Reflections from the road

Macon, Ga. -- Yes they can. And yes they did. And, yes, it was wonderful.

Five years of frustration. Five years of near misses, almost wases and what might have beens. Coach Lifetime, Coach No Time and Coach Half Time.

Now -- dare I say it? -- we've got Coach This Time.

A wild week ended with a bright orange glow.

Tennessee beat South Carolina. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Being five hours from Rocky Top gives one perspective. Time to breathe. Time to think. Time to reflect.

Yes, I cried. Can you believe it?

Haven't done that after a football game since Jan. 4, 1999, in Tempe, Ariz. Holy cow.

All the hubbub, all the hyperbole, all the craziness, all the cacophony (some of the latter from this writer) ... none now. No, sir. Not tonight.

The family comes together. It's a Tennessee thing.

After the game, Dewayne, Bridget, Jacob and I drove downtown. Light rain began to fall as we listened to live jazz. It would normally be ironic that the band was jamming to "Blue Skies" in the rain, but the precipitation here meant nothing. To the long-suffering Vol fan, the sky was blue no matter one's latitude/longitude.

I got so excited that I drank a High Life. And why not? Saturday called for champagne of any sort. (Plus, it was all they had.)

After dinner, we went to Mercer. I leaned against the goalpost like Bear Bryant used to do and watched the light fade on a perfect day. (Well, almost perfect, but we won't get into that now.)

Tennessee beat Steve Superior and all is right with the world.

I'm halfway tempted to sing "Rocky Top." :)