Things to wonder about

The two semifinal games in the college football playoff (CFB) series were great games for fans and spectators alike. There was lots of exciting plays and the games came down to nail-biter finishes. Last night’s championship game did not share those characteristics as the University of Georgia (UGA) overwhelmed TCU. I watched the first half finish with a score of 38-7 and then decided to read a book for the rest of the evening. A few moments later I received a text from a friend who wondered if the 2nd half television advertisers were going to receive a rebate/discount as non-UGA fans began to turn off the broadcast. Turns out it is a flat-fee arrangement, but what the future holds in terms of rebates or discounts, … something to wonder about. Actually, I’ve already spent too much time on the topic.

The wrong goat

As many of you know, I am a graduate of the United States Naval Academy – and we are coming to that time of year: the annual Army-Navy Football Classic. Army is having a great year with a 7-3 record and putting lots of points on the board. Navy is 2-8 and ….. it is not one of our best years. But when I was a freshman (aka “plebe” in USNA slang) our record was 1-8, but all was redeemed and made whole with a victory over Army. So, despite our record and the apparent prowess of the Black Knights of the Hudson, hope springs eternal!

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Football and the grocery store

Fla-Ga-footballWhen I left my home in Orlando to attend the US Naval Academy back in 1970, I arrive in a completely foreign land inhabited by football teams about which I had no knowledge. My plebe (freshman) year our first game was against Colgate. The place where Colgate toothpaste was invented? It had a recognizable name so I assumed it had a reasonable football program. What did I know? I knew that there was SEC football and who cares.  Saturdays in the South are about as sacrosanct as Sundays. Football is tradition, loyalty, identity, passion an, to borrow a title from the book by Will Blythe, “To Hate Like This is to Be Happy Forever.” Passion runs deep. Continue reading