Joel Goodson
- it's all ball bearings, nowadays
Illini Football 2026
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I was in Ann Arbor the following September for the football game (rescheduled to late in the month because of 9/11). That day was our only regular season loss (45-20) amidst a glorious 10-1 run. As I was leaving the stadium (wearing my old school c. 1988 Champion reverse-weave ILLINOIS sweatshirt) a guy walking toward me ragged on us. I grinned at him and said something like "Big deal; it's only one game. Basketball season begins in a month or so. It lasts much longer and we'll enjoy kicking your a$$ twice."
(And we did, as we shared the conference BB title in '02. UM was awful back then. Brian Ellerbe had taken over from the disgraced Steve Fisher and ran them into the ground. Then Tommy Ammaker showed up that season and they finished 10th. Only PSU was worse.)
Anyway, it was among the finest on-the-spot retorts of my life. He literally choked on his stunned laughter as everyone around us turned around and stared a la those 1970s EF Hutton commercials.
Shut his a$$ up. He had nothing and looked like a fool. To his credit he gave me props to save face. Makes me chuckle sadistically 25 years later thinking about it.
And for the young'uns who have no idea what or who EF Hutton is, well, here you go:
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