Rain? What rain?

[vandymick7]

Some will try to say it rained in Birmingham tonight. But as far as I could see, it was beautiful sunny day! What a wonderful day for Vanderbilt football. Now, there are those who will say I am over-reacting. Well, after over 40 years of going over to West End, if I am over-reacting, I am not going to apologize. I commented after a win earlier this season that we have a bunch of warriors on this team. Tonight's win just solidifies that----we have a team full of warriors, with Diego, of course, being warrior #1. And make no mistake about it, the person who leads this team and put this whole thing together is Head Coach Clark Lea. Certainly, the contributions of Coaches Beck and Kill cannot be underestimated. I don't believe I have ever felt the pride and admiration that I have for this team during any other season. The spirit, belief and determination this team has shown has been a first for Vanderbilt football in my eyes. This does not mean that this team does not have talented players. Indeed, we do. But it seems that so often, media members and fans associate talent with flash and dash, end zone dances and celebrations, and athletes posing for TV. I associate talent with winning. And when you do not win, fighting every minute, every second to make an effort to win. That's the kind of talent I think this Vanderbilt team has. Is Vanderbilt a solid, SEC level program? No, not yet. But, Vanderbilt is no longer a laughingstock of the SEC. No more jokes and snide remarks. No longer do teams and coaches think "an automatic win" when they see Vanderbilt on the schedule. For the first time, I honestly feel that Vanderbilt football has a real chance to be a legitimate SEC program year after year----and it is a program that it very, very close to attaining that status. Go Gold and Anchor Down.