I’ve decided to just not think about the next game any more. It seems every time I think we should have a real barnburner, it fizzles early on.

The Georgia – Florida game was another like most this season that should have been big but ended up with only a big spread in points. It was really looking like a basic slugfest at first but after a few missed opportunities there just wasn’t much hope for catching up.

But I will say the crowd both inside and outside Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was larger than any Jaguars’ game or the Gator Bowl.

And they were somewhat louder, shall we say. This game was always known as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” and even though both schools have dropped that moniker and no media can use it either, no one told those who attend anything about it.

But we all still call it The Cocktail Party.

This year’s had to be the largest ever both in the stadium and outside, too. The traffic was horrendous. We were actually late getting to the stadium even with our police escort.

The lone motorcycle we had did a great job “parting the seas” as he went between the stopped lanes of traffic. The Instant Replay guys have to go a lot earlier than we do but they don’t get a police escort. They had to abandon their rental on the side of the highway and walk the last 3 miles in or they wouldn’t have made it.

Getting out wasn’t nearly as bad because this time we had a police car and three motorcycles. I always hold my breath every time we do this because the fact that we have never had a close encounter of the bad kind doesn’t mean we won’t someday.

This year with CBS, they have really given me more control on when we start the game back after a break. They gave me a new headset rig where I can hear the Producer I talk to, plus the other talent producer’s channel, plus Verne, Gary and Tracy on the program channel.

With all 3 channels going on at once in my single ear piece headset the producers told me that if I can make it through the first couple of games without any smoke coming out of my ears I might make it.

The good thing about all of this is I can tell how much to anticipate releasing the game back to the Referee.

Kickoffs are the worst because all teams take so long even after I say go. So now I can give them the thirty-seconds to go signal at about fifty seconds.

And when I hear Verne “setting the scene” out of the break that means get them going and get out of the way.

I hate a double ear piece headset or one on each ear because it seems to take me out of the game too much.

And with those three channels going at once, I don’t think I could stand having all that in both ears. Got to be sure nothing fries between the ears because that could cause smoke.