Nearly ten years ago,

Back before The Wife was The Wife, and we lived on Alpine Road, behind the Long's (which became a CVS), and across the street from the EMS depot, The Wife woke up one morning to discover her future husband talking in his sleep.  She engaged him (me) in conversation, asked him what he (me) was saying. Apparently I was muttering something like, "We're going to have to dance with the Baptists now," over and over again.

You see back in those days the Sooners football team was a juggernaut and was always in contention for the National Title.  Which could be very nerve wracking for fans like myself, because one loss could completely derail your entire season.  A quarterback injury, a fluke play, a bad call, and suddenly your national title hopes disappear.  Renee and I eventually came up a couple of phrases to sum up this fussballangst:  "What do you gotta do on Saturday?" "You gotta win." It did not matter how you did it back then, or how close the game was, you just had to win on Saturday.

And, what I was talking in my sleep about that morning was my worry about the Sooners playing the Baylor Bears that day.  (My subconscious was very clever, I think.  You see, Baylor is a Baptist University, and Baptists don't dance.)

Baylor was terrible then, and I am sure the Sooners hung a half a hundred on them, and breezed.  But, such was the fear for me back then, that every game was a potential land mine.

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So, today, the Sooners are about to kick off against the Baptists any minute now.  And, the tables have turned.  The Sooners are still a national power, but have not been a part of the National Title conversation for years now.  Baylor is vying for the National Title this year, and today's game against Oklahoma is probably the biggest and most important game in their history to date.

As much as I would like to believe otherwise, I think it is going to be the Baptists dancing all over the Sooners tonight.  I am calling it:

Oklahoma 23

Baylor 48

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PS:  There is another creature w/ a vested interest in tonight's game, our kitten, Nora.  I have promised Nora that everytime the Sooners win a Big Game this season she will get Double Dinner, and an extra can of wet food that day.  Sorry, Nora Charles.  I doubt there will be Double Dinner tonight.  (The Sooners are 2-1 in the previous three Big Games this year.)

Come on Sooners, don't deprive Nora Charles of Double Dinner.

Mwah, 
Go Sooners!