Travis has become enamored of several objects, phrases or events which he frequently references in the column. Among the most frequent:
'Bama Bangs- a term coined by Travis to refer to southern men's hairstyles that feature prominent bangs for no apparent reason. Brodie Croyle and John Parker Wilson are oft-cited violators of 'Bama Bangs rules.
African Americans and Jogging - Travis once opined that, "black people don't jog for exercise." [3] He has also written, "I live in a majority black neighborhood in downtown Nashville where no one ever jogs. No one. When you jog here, people look behind you to see who you're running from." [4]
The beaver pelt trader of the week- Travis instituted this award in his mailbag column after being amazed at consistent reference to Auburn's Tommy Tuberville as a riverboat gambler. Travis felt this was an odd cliché and decided to begin his own, hence the beaver pelt trader. He awards it each Friday.
Drunk Texting Tim Tebow - Travis once sent Tim Tebow a text message at 2am to see if he wanted to "hang out." [5]
pink dolphin- After a reader alerted him to the existence of pink dolphins in the Amazon Travis has consistently referenced them. Known as the boto Travis has requested a Disney movie be made and asserted that the pink dolphin has the worst publicity of any animal on earth.
BGID- Travis has a beard and is a proponent of all things beards. BGID stands for Beard Getting it Done and both Travis and his bearded readers will now frequently sign their correspondence with a BGID salutation. It is Travis's contention that men with beards are more successful than men without beards.
Florida's women and their alleged fat arms- Travis says that Florida women carry six to eight extra pounds of arm fat on the back of their arms. He recently borrowed the Australian phrase "bingo wings" to describe such arms. He rarely misses an opportunity to mention this.
On the Virginia Tech shootings, Clay responded to a Virginia Tech fan in one of his columns by saying, "Stay at Virginia Tech and worry about your own students not killing other students on campus." .[6]
Civil War history- Travis is a Civil War history buff. As such he often utilizes obscure Civil War analogies. For instance UT defensive coordinator John Chavis is often compared to anti-American racist and slave owner John Bell Hood.
Unmarried Pregnant Antebellum Daughter of CBS Sports- Travis contends that he occupies the lowest possible rung of CBS sports and has analogized himself this way. This position was confirmed when CBS Sports agreed to send him to the worst bowl in America. He's also described himself as the anti-Jim Nantz.
