It Ain't Over 'Till-
How do the expressions go?...
"It ain't over 'till it's over." (Duh! Possibly attributed to New York Yankee legend Yogi Berra)...
"It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings." (an opera reference, I believe, but I found explanations ranging from Depression Era gangster Al Capone, to singer Kate Smith and various other ladies of large proportions, to a billiards term, "It ain't over 'till the fat lady sinks," meaning the 8-ball, which is the last one in the pocket, and ends a game of 8-ball.)
Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of other colloquialisms related to this. I did find one more, that's difficult to argue with: "It ain't over 'till God says it's over." (Reverend James Moore, 1997)
Apparently, there's just not a lot of ways to say this particular thing, but after a Saturday of watching college football, and more specifically, Gator football, I'll have to add one more: "It ain't over 'till the Hail Mary!"
The University Of Florida Gators, playing their rival Tennessee Volunteers, squandered a 10-point lead in the final minutes, and found themselves on their own 37-yard-line, with only 9 seconds remaining in the game, and the game tied 20-20.
Gator fans everywhere worried that, if the game were to go into overtime, the Gators would probably be outmatched by Tennessee's obviously more potent offense. Indeed, the Gators offense has been subpar for some time, and this game was no different, with the offense only accounting for 1 touchdown the entire game, to that point in the contest.
Their other points came on a pick six by their defense and two field goals.
9 seconds left on the clock...
63 yards to the end zone...
Time for a Hail Mary, right?
Hold on, my friend! According to Advanced Football Analytics, the success rate for Hail Mary passes from that distance range from zero to 2%.
But, what choice did the Gators have, and what did they have to lose? (as long as they weren't intercepted and the ball taken to the house for a touchdown by the opposing team!)
So, Gator quarterback Feleipe Franks took the snap, eluded a vigorous pass rush, rolled out to his right, and heaved the ball more than 63 yards, right into the arms of speedy wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland, who caught the ball and fell into the end zone for the winning touchdown, with no time left on the clock!
Never give up, my friends. It's not over 'till...well, you know.
Go Gators!
Recent Comments
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You should be able to get a replay on the internet-it's been all over the sports news, Vera! :))))
Exciting stuff....we were also watching the game. Great ending if you're a Florida fan. I'm neutral in all college games but they are more in to watch than the pros...youthful spirit.....
Good play by play on your part...you next career perhaps?
Debbie
I like college games, too, Debbie, especially the SEC and big games. Maybe I should do a Gator niche? :)
Not quite ready for a Hail mary just yet. I still have a couple more plays to try first. Once again, nice post!
Well, that was an exhilarating post.
I don't pretend to know a lot about football and those techy terms, I just don't understand why, when the guy with the ball is down, why does everyone on both teams have to pile up on him? He is already on the ground, so why add more pain? I guess it's a man thing!!
It's great to have you back, Rick!!
T
Rick - Congratulations to the Gators. The football gods were looking over them this weekend.
Karma for the devastation of Irma and the lifting of spirits for the people of Florida (students and graduates) :-).
In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, "You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you."
I'm sure this helped many families continue putting Irma behind them, Patrick. Good old Yogi...he had a million of them. :)
Have you ever had a crooner like that in your band Rick? bet she'll hold the suspense in a high note!
I actually had a trained opera singer as a backup singer, Mike. I had to teach her to sing rock and roll! :)
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The SEC is one of the toughest leagues in college football. The coaches in the NCAA are some of the best also--but they're only as good as the players themselves
Florida is a tough team to beat and will bounce back next week
They lost to Michigan the first week, and it looked as though they might lose this one, but they pulled off a miracle, Davida! :)