Viewooillt-a The Tulane Hullabaloo • January 22, 1999 • 9 Rodriguez a Tularie football class act Tulane football: an

ary does a season stick with his kids until the "It's for the kids," Rodriguez responded begin its ebb tO\\ ards perpetual Sport· CUZ I CAN eason was over. He took off with when asked \\ hy he wasn't in Clemson with American tragedy Center basement highlight reels the Liberty Bowl still on the Bowden several days before the Liberty Bowl. without one note\\Orth) tale. This Alex Ross horizon, leaving his bowl-bound Not for the school that humiliated him, that "It was the best of IF I ONLY HAD character in Titanic. ' season isn ·t any different. There is team without a general for their cast him to the gutter, but for the players. For times, it was the we were also on one tale \\Orth) of admiration and last game. his kids. A BRAIN worst of times ... " sinking ship. " smiles from all. even individuals who hate Rodriguez, Bowden's offensive And so a man named Rodriguez led his Now that the Andrew Pickett This is where the football. But exactly what is this tale of the coordinator, seemed the logical replacement band of un-respected warriors against BYU's adrenaline of the tragedy starts. 1998-99 college football sea on? for the coaching vacancy. He preached high- fifth-ranked defense. He adorned the colors of Miracle on the All throughout Many fans would just!) claim it paced football and Jed Tulane's under-sized, Tulane against the Cougars and found it in his Mississippi is the season Tennes ee · rise to the national championship. under-talented offense to the top of college heart to work alongside Scelfo, the man who beginning to wear off, and Tulane something seemed not quite right Perhap one day v.hen this year is football. Could a better coaching candidate be took his job. And like any good epic, athletics are returning to their about this amazing tum-around. It remembered. a Vols fan with nostalgia seeping asked for? Rodriguez and his kids did the impossible. usual ho-hum existence here on seemed too good to be ｴ ｲ ｵ ･ ｾ from his eyes might remark. .. How 'bout those Arriving at the press conference in which They completed perfection. campus, one can look back over undefeated, the number one rated bomb::. ｾ Ｑ ｡ ｲ ｴ ｩ ｮ threw in the ·99 Fiesta Bowl?" announced the new head Then. with the Mormons wondering what the last three months of equal in the country, a ' Friend v.ould nod. adorning half-smile faces. coach of the football team. Rodriguez was hit them and the national media proclaiming, parts insanity and utter disbelief coach who is considered a· ··Whar a year... " and he'd knock down his certain he'd take the reigns and guide Tulane "The King is Back in Memphis." Rodriguez and read an amazing story equally standard of how to do the job, and Bud. to not only Liberty Bowl victory, but also slipped from the limelight and let his kids, and as sad as it is happy, as sorrowful a generous #9 ranking before the- No doubt Tennessee could be considered success in seasons to come. them alone, revel in the victory. as it is joyful. Texas A&M win over Kansas the story of the year. It wasn't to be, however. Barbour gave the In a day when can ditch For years the laughing stock of State. Maybe it just seemed too If not the Vols. perhaps the demise of job to . an assistant at Georgia. his team who believed in him, Rick Neuheisel college football, the Green Wave precious to let all slip by; it; Kan a State to Texas A&M, Ricky Williams "I was so sure. I brought in my green coat of Colorado can lie and report to recruits that rose like ... well, a wave out of the grimly appeared to many that this. • and his Heisman. or even TCU's Cinderella and tie this morning;' Rodriguez lamented at he'll be at Colorado for years to come then the seas of mediocrity and surged couldn't last. 1, finish. A southerner might fleetingly whisper. the press conference. After giving so much to followmg day announce he'll be coaching for over the American continent. There was a sense of having tq "Tulane had a great year." but of cour e. he'd Tulane, bleeding green for the past two Washington, and numerous other coaches pull confounding and intriguing hold on to this season and- be . \\ept mer with the usual · ·rrength of seasons, Rodriguez was thrown out the front deceitful and shameful things on their players millions of diehards, like my squeeze it for all it was worth- chedule' and ·conference USA' hullabaloo. door. no doubt a tear sliding down his face. and schools, it's nice to hear the tale of a friends and relatives, who because it wouldn't be the ｳ ｡ ｭ ｾ With the Tulane community's focus But none of the e is the story of this year. small-school who wondered just who the hell we next year. 'ot a one. directed on Scelfo and the Liberty Bowl, refused to abandon his kids. were. Reading the articles off ESPN The tale of thi year is that of an assistant Rodriguez was all but forgotten. At Clemson, I hope Clemson treats you well, Rich If they could see us play. Sportszone. out of USA Today,. coach from a small southern _chool cast aside. Bowden extended a hand to his old friend and Rodriguez. We rolled over our Conference and watching SportsCenter, it offered him the ame position he formerly If the tale of a man v.ho pulled one of the It sure was nice to see you ride into the USA opponents la few close ones appeared as though the whole clas iesc move ever in college football. held at Tulane. Rodriguez accepted. and plane sunset. - Louisville, Army) to the tune of football establishment turned It· the tale of . tickets were bought. Alex Ross is a Tulane College freshman an 11-0 season and a number 10 against us. Bur Shaun King and the rest of the Tulane And God, "hat a tale. and can be reached at [email protected]. ranking in the country. As much Their attitude was one of'. After pulling Tulane from the depths of the team. already dropped like dead weight by controversy as surrounded us ''Well, you've had your chance to' Bowden, couldn't bear to lose Rodriguez too. NCA football. former Tommy concerning our schedule. we play with the big boys; now itf Bowden high-tailed it to Clem. on to coach in Speaking on behalf of the players. King continued to crush our time to shrink back down to the the SCC., lo_. Tommy didn't have the class to swayed Rodriguez to stay for the final game. competitors with a Heisman realm of powerhouse wannabe's worthy quarterback and a trio of and assorted one-hit wonders. receivers who could start at any You had your 15 minutes. Thank school. you for your interest. Don't let the Discarding the word "perfect" and redefining "best" ｾ ｯ ｴ to mention a coach who door hit you on your way out." hailed from a family where 11-0 Within a week of trouncing. seasons and national Tech 63-30 to complete our So I got my fall grade THE ORANGE CLOUDS This includes asserting if one down the logic path. Let's Sa) I want to be the championships are daily routine. dream season, once savior; We sat in groups in our rooms Tommy Bowden was on a plane back: three A· for effort IN MY HEAD needs external assistance. perfect person. What does that mean? and one C for cookie. One of the bener things I ｣ ｾ Well, first of all, it's not going to mean the on rainy Saturday afternoons to Clemson to take over the helm And let me tell you. Iattheu· Cardinale sa) about Tulane is that there are same thmg to you as it does to me. watching the road games and sat of a proud team that had suffered that' good enough for many people who are willing to Secondly, we're constantly changing through marathon sessions of through an un-Clemson like 3-8 SponsCenter, College Gameday, season. . me. help if you ask them. people, so my ideals are going to change from '• Tv.o all-nighter- into So that's my definition of day to day. Literally. from moment to and ABC college football And this before the bowl final exams I resolved that I do the best I can. "best." moment. coverage awaiting that one game. and that's all that I can do. 'o sleep for five You ·u notice that a 4.0 GPA is not included Finally, let's say I want to be the perfect fleeting mention of our name Nice work Tommy; way to days wa<> an unrealistic expectation that I in that definition. To me, winning first prize, student. If I do, then I'm going to have less (usually in passing. like an screw us over. would not facilitate. getting a promotion, making a lot of money: time to be the perfect athlete. ru have even afterthought,) from guys like Joe ESPN's take on the whole Oddly enough. my biggest concern about these things are not indicators of "best." less time to be the perfect writer. artist. friend, Theisman and Lee Corso. who thing? schOOI i leamjffg. It' something I know I dld t!specia11y if you're till not happy. whatever. are more used to talking about "You can't blame an ambitious ｴ ｩ ｾ ar 1n evel) subject except fo1 my cookie Right now. for in::.tance, I'm concentrating One thing I've learned is that there are Ohio State. Nebraska, and guy like Bowden for going where - ｴ ｨ ｾ cla . Hmm. interestmg correlation. But I a lot on being happ). And it's about time. spheres of perfection. And even if you fit in Michigan. a perfect season puts you in decided that no matter \\hat I got on my grade I've resolved for the New Year to work on one you cannot coexist as perfect in another You know the feeling. hunt for a national championship• report, I would be content. things like time management. All that means and yet another ... It wasn't much, but we'd take - not in Memphis playing in a The fact that I got three A's was like an is that my best is going to get better. Even if This is Newtonian, natural science, guys. A what we could get , and happily. half-empty stadium in a stead} affirmative bonus. my grades improve in the spring that doesn't certain 50 mL of water cannot coexist in two The homes games at the Dome drizzle." After the veneer of Before I say any more. allow me to provide mean I didn •t do my best last semester either. jars, pools, or puddles at the same time. were something else entirely. a ｳ ｬ ｯ ｷ Ａ ｾ ﾷ my definition for "the be t I can:· There are There's another misconception that I used And neither can we. No\\ I have no frame of Cinderella season is tY. o components. to have. and from what I gather. many people What we can do is try to balance our Lives. reference, but from what I've picked away, what remains undeF the surface can be quite upsetting. fir t, I do the best I can because I really and still suffer from it. This is the idea that there is I believe that although we each have heard from upperclassmen, we truly care about everything I do. such a thing as "perfection." different expectations for ourselves and never filled the place like we did In this case, it is the reality that we still play in a second rate Some people produce A papers without I think "perfection" is just a stupid word different personal interests. we must stop this year. Anyone who stood ｾ Ｎ ｮ actually caring about the product. Sorry, but that I would love to see taken right out of the trying to be perfect and start learning to be down in the first row (you know league, where undefeated team this does not fit my definition of "best." dictionary. Ifs not even that our society has happy. who you are - among others) ( and one ranked #7) can't even; ｢ ｯ ｷ ｬ Ｎ ｾ It's a give and take. though. misconstrued the definition. It's that the That entails learning how to balance. recalls the insanity that ensued find its way into a major that without Bowden our Sometimes in caring I jeopardize my grade definition has caused us to misconstrue And perfect isn't even some ideal that you after each touchdown, extra point. recruiting class will be a joke. since I am pushing my horizon. Also, caring ourselves. can aspire to be. There's always, always room sack, interception, opposing team compared to the last few ｹ ･ ｡ ｲ ｳ ｾ requires a lot of time and effort. the latter of Look at this. I have here two of Webster's for growth. Within one sphere, or in many. third down, or whatever little that we will never gain the fuff these which is an endless resource. The former definitions of "perfection." I'll never find the perfect balance either. piece of magic Mr. King respect of the footbaTl; of these is not. One is "being entirely without fault or And that's fine too. happened to pull out of his hat at community; and that we are Second. I do the best I can because I try my defect." Because it doesn't exist. that time. a "springboard" school according hardest at what I do. Generally. trying and · I don't believe in fault. What I see instead You and 300 of your closest to ESPN, that acts merely as a caring go hand in hand. Here's the distinction, is room for improvement. Matthew Cardinale is a Tulane College friends going absolutely nuts - launching pad for coaches to though: trying means doing everything one The other is "corresponding to an ideal freshman and can be reached at mcardin@ jumping up and down, spraying bigger programs every time we can possibly do to achieve a certain end, standing or abstract concept." tcs.tulane.edu. Silly String, waving Tulane flags - then the fight song and a rousing have a good year. hopefully in addition to caring. This part gets kind of tricky but follow me chorus of, "A one, a two, a We have witnessed the rise of a helluva Hullabaloo ... " great football team. And this all reached a sweet Now, unfortunately and crescendo as the final seconds inevitably, we are helplessly ticked off the clock of the watching its downfall. We are not' The benefits of khakis and swing dancing Houston game, when we all Tennessee. We can' t be: jammed ourselves somewhere guaranteed an exceptional season: . I Well fellow children of the MTV called "Indie." A vague term lots of people. I wouldn't show up at some along the wall to rush the field year m and year out. What we had• GUEST and reach out and rub the players' this year will probably not occurt generation, the sound of the up COMMENTARY applied not to the music, but show all by myself, how lame is that? coming century is beginning to take rather the tiny cheap label the Those kids who always say they are sweaty heads as they ran by in next year, nor the year after. An: hold in clubs around the nation. bands appear on. Other such individuals and that people who listen to their victory lap, jumping up to the forces that came together to; George Gittinger ｋ ｩ ｮ ｧ ｾ We· ve cast away that silly numbness genres that still lay in this popular music are sheep don't know what they meet us halfway. make it happen (Bowden, of the nineties· "grunge.. attitude for pile are Punk (we've all been are talking about. I am my own person, and I There was very little to etc.) are gone and irreplaceable. '. Even if Conference ｕ ｓ ａ ｾ something refreshing. tortured by this noise) and don't do things because people tell me to. So compare to it. which is improving every ｹ ･ ｡ ｲ ｾ Swing. Ska (this one seems to be rising to the top what if I get into something when lots of other Once again, you know the can finally achieve nationa( As 2000 runs toward, we will be dancing to though!). people do? feeling; so beyond words, yet so prominence, according to ESPN. a new beat. Friends, we will be swinging. No Bands on these labels make little to no I don't follow every trend. worthy of adulation. again, "It won't do much good forl more of those three guys mumbling into a money, and why would a musician play except Just because I started liking Swing after a We freshmen were so fortunate to be such at this time. What a a shell-shocked Tulane team ｴ ｨ ｡ ｾ microphone and beating pointlessly on to be rich? The Swing bands are playing for lot of my friends did doesn't mean I'm I has just been put back in its feeble! distorted guitars. No more rock, R&B, or big money, just like they're supposed too. following anything. I decided for myself. And way to enter into your college place." ; grunge. Did we really listen to their "deep" Ska seems to be building up too. Soon it so what if I want to go to the Gap and buy a experience, especially if you 're Ouch. I know - hurts, doesn ﾷ ｾ lyrics anyway? Now we have a huge group of may break the surface. Maybe the Ska pair of pants? A guy who listens to Swing from the Northeast where college it? jumping. jiving and boisterous musicians. musicians will be the next lucky millionaires should have a pair of khaki pants. What's the football doesn't mean anything. It's a shame miracles are so The explosion of swing is no secret. It's whose CD's we buy in Virgin Megastores. In problem? And especially at a school like rare. featured on a Gap commercial: "Swinging a month we may all toss in our khaki's for a Those kids shouldn't whine, they should Tulane, which, before last year, hadn't seen a winning season in Khaki's." it's on the radio, it has videos on pair of plaid skanking pants. thank popular culture for taking them under Andrew Pickett is a Tulane MTV, and people like it. With all that behind Swing couldn't have been hiding for long. their wing. Now they are part of the whole 17 years, let alone an undefeated College freshman and can ｢ ｾ it, what isn't there to like? So out with those It's so popular now, how could it have gone Alternative world like the rest of us. We made one since before the Great Depression. reached at apicket@ lame flannel shirts and tom jeans we adored unnoticed? I think popular culture is quick to their music meaningful to everyone. Now It was perfect. We were kings tcs.tulane.edu ' so, and in with rolled pants and white T-shirts! pick up new trends, especially in music. Swing can meld into alternative culture and of the world, yet like DiCaprio's The incredible sounds of new bands like Something that cool has to be new. become one with the popular scene. The Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Royal Crown Those underground Swing kids must be So I'm off to the Gap, because I need to fit Revue. and Brian Setzer break free from the glad that it's all so mainstream now. So many in. Be prepared, a new online is coming. alternative music scene. It's such an original Swing shows to go to, so many places to buy If I don't fit in, then who am I? idea. So origina!, in fact, that Swing has Swing CD's, and all because it's now Thank God for popular culture. smashed into the scene. popping up in dance mainstream. Thank God. Next week. It arrives. halls, music stores, and even on our own I constantly hear kids whining about how Tulane campus. bands have sold out, and how underground George Gittinger is a Tulane College Oh yes, next week, it arrives. From what I've heard, Swing has been scenes should stay underground. Well how fun freshman and can be reacbed at ggittin@ hiding underneath the surface of the pop can it be? If so few ｾ ｯ ｰ ｬ ･ are into something, tcs.tulane.edu ·, scene. It fell into that line of music I think is what's the point? I want to go do things with