to making mistakes earning the dubious nickname “Pick Six Lee” because of his ability to throw interceptions, including seven that were returned for touchdowns, leading the NCAA in that category during the 2008 season.

During the 2010 season however, LSU’s passing attack was almost nonexistent although at the quarterback position Lee and Jefferson split duties. Jefferson for the season threw for 1,253 yards and four touchdowns while Lee completed 54-for-89 for 573 yards, two TD passes, and one interception as the Bayou Bengals went 10-2 in the regular season and won the Cotton Bowl.

As the 2011 season drew near, there were still some LSU fans, including myself, that believed that either Georgia transfer Zach Mettenberger or Jarrett Lee should get the starting QB job over Jefferson, except for one person.

Cassie.

“I don’t think,” I said to her, “it matters who the quarterback is. If we had Betty White back there behind center in purple and gold, I’ll still support whoever it is. But Jordan Jefferson at QB sometimes is like having Charlie Brown on the pitcher’s mound. You have to pray to God that he doesn’t screw up.”

“Regardless of what everyone else says,” she said, “I’m still on Team JJ. I have tons of faith in him at quarterback.”

“Maybe I should have some right?” I asked, “I mean all last year I had to spend all my time before games praying to the Lord that he didn’t screw up.”

“Yes.”

“I want to believe, hun,” I said, “Even though he played well in the spring game, I still have my doubts.”

“You shouldn’t have any doubts,” she said.

“Well maybe you’re right. Crowton isn’t around anymore to kill the hopes and dreams of Louisiana kids.”

The distance from Memphis, Tennessee to Baton Rouge, Louisiana is roughly close to 400 miles.

To get to Baton Rouge from Memphis, you hop on Interstate 240 West, merge onto Interstate 55 South heading towards Jackson, Mississippi at “Malfunction Junction”, where 240 and 55 intersect, and you’re well on your way towards the Red Stick.

After you pass Jackson, Mississippi, the town where Medgar Evers died and where Ross Barnett ruled the Magnolia State with an iron fist hell bent on keeping blacks and whites apart 50 years ago, you come to a place called McComb, Mississippi.

McComb, unlike Memphis, where I grew up and currently live, is only known as a pit stop between Jackson and New Orleans and more famously as the town that gave us a singer by the name of Britney Jean Spears that later spent her childhood in nearby Kentwood, Louisiana.

No one would have thought that in 2011, the city in which one of the greatest pop stars was born in, that one of their residents would become well-known for a saying that was based on an old TV show thanks to the wonders of Twitter.

As a kid that was primarily raised by his grandmother, I always heard stories about old TV shows such as “Dragnet”, “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” and “The Ed Sullivan Show”.

Every time one of those shows would come on TV, I would always ask a million questions about the people that were in the show.

“They’re dead,” my grandmother would often say.

During much of my childhood, WKNO-TV in Memphis on Saturday nights ran a show known as “TV to Remember”, which a show that focused on programs of yesteryear.

Hosted by Memphis TV legend Jim Eikkner, it was always great bonding time for me and my grandmother on those weekend nights and it introduced me to programs such as the “Jack Benny Show” as well as a show known as “Burns and Allen.”
“George Burns was on TV?” I asked my grandmother once, because for people in my age group, George Burns was the guy that had the big glasses and the cigar that played in movies.

“For a long time,” she replied.

Much like the George Burns that I remembered from the movies I watched growing up, the Burns that was on television, the one that I was introduced to because of my grandmother, was funny.

The only difference was that unlike the Burns that I knew from the movies, this one didn’t have a pair of glasses, just the trademark cigar.

And he had a comedy partner by the name of Gracie Allen, who also was his wife.

“They don’t make TV shows like this anymore,” my grandmother would always say, “The quality was better back then.”

At the end of every show, George and Gracie would do a monologue in front of a curtain that was filled with all the cities they did their vaudeville routines and at the end, George would say to Gracie, “Say goodnight, Gracie”

In turn, according to legend, Gracie would say “Goodnight, Gracie.”

However, that was not the truth.

“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In,” a show that launched the careers of comedians such as Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn, was the reason why people assumed that Allen, who died in 1964, said “Goodnight, Gracie”.

At the end of each show, Rowan would say to his comedy partner, Dick Martin

“Say goodnight, Dick,” and in response, Martin would say, “Goodnight, Dick!!!!!”

In 2010, a study that was done by Scarborough Sports Marketing showed that the SEC was the number-one conference for female football fans.

The study revealed that 19 percent did one of the following, attended an SEC game, listened to it on radio, or watched a game on television during the past year.

Of course, the fact that the SEC was #1 among the Power Six conferences for female football fans came as no surprise.

You see, down in the South, our women are more than just pretty faces that CBS cameras love to focus on in places like Death Valley and Tuscaloosa.
Beneath the facades that TV networks show us, the vast majority of women below the Mason-Dixon Line are as likely to break down the throwing mechanics of Aaron Murray as a Kirk Herbstreit or a Gary Danielson.

Not only that, our women will curse up a storm when their favorite team makes a bonehead coaching decision on the field or when they see lack of effort.

One of those ladies was a girl by the name of Cassie Roberts, a resident of McComb, Mississippi, who like me, was a huge LSU football fan that lived and died with every play whenever the Bayou Bengals took the field.

Prior to the beginning of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, Roberts, much like most of the followers I have on Twitter, was just another face in the crowd, lost in the shuffle of SEC fans that were brave enough to pay attention to my antics and commentary on Southern sports.

Fact is one of the first conversations I had with Cassie was when Patrick Peterson, regarded as one of the best defensive players during the 2010 season and later a first-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals, had his combine workout.

“I never paid any attention to the NFL combine,” I said to her, “but since you asked, I guess I could keep you posted on how well he does.”

In Memphis, Pete Pranica, the TV voice of the Grizzlies pays homage to the radio voice of the Green Bay Packers, Wayne Larrivee by saying “And there’s your dagger” after the Grizzlies puts games out of reach.

During Game 5 of the first round series between the Grizzlies and the Spurs, the Spurs went on a torrid run to begin the game and by the time the end of the first half, I thought for the most part, there’s no way that the Grizzlies was going to put up a fight or even win.

If anything, they were going to return to Memphis and possibly win Game 6 to move on to the Western Conference Semifinals.

In the moment, while sitting in FedEx Forum with maybe 2,000 Grizz fans, I pulled out my phone and tweeted these exact words.

“Say goodnight, Cassie, this one’s over.”

For the most part, I felt that this was a one-time thing and the fact that Cassie rhymed with Gracie of “Burns and Allen”, it was a lot easier to tweet, more like saying “milk and cookies”.

However, while the catchphrase was originally an attempt at countering Pranica’s and Larrivee’s “And there is your dagger”, certain people in Memphis assumed that I was using it to show my supposed anti-Grizz stance, which all came to a head after the Grizzlies dispatched the Spurs in the first round.

Two days after the Grizz-Spurs series, as the Grizz were set to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, I made a statement about the Grizz’s chances in Game 1 on Twitter. “They will win the series,” I said, “but I don’t like their chances today against the Thunder. Thunder is the more rested team and the Grizz have tired legs.”

One person took affront to that statement.

“When the hell are you going to give the Grizzlies any credit?” they asked me. “Why don’t you go back to being a Celtics fan and leave us alone?”

The following day, the hits kept on coming with my supposed anti-Grizz stance.
“My question to you is when you’re going to stop being a Grizz hater?”
“Define the word hater for me,” I shot back, “Don’t worry I’ll wait.”

The first time I knew that “Say goodnight, Cassie” was going to rankle some feathers in Memphis was when a lady via Twitter gave me a tongue lashing about my supposed anti-Grizz stance after the NBA Finals concluded.

“From the looks of things,” she said, “you don’t like anything about the Grizzlies. Always calling games and just having a piss poor attitude about the team.”

“Uh,” I said, “before April you couldn’t get people to go to games down there. So where the hell did all of this Grizz Fever come from? Because as I recall there was little to any before they made their run.”

The whole experience from the spring of 2011 left an almost sour taste in my mouth, not because of the criticism of my opinions, but the attacks that at times seemed to be rather personal in nature from people in my own hometown.

But no one could foresee that more than three months later, that same catchy catchphrase would make an ordinary Southern belle famous all thanks to a season like no other in Baton Rouge.