The Long Road Home

Fourteen hours is a long drive, especially when your stomach is still in knots after Mizzou's loss. We just passed through Norman, Oklahoma and the blogging crew and I have been reflecting on our epic journey. Kudos to Tiger fans who made the trip down to San Antonio. You were outnumbered, but certainly made your voices heard. You have a lot to be proud of. Kudos also to the football team. I don't think anyone could have imagined this dream season. You may not be the champs, but I wouldn't trade this Tiger team for any other in the country.

On the KOMU side, big high five to our news crew. Jim, Megan, Lauren, Eric, Chris, Randy, Scott, Mark, Rog, Jason, Stacey, Stan, Kindle, Chaz, Joe, LT and all the KOMU alums that helped out. A special shout out to our web editor Jen Reeves. This is the gal that made it all happen on this blog. You have no idea how much the blogging team appreciates your hard work. Tiger fans have been AIM messaging us throughout the trip thanking us when they should really be thanking you. And finally, my blogging crew. Charlie, my partner in crime, Vanessa for all her witty one-liners and Caroline for making us look good in our photos. This will be my final post on the blog. Thanks again to everyone. See you back in Columbia!

Chase for the Championship: Behind the Scenes

KOMU's hour long Chase For the Championship special starts in just a few minutes at the top of the hour. Join Megan Murphy, Jim Riek, Eric Blumberg, a host of reporters, a couple other special guests, and maybe another appearance from some top-notch bloggers! Until then, take a look at some behind the scenes video we shot at the Alamodome in the parking lot.

To the Alamodome

We grabbed lunch on the River Walk and are now on our way to the Alamodome. We'll be catching up with some Mizzou fans as well as preparing for the one-hour pregame tailgate show with some of KOMU's finest. Traffic in downtown San Antonio has been difficult to navigate to say the least, but we're not going to let anything keep this blog down.

One more thing to pass along...our tiger tail that was harmlessly hanging from the trunk of the Grand Am has been STOLEN! We can handle the lost tail if the Tigers bring home the title tonight.

--TP

Profilet's Pick: Big 12 Championship Edition

As you may remember from the Opening Drive on KOMU.com, I like to pick the winners of any and all high school football games in mid-Missouri. I have never picked a Mizzou game all season, but this one is special, so I bring you a special edition of Profilet's Picks.



GO TIGERS!

--TP

**NOTE from Jen Reeves: The embedded video player is acting odd, so here's the link to YouTube if you can't see Profilet's Picks.

T 'was The Night Before Game Day

T ' was the night before Game Day, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even in the frat house;

The tailgates were set outside the Alamodome with care,

In hopes that Chase Daniel soon would be there;

The fans were nestled all smug in their heads,

While visions of victory danced in their heads

And Gary Pinkel in his vistor, and Hannema in his sweater vest

Had just settled down for a night cap, then rest

When out on the River Walk there arose such a clatter,

They sprang OFF THE BENCH to see what was the matter.

Away from the locker room they flew like a flash,

Tore open the play books as they heard a loud clash,

The moon on the breast of the lack of December snow

Gave the luster of mid play to objects below.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But Truman the Tiger and eight large linebackers near!

With a pounding momentum so lively and quick

I knew in moment this season they were slick

More rapid than Sooners there courses they came.

And Truman roared and growled and called them by name;

"Now Coffman! Now Maclin! Now Temple and Franklin! On Spieker on Ray on Rucker and Bracey!"

To the top of the stands! To the top of the wall!

Now to the fifty yard line,

dash away, dash away, dash all!

But I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,

"Happy Game Day to all, and to all a victory tomorrow night!"

.... So maybe last night wasn't exactly like that, but here we are and its Game Day, in San Antonio! On this first day of December Christmas couldn't be further from anyones mind. Its 73 degrees and the temperature is rising as the rivalry between the Tigers and Sooners heats up. We'll have more for you soon!

Corso Picks Missouri

As part of ESPN College Gameday, analyst Lee Corso ends the show by picking the winner of the game of the week. And, for the second straight week, Coach picked the Tigers! Lots of Mizzou fans were at the Alamo this morning to watch the Gameday crew, and they were certainly pleased to see Lee predict a Tiger victory. Check back later for Profilet's pick!

--TP

Catching up on the Past

Danario Alexander's 118 yards and one touchdown against Kansas last week helped propel the Tigers to the Big 12 North title. We payed a visit to Danario's high school in the small town of Marlin, Texas and caught up with his former coach, Cassius Johnson. Take a peek.

--TP

Bet you didn't know...

...that Missouri's fight song comes from a World War I British army marching song. The song is called "It's A Long Way to Tipperary," and I've posted the lyrics below. Here's the audio.

Up to mighty London came
An Irish lad one day,
All the streets were paved with gold,
So everyone was gay!
Singing songs of Piccadilly,
Strand, and Leicester Square,
'Til Paddy got excited and
He shouted to them there:

It's a long way to Tipperary,
It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly,
Farewell Leicester Square!

It's a long long way to Tipperary,
But my heart's right there.

Paddy wrote a letter
To his Irish Molly O',
Saying, "Should you not receive it,
Write and let me know!
If I make mistakes in "spelling",
Molly dear", said he,
"Remember it's the pen, that's bad,
Don't lay the blame on me".

It's a long way to Tipperary,
It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly,
Farewell Leicester Square,
It's a long long way to Tipperary,
But my heart's right there.

Molly wrote a neat reply
To Irish Paddy O',
Saying, "Mike Maloney wants
To marry me, and so
Leave the Strand and Piccadilly,
Or you'll be to blame,
For love has fairly drove me silly,
Hoping you're the same!"

It's a long way to Tipperary,
It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly,
Farewell Leicester Square,
It's a long long way to Tipperary,
But my heart's right there.

Game Day Game Plan

Hey guys, we're all alive and well in San Antonio. This city is so beautiful! We got into town and immediately went to dinner with the KOMU crew at the fajita restaurant Megan Murphy discovered. We're working on uploading some new video for you and we're tuned in to ESPN's Game Day live from the Alamo, you should tune in too!

Here's the plan for today: Charlie and Tyler will be making an appearance live on KOMU's one hour pregame show, which starts at 6:00 tonight. We'll have some more stories for you from our reporters and Jim Riek will have some special guests you don't want to miss. Then we'll all head into the dome for the big game! We're not allowed to bring in our digital video camera, but Tyler got permission to bring the still camera in, so look for some fun photos from the Mizzou fan section!

Thanks for stickin' with us, the chase for the championship is running full speed ahead.
-Vanessa

HOORAY Road Trip Bloggers

Tyler and Charlie just went live on KOMU News at 10 -- Congrats guys. You look and sound exhausted. Hopefully they'll get a shower and enjoy the excitement out on the Riverwalk tonight.

Update from the crew

I just had a chat with Charlie Hannema - The entire team of road trippers are in San Antonio and made it to the live location: The Riverwalk.

Here's the scoop. Apparently they are dealing with a classic case of "Road Trip Fatigue." While Charlie and Tyler go live during KOMU News at 10, Vanessa and Caroline went to the hotel to charge up the computer and take a shower. Why is that important? Well, Charlie made a point in telling me that they are all kind of stinky. The previous night's (or morning's) sleep in a frat house didn't give them a chance for a shower. That may make for an interesting live interview tonight.

Charlie tells me that the computer's battery ran out, his phone is almost out of battery power and he thinks his car may be in the same boat. BUT they are there after feeling very lost in the San Antonio dark.

Hopefully the crew will be able to get back online tonight so everyone can chat with them and get a few more peeks into their day.

Darn batteries

I just text messaged the road trip crew -- They disappeared because the darn computer battery wouldn't charge -- even though I gave them a car charger. RATS!

They're on their way to the KOMU live location in San Antonio to use some power there! Plus, you'll have a chance to see our team live during KOMU News at 10.

Backseat Blogging

Hey everyone, now that the boys have forfeited their blogging positions to get a little rest, it's my turn to blog!
I've been enjoying the ultimate road trip from the backseat, taking in the landscapes of Oklahoma and Texas. Riding as a backseat passenger isn't so bad with a full Internet connection. Our blog posts and having the ability to chat with all of you has kept us busy and entertained. Have we explained to you exactly how we're able to blog from the backseat of a car?
Here's how it works: We're using Charlie's new MacBook with a wireless Internet card. The wireless card has a CD software which we installed and now we can pick up an Internet connection from anywhere, yes even the middle of nowhere Texas. We're also fully equipped with a Nikon still photo digital camera, which KOMU's Caroline Gable has been using to capture our favorite moments, and a Panasonic digital video recorder. Jen Reeves, who is hanging back at the station, has been very helpful getting us all set up and showing us how to use this amazing technology. Blogging definitely beats those backseat rides in the old family minivan!
Looks like Jen thought we were disconnected for a while in rural Marlin, Texas, but we were actually stopping to dig up a little Missouri Tiger history and taste the finest BBQ Marlin has to offer. Check our next blog for a full explanation of what we did and saw... and ate in Marlin.
Right now we're about 3 hours from San Antonio, we'll have more updates for you soon.
-Vanessa

Road Trip Update

The wireless card that's keeping our blog team online isn't working really well in rural Texas. At the last update, they werre in Marlin, TX.

A Short Stay in the Big D

As I mentioned last night, the road trip crew stayed the night on the campus of SMU. We arrived at roughly 2:30 am, but the Sigma Chi house was still hopping. The boys were just coming in from a night in the city, so we certainly came at a great hour to get the feel of the house. The guys at Sigma Chi were more hospitable than we could have asked for. Sure, the hallways were a little messy, but it’s college. A special shout-out to Christmas decorator extraordinaire, Wes Gable, who cleaned up and let us take over his room for the night. Thanks again, buddy. Our night was, in the words of Caroline Gable, “Frat-tastic.”

--TP

Tiger Fans Big Story in USA Today

It’s safe to say the Missouri Tigers have flown under the radar most of the season. Before last week, none of the so-called college football “experts” thought Mizzou had a chance to play for the national title. The experts and Vegas odds-makers favoring the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship hasn’t deterred Tiger fans. The USA Today highlighted YOU today…yes, YOU Tiger fans! The author asked running back Tony Temple what the school’s identity was. Is MU a basketball school, football school or has the lack of championships in either sport left it as a journalism school? Here is Tony’s response:

"When we came here, we knew Missouri was known as a basketball school, but we're trying to change that. Our school is known for Brad, Sheryl and journalism. But, it might be a football school one day."

I’d have to say that day has arrived. Look around Columbia and see the school spirit, look at how fans traveled to KC and how many fans will be in San Antonio. I have a hunch there will be even more in New Orleans…but we’ll have to see.

--TP

Whew!

That’s pretty much says it all. An eleven-hour journey from Columbia to Dallas has finally come to a close. Caroline, our road trip photographer, has some connections in the Big D, as her brother, Wes, is a sophomore at SMU. Tonight, we’ll crash at the Sigma Chi fraternity house on campus. A college road trip would not be complete without experiencing another campus…even at 3:00 in the morning. Thanks for staying up with us tonight! We’ll be back on the road bright and early tomorrow as we finish the drive to San Antonio. On tap for tomorrow: more road trip playlists from KOMU anchors, a Texas high school football experience and the River Walk. Please continue to send us your questions, predictions and thoughts about the Big 12 Championship. Feel free to comment after any of our posts or chat with us by using the AIM widget at the top of the page. We love hearing from you! Goodnight (morning) and GO TIGERS! Only 51 hours to kickoff!

--TP

Fun in Norman

How could we pass up a stop in Norman, Oklahoma? We pulled over in Norman to preview the OU offense vs. the MU defense…and to have a little fun. Anyone remember Rhett Bomar? We do. Take a look.

A Change at the Top

Finally, Charlie has taken the wheel. The first 472 miles would have been painful had it not been for great food, great friends and most importantly, hot jams. I think everyone in the car had a chance to grab some shut-eye in the car, except for me of course. But hey, I’m so pumped for the game, I could drive the whole way! The Grand Am is officially past the halfway point on this epic trek to San Antonio. And, for the first time on the trip, we passed another car with a tiger tail hanging out of the trunk! We can’t wait to be reunited with Tiger fans in the Lone Star State. It’s nearly one in the morning and we have a couple of hours to go yet. With plenty of Red Bull in hand, we should be fine.

--TP

Joke-lahoma

Hello from Oklahoma City! We have knocked out 450 miles, with hundreds still to go. We are about to stop in Norman to take a look around at this late hour. One cool thing to point out about Oklahoma City is that two or three of their skyscrapers downtown have huge lit-up crosses on them--similar to the "Go Sox" deal near Fenway Park. I tell you this, because it's probably the first cool thing we've seen in Oklahoma.

Enjoy some jokes below. If you laugh three times, we'll call it a success. By the way, use the chat box at the top of the page to give us some feedback. Were our jokes funny? Do you have a better one? Let us hear it!