Gil Thorp by Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill for November 24, 2014

The only good thing about bad blood is letting it slide - N. Sedaka

Looks like Gil now has Thing on retainer to pick his nose for him. Charming.

… or just a sucker punch in the gut …

I think he’s giving him CPR.

BBJ is going “Five Fingers of Death” a la Bruce Lee. Afterward, the VT coach will tell that kid that he has no heart.

In all reality, the VT coach says " What running the score up would show is that you have No Class Coach Thorp, remember what comes around goes around . Now get that finger out of my face before I jam it up your ( fill in the blank ).

Pascoe is about to find a quarter in the VT player’s ear!

That’s the entire game? What a letdown. One hard hit from each team and then flash forward to the postgame. And not a word about the playdowns even though they must be in this year. I guess we’ll get our big final Tru(e)-Jarrod(e) drama there.

Is Truman a senior?

@wieswald and Woody Maybe someday we will see the entire strip in hands and fingers. It would make as much sense as it does now.

The only reason I am continuing to read this story line is to discover how the Mudlarks don’t make the playdowns. That’s the only drama remaining as far as I am concerned.

Only a dozen passes? Even Miami(e) (OH) has lost interest

That’s why we love you Gil. Sportsmanship

Beau Dandy may not be able to pick a guitar, but he can sure pick a nose. "Livin’ it up, Livin’ it up oh yeah, Friday night. Great Bell & James tune.

Playdowns! WHAT playdowns! I’ve been reading since 1960 (a wee lad), and I can’t remember the last title they brought home. One of you historians has to know, so please tell us. Our Gil is showing them the Finger this year, so we know the real Gil is bubbling up after years of therapy (the missing kids and all). I’m hoping they have the same guy who did the Nick Saban statue on speed dial, so they can get The Gil on a pedestal in front of the Bucket after the parade that’s coming this year. This has GOT to be the year, doesn’t it? By the way, Gil is showing off the Grip of Death while giving a Bobby Bowden homily.

I think the VT coach got the message (until next time, at least). Gil’s message has given the VT coach a case of “stuff dripping from his nose” in P3), or a case of END (exploding nose dripping?)!

Lots of downers, but I love this story line. Gil telling off the sore loser in the True signing is priceless! This is the best team the Mudlarks have fielded in maybe over a decade. I see good things from here on out, unless True suffered a concussion and they have to go with Jarrod.

Gotta admit I’m enjoying this storyline too, all Thorpishness aside. Having a powerhouse football team sure beats a peacock storyline. I just wish Big John would’ve come out with his first words today, maybe, “keep your ******* hands off my quarterback!”

Weird there’s been no mention of the playdowns, because obviously Milford is in, being undefeated in the conference. Is this it, do they finally go all the way? Or do we get the plot twist I expected, Tru(e) goes down with an injury and Jarrod(e) has to step in? Well, if nothing else, Mopped Up Thorp is prepared to go far, as far as it takes to find the juvenile humor.

As best I remember from 40 years of reading this strip, Milford is in the only state that still doesn’t have a playoff (or playdown) system for football. Only for Basketball. In the earlier Berill days of the strip, you made the playdowns if you had a winning record. Now, who knows?

In a MAD Magazine style parody of the old ‘Yellow Pages’ commecials Gil is letting his “Fingers do the Talking” in the last panel.