Today I want to discuss bowls, various types of bowls.
Let's start with Bowl Games.
I have always loved watching the college bowl games on New Years Day, unless it falls on a Sunday. Then the bowl games are played on Monday, January 2nd. The unwritten law of television sports, "thou shalt not mess with the NFL."
Both my brothers were much older than me, ten and fifteen years older. This afforded me the opportunity to be both one of three siblings and an only child. I have very few memories of spending time with them when I was young, and why would I? Fred was away at Michigan State when I was three, Allen when I was seven. I may not have spent time with them but I did follow their college. I loved sports then and still do.
Then New Years Day Bowl Games consisted of the Cotton, Orange, Sugar, Rose, Sun, Gator, and Citrus. The most difficult task was figuring out which to watch when two were on at the same time. Seven games and four television stations, if you count the one from Canada.
Today the games start on Saturday December 17th and finish on Monday January 9th. Between the dates there are thirty five ballgames. Seventy college teams are able to show their football prowess and pad their accounts receivable. There are lots of mediocre teams with mediocre records entertaining the masses over the Holiday Bowl Season.
In years past I have prided myself on having the ability to overcome the daunting schedule. I thought it quite the accomplishment when I was able to watch each and every game. This year will be different. This year my time is more valuable. This year I'm sure I will pass on the Gliden New Mexico Bowl and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. I may miss the Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl as well. I wonder, is the Beef bowl in Russia or Florida?
Growing up I knew excellence was rewarded. A college now is offered a holiday game with less than stellar records. How about the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl with Florida and Ohio State, both 6-6. Or a noble cause for sure, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl has Illinois a 6-6 team and UCLA a team with a sub 500 record at 6-7. Is anyone outside Illinois and Southern California going to watch this game?
All of this excess and all of this money motivated pageantry enforces the understanding that you don't have to be excellent to be rewarded. The schools with the familiar names but lousy records will get invitations to bowl games. College sports has become less about the game and more about the money.
Wanda and I took my car in for a smog check this morning. This must be done every other year in California. We dropped it off and walked about a quarter mile to a Starbucks. It was an interesting and potentially hazardous walk. Large eucalyptus trees that line the street are home to a venue of Turkey Vultures . Wearing a hoody or hat is a good idea when navigating the sidewalks in this area. I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
We quickly made our way to Starbucks. Wanda went to pick out a new mug and I went to the men's room. I had switched my glasses on the way and put the sunglass case in my sweatshirt front pouch. I did my thing, turned to my left and watched in horror as my sunglass case fell in to the toilet.
See, I said I was going to write about different bowls.
It was only urine I told myself as I retrieved my sunglasses, and it was after all, mine.
Old joke:
A guy is standing in front of a urinal and sees a dime in the bottom of it. He reaches into his pocket takes out fifty cents and throws it in. Then he reaches in and takes out all the money. The fellow who was standing next to him sees all of this and says, "I saw what you did. Why in the world did you throw in the fifty cents?" And the guy said, "Well, I sure wasn't going to reach in there for only a dime."
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