American Author John Jeremiah Sullivan has said that “freaky things happen all the time in the world. I suppose everything has to happen for the first time at some point.” Well, if you apply that statement to one of Tampa’s preeminent rivalries, the next time the Crusaders of Tampa Catholic defeat their arch-nemesis Jesuit on the gridiron, it might feel like the first time even though TC has done it before. As the two teams collide on Rome Avenue tonight, history will be made one way or another. Either Tampa Catholic, 27-point underdogs according to Joe Pinkos’ forecast, will defeat the Tigers, or Jesuit will extend a streak that began in 1999. Wait…1999?!? That’s like, a long time and stuff. It’s fair to say that half the players on these rosters weren’t even born when this streak began, while the other half were in diapers the last time the Crusaders got the upper-hand on their rivals.

At some point, the cliche that “all good things must come to an end” will apply to this game for the Tigers and the Crusaders will taste the sweet nectar of victory. Since most of us don’t seem to have the ability to accurately predict the future via crystal ball however, all we have is the here-and-now. Everything is in the moment. While the losing streak certainly matters to them now, it won’t matter and amnesia sets in if TC wins and the streak comes to an end. The season has been filled with adversity for Tampa Catholic with two games canceled due to weather and a tough start to the season, but TC has responded with authority and are district champions and have won five-straight. The Tigers have steamrolled their competition and own property in the top half of the Class 5A poll, not just rent. As mentioned, they’re heavy favorites in this game, and should be on the short list for favorites to win a title in December.

While we don’t know if the streak will come to an end this evening or not, what we do know is a lot has happened since Tampa Catholic last defeated Jesuit in 1999. We mean, A LOT. Warning, this is probably where many of the athletes participating in this contest currently and in the future will be lost, since the things that were woven into the fabric of our pop culture and sporting culture at the time are probably a little hazy in the memory of the 30-somethings that experienced them in real time. Those that remember what was happening when TC last beat Jesuit? Good for you. What’s your secret? For those that can’t remember—here’s a refresher. WARNING: We are not responsible for any flashbacks you may incur. People actually did these things with pride and consumed all things sports and entertainment in a strange, alien fashion.

For starters, five bucks really did get you down the road. Gas was just $1.22 per gallon. In 1999, the impeachment hearings for Bill Clinton were initiated. The last time Jesuit lost in this rivalry, something called Internet Explorer was coming out with its fancy (and awesome) version number 5 that year. Something called MySpace was introduced, while some sort of technology known as Bluetooth was starting to become the new toy for gadget-geeks. Our taste in movies was for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, The Sixth Sense and American Pie, while our taste for television was spiced with The Simpsons, Beverly Hills 90210, Frasier, the X-Files and Friends.

Our taste in music was, um, well. Okay. Eminem’s Slim Shady LP, along with Nas’ Nastradamus were released, while music from Lenny Kravitz, Sarah McLachlan, Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, Kid Rock, Christina Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys were on top of the charts. Not to be outdone by our taste in music was our super weird way of going about our daily routines. According to BuzzFeed.com, routines such as saving information on a computer, or watching movies, or just getting on a computer in general seemed pretty stinking weird to today’s standards. Back in 1999, rewinding VHS tapes after watching a movie were the norm. Taking notes in class from an overhead projector were standard. For crying out loud, we were using Microsoft Paint to make cool stuff. In 1999, EEEEE, EEERRRRR, PING PING SCURRRRRRR PING (static) EEEEEEE, (scratching) PING meant that you were dialing-up internet, not Spider 2 Y-Banana on Madden.

Instead of Google, WHAT Y’ALL KNOW ABOUT ENCARTA, HUH? Yeah, we thought so. Y’all remember getting calls on the house phone? People from 1999, do. Sony Walkman’s were our iPod’s and disposable cameras were considered on the cutting edge of being able to take photos whenever, wherever you wanted. You know what else we crazy 1999- ers were doing the last time TC defeated Jesuit? We went—on the regular—to pay our bills—AT the actual place of business. Paying over the phone required advanced degrees in linguistics and calculus, and we’ve already been over the “internet” functionality at the time, so no other choice but to, *gasp* write a check to the clerk.

So while things certainly have changed since the Crusaders have beaten the Tigers in this world of ours, you want to know what HASN’T changed? Both teams being really good. The last sixteen meetings may have produced the same result in Jesuit’s favor, but Tampa Catholic are just fine when it comes to getting on with their lives once this game comes to an end. Since Jesuit’s streak began, the Tigers have won eight district titles and are securing their fourth undefeated regular season with a win. Although the Tigers have yet to make an appearance in the state finals, that could all change this season. Tampa Catholic can boast six district championships in the same time frame and have made it to Orlando twice, finishing as runner-ups.

Doug Pugh