I'm Not Saying... I'm Just Saying

I'm not saying that I'm old. I'm just saying that I'm old.

So this Friday is my 10-year high school reunion. We'll let that sink in for all of you young whippersnappers out there. Ten years ago, I was in the middle of my first semester out here, trying to be an engineer, and trying to figure out how I could doctor my license to get into the bars. Flash forward ten years, and I'm in the middle of my 11th year here in Illinois, trying to be a professor, and trying to figure out what else there is to do in this town besides go to the bars.

Anyway, I'm taking what is probably my final road trip from Champaign out to Albany. There was a stretch there during my junior and senior years where I made this drive quite a bit. Thanksgiving, winter break, and spring break were all drives home. I knew which exits to hit, where to eat, and where to slow down to avoid the speed traps. And for likely one last time, I'm getting ready to use all of that knowledge to get through a 14-hour drive.

So, I want to wish a happy holiday to my millions of readers. I'll be back to the Cornfields soon. But for now, it's off to the Empire State.

-Chairman

Disappointments

So even though I love football season, I hate football season.

Flag football. Once again, I sucked in playoffs, and I cost my team a shot at the championship. Let's put it this way. I'm like Dan Marino - I'm old, I don't move all that fast, I have great stats (especially during the regular season), can single-handedly win games with my arm, and just can't quite get it done in the playoffs. We came out flat, never adjusted on defense, and had a crappy quarterback on offense. Lessons learned - must continue to have practice late in the season, must get teammates to show up early so I can get my timing, and I must adjust faster to different defenses. Right now, I don't know if I want to even try this again next year. It's sad. You figure that I've got a good winning percentage in flag football - something like .650 or .700. Which should be pretty good. But I just can't quite compete with all of the teams that have all of the ringers - guys who stopped playing to concentrate on school, the guys who used to play in undergrad and are now in grad school, the varsity athletes who all play together. I can put together some moments. But just not quite enough to take it over the top. Oh well. If I could only put my current football instincts and knowledge on my body from 4 years ago, I'd like my chances. But right now? You can't have some kid with bad knees, carrying 25 pounds too much, trying to do the things that he used to do.

And the sad part? This is for intramurals. I can't even begin to imagine what Brett Farve goes through in the offseason, coming off of a 4-win season and getting another year older.

Illini Football. We don't know how to win, yet. You can make a case that we should've won 4 (maybe 5) of the last 6 games, and could have won the other 1 or 2. But you see that talent only takes you so far. You have to know how to win. The good teams can get away with coming out a little flat - they don't give stuff away that ends up killing them. Us, we're not good enough to make mistakes, and we don't know how to keep up the intensity for all 4 quarters. I think that it'll come. It looks like Juice's fitness can improve a little bit. And I know that our receivers have to get better.

Anyway, I've been busy and in a bit of a funk of late, so nothing's been put up here. Hopefully, I'm no longer depressed about my intramural mortality, and I'll get my head on straight soon.

-Chairman