WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME

FIRST OFF, I SYMPATHIZE WITH BRANDON MILLER.

IN CASE MY READERS AREN'T AWARE, BRANDON MILLER IS A BASKETBALL PLAYER FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA WHO RECENTLY FOUND HIMSELF ASSOCIATED WITH AN ALLEGED CAPITAL MURDER CHARGE THAT LEFT SINGLE MOTHER JAMEA HARRIS FATALLY MURDERED.  WHEN ASKED, COACH NATE OATS DESCRIBED IT AS A CLASSIC WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME SITUATION, ONE THAT I CAN SAY I AM ALL TOO FAMILIAR WITH.

MANY OF MY CUSTOMERS AND READERS ALIKE ONLY KNOW ME AS COACH RICHARD BOGGS.  OVER THE YEARS, PEOPLE ONLY HAVE SEEN ME BEHIND A KEYBOARD BUT THEY HAVE GROWN TO KNOW THE PUBLIC SIDE OF ME. I TRY TO KEEP PERSONAL THINGS JUST THAT, PERSONAL, BUT IT'S TIME I OPEN UP ABOUT A TIME WHERE I TOO WAS AT THE WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME.

COACH RICHARD BOGGS HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN A COACH. THIS STORY TAKES PLACE BACK IN COLLEGE WHEN I WAS ONLY KNOWN AS "RICHARD" OR WHAT CLOSE FRIENDS WOULD REFER TO ME AS "DICK". IT WAS A TYPICAL SPRING TUESDAY AFTERNOON. I WOKE UP AROUND 12:00PM, SHOWERED, AND TUNED INTO THE LAST HALF OF "THE HERD" WITH COLIN COWHERD ON FS1 WITH MY ROOMMATE IN THE LIVING ROOM. I LOVE THAT PROGRAM. I WAS NOT GOING TO LOVE WHAT WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN TO ME.

I RECEIVED A TEXT AROUND 2:30PM FROM A FRIEND SAYING "YO, HAVING A DARTY (SHORT FOR DAY PARTY, A PARTY THAT HAPPENS DURING THE DAY INSTEAD OF AT NIGHT) AT JAKE'S, SWING BY." I WAS STOKED BECAUSE JAKE HONESTLY ALWAYS KNEW HOW TO HAVE AN HONEST TIME.  I SENT A TEXT BACK "IN" AROUND 2:37PM.  THIS IS WHERE THE STORY JUST GETS STARTED.

I END UP GETTING OVER TO JAKE'S PLACE AT AROUND 3:23PM AND FOSTER THE PEOPLE'S "PUMPED UP KICKS" WAS PLAYING. JAKE ALWAYS HAD A FOOTBALL ON HIM AND HE SLUNG IT TO ME. "WOAH," I REMEMBER GASPING AS I SNAGGED THE FOOTBALL QUICKLY, "WHAT'S UP JAKE?" WE DAPPED UP. HE ASKED ME "DO YOU WANT TO PLAY SOME BEER PONG?" I OBLIGED, I KNEW I WAS ABOUT TO GRADUATE SOON AND THESE OPPORTUNITIES WOULD BE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN ONCE I TOOK ON MY FIRST 7TH GRADE COACHING JOB.  WE RACKED UP THE BALLS AND FOUND A COUPLE FRIENDS TO PLAY WITH. IT WAS A FAIRLY COMPETITIVE AND CLOSE MATCHUP AND WE WERE DOWN TO ONE CUP AND OUR OPPONENT WAS LEFT WITH TWO. THIS IS WHERE I WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME.

I HAD SET DOWN MY "BEVERAGE" AT A TABLE ADJACENT TO ME. A REFRESHER ON THE RULES FOR SOME OF MY OLDER READERS, IF YOU BOUNCE A BALL INTO THE CUP, IT IS WORTH TWO CUPS.  IT IS A GOOD TIME TO ALSO REMIND MY READERS WITH SHORTER TERM MEMORIES THAT THE OPPOSING TEAM ONLY HAD TWO CUPS REMAINING. JUST AS I TURN MY BACK I HEAR "TINK", THE SOUND ONLY A PING PONG BALL CAN MAKE. IT WAS AT THAT MOMENT, I KNEW I WAS TOO LATE. YES, THE OTHER TEAM JUST EXECUTED A TWO POINT BOUNCE PLAY ON ME TO WIN. WE ONLY HAD ONE CUP LEFT. IF I WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN A COLLEGE KID IN THE WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME, I WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE.

SO FOR THOSE TUNING INTO THE COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT, UNDERSTAND THIS: THEY'RE JUST COLLEGE KIDS. I ASK THAT YOU THINK OF A TIME THAT YOU WERE ALSO IN THE WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME AS A COLLEGE KID. BRANDON MILLER WAS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OF US AS COLLEGE STUDENTS; HE WAS JUST IN THE WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME OF AN ALLEGED CAPITAL MURDER.