“I had always hoped to die–drunk on good wine while lying on a good woman.”

“Only God can choose a man’s death–I rather think luck plays a heavy role.”

Severus and Venator 7/15/ 391A.D.

TREASURE- Clive Cussler

Another saunter through the forest on the way to a college football pick/preview. The weather is mild across the land today. Sporadic heat domes will appear towards the end of the week but will not stick around longer than a day. Fall weather will be felt again by week’s end. It reached 95 here yesterday, so what did I do? Ventured up a mountain trail where cool temps and nature’s secrets are found. Eventually, perhaps at the end of the trail, Boston College at Michigan St is the game that interests me. Before getting there though, there is a question that I need to pose.

Why would I watch sports in an intentional way when there are so many adventures to be had on a Saturday?

There are certain sporting events that make more sense than others to sit down and watch due to the times they are featured. Such as, European soccer. Premier League, English Championship, and Italian Serie A generally have games that kickoff before 6am on Saturdays out here in the mountainous desert, and this provides a pleasant ambience to start the day. A high-level competition narrated by someone that sounds as if they could narrate children’s bedtime stories is a perfect pairing for a first cup of coffee. The best part being that by 7:30 or so the match has ended, and one can get about their day and take on an adventure.

Certainly, there are European soccer games that kick later in the morning and do not finish until after lunch, but I rarely watch those, even if it’s the Arsenal playing. European soccer is a morning sport and one worth watching first thing before tackling the day. I find the round version of football to be a relaxing, beautiful sport, unless it’s the Arsenal game. Then, it just matters too much to relax even if it is a ‘Father Goose’ type telling the story.

The oblong version of football takes over the TV after 10AM on a Saturday if I’m home and watching sports. But again, why watch sports intentionally? Are the weather conditions poor? Are you feeling ill? Hosting a gathering? These would all be reasons to have the box TV set tuned in to your favorite game at that time.

Hopefully, no one bumps into the tv stand and rattles the antenna. Who knows how long it will take to clear the static and find the clear picture again? I suggest surrounding the TV with caution tape and anyone that enters the sphere be promptly removed from the home. And absolutely zero horseplay in the TV room. Horseplay leads to rough housing. Rough housing leads to things getting broken. Things that include the metal rod bunny ears that feed the signal to the 32″ ‘big’ screen. Speaking of tape, better duct tape those rabbit ears in place once the clearest picture is found. One little nudge will throw the Magnavox color tv back to the dark ages.

Of course, on really poor weather days, the TV won’t work anyways, so I guess even on those days, it’s best to find a book. I suggest a Clive Cussler novel. TREASURE.

So why intentionally set time aside to watch sports? This question popped into my head and projected audibly out of my mouth while I was sauntering amongst the Aspens yesterday morning around 9AM. It was nearly 45 degrees F on a cloudless day, and I had just spent nearly an hour within 25 yards of two cow moose that were bedded down in the dense vegetation amongst the relatively large, ancient looking alabaster tree trunks.

I had brought along a 70-page Mead that had BC @ MI St written on a page with some bullet points about this Saturday’s upcoming game and had planned on penning a narrative for how the game may go.

• BC Strong Safety KP Price 6’1/200
  • “Not driven by stats…I want to improve but leading the guys and leading the team–that’s my priority.” Price at ACC Media days back in July
• Mich St Wide Receiver Nick Marsh 6’3/209
  • The sophomore is a big body outside receiver that was the number two recruit out of Michigan in the class of ’24.

But I did not write word one regarding this game or college football at all for that matter. All I could think about and eventually scribble was ‘why do I even watch sports?’

I eventually exited the relative darkness of the forest and found a log on the shoreline of an alpine pond where I sat, soaked in the warm sunshine, and pondered this very thought. While I was doing that five mallard hens that I had observed in the middle of the pond swam straight to the shoreline and casually waddled up next to me where they curled in the resting position and fell asleep at my feet. If this sounds fake or too good to be true, it’s the honest truth.

One was to my left standing straight legged with its nose buried in its back fathers. Two were within inches of my right shoe laying on the shards of granite and sandy shoreline also with their noses buried into their backs as they closed their eyes to sleep. The fourth was about six feet past those two with its orange feet submerged in the crystal-clear water and its head on a swivel, and the fifth was directly in front of me churning up mud with its bright orange feet turned towards the sky. It was a moment that did not seem real. Especially coming off the heels of the double moose encounter.

It popped in my head again and this time I only whispered it aloud, “why on earth do I even care about sports when moments like this exist?”

I stood from the log as quietly as I could to not disturb the sleeping beauties and thanked them for coming over to hang out with me before headed back down the trail. On the way back, three Mule Deer does were within five yards of the trail and we had a thirty second staring contest until they darted into the dense safety of the forest. All the while, the sun’s warmth continued to strengthen, and the fading green aspen leaves rattled in the breeze. Who needs sports when there are special moments like these?

I truly do not have the answer. I can only say this. Do what you love. If you love to watch sports every Saturday from 5:30AM, when the first PL game kicks, to 1:30AM Sunday when the final west coast football game is completed, then do it. I know I have done that exact thing a few times in my life and had some fun while doing it but know this–there are other things to do other than watch three-minute commercial breaks every five minutes. If you are able and if you have the desire, get outside, take a pen and paper and see where it leads. Maybe you’ll have moments such as these.

Spectator sports have their time and place. Just don’t make them the most important part of your day.

• Boston College @ Michigan St 5:30 Peacock

Now, to this football game being played Saturday Night. Boston College travels to East Lansing, Michigan. The forecast shows a high expected temperature of 65 with the overnight lows reaching near 41 in East Lansing. Bucko, that’s football weather. The Spartan fans that attend will be treated to one of the nicest evenings of the year thus far so long as they wear pants and a light jacket, and the rowdy tailgates on Munn Field should be in full swing for this night game.

According the “Spartan’s Wire,” the Munn Field tailgate will no longer be a place for the rowdy, but “for families to enhance the gameday experience.” That said, “517 Beer Garden” will be a feature on Munn Field, so where there is beer, rowdiness will follow. Rowdiness leads to horseplay, to rough housing, to things like the bunny ears getting snapped in two in the tv room and who knows what else, so if drinking is necessary, partake responsibly. It looks like the field will be opening at 11AM, so gather the friends and family and make a day of it.

For the game itself, I have Michigan St winning the game late 22-20, but who really knows? Last year, these same two teams played, and the BC Eagles won at home 23-19. I see a very similar game in order for this one only with a different winner. I’m looking forward to watching both of these teams. KP Price on the BC defense, Nick Marsh on the Spartan offense, and the many other young men that will feature. I’m expecting a good game for this one.

So, players to watch for BC:

• SS KP Price
• FS Carter Davis
  • True Sophomore
• FS Omar Thornton
  • True Sophomore
• WR Lewis Bond
• QB Dylan Longeran
  • Alabama Transfer

Players to watch for MI St:

• WR Nick Marsh
  • True Sophomore
• TE Jack Velling
• FS Nikai Martinez
  • True Sophomore
  • UCF Transfer
• DE Isaac Smith
  • 6’6″/260
  • Transfer from Texas Tech
• The Field Goal kicker
  • To my knowledge, the Spartans do not have a reliable one on the roster due to injuries and their stud from last year, Jonothon Kim, graduating.
    • If the Spartan’s need a field goal, the snap might be good, the hold might be good, but there will be no one to kick it through the uprights as of this moment.
    • Someone may kick the ball, but who the hell knows where it will go.
  • Kim went as an undrafted free agent to the Chicago Bears

Michigan St is projected at 8-4 and BC at 4-8 for the season. Saturday night at 5:30 with the cool fall air descending upon East Lansing, the players will decide the outcome. No more talking or projections. Simply, who is better? I’ll take the Spartan Green.

So, why watch sports? Because sports are still fun, important, and unpredictable and have the opportunity to bring others together under the banner of one common goal. Simply, make time for other things that probably are more important. Certainly, make time for adventure with the ones you love most. Those are the most important.

Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’

Whit W.