I swore to myself that I
would ignore the HYPE this
summer.
Deep down I know thereıs no
point in worrying about football
season until it gets here.
I believe that there is no need
for worrying or speculating
about football until the games
are played.
I love football season but
donıt want to make it get here
too soon just by reading and
talking about it 24/7 during
July.
Football season doesnıt officially
start anyway until the
first injury occurs on your
favorite team.
Granted, the first one is
likely to strike during preseason
practice or scrimmages.
This is all the more reason to
ignore the HYPE. One serious
injury to a key player and all
the prognostication goes for
naught.
Preseason predictions account
only for teams at full
speed and assume no injuries,
ridiculous.
When I get e-mails from fellow
fans asking me about the
season, I politely tell them I am
avoiding the HYPE.
³Iıll see you at the game in
September,² will be my reply.
Thereıs no need to get too
worked up this early. That energy
can be better used come
kickoff.
All of my subscriptions to
the various internet chat boxes,
recruiting services and scoop
sites have expired without me
renewing them.
I learned a long time ago
that you can believe very little
of what you read on the
internet anyway. Why buy the
HYPE?
The two preseason football
magazines that I find in my
bathroom tell me that my
favorite college team will
positively win nine games
with the remaining two being
toss-ups.
These magazines also report
that my team will start the
season ranked anywhere from
first to fifth in the nation.
Thatıs exactly what I mean by
HYPE.
When you drive by my house
and see the flag of my favorite
team flying from the front
porch, you will know that I
am primed for the season.
As a rule I put the flag up
around Aug. 1, but I may challenge
myself this year. I may
try to wait a week later before
unfurling the flag.
If I do that every year, by the
time Iım 50 years old my flag
wonıt come out until the day of
the first game. Then I can say
that Iım too old to worry about
the HYPE at all.
Regardless of the predictions
about my team, regardless of
what I read and donıt read, one
thing is for certain: No matter
how old I get or when I do hang
that flag, itıll be the same color
as always.
That will never change.
And that folks, is not just a
bunch of HYPE!
