Killer Nuts Tailgating

As the season gets closer, the energy we have to spend on The Unpleasantness seems to dwindle each and every day. Sure, we’ll have one more day to think about all that stuff — when the NCAA announces its findings and whatever sanctions it has ready for us — in two or three months — but in the meantime, we’re going to be thinking about football.

However.

There is no question that the most recent off-season is going to at least color everything that happens during the season, from picking a quarterback to waiting on some very good players to finish up their suspensions to enduring what I’m sure will be endless carping about the program during televised games, especially on those televised by our friends at ESPN (Tip: Just don’t listen to anything — ANYTHING — that comes out of Mark May’s mouth for the rest of 2011).

Yes. No matter what we want to happen, The Unpleasantness isn’t going away anytime soon. It’s going to be the elephant in the stadium all year. And it’s going to be a challenge for everyone connected with the program — players, coaches, administrators and fans.

How does one approach a challenge? A former coach we’re very familiar with suggested you embrace it (unless the challenge involves potentially ineligible players, I guess). And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to take on the haters, and we’re going to enjoy it while we do.

We’ve just added the above designs — available in multiple colors and in men’s and women’s styles — to the Killer Nuts Tailgating store, and we’re hoping that you’ll see fit to have one or the other ready for the Sept. 3 season opener. We’ve spent weeks and weeks being appropriately ashamed, shocked and/or contrite (well, sort of); now that the season’s here, it’s time to put that crap behind us.

(And yes, we’re aware that 0-13 isn’t technically what happened to the 2010 season, but we don’t care — it’s funnier this way.)

You’ll find the store here, and ridiculously detailed directions on placing your orders here. Of course, the lovely “we are killer nuts” and “I blame the tailgate” designs are still available and, as always, if you need a different size or a different color, just let me know and I’ll make it happen.