I'm in the giving mood. I've got a signed copy waiting to be had. Make the case in this thread why you should have a book, and I'll pick a winner later. And if you're looking for a Christmas gift for the Mizzou fan in your life, you know where to find me. No supply-chain issues with "Tigers vs. Jayhawks." In the meantime, here's a nugget from the book. It was one of the last things I added. Was curious about the coin flip, and although I didn't expect anything to come of it, I figured it was worth exploring. So I texted Zo. And then I called Ruck. Had a few laughs as they recounted their walk to midfield.
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No surprise, but both teams wanted the ball first. Mangino was looking “to get tempo and rhythm going.” Missouri never deferred, and as the captains walked to midfield amid the din, Williams thought it was the perfect time to discuss the coin toss. Rucker always called it—and he always called tails because, he says, “tails never fails.” Well, tails had failed T in St. Louis and Oxford and Norman and Manhattan. His average was hovering at .200, on the Mendoza Line, only because he finally got one right in Boulder. So couldn’t Zo be excused for suggesting it might not be a bad idea to appoint a new spokesman? If nothing else, considering he was one-for-five on the season, shouldn’t T at least consider heads? “We argued about it on the way out there,” Williams says with a laugh. “Who was going to call it and what to call.”
T called tails. Missouri got the ball.
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No surprise, but both teams wanted the ball first. Mangino was looking “to get tempo and rhythm going.” Missouri never deferred, and as the captains walked to midfield amid the din, Williams thought it was the perfect time to discuss the coin toss. Rucker always called it—and he always called tails because, he says, “tails never fails.” Well, tails had failed T in St. Louis and Oxford and Norman and Manhattan. His average was hovering at .200, on the Mendoza Line, only because he finally got one right in Boulder. So couldn’t Zo be excused for suggesting it might not be a bad idea to appoint a new spokesman? If nothing else, considering he was one-for-five on the season, shouldn’t T at least consider heads? “We argued about it on the way out there,” Williams says with a laugh. “Who was going to call it and what to call.”
T called tails. Missouri got the ball.
