4 Hard Downs: Fire, Air Force One Is Down, Bama Don't Play
Halftime adjustments, what's going on in South Carolina and my kid built her first fire
Last week I did a show for Max and I was an advocate for Air Force being ranked higher than 25th. This week they made me The Main Ingredient this week:
Got smashed out by a bad Army team.
It wasn’t close. It wasn’t fun. It was just bad. As a son of an Air Force Dad, Grandad, Grandma, Uncle who lives in Colorado Springs, whew that was bad.
I also got these pictures from my dad who got together with his two best friends to go see ECU and Tulane.
So close.
Just couldn’t finish the drill.
But we can, so let’s go ahead and SPOT THE BALL!!!
1st Down: The Palmetto State Gets Much Needed Wins
6 games in a row, combined, Clemson and South Carolina have lost. 2 for the Tigers and 4 for the Gamecocks.
The state needed this.
Clemson is a team on a 4 game losing streak. Thinking they are falling off the face of the earth. Their hero, Will Shipley is just ok and also hurt. Phil Marfah is the specific man they need. South Carolina almost let Rich Rodriquez just get buck wild on them.
Wins were a must.
2nd Down: It Is Official, Alabama Is My Favorite Team
My favorite.
Not the favorite.
Not even the best team.
Just my favorite team to watch because of the subtle things the GOAT, Nick Saban, is doing to create opportunity for this team. Let’s be clear, this team is not as good as several, not a couple or a few, several, teams that he has had in previous seasons over the last 15 years.
This guy loves coaching and this team is giving him a chance to coach.
And I love watching him coach.
3rd Down: Caleb Williams Cares
I am not going to link to it but I will take a screen shot:
I think this is super fucked up to say.
I cried after just about every game I lost where I was a factor.
I had poured so much of myself into games that all I had left was tears. I had already given the blood and the sweat.
I had my dad come grab me and hug me on the field in my final games we lost because he knew I was inconsolable.
This isn’t some man up bullshit, this is his life and just like Michael Jordan crying when he wins, crying when you can’t get over the hump matters.
So, not ok.
Caleb cares. This isn’t crying because it is hard. It is crying because he can’t get them to where he thinks they should be. It isn’t a failing on his part, it is him realizing he isn’t enough.
Realizing you’re not enough is a really hard moment.
As a player. As a father. As a husband.
Whatever it is, realizing you can’t do it alone is hard. And it can break you down.
It should break you down.
That’s what this moment is.
And he goes to the people he trusts the most, his family, because he can be vulnerable with them.
He’s a hero to everyone else and to them he is a boy trying his best. Mocking that sucks.
4th Down: My Kid Made Her First Fire
My wife is obsessed with fire-making.
She grew up going camping with her dad. She learned how to setup the pyramid and find kindling and use the fire-starter and get it going. Every time we have people over once we hit the chilly season, it is a fire pit hang out and she starts the fire.
This weekend she started working on teaching our five year old the ways of the fire.
Very cool.
So cool that I put together her own “fire box” for our deck box. Tumble weed fire-starters, kindling, a lighter and they’ll be off an running.
Oh, and I showed my kid how I start a fire with the propane torch and don’t waste time doing it right, I do it fast.
Teach them to build fire!
Cheers!!