The Streak Continues: Hoover beats Spain Park, again

If you're wondering what Tommy Tuberville is doing these days, evidence suggests he may be coaching the Spain Park Jaguars in Hoover, Alabama.  How else to explain the Tubervillian display of 2nd half prevent offense that turned a 21-0 halftime lead for the Jags into a 24-21 win for the Hoover Buccaneers.  The worst example was after Hoover scored the tying TD with 2:25 left in the 4th.  Spain Park chose to run 3 plays up the middle - each one stuffed by Hoover - and to punt back to the Bucs with over a minute left.  Predictably, Hoover drove for the game-winning field goal with seconds left.

A little history: Spain Park has never, in its 8-years of playing football, beat cross-town rival Hoover.  Coming into the game last night, both teams were undefeated.  Spain Park jumped out to a 21-0 lead with the help of 3 1st half interceptions.  But the Jags wouldn't score again after the bands left the field.  Hoover scored 17 points in the 4th quarter.  2 missed Spain Park field goals made the difference in the game.

When it comes to watching football with your 3yo son, there are proud moments and there are, well, less proud moments.  He yells, "hit him, tackle him!" on kick returns.  When we were watching the Auburn/Ball State replay, he demanded that I rewind to the part where the man throws the ball to the other man who runs to the inside.  I rewinded to the part where Todd threw a screen pass to Zachery that went for a TD.  "No, Daddy, he ran to the OUTSIDE!"  True enough, son.  He actually called me into the den to see Colorado's field goal attempt hit the upright on Thursday.  These are proud moments.

Then, last night, on the way home from the game, I asked him what his favorite part was.  His answer? The Big Zaxby's Chicken.

The highlight of going to any football game with Mrs. McHugh is the halftime criticism of the bands' baton twirlers.  The clearest indicator of the decline of Western Civilization is the fact that when she was in high school, Hoover's band had 300 members and, roughly, 25* majorettes.  Now,  the 1 or 2 "featured twirlers" in most HS bands could hold practice in a phone booth.

Anyway, in 11 years of watching games with the former Hoover majorette, the only baton-twirlers to measure up, as viewed through her crimson-colored lenses, are the Crimsonettes of Bama's Million Dollar Band.  But last night, the 2 twirlers from Spain Park got passing grades from the Missus, performing such impressive baton maneuvers as 3-baton, showers and horizontal showers, 2-turns, 1 turn illusions, and exchanges.  Hoover's featured twirler, on the other hand, dropped the baton and generally embarrassed herself.  But she did have a better costume.

* Actually, 8.