"Auburn Has Left the Building"

Between loving sports and writing sports exists a disconnect. That's not to say they're mutually exclusive. Rather, the relationship between the two is sometimes messy, pulling the writing sports fanatic in different directions.

Writing, good writing, at its core is a balls-out play for truth. It doesn't shy away from harsh realities. It sets its course toward emotions and thoughts not easily spoken, not easily confessed.

Loving sports, on the other hand, requires a suspension of reality. Sports makes fantastic (and fantastical) religion. It revolves around faith. Faith and a conscious decision to give over to events out of our hands, to rationalize our team's or favorite player's triumphs and failures in terms of some cosmic justice.

Don't be mistaken, I'm not saying fandom requires suspending reason and critical thought, though it can feel that way at times. Instead, rationality serves different ends in differing degrees for these different compulsions.

What I am saying is sometimes the best sports writing springs from a writer's worst moments as a fan. Why? The sudden intrusion of harsh reality lending words a sharpened edge of bitter truth might have something to do with it.

With that, let me present the blog of Auburn Elvis. First some background...

Auburn with its fearsome defense and reworked offense threatened to charge back to the top of the SEC. However, this new spread offense sputtered through the first six games prompting head coach Tommy Tuberville to fire offensive coordinator Tony Franklin some 10 months into the job.

Auburn's managed a 4-2 record over those six games; however, conference opponents LSU and Vanderbilt handed Auburn those two losses. The chance at a conference championship is slipping almost completely out of reach. These are dark time for Tigers fans.

For some reason I'm drawn to Auburn Elvis's terse ruminations on the current state of the Tigers. On many of the criteria which sports blogs are judged, Auburn Elvis's blog comes up short. He rarely posts more than once a week. His posts are often succinct to the point of being laconic.

But there's a Zen-like quality to the blog. The simplicity motions to much more behind the economical phrases and understated humor.

Here are some of my favorites.

From Auburn Downs Southern Miss:

Of course, turning the ball over 50% of the time they reached the red zone is less than encouraging, but it’s better than last year’s symphony of three-and-outs.

The defense looked good at times, and sub-standard at others. It was obvious that any team with a decent o-line and an accurate quarterback would spell big trouble for Auburn. Fortunately, Southern Miss is a little lacking in both respects.

From Auburn Posts Most Embarrassing Win Ever:

There’s winning ugly, and then there’s winning Auburn. Tonight, we saw something worse than either. Auburn’s laughable 3 to 2 victory over SEC powerhouse doormat Mississippi State shows that the Tigers’ new offense still has a ways to go.

On the up-side, perhaps this is just part of a strategy to sucker LSU into taking us lightly.

From Auburn's Stock Hits 53-Year Low:

I take Auburn losses pretty hard. Most times, I’ve felt like the parent of a smart kid who just brought home F’s on his report card. I’d get mad, yell at the screen, and wonder where I went wrong. Last night, those feelings changed. I now feel like the parent of a self-destructive child with a substance-abuse problem. What can I do? I love them, but it really hurts watching them throw their lives away.

Not every Auburn Elvis post is two paragraphs short. (His comparatively lengthy take on Auburn's loss to LSU was illuminating for those who couldn't watch the game closely.) But I find a lot to like in the often little space.

Perhaps I read too many blogs and one blissfully chugging against the stream sticks out disproportionately. But I think there's something interesting going on beneath that plastic Elvis wig and I urge you to check it out as Auburn continues its difficult march through the SEC.