Temps in the 90s, a heat index that made it feel much more like 100+ degrees, elbow to elbow with a record breaking crowd, water bottles in such high demand they couldn’t stay iced long enough to actually get cold, a far more lukewarm than hot sausage on a bun, a ticket well outside of my entertainment budget, two trolley rides to the stadium, enough walking to make the latest exercise gadget lose track of steps & a final score much closer than it should have been….all added up to downright perfect conditions for the Red River Rivalry!
My Sooners sure weren’t blemish free…yet an ugly “dub” is no less appreciated than a pretty “dub”…and against the burnt orange of UT?…well, a perfect outing was made even more so!!
Perhaps it was an unforgiving sun that seemed to tap on one’s shoulder that made my mind marvel at how we’ve arrived at that special time of the year in which a perfect storm is brewing…so much going on at once:
As October winds down so does the baseball season. If preseason predictions translated to trophies, the hometown Washington Nationals would have gone deeper into the calendar no less than three times in the last six years. By contrast…what was initially deemed a rebuilding season has been anything but for the Bronx Bombers. There is no crystal ball to tell us where and when their season ends! What is clear though is, the New York Yankees were not supposed to be here—at.all!
Speaking of New York….who knew a winless NY Giants could lose key players on offense, then roll into the backyard of one of the league’s toughest defenses only to emerge victorious…in convincing fashion?! It was refreshing to see on-the-field drama. Anthem noise will fall on deaf ears until the narrative reverts to what the protests were intended for in the first place. However, that doesn’t prevent a line in the sand from being drawn. If a team is content with losing due to lack of a skilled quarterback while a skilled one sits at home….trust and believe I’m twice as content to watch them lose!
In lighter news…I do not want to become THAT fan. You know the one that goes to hometown games based on the opponents. Yet, when perusing the Capitals schedule it is a factor difficult to exclude. Truth be told…a game with their archrival would be rather exciting. But something tells me, no time is the right time, to discuss the Pittsburgh Penguins with local hockey fans!
A friend and I were debating which level of sports is more passionate…college or professional? College, hands down! One need look no further than NCAA Basketball Midnight Madness. Student sections chanting and cheering as if it were high noon is this tradition’s norm. The very notion of being AWAKE much less engaged at that hour is mindboggling.
Case in point, while all eyes were fixated on Kyrie’s return to Cleveland….speedy recovery wishes to Gordon Hayward…my eyes were watching the clock for the second part of the doubleheader, Golden State vs Houston. Needless to say, the evening was more Lights Out pandemonium than Midnight Madness. By now I know the Warriors’ season debut fell into the loss column. I also know Nick Young as team’s leading scorer will not trend upward. My bandwagon seat? Sounds like the perfect perch to see what comes of this perfect storm!
