Go Dawgs! The pancake curse is broken.

Alberta, of the Courtyard Marriott in Pasadena, CA,  promised to bring me three pancakes and bacon for breakfast on Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. She promised. She left me hanging. When the Bulldogs fell behind Oklahoma 31-14 in the Rose Bowl's first half, I turned to Vicki and said, "This is not on me. I asked for the damn pancakes. Alberta didn't bring them."

*****
Me, in my Reed Hall dorm room, 1980
I am a Georgia Bulldog fan and a UGA graduate. I was a Boy Scout usher at Georgia games during the 1970s. The Dawgs won the 1980 national championship in my senior year - my class ring commemorates it. I wear the logo. I have the license plates. I donate some money. I have the degree. I get the magazines. I've met Vince Dooley, exchanged letters with Mark Richt, and even had breakfast five times (at Snooky's restaurant) with the late Erk Russell after he moved on to Georgia Southern. For 26 years and counting, I've stood up proud in the epicenter - the vortex - of enemy territory - Gamecock country, Columbia, SC. Anytime I see another rare Georgia fan in South Carolina I shout, "Go Dawgs, sic 'em. Woof, woof, woof." This generates instant friendships. I've even been hugged by strangers at Walmart - grown men who hugged me like my woofs were a drink of water in the desert.

But, let me be clear: I am not the world's greatest Georgia Bulldog fan. While I love Georgia football and follow Georgia football, I've attended more bowl games in the past 25 years than home games, and I've not attended that many bowl games. I don't particularly like crowds and crowd-related travel. This is why I haven't been to New York City.

The greatest fan that I know is Marcy Smith Gravitt, who I love like a cousin because she is one. Our great grandfathers (Vaughan) were brothers; our grandfathers (Vaughan) were cousins and good friends, too. Beyond that, Marcy has been one of my closest friends since elementary school. Marcy and her tribe, which expands to close friends, attend every single Bulldog game - home and away. She is a statistic, trivia, and Georgia Bulldog history warehouse. I'm willing to bet every stitch of clothing my dear red-headed cousin owns is either red, black, or white. She should be on the school's Athletic Board. My humble opinion.
*****
Beginning with the opener this year against Appalachian State, I began a little Game Day sequence. About 9:30 a.m., I cooked thick-sliced bacon. At 9:55 a.m., I cooked three pancakes that I affectionately called my Game Day pancakes. Three pancakes. Just three. At 10 a.m., I stood in front of the television that I call "Big Alice" and danced (sometimes with a reluctant Vicki) to Robert Randolph's "Party Wherever We Go" at the opening of SEC Nation on the SEC Network. Then, I sat down and ate my bacon and pancakes. After SEC Nation concluded at Noon, I did yard work or watched football or ran errands until Georgia played. I don't miss the Dawgs on television.

Well, we beat Appalachian State. Then, we rolled to 9-0, and that's 27 pancakes if you are counting. 

On that 10th Saturday, when we traveled to Auburn, I messed up.

I had four pancakes. It was one pancake too far. 

The Dawgs got hammered 40-17. I confessed my sin on Facebook. That loss was all on me and the greedy extra pancake. I got back on track the next week, and we cruised over Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and the rematch with Auburn that won the SEC and sent us to the playoffs.

*****
I don't know what we did before we had bucket lists because Lord knows everyone now has a list. Vicki has always wanted to see the Rose Bowl parade. That's on her bucket list.

The Queen said, "Book it."
So, when Vicki (also a UGA graduate - 1986 - and a Delta, Delta, Delta sorority alum - "Delta Love!") saw the Dawgs had drawn the Rose Bowl for this year's playoffs series, well, the stars had lined up. You surely know how rare a chance it is for an SEC team to go to the Rose Bowl in the current configuration of Bowl assignments and playoff rotations. To see Georgia in the Rose Bowl could well be the mythical once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's only happened once before - 1943.

"Book it," The Queen V said. "We are going." She pushed all her bucket list chips to the center of the table. 

To be honest, for Vicki it was more about the parade, which is why we stayed in Pasadena and did nothing but Rose Bowl activities in Pasadena. We had already been to LA twice and done the Hollywood tours. The Playboy Mansion and Bob Hope's house aren't what they used to be. When The Rugrats got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, well, that stretch of fabled sidewalk lost all of its credibility and became a sign of the Apocolypse. By Rodeo Drive standards, we are as poor as church mice and there's no good point in shopping that leaves you depressed.

*****
On Sunday morning, at breakfast, Alberta of the Courtyard promised she would have three pancakes and bacon for me on Monday morning before we left for the parade and then the Rose Bowl game. I got up at 4 a.m. and was at breakfast by 5 a.m. Alberta wasn't working. She had not passed on the information. There were no pancakes. There was no bacon.

I listened to Robert Randolph's dance-worthy song anyway and did my little dance-along with it. I then ate scrambled eggs and sausage and hoped the football mojo wasn't paying attention that early in the morning.

Why, Alberta, why?

*****
"We were gone. I gave up, you did, too. We were out of it and gone. Miracle!" - Larry Munson, calling wide receiver Lindsay Scott's 92-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Buck Belue against Florida in 1980. Georgia won 26-21, finished undefeated, and won the National Championship.

I was worried in the Rose Bowl's Tunnel 2, Row 62, Seat 23, down 31-14. I could hear Larry Munson, depressed and forlorn, calling the game from heaven. We were down 31-14 to Oklahoma and its Heisman-winning quarterback. Our quarterback was an energetic freshman from Warner Robins.

At the start of the second half, Vicki dressed in red and black from head to toe said, "You know it's not about the stupid pancakes, right?" I smiled nervously.

The Dawgs came roaring back in the second half and it went to overtime. Oh brother. Vicki and I were at the 1983 Sugar Bowl when Blackledge hit Garrity to give Penn State 27 points, which would be enough to deny Georgia a second national championship in three years. I was at the 2012 SEC title game when Alabama broke our hearts and then went on to win a national title. Was this Rose Bowl game going to be deja vu?

Nope. Dawgs won and when Sony Michel scored that double-overtime touchdown to win the game on our side of the field, well, the pancake curse was broken.

*****

But, I'll still have three pancakes and bacon on Monday, Jan. 8 just in case. DawgNation can count on me, I promise.





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