Verne Lundquist on MSU/UK CBS Pick: “I Forgot What Year it Was…among other things”
In honor of his 75th year broadcasting college sports, CBS decided they’d allow Verne Lundquist to pick which SEC games would be aired on the network for the 2014 season. It was a nice gesture, as generally it’s pretty easy to tell which games will be the biggest. CBS gets the first pick of all SEC games each week so it’s pretty simple to get right.
Then comes Week 9. Uncle Verne picked Mississippi State at Kentucky surprising everyone. While Mississippi State is the #1 team in America, Kentucky is 9-22 since the 2012 season. #3 Ole Miss at #24 LSU seems appears to be the biggest game of the week, and it’s a “traditional rivalry”, so many pundits have suggested just how bad this pick was. Ole Miss fans, while at the same time clamoring that MSU’s win at LSU is worthless, are upset they will have to play in Death Valley at night rather than the 2:30 CBS kick.
When we found out that CBS was allowing Mr. Lundquist to make all the picks this year, we reached out to him. Here’s the transcript of our interview:
Me: May I call you Uncle Verne?
VL: If you must.
Me: Uncle Verne, why did you decide to pick Mississippi State at Kentucky for the Week 9 CBS game of the week?
VL: It’s all a bit hazy, but suffice it to say I forgot what year it was….among other things.
Me: What year did you think it was?
VL: Well to be honest, I thought it was 2004. I had just looked at my medicine calender and I saw the two, I saw the zero and I saw the four. By George, I didn’t even think about the one. Oh well.
Me: The 2004 MSU vs. Kentucky game was awful. Both teams were at the bottom of the SEC – why would that make a difference?
VL: Oh my, I forgot the kid’s gifts. Remind me to get them after this.
Me: Is everything okay, Santa?
VL: [chortle]
Me: So why did you want to pick MSU and Kentucky again?
VL: Oh yeah, right. I thought it was basketball season. That was a good matchup that year.
Me: That makes sense I guess, in a weird way. So you got the year wrong, and the sport. Sounds like you’re doing well, Uncle Verne.
VL: OH MY!
Me: Excuse me?
VL: My Hot Pocket is ready.
Me: The microwave went off three minutes ago.
VL: Sometimes I have delayed reactions.
Me: Sometimes?
VL: Well, that’s enough of this. I trust you can show yourself out? I have a Hot Pocket to eat. Good luck covering Ole Miss.
Me: Thanks, but I cover Mississippi State.
VL: Huh, I always get those two confused. You know, as I recall, when the CBS intern asked me if I really wanted to pick the Bulldogs against the Wildcats I figured it may not be the best choice, so I went with a different game…the Ole Miss vs. LSU game. But I guess I said Mississippi State instead of Ole Miss. It’s tough to keep up with all these teams.
Me: There are only 14 in the SEC, sir.
VL: OH MY GOOD-NESS! I did not know that. Thank you and have a good day. Cheese and pepperoni await.
Note: I totally made all this up.