And So This Is Football

Week One is in the books.

I had to say that. Just had to say that. It has probably already been said 43,000 times on sports talk shows so I am rolling with the cliche.

I have a theory. People who don't get the football hype, people who think it is stupid, are people tamed by life. People who are grateful for their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Football is the definition of intense. One game a week, short season, lightening fast score changes, violence and beauty.

Which reminds me - the Talking Heads had a song called "Sax and Violins." That was a band with a sense of humor.

Players pounding their chests, bumping helmets, jumping up and down, shifting from foot to foot. And it ain't just the amphetamines.

These guys are alive. With river rushing adrenaline, the intensity of the moment, determination and fear.

You cannot convince me there is no fear on the gridiron. Just look at the wide eyes of a running back as he breaks one off.

Which reminds me. You see a guy break off a long run and as he is running down the field he is looking over his shoulders. First the left, then the right. Continuously if the run is long enough.

It struck me Sunday that this is a perfect metaphor for life. No matter how good you are doing you better be looking over your shoulder.

So here we go. Football is comforting to me as I slip into the death-like ten month cold of another long suffering New England winter.

I can watch it on Monday nights, Thursday nights and all day Sunday. If I want a jolt of college ball I can throw Saturday into the mix.

The job will compromise my football passion this year. The job will take away some of my Sunday PATS. Make me late for Thursday night games. Wipe away Saturdays.

I despise that.

It occurs to me that the job is another life metaphor. For everything it gives me, it takes a lot more away. It has improved our financial standing so we can add marshmallow fluff to our peanut butter and jelly, and not much more than that. This disappoints me painfully.

The job is destroying me emotionally and harming my health. But I am going to have to man up and sacrifice football.

That's life, baby.

I will just have to take what I am given. There will be enough football available for me to get my fix.

My only advice to you is that on the days I am forced to miss PATS games, leave yourself a wide berth around my psyche.