I figured that I would start by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!
And then I got to thinking…
On Saturday, I spent my day broadcasting the Lafayette-Lehigh football game. It is college football’s most-played rivalry and I feel very fortunate that I have done the play-by-play for this game for fifteen years. My wife and I then had dinner with my daughter and her husband, and hurried off to the Zoellner Arts Center to see Darlene Love in concert. Except for the Lafayette defeat (and only because I am a fan), it was a really nice day. I did a job I truly love, spent quality time with the family, and enjoyed what life has to offer in terms of entertainment. I went to bed that night feeling good about most everything.
But, on Sunday, I started, as I often do, thinking about this weekly blog. My mind tries to come up with a topic that I hope readers will find interesting, and it usually revolves around the world of sports. Only this time I kept thinking about the awful tragedy in Paris. I could not read a newspaper or turn on the TV without facing reports of the Parisians’ circumstances and the horrible aftermath. And that brought me back to Saturday.
I realized that I spent that day much like the Parisians who, prior to suffering through the terrible assaults by ISIS, were just living life on a regular Friday one week ago. The attacks had come at a soccer game, at a restaurant, and at a concert by a fanatical group that believes violence is the path to paradise.
Eight days later, while I, too, attended the very same types of venues, I took all of the events and locales for granted. I would be amongst the 16,000 people at Goodman Stadium watching, not soccer, but football; enjoying family at a local restaurant as many were doing at Petit Cambodge restaurant; and, like those at Le Bataclan, I just wanted to enjoy some live music in concert.
The Paris victims just wanted to do the same.
I have much to be thankful for – a wonderful wife (52 years and counting), two successful daughters who are happily married, three grandchildren who are all pursuing their vocational dreams, a great job, good health, and, despite all that goes on in the world, a positive outlook on life.
But I am quite sure that many of the 129 who were killed in Paris and the many, who were wounded, could have said the same thing about their lives and their families. Until Friday the thirteenth, 2015.
I will join my family around the dinner table on Thanksgiving and think about my good fortune. But, I will also take pause and reflect on the horrors that exist in the world and, in addition to asking for my family to continue to be blessed, I will also pray that the world finds a way to be a better place. You, too, may want to do the same. It cannot hurt.
Again, Happy Thanksgiving!
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- Lafayette suffered through just an awful 1-10 football season culminating with their arch-rival Lehigh beating them soundly. With Army, Delaware, Villanova, and Princeton on the schedule next year, they could get much, much better and it might not show in their record.
- As I write this, Philadelphia pro teams have won one home game in November! The Flyers have won three of their last 10, and are 7-9-5 with the fewest wins in the NHL. The 76’ers are 0-14, and the Eagles looked just awful on Sunday losing to Tampa Bay and are now 4-6. To make matters worse, the Eagles play the Lions in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. If you are an Eagles fan, you might want to eat your turkey BEFORE the game. If you are lucky, then the tryptophan might kick in just in time to sleep through the game.
- As the cold begins to creep into the Valley, the RCN crew is ready to move indoors. The wind and cold temperatures on Friday night at Parkland convinced everyone on camera outside that they really like basketball better.
- Speaking of basketball, we have a rare college doubleheader for you this Sunday when the Lafayette men take on Penn and the Lafayette women play St. Peter’s. The action begins at 2:00pm with the men.
- There are PIAA state football match-ups in store this weekend on RCN-TV. Wyoming Valley West – Parkland will be LIVE on Friday night at 7:00 followed by a taped replay of the Notre Dame – Dunmore game. There are no games Saturday.
NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 11-3; OVERALL 96-64 (60%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK TEN)
DETROIT
CAROLINA
GREEN BAY
OAKLAND
KANSAS CITY
INDIANAPOLIS
GIANTS
HOUSTON
ATLANTA
CINCINNATI
JACKSONVILLE
JETS
ARIZONA
SEATTLE
NEW ENGLAND
BALTIMORE
