Which came first? And does it matter....
A friend - fellow Realtor in another state, as it happens - sent over the photo from long ago of his Sherman Park team. It was light-hearted, meant to be a reminder of the good old days when these guys were maybe 12 to 14. His brother passed away this summer, so he had spent time resurrecting photos of that time, of our neighborhood. At the wake we all stared at them. A friend pointed out several member of the teams who had died, or gone on to incredible careers, gotten married....etc.
Last week I had gone to dinner with a friend at Doug's, as always talking about the old days... This photo came in and I sent it over to him. His texted response... "Hated every minute of it."
The Syracuse University - Louisville game was played while we were visiting ARLO in Manhattan. We recorded the game, but after a day with the boys we were too tired to watch. I checked the score on my cell right before sleep - I knew we had most likely lost, but how. And most importantly was everyone healthy? No, apparently. Eric Dungey, the freshman quarterback from a little town in Oregon I had visited a few years ago, had "writhed in pain on the field" and then left the game with a head injury. Only four minutes left in the game, down by 31 points. He had been sidelined previously for another, earlier head injury a few weeks ago....and he was still in there, scrambling. As tired as I was, I didn't sleep well. Nightmarish stuff.
Yesterday I heard from a friend that her son had a concussion. A young man, about the age of the guys pictured above. I texted "How?" "Football."
I am going to the SU - Clemson game tomorrow at the Dome with an old friend from the Sherman Park era. We used to walk over from her house to the games; her brother parked cars, we sat in the stands in Archbold Stadium in the open air, usually on the wrong side of the field. Men smoked cigars and puffed in our faces, but we cheered our guys on. Larry Csonka, Floyd Little, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder.....
Clemson is number one in the country, right now. The SU team is hopelessly outclassed. The third string - or is it fourth-string? quarterback will take over for Dungey. There's another guy possible...hasn't played a lick of QB for SU. Up against the number one team.
When Coach Schafer first took over from Doug (Dream Job) Marrone, he was introduced at an SU basketball game which we attended. It was right after the NFL players had filed their suit because they were so very injured during their playing time, and then forgotten. Coach Schafer talked about fighting hard, being aggressive, "knocking a few heads together..." I may be paraphrasing, but whatever he said made me wince.
I worry about young men being hurt and disabled for life. Bud Poliquin in the Post-Standard today wrote about Schafer's call to keep Dungey in the game, even when there was no chance of winning. Coach said there was, but as Poliquin details, there wasn't. Coach is a commander who leads his troops into battle, knowing there is a high probability - he does know this, doesn't he? - that it is all for nought, that players could get hurt with reckless and unnecessary plays.
We'll still go to the Clemson game. I'll still watch my Seahawks and Peyton Manning and the Giants; we'll still host the family Super Bowl party. But I'm not sure I will ever be back to an SU football game after Saturday. Even when Coach Schafer goes. It's just too hard to watch.
And oh yes....I hope Eric Dungey transfers to Harvard, a chance he passed up to play for Coach Schafer and Syracuse University.
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