Stupid Bowl Sunday

Well, the big event is here. Stupid Bowl Sunday, or whatever they call it. I never understood why people get so excited about a bunch of spoiled, rich athletes playing ball. It’s just not my thing. Even when I was stationed at West Point, with our barracks just a short walk from Michie Stadium, I never saw an Army football game, or cared to. Once, when I was Soldier of the Month, I received two tickets to the Army-Navy game and traded them to a guy I knew for a couple of fishing rods.

I know, I know, saying you’re not a sports fan in America is blasphemous, but there it is. Many years ago, during our days as fulltime RVers, we were at the Escapees Dreamcatcher RV Park in Deming, New Mexico, and headed to Arizona to visit Terry’s parents and sisters, and my daughter and her family. We were checking out on a Sunday morning and one of the people working behind the counter asked how we possibly travel that day. I asked why not. It was a pretty day, the weather was nice, and I had a full tank of diesel in my MCI bus conversion. Why wouldn’t I be traveling? She asked if I didn’t know that it was Super Bowl Sunday. I told her that I was trying to lose a little bit of weight, and even eating a small sundae would ruin my diet, let alone a super big bowl. The people in the office looked at me like I was some kind of commie pinko. Oh well.

A few years ago, I did sit and watch the Super Bowl when our friend Jim was staying with us, but only because he wanted to watch it. That was four hours of my life I’ll never get back again!

It’s not just football that I don’t like. I’ve never been a fan of any team sports. I had a brother-in-law once who was a scout for the Dodgers, who lived and breathed baseball. I’m not talking fan, I’m talking about a guy who’s made it his life’s work and obsession. He had half a dozen televisions in one room in his house and all kinds of satellite dishes so he could watch games from around the world at the same time. We were visiting once, and in one of the games, a guy hit a home run, and I yelled, “touchdown!” Turns out a touchdown isn’t part of baseball. Who knew?

So what sports do I like? I used to like stock car racing back when it was just rednecks hauling ass and turning left, but then NASCAR turned it into a big business, and I lost interest. We live about 25 miles from the Daytona International Speedway, but just like that Army-Navy game years ago, if somebody gave me tickets to the Daytona 500, I wouldn’t go, I’d trade them for something worthwhile. I do sometimes try to watch the Indianapolis 500 on TV, not so much because I care about the racing, but they do have some pretty amazing crashes, and crazy things happen so many times, where the driver you know is going to win spins out or runs out of fuel or something in the last lap before they get to the finish line.

I guess if I had to choose my favorite sport, it would be boxing. Once in a while, when there’s a match on and nothing else on TV, I will turn it in. But I would much rather be fishing or kayaking or something like that than sitting watching someone else do whatever it is they do.

Anyway, if you’re a fan, enjoy the Stupid Bowl, but please, do it safely. Don’t get together with a bunch of people and participate in the next Covid 19 superspreader.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Today is your last chance to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an autographed copy of Cops and Writers Crime Scenes and Investigations, the second book in my friend Patrick O’Donnell’s Cops and Writers series, which are an excellent reference for authors and screenwriters. Patrick recently retired from a big city police department, and he runs the Cops and Writers group on Facebook. This new book covers how a rookie detective is trained, and divisions within a detective bureau, including Homicide, Sensitive Crimes, Robbery, and Arson. There is also information on firearms and other weapons used in law enforcement, and much more. Whether you’re an author or just someone who is interested in how and why the police do the things they do to protect and serve, Patrick’s books are well worth the read.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn this evening.  Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – Two silkworms had a race. They ended up in a tie.