MAY 2

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Some people are like Slinkies; not really good for anything, but you can’t help but smile, when you see one tumble down the stairs.”

I’m closing in on having the office ready to be put on the market in June. In one sense I’m sad to be leaving but I accept that it’s the right thing to do. I’ll have a very comfortable office at home to tend to my writing and what little business I have remaining.

I will continue to post to this blog on a regular basis and I’ll continue to write short stories and novels. I have finished the second novel in the Shiva series and the third is almost done. I am well into a series of novels based on the Ransom family and should have the first book completed by this fall.

You can order a signed copy of Jake’s Revenge by sending a check for $27.00 to

Tom Lawrence

456 10^th Street So.

Opelika, AL 36801

Be sure and include the mailing address that you want the book sent to. I expect the book to be mailed in July. Thanks for your support.

YOU’RE OF MY GENERATION IF YOU EVER READ

See here Private Hargrove

Guadalcanal Diary

Forever Amber

Intruder in the Dust

Lanterns on the Levee

GREAT MOMENTS IN SPORTS

No. 2  Halloween Night 1959   Mississippi State dropped a close football game to Alabama on Saturday afternoon October 31, 1959. Thad Kelly and I had driven the 60 miles to Tuscaloosa for the game. It was Bear’s second year at the Capstone, and he played defense and let State beat themselves. After the game Thad and I walked over to the Sigma Chi house and hung around licking our wounds.

The premier football game in America was going to take place at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, when the undefeated Ole Miss Rebels were to pay a visit to LSU’s undefeated Bengal Tigers. We sat on the front porch of the Sigma Chi house and listened to the game over several hundred radios, all tuned to the same station. Both teams were loaded with talent and both were coached by football icons.

In order to fully understand the game, it’s necessary to understand one platoon football. The stars had to go both ways, and for the most part, stay on the field. Ole Miss had a great senior quarterback, Jake Gibbs. Jake had to play defensive back when Ole Miss didn’t have the ball. There were superb athletes, not 300 pound freaks of nature.

The game was a defensive battle from the opening kickoff. There were a bunch of three-and-outs, and the field goal Ole Miss kicked in the first half was still holding up late in the game. Johnny Vaught decided to strictly play defense and field position, and he had Gibbs punt on first downs several times in the second half.

With about five minutes left in the game, Gibbs kicked the ball to the LSU 11 yard line. Billy Cannon fielded it on the first bounce, and in defiance of Paul Dietzel’s instructions not to run back anything within the twenty, began to run toward the Ole Miss goal. Careful study of Cannon’s run shows that at least seven Rebels were in position to tackle him. All seven missed—a couple even missed twice. Cannon ran the punt back for an 89 yard touchdown, making college football history, and salvaging some of the day for Thad and me.

So there you have it, my top ten. I’m sure none of you will completely agree, and I’d like to have your feedback. It’s all part of the Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat.

LSU Tigers photo is licensed under CC By 4.0 — linked to en.wikipedia.org