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In December, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on family.There are a handful of things that can bring my hometown to a standstill, and football is one.Iron smoke pits welded in the Louisiana countryside. The persisting scent of hickory. And humidity so thick most would forget its fall.Im from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, home of the LSU Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars. My family, all alumni of Southern University and A&M College, has sat in the same seats at every game since the 1980s, homemade popcorn balls and boiled peanuts in one hand and a blue-and-gold shaker in the other.My dad would bring his portable television, the size of three remotes, so that one ear was always plugged into whatever other game was going on at the same time. Occasionally, he would lean over and make sure I was following the game, pointing out how a pass was incomplete, and giving a few remarks to the guy in front us about how Texas Southern has nothin on us. He has still not upgraded his portable device.As a family, wed pack up our van and hit the trail behind lines of Winnebagos traveling up and down I-10 and I-55 to away games as far as Florida. I would run into most of my high school friends whose parents and grandparents had also made the trek to see their beloved Jags.Cars were packed to the gills with gumbo, stewed meats, day-and-a-half marinated chicken and ribs, jambalaya, potato salad and red beans. Some even ventured to bring their best BBQ pits, joined to the hitch on the back of their truck, the fire already lit. The tailgating lasted for two days and continued after the game was over.We second-lined off the field no matter if we won or lost, our shakers and leftover napkins standing in for parasols and handkerchiefs. We waved them above our heads and paraded from every corner, the sound of horns our entrance and our exit. The game was as much about food and celebration as it was football.Together, wed witness an entire season pass, from preseason scrimmages to a week of homecoming festivities, and finally, the event that would define it all -- the Bayou Classic.Last Thanksgiving, we took my husband to his first Classic. The Superdome protruded from the narrow skyline like a gray UFO. Our family had expanded over the years to include grandchildren and husbands, and we all walked in a bit of a messy clump, allowing the children to walk themselves, no strollers. Along the way, we hugged and greeted old friends and familiar faces, because everyone comes out for the Classic. I had not been inside the Dome in years. It was newer, brighter and remodeled. From our seats, I could see fans in colorful shirts -- Southerns blue and gold, and Gramblings black and red.I cant believe you grew up with all this, my husband yelled over the crowd. He had not grown up with the privilege of being raised by watching all black colleges compete in football.Southern lost that year, but we came back strong the next.This Thanksgiving, we packed the stadium, both teams having had a successful season -- both Southern and Grambling were 8-0. The Classic had sold out again. We would fill all 70,000 seats.My husband was now in law school at Southern, and running into his own friends and mentors as we entered the Dome. He had even invested in paraphernalia, the jaguar on his Columbia blue and gold shirt clinging to his chest like a Superman emblem.Lets go, Jaguars, lets go! he stood up beside my mom and sister to chant. By halftime, hed perched my nephew onto his shoulders, both of them eager to see the band we lovingly call The Human Jukebox. Although we lost again this year, a crowd disappointment for us and a victory for them, we second-lined anyway. We spilled out into Champions Square, both teams poking fun at each other while exiting the gates, because, at the end of the day, it is always love.The next day, over beers and leftover gumbo, I heard my husband wax emphatically to one of my cousins about how dope it was to see nothing but black professionals, students and alums doing well. I knew then that the essence of home had become something bigger to him, and that my upbringing had taught me more than I could have ever imagined.The soul of the game was in all of us, wrapped in a spirit that had endured lifetimes, our school a mark of very sacred ground.Candice E. Perkins is is a freelance writer living in New Orleans. She is an alum of the Voices of Our Nation Writing Workshop (VONA) and a graduate of the University of Southern Californias Master of Professional Writing program (MPW). Cheap Custom T-shirts China . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Cheap Custom Jerseys Store . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. http://www.customjerseyschina.com/ . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Clearance Custom Jerseys Shop .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Custom Football Jerseys China . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. NEW YORK -- Former major leaguer Jesus Montero has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for a stimulant, his second penalty for a banned substance.Montero spent this season with Torontos Triple-A Buffalo team, batting .317 with 11 home runs and 60 RBI. He was a designated hitter and first baseman and was picked as an International League All-Star.The commissioners office made the announcement Thursday. Because the minor league season is over, the suspension will take effect at the start of next year.Montero tested positive for dimethylbutylamine.In August 2013, Montero drew a 50-game drug ban -- he was among several players disciplined by Major League Baseball for their relationshipp to Biogenesis of America, a Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.ddddddddddddThe 26-year-old Montero made his big league debut with the New York Yankees in 2011 and was traded to Seattle after the season for pitcher Michael Pineda. Montero played for the Mariners last year.In 2014, Montero was sent home by the Mariners late in the season after having a run-in with a Seattle scout at a minor league game.There have been 84 suspensions this year under the minor league drug program and 13 under the major league program. ' ' '