I've often said that this current Alabama run isn't as bad as the 70s because we have at least been occasionally competitive and kept them from a decade-long dominance.
I'm on the verge of changing that point of view.
Went Black Friday shopping last night. Hit the outlet mall about 11. This year my crew all wanted to wear ugly Christmas sweaters so I went along. The only one I had was an Auburn one I've had for a couple of years.
Again, I don't know what it is about my appearance/demeanor that makes people think they can give me shit, but it was one taunt after another pretty much from the minute we got out of the car. Shoppers, sales clerks, waiters all got in on the act.
Some of the more redneck shoppers were openly hostile to me and my family much as I imagine I'd be treated if I were walking around in Vermont with my Make America Great again hat/shirt. One big redneck shoulder bumped us mumbling crap about "who the hayull we thank we is.."
I could rarely get checked out without some airhead sales girl or guy asking if I thought we could score, because they'd give us a field goal for sympathy but that was about all. I usually said something along the lines of 'this is one of those years I probably won't even watch, Alabama's so good it won't be much of a game." That was almost inevitably followed up with "Well, at least you can admit it/accept it."
It's tradition that our shopping night ends with a trip to Waffle House at 3 or 4 am. Sometimes that's just a refueling station because we keep on going after, but others, like last night, we're done with it. Order the food and the waitress brings everybody else's food out but mine. The cook brings my plate and says he can't set it down until I give him a big Rawll Tide. I refused. Told him I'd rather not eat. He yucks it up, says he was just kidding and it's too bad what they're going to do to us on Saturday. I still didn't eat it. Told the waitress to take it off my bill because I didn't want it. Those places are dirty enough as it is, no telling what he did to my eggs and hashbrowns. My family is terrified I'm going to start some shit, but I don't. I just wait until we leave and then I tell the guy to just remember which side of the counter he's on. He doesn't get it.
I would so love to somehow break them on Saturday. Not for me, but for every single one of those crowing, arrogant, bandwagon assholes.
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