I CAN"T be their downfall!!!

Just so we're clear, everyone knows I'm an LSU fan, right? I want to make sure there are no mistakes.
LSU Rocks.

Ok. I think we're clear now. No misunderstandings. I am a tiger through and through. The end.

I lived through Wildcat torment and won, through Volunteer comedy and conquered, and through the most annoying and redneck sounding Hog calls you can imagine and not only kept my sanity, but my pride also. (Really, only in Arkansas can you sit through a football game and hear rednecks wearing pig snouts hollering "soo-ie." And hailing a man in charge named "Nutt." The scary part is I'm dead serious. Not making that up.) I flew my big ol LSU flag from my front porch for years in Arkansas proudly. You'd be amazed at the number of compliments I got too. Seems Arkansans have a liking for the good Tigers too. They're just still in the closet.

So last night, my neighbor calls. Seems she ordered this fantastically cool birthday present for Jacob. It's just the perfect thing for him. An outdoor checker set! And really, he loves to play checkers. How exciting! A present he won't open up and send sailing over his shoulder as he dives for the next in line. Always a plus when gift-opening manners are thrown to the wind.

But one problem. She ordered it online, and when it showed up, they sent the wrong one. Seems she ordered a regular old set. One with the red and black checkers--just like the cheap $2.00 Walmart set. Only they sent the wrong colors. It came in orange and blue.

"That's not a problem," I told her. "He likes those colors."

"Yes, well, the colors actually aren't the bad thing. Let me just say that when I ordered this, no where on the site did it say I was getting this. But on the back of the checkerboard, there is a big UA. It's Auburn. Is that going to be a problem?"

Like I'm going to say, yes, thanks for ordering my son a great present, but you'd do just as well to take it out to the Ike burn pile and dump it there. Now.

No. I said, after laughing really hard, "No, luckily he hasn't been completely indoctrinated against Auburn yet. He's only completely aware of Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. So he won't get it."

And he really won't. He opened it up tonight and was entirely excited about it. It was a great present. And we just won't ever turn it over to the UA side. Ev-Er.

Ok. So now here's my problem.

We play Auburn on Saturday. Now, I'm not a particularly superstitious person. Not at all. My dad will make us rub the LSU logo on his lucky hat if the game is down to the wire and there's a game winning potential touchdown about to happen. And then there's the lucky shirt, and heaven forbid, the lucky "draws." (I've never asked, and he's never said. I suspect, but some things are just too much information! I learned that well when I got dragged to my future step mother's lingerie shower when I was in high school. Yeah.)

So I'm sitting with this checker board in my house and a huge game on Saturday. I'm not sure this is a good combination. But then, I have to balance rudeness to my neighbor with come-on-it's-LSU-and-they-must-rule.

Any suggestions?

**Oh, and all you out there with ESPN on Saturday night--I'll travel!! And I'll bring food! And I'll even grovel!! PUL-EESE!!!