Well it’s here, and well under way. For better or worse. The fall football season has a relatively odd place at our house. Personally, while of course I cheer for the Bulldogs, I also attend the games for a chance to catch up with friends.
My husband Greg, on the other hand, is a sports writer and covers games every weekend. Not surprisingly he follows a number of college and NFL teams as well (isn’t that called a busman’s holiday, I always wonder??)
Despite my relative lack of interest, football has a long-standing place in our relationship. When we started dating my husband took me with him to cover a high school football game in Dayton. With the home team ready to receive the second-half kickoff, the ball bounced right in front of the guy (a kick returner, he tells me) and right over his head — as if he were Charlie Brown in a Peanuts comic — at which point I started laughing hysterically. The press box we were sitting in had all of the windows and the hometown team turned around to see me laughing and Greg trying desperately to shush me (he still tries that to this day with about as much success). Oddly he didn’t take me to cover any more games with him, but that’s ok. I think the next time I was in a press box during a football game was just a few years ago when I took the girls up to see him, and he kicked me out right after half time!
Later, when we were engaged, Greg was waiting on one of his subjects to call him back for an interview. He stopped by my place after work, and I told him there was a message for him on the machine. He asked me if it was former OSU coach John Cooper, and I replied that no, I would recognize that name. So he listened to the message and came back.
“You don’t know who that was?” he asked. “You don’t know who Archie Griffin is? You know, Archie Griffin, the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy.”
I of course innocently looked at him and sealed my fate (or maybe his) when I asked, “What’s the Heisman Trophy?” (in my defense, the guy played the year when I was born, so how could I remember that?)
Well we survived that and many more fumbles, here we are in the middle of our sixteenth football season together. The better or worse really does include football. Actually, I’ve become quite a fan of the Super Bowl — where there are always great friends, great food and no more football until August!! Enjoy the rest of the season everyone and good luck to the Bulldogs!
