You Really Got Me This Time, Gamecocks

Dear Gamecocks,

I gotta say, you really got me this time. I was hook, line and sinker my friends.

Yeah, we had a positive start to the season. The wins over Southern Miss and Georgia were all right I guess. Beating Georgia any time at anything is a positive. Then there was that stinking Furman game. And it stunk, trust me. That “here we go again” feeling was back, but at least we escaped with a win.

Auburn was a pretty good game, I’ll hand it to you. No moral victories, but you guys played well in a hostile environment against what has turned out to be a pretty good team. There were some classic Gamecock mistakes thrown in there at the end, of course. But that game left no reason to get terribly optimistic, right?

Yep, the season was cruising along at a very USC-like pace. We’d lose to Alabama, then string together a few wins and cross our fingers heading into the final stretch.

But then came Alabama. Whoa, man, that was a doozy. I mean, you guys beat the defending national champs SOUNDLY. I have to admit, I bought in. Bought in hard. Even with all my experience with you guys, I was there. Seriously. I even wrote about “limitless possibilities” or some tripe like that.

You were the media darlings. Spurrier was back. Garcia had matured into a real, live quarterback. Lattimore and Jeffery on the same team? Just not fair. Sure, the defense gave up a few passing yards, so what? That’s part of the price you pay stopping guys like Ingram and Richardson.

I looked down the schedule – Kentucky, win. Vandy, win. Tennessee, win. Arky, win Florida, win the SEC East. Troy…seriously? Clemson, win. Whoa. Not only are we in the SEC Championship Game, we’re in the discussion for…

No, no, I didn’t get quite that far. But I could see it from where I was standing.

Sure, I heard all the talk about a letdown against Kentucky. I even cautioned against it myself when talking to all the folks patting my back over the ‘Bama game. But deep down I was having none of it. “This team is SO different,” I thought.

You guys even kept the ruse going in the first half against the ‘Cats. Not to play ifs and buts, but take away those three turnovers and you guys are up, what, 35-0? 42-0? I was OK with an 18-point cushion, though, so I forgave the mistakes. No way you guys could blow that lead.

Then came the punk. A real second half Chernobyl. I went from laid back on the couch, to sitting up, to edge of my seat, to standing, to outright larynx-busting yelling at the TV. And the coup de gras? You give up the go-ahead TD…drive to their 20-yard line with 11 seconds to go…call your final timeout with the clock stopped…then throw a pick?

Bravo, Gamecocks, BRA-VO.

So, Gamecocks, here is my point – I’m done with you. I’m done watching you, reading about you, writing about you, following you. I’ve had it. I’m tired of losing sleep when you lose. I’m tired of being in a foul mood for days after a loss. I’m tired of being a jerk while suffering through your games.

I’m going to spend more time with my family. I’m going to get to work on that bathroom remodel my wife and I have been talking about. Maybe go fishing or play a little golf. I’m going to sell that 50-inch TV (which I bought for you, by the way), because I’m done.

D-O-N-E…

Sigh…

OK, so see you Saturday night? Seven o’clock, right?