Birthday Bowl Game

I don't know what I'm more excited about for this New Year's Eve: My wife's birthday, or the Insight Bowl, featuring the 6-6 powerhouse Minnesota Gophers vs. 6-6 Iowa State. (Just kidding, honey...)

I recall a conversation two uncles of mine were having in 1977. The Gophers were invited to this new "loser bowl," as one of them called it. That was the inaugural (and now-defunct) Hall of Fame Classic, which they lost to Maryland, 27-17. This new bowl game had brought the total of college football bowl games to a whopping twelve.

In 1985, the Lou Holtz-led, 6-5 Gophers earned a trip to the Independence Bowl, which they won 20-13 over Clemson under coach John Gutekunst, who had replaced the Notre Dame-headed Holtz by the time the game was played. It was one of fifteen bowl games overall.

In 1986, the Gophers were again bowl-bound at 6-5, despite a 63-0 shellacking at the hands of Oklahoma, and an embarrassing non-conference loss to Pacific. The also now-defunct Pacific Tigers finished the year 4-7, losing its final five games, including two to three-win teams (the also also-now-defunct Fullerton State, and the Utah State Aggies). For more perspective, only the more recent loss to North Dakota State was worse in my lifetime, and the recent wins against North Dakota State and South Dakota State were about as bad.

The Butch-Nash-pep-talk-inspired upset win over Michigan that year saved the season, as did, perhaps, the addition of two more bowl games, bringing the total to seventeen. They lost to Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl, 21-14. I remember reading and wondering about where the integrity in the bowl system was headed.

In 1999, the Gophers finished 8-4, after losing to Oregon in the Sun Bowl. It was one of 23 bowl games that season. It was around this time that the prestige of bowl games had come to the point of schools defining successful seasons by whether they made it to a "New Year's" bowl game, presumably meaning one played on or after January 1.

This season, there are 34 bowl games. The Cyclones of Iowa State have lost a couple close ones, and they defeated Nebraska. They were also much more impressive in defeating NDSU (34-17) than the Gophers were in defeating SDSU (16-13, a game in which the Gophers' offense did not score a touchdown). I would assume that puts the Gophers in the role of the underdog.

Here's what I find especially funny about this bowl season: There are fourteen bowl games played on or after January 1. That's two more than all of the 1977 bowl season. What's more, some of those games are far less prestigious (e.g., Papa Johns, GMAC) than some of the pre-New Year games (e.g., Brut Sun, Champs Sports). The term "New Year's" bowl game has been rendered meaningless.

My wife is a former University of Minnesota varsity swimmer. I am a long-suffering Golden Gophers fan. So just as I did with my wife on her birthday last year, I'll be pulling hard for a Ski-U-Mah victory just before ringing in the New Year on Thursday. A bowl victory on my wife's birthday, followed by some Auld Lang Syne - does life get any better than that?

Rah!

Bittersweet Day at the Magic Kingdom

My wife and I took our two boys, ages 2 and 4, to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom today. It was their first visit, and they really enjoyed it, especially the four-year-old, because he got to meet many of the characters, including Mickey Mouse.

Today was also the birthday of my late father-in-law, the first birthday since his passing last May. My wife understandably was hesitant to go to Disney World on this day, but it ended up being a very nice distraction. The smiles on the boys' faces helped her forget, if only for some of the time.

On a different note, sort of, I would love to go to all of the Disney theme parks on my own some time. I am an avid admirer of the man's vision, and the attention to detail you find in the parks. One of the nice things about waiting in line for 45 minutes just for a picture with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, too, is that it gives someone like me a chance to be introspective about it all. But I'd rather be walking around taking more of it in.

As chance would have it, the History Channel aired its Modern Marvels - Disney World episode tonight. For grownups who may need a different perspective from which to see "It's a Small World" without losing a little of their lunch, I highly recommend catching this episode.

Rules of the House

If I buy a half gallon of my favorite ice cream, and you would like some, don't wait. I will have finished it in three late night sittings.

With many other foods, I will most likely be considerate and make sure you have had a chance to take in a fair portion - Oreo Double Stuff cookies, for example. But not ice cream. You're welcome to have some, just don't wait more than a couple days, or you're likely to miss out.

This will no doubt have to change if I am to reach my 2009 weight loss goals in 2010. At least the ice cream companies think I'm too stupid to notice their half-gallons have shrunk to 1.75 quarts, and now 1.5 quarts. The way I see it, I'm eating less in three late-night sittings than ever before.

A Very Bad Break

When I saw Napoleon McCallum injure his leg in 1994, my first thought was, "His career is over." Unfortunately, I was right. I had no medical knowledge to guide me other than remembering hearing it was that type of injury that ended Gale Sayers' career. I'm not even sure if that's true; it just looked that bad.

I fear tonight I have seen another career-ender in Minnesota Viking E.J. Henderson's injury. When the knee bends the wrong way that far, it's not good, to say the very least.

The Vikes look bad tonight, and without Henderson the rest of the year, it'll be tough. But right now, my thoughts are with E.J. I seriously doubt he will ever play again.

Another Saturday Night at My House

It seems every time I post a blog entry, I think I have to write a chapter of a book and include some deep thoughts, or something elongated to either make one chuckle, smile, or think. I don't tweet yet, but my other short thoughts end up as Facebook entries, so the blog posts tend to be infrequent and long. I hope to tweet soon, but also blog more, even if it means short, silly entries like this one.

So without further ado, here it is:

My wife and I are sitting on the couch together on this cold Saturday night. Romantic, no? No. We are both on our laptops, I on my blog and she playing Farmville. She's also on the phone with her best friend, while listening to Bette Midler, and two televisions are on. The boys are in the basement playing the Wii. I just think it's funny, nothing more.