Black-Out?!?!

I had my whole day planned for college football yesterday - I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Gamecocks beat Furman, and I also appreciated Steve Spurrier's deprecating remarks.  I watched in awe as the Georgia Bulldogs ripped the Arkansas Razorbacks - I thought the Hawgs were much better.  Just before the end of the Georgia game, I switched over to ESPN2 to see the Florida Gators play the Missouri Tigers for their Homecoming game.  All day long I had remembered Gator Homecomings - the parade on University Avenue, which I saw in person for 33 years in a row, with all the marching bands from high schools all over the state and all the University bands; Gator Growl, the "biggest out door pep rally" in the country - and all the celebrities that guest-hosted; and Game Day itself.  When I was a kid, we played other conference members and the Homecoming game was always hard-fought, and wins were celebrated as real wins.   While I was in college and for several years after, we played non-competitive teams that weren't in our class and pretty much had an assured win.  Once we got Steve Spurrier (back home) as the Gator head coach, we started playing SEC opponents and again our victories could be celebrated.
   I was shocked and outraged that with over 700 channels on my satellite TV, the only one which was showing the Florida-Mizzou game, ESPN2, was blacked-out in Colorado.  I was so ready for the game - I had all of my snacks on the coffee table, and a full 20-ounce bottle of cold Diet Coke at my elbow.  And NO game to watch.  I admit it.  I was totally ticked off.  I closed the window curtains,  made certain that my kits were inside with me, locked the doors, and went to bed.  I did read for a couple of hours - Archaeology magazine, since it was International Archaeology Day - but at 7 p.m., I turned off the light and I went to sleep. (My thoughts were, "So there!" to all the advertisers and the television executives who had decided I couldn't watch a game on TV that was taking place two time zones and 1,751 miles away.)  Childish, I know.
  I would have been cheering for both teams, actually.  The Gators were my team growing up, and where I went to college.  Missouri is where several friends have graduated, and my cousin Sarah is a big fan of theirs, also.  And I just happen to like the Tigers - they joined the SEC recently, and this is only their second football season.  But those Mizzou Tigers know how to hunt, pounce and kill their prey.  When I got up this morning, the first thing I did was check the college scores.  It might have been the Florida Gators Homecoming game, but the Tigers showed they know how to hunt and kill a Gator.  It was an  **ouch** game - the final score was 42 to 13.  I think the Tigers wrapped the team up in orange and blue ribbons and gave them back to the fans, served on toast.  Kinda glad I didn't watch the game, now.  I probably would have been having conniption fits throughout.....