So while we're a few weeks removed from witnessing one the most magical moments in Mississippi State history, I kept getting the urge to share my perspective of the whole deal. Maybe for some to relate to but also for me to put into words one of the most memorable events I've ever been part of. If not for anyone else, for me.
What better place to share than with my fellow heathens on SPS?
Where did it start for me? Well like many of you, I quietly followed our guys throughout the entire season this year. I rarely missed a game on TV. Friday nights are typically Xbox night for me so I even set up a projector to project the games on the wall above the tv while I either wreaked havoc in GTA, got humbled in COD, or ran the same five plays on offense in Madden.
Throughout the season I'd halfway joke with my wife that if we made it to the finals this year, I had to go. She'd half jokingly reply with a grin, playful eye roll, and a "Sure Bakes". Now mind you, this is a wife that has to deal with me as a husband as well as 2 boys both under the age of 4. Bless her.
I remember not being able to go in 2013 because of football and it KILLED me. Actually a lot of the football guys really wanted to go.
Fast forward to post-season play.
We win the Regional. I remind her. Grin, playful eye roll, "Sure Bakes".
We win the Super Regional. I remind her again. Grin, playful eye roll, "Sure Bakes".
CWS. I kept it in check and kept quiet as we witnessed a Bulldog team that absolutely battled and showed an uncanny amount of GRIT in the College World Series.
Then we got to the Virginia game that we all remember well. What we're quick to forget (me included) is most of that game was gut wrenching to watch. I had a feeling it was going to be a hard fought game. I set up on the back porch, tv on, and started a Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne cigar. I knew I was going to need a cigar that would last me through the game. Boy did I draw on that cigar hard during the majority of that game.
The magical 8th inning happens. We knock out Virginia. I remind her again. Grin, playful eye roll, "Sure Bakes".
Texas game comes. Everything is on the line. We all know it. Leggett's walk off. Insane. I was ecstatic but also annoyed because apparently my live feed was about 20 seconds behind the actual game. I get a TWITTER notification of the walk off before it happens. Anti climatic. But I remember getting the notification, turning to my wife and saying "Oh my God I think we just won". Sure enough, next pitch happens and we're headed to the finals.
I remind her again. Grin, playful eye roll, "Well you better start booking your flight and hotel before they get sold out". This is a wife that is knowingly giving up the help at home for a couple of days to let me go and potentially experience Mississippi State history. Huge shoutout to Mrs. Swede.
Flights booked. Hotel booked. Oh crap what about tickets? Fortunately, one of our fellow posters, prdubya, hooked me up. Huge shout out to him. He said to bring it home. Little did we both know...
I land in Omaha. My parents had actually driven up earlier in the week so they picked me up at the airport.
Guys, I've been blessed to play in some big football games for State during my tenure there, but I was truly MORE nervous for each of these final games that I ever was for football. We all knew what this could mean for our university.
So what did I see in Omaha?
While we all knew Dak was there, I saw a bunch of other ex-players. To me that was pretty cool. I guess we saw it from the player's perspective and knew how big of a deal it was in their eyes. That also speaks to the family aspect of Mississippi State. It's not some term we throw around. No, once you're a bulldog you're always a bulldog.
I saw a Mississippi State team that wasn't like the typical team we see. I mean no offense to any past teams when I say this, and this includes teams I was on when I was there. But this particular Mississippi State baseball team got hit in the mouth with adversity time and time again and they continued to get back up, wiped the blood off, and refused to falter in their will to win it all. There was no aw shucks well maybe next time. In fact just the opposite. I saw a team that when they got hit in the mouth, they took the approach of "Ok now you've pissed me off and you're about to pay royally". I mean truly it was like watching a western sometimes with this squad. Tombstone-esque if you will. After the first game against Vandy in the finals, it's like our team came back and collectively said, "You tell em I'm coming. And hell's coming with me". That's what a blue blood does.
I saw a home field advantage in Omaha. Guys it was truly a sea of maroon. Everywhere you looked. It was incredible to witness. Downtown Omaha was just covered with maroon. During the game it was even crazier. I have no doubt it gave our players some confidence and I also have no doubt it took some confidence from Vandy. I mean truly, Vandy had one little section of fans and that was it. The rest of the stadium was maroon. It reminded me of when I'd go to the SEC basketball tournament during the Stansbury days. You'd get there and there'd be a sea of blue. Kentucky fans EVERYWHERE. Omaha was like that for us except even bigger. We took over that city.
Let's fast forward the last out of game three. I have a feeling that some share the same thought I had. I was wanting and expecting it to end with Sims throwing that signature up and in heater and blow it right by the batter for strike three. The bunt caught me off guard. I wasn't ready. Fortunately I had my phone recording just in case.
Bunt is down. We throw him out. Mississippi State just won the national championship.
I'll never forget this moment. I literally didn't know what to do at first. It was like that Ricky Bobby moment where "I don't know what to do with my hands" type situation. I hug my mom and then turn to my dad and say, "This is going to change everything for Mississippi State" as we hug. I look around and I see grown men crying. I see smiles and looks of disbelief like "did we really just win the national championship?". I see nothing but love for Mississippi State University shared by thousands in that stadium. I see families hugging. I see strangers hugging. I see incredible unity. Unity that we all long for deep down. Where we've all put our differences aside. All as one, celebrating this moment. Not white people and black people, not democrats and republicans. But instead, one true unified Mississippi State family. This is why sports are so great. You rarely get that kind of unification on such a macro level. Sometimes at concerts. But nothing of the magnitude of which was in Omaha that incredible night.
I'm damn proud to be a Bulldog. That's what I saw in Omaha.
Hail State.
What better place to share than with my fellow heathens on SPS?
Where did it start for me? Well like many of you, I quietly followed our guys throughout the entire season this year. I rarely missed a game on TV. Friday nights are typically Xbox night for me so I even set up a projector to project the games on the wall above the tv while I either wreaked havoc in GTA, got humbled in COD, or ran the same five plays on offense in Madden.
Throughout the season I'd halfway joke with my wife that if we made it to the finals this year, I had to go. She'd half jokingly reply with a grin, playful eye roll, and a "Sure Bakes". Now mind you, this is a wife that has to deal with me as a husband as well as 2 boys both under the age of 4. Bless her.
I remember not being able to go in 2013 because of football and it KILLED me. Actually a lot of the football guys really wanted to go.
Fast forward to post-season play.
We win the Regional. I remind her. Grin, playful eye roll, "Sure Bakes".
We win the Super Regional. I remind her again. Grin, playful eye roll, "Sure Bakes".
CWS. I kept it in check and kept quiet as we witnessed a Bulldog team that absolutely battled and showed an uncanny amount of GRIT in the College World Series.
Then we got to the Virginia game that we all remember well. What we're quick to forget (me included) is most of that game was gut wrenching to watch. I had a feeling it was going to be a hard fought game. I set up on the back porch, tv on, and started a Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne cigar. I knew I was going to need a cigar that would last me through the game. Boy did I draw on that cigar hard during the majority of that game.
The magical 8th inning happens. We knock out Virginia. I remind her again. Grin, playful eye roll, "Sure Bakes".
Texas game comes. Everything is on the line. We all know it. Leggett's walk off. Insane. I was ecstatic but also annoyed because apparently my live feed was about 20 seconds behind the actual game. I get a TWITTER notification of the walk off before it happens. Anti climatic. But I remember getting the notification, turning to my wife and saying "Oh my God I think we just won". Sure enough, next pitch happens and we're headed to the finals.
I remind her again. Grin, playful eye roll, "Well you better start booking your flight and hotel before they get sold out". This is a wife that is knowingly giving up the help at home for a couple of days to let me go and potentially experience Mississippi State history. Huge shoutout to Mrs. Swede.
Flights booked. Hotel booked. Oh crap what about tickets? Fortunately, one of our fellow posters, prdubya, hooked me up. Huge shout out to him. He said to bring it home. Little did we both know...
I land in Omaha. My parents had actually driven up earlier in the week so they picked me up at the airport.
Guys, I've been blessed to play in some big football games for State during my tenure there, but I was truly MORE nervous for each of these final games that I ever was for football. We all knew what this could mean for our university.
So what did I see in Omaha?
While we all knew Dak was there, I saw a bunch of other ex-players. To me that was pretty cool. I guess we saw it from the player's perspective and knew how big of a deal it was in their eyes. That also speaks to the family aspect of Mississippi State. It's not some term we throw around. No, once you're a bulldog you're always a bulldog.
I saw a Mississippi State team that wasn't like the typical team we see. I mean no offense to any past teams when I say this, and this includes teams I was on when I was there. But this particular Mississippi State baseball team got hit in the mouth with adversity time and time again and they continued to get back up, wiped the blood off, and refused to falter in their will to win it all. There was no aw shucks well maybe next time. In fact just the opposite. I saw a team that when they got hit in the mouth, they took the approach of "Ok now you've pissed me off and you're about to pay royally". I mean truly it was like watching a western sometimes with this squad. Tombstone-esque if you will. After the first game against Vandy in the finals, it's like our team came back and collectively said, "You tell em I'm coming. And hell's coming with me". That's what a blue blood does.
I saw a home field advantage in Omaha. Guys it was truly a sea of maroon. Everywhere you looked. It was incredible to witness. Downtown Omaha was just covered with maroon. During the game it was even crazier. I have no doubt it gave our players some confidence and I also have no doubt it took some confidence from Vandy. I mean truly, Vandy had one little section of fans and that was it. The rest of the stadium was maroon. It reminded me of when I'd go to the SEC basketball tournament during the Stansbury days. You'd get there and there'd be a sea of blue. Kentucky fans EVERYWHERE. Omaha was like that for us except even bigger. We took over that city.
Let's fast forward the last out of game three. I have a feeling that some share the same thought I had. I was wanting and expecting it to end with Sims throwing that signature up and in heater and blow it right by the batter for strike three. The bunt caught me off guard. I wasn't ready. Fortunately I had my phone recording just in case.
Bunt is down. We throw him out. Mississippi State just won the national championship.
I'll never forget this moment. I literally didn't know what to do at first. It was like that Ricky Bobby moment where "I don't know what to do with my hands" type situation. I hug my mom and then turn to my dad and say, "This is going to change everything for Mississippi State" as we hug. I look around and I see grown men crying. I see smiles and looks of disbelief like "did we really just win the national championship?". I see nothing but love for Mississippi State University shared by thousands in that stadium. I see families hugging. I see strangers hugging. I see incredible unity. Unity that we all long for deep down. Where we've all put our differences aside. All as one, celebrating this moment. Not white people and black people, not democrats and republicans. But instead, one true unified Mississippi State family. This is why sports are so great. You rarely get that kind of unification on such a macro level. Sometimes at concerts. But nothing of the magnitude of which was in Omaha that incredible night.
I'm damn proud to be a Bulldog. That's what I saw in Omaha.
Hail State.
