By now you’ve seen the highlight of Auburn beating Alabama in epic fashion, after Bama missed a long field goal with one second remaining in the game, and Chris Davis put up a 109-yard return for a touchdown. But, really, can you watch it too many times?
You might also know that Bama kicker Cade Foster has taken some heat for the loss. Foster, who is from Southlake, didn’t miss that final kick, but he did miss two earlier tries and had another blocked. Some folks on Twitter told him that he should kill himself, which is not WJWD. Bama students have apparently rallied around the kid. Tough time for Foster, no question.
So let’s go back in time about two years. Bama just creamed LSU in the BCS title game, 21-0. The next day, on the flight back from New Orleans to Dallas was a sad co-worker of mine who went to LSU. But you know who was even more sad than my co-worker? Jarrett Lee. He was the LSU quarterback who wound up going 8-0 that year only because Jordan Jefferson had been suspended for a bar fight. But then, in LSU’s first game against Bama that year, Lee threw two picks, and Jefferson took over.
My co-worker says Lee looked like a broken man on that flight. Here was the guy who had led his team to the promised land — only to have the job taken away from him. And then he had to stand on the sidelines and watch LSU get killed in New Orleans. Many people on the flight were talking about the game. Lee, sitting three rows in front of my co-worker, sat with his head in his hands.
Sitting in the row across from my co-worker was Kelly Foster, Cade’s mother. At that point, Cade wasn’t kicking field goals for Bama. He was a kickoff specialist. I’m not saying he didn’t contribute to the win. I am saying he was a kickoff specialist. Kelly was going on and on about the game, reliving the win, with an enthusiasm and volume more appropriate for a Bama tailgater than an airplane — especially one with Jarrett Lee sitting three rows in front of her.
My co-worker brought this fact to Kelly’s attention, but she would not be stifled. One of her travelmates had to be enlisted to get her to tone it down. “Boorish” would be an apt description of how she handled herself.
All of which I bring up because, you know, karma.
Buck up, Cade Foster. You aren’t hated half as much as Nick Saban.
