Great Minds Think Alike?

That’s what “they” often say, and I hope it’s true.

This morning I was enjoying a fall Saturday morning of College GameDay.  I saw a promo for a segment and said (outloud to myself), “That’s ____ team.” 

And when I watched the segment a few minutes later, I was right. 

Not sure how I feel about being on the same wavelength with the producers at the world-wide leader…

That’s What Friends Are For

The last couple Saturdays, I’ve had the opportunity to celebrate the marriages of good friends.  The parties have been fun.  I love quality time with friends.

But it’s fall.  And Saturday is college football day.  So while I’ve appreciated the invitations (and the nice meals), I’ve been a bit torn.  It’s a bit of a challenge getting ready for a wedding and leaving on time when distracted by a game or two.  Take the Michigan State overtime win over Michigan — I’m glad I got to watch it, but it didn’t help get left in good time.  And yes, my Illini haven’t looked good all season, but I still want to watch the game.

That’s where good friends come in.  I haven’t invested in a data package for my cell phone.  But I know who has.  And I am thankful for friends who know what I’m looking for when I say “Can I get an update?” while waiting for the bride and groom to appear for their sendoff.  A couple weeks ago, one friend graciously served as my personal scoreboard updater, and the Pennsylvania native didn’t even rub in the lopsided Illini-Penn State score too badly.  That’s a good friend.

This past weekend was a bit more of a challenge.  My first option for scoreboard updater was also serving as the wedding photographer, so availability was a bit of an issue.  But I had the opportunity to make new friends (and enemies — I am a product of a heated Illini-Hawkeye rivalry).  One friend’s date graciously took on the scoreboard updater role.

Ongoing score updates at wedding receptions.  Isn’t that what friends are for?

Farve Fever

I don’t know if it’s as contagious as H1N1, but the sports media have a serious case of Farve Fever.  They were nearly beside themselves with excitement with the just-days-away-from-40 QB took on his former team on Monday Night Football. 

In some ways, it’s understandable.  Brett is good, and he’s been showing just how good the last couple weeks.  He still looks weird in purple, but he’s playing his heart out and having a blast.  And that’s fun to watch.  But I’m not sure it’s worth the high temperatures he’s inspiring in the talking heads.  After all, his replacement in Green Bay is pretty darn talented, too.

But media aside, I’m still torn on Brett.  I’m irritated by the need he seems to have to prove himself, but I appreciate his talent and ability, even though he’s ancient in football years.  I have issues with abandoning the team that made him who he is, but I can’t help but laugh at the Sears commercial.  And I appreciate his willingness to make fun of himself.  That alone makes it easier for me to still cheer for him.

I will say that last Monday night I watched to see if the game would live up to the hype.  It pretty much did.  I couldn’t really cheer for the Vikings, but I did manage to cheer against the Packers and appreciate the skill of both QBs.  If these two teams just spend some quality time beating up on each other, Jay Cutler’s Bears might just take the division…