whereisjodi.

I suppose a good chunk of the country is discussing Boston's triumph -- sorry to say I didn't even know what teams were playing until I visited my grandma's house last week and watched an inning with her. I was, in fact, kind of ticked that football fans were punished because the World Series was on <Sunday Night Football got the boot>.

I don't watch a lot of football on tv, but I do enjoy watching Sunday and Monday Night Football with my mom as a social activity. Of course, when my boys the Broncos are playing, matters are a little more serious. Friday night's victory over Fresno State was a bit less stressful than the past two games where I felt rung-out by the time we squeaked a W. I've got my t-shirt...and my slippers...and my reversible beanie that I keep flipping from blue to orange and back again until the boys find their rhythm. :p

A couple weeks ago I got to wondering about the rabidness of sports fans. I've basically grown up in Boise and always cheered for the Broncos, but only in recent years would I say I've become rabid. I think there's something primal here -- something about screaming for your team and wearing the colors and planning your schedule around the games.

It makes me think of the old Greek city-states that used to gear up for battle every so often. We don't war against each other any more <except on a global scale>, but that primal urge is still there...and when your side wins it feels oh so good.

Last night on the news I saw Boston fans celebrating in the streets -- I remember watching the same thing happen, on a much smaller scale, when the Broncos brought home a victory in the Fiesta Bowl last year. What a beautiful thing! Of course I'm not talking about the drunkenness and debauchery that sometimes accompany such gatherings...but what a simple, chilldlike joy to hold the hand of a stranger and jump up and down while laughing your heads off!

I imagine that's what the ends of World Wars I and II were like. I've experienced widespread grief several times -- the Challenger explosion, 9/11 -- but personally I've never experienced widespread giddiness in any context other than sports. Maybe that's why I'm a fan.

Posted by authorjodi at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In less than an hour the Boise State Broncos will be opening their new season against Weber State. I just got back from running a couple errands and there were blue and orange t-shirts everywhere I went. Makes me wonder how long the enthusiasm will last if we don't live up to last year's game-of-a-lifetime...

And speaking of football, I have a question to throw out there. Does anyone else find the maelstrom over Michael Vick's dog-fighting a little bit mystifying? Let me be clear -- I'm not advocating animal cruelty and what he did was definitely wrong -- but how many NFL stars have been arrested for beating their wives and/or girlfriends or driving under the influence or gambling or using illegal drugs? Quite a few, am I right? I just find the response of losing 100 million in endorsements, indefinite suspension and jailtime a little bit...umm...excessive and somewhat out of proportion compared to all the other offenses professional players commit where they only get a slap on the wrist. Something seems out of whack to me.

However, this is not a sports-themed blog so I'll leave it at that and go dig out my BSU t-shirt. It's been AWOL since the big Bertha clean-out so I have a few piles to check.

Posted by authorjodi at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The times in my life where I have felt pure, unadulterated joy unmixed by other emotions have been few and far between. In the minutes after BSU's win over Oklahoma I felt joy like that. After so many ups and downs, so many changes of emotion, the almost storybook ending was unbelievable. I could make spiritual applications I guess, but I think I'll just continue to quietly revel in it. ;)

I will say, I found to my dismay that I really am a football dork. I had trouble sleeping the night of the game because I kept running over those last few improbable plays in my head, wondering how in the world they'd managed to have everything so perfect. :p

Posted by authorjodi at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by authorjodi at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My brother started playing football at a young age. I can still remember the tingle in my frozen toes from those crack-of-dawn Saturday mornings watching him play. I took it upon myself to be in charge of holding the down pole so I learned the finer points from a line-of-scrimmage viewpoint in those years. The mornings I had to stand on the side of the opposing team were the worst -- even now, 20+ years later, I still remember that the parents of the Albertson team were the worst and rudest we ever played against.

Continue reading "Football." »

Posted by authorjodi at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

...just kidding. Actually, I pulled up the game with streaming radio on kboi.com and I am stoked. I've missed most of the season traveling. For instance, I was at a sports bar for one game -- but I was in Oregon where every TV was tuned to a Ducks game and I thought it was wiser to leave with my life and limbs intact than ask them to change the channel. The next time I was around a TV on game day it didn't have ESPN. Ahhh. But today, at least until my wireless gives out, I'm listening and waiting for Z to break my heart. To celebrate I've pulled the last bag of chili out of the freezer that my mom made for me before I left. I'll just close my eyes and pretend it's winter outside...

UPDATE: What a horrible game to rejoin the fan club. Not only did my connection keep timing out, but every time I restarted I heard something awful. In the last clip I heard San Jose score and Z immediately throw an interception. What'd I tell ya? Heartbreaker.

Posted by authorjodi at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)