Sports

JELLYFISH AND LSU COLORS

By Harry King/SPORTS COMMENTARY
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 11:36 PM CDT

LITTLE ROCK — Flying daily at the sandy end of a wooden walkway, the purple flag was much more irritating than the collection of the SEC loyalists on the island.

The royal color denotes “Dangerous Marine Life,” i.e. jellyfish. One of the slimy creatures stung the 5-year-old on the first day. Vinegar zapped the pain, but not the fear. A brief reconnaissance mission turned up three of the tentacled devils nestled in wet sand and water adventures were confined to the bay and the swimming pools, which was just fine with the 8-year-old content with snorkeling in 30 inches of any wet.

Other encounters with local wildlife included the capture of a half-dozen hermit crabs, including one so reclusive that the shell was discarded until it up and walked past the TV, and an attack by what must have been a pterodactyl judging by the payload delivered with precision on an innocent walker.

For the brief vacation, the atmosphere was serene and the inhabitants of the five-tower complex were more about family than football, a letdown in light of the heads-up by morning radio show host Tommy Smith.

Unofficially, LSU was the winner among the Southeastern Conference schools. The Tiger contingent included the woman wearing “I bleed purple and gold” by the pool with her daughter. It is likely they belonged to four of the eight purple and gold Crocs near the beach, side by side, size by size.

The Baton Rouge backers also included the golf-bound cap on the elevator and a barely discernible white “Geaux Tigers” on a black background.

The only encounters with for-sure Arkies were in the Atlanta airport — a hat on the head of a Springdale man who smiled when he said he was headed for Hawaii “on business” and a “Go Hogs” from a Little Rock-bound standby who watched a couple of flights depart.

Two restaurant workers on the island made reference to Arkansas, but they might have been wangling for tips.

The red swim suit with “A R K A N S A S” across the seat could have provoked some response, but it remained in the suitcase in the name of harmony and decency. After all, an orange golf shirt over dark shorts prompted “Nice Gator colors,” from a man on his way to floor 18 with an empty luggage cart.

The only folks clearly from Alabama said their shirts were souvenirs. The printed message was about the “Future of Energy” with no mention of Nick Saban or Tommy Tuberville.

A man sporting an Ole Miss shirt and blue Crocs decorated with Colonel Reb, said he didn’t dare wear the garb back home in Covington, La. He was reserved about new coach Houston Nutt, but said it was about time something good happened at Ole Miss. Not since Archie Manning, he said.

“Ole Miss Grandma,” was student-specific, according to a fictitious ruling from SEC commissioner Mike Slive, and could not be counted as an endorsement of the Rebels’ athletic program. Slive’s office did not rule immediately on the Kentucky shirt which mentioned only basketball.

Rod and reel in hand, the Mississippi State man sported the fanciest accessory — a silver pail for his catch with the school name in maroon. The pail was empty.

Counting a “Run Bevo Run,” shirt, Texas was better represented than most SEC schools.

The largest souvenir shop on the small boardwalk anticipated the popularity of LSU. On a back wall, in the corner, there were more than 70 designs for T-shirts, mostly beach scenes with one reference or another to Pensacola Beach.

The exception was the face of a big cat and “Geaux Tigers.”

Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.

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