MBAalumnus

good for him, seriously. I respect ANYONE who does that job, certainly a WR willing to do it. I would be shocked in his case if Flatt just said, "hey you, you're the long snapper." I'm sure he stepped up for the team, like Santi did. No one will ever remember the dozens of good snaps Santi has probably snapped this year. Both those guys deserve credit for performing a thankless (but crucial) part of a football game...

give me a freaking break...this has obviously passed over your head...but I can assure you no MBA coach "demanded" that Santi be the long snapper, leaving him with a decision, "Well, coach, I'd like to sip my iced tea during that part of practice instead, being a D1 signee and all"...I will all but guarantee he VOLUNTEERED to take on this thankless job because he wants to help his team...maybe he's done it his whole life, maybe he loves it, who knows? All I know is that he has taken on a thankless responsibility... name me another star player (a TE no less, not even a regular lineman) who also plays long snapper...

I put this on the other thread and I'll say it again here: Santi deserves a h-ll of a lot of credit IMO for serving as the team's long snapper...he's a D1 signee and certainly has no obligation to serve as the team's long snapper; usually it's some back-up who's looking to get on the field...I would just assume he does it because he's a team player and will do anything for his team...rest assured, being a long snapper means extra practice time at an unglamorous, thankless position...so it's a real testament to the kid that he's willing to do that...I can assure you I looked the other way whenever a coach said, "we need long-snappers." so, props to Santi for sacking up and doing that job...no worries on the bad snap as it shouldn't have mattered...

let's phrase it this way: these are two very good teams, and there can be no doubt that in an evenly matched game like this one, neither team can expect to win despite bad calls...the debate we should be having is "why on earth did Flatt call a qb draw from the 10 with no time outs?" A bad snap is poor execution that no coach can overcome; calling a qb draw in that situation is inexplicable... I have to say, this is all "deja vu all over again," as last week I relived here in Michigan the 2001 UM-MSU game, when MSU won in an almost identical matter...but their debate was that "spartan bob" was home-cookin' the clock...doesn't seem to be the case here...

comment on Santi: if he is the long snapper for MBA, then kudos to him...seriously...is there a more thankless job in football than being the long snapper? The only time you get noticed is when you mess up...Usually, the job is reserved for someone who isn't on the field...if he nutted up and volunteered to be the long snapper as one of the most important athletes on the team, then props to him...of course, no one will remember the thousand good snaps he's had, only this one...hence the difficluty of that position...certainly I never stepped forward to take on that thankless job...that's a team player... I've had a day to recover and I feel good about things...our kids will have some serious fire in their bellies in the coming weeks....I sure wouldn't want to play us right now...

I don't want to hear a single MBA person reduced to the level of complaining about officiating...TOMMY OWEN WOULDN'T HAVE IT!!! BA won. Shake their hand and get ready for Saturday morning running..... Edit: Ricky Bowers wouldn't tolerate it either! nor Jeff Rutlege!

it's all moot now...can't complain about the clock...BA won; let's just move on...I have a funny feeling that some guys will be motivted by all this...

well, regretably, I just put a phone call into BigRedBud, who filled me in on the details....don't know what to say...must have been something for the ages....hope we can rebound...if we have to lose, let's just lose now....sidenote, MSU-UM 2001 scorekeeper says, "well done!!!!!!!!!!"

final pick here: 20-16, Big Red...testing my career as a handicapper, I come up with MBA-4.5 as the line based on data from Wes's site...

come on, Wes! Enjoy your night! Watching that game is just going to disappoint you!

well, should be a good one this weekend: best of the old vs. best of the new...have plenty of "action" going with my BA friends...based on your website, I set the line at MBA-4.5 (victory margin in DII games)...

well, when I was in 8th grade, BA won the scrimmage like 57-0 (the '88 team which beat Pascagoula with Shane Matthews and Terrell Buckley 6-0 there and won state pretty handily). Don't remember '89. In '90, when BA had Bubba Miller and Al Allen (before he had to quit) we scrimmaged to a 14-14 tie...but, the funny part is that BA scored in the third to take 14-7 lead...we scored next to tie at 14 and both teams cleared the bench at that point...but, the BA version of events was that "MBA scored a meaningless late td against the back ups, and that BA had 'won' the scrimmage 14-7" strangely, the scrimmage was rained out in both '91 and '92, and I don't think it was ever played again...there's a history lesson for you...

ahaa! now, you have to decide whose version of the story you believe, Wes...this was a hot topic when I was around (we used to scrimmage in August)...the MBA version (I learned years later) was that Coach Owen asked to play the game every year and Carlton wouldn't do it, sorta playing Lou Holtz, "MBA would beat us so bad," even as they were playing Pascagoula, Moeller, et al...I guess probably only a handful know what is fact and what is fiction...

I'm not questioning BA's success, as there are a ton of little schools in the state that "could have been BA," but there's only one BA...it's just that 30 years does not tradition make... anyways, trivia piece for you: did you know that Coach Owen actually coached at BA? From (trying to remember) 77-79 maybe? I have never had anyone really explain that one to me...

MBA's tradition is pretty much unequaled, IMO, in terms of the real meaning of the word... but, as the son of a Springfield grad, I must pimp their tradition a bit as well... Boyce Smith and Tommy Owen were very close to one another in all time wins, several below the Milan coach...they were very solid during his peak years ('50's and '60's)...Coach Owen and my dad used to talk all the time his battles with Coach Smith... I'd say BA is a lot like FSU: they exploded on the scene but don't really have any tradition (as the school is only 30 years old, roughly).

hmmm...BigRedDog? who was it? both were great.

the thing I remember most about the game is how fast it went. It was over in less than 2 hours, even with the 2OT's. Both teams just ran and ran and kept the clock moving...No penalties? Wow. Don't remember that. I would say BA had more talent, as that team was loaded...However, the fact that Ricky B had them on the ropes is a testament to his coaching ability...I think had we gone for two (hmmmm...digging deep here, wasn't Max Fuller qb?) with some sort of roll out, we would have converted and won...

Tullahoma!!! man that field is sweet! (or it at least it was a long time ago when I played there)...White's Creek was like playing on a parking lot...

I hear ya...

this is his email: Not that this has any bearing, but MBA has already won the division title, capturing a home playoff game on Nov. 14. The TSSAA in some screwed up fashion designates only 4 games to be "division games." The BA game isn't one of them and record-wise makes zero difference. The only damage it does is knock MBA off the lofty No. 11 USA Today ranking. How that's determined is still a mystery. interesting...

that in and of itself makes sense. but what of this "non-region" business? have you heard anything about that?

can someone explain this? my friend at the MBA alumni office tells me that this is not a "region" game and that MBA has already locked up 1st-round bye and home field adv. He says that the TSSAA designates 4 league games and this isn't one of them...the only thing at stake in this one is MBA's USA Today ranking...can anyone confirm/explain?

correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that '96 game a 2OT game? I remember MBA tied it late, and to my thinking, should have just gone for 2 right there and the outright win...I guess we kicked a fg in OT and BA scored a td...there was just no way, with hs OT rules (ball on 10) that we were going to keep BA from scoring a td...it was equally charged but suffered from being played Friday before Thanksgiving...both those games were basically like SEC night games as far as I'm concerned...

I already posted this on another thread, but were any of you at the first ever BA-MBA game in 1995, in the 5-A semifinals? I promise you, I was at the Titans Super Bowl, the UT Fiesta Bowl, and many great other college football and pro games, and nothing will ever compare to the atmosphere at that game...it was Thanksgiving weekend, Friday night...Ricky vs. Carlton...two best teams in the state slugging it out for the first time with a 5A clinic bowl berth on the line...farthest MBA had ever made it in the state tourney...it was simply as good as football gets...