Back In The Saddle Again
The time off has been nice. Been watching too much football on television, and I have to say the ACC games on Saturday only confirmed the sagacity of Casey Stengel’s observation that most games are lost, not won. If there was a game this season with worse quarterback play than could be found in the North Carolina-Boston College matchup, then I didn’t see it. David Shinskie threw five interceptions and T.J. Yates threw three, though the one Yates threw in the end zone with his team up by eight and absolutely dominating on defense should have counted for at least two or three. Maybe the most ill-advised pass I’ve seen thrown all season.
I’ve also been listening to a lot of M. Ward (it helps to have a hip teenage daughter to keep you up with new music), picking a little guitar and playing Sid Meier’s Civilization IV on the computer. The only real work I’ve done since Wake’s basketball victory over High Point was writing and polishing the profile on Riley Skinner that will run later this week. I’ve had fun with it, enjoying as always the chance to extend the story a bit and hopefully provide more depth than can be reached in a standard 20-column inch mid-week feature.
But now I’m bored and ready to get back at it. I’m heading over to basketball practice this afternoon to see Coach Dino Gaudio put the Deacons through their paces. Readers are wanting to know what’s the deal with Gary Clark (mono) and Konner Tucker (sprained ankle) and so am I. When I find out, I’ll pass it along.
And tomorrow we’ll sit down for fried chicken with Jim Grobe for the final time this season, and then cover the game against Winston-Salem State at the Joel. There’s a temptation to call the Skinner and Co. a Dead Team Walking, in that it’s locked into a losing season with no bowl regardless of what happens Saturday at Duke, but I know the seniors want to leave as the winningest class in school history and I know that people competitive enough to play college football abhor losing to anybody anytime.
I’m back on the beat, baby.