We’re #1!
Tonight my alma mater will play for its 9th NCAA men’s basketball championship (Go Cats!), but last week I learned of an even more important championship: my hometown beat Savannah, Georgia in the finals of the Garden and Guns magazine Greatest Southern Towns bracket. We’re #1! We’re #1!
I have to say, I think we benefitted from coming out of a weak region. Until the semifinals against a strong but undersized Hot Springs, Arkansas, our competition consisted of towns in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Alabama, which is sort of like saying we had no competition at all. I mean, while other towns were going up against Charleston, Asheville, and Roanoke, we were facing Fairhope, Oxford (home of the University of Mississippi and racism), and Florence, which doesn’t seem quite fair. Still, we had to get past Savannah, a beautiful, old Southern town where people apparently don’t read Garden and Guns, so we earned it!
Also, there is a Garden and Guns magazine. Gotta love the South (and knowing Franklin, with that title the readership there is probably near 100%).Report
It’s a pretty decent magazine. Much more HGTV than the thematically related shows that span the Discovery networks. The (African American, not it matters) barber that had a shop in the building where I used to work in southern Maryland had it in the waiting area.Report
When my brother posted this on Facebook, he got several comments to the effect that it is a really good magazine.Report
I notice the only other town from Tennessee nominated was Gatlinburg, which of course never had a chance at all what with being in a constant state of being overrun by tourists. That shouldn’t necessarily be interpreted as a criticism of the nominations. It’s just an observation.
Slightly more critical: Is Annapolis, Maryland really in the south? It’s practically in Pennsylvania!Report
I would have picked Chattanooga, but it may have been too large (it’s about 50% larger than Savannah).
Annapolis only makes sense if we’re using the Mason-Dixon Line.Report
Maryland in general was deeply divided in the Civil War. I’m not sure where Annapolis stood on that divide. I met with a distant cousin once (we share a great great great grandfather via marriage, but share a last name) in Dorchester County (on the Eastern shore), and she told me that there are families there still where one branch won’t speak to the other, all due to the break that happened over the Civil War.Report
How can you run a magazine about guns and not include a town with “gatlin….g” in the name?Report
The portion of Maryland that is bounded by the Chesapeake, the Potomac, and I-95 has an arguably more southern in culture than Northern Virginia, due to a higher percentage of African Americans and less Appalachian influence.Report
First off, I’ve had a subscription to G&G for years. It’s a great magazine though a bit under-represented on the Gun side.
Second, this: “Until the semifinals against a strong but undersized Hot Springs, Arkansas, our competition consisted of towns in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Alabama, which is sort of like saying we had no competition at all.”
I never know if the constant KY-bashing is real or just you being you, so I’ll just say, way to go Cats!Report
Mike, to your first point, everyone I’ve head from who knows that magazine enjoys it.
To your second, as you may know, I lived in Kentucky for five years, and I loved it. I miss it dearly. I miss driving on the Bluegrass Parkway, camping in the mountains, the green, the horse farms, the mispronunciation of French names, the people, everything. I may have grown up in Franklin, but it was during those 5 years in Kentucky, along with summers in Nashville, that the person I am today was born.
And Mississippi, I spent two of the best weeks of my life there, tooling around the state in a beat up 1982 Honda Civic hatchback. It’s a deeply flawed state, but I love it, pickles in Koolaid and all. Alabama? One of the loves of my life was from Montgomery, the daughter of a former Miss Alabama, who loved every red inch of that state and considered it the embodiment of perfection.
So when I take jabs at other southern states, I almost always do it with tongue firmly in cheek, which is to say, the proper southern way (you know, the folks who hate every other SEC school until they’re playing someone outside of the SEC, at which point, kick their asses Florida!).
Though if I’m making fun of Texas, I’m probably being serious.
Oh, and that UK-UL game was fun, right?Report
As I stated the day after the game, those 12 minutes or so in the first half were the Cards final gift to the fans. That we crumbled in the second was a sad moment but as Pitino said, who can complain after the last few years? Louisville has had the overall most dominant athletic program in all of college. And football is just around the corner.Report
I haven’t been following what the expectations for life after Strong (who has been somewhat quiet down here). I hope UL remains strong and football, and Kentucky catches up. I’m kind of sick of thinking, “When does basketball season start” around late September.Report
We should have a good year though I will be torn when they play Notre Dame.
I think UK needs to get their priorities straight. Florida has shown you can be strong in both sports in the SEC.Report
AAC! AAC!Report
@will-truman
I felt bad for the AAC this year. We come in for one year and win the whole darn thing and then roll out. But I’m sure they benefited financially or else they wouldn’t have done it. I really wish Cincy was going with us to the ACC. Our sister city has become a great rival and I will miss those awesome Big East games. The implosion of that conference was a real shame. At it’s peak it was the most dominant I have ever seen. At least we will still have Syracuse and Notre Dame with us. Hoping we can adapt to the hands-off style in the ACC.Report
I’m going to give UL some advice to help them succeed in the ACC:
Flop! I mean, if there is anyone within 5 feet of you, pretend that they hit you so hard you are too woozy to get up. The referees will know what’s going on, of course, but it works for Duke, so…Report
@mike-dwyer Having a national championship in their inaugural season will soften the blow a bit.
I’m a bit disappointed that Louisville got the invite, to be honest. UConn was much more an ACC-type school in terms of institutional profile. Louisville’s profile more closely matches that of Metro/OldCUSA/AAC. But it’s definitely good for Louisville that they got that invite, and I can’t say they didn’t earn it.Report
I wasn’t thrilled about the ACC move either. The Big East was perfect for us. With it gone we could have helped grow the AAC. Memphis and Cincy have been good rivals. Football drove the whole thing and this is an important step to continue growing the program. And even UK fans root for us when we play Duke and NC.Report
Garden and Guns
How To Keep Gophers Out of Your Garden (Part 7 of a continuing series)
Shoot ’em!
Next week: How To Keep Rabbits Out of Your GardenReport
My grandfather kept a pellet gun above the window over his kitchen sink. The window looked out on his garden, which he was very proud of. Now, my grandfather had one eye (thanks to Hitler!), and couldn’t hit a damn thing with that pellet gun, so when the rabbits came, he’d storm outside and miss every one of ’em. He always had a bunch of unscathed rabbits hanging around his garden.Report
Except the one who gloated, right?
“What are you all hiding for? That one-eyed old coot couldn’t hit the side of a …”Report